I'm Tired

Well it was a long night but most enjoyable as always. As always the Prince Albert Relay for life is a big success.

The Luminary Ceremony is always an emotional time. Prime Ministers Park has the perfect setting for lighting of the "HOPE" candles, on the side of the hill with a row of spruce trees across the top and the Pipe Band standing just in front of the trees...truly a sight that takes my breath away each year. It is during this time that I think about the loved ones that have battled Cancer and lost; those that have battled and won and those currently battling Cancer. I don't know anyone that hasn't been touched by this dreadful disease in one way or another.

I will post photos & more information from the relay later, for now I am off to get some much needed sleep. zzzzz zzzzzzzzzzz

“ Victory is sweetest when you have known defeat."

A Walking We Go

Tonight is the start of the Canadian Cancer Society 12 hr Relay for Life event here in PA. Along with many other towns & cities in Saskatchewan there will be Cancer Survivors walking in the Ceremonial Start with the first lap of the relay and many team members walking through out the night. To see the sea of yellow t-shirts is amazing and so inspiring, they tell us year after year that we give them inspiration and we tell them the same thing...it does my heart good to know that we have as much impact on the Survivors as we have on them.

So with lots of water, some healthy munchies and a couple of Red Bulls I am set for the night. I am hoping to stay awake the entire night which will be a feat in itself as last night was a late night and I was awake at 5am so yep its going to be a long night.

Each year I dedicate my walk to my Mom, Uncle Ralph, my best friend Cheryl Thompson and this year I am adding my Aunt Helen who is currently battling cancer.

Ah-Ha Moments

It is amazing how one's self confidence rises as good things happen in ones life.

I had heard many people say that as they gained weight their confidence levels dropped and that when they started losing weight their confidence levels rose. I had my confidence Ah-ha moment last week. I have noticed that as I am shedding the pounds and inches my confidence is rising. I never really thought that my confidence was low but now as I think back to situations I realize it was. I attended a department wide meeting for work. When we arrived I found that we actually had to draw a number out of the hat to see which table we would be sitting at, already I didn't like it. I hate having assigned tables, it takes one out of their comfort zone and makes them vulnerable. So I drew Table 10, I was the first one to the table so I was able to take my pick of chairs. I sat their for a moment and thought to myself what am I doing, get up off your butt and go mingle. Before I would have stayed in my seat and waited for someone to come talk to me. It was at this moment that I had my Ah-ha moment and realized that my self confidence was rising. Then I asked myself what is different from this time to the last time you were in this situation. It was my weight that was different. Now I have lost 50 lbs or more but I have lost more than 20 lbs and more than 5 1/2 inches ( I haven't taken my measurements in over a month) but I am loosing weight and feel great. I am wearing clothes that I haven't worn in 5 years and clothes that I have been wearing that were on the tight side are now fitting better.

I have had a few Ah-Ha Moments since I decided to change my lifestyle for the better. Some of these moments come when I realize that eating breakfast everyday helps stay full through out the entire day day, not just the morning or being able to walk 5 km without pain and feeling like you could go again.

I especially like the looks I get from friends that haven't seen in months and notice that I have lost weight and say WOW you look good. I know that I am doing something right and I feel great about it.

When my husband told me he could tell I am loosing weight, I asked him how he said because I feel skinnier when he hugs me. That was such an awesome feeling to know that there is less of me now when he hugs me. I can feel it too, I do feel skinnier than I did last month and I look forward to feeling skinnier yet over the coming months.

Grocery shopping is a whole different experience now as well. I am reading labels and comparing the foods to get the healthiest choice possible. Part of my lifestyle change it wanting to have a garden so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor this fall when it comes time to harvest the garden. I want to can relish and freeze some produce for the winter and have potatoes till maybe Christmas time that come from our garden.

I am sure that I will have these Ah-Ha Moment as I continue on my lifestyle change that isn't only good for me and also for my family. Choosing to live healthier is my choice and I am glad that I made it.

Saving Memories

Today I stumbled across a box that my daughter Meagan made me many years ago for Mother's Day. I have never forgot about the box but rarely do I pull it out and look through it usually a couple of times a year. Meagan used an old Japanese orange box covered it with paper then drew different things on the box. I saved many different things in this box from pictures that my kids drew, various cards from them and my husband, notes from my kids and even the odd piece of art that they created for me. It didn't take long and this box was full so I created another one with the help of both Brittany and Meagan using an old shoe box, tissue paper and pictures from a porcelain doll magazine. Now this box is nearly full that I am thinking it is time to make another "Memory Box". Well this got me to thinking of a painting class that I wasn't able to attend. The class was painting the lid of this nice wooden box that would be perfect to keep letters and cards in. The quote on the top of the box was from Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Now I am searching the Internet for quotes from Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I can paint a similar box to keep those special letters and cards in as I am in need of another memory box.

"It is the sweet, simple

things of life which are the

real ones after all."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Society

Society is always changing. Every time we turn around something has changed. I look at what it is like for my kids growing up in today's society and think about what it was like when I was growing up. There are some similarities but things have changed drastically from when I was their age. Girls now a days are downright mean and nasty. I remember we could be mean but to the lengths that these girls of today. You also stood by your friend, you never left you in a alley to defend yourself when someone was going to attack you then say they were worried about you, that is not a friend. This happened to my daughter on Friday night and now this girl is trying to say I was so worried about her, give me a break worried. Friends don't leave friends in a time like that, they at least call 911 for help. To make the matters worse my daughter was jumped because of this so called friend who got this other girl to come after my daughter. We wonder why our kids don't trust others.....this is a perfect example of how you can't even trust those that call themselves your friend.

The youth of today know that they can really push the limits and the most they might get is community service or don't do this again. We have created the society that our children live in and we have created this mess. Our schools have banned the Lord's Prayer because it is disrespectful to the non Christian children. When I was in school if you weren't a Christian you stood outside the class room while the rest of us said the Lord's Prayer. You're no longer allowed to use the strap in the school system, no no they suspend the kids from school for a day or two, all we are teaching our kids with that punishment is if you misbehave bad enough you can have a day off school maybe more depending on what you do. We ask why so many kids have gone bad, in and out of the justice system they way they are...I think if we just looked back and seen how we made it possible for them to turn out they way they have we'd realize that we helped contribute to the problems.

I am glad the my girls are nearly done the teen years.

Time

These last few days it seems as if there just isn't enough time in a day to get everything done. I have been so busy at work, believe me it will be a while before I complain about not being busy at the office. Some days 5:oo pm hits and it feels more like lunch time.

Two minutes always seems like so little time except when you have to wait to do something. Last night while I was getting my nails done I had to pee, well that was the longest two minutes I have spent in a really long time. I realized that it us that make it seem like time goes by so fast. We busy our selves with this and that and before we know the day, week even the month has flown by.

Yes time goes by with or without us. Make the best of it as once that time has gone by it is gone for ever.

Serenity

Last night I attended an Al-Anon meeting with my Aunt Mavis. I remember when I was about 10 years old I spent my summers in Vernon BC with my Aunt Mavis and her family. Each week while my aunt attended her Al-Anon meeting my cousins and I would attend the Al-a-Teen meetings. It was that summer that I learnt the Serenity Prayer and have used it for many different situations in my life over the years. I enjoyed the meeting and learn more about myself in that 1 hour at the meeting than I thought I would.

God Grant Me the Serenity
To Accept the Things I can not change
The Courage to Change the Things I can
And the Wisdom to know the difference

The theme was Gratitude which led into being grateful. A reading from a book sparked the theme and made me think deep inside the many different things that I have to be thankful for and grateful for these things as well. This sort of leads back to what I said yesterday about making a new memory each day.

My aunt talked about a list of things she was grateful for, this got me to thinking and starting my own Grateful List in my mind. The more things I thought of the more I realized that there is so many things to be grateful for in life. Sometimes we tend to forget about the things we are grateful for.

Later that night at home as I thought about the many things that I am grateful for; I thought to myself it is time to put these down on paper as a way to appreciate the gifts that God gives us. These gifts enrich our lives in so many ways, sometimes without us even realizing it.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3, 5-6

Last Time

This afternoon I was reminded how quickly life can change. I attended the funeral of a friend and co-worker whom I had seen for the last time on Monday May 5th. Had I known that I would never had the opportunity to see or say hello to Les again, would I have acted any different on our last encounter. Probably I would have. I might have spent more time talking about how he is doing or asked him about his grandchildren and things like that. But we don't know that each time we see our friends and family if it will be the last time we will have with them or not.

I am reminded of what my grandmother used to say to me, don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I tell my husband every day that I love him. I also tell my children and my dad that I love them as well. It gives me comfort in knowing that they know how much they mean to me.

Yesterday I promised myself to try and make a new memory everyday not just for myself but for others as well. Yes our lives can change as quick as a wink. Don't miss out on the opportunities of today to enrich your life or that of someone elses.

Nature, Beauty & Reminiscing

Today being my EDO from work my Aunt Mavis and I were able to enjoy another walk together. This morning we walked 5.20 km = 3.23 miles. It is so nice to be able to appreciate the beauty of the world around us. While we were walking we watched a Coyote way out in the pasture walking and looking for food. As we were watching him he spotted us and stopped in tracks and watched us continue our walk. Soon he was off and running to the north.

My two dogs, Timon & Rocco accompanied us on our journey. Timon went for a swim chasing after a muskrat, which was much faster than he was. I wish I had brought my camera along this morning, watching Timon chase after that muskrat was funny....would have made a great video for "America's Funniest Home Videos". Watching him jump in the air and come down with a big splash....a memory I will carry with me forever. He chased after the Mud Hens and the Ducks more so in play than anything. Rocco on the other had was at the end of his leash, jumping wanting to join his pal in the water. I am going to have to make it a habit to carry my camera while I am out on a walk, you never know what you might see.

Aunt Mavis and I reminisced about my Grandma Gardner and her love for ducks. To this day I think of my Grandma every time I a duck, how she loved ducks. Growing up I remember the many pictures of ducks we had on the wall or the figurines that grandma had collected over the years, I still a few of them. My favorite tea cup is one that my grandma used every day, a stone wear mug with a duck painted on the front. Every time I have a cup of tea I think of my grandma and remember her with fond memories.

We enjoyed the beauty of nature and listened to the choir of frogs that silenced as we approached the pond or the call of the ducks to others across the pond. The many different tracks we seen on the road this morning from different birds, animals and even caterpillars.

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24

Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

Today we celebrate our "Mothers". Many have traditions that they follow year after year, others decide from year to year what to do. Never the less this is the day for us to celebrate our mothers & grandmothers.

This year I started the day off walking with my Aunt Mavis. We walked 4.6 km about 2.8 miles. It was a really nice way to start my day. We took our time enjoying the beauty that God has given us in Nature. We checked out the different tracks that we found down the drive way like those from deer as they crossed from the hay field over to the pasture or those of a muskrat or those of the different birds such as geese and cranes.

So many times when I am either driving to work or going for a walk I see something and think, I wish I had brought my camera with me, so this time I did.

We decided to walk along in the ditch and see what we could see. We found some Crocus' in bloom. These are certainly a sign of spring. When I was a young girl every spring I used to ride my bike down the road to pick a small bouquet of Crocus' for my Grandma. Crocus' were always one of grandma's favorite wild flowers. So today instead of picking the Crocus' I took pictures of them. They are such a beautiful flower, we can only appreciate them for such a short time before they are gone for the year.


It was nice to be able to have that time with my aunt to reminisce about the past and talk about what has been happening in our lives the last couple of years and where we headed in the future.

When we arrived back home my dear husband had coffee on and omelets on the go for our Mother's Day Brunch. This was Al's Mother's Day Gift to us....

Another pictures of Crocus' that I took while on our walk this morning.

LifeStyle Changes

When a person sets out to make changes to their lifestyle it is sometimes met by others as to why are doing this, what is the point some negative aspects like that and there are those that are encouraging and supportive and what to help you the best way you can.

One change that I made first thing in my house was buying whole grain breads instead of white bread. It took nearly a month for my husband to get into the routine of buying whole grain bread. If he was the one to buy bread it was usually white bread. Okay he bought the Demsters Smart bread once. The last time he picked up bread to my surprise it was 100% Whole Grain Bread.

Last night I told him that I wanted our entire family eating healthier not just me. To my surprise he agreed and told me your doing a good job getting us there. They are not fighting the food choices that I buy. I am so glad that they realize that what I am doing is for their health as well.

My family has been a great support in my decision to change my lifestyle. Since Christmas I have lost nearly 20lbs and at least 1 size in clothing. I can't say exactly how much I have lost since April 1, when I started journeying my day by day activities because I couldn't trust my scale but I am guessing it is around 7 lbs give or take. I know have a new scale....it is a Weight Watchers Scale that tells you where to stand so that you body is evenly balanced.

I feel great, I have more energy and love the changes that I am making.

God's Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes which God gave me to hold.
He said, 'Put all your sorrows in the black box and all your joys in the gold.'
I heeded Hi s words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused,
'I wonder where my sorrows could be!'
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
'My child, they're all here with me..'
I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
'My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
And the black is for you to let go.'
We should consider all of our friends a blessing.

Michael

Last night as I was watching "Eight Days To Live" through my eye lids, the phone rings and it is my son Michael. It was great to hear from him. As tired as I was it was only 10:00 pm I enjoyed our talk.

He loves his job and loves living in Saskatoon. He started April 28 and worked a minimum of 8 hours each day. Yesterday he had the chance at some overtime and took it. He put in 7.5 hrs cleaning a bio-hazard spill at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre. He said they wore these suits that looked like space suits which in its own way looked kind of cool but still a very dangerous situation.

Michael told me that he never had that awkward out of place feeling that you sometimes get with the first couple of days on a new job. He said it felt like he had been working there for a long while. Gets along with everyone and likes what he is doing. He said it feels so rewarding to have a job that actually feels like your working, not like at the Coke plant where you stood there and pushed buttons or cooking in a restaurant.

It was great to hear him say I love my job and I love living in Saskatoon. I am so happy for him.

Could it Be...Spring is here~

Could it be that Spring has arrived. Oh how I hope it has. As I walked into work this morning I noticed that the river is free of the ice that was flowing only last week. There is still places with snow along the tree lines but that is about it. I would like to be able to get out into my flower garden this weekend and clean it up from last year. I have plants emerging nicely so yes it is time to clean out the garden.

I have a pond that I would like to get back up and running, I haven't done anything with it for the last 3 years maybe even 4 years.

I am starting to plan my vegetable garden....yes for those that know me well are saying WHAT you plant a vegetable garden.....right....I'll believe it when I see it. For years my idea of a vegetable garden was going to the farmers market to support the local growers but for some reason this year I want to plant a garden...that's right I want to plant a vegetable garden. Fresh garden produce is so good and if I don't get to the farmers market then we don't have anything...so this year I am going to try gardening. The garden will serve more than one purpose besides fresh garden produce but also a means for me to get more exercise.

Mother's Day is around the corner, I always like to do the green house tour, looking at all the plants and picking up some tomatoes and bedding plants for my pots which is another thing that I haven't planted in a while. My kids hate going on the greenhouse tour, so for the last couple of years we haven't done it because they wanted to do other things instead that they have planned for me. I have decided that whether they want to go or not I am going to do the green house tour even if I go by myself, after all it is going to be "Mother's Day". I usually always run into my cousins and my aunt and a few friends.

Yes I believe that Spring is here..... Aaaahhhhhhh~