Worst Blind Date Ever

I was checking one of my regular bulletin boards and the topic of "Worst Dates" caught my eye. I recalled one particularly horrid blind date and posted the following story to the bulletin board. I realized it happened so many years ago that most of my blog readers have probably never heard the story. So here it is.... enjoy :)


I drove 6 hours to visit my aunt and her family (in Moose Jaw). They set me up (with my permission) on a TBM blind date that I had to drive another hour to meet (he was from Manitoba but was staying in Regina).

So I went to meet the guy in the lobby of his hotel in Regina. He mixed up our meeting time and was 2 hours late! Then when he finally arrived he took me to a political convention (seriously!). When that was over he wanted a drink so I suggested the McD's next door to get a soda... he said that wasn't good enough so we drove around (my car, my gas) until we found a 7-11. He made his beverage selection and told me to get the same. I said I'd get my own choice of beverage... which he put down as not as good as his and how I was missing out on his great beverage. He wasn't joking... he went on for a couple of minutes insulting my drink choice and telling me how I needed to get the same as him! In hindsight he was probably testing my willingness to be "obedient" to him. But after the drive, waiting for him, then sitting in a politcal convention I was not in the mood to be obedient to anyone, least of all him!

We drove to a nearby movie theater and the only movie that hadn't started yet was "8 Seconds" (cowboy/rodeo movie with Luke Perry) so we went to see it. At one point in the movie Luke Perry is in bed with his wife... no sex just lying in bed and talking. My date leaned over and put his hand over my eyes and said I wasn't old enough to see that part.

When the movie was over I started to drive him back to his hotel but he asked if I'd drive him to his friend's house in Moose Jaw instead. Since I had to drive there anyways (an hour away) I agreed. During the drive he tried to recruit me to work in his political party... the drive seemed to take forever. I pulled up at his friend's home and he wouldn't get out of the car. I was young and didn't know how to tell him to get the hell out so I just sat there staring out my window with my arms crossed waiting for him to leave. He was waiting for a kiss that there was no way he was getting. He finally got out.

The next morning he told his friends about the date and I heard afterwards they ripped into him for treating me so badly.... he thought the date went well from his perspective but his friends could tell from his retelling that it was miserable for me.

A couple of months later I was heading back to visit my aunt in Moose Jaw again and the blind date heard about it and wanted to get together with me again. Remembering how horrible the first date was I actually grew a spine and said no.

We had family over for supper on Saturday night. I had set the table and was in the kitchen mixing the gravy when I heard a crash in the dining room. I looked over and our charming cat "Star" had jumped up on the table and knocked over the vase of flowers! Luckily the vase & flowers were salvageable but the water in the vase had spilled all over the table, the plates, napkins, and onto the floor. Her timing was awesome.... at 5:58 when people were to start arriving at 6:00! I was NOT impressed!!!!!

The dogs are so good and well behaved.... well, not really but at least they don't make me panic trying to mop up spilled flower-water 2 minutes before guests start arriving LOL.

The most unromantic thing ever said while trying to be romantic

The story about WWE wrestler, Chris Benoit, who appears to have committed a murder-suicide against his wife, son, and himself has shocked and saddened the wrestling community. Vince & I were watching a news story about it as details were starting to emerge about this very sad and horrific situation.

At one point during the story Vince turned to me and said "I hope our relationship never gets that bad". Ummmmm, to the point of you murdering me? Yeah, I hope so too!!!!! I think he was trying to be sweet but it was the wierdest sentiment I'd ever heard LOL!

I'm all legal

I am now the official owner of a CLASS 6 operators license. WOO HOO!!!! I can now legally ride my motorcycle without Vince (or any class 6 driver) following me.... I'm flying solo baby!!!! :D

Funny Father's Day Moment

The day before Father's Day, Vince was out of town so I went out to get him a Father's Day card in secret. He came home earlier than I expected so I had to sneak the card in and sign it where he couldn't see me so it would be a complete surprise on the day. The card was so cute. It had a bunch of power tools on it and said something about being a powerful dad... I signed it from the "kids" (Gilly, Mercedes, and Star) and on the envelope I just wrote "Happy Father's Day". I put the card in my bedside drawer so first thing on Sunday I could give it to Vince :)

So on Sunday morning Vince & I were lying in bed talking. I grabbed the card and rolled over to give it to him. Our conversation that followed was:

Vince: "What's this?" (still half asleep)
Me: "Read it"
Vince: "Oh, is it for my dad?"
Me: "No, it's for you"
Vince: (sits up and turns to stare at me) "ARE YOU PREGNANT?????"
Me: (laughing hysterically) "No! Just read it!"
Vince: "Oh" (big sigh of relief) "It's from the kids"

LOL! Happy belated Father's Day to all the daddies out there :D

I aced it!

Thanks for all the good luck comments and well wishes for my motorcycle licensing skills test. I'm very pleased to announce that I aced it! I successfully completed each skill required on the first attempt. It was actually easier than the course test (although about 80% the same). The licensing guy was very easy going, there were only 3 of us doing the test and our 2 instructors were both there and very supportive of us :)

So now all I need to do is successfully complete the multiple choice written test and I'll have completed all the requirements for my motorcycle license. I'll be doing that today or tomorrow... whenever I can sneak out for an hour or so in the middle of the day :)

Now I gotta do it all over again!

Last night was the final day of my Motorcycle Skills training class. We did the final test and I tied for first place (and was the highest scoring woman in the class!). I SHOULD have been overjoyed as the test was to have covered both the class portion and also the provincial licensing requirement so I'd finally be legally able to ride solo.

Unfortunately, the licensing evaluator cancelled last minute (something about having 2 semi drivers to test... are they more important than a class of new bikers?!?!?!). So I have to go back and do the test again tomorrow for the licensing guy.

The good news is that my confidence is way up because of passing the test last night. But the bad news is that it'll be a new day with a new evaluator and there are no bonus points or guarantees that carry over from the previous test. So the stress level is high in spite of the success of yesterday's test. It's frustrating but all the people in my class are in the same situation... I just have to suck it up and retake the test. Wish me luck!

Unexpected obstacle in a motorcycle class

I'm taking a motorcycle class at the local college (which, BTW, I would 100% recommend to anyone who wants to gain some skills and confidence on a motorcycle). Last night we were riding a lot on the bikes and doing some slow-speed maneuvering. After a couple of hours of this my upper back was getting a bit sore so when I was sitting on the bike taking a break for a couple of seconds I stretched out my back. I was moving my shoulder blades together (sticking my chest out), then doing the opposite and rounding my back out. I did that a few times before it was time to start riding again.

So I was doing figure 8's on the bike and concentrating on what I was doing when I realized something felt funny. I kept riding to the next obstacle and did that maneuver too. Partway through I realized what was wrong.... my bra had come undone during my stretches and I was riding around completely unsupported! Talk about letting them flap in the breeze!

I figured we were close to the end of class so maybe it would be okay and go unnoticed (I was wearing a leather jacket so it wasn't too obvious) until we finished up. So we are riding around a bit more when the instructor pulls us all in and someone happened to mention that there was an hour left in the class. So I turned off the bike and said "I have to take a break" and started walking into the college building. I'm sure they all thought I needed to go to the bathroom (which is technically where I went) but there was no way I was going to keep riding for another hour with my boobs unsupported and an undone bra hanging off my shoulders..... no bloody way!

Ok, how long has this been planned?

I don't want to turn this into a "celebrity blog" but I just have to comment on the ridiculous Paris Hilton situation. Okay, Paris gets a DUI conviction, violates her parole, and is sentenced to go to jail. She has to serve a grand total of 23 days due to her expected good behavior (HA!). Ask Martha Stewart or Jack Kevorkian if 23 days is a "long time" to be in jail.

In the hours before Paris turns herself in to serve her jail sentence she walks the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards show and makes out like she is doing her honorable duty and being so strong in face of adversity by going to prison. Okay, whatever!

So Paris spends 5 days in prison and refuses to eat the food served to her so she gets let out for "medical reasons"??!!!!???!!?? Was this her plan all along? Not eating for 5 days does not equal being sick. It equals being a princess! If she was truly sick then she should have gone to the hospital or the medical facilities in the jail. If she was anyone else besides Paris Hilton would she have had the option to serve the rest of her sentence from home? Maybe, but not because the food was not up to the prisoner's high standards. It's just crazy crazy crazy!

Okay, my rant is over..... for now :-)

Our New Addition

Everyone, I'd like you to meet "Star" (named after our V-Star motorcycles). Star, this is everyone :)

My sneaky husband

On Saturday morning Vince woke me up by saying what a BEAUTIFUL day it was going to be... sunny and highs in the mid 20's. Perfect day for a motorcycle ride. So he said that we should take the bikes out to Waterton when he comes home from work where he will buy me lunch at the Waterton restaurant of my choice. In my half asleep state it sounded like a good deal so I agreed to his plan.

It wasn't until about an hour later when I was fully awake that I realized what he had done. Vince wasn't going to treat me to lunch... it's OUR money so there is no treating involved LOL. And he knew that there was only one restaurant (besides fast food) that I'd be comfortable going into with helmet hair and bug-splattered chaps on... his favorite restaurant, Zum's. He just successfully manipulated me into going on a 300km motorcycle trip so he could have a steak sandwich at Zum's. Well played my husband, well played.

So I took the bike trip with him (and except for one psycho truck driver and a stray pheasant crossing the highway, it was without incident) but while we were waiting for our food at Zum's I let him know that I was on to his little scheme. He felt no shame for his underhandedness but I forgave him anyways. He needed forgiving :-)

Class has been cancelled

I was supposed to take a "group instruction" class this weekend to learn how to be a group exercise instructor. Unfortunately they have cancelled the class due to low enrollment and the next offering is not until October!

Okay, so a 5 month delay doesn't seem like too much hassle, right? Except that this particular course had a pre-requisite course called "fitness theory" which was held the weekend before my wedding.... a very busy weekend as you might expect. So I had to reschedule a whole bunch of wedding stuff in order to take the pre-req which I now don't need for another 5 months. THAT'S what bugs me. Oh yeah, and it's best to take the fitness theory class and group instruction class fairly close together so the stuff is fresh in your mind for the exams. So I guess I'll be doing some studying mid-September to refresh my memory on various aspects of fitness theory.

So now I have a free weekend and it is forecasted to be sunny.... I see a motorcycle trip in our future :)

Look what we did this weekend :)

How to de-stress....

Listen to "Grace Kelly" by Mika. You can find it on iTunes and, I'm sure, a million other music download websites. I could listen to that song over & over & over... it just makes me happy :) When all the crap starts building up in my life I can listen to that song and forget the crap for the next 3 minutes and 8 seconds LOL.

Sit in a hot tub. Not everyone has a hot tub in their back yard but the massaging action is well worth finding one.... prowl through your neighbourhood backyards until you find a hot tub you can use ;)

Drink alcohol. If you don't drink then I can't help you LOL. You may not feel awesome the next day but it'll take away your worries for a while.

Go on a motorcycle ride. The fresh air and need to completely concentrate on what you are doing clears any other stresses from your mind.

I have used each of these destress strategies and can testify to their usefulness. However, please note that combining them is not recommended. Drinking alcohol then riding your motorcycle into a hot tub while listening to "Grace Kelly" by Mika will actually increase your stress level!

How to wave on a motorcycle

Okay, I have to start this blog entry by apologizing to my husband-to-be. He once tried to teach me the proper way to wave while riding a motorcycle. I reacted by mocking him and telling him off for trying to teach me how to wave... something I really didn't think I neeed to be schooled in.

However, after finding this site yesterday, I realize he was actually right as I was doing wave #5. LOL.

So, to Vince, I'm very sorry. To everyone else, learn from my mistake and read the following link before hitting the road on your motorcycle :)

http://viewfromthecloud.blogspot.com/2006/08/secret-motorcycle-hand-greetings.html

It's time for another episode of "Movie Reviews with Vicky"

An Inconvenient Truth - (documentary), 4 stars. The information was good but only sometimes convincing. Al Gore, although fairly good at what he does, is a politician. I take every word out of any politician's mouth with a grain of salt. It may have been helpful to have actual scientists back up his presentation instead of charts summarizing what many scientists have discovered. Overall, and considering that it's not the most "sexy" subject matter, it was a good documentary.

Sharkwater - (documentary), 5 stars. Now THIS is what a documentary should be. It was exciting, convincing, heart-breaking, awe-inspiring.... in a word, WOW! Now, it's STILL a documentary so don't go expecting to see car chases and witty banter. But this is one of my favorite documentaries ever and definitely my favorite one having anything to do with nature.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 4 1/2 stars. Funny story about this one... I went to Blockbuster yesterday to rent it as I've seen the first 3 and wanted to see the 4th before the 5th came out in theaters. So I went to the New Releases section... not there... Drama?... not there... Family?... Kids?... Action?... Comedy?... I couldn't find Harry Potter movies anywhere! I finally found a small section off to the side called "Sequels" where they had Harry Potter, Superman, Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, etc. Now who could have predicted that's where I'd finally find it? LOL. Anyways, good HP movie. They incorporated a lot of the book into the movie but they could have shaved off about 3 minutes of the final "maze" challenge... I got a little bored during that part. Other than that though, very good movie.

Meet The Robinson's - (animated) 4 stars. I wasn't expecting much because the critics had ripped it apart so much before I saw it. Maybe that's why it seemed so good to me (low expectations will do that LOL). Anyways, it was fairly entertaining. A bit confusing at times and they sometimes had scenes that had almost nothing to do with the story... these storyline tangents are what hurt it mostly for me and the critics. However, at the end of the day, it was a fairly entertaining 90 minutes and I'd recommend it to children and adults. A good family feature.

Blades of Glory - (comedy) 3 stars. 3 stars is actually generous. I laughed a bit but it was the classic situation of all the funny parts being shown in the trailers. I felt the same way about Talladega Nights... maybe it's a Will Ferrell thing.

Wild Hogs - (comedy) 4 stars. Not an oscar winner of course, but overall a fun way to spend an evening. Lots of belly laughs in this one. So many that when I saw it on opening weekend (in a packed theater) there was so much laughter that I often could not hear the next line. We'll be getting this one on DVD for sure so I'll eventually get to hear what I missed the first time around :)

Other recommended movies that I've seen in the last month or two.... Ghost Rider (3 stars), Night At The Museum (3 1/2 stars), Shut Up And Sing - Dixie Chicks documentary (5 stars)

Upcoming movies I'm looking forward to.... Hot Fuzz, Fracture, Spiderman 2, September Dawn, Shrek 3, Georgia Rule (chick flick if ever I saw one LOL), Pirates of the Carribean 3, Knocked Up, Ocean's 13, Harry Potter 5..... oh man, I want to see everything! LOL

100 things about me

Sarah and Kelly challenged me and I answered the call :)

1. I usually start working in my pj's and then shower & get dressed when I have a lull in the day
2. I drink a lot of water. 6-8 cups at least on non-work out days but when I work out that doubles.
3. I no longer drink raspberry tea from Tim Horton's as I find about 20% of the time I get an aftertaste of egg.
4. I like to wear thong underwear but not when I go to bed or work out (I have blogged about this before... sorry if it's old information LOL)
5. I enjoy Spoon Sized Shredded Wheat & Bran. I may be the only person that enjoys it.
6. My hands are dry right now and need lotion on them.
7. I have dropped my motorcycle twice and have been unable to pick it up without help from Vince. I'm afraid to ride by myself for just this reason.
8. The empty water bottles on my desk are sometimes referred to as "fallen soldiers".
9. Both my dogs are due for a washing & grooming.
10. I hate being deliberately lied to and deceived.
11. I get my nails done in spite of the risks.
12. My number one frustration in life is that I can't seem to lose any more weight.
13. I used to be very superstitious about the number 13. I'm still not in love with it but I'm less freaked by it now.
14. Nothing makes me go "awwwwwww" more than getting little love notes from Vince. I love that guy :)
15. I have a love/hate relationship with being on call. It sucks SOOOOO much but it gives me so much extra money that I kind of like it.
16. America's Next Top Model, Beauty & The Geek, Survivor, Thank God You're Here, Amazing Race..... I love, love, love my "reality" TV. Speaking of "Thank God You're Here", this is the closest I've seen to the British version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"... including the American version of the same show.
17. Dentyne Ice gum with the liquid center is my favorite gum. I've only tried the blue package so I can't comment on the green package for flavour.
18. I am really, really, really bad at paying bills. Either Vince pays them or he stands over my shoulder while I pay them (it all comes out of the same account but the actual act of paying the bill just sucks and I don't do it unless I have to).
19. I am also really, really, really bad at getting my taxes in. For the last 10 years I think I submitted them more than 3 days before the deadline only once. I mean, they do get done, but not until the very last minute.
20. My favorite colour is yellow but I appreciate all colours in moderation.
21. I really enjoy thinly sliced red onions in a salad but white onions are too strong in that situation.
22. One of my favorite smells is vanilla.
23. One of the worst smells is the smell of cooking bait in my house (just boiled beef with garlic but it stinks SOOOOOOO bad).
24. I enjoy sudoku and kakuro. Strangely, I do NOT enjoy logic problems in variety puzzle magazines.
25. I have a scar on my right leg from walking by a mattress with a spring sticking out when I was a teenager. At the time all the kids thought I got it from shaving my legs.... stupid kids.
26. Yesterday I was in Safeway and Lays chips were on sale. I resisted the temptation and only purchased the items on my list.
27. I really enjoy Lays chips in all flavours but Smokey Bacon is my favorite.
28. I wish I had more confidence on my motorcycle.
29. I love my motorcycle helmet (it has pink flames on it... very girly).
30. Sometimes I'm afraid that I enjoy the IDEA of the motorcycle more than the actual RIDING of the motorcycle. Not that riding isn't fun but it can be scary and overwhelming sometimes.
31. Vince and I are not movie compatible, radio station compatible, hobby compatible, or food compatible. It's amazing we get along so well anyways LOL.
32. My favorite chocolate bar in the whole wide world is "Cadbury's Fudge" which is very hard to find outside of England.
33. My favorite chocolate bar readily avalable in Canada is Skor.
34. I sing like an angel when I'm alone in my car but put an audience in front of me for kareoke night and I sound like crap. How can that be?
35. My favorite activity at the gym is step classes. I'm thinking about being an instructor one day but I'm afraid my teaching efforts will be like my singing efforts.... awesome in private but horrific in front of people.
36. I hate it when my network/internet connection cuts out for no reason. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurance.
37. I love our hot tub. I don't just mean I enjoy it. I mean I LOOOOOOOOOVE it. I am actually in love with the wood and plastic and all the inner workings of it. Okay, that was a little weird. Maybe I really do just enjoy it ;)
38. My favorite holiday has got to be Christmas.
39. My least favorite holiday is Halloween.
40. I want to get a t-shirt made that says:
    BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT
    BUT SHUT THE HELL UP!!!
    (I saw a sew-on patch on e-bay with that on it and I loved it)
41. The Office is the best comedy on TV but I haven't been able to watch most of this season's episodes. I'm hoping the season 3 DVD will come out this summer.
42. Laundry and washing dishes are my least favorite chores. I can tolerate dishes now that I have a dishwasher but laundry still sucks.
43. I hate it when strangers or distant acquaintances ask you personal questions and then act like they are entitled to know the answer. If friends ask personal questions that's fine but not strangers.
44. I don't like ketchup or tomato juice.
45. However I do enjoy tomatoes (fresh & cooked), tomato soup, and tomato sauces.
46. I have been called horrible names and been on major guilt trips courtesy of people who have professed to love me. Although not an enjoyable experience, it wasn't as painful as one might have expected because I knew the action I was taking which sparked those outbursts was the right thing to do and I'm a stronger person for the experience.
47. I believe that most people do the best they can with the knowledge they have at the time. Unfortunately we all have different knowledge and experiences (different "realities") which is why I believe there is so much political and religious conflict in the world.
48. When I was a kid, my dad would not allow me to get my ears pierced until I was 18. Valerie (my aunt) convinced him to let me get them pierced when I was 14. To this day I do not know why his rule was 18.
49. I am convinced that my dad and I were never on the same wave length about any issue no matter how trivial. That makes me sad.
50. We recently ordered chinese food which I normally don't really enjoy very much but I ordered the cooked veggies without sauce and the enjoyment factor went way up. I never enjoyed the sauce (which always reminded me of snot or maybe the slime from Ghostbusters) so I was thrilled that I could get the veggies without it.
51. Remember when the movie Titanic came out and everyone went to see it? I had a couple of friends who professed loudly that they would never see that movie just so they could say they had never seen it. I don't understand that. To not see it because it doesn't interest you is one thing. To not ever see it because so many people have seen it is just stupid. Sorry but it is.
52. I don't care how corny or cheesy or immature it is, I really like board games.
53. I have a surprisingly small head. My motorcycle helmet is size Extra Small. I don't think I've had any article of clothing be extra small since I was a fetus! It feels kind of strange but in a good way.
54. I used to love Saturday Night Live back when they had Farley, Sandler, Schneider, and Spade. IMHO, those were the good ol' days (early 90's).
55. I have more freckles on my left arm than my right. Next time you see me wearing short sleeves take a look... it's very noticable.
56. I'm always surprised when people ask Vince & I why we are getting married since we are already living together. By asking that question it makes them seem like they don't value the committment of marriage. Yet most (not all) people who have asked us that are married themselves LOL. Irony anyone?
57. With the exception of my high school career counselors, I have never seen any kind of counselor or therapist or psychiatrist. Sometimes I wonder if should but then I just go vent to a loved one and I feel better again. And I didn't waste any money :)
58. I like my iPod shuffle but I wish it had a display screen. I won't get another iPod shuffle for just this reason.
59. I love my sister. I wish she lived closer to me.
60. I enjoy all genres of music but not every song in each genre. I'm more selective than that.
61. I believe we can "train" our taste buds to enjoy/crave certain foods more than others simply by eating them more often. Since Vince & I have gotten together I have eaten much more red meat than before and I've recently had a hankering for steak... that used to never happen.
62. I would never watch professional wrestling if Vince wasn't so into it. In spite of the half naked muscled men showing off their athleticism (yeah, that part is okay LOL) it's definitely marketed to men and boys. The storylines, rivalries, and parade of half naked women are just not my definition of entertainment.
63. A co-worker referred to our Apr 18th snowstorm as "Mother Nature's PMS". That made me laugh.
64. I am the world's greatest procrastinator (sorry Kelly, I know you thought that title was yours but I really do deserve it more LOL).
65. It really bugs me when Canada Post increases the price of stamps to mail a letter. I mean, I usually have a bunch of "old" stamps so then I have to go and buy a bunch of piddly one cent stamps or I can't mail anything. Makes me sigh.
66. The view from my home-office window sucks. I can see a portion of a neighbour's roof and a bunch of sky... that's it. At least it never distracts me from my work. However, reading and writing blogs is very distracting LOL.
67. My nickname as a child was Sicky Vicky. To this day it gets mentioned whenever I have a cold, stomach ache, PMS, anything.
68. The ring on my cell phone is "Hungry Like The Wolf" but I think it might be time to change it.
69. Planning a wedding is very stressful. You've probably ascertained that from my previous blog posts so I won't belabour the point.
70. I occasionally enjoy using long words even when short ones will do. Today I used the word fruition in an e-mail... it gave me a little thrill of vocabulary-induced pleasure. :)
71. I don't get as much joy out of using highlighters as I used to.
72. 9 times out of 10, doing a dreaded task is not as bad as I feared. It's best to just do it and get it over with. However, given my title of world's greatest procrastinator, I seldom follow my own advice ;)
73. Vince & I don't plan on having any kids but we aim to be the best aunt & uncle that Brighton & Austin could ever dream of (and any future kids that Lethbridge-area family might have)
74. I'm afraid of spiders and thought when I got married that the spider-killing duties would transfer to my husband. As it turns out, Vince would rather save the spider and just take it outside or to the garage (which still qualifies as "in the house" to me so I'm not cool with that). So all spider killing duties still fall on my shoulders. Oh yeah, and there's the added bonus of the guilt trip that Vince gives me every time about how I just killed one of God's creatures that provides a valuable service by keeping other insects away. Holy crap... remind me why I'm getting married again?????
75. I basically taught myself how to play the piano.
76. I would love to go to an Erasure concert one day.
77. When I was a kid I was afraid of dogs and cats. I'm still, to some extent, afraid of cats.
78. Rum is the only drink that gives me a hangover.
79. My standard drink at a restaurant is Club Soda with a wedge of lime (I have to say wedge or they'll put a shot of lime juice in there and that's not what I want)
80. I really enjoyed the Dixie Chicks documentary. I've had the newest Dixie Chicks CD in my van's CD player since I saw it.
81. I really enjoy good Indian food. Sadly, there isn't one Indian restaurant in Lethbridge.
82. I recently learned that I can wear many different colours. I don't look good in white because I'm already so pale but almost any other colour looks ok or better on me.
83. Clothes shopping is tricky for me since my size is in the "no man's land" between regular sizes and plus sizes. I've been to Pennington's and been delighted that everything I try on is too big but then I'll go to Suzy Shier or Le Chateau and everything is too small.... sigh!
84. If we are driving on the same road and I let you in front of me but you don't wave, expect to get the finger!
85. I don't eat meat on the bone (chicken wings, t-bone steak, turkey drumsticks, etc)
86. I don't enjoy word verification security features on websites. Sometimes they are case specific and often they are hard to read. It just stresses me out too much!
87. I did not enjoy my childhood. However, I AM enjoying my adulthood.
88. Being in the hot tub when it is cold is kind of fun. But when it is snowing it's not as much fun.... the snow that hits your shoulders and face feels like little cold needles and takes away the enjoyment factor somewhat.
89. I have a navy blue sweatshirt that I have owned for about 15 years. It has bleach splatters on it and holes in the cuffs but I wouldn't trade it for the world... I LOVE that sweatshirt.
90. However, my new favorite sweatshirt is my Nike hoodie... Vince has a matching one so we wrote our names on the labels so they don't get mixed up.
91. We also have identical motorcycle gloves with our names written on the labels.
92. And we have been known to fight over a Yamaha long sleeved t-shirt. It's really mine but it fits us both and Vince wants it.
93. I'm beginning to think that Vince & I are long lost twins ROFL!!!!!
94. Thinking you are long lost twins with your fiance is not a romantic notion.
95. Well, maybe it is.
96. Can you tell I'm just trying desperately to get to number 100?
97. Home stretch....
98. I'm almost there....
99. Feel the excitement......
100. WOW! That was awesome :)

Okay, anyone who thinks coming up with 100 semi-interesting facts about themselves is easy has obviously never done it LOL.

Bra update and I'm too fat to get married

I went for my second dress fitting today. It seems that I am simply too fat to fit into the dress without some pulling/bunching happening on the front of the dress. I've tried (I swear to God I have honestly and truly tried) to lose weight but my body does not seem to want to cooperate with my efforts. I'm afraid come May 12 I'm going to be a fat bride but oh well... if I'm married at the end of the day then I guess that's all that really matters.

Anyways, the seamstress suggested I might want to try getting a bustiere (not sure how to spell that - boost-ee-ay) to wear under the dress as that may suck me in a bit more. And since I needed to go bra shopping anyways (see yesterday's post) I decided to stop at the mall to see what I could find.

First stop... Sears. No luck. Second stop... La Senza. I asked the staff about bustieres and they said my best bet was to go to a bridal shop (which is where I got the advice in the first place so I'm not going to have any luck there). I then had them measure me and, go figure, I was actually buying the right sized bras all along LOL. So I ended up buying another strapless bra as that may work under the dress better than the strapless bra I have been using. We'll see tomorrow (yet another fitting). Wish me luck.

Oh Sarah, I know the Bust Stop has moved out of the OWF mall but I'm not sure where they moved to. If you happen to see them in your travels, let me know where they are and I'll see if they have anything that might work for me. Thanks :)

I need new bras

Okay, I need new bras. My old ones are stretchy and saggy and they don't fit me very well. I bought some new ones at La Senza a while ago but they are really more just for show and not really for actual support in real life situations. Trust me, when you are wearing a "showy" bra and your nipple pops out (under the shirt but you can still tell that it has made an exit), you won't wear that bra again any time soon LOL.

Anyone know where I can get actually fitted for a new bra? Like where they will measure me to find the right size and everything? Will they do that at La Senza? Thanks in advance for any useful info :)

Vis a vis

How come we pronounce "vis a vis" as VEEZ-a-vee? Presumably the first vis and the second vis should be prounced the same way. Therefore it should be VEEZ-a-veez with the second "s" being audible. Any thoughts?

Follow up on my b'day and True Romance

Since Kelly asked, and I forgot to post it earlier, for my birthday Vince got me a motorcycle cover for my cruiser. Unfortunately, there is no need to use it until the fall when we will put the bikes away for the winter. But it's a good quality one (meant to protect the bike from outside elements only some of which apply since the bike will be in the garage). It is a good and useful present. :)

The other day Vince & I were cleaning the house in preparation for a BBQ we were hosting. I was scrubbing the bathroom counter and trying to put up with the crap (I mean beautiful musical stylings) Vince listens to on his computer as well as the sound of him vaccuuming. Then all of a sudden "our song" comes on his computer. Vince turned off the vaccuum cleaner, dragged me from the bathroom into the family room, and slow danced with me. My hair was sticking up, I had the essence of bathroom cleaner on me, and I was in sweats, but he danced with me to our song. It was the so romantic. Not glamorous LOL, but very sweet and romantic.

Birthday Hangover

Do you ever get a birthday hangover? It has nothing to do with alcohol. It's just that general dreariness that you get the day after your birthday. Today I woke up and there was no song sung to me, no presents to open, no anticipation of a family get together... nothing. Just a regular old boring day.

So I'd like to institute a new tradition. You should be entitled to open one present the day after your birthday. It doesn't matter who it comes from or how much it costs but it should be wrapped (because unwrapping it is half the fun) and it should make the gift recipient smile.

Maybe it's a pair of yellow smiley face socks, or maybe a gift certificate to a bowling alley, or maybe a homemade card that just says "I love you". But whatever it is, it should bring the recipient some joy that they wouldn't normally have the day after their birthday. It'll make the transition from birthday to regular day a little less abrupt and painful.

Having a great birthday

This morning I was woken up by Vince & the doggies as they presented me with a birthday present. It was to "Mommy" from "Gilly & Mercedes, woof woof wiggle wiggle" LOL. I got a card and gift certificate for a one hour hot stone massage at a local spa. I can't wait to use it. What thoughtful doggies I have :)

Then Vince told me I'll get my present from him at lunch time (argh! I hate waiting LOL). So I said can I at least have a song? Then Vince sang the following...

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
You may be 33
But you don't look a day over 32
And I love youuuuuuuu

Is that the cutest thing? No wonder I love that guy to pieces. I think I'll marry him :)

Hope your March 29th is going as well as mine.

Farewell to Elton

Last Thursday we said good-bye to my dear boxer, Elton. Elton was very special to me and to many other people. We have shed many tears over his loss. Here is a picture that we took of Elton a few hours before he was put down.

Rest well dear Elton. We will meet again one day at the bridge where I fully expect to get one of your famous face washes :)

Invitation celebrations and guest list woes!

Invitations are all out! Yippee!!! It seemed like such a simple thing.... address & send wedding invitations. However, it took about 6 weeks from start to finish!

It's the old 80/20 rule. 80% of them were no problem.... 20% were "exceptions'. The bulk of the invitations were addressed and mailed out 6 weeks ago. Some were hand delivered to close family and friends. Those were no problem.

But then there were the 20% of invitees that were tough to get ahold of. They were friends that we decided to hand deliver to but we didn't see them for a while and when we did we forgot to bring them their invitation. Also there were a couple of "did you invite so & so" comments from fathers (both Vince's and mine) so we had to modify the guest list accordingly and address new invitations to accomodate them and make sure everyone is happy.

Speaking of the guest list, keeping a wedding small is very tricky. You can go with ONLY immediate family and keep the guest list at about 10, the next step is close family & very close friends and the guest list is about 40, the next step is everyone you have ever met in your life and people get really upset if you don't invite them!

We tried to keep the guest list small, maximum 100, but it seems that unless you set rock solid boundaries the guest list will creep up on you. The guideline I came up with when deciding if a friend should be invited is "have I socialized with them in the last year?". If the answer was no then they were not included. Yet somehow, between Vince & myself, we have at least 50 people invited that either we have never or rarely socialized with but they were invited as we were obligated (for various reasons... I don't want to point fingers at any one person because each situation is different).

Luckily no one who reads this blog would fall in that category so I feel safe venting about it. However, if you are coming to the wedding, this is a fun game you can play.... "spot the obligated invitee" LOL!

Horray for Hot Tubs

We finally got our hot tub delivered on Saturday. It's lovely. How did we ever live without one? LOL.

Unfortunately it's not working right. We keep getting an error message and the heater turns off. The error message doesn't seem to be meaningful... just annoying. So right now (until the "hot tub dude" comes out to fix it) you have to plan your hot tub usage in advance. The heater is likely going to have shut off so you have to go turn it on, let it get the water up to a good temperature (could be a few mins or as much as an hour depending on how much it dropped), and then keep an eye on it while in the tub. It's a bit annoying so hopefully the "hot tub dude" will get here soon to take care of it.

What's up with the all the blender speeds?

I've been using my blender more than usual lately and, even with my frequent usage, I noticed I only use 3 of the 10 buttons on there.... pulse, a low speed blend, and a high speed blend. All the other intermediate speeds of blending are entirely superfluous!

And the labels they give these speeds are ridiculous... who actually needs to "aerate" or "puree" something in their blender and actually seeks out the right label and presses the right button? "Oh no, I needed to press the 'whip' button but I accidentally pressed 'liquify' instead! Now my recipe is ruined!!!" Trust me, it doesn't matter what they call it... if you press any button, whatever you put in the blender will be destroyed by the sharp metal blades that spin at the base of the unit.

Took a road trip :)

Vince & I decided to take advantage of the awesome weather today by taking the motorcycles out to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump (18kms NW of Fort MacLeod, Alberta). It was a nice ride... warm temps and clear streets but the wind wasn't much fun. Oh well, we got there, looked around for a while, then came home. On the way home we stopped in Fort MacLeod for lunch at a little diner on the highway. No kidding it was some of the best food I've had in a long time.

On another subject... I've given up on Weight Watchers for now (I've been basically the same weight, within 10 lbs, for about 18 months). So I'm trying a new plan. They said most people see results in 3 days so I weighed and measured myself 3 days ago and then again today. Imagine my surprise when I lost 3.5 lbs and a total of 4 inches in just 3 days! Now here's the funny part... I actually gained one inch on my bust line! If it wasn't for that I'd have lost 5 inches LOL!!!! Oh well, if you are going to gain an inch anywhere, I guess that's the ideal location.

By popular demand.....

Pics of me and Vince in our chaps :)

Brief update since my last blog....

Feb 14th... Valentine's Day. Had dinner with my darling fiance, Vince. We had a fight but then we talked about it and it's all good now :)
Feb 15th - 19th.... nothing exciting happened
Feb 20th... Vince fell down some stairs at work and they took him to the emergency room. I was there with him all day. I'll never forget when Vince had to go to the bathroom but he couldn't walk so the nurse gave me a "bottle" for him to pee in. I expected her to help him with it but she left me to, ummm, make sure everything was aimed properly for the situation. I have never felt more like a wife than when I was put in charge of that and then had to empty the bottle in the closest bathroom. It was seriously a very wifely thing to do.
Feb 21st - 25th... again, nothing really exciting happened. Vince had lots of doctor & physiotherapy appointments but that happened to him, not me ;)
Feb 26th... Sarah & Todd picked up their new van. That same day Vince & I bought a hot tub. It should be delivered and set up sometime the week of March 12.
Feb 27th... PZW wrestling show in Lethbridge. Vince sat back at the concession with me instead of being able to referee any matches. It was nice to have him there but kind of weird at the same time.
Feb 28th... bought a Yamaha 650 Silverado cruiser motorcycle in black.
Mar 1st... Vince bought a Yamaha 1100 Silverado cruiser motorcycle in silver.
Mar 2nd... my dad's birthday. I wished him a happy birthday. I bought myself a leather jacket. Vince & I went to see Wild Hogs. It was funny.
Mar 3rd... Vince & I picked up our new motorcycles. We rode them around for a while and enjoyed them. Vince can't ride a lot due to his back injury which is fine by me as I'm not into serious riding yet... I'm still pretty new to it.
Mar 4th... Vince & I rode some more.
Mar 5th... Vince & I rode some more. We bought leather chaps. I can't believe I actually own chaps. This is so not the image I wanted but there's no mistaking that they are very practical and better than any pair of pants for protection from the wind and small debris kicked up when riding.
Mar 6th... I'm in Calgary working today. I'm going to leave soon though as I don't want to have to deal with rush hour. Byeeeeeeee...... :)

Westminster thoughts

I watched the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on tv over the last 2 nights. I have to say that I disagreed with the judge's pick for BIS. In fact, I didn't even think that dog (an English Springer Spaniel named "James") should have even won his group. Now don't get me wrong, James is a great dog and a worthy representative of the ESS breed. However, when I was watching the sporting group on Tuesday night I thought many of the dogs in the ring were better. I thought the Vizsla (who ended up taking group 2nd) was a truly outstanding dog and should have won the group without question.

As far as the BIS lineup went, I was rooting for the PBGV. I always root for the hound as they haven't won BIS at Westminster since 1983.... they are the underdogs for sure LOL. I also liked the Dandie Dinmont Terrier... what an amazing showdog. And although I hate to admit it as I don't like the breed, but the Toy Poodle was a real beauty. The same can be said for the Bouvier... I'm not wild about the breed but felt that particular dog was outstanding. I also liked the Akita for her balance and style. Of all the dogs in that line up I thought the Standard Poodle and the ESS were the weakest... good thing I didn't place any bets on who would win or I'd be out some major money! LOL!

Happy Valentines Day everyone :)

The "get to know you" e-mails......

I responded to one today but just in case I missed anyone on my "To" list, here it is for all to read and get to know & love me :)

1. What is your occupation? Database Administrator
2. What color are your socks right now? naked feet
3. What are you listening to right now? Elton breathing and computer humming noises
4. What was the last thing that you ate? cheesecake last night for dessert... I should really make myself some breakfast
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? flesh colour :)
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? conference call at work this morning
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? of course :)
9. How old are you today? 32
10. Favorite drink? really into club soda these days
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Gymnastics, dog shows, and I should probably put Professional Wrestling in there now too :)
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes
13. Pets? more than one
14. Chips or cookies? depends on the mood I'm in
15. What was the last movie you watched? Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (last night while eating cheesecake LOL)
16. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve
17. What do you do to vent anger? Either work out or just get mad & try to deal with it.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? stuffed panda bear
19. What is your favorite fall or spring? Spring
20. Hugs or kisses? Depends on the giver/recipient
21. Cherries or Blueberries? Neither... if I have to pick then cherries
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Well of course!
23. Who is most likely to respond? Jackie
24. Who is most likely not to respond? Valerie
25. Living arrangements? a home with a wonderful fiance and a few doggies
26. When was the last time you cried? 2 days ago... I was nauseous and feeling sorry for myself LOL.
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Laundry basket and empty suitcases
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this? Valerie
29. What did you do last night? Went out for dinner for Margaret's birthday then came home & watched a movie while sharing a piece of cheesecake with Vince. I'm sure I've mentioned that already LOL.
30. (There is no question 30 LOL)
31. What inspires you? People that have already overcome the challenges I am currently facing
32. What are you afraid of? murderers, rapists, generally the bad guys in life
33. Plain, cheesy or spicy hamburgers? Cheesy
34. Favorite dog breed? I better say cockers or I have the wrong breed at home LOL
35. Number of keys on your key ring? about 10... more than I really need
36. How many years at your current job? 3
37. Favorite time of the day? bedtime :)
38. How many states have you lived in? 0 but 2 provinces
39. Favorite holiday? christmas
40. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? Motorcycle yes, machinery no.

Everyone is blogging.... Bloggity, blog, blog

Some new blog buddies have joined my life since I last sent my blog links. So here, for your enjoyment, are the blogs I check frequently.....

My sister, Louisa's blog.... extremely funny and entertaining. Observations about life in a Seinfeld-esque kind of way :)

My friend, Kelly's blog.... the trials of raising a puppy and getting a masters degree (almost done!!!! :) )

My brother, Ben's blog.... contains updates on Ben's life (the parts he'll let us read about LOL)

My aunt (grannie), Valerie's blog.... super brand new so really nothing to summarize LOL

My friend, Lyndarae's blog.... the adventures of Flick & Cajun as well as observations on life.

My cousin, Sarah's blog..... the adventuresome life of chasing after two young boys. Honestly I don't know where Sarah finds the time to blog :)

Ross The Intern's blog.... daily updates on Ross's life. It's so different from my life that I feel like I'm reading a fictional story. Like Harry Potter in LA or something LOL.

Heroes

Okay, if you aren't watching this show then you are missing out on the BEST SHOW ON TV...... EVER!!!!!! How much did it rock last night? It TOTALLY rocked!

I tried on my wedding dress today....

And I had the strangest reaction.... ambivalence. I didn't feel any more bride-like than I did in my jeans & t-shirt. I wasn't really excited like I thought I would be. I mean, I wasn't upset or anything either. I was just.... there. Trying on a dress. It looked exactly like I thought it would. It was a wee bit snug in the hips but I expected that.

Strange that I wasn't more excited. Maybe it's because of the ladies that came with me to see it (they didn't get excited either). Or maybe it's because we are in the middle of a blizzard so it doesn't feel very weddingy right now. Or maybe it's just because I'm just not a girly-girl and I don't get excited about stuff like that. I'm not sure. But either way... it's clear to me that I need to drop the extra pounds to look awesome in the dress. Surprise! LOL. Somehow it always comes back to weight loss.

Dealing with the highs and lows... and just being a girl

I've felt kind of emotional over the last few days. I mean, I knew I was getting my period so that was part of it but it seemed that the tiniest thing would just make me want to cry. But last night it was really bad... I was bawling and blubbering over how fat I was and how could Vince ever want to marry me and I was going to look like a beluga whale walking down the aisle on our wedding day and why oh why don't I have any self control when it comes to food and even though I'm overall eating way healthier than I used to why am I still unable to lose the weight I want? Really I was a pathetic mess. And then this morning I got my period so I think it's pretty safe to blame the sob-fest on hormones/PMS.

However, if Vince (or anyone) had told me yesterday that I had PMS I would have ripped their face off for daring to suggest that I might be a tad emotional and that my fears were blown out of proportion.... even though I would have known they were right. So my question is this... how come we as women acknowledge that we have PMS but no one is allowed to say we have it? Is it like the n-word thing? Like black people are allowed to say it to each other but white people aren't allowed to say it? Or is it more like the "fat" thing... I can say I'm fat but if anyone else says that I'm fat then it's just plain rude. Any thoughts?

The wedding invitations have mostly been sent out. There are just a few that need to be hand-delivered still. RSVP's are starting to come in which is kind of cool as that means I can start building a seating chart for the reception. The decorations are being finalized, my garters (one to keep and one to throw) have arrived, the cake cutting set has been purchased, and I have a wonderful family member (Weeza) who has stepped in to be the emcee because another family member backed out. So now I just need to put the favours together, buy pantyhose, and I have to figure out how to decorate the head table..... oh yeah, and I need to lose 20 lbs and then I can get married LOL. I'm down 1.4 lbs today which puts me exactly 20 lbs above my wedding day goal. Wish me luck :) Link to chart.

If I was the ruler of TV-land (spoilers)

I would change how they handle guest stars. For example, whenever there is a recognizable guest star on Law & Order you can guarantee he/she is going to be the murderer. The police will be investigating a crime and they go to a bar where a witness to the crime just happens to be Fonzie from Happy Days. Well you know right then that Arthur Fonzarelli is not just a witness to the crime as his role would be done in just one or maybe two scenes. The Fonz is going to end up being the killer so his role can cover the whole episode of investigation, arrest, and trial.

I also hate it when they announce the big guest star at the beginning of the show and/or in the description of the episode (in TV Guide or digital cable/satellite guide info)... especially when the star will only show up briefly at the end and they want him/her to have an impact with the audience. Last night on Heroes we learned in the opening credits and from the episode description that Star Trek's Mr Sulu (George Takei) was going to guest star as Hiro's father. No biggie if he had shown up in the first 10 minutes or so and had a storyline for the whole episode. However, the way it played out is that Hiro & Ando are running from some guys who eventually end up catching them and taking them to the "Big Boss" who, it is revealed in the last 5 seconds of the show, is Mr Sulu and he is Hiro's daddy. How much more impact would it have had with the audience if we hadn't seen it coming for the previous 60 minutes?

Remember the 1998 movie "Out Of Sight" with Geoge Clooney and Jennifer Lopez? It was pretty forgettable. However, in the last few minutes there is a scene where Samuel L Jackson plays an inmate. It's completely uncredited and comes totally out of the blue... and I'll never forget it because I didn't see it coming. There was also a scene with Michael Keaton that was uncredited and never promoted. It was awesome and memorable! THAT'S how you use a guest star to have the greatest impact with the audience.

Fifth time's the charm????

Let me tell you a little story about The Brick.

Once upon a time, about 6 months ago, in a land not so far away called Lethbridge, a princess purchased a dining room set for her castle from The Brick. The dining room set came months later than promised, 2 arm chairs were missing, and the base was broken. A replacement base finally arrived at the castle but the arm chairs did not. The prince and princess were not happy.

So after many phone calls and confusion 2 arm chairs were finally delivered to the castle. However they were not up to the princess' high standards as they came without any hardware to put them together so a new set was ordered. They came in but they were put together so poorly that they rocked when you touched them or sat in them. Alas, this was not satisfactory to the royal couple either. So 2 new ones were ordered but when they arrived the prince noticed that the arms were falling off them. So 2 new ones have been ordered for the prince and princess. They are supposed to arrive at the castle tomorrow.

The princess is losing all hope that they will be any good but she is keeping her fingers crossed that they will be good enough to place in the castle's dining room and allow people to sit in them for a royal feast!

The moral of the story is.... The Brick sucks!!!

My my my, how quickly things change

Once upon a time, when Vince & I first got together, we went to Tim Horton's to meet one of his friends for coffee. As it happened, Vince hadn't had supper yet so he also ordered a bowl of chili to eat. He had recently learned that I did not like mushrooms so he made a point of eating any visible mushrooms in his chili ASAP so I wouldn't even have to see any mushrooms. Awwwww, wasn't that sweet of him?

Fast forward about 3 months.... Today we went to Tim Horton's for lunch where I ordered a bowl of hearty vegetable soup (yummy, low calorie, and palatable for my nauseous, flu-suffering stomach) while Vince ordered the creamy field mushroom soup. Not only did he make no effort to hide the mushrooms from me, but he actually offered me some of his creamy (blech!) "fungus soup" while he gleefully giggled over my face turning green. What happened to the galant man of 3 months ago? Is the honeymoon really over already? We haven't even gotten married yet! Sigh!

On to some good news.... I weighed in at WW today for another 2 lb loss (hooray for the flu LOL). I'm exactly one week ahead of schedule for reaching my wedding day goal. No slacking off now though... the wedding is a few months away and I need to stay focused :) Link to wieght loss chart is here.

Well that's better :)

Thanks for all the positive comments on my previous post/rant. My family and friends are the best :) Although I still have all the same tasks to complete and the same budget & timeline constraints I'm not feeling so overwhelmed today. I'm just not going to worry about everything at once... I have a list of things that need to get done and I'll worry about one thing at a time on that list. It makes the planning process a little less daunting for me :)

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm also back on track with the weight loss situation. For the last 3 weeks (Christmas, New Years, then my vacation to Philly) I gained weight each week. It was very frustrating even though I expected it and deserved it since I knew my eating habits were WAY WAY WAY off track. But I tried to get back on track over this last week and I'm so happy to report that I had a loss today of 2.8 lbs! :) Last week I calculated that I would need to lose 1.6 lbs per week until the wedding to reach my goal weight. So this 2.8 lb loss is a great jump start to that which actually puts me slightly ahead of schedule :) Click here for a link to my weight loss chart.

Thanks again to my family and friends that have been so supportive during a tough time. You guys rock! :)

At what point does the fun start??? (rant)

So let me get this straight.... I need to, without any previous experience in this area, plan a legal yet touching ceremony, on a very limited budget, to be witnessed by friends and strangers followed by a party (decorating, food, entertainment) for 160 people who may or may not be coming and, simultaneously, I need to get into the best shape of my life as I'll be wearing an outfit that shows every lump, bump, and roll I've been working since puberty to get rid of, and through all this I need to navigate the ettiquette minefield as there are toes to be stepped on at every turn?!?!?!? Is this really what it's like to be a bride-to-be? ARGH!!!!!!!

I am getting close to the end of my rope with this wedding planning business. I'm not a good delegator as it is but in reality I'm not really in a position to delegate much anyways. My "maid of honor"/witness, Scott, is flying in the day before so I can't give him any duties except to show up on the day. The groom, Vince, is helpful but it's not like he can order my garter or do my "practice hair" or anything. So the majority of things to get done falls either entirely or partly on me.

I can totally understand why couples hire a wedding planner. Save a few of the planning headaches and just let the bride concentrate on being a bride. Like I'm not busy enough working full time and trying to fit in a couple of hobbies (which have basically gone out the window until after the wedding). I also have to find the time to get back to the gym to try and drop the 25 lbs (yup, what was 18 is now 25 after the holidays) to look fabulous in my dress. I'm also trying to grow out my hair (tearing it out doesn't help), will need to start tanning (albino chick in white dress is scary), and need to look into getting my teeth whitened. If I only had that to worry about then I could probably handle it. But this whole "planning" business is enough to drive anyone to drink... nope, can't do that as it'll make me puffy. Sigh!

A funny thing happened....

At lunch time today I let all the dogs out. First the boys.... as I opened their crates I took out their breakfast dishes, let them outside in the dog run, brought them back in and gave them a cookie in their crates.

Then it was the girls' turn.... I was opening crates/pens and taking out empty dishes and Mercedes was in the last pen I came to. I opened it and she ran out but I couldn't find her breakfast dish anywhere. I lifted up the blanket and crate pad that she had in there but the dish wasn't underneath. There was literally no where it could have gone so where the heck was it? I had 3 girls at my feet doing the "pee-pee" dance ;-) so I let them out and then came back to the dog room to try and figure out the mystery.

Then I saw it.... Mercedes had put her food dish inside her water dish! LOL!!!! Both dishes are stainless steel and the same size diameter but the food dish is more shallow so it was able to neatly fit exactly on top of the water dish without disturbing the water beneath it. Mercedes is a funny girl when it comes to her water dish... I have discovered toys in there (tennis balls and kongs have been baptised in there but strangely no stuffed toys have been drowned LOL) but covering the water dish with the food dish was a new one to me. I wonder if Mercedes is trying to tell me something? Perhaps that the water doesn't taste good to her? Or maybe she's playing a game to see if she can insert & remove certain items from the dish? Is this a game she can win? Any ideas?

And now for something a little less interesting....

Christmas 2006 was great. It was our (Vince & I) first Christmas together so we started a few new traditions (getting new keepsake ornaments for the tree) and continued some old ones (mini boxes of cereal on Xmas morning).

We both got some great presents but the funniest has to be the toy motorcycles that look exactly like our real motorcycles from Sarah & Todd. There were instructions on the gifts that said we had to open them at the same time so it was really cool to open them and see at the same time that we got miniature bikes. They are so cute and have a place of honor on the TV stand so we can see them all the time... even when it is too cold to ride our real bikes (like right now).

I have had some of the worst New Years celebrations ever so I haven't done anything for New Years Eve in a few years. But this year Vince & I decided to invite some friends over and do a casual party for anyone that wanted to drop by.... and it was the best new years ever :) As planned, it was very casual.... just some snacks placed out and people came by to chat, watch some DVD's, eat, and just have a good time. Then we had champagne at midnight, watched some more DVD's (although I went to bed before 1am as I was falling asleep in front of the tv), and the celebrations continued. It was exactly what I would have wished New Years to be.... fun but casual.

A few days ago I went to the ASC winter flushing spaniel show in Philadelphia. It was great to see so many nice dogs and meet new people. After the show I went to Connecticut to meet Harley, Mercedes's dad. He's a gorgeous dog and it was great to finally get my hands on him and to see his personality. It was great to get to know the dog beyond the show photos (which is basically all my decision to breed Sienna to him was based on).

The trip home after ASC had a few hiccups due to flight delays caused by the weather. So when I made it to Calgary but missed the flight to Lethbridge Vince said he was going to drive up to Calgary to get me. The reunion with him at the Calgary Airport is a moment I'll never forget. It was so romantic of him to make the long drive in the middle of the night to pick me up (and he brought me flowers too!). Poor Vince ended up getting just 1.5 hours of sleep that night before having to get up and go to work. He scored a lot of points with friends and family by doing that :)

So over the last 3 weeks.... Christmas, New Years, and travelling to ASC... I have put on a bit of "holiday weight". Unfortunately it's a total of 8 lbs so I have some extra work to do to get down to my goal weight for the wedding. I'm able to change my eating to get back on track but I'm battling a cold which makes going to the gym tricky. Luckily I have the option to do some working out from home since we bought a Bowflex and an Elliptical Trainer in the last month or two. I have started a new 2007 weight loss chart which you can check out here.

I hope all of you have a wonderful 2007 :)