Final post of the year
Where has the time gone? It's been 10 days since my last post so I figured I better do one last entry before the end of the year. To sum up the past week and a half...

Mission: Christmas Shopping - Completed Dec 23/05
As of 8:30 pm on December 23rd, my mission was complete. Despite the early start (in October), I still managed to leave things until the last minute. Maybe next year I can finish early (??)

Christmas come and gone
Just like other years, Christmas comes and goes so quickly. Even though you try to spread it out over 2 or 3 days, it ends up being more stressful than enjoyable. Maybe I'm just saying this because the last couple Christmas-es haven't been that "enjoyable" for me. Don't get me wrong, this Christmas was great for my daughter, and I enjoyed every moment I spent with her. I just wish the day had that extra something (je ne sais quoi?) to make it... you know... better.

Boxing Day shopping
Yes, I actually went. I haven't gone boxing day shopping in a long time, so my mom and I decided we'd go. We got to the mall at 7:30 am (some stores opened at 7:00 am), and bought a few things. I got 2 shirts, a pair of pants, socks, and a wallet. I bought Teagan a winter coat for next year (to go with these boots she got from her aunt and uncle), and 2 pairs of jeans. We left the mall at 11:30 am, and by then the mall was packed.

Short work week
We only worked 3 days this past week (Tuesday to Thursday). It was short but busy, being that it was the last payroll of the year.

Hockey game
I got a couple hockey tickets from the company for this past Wednesday's game. I took my brother, being that I hadn't seen much of him since he got here. Without going into too much detail, we didn't watch too much of the game. We spent most of the night (i) going up and down stairs, (ii) my brother got puked on by the guy sitting behind him (he got a drycleaning voucher and we got relocated from section 210 row 32 to section 102 (?) row 4), (iii) we visited my uncle in his company box, (iv) watched most of the third period, but left when there was 2 minutes left in the game. Edmonton ended up losing anyway, so it was OK.

Pre-wedding prep
Liz and Brad's big day was yesterday. I started the day off by getting my hair done at 11:00 am. I thought I'd have enough time to go home, relax a bit, eat, and meet them for pictures at 2:00 pm. But it didn't quite turn out that way. I got home with only enough time to quickly grab something to eat, put my make-up on, and rush out the door to meet them for pictures [Sidenote: They decided to do the picture before the ceremony, instead of afterwards. It took away the "surprise" factor for Brad, but that's what they decided to do.]. As I was driving to the hotel, I realized I didn't have to rush because (i) how many weddings start on time? and (ii) I knew Liz was going to be late anyway.

Click, click, flash, flash
We spent quite a bit of time at the hotel taking pictures. My cheeks were getting sore from smiling so much. Hopefully the pictures turn out good.

Off to church
After taking pictures, it was off to church for the ceremony (which started 10 minutes late). The ceremony wasn't that long, compared to a traditional filipino wedding. There were a couple readings, a couple songs, then they said their vows. I was convinced Brad was going to cry during the ceremony (based on how he was during rehearsal), but he managed to keep it together. Once the ceremony was done, we had more pictures taken.

Time to eat
Once the second round of pictures were done, we headed to the hall for some food. The food was great, and the dessert was even better! I especially liked this capuccino mousse cake. Yum!

Party on!
After dinner, there were 3 speeches (I kind of advised Liz that less speeches would be better), and then it was time to dance! During one of the dances, one of the buttons popped of my dress, causing my top to be a bit loose. But good thing it happened before I was about to leave. All in all, it was a fun evening. I went home at midnight.

Hair takedown
I was trying to count how many hairpins my hairdresser was putting in my hair earlier that day, but I lost count. It took half an hour, but 54 hairpins later the hair came down. I was so relieved when I took them all out.

Back to California
We dropped off Mike and Shelley at the airport this afternoon. It was good to have them here for the holidays. Hopefully we'll see them soon.

'Tis the season...
... for treats, chocolates, gift baskets from suppliers, luncheons, etc. I'm starting to feel sick from eating all this stuff... :P

Countdown
8 days left until Christmas...
7 days left for Christmas shopping...
13 days left before my friend gets married...
2 weeks before my brother and sister-in-law go back to California...

Where does all the time go?

Mission: Christmas Shopping
As much as I'd like to say that I'm done Christmas shopping, I'm not. Argh! My original plan of completing the whole Christmas shopping thing by November 30th obviously hasn't happened. And the stupid thing is, I started in October. I went to the mall earlier (big mistake because it was packed!), to drop off a pair of pants to get hemmed, and to pick up one gift. I have 2 more gifts to get, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the other one on time. Maybe I can finish it off tomorrow?? We'll see...

Shopping before work
Speaking of shopping, I was at the mall at 730 am yesterday to pick up a few things. The Bay was open at 700 am, so my mom and I decided to do some early shopping. Shopping that early is great because there aren't too many people around. And it was also "scratch & save", which was even better. I got a down winter jacket for myself, since I was due for a new jacket. And it only came to $80! Yay! If I didn't have to go to work, I probably would've been able to finish the rest of my Christmas shopping.

Back in town
My brother and sister-in-law are back in town for the holidays. I'm glad they're back, but I'm not sure how much I'm going to see of them because of work. Hopefully I can leave early this week, so I can spend time with them.

Winter and Spring in December?!
In the past 2 weeks we've gone from freezing cold to mild, "above normal" temperatures. With the change in weather, we're back to square one with having no snow on the ground. Which doesn't really bother me, since I'd rather not have snow anyway. But it's weird to see some of the tips of grass still green, especially this time of year. Maybe we'll have a mild winter?? According to these guys, the coldest period is yet to come. *sigh*

Day off
I took the day off yesterday because I was planning on taking Teagan to the Festival of Trees , but instead we ended up staying home because she's still fighting a cold. Hopefully I can take her on the weekend, since it ends on Sunday.

Sore toe
I stubbed my little toe on Teagan's highchair yesterday, and did it ever hurt! At first I thought I broke my toe, but then I figured I wouldn't be able to move it if I broke it? It was sore this morning when I woke up, and a bit uncomfortable while I was walking around. But the more I walked around, the pain seemed to go away. Right now, it's all bruised. It's a good thing my toe didn't swell up, otherwise I wouldn't be able to wear my shoes.

This sh** is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S...
Mhae and I went to see Gwen Stefani last night at Rexall (we got free tickets). It was an awesome concert! The opening act, M.I.A, who I'm not familiar with, opened the show. Because I've never heard of them, I can't say I enjoyed their performance. There was way too much bass, I couldn't understand the lyrics, and all the songs sounded pretty much the same. But it looked like some of the crowd knew who they were. [Am I getting that old? Don't answer that :P]. Anyway, this was the first concert that I've been to where the crowd actually stayed on their feet for most of the concert. In previous concerts I've been to, I've never understood why the crowd would stay seated? I mean, it's a concert so why not get up and have fun and dance?!

Gwen changed outfits for almost every song, along with her Harajuku Girls . She even had four guys breakdancing during one of her songs. The concert ended off with Hollaback Girl, which was such a great way to end the concert. About 15 people sitting in the front row (mostly kids), got to go on stage with her, as she finished off the show.

After the show
Trying to get out of the parking lot was another story. What happened to the days when people were a little bit more considerate as far as letting other cars through? So there we were, in the parking lot, waiting to get out of the stall we were in. I had parked in reverse, so that I wouldn't have to worry about backing up on the way out. Anyway, I'm sitting there, waiting for someone to let me into the flow of traffic, but no luck. This one car with two, 20-something girls were looking at me, as I was talking to myself saying "are you going to let me in?". Instead, they gave me this weird look, and then gave me the finger. Nice. I managed to get out anyway, only because there were people crossing in front of another car. But that was only getting out of the stall I was in. Next, was trying to get out of the aisle of parking we were in. It looked like people were sort of taking turns (between those coming out of the aisle vs. oncoming traffic), so I motioned one car to go ahead, and then proceeded behind it, even though the car behind didn't seem like it wanted to let me through. OK, so now we're on our way out, but we're still in the parking lot. It's a good thing there was traffic control. The next obstacle was trying to get to the point where we'd be on the main road. I noticed an SUV kinda halfway in front of me, so I motioned to her to go ahead. She gave me the "thank you" wave, and as I was inching behind her, some lady decided she was going to go through as well. Uh, I don't think so. So I fought my way out of there, and cut in front of her. And finally we were out. The stupid thing was, we weren't even that far from the parking lot exit, but it took us about 20 minutes or so to get out.

Traffic issues
You'd think that would be the end of my traffic problem? Nope. As I was driving Mhae to her car, we came up to a 4-way stop. It was clear that I stopped first, but the other car decided he would go ahead anyway, and then had the nerve to give the what's-your-problem look. I turned to Mhae and asked her if I was doing anything wrong, and she said no (as she was laughing at me). Do the traffic laws change over the weekend or something? Did I miss the memo?!? Argh!

Updates...
So, it's been a while. I've got a few things on the go, hence my lack of blog entries. Anyway...

Birthday surprise #2
Unfortunately, not for me. Mhae and I went to Ikea last Tuesday to get a desk for our boss (for his first surprise, the company got him a hotel room in Dhaka, since he went on a trip to Bangladesh/Bhutan). He was scheduled to get back into town early Wednesday morning, so we figured he wouldn't come to the office, since he doesn't sleep well on planes. So, we spent Wednesday morning putting his desk together. It took us about an hour and a half (we had a minor setback), and thank goodness he didn't come in. He came into the office Thursday morning, and quite surprised.

Day off
We had a short week last week (Remembrance Day), so it was nice to have the day off. I spent it doing errands, but then what else is new?

I went to Chicago last Saturday
No, not the city, but the musical. It was a long show, but it was great! I have to admit there was one part that kinda dragged on, and I felt myself dozing off. But I think it was because I haven't been getting much sleep lately.

Speaking of sleep...
I finally slept in my new bed the other night (don't ask why it took me a week and a half?). It's really comfy, but I know my body still has to adjust to it, since I'm not used to sleeping on a pillowtop (because I've never slept on a pillowtop before). My back is a bit sore, but I think it's more stress related.

Mission: Christmas Shopping - 98% complete
As of last Tuesday, I have completed 98% of my shopping. Woo hoo! The only reason why I didn't finish it off was because I missed a couple people on my list. Oops. I could finish it off now, but because Mercury is in retrograde (from November 14 to December 5), it is not advisable to be shopping during this time . I know I'm not superstitious, but I thought I'd see what happens if I don't go shopping. I'm not sure what'll come out if it, but we'll see.

"Holy windy, Batman..."
That's what I heard on the radio this morning when they were talking about the weather. It's really windy right now, "with gusts of up to 90 km/hr". At least we don't have snow. It's snowed a couple times already, but it hasn't stayed on the ground. So technically, it's not really snow. My definition of snow is actual white stuff that stays on the ground for a long period of time. At this rate, hopefully we have a mild winter.

That's it...
I have to ban myself from Zara. I originally went in there to get some clothes for my cousin for Christmas (because he has way too many toys). Instead, I bought more clothes for Teagan and spent $128 in doing so. I know, a bit much for a 15-and-a-half-month old kid, but I couldn't help myself. And yes, the purchase included a pair of boots :P I know I probably wouldn't spend that much on myself (unless, of course, it falls within my rules of (i) last one in my size, and/or (ii) on sale). But, it's amazing how much you spend on your child and half the time, it doesn't really matter. I mean, yes I know it's not practical to spend that much on something that won't last that long, but hey, I want my daughter to look good. I know she can still look good in more practical clothes, but why shouldn't I splurge once in a while? Sure, I buy her clothes all the time, but it's more essential stuff which is usually on sale. OK, so maybe I'm trying to justify my purchase, but in the end, I wanted to buy it for her. And if I can do it, why not?

A phone call... a bed
I finally got my bed! Yay! I got a call Thursday morning, saying that they would be delivering my bed between 10-1030 am. I told them that was fine, and that I wouldn't be home, but my mom would. I called my mom around 1030 am to see if they had delivered it yet, and she told me that they set everything up and took away the old bed in 10 minutes! That's quick. They also dropped off a couple pillows as a "sorry, we screwed up delivery of your bed" gift. Uh, OK?! So now, I have 2 extra pillows because I already bought pillows before. I think I'll just give them to my mom to replace a couple of her older pillows.

The only down side: I haven't slept in my bed yet. I still have to set up my room and have been too busy with "other stuff". Once the "other stuff" is taken care of, then I can have a good night's rest. Hopefully that'll be some time this week...

Halloween
I took my daughter to the mall for halloween. I know, it's not the "traditional" way to go trick-or-treating, but it was cold outside and I didn't want her to get sick. Plus, she's too little to be trick-or-treating anyway, but I thought I'd expose her to it. She enjoyed looking at the other kids in their costumes, but I think she was a bit over-stimulated because she passed out after 45 minutes. She managed to get a quarter of a small bag full of treats, which a lot for a 15-month old who doesn't eat candy. But that's where I come in ;P Hopefully next year, she'll stay up a bit longer.

Still no bed
Nope. No bed. I'm not even in the mood right now to talk to them because I have some other stuff to deal with.

Don't you hate it when...
... you have a list of people to call, and the only person you can get a hold of is the last person on your list? The stupid part is, I even thought about calling the last person on my list first. Go figure...

No phone call, no bed
I was supposed to get a phone call on Friday, confirming that they would be delivering my bed today. But I didn't get a phone call. I should've called them on Friday, but it slipped my mind and by the time I remembered, it was too late. I guess I could've called them on Saturday, but they also told me that they would call me Sunday morning between 8 - 9 am with a 3-hour window as to when they would be delivering my bed. So I figured I'd just wait for the Sunday morning phone call. I even woke up early, just so I wouldn't miss the phone call. 8 am rolled around and no phone call. 9 am rolled around and still no phone call. I finally called them at about 1130 am, and asked for the guy who helped me. He wasn't in at the time, so I explained the situation to the guy I was talking to. He was apologetic and said he'd get the other guy to call me as soon as he walked in the door. About an hour later, he called me and explained that for some reason, Sealy didn't ship the bed to them on Thursday. And he couldn't really call them because it's Sunday, and of course, they're closed. He also explained that it's not like they really "promised" me the bed by today, but that they were just following what Sealy had indicated to them. OK, whatever. So I should be hearing from them within the next day or so. Hopefully I don't have to wait another week to get my bed. I feel like I'm having an Irma moment...

Time to blog
Yes, it's been a while. My brain is overflowing with stuff to blog about. Whether or not I'll actually post it all, who knows? Anyway...

Mission: Christmas Shopping (cont'd)
There are 56 days left until Christmas. And I'm happy to say that since my last post, I have been quite successful with my mission. I think I only have 3 or 4 people left on my list to shop for. Of course, this may change at the last minute, but I'm hoping not since I want to keep my initial goal of finishing my Christmas shopping by the end of November.

Speaking of shopping...
Of course, I couldn't forget myself :P Since my last post, I bought a brown sweater, a pink turtleneck, and some makeup brushes. I also bought Teagan some clothes, a pair of shoes, and some boots.

How rude...
During one of my shopping trips, I happened to be in the toy department of The Bay, looking for a Christmas present for my cousin. So there I was, looking at some of the clearance stuff. I grabbed some kind of key-chain thing (I was curious to see what it actually was and what it did), when this lady grabs the thing out of my hand and says "Does that have the barcode on it, because I'm paying for this one" (she already had one, but it didn't have the price). She left before I could say anything because I was so stunned at what just happened. I mean, do people really do that?! Whatever happened to common courtesy? I was pissed, and left the store.

New bed
Teagan and I have been sleeping in my parents room for the past few months, while my dad was fixing up my room (new paint, new flooring). So now that my room is finished, Teagan and I can move in so-to-speak. Which meant I had to get a new bed, since the one I had wouldn't fit in my room with a crib, plus it was really old and didn't have much support. So I got a pillow top mattress at Sleep Country. Picking out the mattress took almost an hour, since the salesman told me to lie on the mattresses on display and choose one I liked the best. You'd think they would be similar, but they weren't. Choosing between pillow top vs. standard, soft vs. firm, reasonable vs. pricey, was not an easy task. But I managed to find one that suited me. They're supposed to deliver my bed tomorrow. I can't wait to finally get a good night's sleep.

The "V"
Every year around this time, I usually see the "V" formation of ducks flying south. I saw some ducks flying a couple weeks ago, but they weren't in a "v", and they weren't flying south. Maybe they were doing a test run? Anyway, on Tuesday, I saw the "V". Which means it's going to get cold pretty soon. Which means snow will be coming as well. Ugh. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter this year.

Speaking of cold weather...
I need to get a new winter jacket. I think I'm due for a new one, since I've had my winter jacket for a few years now.

Appointments
I had a dentist appointment on Thursday, and my teeth are clean and I have no cavities. I still have a problem with brushing too hard, thereby causing recession of the gum line. My dentist says he might have to fill in a part of my tooth, if the recession gets worse. But for the time being, it's still OK. Which means I still have a "green" chart. Everytime I go in for a cleaning, my dental hygenist writes in a green pen, if the check-up is OK (which it usually is), and writes in blue if they had to do a filling or something. I think there are only 1 or 2 instances where she had to write in a blue pen because of filling. For now, it's still green. And green is good!

I also had a doctor's appointment later that afternoon, and requested that I have a stress test done on my heart. I've been going through a lot of stress lately and I just wanted to take precautions. I heard somewhere that even though you seem "healthy", you should still have one done just to check things out. So that's what I did. But my doctor didn't agree with my request. He said he wouldn't recommend one since I'm (i) female, (ii) a non-smoker, (iii) have no history of heart disease in my family, and (iv) young. Therefore, I'm a low risk for cardiovascular disease and he feels that the tests wouldn't show anything. So I didn't get the stress test done. I mean, I didn't have any symptoms or anything - I just thought I'd do it to see.

Happy birthday to me!
My birthday came and went. I think that's what happens when you've passed the 30-mark. I took the afternoon off of work, and took my daughter to Kindermusik, to make up for the class she missed on Saturday. After class, I took her home, put her down for a nap, and did some stuff for my brother. Later that evening, I went to Wal-Mart and Superstore to buy some food for Teagan. By then end of the night, I was pooped. My mom made some mamon, which was my birthday cake.

Birthday lunch and dinner
My boss took me and a couple co-workers out for lunch the day after my birthday. Then
Irma took me out for dinner to Yokozuna's last night (thanks again!). We had sushi, since I haven't had it in a long time, and then we went to Moxie's for some dessert. I still think their white chocolate brownie is the best dessert ever. Anyway, Irma and I sat there for a couple hours, got caught up on stuff, and talked about wedding plans.

Fall back
Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour.

Mission: Christmas Shopping (cont'd)
OK, so I've gone shopping 3 times since my last post. But my mission isn't going as well as I would like. I've only bought a couple things for other people, and in turn bought more stuff for myself and my daughter. I seem to be following the one-for-you-two-for-me rule. :P I still don't think I'm in the Christmas shopping mode, but hey, at least I got a bit of a start.

Good work day
Today was a good work day. The reports we had to do were straight forward and we were done by 1 pm! That's the first time we've ever been done by 1 pm. So we spent the rest of the day just pretending to look busy. I finished a spreadsheet that I wanted to do, and helped Mhae write a letter. Then we went for a walk to deposit our checks, and then I left the office at 4 pm. So I had a pretty easy day today. Which is so nice for a change...

Mission: Christmas Shopping
I went to the mall last night with the intention of doing a bit of Christmas shopping. My plan is to have all my Christmas shopping done by the end of November. Do you realize there are only 81 days until Christmas?!

Anyway, I started my mission at The Bay, where I wanted to pick up this tinted lip conditioner (in virtuous violet). [OK, so I'm supposed to be Christmas shopping for other people, but hey, I can start with myself, can't I?! :P]. Originally, that's all I wanted to get. But then I realized I needed a lip brush to apply the stuff, because I didn't want to waste it on my fingers and get it under my nails. But the longer I stayed there, the more I thought of other stuff I should get like brush cleaner (because I'm a clean freak and who wants to have lip stuff caked onto the brush?), and a lip liner (in whirl). I think part of the reason I bought more than what I intended is because the cosmetician was so perky and friendly that it almost made you want to buy more. [The lady she helped before me spent over $120 on cosmetics]. So I got my stuff and left, before I thought of other things I might want to get.

I walked around the mall for a while and looked at "potential" gifts for people, but nothing really called out to me. I realized it was because I wasn't really in the "christmas shopping mode". I mean, it's not even halloween yet and even though the Christmas stuff is already out, it just doesn't feel like I should be Christmas shopping now. So, I went to Children's Place where I bought more clothes for Teagan (a shirt, 2 pairs of jeans, and a hat - but they were all on sale!). After that, I went to this photography place where I had some scrapbook refill sheets on hold.

So my first attempt at Christmas shopping was unsuccessful. Oh well, there'll be other days to shop...

Speaking of shopping
I need to get winter tires. Even though I have all-season ones, I'd feel better if I got winter ones, especially if I'm going to be driving with Teagan during the winter.

It's October...
Leaves are turning, weather's getting colder... mind you, the leaves started turning about 2 weeks ago, and it's been cold for a while now. But now it's October, that means halloween, then Christmas. Which means winter is around the corner. Ugh. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter this year.

But in other news...
I read The Alchemist (which Bern recommended to me 3 years ago!) and it was a good, quick read. I kinda forgot that I bought the book, but I'm glad I finally read it!

Productive
I've been quite productive over the past week at work, which is good because all this stuff needs to be done anyway and I like the fact that I'm actually doing something that's contributing to the company as a whole.

More scrapbooking stuff
Actually, only one more thing. I bought a paper trimmer yesterday. I had a coupon, and felt the need to buy something. I've been using a utility knife and a cutting board up until now, so this will definitely make cutting a bit easier. Hmmm, I wonder what I should buy next with my other coupon?

The color purple
Apparently, that's one of the colors that's in for fall, besides the normal earth tones. So I bought myself a purple (actually, it's eggplant) 3/4-sleeve turtleneck. It was the last one in my size and it was reasonable, so I bought it. Plus, I don't have anything purple in my closet (mainly because I don't like purple, but because this is eggplant, it's OK :P).

More pink
I'm trying to stay away from pink for Teagan's clothes, but it's hard when that seems to be all they have in stores. OK, so maybe stores have all colors for kids, but for the styles and prices that I want, pink is the color. I realize she's a girl, but I'd like her to have other colors too. Really, I should stop buying clothes for her because she has a lot that she still hasn't worn. But I couldn't resist - it was her 1-year-and-2-month birthday a couple days ago, plus the clothes I bought were on sale.

Black and blue
I finally got a black camera case for my digital camera, and a 256 MB memory stick (it's blue). A clicking we shall go...

And in other stuff...

• Teagan and I are back in Kindermusik
• I don't think I'm going to sell my car. Instead, I'll probably just get it painted. Although, I could sell it after I get it painted, but we'll see. I don't even know when I'm going to get this done?
• getting myself back into kickboxing/gym/etc. is on hold, until I can figure out my schedule
• I started putting some of my spring/summer stuff away

Random Stuff
Let's see... it's been over 2 weeks since I last blogged. Haven't really made time to blog, and I need to empty out my brain.

Signs?
I've had 3 almost accidents in the past 2 months. First, was almost run over while crossing the street. I had the right of way, and there was a car wanting to turn right. If I hadn't stopped to look before I crossed the street, she would've clipped me for sure. I made a gesture to her that she was in the wrong, but she didn't do anything about it. Second, I almost clipped another car. Actually, I scraped his driver side rear fender while changing lanes, but somehow he didn't notice? I followed him for a couple blocks, thinking that he'd pull over so that we wouldn't interrupt the flow of traffic. But he kept going. Good for me in the sense that I didn't have to deal with damages to the other person's vehicle, but now I have these big scratch marks on my passenger side bumper. Oh well, I guess I can get it repainted. And lastly, I almost got side-swiped by this car who decided to change lanes at the absolute last minute. I was on my way to work, heading toward the freeway. There are 2 turning lanes to get onto the freeway (for some reason, most people still don't know this and they've lived here for how long?!). This lady was on the inside lane, and I was on the outside. And at the last minute, she decides she doesn't want either turning lane and cuts me off to keep going straight. I honked my horn at her, and she didn't do anything either.

Moral of the story: always look both ways before you cross/change lanes.

Project Scrapbook
Yes, I'm finally getting back into it. I had started a scrapbook 3 years ago with my Paris pictures (Bern, it's already been 3 years?!), but disappointingly still haven't finished it. Last weekend, I started a scrapbook for my daughter. It took me 2 days, but I was able to get the first page done. It seems like a long time to spend on one page, but planning out the layout is what took me so long (and I'm really particular when it comes to stuff like that). Anyway, now that I seem to have this motivation to keep going with this scrapbook thing, I just might be able to finish the Paris scrapbook too! *crossing fingers*

Scrapbook supplies
Before my friend and I got together last week to scrapbook, I had been shopping for supplies for probably the past month. I'd get stuff here and there like cardstock, printed paper, a scrapfolio, glue, hole puncher, markers, etc. Oh yeah, and don't forget the actual scrapbook! I'm afraid to see how much I've spent so far on all this stuff, but in the end it'll be all worth it.

Speaking of shopping
Since my last shopping outing, I think the only thing I've bought (besides all the scrapbook stuff) was this chicken costume for Teagan. I know I already got her the pumpkin costume 2 weeks ago, but I wanted to try it on her and then make my decision. In the end, I stuck with the original pumpkin costume, and got her pumpkin slippers, a shirt to wear underneath, and a pair of black pants so her legs don't get cold.

Still not in the loop
I don't know if it's a matter of people getting used to me being back at work or what, but I still feel out of the loop. Questions are directed to my friend (who replaced me while I was on maternity leave), which is understandable, but hello I'm capable of answering some questions too. There's other stuff, which I won't get into, but being back at work is definitely different this time around.

Weather sucks
We didn't have much of a summer, and lately it's been cloudy/rainy/overcast. I realize it's almost fall, but what's wrong with this picture: wearing a turtleneck in the middle of August and being able to see your breath in the air? Not good. It wasn't too long ago that I had rotated my closet, and now I have to do it again to get all the fall/winter clothes out. Ugh. I think I need a vacation to some place warm...

Quick Updates
In no particular order:

New motherboard
As you can see (well, maybe you really can't see, but you know what I mean), I have my computer back. It was gone for 2 weeks to be fixed, and they replaced the motherboard. Sounds a bit long to fix, but at least I have my computer back. What sucks is all the files we had are lost. I don't think any of them were that important, but I like to have copies of what I do. I guess I should start backing up to disc or something.

Packing, moving, unpacking
We went into work on Saturday to pack everything up. Myer and I were thinking we'd be out of there by noon, 1 pm at the absolute latest, but we didn't get out of there until 3 pm. Not really how I wanted to spend my Saturday, but it had to be done. And we couldn't pack earlier because we're in the middle of our year end stuff.

Sunday was the big move. I wasn't around, since we hired movers, but I heard it went OK. The painters finished painting and the computers were pretty much set up and networked.

Today was unpacking/cleaning day. We had a lot to unpack, but good thing there were only a couple boxes of stuff that was going into my office. My office isn't quite set up, but it's almost there. I still need a few finishing touches (ie. pictures of Teagan, plants, shelving unit, etc), which we'll probably get this week. It's kind of hard to work when you're in cleaning/setting up mode.

A bit of shopping
I went shopping with Teagan and my mom on Friday night. My mom got some sale stuff, I got a sleeveless turtleneck for work, and I bought Teagan a halloween costume. She's going to be a pumpkin this year.

More memory
I'm in desparate need of a memory stick for my digital camera. I just haven't had time to get one.

FINALLY!!
Now I can blog! I've been dying to empty my brain of stuff, but with my computer at home being fixed, and the lack of time of blogging at work (because I shouldn't really be on the net when I'm at work, but as you can see, that's what I'm doing now - yes, I know it's Saturday...); I haven't been able to blog. So, in no particular order:

Click, click... beep, beep
I finally took out my digital camera out of the box last week. I charged the batteries, then put them into the camera, set up the date/clock, hit 'ok', and then... beep, beep, "Turn power off, and on again" So I did this a couple times and it didn't work. The lens was jammed. Ugh. I went back to Best Buy and exchanged it. It's a good thing I exchanged it when I did, because apparently they have a 14-day exchange policy on digital cameras. And I was on day 11. Anyway, before I left the store I checked to make sure the camera lens wasn't going to jam again. And it didn't. So I went home and tested it out. I took a few pictures of my daughter (the whole reason for getting a digital camera), and played around with it for a while. Now all I need to get is a memory stick and a camera bag.

Psychic?
I had a dream about a friend of mine who went to Calgary for a couple days. I dreamt that she went shopping and bought bright t-shirts that were on sale. So when I told her about it the other day, she freaked me out when she told me that she did go shopping, buy t-shirts, and they were on sale. How weird is that?! I had a couple of other dreams too, so I wonder if there'll be some truth to them? I kind of hope not.

Tired
Lately I've been really tired. I think I'm getting enough sleep (about 7 hours or so), but work (and other stuff) I think is starting to take a toll on me. Work has been crazy. I've been here for a month and I feel like I'm so behind. It's our year end too, so there's more work than normal. Plus, we're moving offices next Sunday, so getting ready for that takes time too. Where does all the time go?

Schedule
Speaking of time, I mapped out a schedule for myself so I could see where all my time was going. Taking everything into account, from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, it doesn't give me much time for myself. It may sound a bit selfish, especially now that I have Teagan, but I need some time to myself to save my sanity. For her sake, I need to have a clear mind so I can concentrate on her. With all the stuff that's been going on this past week, I feel like she's losing out. And that's the last thing I want to happen.

More shopping
Last Sunday, on the spur of the moment, Teagan and I went to Sears. I had just dropped of my mom off, and then got a phone call cancelling our outing. So I turned around, and thought I could catch my mom in Sears, but she was nowhere to be found. Since I was in Sears, I thought I'd check out this stroller I've been waiting for, for the past month and a half. I originally saw this stroller online, and checked out this one store that carries them. They told me that their shipment hadn't come in yet, because it was stuck at customs (since it was coming from the UK). About 3 weeks ago, I called the store again to see if the shipment came in, but the guy said no. He also said that Sears carries the same brand, but he wasn't sure if they had the same model. So now that I was in Sears, I thought I'd check it out. And there it was! I immediately told the sales lady that I wanted one. She called down to the warehouse to make sure they had one in stock, and sure enough, they did. Woohoo! Apparently, I got the last one in stock.

There's more... Last night, I bought a blue top (on sale); and I exchanged this other top (which I got last 2 weeks ago) for pair of brown pants for work, since I don't have a lot of pants, after my whole spring/summer cleaning thing.

High gas prices
I didn't really notice the gas prices until this morning, on my way to work. I heard that gas prices went up to $1.029 per litre, but I had to see it for myself. And there it was on the sign. That's depressing. I remember when gas was half that price, if not more than half. It's a good thing I filled up before the gas price increase. But who knows how long we're going to have these prices for?

Back to work
OK, I should go back to work now. I don't want to stay here longer than I have to. But before I go...

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, Irma !

I don't like air conditioning
Because it makes me sick. I've been coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose, and coughing some more. Ugh. I've had this thing since last Saturday - all because I went to the mall where the a/c was on high. I can't really say that it's a cold because I'm not really congested or anything, but it's really bothering me. I thought about seeing the doctor, but I think I'll just tough it out.

Still in the box
My camera, that is. Yeah I know, I should be playing around with my new camera right now, but I don't have time to read the manual. Maybe another day...

Question of the day
I was listening to the radio this morning, and they asked:

"What is the safest form of transportation, reporting only one death every 100 million miles travelled?"

(hint: it's not powered by man, nor does it run on gas). What do you think it is? (Note: I didn't quite catch if it was just in Canada or North America)

OK, time to update
Not much has happened in the past week and a half. Work is going OK. I still feel like I'm out of the loop, but it doesn't bother me as much. I figure, whenever something goes wrong (ie. reports don't work, numbers don't balance, etc.), I can always say it wasn't my fault. Because chances are, it was something that was done before I came back. :P Yeah, that probably sounds stupid, but whatever. I'll just wait when until we move to our new office, then maybe I can concentrate better on work, and hopefully by then I'll be in the loop.

New camera
I'm slowly catching up to the techno-gadget world. I bought a digital camera last night at Best Buy. I had been wanting one for the longest time, but kept putting it off because (i) I didn't know which was a good camera, (ii) I couldn't really afford one while I wasn't working, and (iii) I was happy with my regular camera. My brother has the same camera and likes it a lot, so I figured I'd get it to save me the headache of comparing different cameras.

Physically getting the camera was quite a task. I went into Best Buy thinking "I'll just go in, get the camera, and leave". Yeah, it wasn't that simple. I called Dennis (my friend who works at Best Buy), and asked him who I should talk to about the camera. I told him I saw the same camera on sale in another retailer's flyer, and was wondering if they would match the price. He went on the website of the other retailer, saw that it was on sale, and told me to tell him who was working. So there I was, walking around the digital camera section, looking at the guys' name tags, and telling him. There were a couple guys he told me to talk to, but at the time, they were helping other customers. Dennis even got me to check out who was working in nearby sections of the stores, and they too, were either helping other customers, or walking away to another section. I probably walked around the store for about half an hour, trying to get a salesman's attention, but nothing happened. I finally talked to one guy and gave him my cell phone, so Dennis could explain the situation to him. The guy (Sean) was just finishing up with a customer and gave the OK. Or so I thought. For some reason, he had to escort the couple to the front counter (when he already rang it in), and when he came back, he decided to help another customer who was looking at getting a camcorder. Nice. I was pissed. Especially since, I was tired, and I hadn't eaten yet. The whole time, I was on the phone, walking around in circles, waiting to get someone's attention. I realize being on the phone didn't help, but you'd think they'd approach you anyway when you're looking right at them? So Dennis called the store on the other line and spoke to someone. Mhae was one the phone with me at this point, telling me what Dennis was telling the sales guy (Jason). After about 40 minutes, I finally got my camera. Ugh. How can all this happen, when all I wanted was a camera?

Thought
Why is it that when you walk into a store and know exactly what you want, you can't seem to get help. But when you go in and don't want to be bothered, the sales people are on you like white on rice?

Heritage Festival
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it to Heritage Days this year, but I did. Teagan and I, and my parents, met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin on Sunday. I didn't really see much because there was way too many people and it was too hot to be walking around. Even though Teagan had her sunscreen, I didn't want her to be in the sun too much and get uncomfortable. I didn't get to eat that much either, but oh well. I make it a point to try something new each year, but because I was hungry, tired, and a bit cranky, I went for something safe. We were there for about 3 hours (most of which was spent in the shade, under the trees), then went home. Good thing we left when we did, because a short while after we got home, it started to rain.

Something green
Green as in apple/lime green. I've been looking for either a green skirt or green capri pants, and I haven't been able to find anything that I liked or in my size. Until Saturday. I found a green a-line skirt, and since it was on sale, I bought it. :)

What a week!
Where do I begin? Let's start with...

Day 2, 3, 4 & 5 at work
Day 2 was a bit more of the "easy" stuff (ie. data entry, etc). Since we're moving offices at the end of August, I was put in charge of getting movers, etc. I called around for movers, and surprisingly, a couple of them were already fully booked. Hopefully we can get one for the date we want to move.

By Day 3, I was kind of feeling left out. When I returned to work, I expected to kind of pick up where I left off. I also expected to have my old desk back. But that wasn't the case. Instead I was moved to another desk, which is a bit isolated. I know it doesn't really matter where I sit, but I feel out of the loop. I know there's a lot of stuff that I have to learn again, but it feels like I'm doing all the grunt work. I guess I kind of have to start from square one again.

On Day 4 & 5, I was pretty much working by myself because Myer took the 2 days off. So I continued working on what I knew how to do, and tried to figure out what else had to be done with the reports I was working with. I also got a chance to see the new office space we're moving to. It's definitely much better than the one we're in, especially since it has air conditioning. Larry and I met with one of the movers I called, so we could get a quote for the move. Day 5 was a short day, but a bit busy. I (i) did the routine daily stuff; (ii) made a few phone calls, one of which was to my hair dresser because she's on vacation for the month of August, and I wanted to get my hair trimmed before she leaves; (iii) got my daughter's balloons filled with helium; (iv) went home to drop off the balloons; (v) went downtown to get the shoes I saw about 2 weeks ago [first shoe in the second column (pink one)] ; then (vi) went back to work to finish up on some stuff, so I wouldn't have to do it on Monday. I left the office at about 3 pm to get ready for my daughter's birthday party.

Last minute running around
After work, I went home, picked up Teagan, did some errands, picked up some food we ordered last minute, went back home, changed Teagan into her birthday outfit, then I changed, and helped my mom get everything ready. Most of it was already done, but I just had to help her with little things.

Happy 1st Birthday Teagan!
I can't believe she's already 1! Where does the time go? Anyway, the birthday turned out to be pretty good. We had family and some close friends over, and had lots of food. She seemed to enjoy herself, but was absolute pooped by the end of the night.

Toys vs. Packaging
Teagan got a few toys for her birthday, but only one really needed assembling, which took longer to get out of the box than to actually put the toy together. Are the manufacturers that concerned that people are going to steal part of the toy which is fastened to the box with a wire, held down with a plastic thing, then covered with a piece of clear packing tape? There's so much extra packaging stuff that really isn't necessary. It just creates more garbage.

I need sleep!
Between my brother being in town, last minute things to do for Teagan's birthday, and work, it's been a bit hard to get a good night's sleep. After Teagan's party, we were up until about 2 am cleaning up. I got 5 hours of sleep, since Teagan woke up at 7 am this morning. Next week should be better for getting sleep. Hopefully...

Sore back
I'm not sure if it's because of work (my chair is not at the proper height and I can't adjust it, therefore my posture is not that great) or how I'm sleeping, but my back is sore. It's not so much back pain, but more of the muscles around my back that are bit tight. I need another massage. I think I need to get myself realigned too. After my massage last week, I've been thinking more and more about seeing a chiropractor. I also think part of the reason I have a sore back is psychological. I've been thinking so much about body alignment and the effects on your back, that I may have made it sore. Bottom line is, I need a massage.

Summer Cleanup - Round 1
Now that we're well into summer, I figure "spring cleaning" no longer applies. Besides, it's not actually the same thing as what I was doing before with purging, reorganizing, etc. Oh who am I kidding? It's still cleaning. :P

Anyway, in preparation for my brother's arrival yesterday (he's in town for a week to attend his sister-in-law's wedding), my dad and I did a bit of rearranging. My daughter and I temporarily moved into my parents' room, so my brother and his wife could use our room while they're here. So, we: (i) put the center seat from the van, back into the van (it was in the computer room for the longest time); (ii) moved my daughter's crib (and other stuff) into my parents' room; and (iii) moved the couch from my room into the computer room (this took us a while because it's oversized and we had a bit of trouble getting it through the doors). It didn't seem like a lot, but it sure felt like it.

I should be banned from Wal-Mart...
Like I've posted before, there's just something about Wal-Mart that makes you buy more than what you have to. I went last night to pick up some baby food. That was the only thing I was supposed to pick up. But in addition to that, I came out with a diaper shirt, vitamins, toothpaste, and a (belated) birthday card. I could've walked out of there with more stuff, but I was running out of time, since the store was almost closing. Why can't I just go in and get out? Why must I check and see what else is on sale? They must have some kind of subliminal messages being played over the intercom...

Sleep, sleep, sleep
I told myself I was going to sleep early, because I knew if I waited up for my brother (who's flight landed at 11:30 pm, which meant he wouldn't be getting home until 12:30 am), I knew I would be staying up late. So I tried to go to sleep. But it didn't work. Sure enough, at about 12:30 am, Mike and Shelley got home, and I couldn't help but see him. I mean, I haven't seen him since December! And like I predicted, we stayed up late talking. I got to sleep at 1:30 am - not too good since I was going back to work the next day.

First day back
I had 5.5 hours of sleep and got up at 7:00 am. As much as I wanted to stay in bed for another 5 minutes, I knew I'd fall back asleep. So I got up and jumped in the shower. I got ready, had breakfast, and went to work. It was hard to leave my daughter this morning, and took me a while to finally walk out the door. She knew I was going somewhere and once she saw the car keys in my hand, she motioned for me to pick her up. So I held her, gave her a big hug, and told her that I would be back in a while.

As for work, it wasn't bad. It took me a bit of time to get refreshed, but once I did some of the "easy" stuff, it all slowly came back to me. I did data entry for most of the day, but I didn't mind because I didn't want to get too overwhelmed. Myer (my friend who took over for me while I was on maternity leave) and I have a to-do list for this week. Hopefully we can get me prepared for next week, since it's supposed to be the "busy week".

Dinner at Moxie's
After work, I went home and changed, and headed to Moxie's for dinner with mine and Shelley's family. The food was good, but a bit slow. But then, we were a big group and we weren't really in much of a hurry. After dinner, I noticed my brother pull out two envelopes. He gave one to my mom and one to Shelley's mom, and had Shelley take a picture of them. The first thing that popped in my head was "omg, they're having a baby", but that wasn't it. Then I thought they were getting plane tickets to California. But that wasn't it either. Both mothers looked at what was inside, looked at each other, and happily said "oh that's good", without really comprehending what was going on at first. My brother announced that they bought a house, and the two mothers thought they meant in California. But really, it was here. Apparently, Mike and Shelley were talking to people here via phone/fax/email the past few months, and signed the papers today. When my brother finally spelled it out for them, they both started crying. My eyes started to well up, then Shelley started to get teary-eyed as well. Shelley and I looked at each other and said "we're not doing this". Anyway, Mike and Shelley are moving back to Edmonton in March. Yay!!

Delayed reaction
AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Just something I had to get out... Tomorrow will be a better day...

Aaaahhhh...
I had my 90-minute massage this morning and it was somewhat relaxing. I say "somewhat" because even though there were distractions, my muscles were more relaxed after the massage. Hence, I was a bit more relaxed. Actually, I wanted to go home and have a nap. :P Anyway, the distractions were: (i) the informative, interesting, and entertaining conversation I had with the massage therapist; (ii) the rooms weren't soundproof, so you could still hear what was going on in the lobby, even though the doors were closed; and (iii) the music was not that great - there was one song that was more of a chant, than a relaxing tune. So I guess, if you were looking for ambiance (with the candle light, soft classical music/water sounds, soundproof rooms, and no conversations), I would not recommend this place. I didn't mind the distractions because I came out of there with helpful information on how to take care of my body; phone numbers for a chiropractor/acupuncturist (to help keep my body aligned and to help relieve muscle tension); and a free 15-minute steam bath next time I go. OK, so the free steam was a catch to get me to go back, but I did learn a bit more about detoxification, etc.

Body Alignment
As for the chiropractic thing, when Tobi (massage therapist) was applying pressure to my hips, she noticed that my left leg was a quarter of an inch longer than my right. Uh, I didn't think I was walking crooked? But she said, that after having a baby, our hips get kind of twisted and if it's not realigned, it causes back pain, then neck pain, then really bad headaches. Hmmm, I might just have to look into this chiropractic thing.

Shopping, shopping, and more shopping
It started yesterday. I met a friend for coffee, and we ended up going to Southgate (apparently there were a lot of sales going on - as I'm sure other malls are too), to check out a few things. I wanted to check out RW & Co. because I had been eyeing this skirt and was waiting for it to go on sale. Well, it was on sale, but they didn't have my size. :( I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to have a new outfit for work.

Today, I started out doing a couple errands, and then went to Michaels to get more scrapbooking stuff which was on sale [I have all this scrapbooking stuff, but no scrapbook :P]. Then after dinner, my mom, Teagan, and I went to the mall just because. Actually, my mom was looking for a skirt to wear to an anniversary party tomorrow night, and I just wanted to go shopping. I ended up getting this outfit for my daughter, which I had also been keeping my eye on and waiting for it to go on sale. Sure enough it was on sale, and when I went to pay for it, there was an extra 20% off! Woohoo!! We continued shopping, and my mom couldn't find a skirt she liked. If she did see one, they didn't have her size. I, on the other hand, went into a few stores to look for stuff to wear to work. At first I'd pick things up, but then ended up putting them back on the rack because they weren't really items I wanted to buy. But I did get this top (that Liz pointed out to me while we were shopping for wedding dresses last Saturday), and when I went to pay for it, it was 25% off! Yay! Talk about being on a roll. I thought I would be able to find a skirt or pair of pants to go with the top (and would also be reduced at the cashier ;P), but we called it a night because Teagan was getting restless. Hmmm, maybe I'll try again tomorrow...

3 more days...
As Irma pointed out earlier, I go back to work on Monday. Ayayaya. I can't believe it's just around the corner...

But to help the transition...
I have a 90-minute massage booked for 9 am tomorrow. Although they won't be able to get rid of every single knot in my muscles, at least I'll be somewhat relaxed when I go back to work.

Walk Through the Park
I took my daughter to Hawrelak Park this morning. I figure I should take advantage of this nice weather we're having and do stuff with her outside. And at the same time, I got a bit of exercise. We got to the park at about 10:20 am and walked for about an hour. During that time, we stopped by the kids' playground (she's still to little for that) and took a couple pictures. It's funny how you don't think of doing these kinds of things until you realize you don't have much time left before you go back to work. Ugh. Oh well, even though I will be going back to work on Monday (5 days away!), it's not like I won't be able to do things with her on the weekends. Where did all the time go??

5 days away...
I told myself I'd start getting up early in the morning so that by next week, I wouldn't have such a hard time getting up. Yeah well, it hasn't happened. I still wake up at about 8-830 am. Maybe I can still get my circadian rhythm accustomed to waking up at 7 am?

Sore muscles
My muscles are still sore from kickboxing on Monday night. I probably worked a little bit harder than I should've, but I had a bit of angst that I needed to get rid of.

Evening Shopping
My mom and I (and Teagan too!) decided to go shopping at around 7:30 pm on Friday night. I had to pick up a couple things, and my mom wanted to go to Pier 1 Imports because they were having a sale. She ended up buying some wine stoppers and a jar. I went to Michaels to pick up a couple things for my daughter's birthday, and my mom was looking for a frame. While walking around the store, I noticed they were having a sale too. Yay! So, I bought some paper (at half price!) so I can start my daughter's scrapbook. I was going to pick up a scrapbook as well, but they didn't have any that I liked. Apparently, their sale didn't start until Saturday, but the girl gave me the discount anyway [mental note: go to Michaels on Friday night and see if they're going to have a sale to take advantage of the discount a day early].

Girl's Night Out
It's been so long since I've gone out with my friends. But of course, I have a daughter now so my priorities have changed. Nonetheless, it was still nice to get together with Irma, Irene, Jo-Anne, and Ghie. We went to Moxies and had some food, looked at pictures, and had a few laughs.

Highlights of the night:

• people at a table nearby laughing so loud that I couldn't hear myself think
• almost eating a whole plate of nachos by myself (hey, I was craving cheese :P)
• Jo-Anne -- psychic vs. psycho?
• predictions for 2006
• being on the same wavelength as Jo-Anne
• Jo-Anne's psychic ability to predict how much each person is going to put in for their portion of the bill, thereby reducing her own amount (hehehehe :P)

Wedding Dress Shopping
Liz asked me to go shopping with her for wedding dresses. We started out in downtown and checked out a few places. The first dress she tried on suited her and was well within her price range. The next couple of places we checked out were not that great. Looking back, we could probably tell if the place had dresses worth looking at, based on what was displayed in the window (ie. if there's a funky-colored dress in the front window, chances are, they're going to have not-so-nice wedding dresses).

During our trek downtown, we passed by the Street Performers Festival, and also checked out a shoe store (I don't remember the name, but they were having a sale! :P). I saw a pair of tsubo shoes I wanted, but they were a bit expensive, even though they were 25% off. I also saw a pair of brown shoes I wanted to get, but they were $100. I'll go back another time. If they're not there by the time I go back, then I wasn't meant to have them. I'm digressing.

Anyway, after we were done with all the bridal shops in downtown, we decided to do a bit of shopping shopping in Edmonton Center. I didn't buy anything (because my intent was to help Liz find a dress), but Liz bought a bag and some soap. After spending most of the afternoon downtown, we headed to the southside to check out Wedding World. You wouldn't think of checking this place out based on the name, but talk about dresses galore! Liz was picking dresses left, right, and center and ended up with a whole rack of dresses to try on. And the store was closing in 20 minutes. Her reasoning was, she wouldn't really know what the dress would look like until she tried it on. Being that I was kind of her "consultant", I told which ones didn't suit her. Thus, narrowed her choices down a bit. Out of the handful of dresses she picked to try on, she narrowed it down to 2.

Our last stop was Sposabella in WEM. Liz wanted me to see the 2 dresses she picked out. Both dresses were at either ends of the spectrum - one for $100 because it was discontinued but was still in perfect condition; and the other for $1500, which "fit like a glove". It was the dress she had been using as a comparison for the others she tried on. The first one was OK. It suited her, had nice lines, etc. But as soon as she put on the other one, I was floored. I knew right then and there that that was the dress for her. I told her that the dress was of a different caliber. She mentioned that she really liked the dress, but that it more than what she was willing to spend. In talking with the girl who was helping her, she said she would give Liz a 20% discount. Liz and I went through the pros and cons of the dresses she tried on, but in the end, I picked the $1500 one. Not because it was the most expensive one, but because it was her dress. I hope she ends up getting it. I know she's only going to wear it once, and most people won't remember what she wore, but if it's going to make her feel good, why not? It's her big day - why not splurge?!

Project #2 - Complete
I finished it Saturday night.

Project #3 - Complete
This one didn't take that long. Only about an hour.

One more week
And then it's back to work...

Back to Kickboxing
After taking a year and a half off from cardio kickboxing, it was good to get back into it. It was tough (seeing as I hadn't done any kind of physical training since I got pregnant), but it was a good workout. As much as I tried to "take it easy", I still found myself pushing myself at times. But halfway through the class, I realized that I needed to take it down a notch. It's funny how you don't realize how out-of-shape you really are, until you actually do the exercise. Yup, I have no flexibility, no stomach muscles, not much strength - but I do have a lot of determination. I know it's only the first class and it'll take time to get back into shape, but it's hard starting from square one again. Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow.

Weather Update #2
The rain has stopped and the sun is trying to peek out. I hope it doesn't rain anymore.

Yes folks, that's what weather is like in Alberta.

Weather Update
Currently, it's raining. Really hard. The wind's picked up and visibility is not that great. And now comes the hail... Well, at least it's cooled things off a bit.

It's a good thing I'm not driving in this weather...

Spring/Summer Cleaning - Round 11
My mom's been telling my dad to trim the weeds at the side of our house. So yesterday morning, I decided to start pulling them out. I'm not much of a green thumb, so I didn't think it would be that hard to do. I figured, just pull them out of the ground and that's it. Well, it's actually a bit harder than it is. It took me 20 minutes to pull out a handful of weeds because they were deep-rooted. My mom came out to help me and we decided to just take the weed wacker to it. [I was under the impression that we didn't have an extension cord long enough to reach the side of the house to use the weed wacker, otherwise I would've used the thing from the get go]. Anyway, it made things a lot easier and quicker. I have to admit, I kind of got carried away at times, but I was determined to get rid of every single weed.

When my dad came home, I found out I also "wacked" some perennials he planted. Oops. Hey, I thought they were weeds. :P

Hot Weather
We've been having some hot weather lately. Yesterday got up to 29C and this morning we were already at 20C. They say it's going to rain, but it doesn't look like it.

Project #2 - 90% Complete
Just a couple more finishing touches and it'll be done. I just have to wait until Saturday to do them because I won't have time the next couple of days.

2 weeks today...
... I go back to work. That's 14 days. Why does the clock seem to be ticking faster?

Project #2 - 80% complete
Now I'm making "thank you" cards for my daughter's birthday. I should've finished it last week, but it didn't happen. I know I'll finish them this week for sure.

17 more days...
...until I go back to work... *sigh*

Happy Canada Day!
(Canada is 138 years old today.)

We went to check out the Silly Summer Parade, but it wasn't that great. When you hear "Silly Summer Parade", you think clowns, comics, etc. participating to entertain the crowd and make them laugh. Instead, as another parade go-er put it, it was more of an advertising thing. Sure there were a few people dressed in costumes, but nothing too special [mental note: don't go to silly summer parade next year]. My daughter seemed to have more fun waving her Canadian flag, than watching the parade. Oh well.

Sign me up
I decided to go back to cardio kickboxing, so I went to sign up again this evening. I couldn't believe how many people were in that class! The last time I remember the class being that full, was probably about 4 years ago, when I first joined. As I was filling out the info sheet/waiver form, one of the girls remembered me from before and gave me a pass for the month, so I wouldn't have to pay. That was so nice of her!

Now, being that I haven't been physically active for the past year (ie. going to the gym, etc.) - although taking care of a baby is a workout in itself - it'll be tough to get back into shape. I have a tendancy to push myself, so I'll have to remember to take it easy in the first class. Which reminds me, I need to look for my gear...

Lost again
The 2 lbs I gained about 2 weeks ago is lost again. So now I'm back to square one. Argh! Am I not eating enough ice cream? hehehe :P

3 weeks
I go back to work in exactly 3 weeks. A part of me is excited to go back (to get that part of my brain working again), but at the same time, I don't want to leave my daughter. I should be OK... right?

Things to do... things to do...
So now that I have 3 weeks until I go back to work, I decided to make a to-do list for the week. It seems like a lot, and involves a lot of driving, but hopefully I can get it all done. Why didn't I do some of this stuff a long time ago? You'd think that being on maternity leave for a year would give you plenty of time to get things done, but somehow it doesn't happen.

Zara is having a sale!
I went to Zara yesterday looking for clothes for my daughter, since she turned 11 months. Yes, I know she has enough clothes and I know she'll grow out of them, but I can't help it. Anyway, the girl told me that they were having a sale (which started today), and that I should come back. So I did. I went back [twice] and got some stuff for my daughter. I went this afternoon and got her a jacket. I went back this evening and got her a sweater, a top, and a pair of shoes [which makes 18, Irma]. The shoes were on sale for $9.95, but I ended up getting them for free because the girl forgot to ring them in. Oops. My mom bought her a dress and another pair of shoes (to go with the dress, of course :P) [which makes 19, Irma]. I could've bought more stuff, but I didn't. Thank goodness my mom was there to stop me. I also saw a dress there for myself, but I'll have to get it another time.

OK, so now...
I have 25 days until I go back to work. Ugh! I haven't done much this past week, which sucks because I really need to get some stuff done. OK, maybe I don't really need to get them done, but I want to get them done. One thing I definitely have to do is plan my daughter's birthday. The invitations are as far as I got. :P

New project
I gave myself a new project which has to do with my daughter's birthday. Hopefully I can finish it by next week. *crossing fingers*

Wal-Mart
I'm not sure if I blogged about this before, but what is it about Wal-Mart that causes you to stay longer than you have to? Besides the fact that they're cheap, and you can get almost anything there, why can't you just go in, get what you're only supposed to get, and then walk out? Why is there always that impulse to check other things (ie. just in case it's on sale)? Maybe it's just me. Or maybe there's some kind of subliminal message telling me to check things out. Or maybe not... :P

Spring Cleaning... Round 10
Really, I should probably just have a separate blog for cleaning... :P

Anyway, I went through yet more clothes and got rid of 8 shirts; 2 nightgowns (does anyone still wear these?); some underwear; and socks that had see-through holes, not actual holes (you know, when you wear out socks to the point that it starts to thin out?). In turn, I put away some more fall stuff, and was able to make room for spring/summer stuff.

Correction
I don't have 25 days until I go back to work, like I said before. I actually have 31. Whew. Somehow (at 11:45 pm last night) I miscounted one week. So really, I have a month before I go back to work. That's a little more comforting than what I said before. So maybe (hopefully) I can get a few things done before then.

I gained 2 lbs!
Yay! My goal is to gain another 4 to 6 lbs so I can get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Bring on the ice cream... hehehe :)

I just realized...
I have 3.5 weeks (ie. 25 days) until I go back to work. That's gonna come by really quick. And I have so much I want to do before then. Ugh!

Spring Cleaning... Round 9
This one's more of a financial nature. And can also be classified as another item on my out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new list. I went to the bank this morning to consolidate my credit cards. I don't know how I managed to keep outstanding balances on them, but I did. It's not much (compared to the last time I consolidated debt, which was about 7 years ago?), but knowing that I have fewer financial obligations to think about puts a bit of ease on my mind. I felt relieved when the banker took my credit cards and cut them up. Ultimately, my goal is to just have one credit card and use it for emergency purposes only. I should have the mentality that if I can't pay for it in cash, then I shouldn't buy it. Hopefully I'll stick to it.

So what is on my out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new list?
I don't think I really had a list per se. Just more of an ongoing, we'll-see-what-we-want-to-change-as-it-comes-up type of thing. If I had to make a list, it would include:

• get a haircut
• get organized (I seem to be constantly working on this one)
• trade in car for a newer one
• get rid of all credit cards (except one)

Overall, I just want things to be a bit simpler. Life is complicated enough as it is.

Did you ever notice?...
Scenario: You're waiting for the bank to open at 10 am. The parking lot is empty. You, along with a half dozen other customers, get there early...

Did you ever notice that when people park in front of the bank, they tend to park in every other stall? I realize people want to make room for each other, but it's funny to watch car after car pull in and automatically park in every other stall, as if that's what they were told to do.

One more imperfection...
Well, maybe not so much an imperfection, but another thing wrong I found with the car was that they washed my car mats (which was fine), but put them in the trunk without telling me (which is not so fine). So now the trunk of my car has this funky/musty/wet rag smell. Yuck! I'm airing my trunk out now, and in the meantime spraying some air neutralizer, since I don't have any Febreze. I called them back again, and told them that it would've been nice to know that my just-washed mats were in my trunk. I sure hope I don't find anything else. I mean, even though she said they appreciate all customer feedback, I don't want to keep calling with every little thing and sound like I'm complaining. At this rate, I doubt I'll ever go back to them for anything. Hopefully I can still somehow fix these imperfections, so that when it comes time to trade-in my car, I'll get the maximum trade-in value for it.

Spring Cleaning... Round 8-3.3
I'm on Round 8, but really this session applies to Round 3 when I first cleaned my car and subsequently a month later. Anyway, I had my car professionally cleaned yesterday. Apparently, it's the same thing they do for dealerships when they want to resell a used car and get it looking "almost new". They did a pretty good job, but being the detail-oriented person that I am (ie. anal/nit-picky), I noticed some things they missed. It's nothing that I can't do myself, but when you get it done professionally, and they claim that they'll get it looking "almost new", you have certain expectations when you get it back. I expected them to do a walk-through with me, but when they handed me the keys, I figured it would be perfect. Since I didn't really notice the imperfections until I got home (because they were in the back of the car), I couldn't go back to them and point them out because they were closed.

So I called them back this morning. The girl I spoke to was really good about it. I told her the imperfections, and she was very apologetic. She said I could bring the car back if I wanted to, but it was no big deal. I could've reamed her out, but that wouldn't have gotten me anywhere. She was grateful that I was so understanding and appreciative of the fact that I made those comments, explaining that the only way they could get better was from customer feedback. She also made it a point to bring up my comments at their next meeting. I'm kinda glad I handled the situation the way I did, because I have enough on my plate right now that I don't need something like this to add to my stress.

Teens nowadays
Since my car was being cleaned all day yesterday, and I didn't have anyone to give me a ride to pick it up, I had to take the bus. No big deal, but it was interesting to see how teens are nowadays. I waited for my bus at the bus terminal and noticed that there were more teens who were more distinct (ie. funky hair, piercings, tattoos, etc). I remember being their age and the different cliques, but it wasn't so apparent back then. Sure there were the "punks" who stood out from the crowd because of the all-black attire, but the group consisted of a small number of people. From what I saw yesterday, it seems to be the norm.

One conversation I couldn't help overhearing (mainly because the kid was practically screaming it to his friends), was this one kid who was maybe 15 or 16 years old saying, "Another 26-year-old chick came up to me and said 'you're attractive' and then scratched me. What's with these girls and scratching?", while showing his friends the "scratches" he got on his arm. One of his friends asked him if he had sex with the girl, but he said no. It's just weird that this is what kids are talking about nowadays...

Project 100% Complete
Woohoo! I finished my daughter's birthday invitations the other night. I delivered one invitation today and the recipient was quite impressed. I must say, they did turn out pretty good. ;) Am I tooting my own horn? Of course I am! And why shouldn't I? I mean, when you put in a lot of time and effort into something that turns out to be better than how you hoped it would be, you can't help but feel proud. I think I'll be delivering the bulk of the invitations tomorrow. But it looks like I might have to do another batch. We'll see...

Spring Cleaning... Round 7
[I'm starting to lose count.] I think this is the year of cleaning for me :P So this time I went through storage bins - bins in the basement and in storage [mental note: always get clear bins, so you can see what's inside]. Anyway, in all the bins that I went through (I don't know how many there were), I got rid of:

• 13 tops, a pair of pants, and a sweatshirt (yes, I have a lot of clothes)
• old cups/mugs/kitchen stuff (from 2-ex-bf's ago)
• miscellaneous junk (I have no reason why I held on to that stuff?)

In turn, I emptied some of the bins so that I could put away my daughter's toys, books, etc. I can't believe how much she's accumulated already (and she's not even a year old!). My mom and I still have to go through the basement bedroom, but we'll do that another day.

Engagement Party
No, not mine. My friend Liz and her bf of 9 years are finally tying the not. I can't believe it's been that long. They had a small get together of famliy and close friends on Saturday night. No date has been set yet.

New Shoes
Yes, I bought myself another pair of shoes. Hey, it's been a while. Don't ask how many I have because I've gotten rid of quite a few pairs and I haven't been able to take inventory [Irma, I'll get back to you on this :P]. I needed a new pair to go with the outfit I wore to Liz's engagement party.

Project 98% complete
Just waiting to put the finishing touches on my daughter's invitations before I send them off.

I finally went shopping!
For myself, that is. After one shopping incident last week, I was determined to get back to my "shopper" self. [Background - I went shopping last week with my mom, and she ended up giving me tips on where to find things. I thought it was the other way around? Obviously, I haven't been shopping much (except for my daughter). But I think I'm slowly getting back into it.]

Anyway, I ended up getting 2 tops and a pair of capri pants. It was so nice to splurge on myself, especially since it's been a long time since I've done that (plus it helps that I have some extra money, since I don't have to make a car payment this month). My mom made a comment that if I was going to buy something, I might as well buy something a little bit expensive, so that I would enjoy it. Which makes sense - I mean, you might as well spend a little bit more on certain key pieces, rather than spending a lot on not-so-expensive items. Don't get me wrong, I still love my sale items, but there are times when you buy things that are "investment pieces". And this is one of those times. [Does anyone buy this logic? :P]

Annual physical
Not fun. I lost weight. Blood pressure is good. Gotta get blood work done to make sure everything's OK.

Organize
I went to London Drugs at 10 am to get some storage bins. They were on sale 2 for $10! I figured, since I'm doing all this cleaning I might as well organize some stuff at the same time. I used the bins to store all my fall/winter sweaters, so that they don't get dusty (it's amazing how much dust accumulates). I think I might have to go back to London Drugs to buy a couple more bins to store some other stuff.

And the winner is...
Yay! Miss Canada won the Miss Universe Pageant last night. I was actually rooting for someone else (I won't say who). I know, it doesn't sound that patriotic of me, but when you've seen pageant after pageant, and Miss Canada doesn't win (or even make it to the top 15), you start to think that it's never going to happen. I'm glad that she won. Irma, doesn't she remind you of Magda (from Mexico)?

Spring Cleaning... Round 5 6
You'd think by this time, I'd be done cleaning. But no. For me, there's always something to clean. So yesterday afternoon, I decided to go through some stuff that was in storage. I managed to get rid of 95% of my stuff I stored in there. I can't believe that I actually had stuff from junior high and high school (old notes, books, etc). I also had stuff from post-secondary, and I got rid of it too. I don't know why I kept all this stuff? I guess I thought that I would at some point need it for reference, but obviously not.

OK, so what's next on the cleaning list?

Project 95% complete
I'm making invitations for my daughter's upcoming birthday and I'm almost done. I've been working on it, on and off, for the past 2 weeks. And I'm impressed at how they turned out. Who knows, I might start doing this as a side job ;)

More errands
I did a few more errands yesterday morning:

• went to the bank to sign some papers
• 2nd attempt at paying my daughter's summer camp fees - no luck
• went to Ikea to buy a mat for my daughter's activity center
• went to Superstore to buy some baby food

I seem to be doing a lot more things nowadays...

Warmer weather means...
... ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream!! What can I say? It's ice cream season for me. Earlier I had vanilla ice cream with a raspberry pinot noir sauce (fancy name for raspberry chocolate sauce :P), and now I just finished a piece of ice cream cake. MMMMM! I'm still debating if I should have another slice...

Car seat issues
I finally decided to put in my daughter's new car seat (which we got a couple months ago) in my car. I replaced her infant seat with this one, only to find out that there was a small problem. When I put the car seat behind the passenger seat, it wasn't secure. Even though it was attached using UAS, the car seat still seemed to wobble. I tried moving the passenger seat as far back as possible to kind of lock it in place, but that didn't work. I ended up putting the car seat in the middle of the back seat, so that the back of the car seat (it has to be rear-facing until she's 30 lbs) is supported by both front seats. Does that make any sense? Anyway, it worked. Her car seat is secure, but it kind of blocks my view when I shoulder check. Thus brings me to my next point...

I'm thinking of getting a newer car
[another item on my out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new list]

Not a brand new one, but a newer model. At first I thought of getting a newer Mazda3 with a sunroof, but with this car seat issue, I might have to go for the Mazda6. Of course, I'll have to hold off until I go back to work and make a bit more $$. Which reminds me, I need to get the inside of my car cleaned.

Speaking of clean car
I decided to wash it today. I started to clean all the windows on the inside (it's amazing how dirty the insides of the windows get), and noticed that the car was pretty dusty. So I washed it and now it's all clean. Well, as clean as I can get it for now...

My kind of logic...
[from an email a friend of mine sent me]

Can't eat Beef ... mad cow
Can't eat chicken ... bird flu
Can't eat eggs ... Salmonella
Can't eat pork ... fears that bird flu will infect piggies
Can't eat fish ... heavy metals in the waters has poisoned their meat
Can't eat fruits and veggies ... insecticides and herbicides
Hmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!
M
M
M
M
M
M
I believe that leaves Chocolate!!!!!!!!

Chocolate is a Vegetable

• Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Bean = vegetable.
• Sugar is derived from either sugar cane or sugar BEETS.
• Both of them are plants, in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.
• To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy. So candy bars are a health food.
• Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

One ringy dingy...two ringy dingy...
[Does anyone remember this saying from Lily Tomlin on Laugh-In? Or am I just that old? Nevermind, don't answer that. :P]

I made quite a few phone calls this morning:

• booked my annual physical
• called daughter's pediatrician to make sure blood test results came back OK - and it did
• booked a massage for July (I know it's 2 months away, but I wanted to use it before I go back to work)
• called the pharmacy to notify them of my address and phone number change.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but it's more than what I'm used to.

And one more makes 17...
Yes, I bought my daughter another pair of shoes. How could I resist with her 10-month birthday coming up tomorrow (I can't believe she's already 10 months!)? Plus, they went with the outfit I bought her too! :P

Errands
I had a few things to do today:

• went to the bank
• went to pay for daughter's summer camp, but no one was around (will have to pay them next week)
• went to a different bank to give them a copy of my notice of assessment to process my loan application
• went to Winners to remove the security tag they forgot to take off yesterday (funny how the alarm didn't go off when I left the store?)
• went to Jysk to look for a rug for Teagan's activity center (so she has something a bit softer to step on), but didn't find anything
• went to Wal-Mart to buy an underbed box for Teagan's clothes; and bought myself a Kit-Kat

I was also planning to wash the car, but it looked like it was going to rain. But it didn't. So I'll have to wash it another day.

Spring Cleaning... Round 5
Hmmm, you'd think I'm in some kind of boxing match or something ["In this corner, me... in that corner, closet & bins full of clothes..." :P]. Anyway, last night I got rid of a few more items (2 tops, a skirt, a suit jacket, and a purse). It seems the more I go through all my stuff, the more I find things I want to get rid of. If I keep this up, I might just have to get myself a new wardrobe! ;P

Haircut
It's been 5 months since I last got my haircut and let me tell you it feels so much better now that it's a lot shorter (shoulder length vs. mid-back). Most, if not all, of the curls from my perm (from a year and a half ago - who would've thought a perm would last that long) have been cut off. So now I'm left with layers and it's way easier to manage.

Consider this as one of many things on my "out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new" list.

16 pairs of shoes
In 10 months time, my daughter has accumulated 16 pairs of shoes. Hmmm, do you think she has a shoe fetish? I wonder where she gets that from?! :P

At the rate she's going, she'll have about 38 pairs of shoes by the time she's 2!

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Spring Cleaning... Round 4
I went through my closet again in the hopes of making more room. Not because I bought anything, but because I want to simplify things. So this time I got rid of 6 sweaters, 9 tops, 3 pairs of pants, a skirt, a dress, and about 7 or 8 bags/purses. I managed to make more room, only to fill again. :P

It's only fitting...
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And break away
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And break away
[from Kelly Clarkson's "Break Away"]

Spring Shopping
I went shopping yesterday. Nothing major. Just got myself a white spring jacket on sale for $30 (last one in my size too!). Would like to buy more stuff, but can't. Instead, I bought spring clothes for my daughter.

Welcome back to blogging, Irma!
I just read your blog and have a couple questions (since you don't have the comment feature):
a) "body piercings" - did you get more than 1?
b) I don't remember what your tatoo looks like
c) "stitches" - what stitches?!
d) did you look at the foundation of your house again, just in case it had any holes in it? (hehehe - just kidding :P)

Hey, look at me...
... I blogged 3 times in the span of a week. No, I don't have a computer at home. I'm just at my parents' a lot.

Spring Cleaning... Round 3
This time I cleaned the car. I went for a much needed car wash, and cleaned up the interior a bit (ie. got rid of garbage, wiped dashboard, etc. with Armour All [talk about dusty - yuck!]) The car isn't as clean as I'd like it to be (the interior, that is), but it'll have to do for now.

Spring Cleaning... Round 2
So this time, I decided to go through old files (bills, statements, old photos [photos you know you should've gotten rid of a long time ago, but kept them anyway as a reminder of what to avoid in the future (although I don't know if it really helped?) - yes Irma, I finally got rid of them!]). Why do I keep all this stuff? I guess it's the accounting part of me that wants to keep a paper trail of everything. But I managed to shred everything prior to 2004. Yes, I was one with the shredder. :P

Hmmm, what's next?