First week of playoffs!

Last night was our first week of playoffs and guess how good we did!? We are 2nd! ..... 2nd last !! :( BOO Everyone had horrible games we only got over 1000 once (the last game), the second game we only got 839!! For those of you that don't know - that's crap !! The good news is that we still have next week to try and do better and maybe gain some pins! I suppose it doesn't really matter too much on what position we finish in for the playoffs cause we won Grand Aggregate and get to pick our prizes first but it would still be nice to pick our second batch of prizes before some other teams. I also found out the other night that my hubby won't be able to attend the bowling banquet with me cause we paid money to have a table at one of the car shows here so he needs to be there and work his booth! It's all good though, I don't mind - it just means that have to pick his prizes and I also have to pick my FIL prizes. I'll need one of those luggage carts just to get all our prizes to the car! ;) I'm so glad bowling season is over, it's starting to get nice out now and going bowling is the last thing I feel like doing when it's nice out!

We are having a BBQ today at work, one of our drivers is leaving to do the highway run (still with us but just not at our store) - of course he was the best driver we had. Hopefully things will run smooth without him here! So I'm going to have my first BBQ hamburger of the season!! I can smell them cooking back there as I type this and can hardly wait to bite down on one! YUM


So my mom was wondering ..... I keep talking about how my hubby is working in the garage, so she was wondering WTH is he doing out there? And since he is the handy kind of guy that he is, he could be working on just about anything. Well his big project lately has been his car, for those of you that don't know, my hubby likes to drag race. I've personally never even been to a race track before I met him and I never really had the urge to go fast. I am definitely not a speed junkie like he is. So this is our race car: (sorry for the tiny pic- it's the only one I could find on the computer) It is a 1977 Chevy Nova with a 400cu engine and it's fastest run was 11.92 (105mph) in the 1/4 mile -- (I think got that right? - if not I'll find out tonight) ;)


So being the speed junkie that he is, of course he wanted it to go a little faster - like a few seconds faster!! Which doesn't sound like much but when you are already doing 105mph @ 11.92 seconds in a 1/4 mile .... a few more seconds could be insane! This is what he is doing to his car now:

He has cut out just about all the tin on the car (mostly to lighten it up - I think?) He had a pretty good 'cage' in it already but for us it is always a safety thing (you can never be safe enough) so he is putting in a better cage one that could withstand anything! This car will be 100% different then what it looked like last year. It will not only have better parts in it but it will go faster and will be safer. This is a project that will take us a few years to get complete (if ever). There will always be something better or something might break (God forbid) and we will have to upgrade. I think the goal for now is 2 1/2 years for it to be back at the race track! So for now we will just be working at the track during the summer months and hopefully be back to race in a few years!

Here is your fun for the day!! This totally describes me to a T !! Once again Blogspot amazes me! ; ) Check it out and see if it gets you right too!?

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?

10 things .....

10 Places I've Been ...

#1- -- Houston, Texas - It was just a stop over but we had to stay the night and I really wanted to go to "Jack-in-the-box" but we never did! I'll have to go back to try one of their sourdough burgers! :) All I really remember was the humidity - it felt like you were always sweating cause it was so humid!

#2- -- Playa del Carmen - Loved loved loved it here, I would go back in a snap! I wasn't too crazy about the snorkeling (it was hard to get the breathing right while under water?) Lots of stuff to do and we barely did any of it! It is on my must go back list! :)

#3- -- Quebec City, Quebec - I was quite young when went here and all I really remember was going to the nice botanical garden center, it was really pretty. I also remember trying to read all the signs but not understanding them cause they are in French. ;)

#4- -- Kansas City - not where Dorothy is from, the other Kansas City. LOL - We were here for a Jobbie event and my biggest memory of Kansas was that my mom wanted to go shopping with us and was wearing white shorts and black knee highs - the only piece of skin showing was her pale white Canadian knee caps!! I refused and made her go buy white socks before I would go anywhere! :) sorry mom - luv ya!

#5- -- Toronto, Ontario - I was also fairly young when we were here, I remember going to the Flinstone park and seeing Niagara falls.

#6- --Guatemala -- We went here to see the ruins which were quite impressive. I remember stopping at a little restaurant and having our tour guide tell me that if I had to use the washroom I should really try and hold it! I remember seeing beautiful lemon trees - full of lemons and lots of kids running around trying to give us "shoe shines" but everyone was wearing sandals!? Sorry kiddo!

#7- --Cancun, Mexico, I also loved Cancun and wish we would have spent more time there and done more touristy things! It was beautiful, if you like night life you would like Cancun- there were tons of things to do there, we barely scratched the surface! :)

#8- -- Belize City, Belize, I have actually been here twice (one time too many-IMO). It was nice the first time and maybe it was just the company we were with but I found that we ran out of things to do here fast! If you enjoy sitting on the beach and doing a little snorkeling or swimming then this is where you should go. If you like to take full advantage of your trip and see everything the place has to offer then maybe you should consider only spending a week here (cause that's all it will take to see everything) I really enjoyed their ruins and their zoo -!

#9- --London, Ontario, I wish it was the other London but no... still in Canada! While we were here we traveled down to Detroit to see a baseball game. That had to be the highlight of the entire trip - it was amazing! Seeing a ball game in a real stadium with everyone singing that peanut/ cracker jack song! I also remember the highway to get there, never in my life have I ever seen so many lanes on one highway! It was nothing like what we have here - everything was super sized!

#10- -- Nanaimo, BC, And last but not least beautiful British Columbia! I love the mountains and the ocean so to me this place is maybe the best place to visit in Canada! Not too sure if I'd live there - I've heard that it is usually cloudy and rainy but on the nice sunny days this place is awesome! :)

!!! AS PER REQUESTED !!!

Well, I know I have been promising this for a really long time and I know a lot of you didn't think I would actually ever do it but ...... here you go - before and after pics!! If I could go back 8 months I would have definitely taken some better before pics, to anyone out there reading this and they are just starting their weight loss journey I can not stress how important it is that you take some before pics. I was told too but that was the last thing I wanted when I knew I wanted to loose weight, I always hid from the camera or was the one on the other end taking the picture. But seriously if you haven't already taken a before pic... you really should - I was quite happy to see my comparison shots and I think some of you will be amazed too! ;)



The best before pic I could find where it had my whole body in the pic. Me and hubby at my Grandma's house - I'm probably around 240 here.

This picture is actually older then the one above but I feel that it shows more of my girth as a "large girl" and I probably weighed closer to my start weight in this pic (250).


Me today .... after loosing 68.2lbs!! Can you see the difference ? I can see a difference !! :)



I wish I would have taken full (standing) front and side shots when I started NS. I still hate my spare tire or 'muffin top' and hope that will soon be gone! :)



All my bears so far..... only 4 more to go (including goal bear)!! And I'm sure I will be getting one in my next order! Maybe even two by the time I place my next order! ;)

Weigh in Wednesday~!

WEEK 31=183.6lbs

(-2lbs)

Another big loss for the week, I'm quite happy about that! I only have to loose another 1.8lbs to get my 70lb bear (Big blue) !! :) I never would have thought that I would have been this devoted to NS (almost 8 months) - I suppose any diet works, it's just a matter of sticking to it, but NS seems so easy and something that I would be able to stick to for life. I also don't think I would have stuck to NS as long as I have if I wasn't seeing those 'big losses'!

I had to go grocery shopping after dinner yesterday for some 'staples' and filled my new crisper's. I love having all those fresh veggies at eye level! I bought a squash last night too, I have never cooked squash but I have tried it at restaurants and I liked it, so I thought I would give it a try at home. I bought the butternut squash (cause it was one of the smaller types of squash) and it has cooking instructions right on the little sticker - cut in half, scoop out seeds, wrap in plastic wrap and microwave for 8 min! Add honey or butter and enjoy ?? Kinda sounds like if you were to microwave a potato but I'm not sure if you are only suppose to eat the guts or do you eat the skin?

It was quite yucky outside yesterday - rainy and snowing, sleet I suppose you call it. My hubby told me that I shouldn't worry about taking the dog out cause we would just get wet and cold but it was my "last chance" work out so after grocery shopping I took her out but this time I ran a block, walked a block - not only did I finish faster but I felt like I actually did something. I think I will try and do that again - twice a week, and eventually work my way up to a quick jog around the block. Although the dog didn't like it very much, she was unable to 'stop and smell the rose's' and pee on every one's lawn!! I hate how she feels the need to relieve herself on every one's front lawn - sometimes I think she just does the motion and nothing comes out, she's all pissed out! Last time my in laws were over my MIL asked if I wanted her treadmill!! Hell yeah! It would have been perfect to have yesterday, I think I would use it - I would still have to take the dog for her walks but I think I would walk to a favorite show when we got home too. Either way it would be nice to have the option of going on the treadmill instead of getting wet outside.

On a side note .... for those of you that understand the lingo.... I thought I might be pg cause I'm still waiting for AF, so this morning I bit the bullet and POAS but I got a BFN - just as I thought it would be, so I guess I just have to wait for AF ?? Not that it would have been bad news but there are still lots of things I want to accomplish before we are pg. We just need to wait a few more months! ;)

New Fridge!! :)

Last night after work we went to Trail Appliances to check out their "big sale"! They had tons of appliances that were on sale but even with their sale the cheapest fridge they had was over $1250 and it wasn't even close to what we were looking for. So off to Future Shop we went. We decided to just go ahead with the Samsung bottom freezer we had originally liked. Unfortunately the Samsung fridge we wanted was discontinued and they only had the floor model left to sell and we might have bought it, if it wasn't damaged!! The plastic crisper drawers were broken and there were dents on the front of it - they would have sold it to us for a really good price but we didn't think it was worth it. They had the "new" model there which almost looked the same but had black trim instead of grey and no side handle on the door but it was $700 more!! YIKES!! NO thanks!!

I picked out a different fridge I liked, it was an LG bottom freezer. The bottom freezer part is a sliding drawer instead of a swinging door and has a slide out shelf in the freezer as well. This fridge is a energy star (so it takes less energy to run) and the shelves on the fridge door are adjustable (where they weren't on the Samsung). It also comes with a two year warranty instead of a one year. It was then next lowest price fridge they had ($1399) but it was also discontinued and the only one left was the floor model. So we thought we would go to The Brick because they also sell LG and they price match. So after dealing with the salesperson and finding out that they can get the same fridge we told him the price that Future Shop was selling it for so he made some calls. It turns out that they don't price match if the product is discontinued!! And they wanted $400 more for the same fridge but theirs would come in a box! I didn't think it was worth it to pay and extra $400 for a box and the floor model LG that Future Shop had was in pretty good shape (just needed to be cleaned) plus because it was a floor model the salesman at Future Shop said he would give us an additional 10% off!! So back to Future Shop we went!

By now I'm starved cause we didn't even have supper before we went shopping and I'm getting grouchy from going to all these stores. We bought the LG from Future Shop with the extended warranty (that the salesman also gave us a deal on) - my hubby dropped me off at home, picked up his truck and headed back to get our new fridge!! I stayed home and moved the old fridge out of it's spot, cleaned all the bunnies from behind the fridge and grabbed a bite to eat! By the time we got the new fridge in it's place it was already 8:00pm!! I fed my hubby and started cleaning! :) By 9:30 I was transferring all my food over -- I love my new fridge!! It sticks out a little further then out old one (it's deeper) so it kinda looks funny cause the counter is farther back then the fridge but it still looks good! I am quite surprised at the size of the freezer though, it looked so much bigger then our old one but I find that it takes way more organizational skills to stack everything in the new freezer. It seems a lot smaller - I guess it's time for us to get a deep freeze and a stove to match the rest of our stainless steel appliances!! ;)

10 things ....

10 things I hate! :(

#1- -- Thunder

#2- -- Surprises

#3- -- Stupid people

#4- -- Small yappy dogs

#5- -- The smell of a dirty ashtray

#6- -- Jet cars

#7- -- Bugs

#8- -- Stinky old men

#9- -- Lawyers

#10- -- Work

Weekend review ....

So another weekend has come and gone, this weekend went by a little fast (only because I had to work Sat.) but it seemed fairly productive. After work on Sat I spent most of my day cleaning the house while the hubby was working in the garage. And on Sun I rearranged our bedroom and waited for my girlfriend Denise and her family to come over for a visit. Her little boy is getting big while she is shrinking! We went for a walk and I got to try out her new stroller - I like it, it seemed so easy to push - I think it is the kind of stroller that I will end up getting. I worked a bit on my recipe book and after supper I took the dog for her walk. She was filthy when we got home so we decided to give her a bath, it wasn't so bad this time cause we put the extension on the shower head so it was easy to rinse her off. I can't believe the amount of snow mold on every one's lawn - it looks like their grass is growing fur! One good rain storm and that should get cleaned up.

Tonight is the big sale at the local appliance store, they are selling all the stuff that didn't sell at the home show, so we are going to check that out before buying the Samsung fridge. But if we don't see anything at the sale then we are headed straight to Future Shop to buy the Samsung! I'm so excited about getting a new fridge, I've always wanted a bottom freezer fridge!

So as everyone probably knows, Easter is almost here! I find that as our family gets bigger the harder it is to see everyone over the holidays. It's like a biding war - the first call gets the prize of having us for dinner. Like last night, my hubbies Grandma called and asked what our Easter plans were and as of that moment we didn't have any. So she invited us over for dinner on Easter Sunday - which is kinda weird cause she never does Easter dinner, but since no one else asked yet we said yes. Then 2 hours later my Dad called and invited us to my brothers house for Easter dinner on Sunday!! :( But we had already said yes to the hubbies Grandma so now either my brother has to change his whole Easter dinner plans to accommodate us or we don't get to see him and his family! I'm still waiting for his reply on if they are changing the day for me or not. And I'm sure my mom wanted to do something with us for Easter too but we are almost booked up now. I think as soon as we have a family it will be worse, everyone will want us to come over for dinner to see the baby. I don't know how any of you that already have a family of your own do it, and still manage to see all the rest of the family on holidays (especially if you have a big family)!?

It' Friday

This morning my eyes felt a little funny and my nose had a slight drip to it, I assumed it was because the radio station I listen to on the way to work was having a telethon for the Stollery Hospital and it brought back a bunch of memories of Kenzie in the hospital and how lucky we are. I wish I made more money cause the Stollery Hospital would definitely be on my charity list. I feel bad cause I really would like to make a donation but we are just starting to build our "nest egg" and even though they are only asking for $20 a month I feel like it might set us back a bit!? I feel so selfish! So anywho - I still have itchy eyes and a runny nose so I'm thinking I have allergies! I've never had allergies before! My boss says it's a sign of 'old age' - LOL, I guess I'm getting old! ;) I can't believe the amount of snow mold we have this year, it's on every lawn and it seems to be growing on the wood around our flower beds. We need a really good rain storm to wash this away, it's disgusting!



Last night was bowling night and the last week before playoffs, we played like crap and I like to think that we are trying to "save" ourselves for next week when we are in playoffs but I was really trying but just couldn't seem to find "the spot"!? It looks like we won grand aggregate!! How exciting is that! This means that we get to pick our prizes first at the banquet and considering the hubbies aunt was the one buying all the prizes we know what there is already - too be quite honest, there isn't too many "good" prizes so us getting first pick is awesome! I think next year me and the hubby will volunteer to buy prizes, I really enjoy looking at flyer's and seeing what neat things are on sale for the week. I'm not so crazy about the shopping part and going into places where big sales are to fight the crowd, but at least this way we can't complain about the prizes.





For this 'Fun Friday' I would like to share a website that my mom showed me - they are super cute, here is a preview:












Don't they look so cute! Click HERE too see more!

10 things ...

So our spring challenge is over and once again I did not get to goal but I feel like I did really good and I'm not upset at all by the fact that I never made it to goal. Even though I have yet to get to goal on our mini-challenges I still like to have them. The smaller weight loss goals seem to make the time go by faster and it feels like the overall goal is achievable. So with that being said I think we need to start another mini-challenge, I've been trying to think of one but can't come up with anything!? Any ideas ?!

I guess I should have saved some of my news yesterday for today cause I couldn't think of anything to write about, so I will post ....

10 things I love! :)

#1- -- the smell of fresh baked bread.... hmmm

#2- -- puppies

#3- -- my family, animals and friends

#4- -- hugs!

#5- -- a good belly laugh

#6- -- feeling the warmth of the sun in your face

#7- -- the changing colors in the fall

#8- -- the fresh smell after a good rain storm

#9- -- hot bubble bath's

#10- -- holiday's/ vacation... anywhere!