Yes, another amazing race pool!

I am in yet another Amazing Race pool at work. The way we worked this one was we drew numbers from a hat and then got to pick a team in the order of numbers so each team was only picked once. I drew a 4, so 3 teams were already gone when it was my turn to pick. But, I still got my second favorite team, so it's all good. I have Lynn and Alex (the gay guys). I think they will do pretty well since they seem to be one of the stronger teams. If I win this pool, it will be the third Amazing Race pool in a row that i have won!

I am also in a Survivor Pool as well. We got to draw two names (I drew Ian and Wanda) and then we got to make 3 picks as well (I picked Katie, Bobby-Jon, and Gregg). We made these draws before the first episode and the picks before the second episode. I have yet to wina survivor pool, so maybe I'm due this time! Unlike with the Amazing Race pool, the survivor pool has more than one person on each survivor contestant. So, even if one of my contestants win, doesn't mean I am guaranteed the money. I would have to fight for it "Survivor style" (whatever that means, eating worms, maybe? or trivia? who knows) with the other people in my office that have the same pick. I find it makes the shows a lot more fun to watch when you have certain people you are cheering for.

Thanks for all your comments on my soon-to-be-mine house! I am soooo excited! It makes it really concentrate on studying (I am writing the PPE on April 23rd). After I write the exam, I will have more time to devote to researching mortgages, gathering decorating ideas, etc. I am trying to remain focused on studying, but it is so hard! I wish I could just put the house stuff out of my mind for the next month, but that's impossible! I have already spent about 22 hours studying, so I am well on my way. I think it will be fine; I will just be so relieved when April 23rd is over!!! Then I can really concentrate on my house! It will also be really exciting when I can go into the house to look around. I'm planning on doing that in the last week of April.

Wow, I must be growing up!

I have some incredibly exciting news! Now, before you all get carried away, it has nothing to do with a new man in my life (I am still single)...it is way better than a new man! I am going to buy my first house!! So, for those of you who are not interested in reading all about my house, you might as well stop reading now because that's all this post is going to be about.

I have been thinking about getting my own place for a few months now. I went into the bank to meet with a mortgage specialist just to get a ballpark idea of how much I could afford to spend on a house. I was a little disappointed with the amount, but I guess I have to realize that I only have one income, so I can't expect to get a killer house. So, over the last few months, every saturday when the paper comes, I would take out the real estate section and read it. And I was getting a little more discouraged because it seemed like all the houses that were within my price range were either tiny little bungalos or townhomes. I really wanted something a little bigger so that I could build an apartment in a portion of it so I could rent out the apartment to make money to help pay the mortgage. And I really wasn't finding that anywhere.

Then, on Sunday, my mom said "Why don't you buy our rental property?". What an amazing idea! I would love to live there, I just never thought my parents would want to sell it!

My parents own a house just around the corner from where we are now and have rented it out for about 14 years now. My family lived in the rental house from about 1982 until 1991, so I spent a lot of my childhood there. The truth is that my parents could really use the chunk of change from the sale of the house to get out of debt. Selling the house and getting out of debt would be a real answer to prayer for them. Owning my own house is a dream come true for me. I will get to buy this gorgeous house with 4 bedrooms, it's two floors (plus basement and attic), has a huge backyard, detached garage, and it backs right onto the Rotary-Greenway trail, which is where I do a lot of running and walking Koby. And, the house has a walk-out basement, so the plan is to convert the basement into an apartment to rent out! My dad is a master carpenter, so he's going to do all the renovations for me! Yay! The house is getting a little run-down since it has been a student rental for so long, but I know how nice it can get, because it was beautiful when I lived there, it just needs a little work here and there.

Oh wait, it gets better, my parents have offered to let my buy it for $25,000 less than the appraised price!!!! Otherwise, I would never be able to afford such a large house, but they offered it to me for a good deal! My Oma gave my mom a lot of money towards her first home, so I guess my parents want to do the same with me! I'm so excited I can barely sleep at night! My mind is running wild with all the possibilities!

Okay, there is one down side. There are new tenants moving in as of May 1st (they just signed the lease a couple weeks ago). So, I can't move into the house until May 1, 2006 even though the closing date of the sale will be August 1, 2005. So, I will own the house for 9 months before I can move in. Bummer, eh? But, that just means I will get the $1200 a month from the rental income to pay the mortgage and I can save the rest for the renovations and furniture and such. Legally, I can kick the tenants out since the house will be mine and I will need it for personal use, but they are friends of my brother's and I don't want to leave them without a place to live. And an extra $1200 a month will go a long way. That should cover the mortgage payments, property taxes, home insurance, other house expenses, etc. with a few hundred left to save. I think having some time before I move in may be a good thing because then I can really plan what I want to do in terms of painting, decorating, furniture, fixing things up, etc. It will just be soooo hard to wait! I've drove by the place tonight to look at it (even though of course I know that house inside and out because I lived there for 9 years). And something inside me said "that's gonna be your new home".

Another plus side is, if (or shall I way WHEN) I get married and have a family, this house has plenty of room. 4 bedrooms on the upper floor and 1 in the basement (but that will be part of the apartment). One of the bedrooms upstairs is quite small, but the other three are a good size. I will be going down there sometime in the next few weeks (once the current tenants move out and before the new ones move in) to take some measurements, notes, and pictures.

So, in the next few weeks my job is to do some shopping around for mortgages. I want to get the best rate possible because even a percent difference in the interest rate will save you thousands. It's all about negotiations!

I really hope I will be approved for the mortgage. The only problem I see is coming up with a down payment since all my money in the last year has gone to student loans (all paid off as of yesterday - yay!) and my car (I am buying out the lease May 1st). I may have to ask Oma if she can loan me a few grand for now. Mortgages really are a lot easier now than they used to be. You used to need to have 25% down, but now you can get a mortgage for as little as 5% down.

Anyways, that's my exciting news, be prepared that a large portion of my blogs for the next little while will be about the house and keeping people updated on the status. And if we get together, be prepared for house talk. But, I will try to keep it at a minimum. That will be hard because I am so excited I'm almost bursting at the seams! I will try not to bore you though. I will feel much better when August 1st rolls around, because then at least it will be mine! (even if I have to wait 9 months to move in). I will be a homeowner before the age of 25, which was a goal of mine. All I can say is....thank you Jesus!

Woohoo! Going to see U2!

I was able to get tickets for the U2 concert at the ACC on monday, september 12th...yay! What made me kinda annoyed tho is that they originally only had 2 shows planned: on a Monday and Wednesday. I figured the Monday would be better and then I'd just take a long weekend. But, after I bought my tickets and those two shows sold out in about 2-3 minutes, they opened up another two shows: on a friday and saturday! I would have much rather gone on a saturday than a monday! Oh well. I am just happy to be going at all because all 4 shows are sold out now. Not a single ticket left. They have quite a following I guess. I got general admission floor tickets, so I hope to be able to get pretty close! Should be a load of fun! Yay! I'm excited, now I just have to wait 6 months.

Thanks JetsGo....thanks for nothing!

I was one of the thousands who have paid for JetsGo tickets and will not be receiving the services paid for. I was planning to go to Newfoundland in May, bought my tickets during a seat sale in January, and now am left with no tickets, yet I paid for them. I MAY be able to get a refund from the credit card company that I purchased the tickets with, but when I phoned them last night, they said they cannot assist me until the date and time of my flight has passed. Herin lies the dilema. The next cheapest flight I found was with tango. The only way I could afford to still go on vacation as planned is if I get a refund for the JetsGo tickets I have already purchased, but I won't know that until May. See the problem? I don't know what to do...I guess I will just wait a little and see if any more details on refunds are made available once the dust settles. I just hate having everything up in the air (or NOT up in the air, bad joke). Grrrr.....

Okay wait, I've changed my mind...

I am no longer a closet Kalanadian (see previous post)...I am an "I don't care who knows it, Kalan rocks" Kalanadian! The concert on friday blew me away. I mean, Kalan was good on Canadian Idol, he definately has a good voice, but I thought he was lacking a little in the stage presence and personality. Well, he must have gotten some major coaching or something, because he had amazing stage presence at the concert. I also had no idea of his musical telent because on Canadian Idol they just sing. He is sooo talented! He is an extremely gifted musician, he incorporated his violin music into most of his songs, which were rock, so it was a very unique mix. He played a few cover songs and they were better than the originals! He played alot of his own stuff too. So, if any of you have the opportunity to see him, you definately should - you will be surprised! You should come to Peterborough for the free concert here at the festi (see previous post)! I've been to quite a few concerts, and he was by far the most talented musician I have seen and he's quite a good singer too. I'm sure he'll be the next Mick Jagger, just give him time. Okay, at the risk of sounding like a star-crazed obsessive lunatic, I guess I should stop gushing. You just HAVE to see him, end of story.

I got the major report that I have been working on out today. It felt so good! 1 down, 17 more to go before March 31st...yikes! Good thing I started almost all of them back in the fall. Otherwise I would be freaking right about now!

Studying for the engineering licencing exam is going well. There's sooooo much to study! It's nuts! I'm glad I started 8 weeks before the exam. Definately not the type of exam you can cram for. So, until April 23rd, I am pretty much going to be anti-social, which really sucks ;( But, after that, I will have my weekends free and clear - that's excellent news!

Okay, so I'm a closet Kalanadian...

For those of you who are now very confused, I am a fan of Kalan Porter (winner of Canadian Idol). I am going to see him in concert tomorrow. I will have to let you know how it is; I'm sure I'll be surrounded by screaming 14 year old girls. Sigh, I think I may be getting to old for this.

But, I'm not too old yet! I just found out that Kalan is performing at the Festival of Lights (aka "the Festi") this summer. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a free festival that runs on wednesdays and saturdays throughout the summer in Peterborough. It is outside, completely free, just bring your own lawn chair, and it's followed by an illuminated boat show and fireworks. It's actually quite cool; people flock from far and wide to Peterborough for it. They've had some big names, I saw Great Big Sea awhile ago. This year, the only bands of interest to me are: Kalan Porter, Thousand Foot Krutch (who I have loved for at least 6 or 7 years, I have all their albums and they are from around Peterborough but live in California now), Tom Cochraine, and Beatle-mania. If any of you want to come up for one of the events, you totally should! http://www.festivaloflights.ca/

I'm going to the spa...

...and it is well-deserved! Tomorrow, one of my friends from work and I are going to the spa. Last summer, when we worked evenings and a weekend for some public consultation events for work, my boss gave us gift certificates for the spa...so, we are finally using them. I'm getting a manicure, pedicure, and a facial. And it could not come at a better time after the week I've had. I had to work late the last three nights in a row! I've been writing this report for a new client and it's the first huge hydrogeological report I've written. It is quite a complicated site too in terms of hydrogeology. So, I was a little nervous when the project manager reviewed it...but, I guess I didn't need to be because he said it was excellent! Yay me! I nailed that one! It was nice to get a little positive reinforcement. Makes me happy.

So, after the spa tomorrow, I will be totally relaxed...so, what better to do than go to another party! One of the girls at work is turning 40, so her husband is throwing a surprise party for her tomorrow night. A bunch of us are going...should be fun. After that, three of us "young" girls are heading downtown for a night at the bars. I don't think I'll drink as much as I did last weekend, that was just crazy! I would like to be able to remember what happens, but we'll see, you never know...

And what a party it was!

Wow, was I ever hammered! I had a great time though. I ended up drinking an entire bottle of wine and a few rum and cokes...and then me and another girl from work (the two single gals) decided to head downtown for some dancing. It was fun. Lots of drunken dancing and guys attempting to pick us up...but, in the end, we ended up leaving alone. Good thing too, I don't want to do anything I would regret. Even when I am completely hammered, I still know when to draw the line. I will not go home with someone that I just met in a bar. Just not my style. Never has been. But, it was a nice ego-booster to have guys interested.

So, needless to say, it was a bit of a rough morning this morning. I got home at about 2:30am, but I was so wired from all the drinks, I couldn't sleep until about 5am. I slept on an off until about 9am, and then got a solid three hours in until noon. When I attempted to get up at 9, I still felt drunk, the room was spinning, so I decided a little more rest was in order. When I woke up again at noon, I was feeling much better.

But, I didn't get as much studying done as I would have liked for the PPE, but oh well. I still have like 9 weeks until the exam, lots of time.

Party time!

Tonight, I am going to my coworkers house for a little get together. Another girl from work is my date. She lives a couple of blocks from me, so we are going to share a cab. Should be good times! Apparently, the host's boyfriend invited all his friends, which means there will be no shortage of men. I just hope I don't drink too much and make a total fool of myself. But, if I do, it wouldn't be the first time (or the last I'm sure). I'm not sure if we're staying at this girl's house or if we're going out, hence, I don't know what to wear...

DNA talk

I just got back from the first class in a course I am taking at Trent University. It is called "DNA and Forensic Science: CSI for the Novice". I really enjoyed the firts class! We are even going to get to do DNA profiling on ourselves! Sweet! I get to find out all about my own DNA. I think I am really going to enjoy this course.

I found out today that one of my best friends from my childhood just got engaged. She has been with her boyfriend for almost 5 years now. He is a super nice guy and I am really happy for them. The two of them left over a year ago for an adventure around the world. I guess they go place to place and find jobs and then move to another country when they get bored. They started in Australia, and travelled to New Zealand, Singapore, Itlay, Switzerland, and now they're in Ireland. I have no idea when they're coming back (I don't think they know either). They are thinking June 2007 for the wedding, so even if they stay away on their adventure for another year there will still be plenty of time to plan the wedding. They just travel from place to place, working and having a great time, staying as long as they want in each place...I'm so jealous! Sigh, maybe someday...

Amazing Race was...Amazing!

I loved last night's amazing race finale...probably because the outcome meant that I won my pool at work - yay me! I really liked Freddy and Kendra. Although Kendra did say some stupid things, I'm sure everyone did at some point and they chose to show her stupid comments on air. You never know what happens the 99 % of the time that we don't see. I think that overall they worked really well as a team and I'm really happy for them. I also really liked Kris and John, but they won so many trips for coming in first in many of the episodes, they already came away with a lot of winnings. I really disliked Hayden, I thought she really didn't treat Aaron very well, but I guess in that amount of stress, anyone can lash out. I really liked Rebecca, but Adam was such a cry-baby mama's boy. He doesn't even cut his own toenails for crying out loud, his mom cuts them. Ridiculous! I can understand why Rebecca wasn't happy with him...he has a lot of growing up to do.

Changing the subject completely, one of these days I am going to have to start studying for my Professional Practice Exam (PPE). I am writing it on April 23rd. That may seem like a long way away, but considering that March is going to be a crazy month at work with lots of overtime (we have 45 reports due to the MOE March 31st), I figure I better start early since I may not get that much studying done in March. My boss just wrote the PPE, so he let me borrow all his textbooks, old exams, studynotes, etc. Score! My company is also paying for the exam fee, so it won't cost me anything. Sweet! I just better pass!

I'm excited about this weekend! I'm going to the exaggerator's with lj to celebrate the exaggerator's birthday. I'm sure it will be good times; it always is with those awesome chicks!

It was the ride of my life...

The Russians (both of them this time) came over last night. They came for dinner and to fix our internet (it had been down for a day). They had to go back to their place to pick up an extrfa modem and they invited me along for the ride. Russian #1 has 2 BMW's. The one I rode in was a 545i and it was the sweetest car I have ever been in. Man, that guy drives fast! We were probably going at least a 100 km/h through town (speed limit of 50). It was insane! What a rush! I haven't felt the old adenaline pumping like that in a long time! I guess I should have expected a fast ride because previous to this he showed me a video of him driving down the 115 and the spedometer was in the shot so you could tell how fast he was driving. The spedometer only went to 240km/h and the needle was way past that, so he was probably doing 260 km/h. That is absolutely insane. It's even more insane to take a video while you're driving that fast. What a crazy guy. He says if you're gonna speed, make sure to go REALLY fast because then the cops can't catch you and they can't see your licence plate. I think one of these days they're going to nail him and take away his licence or he may end of hurting himself and other people.

Good news is I'm back safe and sound (Thank you Jesus!). I think that next time the Russian invites me for a ride, I will have to insist on driving ;)

Other than my highspeed car joy ride, nothing too much new here.

Wow, Tae Kwon Do is hard!

I just got back from my first Tae Kwon Do class. It was a lot more difficult than I expected! I think I need to practice quite a bit before my next class. I especially need to work on kicking with my left leg, not so good at hitting the target with my left leg. I hope I will improve. I am hoping to be able to get my yellow belt at some point. That would be a nice accomplishment.

Dinner with the Russians turned out to be dinner with the Russian. Only one of the two guys could come. He was a very interesting guy with a good sense of humour as well. And his accent was awesome! It was so nice just to listen to him. I was surprised at how good his english was as well. I think my brother wants to be his new best friend because he has two BMW's. Why is it that foreign students always drive the nicest cars? How can they afford it? Especially since they have to pay triple the tuition? I guess most of them come from well-off familites. The Russian's dad works for the Russian government in the space organization. I'm sure he is quite wealthy. Anyways, dinner with the Russian was fun, I think we're going to try to have him over again sometime when his friend can come too. He was very appreciative of a home-cooked meal because he never cooks for himself. He says he's too busy saving the world to cook. He started a global organization to save the world from global catastrope through science. He's quite passionate about it actually. Interesting...

Tae Kwon Do and dinner with Russians.

As my title would suggest, I have decided that I will take that Tae Kwon Do class I was talking about a little while ago. I have registered for it and the first class is on Monday. I am taking it with two girls at work. I think it will be a good opportunity for me to do something I've always wanted to do (martial arts) and I will be able to make some friends as well. And it never hurts to know a little self defense, especially in this violent world.

Also, my family is having dinner with two Russian gentlemen tomorrow night. However, I have never met or spoken to either one of them. They are two of my mom's former students (she teaches at Trent University). I guess they really enjoyed her course and have been keeping in touch with her since it ended. So, she invited them over for dinner tomorrow. Apparently one of them is really into global issues like global warming, etc. and has started a student organization about it. It should be an interesting evening anyway. And, I think listening to guys with accents is always good. Especially if they are cute! I am looking forward to it! Break out the vodka!!! Oh, well, better not get too carried away because after all, my parents will be there too. And this other girl who is going on a mission trip to Russia in a few weeks. She wanted to learn a little about Russia from people who are from there. I hope it goes well! I am really looking forward to meeting them.

I just got back from a screamo/death metal concert!

Yes, that's right, I attended a screamo/death metal concert this evening. The main band playing was Forty Day Frenzy and the first opening band was Moments Fail and the second opening band was The Kidney Stones. It was realllllly good. But, of course I'm biased since I am related to one of the band members and two of the members of the second opening band. My brother, Thomas, is the bass player for Forty Day Frenzy and he also played bass for The Kidney Stones (their main bass player couldn't make it tonight). My other brother, Alex, is the lead singer/guitarist for The Kidney Stones. It was one of those concerts where you can't understand what they're screaming, but it was really well done. I was afraid that they may not get a good turnout (because the weather wasn't the greatest), but there were probably about a hundred people there. Not bad for their debut concert! I bought my ticket at least a month ago. I even bought a poster at he concert and the band members signed it. It may be worth big bucks someday!

Anyways, I had an awesome time. Who knew my brothers were so talented?!?! Why did they get all the music talent genes? Why didn't I get any of those?

Mortgage Talk...

I just got back from the bank. I wanted to meet with the mortgage specialist to see how much of a mortgage I would qualify for. It all started with me thinking about what I am going to do with Zeke (my car) when his lease is up in May. Since I would like to buy a house in about a year or so, I wanted to find out how much of a mortgage I would qualify for with 2 different scenarios: buying Zeke in may or getting a new car. Well, as I imagined, I qualify for a higher morgage if I buy Zeke and have him completely paid for when I buy a house. So, that makes my decision a whole lot easier. I will buy Zeke in May and have him completely paid off (I'm hoping it will only take me a year to pay him off), then I will buy a house. Exciting stuff! Of course it would be a lot easier if I were married and had two incomes to go towards a mortgage, but I think I should be able to get something quite nice on my own.

The plan is to buy a starter home that is either a duplex or can be made into one (because my Dad is a carpenter, he can do that for me). Then, I can rent out half my house, and have the rental income pay the mortgage! That's my plan anyways!

I got a raise, baby!

Woohoo! As of midnight tonight, my raise willbe official (that's when my paycheck is deposited into my account). I'm not sure how much it will be for, but I will find out tomorrow. I have a number in my head that I am hoping for, so I would be totally psyched if my raise pushes me to that level. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Two girls at work that are around my age (one is 22 and the other is 26) have asked me if I would be interested in taking a TaeKwonDo class with them. I am seriously considering it. I think it would be fun. I have always wanted to try a martial art and I think it would be even more fun if I had two people that I know in the class. And it would give me the opportunity to get to know them better. Since I don't really have many friends in town, it's about time I made some!

Today, it was on of my co-worker's birthday. One of the girls at work came in early and covered every square inch of his desk, computer, wall, shelf, etc. with post-it notes! It was funny! Then, he took most of them down and when he was out for lunch, she put them all back again. The only problem is that her birthday is next month, so I can't wait to see what kind of revenge he will get with her office.

Other than that, not too much new here. Just working hard, still loving my job. I can't believe I've been there for 8 months already. It's gone by so fast! I really enjoy it there. But, I could talk about how much I love my job all day. I'm sure that would just bore you though, so I won't.

I'm off to Newfoundland! Woohoo!

My mom is going to a conference for one week at the end of May in St. John's, Newfoundland. My dad and I are going to go with her since we will have a free hotel room (her employer is paying for that). All I have to pay for is my flight, meals, and sightseeing/souveniers. And, JetsGo has a seat sale on, so I was able to get my return trip flight for a total cost of $280. Not too shabby! I'm quite pleased! I thought it might be hard to get the time off, but my boss was in a super great mood today. I was able to get the time off with no problem. Sweet! I am totally excited now! I just booked my plane tickets, so it's official now. I'm off to St. John's at the end of May. I had no idea just how far it actually is; Halifax is only two thirds of the way there! I have been to the east coast before (New Brunswick), but that was 9 years ago. So, it's about time I go again! And, I've never been to Newfoundland.

As soon as we get there, mom has two days free (this is because the cheap flights were only on certain days). So, we are going to head up to Terra Nova National Park for the first 2 days. Then, it's back to St. John's because that's where my mom's conference is. So, for the next three days, mom will be off doing her conference stuff and Dad and I will be in some pub drinking or off on some boat doing some whale watching or whatever. I think I will have to try lobster as well. I've never had it. Anyways, I'm sure I will have a great time. I'm excited :)

In other news, I got my Oakleys back. They have new frames and look very nice. I wish I had sent them in earlier to be fixed. Whole new frames for $29 and I got them back less than a week after I sent them. I am impressed! Finally, a company that is competent! Yay!

Off to visit lj!

woohoo! I'm excited about going to lj's place for a visit. I think that the exaggerator and mm are coming too, so it should be awesome!

Hey, I have some good news. About a year ago, the frames for my Oakley sunglasses broke. After a year of the broken glasses sitting in my desk, I dug them out, dusted them off and phoned Oakley to see if they could repair them. Turns out I can get new frames for only $29! Score! I am going to send them off tomorrow and hopefully soon I will get them back - in one piece instead of two!

Other than that, nothing new to report at this time.

Still just hanging out.

I am on my holidays still. I had to work between Christmas and New Years, so I took a few vacation days now so that I would get a bit of a break. I go back to work on Thursday. I haven't really been doing too much. Just cleaning up, excercising etc.

My mom started The South Beach Diet and I decided to start as well. I figured I needed to try something else because I have been keeping track of my weight watchers points for about 6 months and haven't lost a ounce. So, it was time to try something new. I have only been on the South Beach Diet for 4 days and I have lost 2.5 pounds. Only 12.5 more to go! I am one of the most skeptical people in the world when it comes to diets, so I really did my research before I started this one. It is really healthy and it's working so far. It works in three phases. I am in Phase 1 right now and it is the hardest one, thank goodness it only lasts 2 weeks! You basically cut out all carbs and sugars for the first two weeks and then slowly introduce them back into your diet (but only the good, healthy carbs). The trick with the first phase is it gets rid of your hunger and cravings. It is amazing! I usually have a massive appetite, but I have been eating a lot less by just eating the right things. The whole basis for the SB Diet is to eat foods that have a low Glycemic Index, thereby keeping your blood sugar level low and reducing cravings. Anyways, that's enough about that. I will have to keep you posted on whether it works or not because, who knows, it may not work out. But, so far so good. And the best part is: you don't have to keep track of what you eat! That's one of the things I didn't like about Weight Watchers. Who has time for that? And the SB Diet is completey free, which is another big bonus!

As for my New Year's resolutions, I have been pretty good at keeping my resolutions the last few years, so I hope I will do alright keeping up with mine this year.

1) Lose 15 pounds (hence the South Beach Diet)
2) Keep up with exercising (I have been going to the gym on average 3-4 times a week, so I just need to keep that up).
3) Keep up with my daily devotions. (In 2004, I read the entire Bible, it was hard, but I did it! So, this year, to keep it a bit lighter, I borrowed a daily devotional book from my mom so I could get deeper into the Word and try to learn more. That is one part of my life I have kind of let slide in the last few years. I want to get back into it because at the end of the day, it's all that matters.)

Well, I'm off to get a haircut and high-lites. I hope it looks good! I'm sure it will, I totally trust my hairdresser.