My Journey...

2012-02-14T12:29:00.002-07:00

I cannot wait for the weekend. Especially since it is the long weekend and Michelle and Richard are coming for a visit. It seems like it has been a long time since I have seen them but I guess it is only a month and a half since they were last here.

I am thinking that I need to have a holiday to get away from everything that is happening right now. I should take some time off as I have a lot of time banked so that I can rest.

I am feeling a lot better today then on Friday. I also have gone from being so tired all the time that all I do is sleep to having a hard time getting asleep. Which is really weird but if I wait a week I probably will not be able to stay awake anymore.

Today...

2012-02-10T16:03:00.001-07:00

On days like today I just wish I felt normal again. I am tired of always feeling blah...

2012-02-08T12:47:00.002-07:00

So I thought that I would change my blog a little bit to make it easier to read. Well actually I could not figure out a way to make the titles on the sidebar to change from white to black so I just made the whole background black and that solved all of my problems. Well I think it did any ways.

I have to figure out a way to pick up my medication from the hospital on Friday. I ordered it but they are open the same hours as I work so maybe I will just leave work a little bit early so I can pick it up.

So I went to my doctor a couple of days ago because I have not been feeling well for a couple of weeks and she basically said well you are sick so you should not be feeling the same as you did before you got sick. And that maybe I should slow things down a little and then I would not be so tired all the time. Since I have been going to bed super early everyday I am pretty sure I have slowed down a lot and I am not as busy as I used to be. Lately it seems like all I do is work, go to the gym, school and sleep. And I guess I should add going to the doctor because it seems like I am always a one of my doctors offices at an appointment. I think this is the first week in a while where I currently do not have any doctors appointments scheduled.

Results...

2012-02-07T12:58:00.002-07:00

The doctor finally called me regarding my results yesterday from my MRI and CT Scan. They indicated that the cancer has not spread and that the cancer is isolated and that they are going to continue as they were originally planing so I will have a follow-up meeting with the doctor next week and then they will finalize my treatment plan.

Also yesterday I went to the support group meeting again. I was unsure whether I should go or not because of everything that is happening my gastric bypass surgery has been on hold but Adrianna convinced me that I should go just to talk to the people that go to the meeting because even if my surgery is on hold I still have a lot in common with the people there and she was right. Sometimes it is easier to talk to people in a group setting then talking to people face to face. Even if you see them every day.

So...

2012-01-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

Now I wait all my tests are done so I am just waiting for the results. I never knew that I was inpatient until I had to wait for these results. They told me the results will be ready within a week so that is only 2 more days and I still have not heard from them. But in a way that might be a good thing that they did not call right away but not knowing is kind of nerve racking. So hopefully I get a call soon.

I had my appointment with the clinic and it went quite well. They are just going to monitor me at the clinic until I have the ok from the doctors at the cross cancer to continue. So I will go there every three months for a appointment and every month for a weigh in. They are just going to be quick appointments because my file is kind of on hold right now. Hopefully everything will go well for me there.

2012-01-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

So I started school again last week and I already forgot how much work school can be especially if you are not used to being in school any more. Also when you have been out of school for almost a year you fill up your evenings and weekends with other stuff so it is hard to add school into the equation again. But this is my last class and then I will be an official college graduate. I am not quite sure I might go back for more classes because I seem to get back all of my money back after taxes so that could also improve my employability in case I ever need to have a new job.

I was thinking about buying a house or a mobile home in the spring but now I am not quite sure if I will be able to do it now because I wanted to wait a couple of months between my last surgery and my move out day and I have no clue when that would be now. So maybe instead of moving out I will go on a vacation I am not quite sure.

Well I am kind of babbling and I better go eat my lunch before it is time to go back to work.

Two Tests down one more to go...

2012-01-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

So today I had my second test to see if the cancer has spread or not a CT Scan. For some reason I thought that a CT Scan put you in a narrow tube like the MRI Machine did when I had my MRI in July so I was kind of dreading it. But although it was not as bad as the MRI I still have that test on Thursday and then they will go over the results with me hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

The last test that I had which was a blood test came back negative for any cancer indicators. This is a good thing but it is not the most accurate test to go by so hears to hoping that I hear something back from the cross cancer before January 31st which is my date of my appointment at the weight wise clinic.

My Appointment...

2012-01-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I had my very first appointment at the Cross Cancer Institute. It was actually quite scary to go into the building for the first time because you never quite new what to expect. In the morning we went to an orientation where a very nice man showed us around the hospital and told us what to expect for your first visit. Then we had to wait a couple of hours until it was time for my appointment with the oncologist.

The oncologist explained the type of cancer that I have and that they would normally like to treat this type of cancer with hormone therapy when they have a younger patient. But they have to see if it has spread so they cannot make any decisions until I have a MRI and CT Scan of my body to make sure that the cancer has not spread. So I am having my CT next Monday afternoon and then I just have to wait until they book the MRI and then they will make a decision regarding how to treat the cancer. She put me on hormone therapy in the meantime because the earlier I am on it the better.

Also she called the weight wise clinic while I was there and they are going to keep me in the program. So I have a meeting there on the 31st because the type of pills that I am on has a major side effect that you will gain weight while on it. So the clinic is going to try and figure out a way to counteract the pills.

I will let you all know how it goes.

2012

2012-01-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated new years and to tell the truth although 2011 was a year where I had a lot of doctors appointments and had 2 different surgery's I was sad to see it go. I was also kind of disappointed that it was already 2012 it seems like just a short time ago we were at the VanK's celebrating 2011 and the fact that Michelle and Richard were going to have a baby and now this year Katie is already 6 months old. But it also seems like it was a long year. It is a year that tried my patience (and believe me if you knew me you would know that I have zero patience.) As it was a year of constantly waiting to here back from the doctor to see when I could have my gastric bypass surgery.

On December 5 I went to the doctors office very excited that I could finally get a letter approving me for surgery. Instead the doctor told me that I have stage 1 cancer. They caught it when it first began because there was no cancer in July but it was there in October. So instead of getting the surgery I have to wait for an appointment at the Cross Cancer to see what my next coarse of action will be. That appointment is in 9 days from now. It is still not sinking in that this is really happening but I have resolved to not worry to much about it until the day of the appointment. I cannot really do anything about it right now I really just have wait and pray about it. So I might be having surgery again in the near future but not the gastric bypass surgery.

The clinic called me two weeks later just before Christmas to tell me that they would like to cancel my bypass surgery and remove me from the program and then I can reapply at a later date when I am well. Right now my family doctor is trying to help me stay in the program. I am not quite sure why they would kick me out of the program instead of just putting my file on hold.

2012 is going to be a year full of ups and downs and so when the clock changed to 12 and I was down town watching the fireworks I was quite sad that 2011 was over because although it was a year of waiting at least there was some hope that I would have my surgery and now I am not sure if I will have it for a really long time. I am just hoping and praying that my appointment will go well next Thursday and that I will have a definite plan after that and my life will no longer seem like it is in limbo.

not much

2011-11-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Not much has been happening lately it seems like all I am mostly doing is counting the days til I see Dr. Mayo and hopefully get the ok for the surgery. On Thursday I met a person that is having her surgery next Tuesday she is having the RNY just like I am going to have to do but she has a different surgeon and is on a liquid diet for 2 weeks. I will not have to be on a liquid diet which I think is a good thing.

I have been spending my time well I am waiting I have started to sew. I bought a sewing machine and a serger and I have been creating all sorts of different projects. I made pajama pants, a quilt a couple of purse and a tote bag since I started sewing last month. Right now I am working on making a dress for my niece Katie and then I am going to start my second quilt.

Right now I have to continue to work out and write down everything in my food journal so that I am able to maintain or lose weight before my surgery. I have also started to not drink while I eat which is pretty hard to get used to but I guess I better get used to this before the surgery because I will never be able to do that again after the surgery.

2011-11-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons why I have not told everyone that I know about my upcoming surgery is some of the people that I have told have been really negative about it. When I told them or when they found out they spent all of there time trying to convince me not to have the surgery. They handed me weight loss books and told me there weight loss strategies and I was pretty hurt. Here I am although completely surprised that I was approved for the surgery I was pretty excited that I was approved and now some of the people that I saw all the time and that I thought would support me had that reaction to my decision so then in my head I thought it would be easier to tell people after the surgery so I would not have that reaction from anyone else. But now I have decided that I do not need to care about what other people think of my decision. It is my personal decision to have the surgery and I no longer need to try to please everyone with my decision. That is why I decided to tell everyone who reads this blog about my surgery.

2011-11-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I just made my final payment on my car yesterday!!! I new that it would happen pretty soon but I did not think that it would be for a couple of more months!!! I am so stoked!!!!

On Monday I finally had time to figure out how to thread my serger that I bought off of Kijiji a couple of months ago. We had a unexpected evening where we had nothing to do because there was a snowstorm so we were not able to go to our churches congregational meeting. So instead I watched YouTube Videos to figure out how to thread the machine because it did not come with an owners manual and then last night I made my first Item on it a new purse and it turned out really well. Now tonight I am going to make some flannel pants with it and then I am going to start my second quilt. A couple of weeks ago Michelle and I went to FabricLand and purchased fabric and patterns for really cheap because they had a really big sale. So making myself some flannel pants is only going to cost be $9.00 which is way cheaper then buying them in the store and I made a work purse for Shauna and a purse for me. Right now today I am using it but I am not planning on using it every day. Probably just for Bible Study which I am going to start going to next week. Every week since September I have been trying to go but have had something come up and I am not able to go so I will be going next week for sure because I have nothing planned.

Update

2011-11-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today I had a visit to the clinic as I had not gone to see the nurse or my dietician in a very long time. Right now my file is on hold until I get a letter from Dr. Mayo so my surgery will be in the new year unless there is a cancellation. But now I kind of know when I will have the surgery and after waiting 8 months I guess 2 more months is not that long.

It was kind of weird to go and see the dietician because my former dietician was promoted and so now for the first time in a year and a half I had a new dietician. She seems like she is really nice but I just do not like to change who I am seeing because you develop a relationship with them over time and it is easier to talk to people when you have got to know them a little bit better. I also have to continue to maintain or loose more body weight. If I gain any weight the surgery will be cancelled. I have known this all along so I have worked hard to maintain my weight even though I was on some medication that one of the side effects is you gain weight and Dr. Mayo said he would be surprised if I never gained weight so it is a relief to know that I have maintained my weight for the 3 months that I was on the pills and hopefully I will start loosing weight when I finish taking the pills in 3 more days.

The new thing that I have to work on is to not drink anything 30 minutes before I eat to 30 minutes after I eat. The reason for this is that after the surgery I will not be able to drink anything while I eat. Because at first my stomach will be so small that if I take a sip of water I will be full so I will have to wait to eat after each meal. They say that it is better to start this before you have the surgery because then it will not be such a big change after the surgery.

I will also have to start to eat every 2 hours during the day with small meals instead of having 3 larger meals and snacks. This is also so that your body is already used to eating often and you are used to not eating large meals any more. Right now when you eat you are supposed to eat your vegetables first, protein second and your starch last. After the surgery you have to make sure that you get enough protein so you would eat your protein first and then some vegetables and then if you are still hungry you can eat a form of starch. The reason for this is your body still needs the same amount of protein or your body will not be able to function. So I will have a protein goal that I will have to reach each day instead of a calorie goal. Because you are not able to eat as much food it will be hard to eat that many calories although you have to ensure that you are eating proper healthy food or else you will gain back all the weight you have lost.

Well I have to get back to work so I will try and update this soon.

Changes...

2011-11-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to change the contents the topic of most of my blog posts because I have not been reveling everything that is happening in my life on this blog and I want this to be a written record of the journey that I am on right now and the changes that will be happening in my life in the next months.

All my life I have struggled with my weight and 3 years ago my doctor referred me to a dietitian who placed me on the waiting list for the Weight Wise program at the Royal Alex Hospital. It took 2 years to get it but in July 2010 I was accepted into the program and had my initial visit. Since then I have been meeting bimonthly with a dietitian and a nurse and they have been helping me with this journey to loose weight. They helped me keep myself accountable and assisted in helping me loose the weight that I have lost so far.

In April 2011 I had a consultation with Dr. Birch and he approved me for gastric bypass surgery. Because of the amount of weight that I have to loose the team and I both agreed that I need to have a tool to assist me with loosing the rest of my weight so that I can be a normal body weight. This is not because I was failing at loosing weight but because I was successful at proving that I am able to loose the weight that they accepted me. This is not the lazy way to loose weight because although you have the surgery if you do not watch what you eat and exercise you will gain back the weight and it will all be in vain.

In July 2011 I was scheduled to have the surgery but it was cancelled because there was an overbooking in the operating room. I also had a lot of pain on my left side so my doctor did an ultrasound and noticed a cyst on my ovaries. I was then referred to a Gynaecologist who place my gastric bypass surgery on hold in September until the cyst was removed and I finally had it removed on October 17, 2011.

I am still planning on having the surgery and it will probably be in December or January as soon as I have the a letter from my doctor approving me for the surgery. I am excited to begin this new phase of my life although it is a extremely scary step for me as a divulge into the unknown. I am planning on making this blog as the story of my weight loss journey.

Ramblings

2011-10-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

So I just bought myself a brand new sewing machine and a serger on Kijiji so I have not really been on the computer that much lately. Currently my days consist of work, going to the gym and then sewing until it is time to go to bed but I have almost finished my second project so it is almost time to start my first quilt. Well technically it is the second but the first one is not as versatile as this one will be. I want to eventually figure out how I can get cheaper fabric so that I can make baby blankets and sell them online for a profit. Also the church education season has started again at our church so I made 25 sock monkey kits for the children for the craft at Kid's Club so far they are loving the project but right now all they have done is stuffed there monkeys so hopefully they still like it once they start hand sewing the arms. legs, ears and noses on each of the monkeys.

This weekend is Thanksgiving which means that it is a long weekend!!! I really need an extra day off right now as I have been really tired lately and I just need a change in scenery for a while. I am going to have a week off in 10 days when I have my surgery but I think that maybe I will take a little mini holiday in November so I can really relax and not have to recover from surgery when I have time off. Right now I am just waiting for a call from the hospital to confirm the time of my surgery so hopefully it comes soon.

Rebecca, Michelle Richard and Katie are coming up to our house for the weekend and it will be really nice to hang out with them again as it seems like it has been forever since I last saw them Although last weekend I did see them for 1.5 hours in Calgary when we went out for breakfast together. Well I should get back to work as my lunch break is almost up. I will try to post again soonish.

Whats new with me

2011-07-26T15:48:00.000-06:00

So I am an Auntie to a cute little baby Girl Katie Jolene born on July 8, 2011. I also started a new position at my work that allows me to have every evening free something I have not had in a long long time. This allows me to lots of extra time to swim and go to the gym so although I have my evenings free I am still hardly ever home. I have discovered that I am not a great writer but I am trying to get better.

Right now I am trying to plan a baby shower last minute for Michelle with my mom and my sisters. Hopefully most of the people that we invite are able to make it.

My blog has been neglected...

2011-05-07T00:54:00.000-06:00

So I finally have time to blog after months of running around like a crazy person I am happy to say that I passed all of my courses this year and I only need one more course to graduate. The unfortunate thing about this is that I have to wait until January 2012 to take the class because they cancelled it last minute and they do not offer it for a year. So I have to wait 12 more months to graduate which is a long time to wait (or so I think).

This year I helped with our Churches Kids Disciples club and today we are finally finished for the year. Although it was a lot of fun I am kind of happy to have my Fridays to myself. At least until the fall that is when it starts over again.

I am also happy to announce that I am going to be a aunt in the summer. I am really excited to become a aunt and I have been buy perfecting my crocheting. I even made sweaters and hats something I never thought that I would know how to make but I realized that it is easier to make than it looks.

This week at work has been the most stressful week that we have had at work since I began working there almost 5 years ago (I cannot believe that it has been that long) One person left for a doctors appointment and has not come back and we are not even sure what is happening with him because he took off out of the city. And another person was fired leaving our already limping staff two people short which made for a really stressful week. I was also offered a new position at work that I am debating about taking. Although it would be a less stressful job it would also be the same thing every day that I am not sure that I would like. But I am thinking about it and will get back to them on Monday with my decision.

Since I have began my weight lose journey I have now officially lost 45 lbs. I am pretty stoked but I have kind of plateaued and not lost any more weight since that achievement but I am hoping to have a breakthrough pretty soon.

Well thats all for now I should get going to sleep.

2 posts in 2 days??? What is up with this?

2011-01-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

So the weather man says it is going to snow another 20 cm. After the 45 cm that fell NW of Edmonton last weekend that will make 65 cm in under half a week. Yikes!!! Right now it seems like that is what everyone is talking about in Edmonton. The Weather. Not only are they expecting a record amount of snow in Edmonton. It has snowed the most amount of snow in a 24 hour period since 1989. Yes Rebecca that is since you were born so a long time ago. Now they are expecting the coldest cold snap since the early 1960's so I am glad to be in my warm house. :-)

Tonight I started school again for this semester. I cannot believe that in only 4 months time I will be a college graduate!!! It is pretty exciting.

This week has been crazy at our work. Yesterday Nancy and I were thinking that we should have just pretended that we could not get to work and just go home. Everybody has the same old questions. When is my snow going to be removed? Are you going to clear the parking lot? The snow contractor only did half the property? When is he going to come back etc.

One of the highlights from this week was my bosses solution to fix our leaking roof because of the ice damming. Just put some ice melt on the ice it will melt it.

Snow

2011-01-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

It has snowed over 35 inches in the last 2 days. The roads are almost impassable and church was even cancelled because of the large amount of snow that has accumulated on the streets. Not only are the roads treacherous but you cannot park on any of the roads because everyone would be stuck. So we have had a couple of snow days where we have stayed home out of the storm.

I enjoyed time playing Empire Builders, Sequence and watching Despicable Me. Which is a great movie.

Tomorrow I am starting the Biggest Loser Class again so I am very excited to start again. It is a lot of fun and I like working out better in a group then on my own. I am much more motivated.

Hopefully the roads are clear and the parking lot at our office has been cleaned out when we get to work tomorrow or else we will all get stuck in the parking lot.

Rebecca I will update soon.

Extreme Makeover: Facebook Edition

2010-11-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Soooo....

2010-11-15T23:37:00.001-07:00

Rebecca thinks I should post more often and in my defense I think that lately my life has been quite boring. It seems to be the same every day. Wake up, work, go the the gym, work on school or help with Boys and Girls club and repeat. Well sometimes there is a little bit of change in the schedule but not that much. Well last weekend I went to visit my sisters in Lethbridge which was a lot of fun and it was wonderful to see where Rebecca lives as well as Michelle and Richard again. Hopefully We will get to see them again soon. Well I will get to see Rebecca in a couple of weeks but I am not sure when Michelle will come up again.

Now all I have to think about is a plan about what to do in Calgary in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions about what we should do???

well...

2010-09-27T12:51:00.000-06:00

I have not posted in a while but I finally have a couple of minutes to spare. I have been busy trying to keep up with school and the bigger loser class at Servus Place. We also have been busy trying to help Michelle with her last minute wedding plans because she is getting married this SATURDAY!!!!

I just thought that I would do a quick post to update this blog. I am busy but I will try and update as soon as I can.

25

2010-09-12T08:47:00.000-06:00

Today I turn 25 years old. On quarter of a century now does that sound old or what. Right now as I write this I am listening to Rebecca snore away in our hotel room in Calgary. Yesterday wee decided to go shopping together. The only problem is I live in Edmonton and she lives in Lethbridge so we decided to meet halfway in Calgary at the new large mall. My mom came with us to for the evening but went home with my Dad last night. We then got a hotel room and did facials and pedicures it was a lot of fun. We should do this more often. Today we are going to work on Michelles reception book and slide show. Only three more weeks to the wedding!!!

Jasper

2010-07-20T19:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Shauna and I went to Jasper for the day as we both had the day off work. We went the Meligne Cannon, Meligne Lake, Athabasca Falls and Pyramid Lake. Here are some pictures from our mini trip.

Well It is a picture of a picture

2010-06-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of my results of my Servus Place Classes that I have been taking...The first one is from March 2009, Second March 2010 and the third now.

I am posting this for my mom

Changes...

2010-05-26T19:09:00.000-06:00

Well a lot has happened over the last couple of months:

1) I completed and passed all 3 of the courses that I took during the spring term. I only have 3 more courses to complete and I will finally be finished my finance degree at NAIT. I will finally be a college graduate!!!! It is extremely exciting.

2) As many of you know Michelle and Rebecca have moved out of our cute little house in St. Albert and back in with my parents. They are both planning on moving down south to the Lethbridge area in the fall and I was needing a new room mate. Marie moved in with me two months ago but now it looks like she is going to have the opportunity to move to Lethbridge in the fall as well so now I am not sure what I am going to do if she moves out. I might move back in with my parents as they are going to have an almost empty house and then I can keep my Mom company.

3) Since school has let out I have started to go to the Biggest Looser Class again. I have loved this class and I love that they push you to your workout limits!!! I have lost over 11 lbs in this class and since I started working out I have lost over 35 lbs that I have kept off. I have really enjoyed this class and am craving exercise when I am not doing it. I can no longer sit down and watch TV as it drives me crazy not to be doing something. I need to keep my mind and body busy at all times!!!

4) On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have begun to take a Pilate's class and if anyone wants to take an excellent cheap exercise class I recommend this class. The instructor is wonderful and makes exercise fun it is a wonderful experience.

5) I am going to gain a Brother in Law. It will be kind of weird to have a brother but I am so happy for Michelle and Richard. I pray that God will Bless them as they start preparing there plans to start their lives together.

After all of these years...

2010-05-25T18:12:00.000-06:00

I am finally going to have an older BROTHER!!!!

Congratulations Michelle and Richard!!!!

I am so happy for you!!!

May the Lord bless you as you prepare to start your life together!!!

Long Weekends

2010-05-24T19:35:00.000-06:00

I love long weekends. They make me wish that I can have one every weekend. But then it would probably not be that special anymore. On Friday I went shopping with Donna to find a dress that I could wear to Alison`s 25th Birthday Bash. Can you believe that I am going to be 25 already this year it seems like it is so far away but it is only 3 months away. Now I am going to need ideas for a 25th Birthday celebration because lets face it you only turn a quarter of a century once (now that sounds old).

On Saturday I worked on my parents books and spent the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for Sunday it was pretty uneventful (just like I like it).

The Taylors came down from Smithers and we enjoyed visiting them in between church on Sunday. We took them to Muir Lake by our house and actually walked the entire trail by the lake. Usually when we go there it is to take pictures or go fishing so I do not think we have ever walked the trail around the lake which was a lot of fun.

Today we went to Fort Edmonton Park with the Family minus Shauna as she had to work:-( and the the Taylors. It was the first time that I have gone there it about 15 years and I really enjoyed it. It was interesting to look at the ways that Edmonton has changed over the years and a great time was had by all.

Now only 4 more days til the next weekend and Grande Prairie. I cannot wait!!!

My Mission Statement...if only it were that easy

2010-04-14T22:28:00.000-06:00

I have decided to join my cousin Kerri`s new Save the Whales Campaign

Save the Whales! is a non-profit organization based out of Alberta dedicated to protecting the whales of the prairies. While I know how that sounds, I assure you that there are plenty of large mammals swimming in the lakes and ponds around Edmonton, and the rest of Alberta. Although no one in the organization has encountered a whale first hand, our objectives will not change. We will continue to raise money through food drives and car washes until every last prairie whale is in a safe government protected water habitat. Our goals include: increasing the public’s awareness of the dangers prairie whales face during camping season, and opening a general charge account for the executors of the Save the Whales! organization (so that they can better serve the whales). In this way Save the Whales! will protect our prairie whales for future generations to come.

Save the Whales!

Lost

2010-03-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

My current favorite televison show on TV is LOST and it is cuurently playing the final season. Here is a hillarious interview of people who have not watched LOST explain what is happening on the Island.

A saw this on my Moms Blog so I thought I would post it

2010-01-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Outside my Window…

Well it's dark out right now so you cannot see that much

I am thinking…

About going swimming in an hour.

I am thankful for…

Having great friends that I could workout with.

From the kitchen…

We made a chicken and potatoes for supper tonight

I am wearing…

Comfortable clothing that I wore to work

I am reading…

Lori Wick...Lately I have been rereading all of her books.

I am hoping…

That the last too days for this week will be faster then the first couple of days this week.

I am creating…

This blog post. Can't really think of anything else right now :)

I am hearing…

The drier humming and the tv in the background

Around the house…

Michelle is watching tv and I am blogging

One of my favorite things…

I love aquasize. Yesterday I went to two classes

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…

I start school again tomorrow and I am planning on going to aquasize on Saturday morning.

...

2010-01-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems like I never have anything to write about on my blog when ever I start to write something I never ever finish it.

- I have signed up for my classes this semester. I am going to be taking a total of three classes. One of them I am going to the NAIT campus to complete and then the other two classes I am taking by correspondence.

- If I ever hear about a person who dies in there apartment and the body is not found for several weeks/months that will be too soon.

- I am going to be getting another new room mate in February as Rebecca and Michelle are moving back to my parents house to prepare for there move to Lethbridge in the summer/fall.

- I love only working 30 hours a week.

- I miss the Biggest Loser class. The thing that I miss the most about the class is floor hockey and basketball. I can do the rest of the exercising by myself but it is hard to play hockey and basketball against yourself. Maybe there is a beginners league that I could join.

30 things before I am 30

2010-01-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog and I got this idea to make a list. These are thirty things I want to do before I turn the age thirty. I know somethings I might not achieve or they aren't meant to be but I am going to try accomplish all of them. So here is the list;

1. Graduate from College
2. Run a half marathon
3. Climb a mountain
4. Lose weight
5. Go whale watching
6. Read 15 Biograpys
7. Go to London, England
8. Sit on a jury.
9. Complete a do-it-yourself home improvement project
10. Visit the towns where my grandparents were born
11. Go to every province and territory in Canada
12. Have a plant that lives for at least 5 years
13. Be coordinated enough to play the drums on rock band
14. Buy a painting
15. Swim in the ocean
16. Buy my first house.
17. Be organized
18. Go to a drive in theatre.
19. Get eye surgury
20. Complete a video game
21. Kiss in the rain.
22. Workout at least 3 times a week
23. Keep a fish alive for 3 months
24. Learn how to follow a recipe
25. Read all of the books on a book list
26. Sing in the rain
27. Cook a gourmet meal
28. Go toboganing again
29. Blog at least once a month
30. Work on my spelling

2010-01-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

My House

2009-12-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of My house that my mom took earlier this year

Our Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and I were looking for a cheap way to decorate for Christmas since it is our first Christmas away from home. So this is what we came up with:

We went to Zeller's (our new favorite store since it is just 30 seconds away from our house and the no one shops there) and they have a 75% off sale on lights so we bought a couple of strings of lights and some ornaments and decorated one of my many house plants.

A Christmas Meme

2009-12-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas. Lots of snow has been falling and it's soooo cold. Here is a Christmas meme.

Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate... Now would be good. Really good.

Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? Nope my parents killed off Santa here at our house, so in compensation for his untimely demise all presents are wrapped. Not well, but they are wrapped.

Coloured Lights on a tree or white? I prefer coloured.

Do you hang Misletoe? Nope.

When do you put your decorations up? A couple of days before Christmas...We just picked up decorations last Saturday's.

What is your favorite Holiday Dish? Either Sugar Cookies or Stuffing.

Favorite Holiday Memory as a Child? Baking Christmas cookies with my mom and caroling

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? In keeping with our not-at-all-traditional traditions we open all our presents on Christmas Eve.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well look at my post yesterday and you cansee our tree.

Snow. Love it or Hate it? If I have to drive in it or shovel it..I hate it. but it grows on me

Can you ice skate? Nope

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Apple Pie

Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck? Yum, I love them, just not to many.

Favorite Christmas Show? While it is not a Christmas-y show, but I love Anne of Green Gables and they have it on TV this time of the year

WITH 2009 COMING TO AN END. . .

2009-12-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

2009: In The Beginning

Where did you go on New Years?: At the VanKampens
Who were you with? Friends and Family
You kiss anyone on new years? Nope
Did you make any resolutions?: Nope

2009: All about YOU

Did you change at all this year?: Everyone is always changing...
Did you dye your hair?: I don't think I did
Did you get your hair cut?: yes
Did you change your style?: Well I grew my hair out for a while but got sick of it so I cut it off again
Were you in school?: Yep I started school again in the fall
Did you get good grades?: not sure yet
Did you have a job?: Yes!
Did you drive?: YES!!!!
Did anyone close to you give birth?: Yeah everyone's having babies it seems
Did you move at all?: Yep, I moved out with my cuz and now I live with my sisters
Did you go on any vacations?: Nope
Did you leave the country at all?: No.

2009: Your Love Life

Did you break up with anyone?: No!
Did you meet anyone special?: Nope
Did you fall in love? Nope

2009: Friends and Enemies

Did you meet any new friends this year? Yeppers
Did any of your friendships end?: Yep
Did you dislike anyone?: yup, but mostly just attitudes...
Did you make any new enemies?: i like to think that i dont have enemies!
Did you resolve any fights?: uh, sure? dont usually fight...
Did you grow apart from anyone?: *sigh* people alway grow apart depending on choices, circumstances, churches... it depresses me...
Did you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships?: yes. i miss Alison! wish we spent more time together...

In 2009 I...

[x] broke a promise
[] fallen out of love
[] lied
[] went behind your parents back
[] disappointed someone close
[x] hid a secret
[x] pretended to be happy
[] kissed in the rain
[x] slept under the stars
[] kept your new years resolution
[] forgot your new years resolution
[] met someone who changed your life
[] met one of your idols
[x] changed your outlook on life
[x] sat home all day doing nothing
[] pretended to be sick
[] left the country
[] almost died
[] given up something important to you
[] lost something expensive
[x] learned something new about yourself
[x] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it
[x] made a change in your life
[x] found out who your true friends were
[x] met great people
[] stayed up til sunrise
[x] cried over the silliest thing
[] was never home on weekends
[x] got into a car accident
[x] had friends who were drifting away from you
[x] had someone close to you die
[] had a high cell phone bill
[] spent most of your money on food
[] went to the beach with your best friend
[] saw a celebrity
[x] gotten sick
[] liked more than 5 people at the same time
[] made out in/on a car
[] kissed in the snow
[] celebrated Halloween
[] broke someone else's heart
[] had a stalker
[] mooned someone
[] went over the minutes on your cell phone
[x] had a good relationship with someone
[] someone questioned your sexual orientation
[] came out of the closet
[x] done something you've regretted
[] kissed under mistletoe
[] painted a picture
[] wrote a poem
[x] ran a mile
[] shopped at Hollister or bench
[] posted a blog on MySpace
[x] listened to music you couldn't stand
[x] went to a sleepover
[x] laughed till you cried
[] laughed till you peed in your pants
[] visited a foreign country
[] cut in a line of waiting people
[x] told someone you were busy when you weren't
[x] partied to celebrate the new year
[] danced like an idiot in public
[x] made a fool of yourself (I am sure...)

1. Have you had any relationships this year?
Nope
2. Have you had your birthday yet? Yes.
3. Kissed two or more people in the same night? NO
4. Been on a diet? No
5. Pulled an all nighter? No
6. Drank Starbucks? Yuppo
8. Bought something(s)? yes.
9. Met someone special who changed your life? not really
10. Been out of the province? Not this year

What are you thinking about?
Our pitiful Christmas tree we just decorated

Have you drank alcohol this year?
yes

How did you feel when you woke up today?
Like I should just go back to bed

If you could change your eye color would you?
no

Who did you last get into a big argument with?
Michelle or Rebecca but I am not sure what it was about

Do you like to have long hair or short hair?
short!

Do you want to get married & have children one day?
not sure yet

Which of your friends do you argue with the most?
uh, i don't argue with friends... ????

How many texts are in your inbox?
none I do not text much

Who was your last text message from ?
Janelle Re: Shauna

Who was the last person who took your profile picture?
My Mom

Have you ever cut class?
nope

Have you ever liked someone a lot older than you?
no

Last thing you ate?
We made pulled pork sanwhiches today

How many people are you texting?
i only text when i need to, not for silly chit-chat... so nobody rite now...

Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with?
no

Well....

2009-11-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last had time to post a real post. With going back to school part time, working part time and taking an exercise class three days a week I have been really busy. My Mom is taking the class with me and after our 5 km jog we usually spend time walking stairs, weight lifting completing circuits and swimming we also get to play sports and I have discovered that I am actually quite good at basketball and floor hockey which I really enjoy.

I am taking two night classes at NAIT. I am hoping to take 3 classes next semester and the last 2 classes during the spring semester so that I can graduate college with my finance degree. I am not quite sure if I will just continue working at Helm after I am finished or if I will find a job in the fiance field.

My job at Helm has changed. Since I went part time I no longer have a portfolio of properties that I manage. I now help other people write letters to tenants, assist with information packages and complete Budgets. I love budgeting it is a lot of fun for me and I am using my education to complete them. I love it when I can do budgeting.

Shoes!!!

2009-11-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent post from my Mom's blog. I can completely relate to this post because I also have size 12 feet but I am not over 6 feet tall.

I just got finished doing one of my least favorite things: Shoe shopping. "But I love shoe shopping!" you say. Yeah, well, you don't wear size 12 and have to buy glorified clown shoes from special Sasquatch stores. There is never anything cute in size 12. Ever. On the rare occasions that you actually come across a shoe that looks just darling on the size 5 sample and find out to your short-lived delight that they actually have a size 12 in some dusty corner of the store, when you see it in your size it looks like some sort of conceptual art project gone wrong. Allow me to illustrate:

To put it in perspective:

Add to the fact that I'm six feet tall and therefore heels are out lest I seriously start to look like a hairless Sasquatch, and you see that my choices are limited to about five shoes in the entire world. Anyway, yeah. I really don't like shoe shopping.

Its been a long time...

2009-07-16T21:46:00.001-06:00

Its been a long time since I actually posted a post that I wrote. Rebecca is in Uganda right now working at a children's home and I have been busy preparing for Michelle and Rebecca to move into my place since Christina moved out. They are going to be moving in at the end of this month.

I will leave you with something funny that was written to us from the fumigator regarding bed bugs in a unit

302 - Caretaker - found live in bed - kicked fumigator out - could not gain access.

after a long day at work this made me laugh!!!

I liked this one from Alison's Blog too...

2009-06-29T22:50:00.000-06:00

Definition of "A NICE PERSON"
A nice person is neither too tall nor too short, looks clean and cheerful, has no prominent feature, makes no difficulties, is never misplaced, sits bodkin, is never foolishly affronted, and is void of affectations.

A nice person helps you well at dinner, understands you, is always gratefully received by young and old, Whig and Tory, grave and gay.

There is something in the very air of a nice person which inspires you with confidence, makes you talk, and talk without fear of malicious misrepresentation; you feel that you are reposing upon a nature which God has made kind, and created for the benefit and happiness of society. It has the effect upon the mind which soft air and a fine climate has upon the body.

A nice person is clear of little, trumpery passions, acknowledges superiority, delights in talent, shelters humility, pardons adversity, forgives deficiency, respects all men's rights, never stops the bottle, is never long and never wrong, always knows the day of the month, the name of every body at table, and never gives pain to any human being.

If any body is wanted for a party, a nice person is the first thought of; when the child is christened, when the daughter is married--all the joys of life are communicated to nice people; the hand of the dying man is always held out to a nice person.

A nice person never knocks over wine or melted butter, does not tread upon the dog's foot, or molest the family cat, eats soup without noise, laughs in the right place, and has a watchful and attentive eye. (Smith 201-202)

Profile of the Sociopath

2009-06-29T22:48:00.000-06:00

I saw this on Alisons Blog and thought I would share it with you.

ok so this is fascinating.... really.

http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html

Profile of the Sociopath
This website summarizes some of the common features of descriptions of the behavior of sociopaths.

Glibness and Superficial Charm

Manipulative and Conning
They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.

Grandiose Sense of Self
Feels entitled to certain things as "their right."

Pathological Lying
Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.

Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt
A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.

Shallow Emotions
When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.

Incapacity for Love

Need for Stimulation
Living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.

Callousness/Lack of Empathy
Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.

Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.

Early Behavior Problems/Juvenile Delinquency
Usually has a history of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning others. Problems in making and keeping friends; aberrant behaviors such as cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc.

Irresponsibility/Unreliability
Not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.

Promiscuous Sexual Behavior/Infidelity
Promiscuity, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual acting out of all sorts.

Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle
Tends to move around a lot or makes all encompassing promises for the future, poor work ethic but exploits others effectively.

Criminal or Entrepreneurial Versatility
Changes their image as needed to avoid prosecution. Changes life story readily.

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Other Related Qualities:

Contemptuous of those who seek to understand them
Does not perceive that anything is wrong with them
Authoritarian
Secretive
Paranoid
Only rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out situations where their tyrannical behavior will be tolerated, condoned, or admired
Conventional appearance
Goal of enslavement of their victim(s)
Exercises despotic control over every aspect of the victim's life
Has an emotional need to justify their crimes and therefore needs their victim's affirmation (respect, gratitude and love)
Ultimate goal is the creation of a willing victim
Incapable of real human attachment to another
Unable to feel remorse or guilt
Extreme narcissism and grandiose
May state readily that their goal is to rule the world

(The above traits are based on the psychopathy checklists of H. Cleckley and R. Hare.)

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NOTE: In the 1830's this disorder was called "moral insanity." By 1900 it was changed to "psychopathic personality." More recently it has been termed "antisocial personality disorder" in the DSM-III and DSM-IV. Some critics have complained that, in the attempt to rely only on 'objective' criteria, the DSM has broadened the concept to include too many individuals. The APD category includes people who commit illegal, immoral or self-serving acts for a variety of reasons and are not necessarily psychopaths.

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DSM-IV Definition

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture. There is a marked inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules. Individuals with this disorder are sometimes called psychopaths or sociopaths.

Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV)

1. Since the age of fifteen there has been a disregard for and violation of the right's of others, those right's considered normal by the local culture, as indicated by at least three of the following:
A. Repeated acts that could lead to arrest.
B. Conning for pleasure or profit, repeated lying, or the use of aliases.
C. Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive.
D. Repeated assaults on others.
E. Reckless when it comes to their or others safety.
F. Poor work behavior or failure to honor financial obligations.
G. Rationalizing the pain they inflict on others.

2. At least eighteen years in age.

3. Evidence of a Conduct Disorder, with its onset before the age of fifteen.

4. Symptoms not due to another mental disorder.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder Overview (Written by Derek Wood, RN, BSN, PhD Candidate)

Antisocial Personality Disorder results in what is commonly known as a Sociopath. The criteria for this disorder require an ongoing disregard for the rights of others, since the age of 15 years. Some examples of this disregard are reckless disregard for the safety of themselves or others, failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, deceitfulness such as repeated lying or deceit for personal profit or pleasure, and lack of remorse for actions that hurt other people in any way. Additionally, they must have evidenced a Conduct Disorder before the age of 15 years, and must be at least 18 years old to receive this diagnosis.

People with this disorder appear to be charming at times, and make relationships, but to them, these are relationships in name only. They are ended whenever necessary or when it suits them, and the relationships are without depth or meaning, including marriages. They seem to have an innate ability to find the weakness in people, and are ready to use these weaknesses to their own ends through deceit, manipulation, or intimidation, and gain pleasure from doing so.

They appear to be incapable of any true emotions, from love to shame to guilt. They are quick to anger, but just as quick to let it go, without holding grudges. No matter what emotion they state they have, it has no bearing on their future actions or attitudes.

They rarely are able to have jobs that last for any length of time, as they become easily bored, instead needing constant change. They live for the moment, forgetting the past, and not planning the future, not thinking ahead what consequences their actions will have. They want immediate rewards and gratification. There currently is no form of psychotherapy that works with those with antisocial personality disorder, as those with this disorder have no desire to change themselves, which is a prerequisite. No medication is available either. The only treatment is the prevention of the disorder in the early stages, when a child first begins to show the symptoms of conduct disorder.

THE PSYCHOPATH NEXT DOOR (Source: http://chericola57.tripod.com/infinite.html)

Psychopath. We hear the word and images of Bernardo, Manson and Dahmer pop into our heads; no doubt Ted Bundy too. But they're the bottom of the barrel -- most of the two million psychopaths in North America aren't murderers. They're our friends, lovers and co-workers. They're outgoing and persuasive, dazzling you with charm and flattery. Often you aren't even aware they've taken you for a ride -- until it's too late.

Psychopaths exhibit a Jekyll and Hyde personality. "They play a part so they can get what they want," says Dr. Sheila Willson, a Toronto psychologist who has helped victims of psychopaths. The guy who showers a woman with excessive attention is much more capable of getting her to lend him money, and to put up with him when he strays. The new employee who gains her co-workers' trust has more access to their chequebooks. And so on. Psychopaths have no conscience and their only goal is self-gratification. Many of us have been their victims -- at work, through friendships or relationships -- and not one of us can say, "a psychopath could never fool me."

Think you can spot one? Think again. In general, psychopaths aren't the product of broken homes or the casualties of a materialistic society. Rather they come from all walks of life and there is little evidence that their upbringing affects them. Elements of a psychopath's personality first become evident at a very early age, due to biological or genetic factors. Explains Michael Seto, a psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental health in Toronto, by the time that a person hits their late teens, the disorder is almost certainly permanent. Although many clinicians use the terms psychopath and sociopath interchangeably, writes psychopath expert Robert Hare on his book 'Without Conscience', a sociopath's criminal behavior is shaped by social forces and is the result of a dysfunctional environment.

Psychopaths have only a shallow range of emotions and lack guilt, says Hare. They often see themselves as victims, and lack remorse or the ability to empathize with others. "Psychopaths play on the fact that most of us are trusting and forgiving people," adds Seto. The warning signs are always there; it's just difficult to see them because once we trust someone, the friendship becomes a blinder.

Even lovers get taken for a ride by psychopaths. For a psychopath, a romantic relationship is just another opportunity to find a trusting partner who will buy into the lies. It's primarily why a psychopath rarely stays in a relationship for the long term, and often is involved with three or four partners at once, says Willson. To a psychopath, everything about a relationship is a game. Willson refers to the movie 'Sliding Doors' to illustrate her point. In the film, the main character comes home early after just having been fired from her job. Only moments ago, her boyfriend has let another woman out the front door. But in a matter of minutes he is the attentive and concerned boyfriend, taking her out to dinner and devoting the entire night to comforting her. All the while he's planning to leave the next day on a trip with the other woman.

The boyfriend displays typical psychopathic characteristics because he falsely displays deep emotion toward the relationship, says Willson. In reality, he's less concerned with his girlfriend's depression than with making sure she's clueless about the other woman's existence. In the romance department, psychopaths have an ability to gain your affection quickly, disarming you with words, intriguing you with grandiose plans. If they cheat you'll forgive them, and one day when they've gone too far, they'll leave you with a broken heart (and an empty wallet). By then they'll have a new player for their game.

The problem with their game is that we don't often play by their rules. Where we might occasionally tell a white lie, a psychopath's lying is compulsive. Most of us experience some degree of guilt about lying, preventing us from exhibiting such behavior on a regular basis. "Psychopaths don't discriminate who it is they lie to or cheat," says Seto. "There's no distinction between friend, family and sucker."

No one wants to be the sucker, so how do we prevent ourselves from becoming close friends or getting into a relationship with a psychopath? It's really almost impossible, say Seto and Willson. Unfortunately, laments Seto, one way is to become more suspicious and less trusting of others. Our tendency is to forgive when we catch a loved one in a lie. "Psychopaths play on this fact," he says. "However, I'm certainly not advocating a world where if someone lies once or twice, you never speak to them again." What you can do is look at how often someone lies and how they react when caught. Psychopaths will lie over and over again, and where other people would sincerely apologize, a psychopath may apologize but won't stop.

Psychopaths also tend to switch jobs as frequently as they switch partners, mainly because they don't have the qualities to maintain a job for the long haul. Their performance is generally erratic, with chronic absences, misuse of company resources and failed commitments. Often they aren't even qualified for the job and use fake credentials to get it. Seto talks of a patient who would get marketing jobs based on his image; he was a presentable and charming man who layered his conversations with educational and occupational references. But it became evident that the man hadn't a clue what he was talking about, and was unable to hold down a job.

How do you make sure you don't get fooled when you're hiring someone to baby-sit your child or for any other job? Hire based on reputation and not image, says Willson. Check references thoroughly. Psychopaths tend to give vague and inconsistent replies. Of course the best way to solve this problem would be to cure psychopaths of their 'illness.' But there's no recipe for treating them, say psychiatrists. Today's traditional methods of psychotherapy (psychoanalysis, group and one-on-one therapy) and drug treatments have failed. Therapy is more likely to work when an individual admits there's a problem and wants to change. The common problem with psychopaths, says Sets, "Is they don't see a problem with their behavior."

Psychopaths don't seek therapy willingly, says Seto. Rather, they're pushed into it by a desperate relative or by a court order. To a psychopath, a therapist is just one more person who must be conned, and the psychopath plays the part right until the therapist is convinced of his or her 'rehabilitation.'

Even though we can't treat psychopaths effectively with therapy, it doesn't mean we can't protect ourselves, writes Hare. Willson agrees, citing the most important factor in keeping psychopaths at bay is to know your vulnerabilities. We need to "realize our own potential and maximize our strengths" so that our insecurities don't overcome us. Because, she says, a psychopath is a chameleon who becomes "an image of what you haven't done for yourself." Over time, she says, "their appearance of perfection will begin to crack," but by that time you will have been emotionally and perhaps financially scathed. There comes a time when you realize there's no point in searching for answers; the only thing is to move on.

Taken in part from MW -- By Caroline Konrad -- September 1999

THE MALIGNANT PERSONALITY:

These people are mentally ill and extremely dangerous! The following precautions will help to protect you from the destructive acts of which they are capable.

First, to recognize them, keep the following guidelines in mind.

(1) They are habitual liars. They seem incapable of either knowing or telling the truth about anything.

(2) They are egotistical to the point of narcissism. They really believe they are set apart from the rest of humanity by some special grace.

(3) They scapegoat; they are incapable of either having the insight or willingness to accept responsibility for anything they do. Whatever the problem, it is always someone else's fault.

(4) They are remorselessly vindictive when thwarted or exposed.

(5) Genuine religious, moral, or other values play no part in their lives. They have no empathy for others and are capable of violence. Under older psychological terminology, they fall into the category of psychopath or sociopath, but unlike the typical psychopath, their behavior is masked by a superficial social facade.

If you have come into conflict with such a person or persons, do the following immediately!

(1) Notify your friends and relatives of what has happened.

Do not be vague. Name names, and specify dates and circumstances. Identify witnesses if possible and provide supporting documentation if any is available.

(2) Inform the police. The police will do nothing with this information except to keep it on file, since they are powerless to act until a crime has been committed. Unfortunately, that often is usually too late for the victim. Nevertheless, place the information in their hands.

Obviously, if you are assaulted or threatened before witnesses, you can get a restraining order, but those are palliative at best.

(3) Local law enforcement agencies are usually under pressure if wealthy or politically powerful individuals are involved, so include state and federal agencies as well and tell the locals that you have. In my own experience, one agency that can help in a pinch is the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service or (in Canada) Victims Services at your local police unit. It is not easy to think of the IRS as a potential friend, but a Swedish study showed that malignant types (the Swedes called them bullies) usually commit some felony or other by the age of twenty. If the family is wealthy, the fact may never come to light, but many felonies involve tax evasion, and in such cases, the IRS is interested indeed. If large amounts of money are involved, the IRS may solve all your problems for you. For obvious reasons the Drug Enforcement Agency may also be an appropriate agency to approach. The FBI is an important agency to contact, because although the FBI does not have jurisdiction over murder or assault, if informed, they do have an active interest in any other law enforcement agencies that do not follow through with an honest investigation and prosecution should a murder occur. Civil rights are involved at that point. No local crooked lawyer, judge, or corrupt police official wants to be within a country mile if that comes to light! It is in such cases that wealthy psychopaths discover just how firm the "friends" they count on to cover up for them really are! Even some of the drug cartel biggies will scuttle for cover if someone picks up the brick their thugs hide under. Exposure is bad for business.

(4) Make sure that several of your friends have the information in the event something happens to you. That way, an appropriate investigation will follow if you are harmed. Don't tell other people who has the information, because then something bad could happen to them as well. Instruct friends to take such an incident to the newspapers and other media.

If you are dealing with someone who has considerable money, you must realize that they probably won't try to harm you themselves, they will contract with someone to make the hit. The malignant type is a coward and will not expose himself or herself to personal danger if he or she can avoid it.
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Update: A thorough article.
I, the creator of this site, am not a psychologist and no special expertise in the subject. I created the site as a public service, because no similar site existed in 2003. I occasionally get sad calls and emails. I urge you to consult either a clinical psychologist or the police depending on the problem you face, and wish you good luck.

Shauna's Grad

2009-05-20T12:29:00.000-06:00

On Saturday Shauna graduated from High School. I cannot believe that my youngest sister is finished high school. It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital meeting our new sister. Here is a picture of all of us sisters at the grad last Saturday.

The Husband Store

2009-05-12T22:38:00.000-06:00

I saw this on Fiona's Facebook page and thought that it was really funny.

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs
She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.
'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.
'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.
'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

2009-05-10T21:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom in the whole world.

Here is a typical picture of My Mom with all of us on the way to church on a Sunday Morning.

Happy Mother's Day Mom. I Love you!!!

well...

2009-04-23T12:38:00.000-06:00

It has been almost a month since I last updated my Blog but I just have not had time to sit a write a post.

I am enjoying living in St. Albert. I love if we need anything we are only 5 minutes away. It is really convenient. It is also only 3 minutes from the pool so now I do not have an excuse if I am late.

I am taking a class at Servus Place called the Biggest Loser. It has been a lot of fun and hard work and it is also 3 times a week so I do not have that much time left.

I also want to congratulate John and Arlene. They were married last weekend and I have not been to a wedding that was that fun and beautiful in a long time.

I would like to wish my Auntie Alice a Happy 60th Birthday today. Which means I only have 5 days to finish Rebecca's Present that I am making for her. Yikes!!!

I finally have batteries in my camera so maybe next time I can put pictures on my blog.

2009-03-27T16:10:00.001-06:00

We Should Pray for the Rich to get Richer (Bar Stool Economics)
by Charles Adler
March 12, 2009

It's been a tough year for the richest people in the world. That's a line right out of a magazine whose target market is the rich. My question to you, “Are we supposed to care that it's been a tough year for the richest folks on the planet, people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett?” Yes, I care a lot. Not because I worry about them putting food on their table or a roof over their heads. I just don't do the Jack Layton thing when I see that kind of headline. I don't lick my lips and feel gleeful that some rich people are seeing their portfolios taking a hit...And the reason is, because I care about the rest of us. The non-billionaires and the non-millionaires. The rest of us.

You see folks, I always look forward to the rich getting richer because during those years the rest of us tend to do better too. It is not a coincidence that in a year where the rich took a big hit, most of the rest of us did as well. In a moment, I want to give you some BARSTOOL Economics that is so accessible, so easy to understand, you will want every member of your family to hear it or read it. You will want to download the podcast, and you can find it by simply accessing our site, CharlesAdler.Com.

Now back to some BARSTOOL Economics 101.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Folks, that's your BARSTOOL Economics. I offer you this because in recent days you have heard a lot of empty nonsense about how if tax rates can be hiked on the rich money, more money will trickle down from the heavens for the rest of us. You have heard a lot of nonsense about how corporate taxes should not come down because that would only be assisting the rich. The reason I have no use - intellectually speaking - for Jack Layton's economics is because unlike BARSTOOL economics, his numbers don't add up. He and the Liberals sometimes lean in this direction especially in these times of high anxiety; they lean in the direction of wanting you to think that if only the government punishes the top two earners on those bar stools, Man Number Ten and Man Number Nine, it will be good for the other eight.

The folks who litter the mainstream media as pundits with their economics and sociology of envy and the politicians who do the same, are all counting on one thing, that you don't have a basic grounding in what we are calling BARSTOOL Economics. Log on to www.charlesadler.com
and get a written copy of this and later today on our podcast. Subscribe to Itunes and download my podcast into your IPOD. Get as many people you care about educated on this stuff. It's your best defense against the media and academic and political predators who appeal to your anxiety instead of your common sense. In the meantime, we need to hope and pray that the economy can start revving again, the way it needs to for us to have a prosperous middle class. How will we know things are working again? When the rich get richer.

They are the reverse of the canaries in the coal mine. When the canary is dropped down into the mine deep enough so that it cannot survive, we say it’s no place for coal miners to go. The Rich are my canaries in the gold mine. When they start smelling the gold, it starts to get golden for the rest of us. And so on behalf of us, I say, “We should hope that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet and the other members of the rich, have a very good year.” We should pray for the rich to get richer.

I'm Charles Adler on the Corus Radio Network.

Moving

2009-03-20T12:43:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow I am moving to St. Albert with Christina which is extremely exciting. I have never lived on my own (without my parents) so I am extremely excited. I may not blog for a while since we currently will not have Internet but I will try and blog when I can. I am busy packing up all of my stuff. You never know how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all up.

THE MANY NAMES OF ME

2009-03-20T12:38:00.000-06:00

I got this from a friend, and thought I would try it...

THE MANY NAMES OF ME

1.YOUR REAL NAME:
Amanda Perrot

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Judy David

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Folkert Louis

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
peram

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Dog

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Dawn St. Albert

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning
The Orange Coke

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Amot

9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Vanilla Chocolate Chip

10.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
Harley RR265

11. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Princess Village

12.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Amaizzle

13.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
Mrdadarot

14.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Digger

15. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Dance Chocolate

The Death of Common Sense

2009-03-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here is another blog post from Charles Adler.

Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape.

Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S.

A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men's movement, body piercing, whole language and new math.

C.S.'s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. In the following decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf. His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.

As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.

Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought.

Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.

Canada's Version of the Ant and Grasshopper

2009-03-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

I got this from Charles Adler's Blog. I thought that it was pretty funny.

CLASSIC VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering
heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the
winter. The grasshopper thinks
he's a fool, and laughs and dances
and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The shivering grasshopper has no food or
shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

THE END

***

THE CANADIAN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering
heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the
winter. The grasshopper thinks
he's a fool, and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
So far, so good, eh?

The shivering grasshopper calls a press conference
and demands to know why the ant should be allowed
to be warm and well fed while others less
fortunate, like him, are cold and starving.

The CBC shows up to provide live
coverage of the shivering grasshopper,
with cuts to a video of the ant in his
comfortable warm home with a
table laden with food. Canadians are stunned
that in a country of such wealth, this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so
while others have plenty.

The NDP, the CAW and the Coalition
Against Poverty demonstrate in front
of the ant's house. The CBC,
interrupting an Inuit cultural festival
special from Nunavut with breaking
news, broadcasts them singing "We Shall Overcome."

Jack Layton grants in an interview with
Mike Duffy that the ant has gotten rich off the backs of
grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on
the ant to make him pay his "fair share".

In response to polls, the Liberal
Government drafts the Economic
Equity and Grasshopper
Anti-Discrimination Act, retroactive to the
beginning of the summer.

The ant's taxes are reassessed, and he
is also fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as helpers.
Without enough money to pay both the
fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, his home is
confiscated by the government. The ant moves to the US
and starts a successful agribiz company.

The CBC later shows the now fat grasshopper finishing up the last of
the ant's food, though spring is still months away, while the government
house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles
around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain it.

Inadequate government funding is
blamed, Bob Rae is appointed to head a
commission of enquiry that will cost $10,000,000.

The grasshopper is soon dead of a drug
overdose, the Toronto Star
blames it on the obvious failure of
government to address the root causes of
despair arising from social inequity.

The abandoned house is taken over by a
gang of immigrant spiders,
praised by the government for enriching
Canada's multicultural diversity, who
promptly set up a marijuana grow op and
terrorrize the community.

THE END

***

This invented compare and contrast parable of the ant and grasshopper is the best way of discussing the political right and left.

Dinner Theatre

2009-02-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Kerri and I went to the Dinner Theatre at our church where Michelle, Rebecca and Shauna were acting in the play. And although they were expecting a complete failure the event was a complete success. It was a lot of fun and I cannot wait until they do a play again. The church did this fundraiser to raise money for the mission team that is going to the Dominican Republic this Friday. Shauna is also going to go on the trip. I cannot wait for the Dinner Theatre in Neerlandia this Friday it should be a lot of fun. :-) Here are a couple of pictures from there play Daisy Head Maisie although these were taken by Shauna since I forgot my camera. Well I have to go back to work.

Winter Getaway!!

2009-02-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to a Young Adults retreat in Ponoka. The guest speaker was Rev. Persard from the Toronto Church Plant. The weekend was a lot of fun it was fun to see old friends and meet a couple of new ones as well.

On Saturday afternoon we played Bigger or Better. This is a game where you start with a item and you have to trade it for something bigger or better then that item. We all started with a plastic fork. There were 20 teams and our team thought that they were doing pretty good with a stereo system with soround sound speakers but we were in last place almost. Items that other teams had were a piano, two teams had cars one was working the other wasn't, they had LCD computer screens, satilite radios, round bales, air hockey tables, a complete living room with couches, coffee tables and even a TV and the best one was a pig. You could never get these items in the city.

We stayed with a wonderful host family and even got our own bathroom. They made us a wonderful breakfast and then we were off to church. The weekend was a great success and I can hardly wait for the next winter retreat.

Well...

2009-01-30T22:15:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since my last post. I have been spending most of my free time with Shannon at the gym and swimming which is a lot of fun. Hopefully I will loose some weight after all of this time I am spending there. I am looking for some good smoothie ideas so let me know if you have one.

I am not longer on call. No more late night calls because places are flooding as Joel is back!!!!

The weather is extremely weird. Tonight it was thunder storming and raining in January and yesterday it poured rain for several hours causing the roads to be extremely icy. But at least it is not -40 C.

Well half my family is currently in Mexico and I should go and do the dishes. Bye.

SCATTERGORIES. ..it's harder than it looks!

2009-01-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up!

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Amanda

BOY NAME: Adam

4 LETTER WORD: Acts

GIRL NAME: Angela

OCCUPATION: Anesthesiologist

A COLOUR: Aquamarine

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Apron

BEVERAGE: Alcohol

FOOD: Apple

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Art

A PLACE: Annapolis

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Accident

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: AAAARRRRGGGGG

2008-12-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

No I have not forgotten about my blog. I have been too busy lately to blog or when I have time I forgot what I was going to blog about. Here is the results from a Christmas quiz that I completed.

You Are Blue Lights

Your holidays are a time for spirituality and peace.

Whether you're religious or not, you try to bring more meaning to the holidays.

You prefer giving to receiving, and you enjoy the generous spirit of the holidays.

You take the time to reach out to those in need, and you open your home to all your friends and family.

What Color Christmas Lights Are You?

The X List (put an X in everything you've done...)

2008-12-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Alison's Blog and thought I would complete this

Level 1
( ) Smoked A Cigarette
( ) Smoked A Cigar
( ) Smoked Weed
(x) Drank Alcohol

Level 2
() Are / Been In Love
() Been Dumped
() Shoplifted
( ) Been Fired
(x) Been In A Fist Fight

Level 3
( ) Snuck Out Of A Parent's House
( ) Had Feelings For Someone Who Didn't Have Them Back
( ) Been Arrested
( ) Made Out With A Stranger
( ) Gone Out On A Blind Date

Level 4
( ) Had A Crush On An Older Person
(x) Skipped School
(x) Seen Someone / Something Die

Level 5
( ) Had / Have A Crush On One Of Your FACEBOOK Friends
( ) Been To Paris
( ) Been To Spain
() Been On A Plane
( ) Thrown Up From Drinking

Level 6
() Eaten Sushi
() Been Snowboarding
(x)Met Someone BECAUSE Of Facebook
(x)Been in a Mosh Pit

Level 7

(x) Taken Pain Killers
( ) Love/Like Loved/Liked Someone Who You Cant Have
(x) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
(x) Made A Snow Angel

Level 8
(x) Had A Tea Party
(x) Flown A Kite
(x) Built A Sand Castle
() Gone mudding (offroading)
(x) Played Dress Up

Level 9
(x) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves
(x) Gone Sledding
(x) Cheated While Playing A Game
(x) Been Lonely
(x) Fallen Asleep At Work / School

Level 10
(x) Watched The Sun Set
( ) Felt An Earthquake
( ) Killed A Snake

Level 11
(x) Been Tickled
(x) Been Robbed / Vandalized
(x) Stole something
(x) Been Misunderstood

Level 12
(x) Won A Contest
( ) Been Suspended From School
(x) Had Detention
(x) Been In A Car/Motorcycle Accident

Level 13
(x) Had / Have Braces
(x) Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) Danced in the moonlight

Level 14
(x) Hated The Way You Looked
(x) Witnessed A Crime
( ) Pole Danced
() Questioned Your Heart
(x) Been obsessed with post-it-notes

Level 15
(x) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(x) Been Lost
( ) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World
( ) Swam In The Ocean
( ) Felt Like You Were Dying

Level 16
(x) Cried Yourself To Sleep
(x) Played Cops And Robbers
(x) Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins

Level 17
(x) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't
(x) Made Prank Phone Calls
(x) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose
( Kissed In The Rain

Level 18
(x) Written A Letter To Santa Claus
( ) Been Kissed Under A Mistletoe
() Watched The Sun Set/ sun rise With Someone You Care / Cared About
(x) Blown Bubbles
(x) Made A Bonfire On The Beach or Anywhere

Level 19
(x) Crashed A Party
(x) Have Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People
(x) Gone Rollerskating / Blading
(x) Had A Wish Come True

Level 20
() Worn Pearls
() Jumped Off A Bridge
( ) Swam With Dolphins

Level 22
(x) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/Freezer/Ice Cube
( ) Kissed A Fish
(x) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes
(x) Sat On A Roof Top
( ) Kissed A Worm

Level 23
(x) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
() Done / Attempted A One-Handed Cartwheel
(x) Talked On The Phone For More Than 6 Hours
() Recently Stayed Up for a while talking to someone u care about

Level 24
(x) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree
(x) Climbed A Tree
(x) Had / Been In A Tree House
(x) Been scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone

Level 25
( ) Believed In Ghosts
() Have/had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes
() Visited Jail

Level 26
( ) Played Chicken
(x) Been Pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
( ) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger
(x) Broken A Bone
(x) Been Easily Amused

Level 27
() Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later
( ) Caught A Butterfly
(x) Laughed So Hard You Cried
(x) Cried So Hard You Laughed

Level 28
( ) Had Someone Moon / Flash You
(x) Cheated On A Test
(x) Forgotten Someone's Name
() French Braided Someones Hair
( ) Gone Skinny Dipping
( ) Been Kicked Out Of Your House
( ) Tried to hurt yourself

Level 29
( ) Rode A Roller Coaster
( ) Went Scuba-Diving / Snorkeling
(x) Had A Cavity
( ) Black-Mailed Someone
(x) Been Black Mailed

Level 31
(x) Been Used
(x) Fell Going Up The Stairs
( ) Licked A Cat
(x) Bitten Someone
(x) Licked Someone

Level 32
( ) been shot at/or at gunpoint
( ) flattened someones tires
(x) Rode your car/truck until the gas light came on
(x) Got five dollars or less worth of gas

2008-11-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

The fire made the newspaper. Its just a picture but it is pretty cool though. Check it out!!!

Fire!!!!

2008-11-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today after enjoying a nice leisurely birthday lunch for Adam we got a phone call indicating that there was a fire at one of our buildings. Now the first thing that we did was phone our resident manager and because we could not reach them I went on the building to meet the fire department. As I drove towards the building I was meet by 15 fire trucks and 4 ambulance trucks and a couple of police cars and camera crews for the news. I had to wait for the fire department to complete there investigation and then I had to wait for the door jams to be repaired as the fire department kicked them in to ensure that the building was evacuated and board up the windows that were broken in order for the smoke to leave the unit. Around this time the fire department had left a message on the resident managers phone indicating a third floor unit was on fire in his building. He came back panicking because he lives on the third floor but was relieved when he found out that it was not his unit. When I went into the unit after the fire fighters completed the investigation it was very Erie feeling and the paint had flaked off the walls and looked like it was black fabric draped on the walls. So tomorrow we start the restoration process and meet with the insurance company. We contacted the tenant and he was going to meet the resident manager to look at the unit. At least no one was hurt during the fire.

Busy Busy

2008-10-30T19:32:00.000-06:00

I have started swimming at night instead of the morning I am thinking that I should start to go back in the mornings since I feel more a wake during the day when I swim in the morning.

I have started crocheting. I tried it several years ago and I started an afghan and I just finished it last week. Now I am trying out more stitches and my squares that I am crocheting are starting to look less lopsided. Now I am looking for more patterns to see what project I should complete next.

I am now back at work and am happy that Phil came out of retirement and is working in the office again. I also spent an entire day at an apartment trying to figure out how to turn on the elevator after the fire alarms went off and the sprinkler system failed and flooded the basement. This meant that I had to sit and wait on the elevator company to turn the elevators back on according to what the fire department informed me.

This made me laugh...

2008-10-22T18:23:00.000-06:00

When I went to do my inspections today I went into a building and saw this sign.

Missing
2.5 foot green snake. Non verminous. If found please return to unit 102.

I hope no one is awakened when a snake crawls over them in the middle of the night because we would be the first ones to know :-)

One of my Favorite Psalms

2008-10-17T09:43:00.000-06:00

Psalm 139
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2. You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.

3. You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.

4. For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

5. You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7. Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8. If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9. If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10. Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.

11. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;

12. Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13. For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

15. My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!

18. If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

19. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20. For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22. I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23. Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;

24. And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-10-12T15:35:00.000-06:00

Two Years...

2008-10-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

It has been two years since I started working at Helm as a Secretary. Over these two years I worked my was up to a property manager. In some ways it seems like it has been a flash but in other ways it seems like it has been forever.

When I started here I took the job planning never to work in the evening again. I wanted a 8 to 4 job so I would have a "regular" job. I had been working at many jobs that I had to working evenings and I thought I was missing so much that I needed a normal job. Little did I know that I would have to go to meetings in the evening after just a couple of months.

When I got the call from the employment agency I almost did not take the job. I was waiting to here back for a job that I had applied for and I thought it would be the perfect job. When I go the call at 7 am in the morning I never new that this job would last for this long. Actually I was just Happy to have any job since I never worked in almost 2 months before that it was the longest time that I did not work since I was 15 and my first vacation in 5 years.

Holidays...

2008-10-09T16:42:00.000-06:00

Starting tomorrow I am going to be on holidays for a week. I am currently not sure what I will be doing for the week but I have another week of holiday left this year and I need a break from all of this stress.

Tomorrow I will try and finish as much work as I can and then I will go home and not think of work for a week :-). It will be so nice to sleep in past 5:15 am. I cannot wait!!!!

Well I have to go to the south side for a walkabout. (My last meeting before my Holiday :-)) Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do for my holiday?

Wedding and a Baby Shower

2008-10-04T18:57:00.000-06:00

Today we went to the wedding of Jessica and David Stolk it was a beautiful wedding and we had wonderful weather for their special day. Autumn is such a beautiful time to get married and the pictures are turn out great because of the wonderful color of the leaves as they change color.

After the wedding I went to Shannon and Ryan's baby Ryley's Baby shower. It was a lot of fun. We played the traditional baby games that I have not played before and I even won a prize. A framed picture of their adorable baby Ryley. I won a prize at her wedding shower as well which is weird because I usually never win prizes at showers.

Now Shauna and I are having a sisters night at home while the rest of the family is at the reception. It is nice to have a relaxing day off.

Impatience

2008-09-30T18:39:00.000-06:00

Some people are so impatient it drives me crazy. A little old lady and her grandchild applied for an apartment and left several blanks on the application. Instead of calling me on my direct line at my office she calls a different number mumbles the information and hopes that it gets to me. Well after all of this she still has not answered all of my questions so I have to search for the answers and call people all day long to finally approve her she indicates that she will not be able to have her damage deposit for 48 hours and asks to move in without a damage deposit or rent!!!! When I indicated that she was not able to move into the house without paying us first she blamed me for not having it ready and it was so frustrating since I spent my entire day trying to get her moved in and set all my other work aside and she does not even appreciate it.

Swimming

2008-09-25T20:49:00.000-06:00

I have not been able to go swimming in almost a week since I have had a ear infection. Since I was finally able to go swimming this morning I woke up at the right time and I had packed my bag the night before so I woke up grabbed my bag and went to the pool. Unfortunately when I got to the pool I opened my bag and I had everything except for my swimming suit. This is the second time I did something like this the last time I forgot by shirt!!!! I had put on my swimming suit before I went to the pool and that day for some reason I forgot to put on my shirt. I did not realize this until after I had gotten out of the pool. Shauna still laughs at me and told everyone about the time that I came home from swimming wearing a towel for a shirt. Now whenever any of the ladies in my aqua size class forget anything they all say "At least I never forgot my shirt like Amanda." Hopefully they do not find out that I came today and forgot my swim suit because I will never here the end of that.

Grandpa

2008-09-19T21:01:00.000-06:00

On September 17, 2008 my Grandpa passed away at the age of 83. Although he was getting older it was still was a shook when I learned that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He lived a full life and had 8 children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Although these days are sad for us on earth it was a glorious day for my Grandpa as he was a believer and is now with the Lord.

I remember when we were young and visited my grandparents Grandpa would always be in his office working. I am not sure what he was actually working on but we would always ask to "help" him. He would give us papers that we could hole punch and shred for him although most of the scrap pieces of paper that he gave us ended up with tons of holes in them. We would work on the corner of his desk while he continued to work. Later when he bought a computer he showed us how to use it. We would also go bike riding with him and Grandma to Lacombe Park Lake where we would put our feet in the lake and sometimes we would have picnics at the lake.

Although in the past couple of years I did not visit him as often as I would like I would think of him often. When I visited him he would tell me stories of when he was a young man in Holland and I will remember all of his wonderful stories. I am going to miss him.

Apples, Internet and The Fence

2008-09-15T12:53:00.000-06:00

On Saturday morning Rebecca and Shauna and I all went to Joel's Rental House to pick apples. We started picking and in about half and hour we picked around 50 Litres of apples. We then went home to make pies and apple sauce but we worked most of the afternoon but we still have 30 litres left of the apples. I guess we will be busy tonight. :-)

We also have no Internet at our house since the guys accidentally cut the Internet cable while building our new fence. I am designing your blog Jolene with the program I got for my birthday but it will take a little longer then expected. :-(

Something Funny & Something Sad

2008-09-12T12:29:00.000-06:00

So when I came to work today Nancy was no where to be seen which is very unusual. All of a sudden I heard "Help I am locked in the the bathroom" sure enough the bathroom door was stuck in the closed position. We finally opened door when Russell our handy man came in he would not believe that the bathroom door was stuck shut because everything appeared to look right so he walked in the bathroom and shut the door and sure enough he was stuck in the bathroom. So after we got him out of the bathroom he believed us and fixed the door.

Also after today my assistant has retired :-(. I have no clue what I will do without him because he was such a great helper. We now have Darcy working at our office full time instead of Phil.

Birthday Lunch

2008-09-10T17:24:00.000-06:00

Since my Birthday is on a Friday this year we had my birthday lunch a couple of days early. We went to Brewster's in Oliver Square. Since I have never been there I was pleasantly surprised.

Nancy crocheted a beautiful Red and Orange blanket and Joel gave me a gift card for Chapter's (My favorite bookstore since all of the Christian bookstores on the west end closed down earlier this year). And Russell gave me two movies called Cellular and Footloose which I have not watched before. Originally gave me the two packages and said that I was to pick the one that I would like better but then he changed his mind and gave me both.

Joel also gave me tickets for the Eskimo game on Saturday:-)

Type only 1 word

2008-09-07T21:39:00.000-06:00

It's harder than you think!

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? none
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? wonderful
5. Your father? bald
6. Your favorite thing? computers
7. Your dream last night? interesting
8. Your favorite drink? milk
9. Your dream/goal? security
10. The room you're in? livingroom
11. Your fear? Seclusion
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? secure
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? crazy
15. Muffins? carrot
16. One of your wish list items? house
17. Where you grew up? villeneuve
18. The last thing you did? church
19. What are you wearing? brown
20. Your TV? TLC
21. Your pet? Harley
22. Your computer? fun
23. Your life? Chaotic
24. Your mood? tired
25. Missing someone? Alison
26. Your car? Vibe
27. Something you're not wearing? hat
28. Favorite Store? Chapters
29. Your summer? busy
30. Your favorite color? Blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
32. Last time you cried? August
33. Who will/would re-post this? Mom
34. Four places I go over and over: work, walmart, church, chapters
35. Four people who email me: Mom, Shannon, Marie, Adrianna
36. Four of my favourite foods: pasta, potatos, rice, tacos
37. Four places I would rather be: Traveling, Shopping, Sleeping, PEI
38. Four people I think will respond: Rebecca, Michelle, Jolene, Mom

100th Post

2008-09-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

It has been over 2 and a half years but this is my 100th post :-)

I was just looking for my receipt for my camera and I still have not found it. I have been having problems with the shutter and it is still on warranty for the next 12 days so hopefully I will be able to remember where the special place where I put my receipt is so that I can send it in for warranty work.

In 12 days I will be 23 years old. I cannot believe that I am almost 23 the years are flying by.

At work we finally found another full time property manager :-). She is starting work tomorrow morning on the first of the month. It is probably not the best day for her to start working as it is the busiest day of the month but it will be nice having someone to help out at the office.

Today is Labour Day and I had the day off :-). We were planning on going to the zoo or doing something with all of us girls but we never ended up doing anything sometimes this is good too.

....

2008-08-27T12:01:00.000-06:00

We are looking at our second place tomorrow evening so hopefully we will find something that we like otherwise we might have to wait until October 1st to move out. My sisters and my Mom already have plans on how they are going to decorate out rooms!!!! We have not even moved out yet. Over the weekend Shauna took me into Michelle and my room to show me how they are planing to decorate and what the rooms will be used for.

waiting....

2008-08-26T19:21:00.000-06:00

Right now I am waiting for my meeting to start. It starts in another 39 minutes. This week is going to be a looooooooooooong week as it feels like it should be Friday already but today is Thursday I mean only Tuesday and I am exhausted. Currently my Mom and my Sisters are all probably watching Little House in the Prairie without me. We are finally at the episode called the Reincarnation of Nelly where the Olsen's adopt the clone of Nelly after Nelly moves away. The only problem with finally reaching the point where Nancy enters the picture is that we are almost done the entire series. :-(

After this weekend Joel will finally be back at work which means that I will no longer have to answer his phone on the evenings and Saturdays :-)

It seems like my life is so boring since all I have to talk about is my work lately. Maybe that is because it seems like that is all I do lately. Hopefully we will find another property Manager soon to take over some of my properties so I will not have to work so much. If you would like to apply we are currently hiring!!!!

Although the real estate market has slowed down we are adding properties daily (well it seems like it ) 17 properties in one month means a lot more work :-( and more evening meetings until we find someone new :-(

House Hunting

2008-08-25T21:43:00.000-06:00

Today Michelle and I went to look at a suite in West Edmonton. Since we both work on the west end in Edmonton it will be nicer to drive to work during the winter. The suite that we saw was really nice but a little bit more then we expected since we have to pay for the utilities.

Well I guess we will continue looking!!!

Busy Busy

2008-08-21T19:52:00.000-06:00

This last week we have been super busy. It usually is when we are short staffed at work with two people away. Well in a week it should all be back to normal. At least I do not have any meetings this week. I have been watching Little House in the Prairie with my Mom and sisters while my Mom is healing from her foot surgery. I thought I would share with a couple of comments I have heard from customers at my work.

- I did not know you had to pay condo fees if you bought a condominium. I also did not know I had to give you my address. What do you mean you sent this to collections it will ruin my credit.

- I know I had 18 months to pay the special assessment but I forgot to save up to pay it can I have 3 more months.

- Does no pets mean no cats.

Since I do not have much to say...

2008-08-18T12:31:00.000-06:00

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass.

You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is...

But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on.

You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Changes

2008-08-14T20:20:00.000-06:00

So I thought it was time to make some changes to my blog.

I have decided that I will try and blog more regularly. I always think that nobody reads this anymore since it has been quite a while since I have blogged regularly.

Well I will write soon.

Some Pictures from the Trip

2008-07-16T21:41:00.001-06:00

Home Again

2008-07-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

Well I have been really busy since our trip to northern California. I cannot believe how much work stacks up in one week. Our trip was awesome I will try and outline the highlights on our trip:-)

The first night we drove to Hinton because my Mom had to work that day so we had to start a little bit late. The second day we went to Lynden Washington. When we got to Kelowna Shauna was sure that we were already there.

We then went to Seattle to go shopping in Pike Place Market where we accidentally took a 1 hour long detour through Seattle when we accidentally took the wrong exist. :-)

We drove to the Oregon Sand Dunes where we camped over night near the ocean. Where we camped was directly in the sand dunes and it was freezing cold so we enjoyed a chilly evening in our tent.

The next day we went to Crescent City California. Where we saw the majestic Redwoods. It was very Eire driving through the forest because the forest was silent. We also went to Ocean World where we petted sharks :-)

From there we drove to Medford Oregon and then the next day we decided to take a short cut to Winnemucca, Nevada. The first part of the trip we drove on a windy road with steep cliffs. And then we entered the desert. We ended up driving for hours without seeing any vehicles or houses. After 3 hours of nothing we ended up at a gas station in hick ville, Nevada where they only accepted cash and there were people sitting under a sprinkler drinking beer. It was very creepy but we had to fill up with gas. We then drove for 3 more hours down a perfectly strait road and we finally arrived in Winnemucca.

We then travelled through the desert from Winnemucca to Salt Lake City. When we arrived at the Utah Boarder we experienced a sudden change in scenery when we reached the salt flats. We tried to go swimming in the Great Salt Lake since we were unable to swim in the ocean since it was cold when we were at the ocean (only 14 degrees Celsius) but we soon realized that was not the best idea since There were dead birds all over the beach and you almost puked from the stench of the lake.

The next day we spent the morning the Temple Square in Salt Lake City and then started on our way home. Since it was the 3rd of July we could not find a place to stay in Idaho Falls and ended up travelling to Butte Montana where we watched the 4th of July Fireworks from our Hotel Room.

The next day we enjoyed the 4th of July parade and then headed back to Alberta. When we finally entered Alberta Shauna declared that she will never go back to the states again or take a road trip that is that long.

Well...

2008-06-09T19:05:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wonder why I even have a blog since I never update it. It was a lot easier to update when I was in school because it seemed like I was always doing something. Now that I am working it seems like all I do is work. :-( This fall I am thinking about taking some more classes so I can eventually get my accounting degree. I do not want to go to school full time because I am not a good student. After one or two classes it drives me crazy to sit in a class all day long. I would rather work in a office but have an option to get up and do other things. I do not like to be confined to one area for very long.

I am currently in the process of planning a road trip I am not quite sure where we will go but we were planning to start here in Edmonton, Alberta and possibly go to Northern California since we only have ten days for the entire trip. Does anyone have any suggestions of where we should go and what we should see along the way???

2008-05-06T16:04:00.000-06:00

Today the Taylor's left our house to go back home. Although it is a lot of fun having extra people in the house it also can get very claustrophobic. The last several days were very busy.

On Friday the 10 of us went bowling. I have not bowled in a long time and it was lots of fun to go in a larger group. We then went home and enjoyed a quiet evening watching The Guardian since some of the group members had not watched it before. On Friday night at 11:30 Russell called me from work as he needed keys to one of my buildings. I then had to drive to town to get the keys from our office as he does not have a key for the office. I never got home until 3:30 in the morning and my mom ended up having to drive me as I was blocked into our driveway by the Taylor's van.

On Saturday we went to the Watoto Children's Choir. I did forget to bring my Camera though but it was a very good concert. I am posting the picture that was available from the website. I am not sure if they are still in the Edmonton area but I would recommend that you go if they are in the area.

On Sunday we had lunch at our Church and then most of the Young Adults from our church went to Leduc church for their afternoon church service and supper after work. The Leduc church had invited Ponoka and Nerlandia(I hope I spelt this right) as well as our church.

2008-04-22T20:19:00.000-06:00

I was attempting to complete my taxes online this year but it looks like I will be unable to complete them online and I will have to send them in...oh well. It has been snowing for the last 4 days in Edmonton and the roads are horrendous. I am glad that I do not have to drive a lot of places this week for work and if I had to drive I tried to postpone my appointments:-). I cannot beleive that it was plus 26 just two Sundays ago and this Sunday it was -20 with the wind chill. brrr...

Well

2008-04-17T12:24:00.000-06:00

Lately I have been super busy with well... to be honest work. Last month I was thinking that I would never catch up. I missed work one day because I was sick and when I came back the next day I was informed that I have a new part time personal assistant because they were unaware of the amount of work that I did. This has helped tremendously as I now can keep up on the amount of work that comes in each day.

I am also renovating two storage rooms into a bachelor and one bedroom apartment since I have never organized anything like this before it has been a challenge.

Well I should have started this update sooner because now it is time to go back to work.

Well......Here are a couple of Raddom thoughts for Today

2008-02-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

1) The office is sure quiet late at night
2) I am currently waiting for my meeting to start only 40 more minutes.
3) I cannot wait to watch Lost this evening
4) I want to wish my Parents a Happy Belated Anniversary.
5) Is excited for Tammy's Party tomorrow night

2008-01-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well this week has been frustrating at work because it seems that everyone has no heat or their water pipes have frozen or their snow is still not removed and they should not have to move the snow themselves. Its really frustrating when you inform the people with no heat that we cannot come for a couple of hours and they start to scream at you. We did not cause the heat to turn off and our plumbers do need to sleep sometime. Yesterday they were out fixing units with no heat from 10:00 on Sunday night and they finally stopped at midnight yesterday for a couple of hours so that they could sleep. Also with the cold weather that we are experiencing the snow removal companies are working slower then usually due to the risk of hypothermia. Also if it is -35 outside it is probably not a good idea to keep your window open the pipes in your unit might freeze.

Ramdom Thoughts

2008-01-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

1) On Saturday Michelle came back from Peru!!!
2) Yesterday we had a blizzard it was blowing so hard you could hardly see in front of you. We also had some people over to celebrate Michelle's return and to look at all of the pictures from her trip:)
3) Today is hectic at work today as no one can get out of there drive ways and it seems like no one has heat. That is to be expected I guess if the temperature is -30 and with the windchill it is -45. It took me an hour to get to work today!!!
4) I hate driving in the snow

Random Thoughts...

2008-01-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

1) Happy 16th Birthday Shauna!!!!

2) The roads are icy today...

3) My meeting was in the morning today...these people have nothing better to do then sit around and fight with each other.

4) Michelle comes home in 9 days!!!

Random Thoughts...

2008-01-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

1) I love my new camera
2) Michelle is coming home in 12 days and then we will be able to see all her pictures from her adventures.
3) Shauna is turning 16 on Tuesday I cannot believe how time flies.
4)I have to pick my vacation times and give them to Nancy next week I do not know what I am doing next week so how am I going to pick out my vacation days for the next year!!!
5) I have to go back to work

2007-12-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well...

2007-12-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in a while for some reason I thought I had just posted but when I looked at my blog it has been over a month. I am not sure anyone looks at this anymore because I hardly post. In 8 days we will be going to the Michale W. Smith Christmas concert which will be a lot of fun. The concert was awesome last year and I am surprised that he is coming to Edmonton again. Michelle home in 48 days so she is almost half way finished her time in Peru. She still has not sent any pictures of Peru over the Internet because she cannot download anything onto the computer that she is using. I cannot believe Christmas is in 16 days I still have to finish shopping and we have not set up our Christmas Tree or put up any decorations which is very strange for our family since we usually put it up right after my Mom's birthday. This year has passed so quickly and I cannot believe that it is Christmas time again.

5 random things for today...

2007-10-29T20:46:00.000-06:00

1) I cannot believe that Michelle leaves for Peru in only 4 days!!!

2) I cannot wait for my holidays in November but I am still not sure what I should do!

3) Its raining right now that will mean the roads will be icy tomorrow :-(

4) Soup is the best...

5) I only have to work late once this week :-)

Congratulations.

2007-10-06T12:51:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Amy and Nick who got married yesterday.

So may the Lord Bless your marriage and may you have many many happy years together.

Here is some pics of my Sisters dog Harley...

2007-09-24T22:32:00.000-06:00

This is a close up boy has he grown since we got him.

This is him looking for my mom out the window. Every morning he watches until she leaves for work and then gets into mischief.

This is him and his favorite blanket. He loves following asleep on it since it is so soft.

Amanda Needs

2007-09-05T20:50:00.000-06:00

Google your name followed by needs... then record the top ten results besides other people's memes... you can comment following each in italics.... can be quite amusing... similar to the meme where you tyoe your name followed by "is".... X-D

1. Amanda needs wisdom & strength to do what is right.
(well thats true...)

2. Amanda needs to get help busting skulls, not new friends.
(umm... maybe not)

3. Amanda needs to read Barbara Bush's speech to Wellesley graduates given in 1990.
( ????????????????)

4. Amanda needs a mom in her corner with lots of time and attention to give to her.
(Well... My Mom already gives me lots of Attention )

5. Amanda needs to be loved.
(Interesting)

6. Amanda needs to pee.
(not right now)

7. Amanda's needs are my special needs.
(not really)

8. Amanda needs some direction
(well I guess I do need direction)

9. amanda needs a cookie
(not really)

10. My friend Amanda needs a RAP name?
(any suggestions)

Digger

2007-09-01T10:06:00.000-06:00

Last week Digger, slipped peacefully away. This is sad for all of us, as we all loved him, and he had become a member of our family but he was in such pain that he could no longer enjoy life. We will all miss him.