Sugar Cookies. Jan 31

Today was pretty good. The work day went by fairly quickly because the books had finally been reopened so I had all the January stuff to put in. After work I watch the newest episode of The Good Wife. I made butter cream icing and did the piping on the sugar cookies so that when I would add the glaze later it wouldn't drip off the cookies. It always annoys me when that happens. Around 6:30 K came and picked me up. A bunch of us were meeting at Five Guys resturant to try out there bugers and fries. It was pretty good. We left for Vesper's when we were done and then stopped at Starbucks on the way. I had a really good time at Vesper's and then we headed home. I got home around 11 and pretty much tucked myself into bed right aways. I drifted off to sleep while watching Tweety and Sylvester's High Flying Adventures. A real classic.

Sick day. Jan 30

I woke up feeling crappy and much the same as the day before. I slept most of the morning hoping it would help me start feeling better. I really didn't do anything today. I got up around 11am and took a shower, then I drove down to McDonald's cause I felt to yucky to make anything myself. I went back to sleep after eating my comfort food and didn't wake until 4pm. When I woke up again I was feeling much better. K text me and asked if I wanted to go for dinner before YA's. I said sure and she said she'd be by around 6ish. I text M to tell her that I would be in for work tommorow. I was feeling better and had some time so I made two batches of sugar cookies. We went for dinner at Boston Pizza. We had a really good time and talked and caught up with each other. We went to YA's for 7pm. It was a really good night. I felt better but tired when I got home later that night.

Sunday. Jan 29

Today I pretty much stayed home and slept all day. I was going to sleep in and then go to the 10:30 Main Street service but when it came time to get out and get ready I was feeling so crummy I decided against it. Most of the morning I stayed in bed. In the early afternoon I took a shower and then got back in bed. I watched tv for a while but mostly I slept. Around 9pm I text M to let her know I wouldn't be able to make it in to work for Monday and then went back to sleep hoping to feel more human in the morning.

Snowboarding at Seymour. Jan 28

Today was fantastic. I got up at 6:45am this morning. I packed up my stuff and my snowboarding and drove to Jay's. J met me there and the three of us headed out to Seymour for a day of snowboarding. We arrived shortly after 9 then started our first run around 9:30. We had an amazing day of snowboarding. Jay went off to meet two of his friends when we arrived and J and I started on the Lodge chair. We got in 8 runs by the time Jay messaged us to meet up again. Jay's friends decided to cut out early and Jay joined us. We got in 4 more runs before calling it a day. J and I were both thrilled because we tried out our toe edged and switching back and forth between our heel and toe edge. On our last two runs we were starting to get the hang of it. We drove back to town and got back around 3:30. I drove home and took a shower. I then headed out to the hillside PCC campus to help set up with my foundation team. We were done around 5:30 and I headed back home. I resisted the impulse to get dinner at McDonald's and headed home to make something instead. I finished cleaning up my place and then watched some episodes of Criminal Minds before heading to bed.

Volunteer Apprication Night. Jan 27

Today was pretty sweet. I worked 7 til 2 and then went to meet T after work for a quick coffee. It ended up being even shorter than we planned cause she got a flat tire on the way to meet me and it kinda messed up our plans. It ended up that I met her and we hung out and talked until the tow guy showed up to help her change her tire. I went home after that and hung out until 6:30 when I left to go to the main street campus. We were having a volunteer apprication night with refreshments, games and a comedian. It was really a great night. It was also great to see how much we as volunteers are apprication for the work we do through out the year for our church. I headed home around 9:30 and then watched a movie before bed. I wanted to get to bed in good time because I planned to get up fairly early to pack my stuff and leave for Jay's house to meet him and J to leave for a day of snowboarding up at Seymour.

Thursday. Jan 26

Work is sometime such an annoying necessary. I am really glad that it is Thursday because that means the weekend is almost here but at the same time I am annoyed that it isn't the weekend yet. I worked until 2pm today and then picked up the timecards at Speedy Printers before I head home. I take a shower and get nice and clean before taking a nap. I watched a little tv and went on facebook for a while. I received a few things in the mail including my beautiful face mask and a minature Batman figure. I went on ebay tonight looking for things I want. I bought some items for really good prices. I bought some Asterix and Tintin comics. I bought some Asterix and Oblexis figures. I listened to "Live to Tell" by Lisa Gardner while eating dinner and cleaning my place.

Underworld: Awakening. Jan 25

Today was good. The work day went by quite quickly. Before long I was heading to the bank to do the remittance and then driving home. The only bad thing about today was that I found myself eating junk food for lunch and I had hoped to be back on the right track with this already but can't do anything about it now and I will just have to exercise tonight and be better tommorow. After work I went home and watched some figure skating on CTV and then took a nap. I woke up a couple hours later and realize it was almost time to leave for the movies so I got up and got dressed and ready to go. I love my new hair cut and style, it really does make doing my hair so much easier and quicker to do. M and I went to see Underworld: Awakening at 7:30. We had both wanting to see it since we saw the trailer for it a couple months ago. It was totally amazing just like we thought it would be. I did an hour of wii fit when I got home and clean up my place some and then headed to bed. I don't know why but I am so tired this week. Oh well, whatever. A little extra sleep never hurt anyone.

A fresh new change. Jan 24

Work was okay today. Nothing super special about it. I worked 7-3 and it went by quite smoothly. After work I went to Unadine's to get my hair cut and colored. I got there at 3:30 and three hours later I was finished. I LOVE my new look. I got it streaked with carmel and honey brown and then cut into a reverse bob with side swept bangs. I love it. I will still have to blow dry and straighten it, but it is a lot less hair to deal with each day. I love everything, how it falls, feels and looks. I have another appointment in six weeks for a trim and to add some more color. Possible some red this time. By the time I was finished it was time to head to White Spot for dinner with Kel. I haven't seen her since late November and I was totally excited to both see her and show her my new hair cut and style. She did love it as much as me. We both ordered yummy bacon burgers and fries and then settled into our evening of talking, eating and catching up with each other. I love her so much. She is really a terific friend. I love that we make time for each other each month. Around 9:30 we headed home as we were both feeling tired and we ready to turn in. I went by my mom's on the way home to show her my hair cut and then home to bed. I tried to watch a little tv before bed but really I was just too tired and fell asleep half way through the latest episode of Rizzoli and Isles.

Back to work... Jan 23

Today was the first day back to work in a week. It felt a little strange getting up at 6am and leaving for work. It took a while longer to get to work than usual because there were two bad accidents; one on the highway and one on the main road. There was still quite a bit of black ice and snow and people weren't being as careful as they should have been. The work day actually passed quite smoothly and before long I was heading to town to do the banking and then heading home afterwards. I wasn't really in the mood to do anything when I got home so I ended up watching figure skating on CTV. I love figure skating. It's so beautiful to watch. K text me around 4 to ask if I wanted to go for dinner before YA's tonight. I was in the mood to cook anything so I agreed. We went to White Spot. I had grilled cheese and french fries. My friends always laugh at me, they say my food choices always look like they are from the kid's menu but what can I say, I like what I like. After dinner we headed to YA's. We had to get there early because K had to open everything up because the usual YA's leader wouldn't be there tonight. We had a really good YA's evening but by 9pm both K and I were getting tired and ready to head home. What can I say after a work of not working a full day of work makes me tired. I am sure by Wednesay I will be back in full swing.

Movie and friends. Jan 22

I woke up in good time his morning and went to the 9am Hillside service. I sat with J and listened to the new Youth Pastor Jesse's testimony. It was really well done, and insightful and heartbreaking. When I got home from church I decided I was in the mood to make cupcakes. I ended up making chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing and a bumble bee design. I text J for a while and we decided to go to the movies at night. I did some wii fit and watched a little tv. Then at 3:30 I meet her at her house and her and I plus her two really cute kids went to the theatre to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. It was really good. It was the classic version and it looked terrific. I went back to their house for a while and hung out and then headed home around 8pm. I read for a little while and then went to bed early.

Saturday and movies. Jan 21

Today was a relaxing sort of day. I woke up in normal time but then laid in bed for a while just staring at the room, thinking. I got up, ate some breakfast and did a little wii fit. I clean my place a little, read, showered and just hung out. I also went to town for a few minutes to get gas and book a hair appointment. I am just feeling really sick of how my hair looks right now and want a change. I think I am either cutting it shoulder length with layers or I am doing the reverse bob with the back shorter and the front a little longer. And I am also going to get it coloured. I am thinking I want red and carmel streaks. I did a bit more wii fit later in the afternoon and went out on the swing for a while. At night I did some word search on my DS and listened to some of my audio books. At 9:30 I went to K and picked her up. We decided to go to a late movie. We saw the 10:05 showing of "Haywire." I was actually really good. I hadn't seen that many trailers for it but I just really felt like seeing a movie tonight. I was really glad it didn't disappoint. I dropped K back at her house around midnight and headed home. I went on facebook for a bit, talked to Jay and then went to bed. I plan to go to the 9am Hillside service tommorow and didn't want to sleep in.

Snowshoveling and lunch. Jan 20

I slept a litte longer than usual this morning and then watch the lastest episode of the Vampire Diaries until K text to say she would be by to pick me up in a few minutes. We went to two houses to shovel the people's driveways. We did the shoveling with the new youth pastor J. Afterwards we went to Ricki's for brunch and to get to know him a little better. I really like him and think he will be a great addition to our church family. I said I wouldn't mind helping out with the youth's events and eventually one of the leaders. After brunch we went to C's to hang out with her, B and J for a while. We left around 4pm and then headed home. I spent the remainder of the night hanging out at home and watch tv episodes. I also did two hours of wii fit.

Remembering Sarah Burke. Jan 19, 2012

Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday. Jan 19, 2012 after sustaining serious injuries in a skiing accident on Jan. 10. Sarah died at the age of 29 in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, after tearing the artery that supplies blood to the brainstem during a training run in the superpipe at a personal sponsor event at the Park City Mountain resort. As the result of a fall after completing a jump, she suffered a ruptured vertebral artery, one of the four major arteries supplying blood to the brain. This caused her to go into cardiac arrest.

This tragic and sudden death of such a beautiful and talented young life reminds me that any moment can be out last. Death can come swiftly and we need to be ready. We need to be prepared to go home to God not fall into the trap of thinking we'll get ready for it when we get older, or have more time or just at another time. It also makes you realize that this life is often brief as a flickering candle flame burning brightly but briefly.

It is a reminder to live each day of our lives as if it might be our last. To enjoy the good times, not to focus on the bad, to make the most of each and every opportunity. Wether it be to witness the name of Jesus Christ to others or to just enjoy life. This young life that was taken so soon is a reminder for me to never take life for granted. It is my goal, hope and wish to make every moment of 2012 count. To live life as if I were my last day, month and year. To see what a difference that makes. To be focused and have goals but also to live in the moment and enjoy life. I have a few goals for this year. Some surface ones such as reaching my goal weight for health and fitness, to be more finanically set than last year, to go on a road trip with friends to West Edmonton Mall in July, and to move out into an apartment with a roommate. Some of my other goals are to be baptized this year, to make public confession of my faith and to go on a missions trip to Romania to help start a church there. It is my wish and prayer that I can with God's help accomplish these goals and live my life for Him.

Friends. Jan 19

Today was suppose to be free ladies snowboarding day at Hemlock which I had been looking forward too for a while now. Unfortunately we have had crazy winter conditions this week and while you might think that is a good thing for a snowboarder, sometimes it is not. I checked the weather report and it was currently -18 degrees plus windchill which in the elevation means if you don't have all your skins covered at all times you will very possibly get frostbite which would seriously suck. Plus even if you drove all the way there and covered up completely by the time you did a run and then took the chair back to the top you would be so cold you could barely move, nevermind go down the hill again. So much to my disappointment we had to reschedule our snowboarding day. I had the last couple of days off this week because of the crazy weather, and while I was enjoying the time off being stuck in my place was making me a little stir crazy. K texted at 10 to say that a bunch of us were going for lunch at Boston Pizza at noon and she would be picking me up shortly before that. She also said if I wanted to help she and a few others were going to help shovel some driveways for people who either had injuries or were elders and couldn't themselves. We picked up M on the way and met Ash there. We had a delicious lunch, I had my usual chicken fingers and fries, which yes they made fun of me for. What can I say I have the diserning food likes of a small child. Anyways after lunch we headed out to Garrison to shovel the driveway of a lady who had injured her back and could do it herself. We mostly did her walk way and then the area bedhind her house in front of her garage. It was small but a lot of work because under the snow was a fairly thick layer of ice, but we managed to get it all clean. Then we headed over to Fairfield to shovel the driveway of an elderly lady who had been stuck in her house since last Friday. Her driveway was a lot longer but there wasn't nearly as much ice. Just mostly at the end of the driveway where the snowplow tends to dump all the snow as it goes down the road. We were surprised at the amount of driveways that were clear on the road and yet none of her neighbours had come over to help her with her driveway. Strange how people can be sometimes. After we finished her driveway we were pretty wet and quite done. We drove over to Ash's place to dry off and have a hot chocolate. Around 4pm we headed home, we dropped off M and then K dropped me off. I decided to do another hour and a half of wii fit bring it to a total of two hours and then watch a movies and go to bed early. K asked if we would help do a couple more driveways tommorow because the Snow Angels group really needs the help right now with all this crazy weather. Since I said I would I will probably just go to bed early after my movie and get plently of sleep.

Snowstorm. Jan 18

Today I woke up this morning to hearing my computer beeping at me. The power had gone out, it took until 8:30am. I checked my weight when the power came back on. I was excited to see I had lost another pound. I did 30 minutes of wii fit and tidy my place a bit. I watched a little tv, went on facebook, text back and forth with Jay, J and K. I read some of my Nora Roberts books and took a nap. All day long I pretty much did nothing and a little of everything. I am really excited for snowboarding at Hemlock. We are only going if the temperature is between -1 and -4 degrees. Then the day of snowboarding will still be fun. It's -10 degrees and it is way to cold to make doing anything fun.

Second snow day. Jan 17

Today I woke up around 5am and text my boss to ask if work was open today. He said no and I went back to sleep. I slept until later in the morning and then watch two movies, "Abduction" and "The Ides of March." I text back and forth with K for a while and then took a shower. I bought and watched the new show "Alcatraz - Pilot / Ernest Cobb" off itunes. I sleep through most of the afternoon and then went on facebook for a while. Mostly it was just a relaxing day. In the evening I did 1 hour of wii fit and then cleaned my place. I really love the feeling of a freshly cleaned house. I will have to call work in the morning and find out if I will be going into work or not. Either way I have Thursday off. K and I are going to Hemlock for ladies free day of snowboarding.

Snow day. Jan 16

Today I got up and the world was covered in beautiful white, crisp snow. I left for work early cause I figured that it would probably take longer to get to work. I was at work for two hours before my boss said that I could go home because work was so slow. I went home and got back into bed. Later in the morning dad and I went to the bottom of the hill for a few groceries. Apparently it is suppose to get more snowy and stormy before it stops. I spent most of the day watching episodes of Being Human and hanging out. I talked to Jay on facebook for a bit and then talked to K too. She said YAs was going to be canceled this week cause the roads are really bad right now. I did some Wii Fit and then watched a movie before bed. I hope that we have no work tommorow too.

Church and snowboarding. Jan 15

Today was a terrific one. This morning I slept in a little later than usual. Then I got ready and went to the 10:30 Main Street service. I sat with J, K and M. The service and the worship were totally terrific. Jay lead worship. Shawn preached his second service of his series on the Holy Spirit. It's a totally amazing topic. Are you open to allowing the Holy Spirit to enter and reside in you? Deep questions. After the service I stop and grabbed a subway sandwich before heading over to Jay's to meet him and J and load up his car to head out to Seymour for the day. We arrived at the mountain around 2pm and shortly after that were starting our first run down the mountain. The wait lines at the ski lifts were a little long at first but by the fourth run they were much shorter. Around 5pm we called it a day cause J had to be back in town at 6pm to pick up her kids. We ended up getting in 7 runs and all in all it was pretty great. I got home at 6:30 and got changed and then K came by and picked me up for a service at Christian Life Assembly's 7:30 service. It was amazing, great message and equally great worship team. Afterward we stopped by a Starbucks got our drinks and the cranked the Phil Wickham and Hillsong music all the way back home. For me it was a pretty amazing day. I went to bed feeling fantastic. I am so blessed to have such great friends and live in a country that not only allows me to freely worship my God but also has such amazing beauty and thrilling mountains to snowboard.

Shopping. Jan 14

I woke up a little sore this morning but feeling pretty good all the same. I laid in bed for a bit and then got up and checked my weight. So happy!! My weight went down, finally! This last week was somewhat frusterating for me. I text K and asked if we were still on for shopping in Vancouver today. She said for sure. We both got ready and then she met me at my house about an hour later. We drove out to North Vancouver and went to a couple of snowboarding shops and found some really good deals. On the way back we stopped in Langely and went to a Surf, Snow and Skate store we hadn't been to before. We both found some really cute shoes and I also found a cute tank top and bikini. We stopped at Moxie's for a quick lunch before drive back to Chilliwack. I was a pretty awesome day, full of shopping, talking, and singing out lungs out to my Phil Wickham album. After I got home I watched a little tv and then did a half hour of wii fit. The remainer of the evening I just hung out and did a little of nothing. All in all a pretty fun and relaxing Saturday!

Night boarding. Jan 13

Work went by quite quickly today. I was feeling super happy because J and I were driving out to Seymour after work to go night boarding. I love snowboarding so much and have gone every chance I have gotten this season. So far that's been three times. Once with J, K and Jay, a second time with K and today with J. I went home a grabbed my stuff (gear and snowboard) after work and then headed over to her place. We stopped for gas and some snacks and then headed out to Seymour. We had a totally fantastic evening. We talked the whole way up to the mountain and then got in 10 runs of the Lodge Chair. We did really well, hardly falling at all. The first two times we got off the chair we fell but then the next eight were excellent. We talked and snowboarded the entire evening and had a blast. We stopped for subway sandwiches on the way home and then it started really snowing on the way home. I love the way everything looks and feels when it snows. We got to her house around 10 and then I headed home. The evening was terrific but I was totally tired and a little bit sore by the time I made it home. K had invited us to come over to Logan's when we got back, it was his birthday today, but I was just to tired. I text her to let her know and headed to bed. I can't wait to go snowboarding again on Sunday after the morning service. So excited.

Kid's City props and such... Jan 12

The work day wasn't to bad. It went by at a fairly speedy pace. After work I went to the Main Street campus of PCC to work with Kim on the Kid's City props and designs for this next month theme. I had built two little cars out of cardboard boxes and she had purchased a bunch of race car themed supplies for us to create with. I painted the two "cars" and added headlights and wheels, two hours later they were complete. The painting took several layers on each car because they were made out of cardboard and it tended to soak up the first coat and not cover that well. By the third layer it was looking good. I painted one red and one blue. Then turned out pretty good considering they were cardboard boxes to start with. Kim asked if I'd be interested in doing a week or two a month with the small groups on Sunday mornings at the Main Street campus. She told me what was involved and what I would need to do. I agree that two weeks a month at the Main Street campus would work into my schedule, which still allows me to attend the 9am service at Hillside earlier in the morning. Around 5:30 I headed home, stopping to grab a subway sandwich for dinner first. I laid around for a bit when I got home and then remembered that I promised Lis that I would make her 2 dozen cupcakes for her class tommorow. So I baked the cupcakes and then set them out to cool. I decided I would ice them first thing in the morning before I headed to work. I did 30 minutes of wii fit while the cupcakes were baking and then around 10:30 decided to call it a night. I was excited for Friday to arrive because J and I are going to Seymour after work to go night snowboarding. Yeah! So excited!

Wednesday. Jan 11

The work day went by kinda slowly today. In the afternoon I ended up cleaning the office a little and leaving at 2pm. I meant to run some errands and clean my place but instead I ended up taking a nap when I got home and then watching a couple tv shows before doing 50 minutes of wii fit and then laying around some more. I also intended to go the the "Why and how to read your Bible" topic at the Main Street campus tonight but never ended up leaving the house. I did feel bad that I missed that but at the same time if I had gone I would have also gone out for coffee and treats after with some of my friends and then this morning I would be feeling crappy about my diet. I am excited that I am now offically half way through the work week which means the weekend is almost here and I am that much closer to snowboarding on Friday with J, shopping with K and J on Saturday and then snowboading again with J and Jay on Sunday. This weekend looks busy but promises to be fantastic.

New youth paster. Jan 10

The work day went by fairly quickly today. I did my usual work and the worked on year end and filing for the remainder of the day. After work I went home and watch the newest episode of The Good Wife and then decided to take a short nap before doing some wii fit. I woke up a couple hours later when my cell phone was beeping at me. K was texting me to tell me she'd be picking me up shortly to go and help at the new youth pastor's house to help them unpack their moving storage container. No wii fit for me tonight but seeing as it took nine of us two hours to unload everything into their house I'd say I got my exercise for the evening anyways. After we finished they feed us some dinner and then we all started heading home. K, Ash and I deciede that we still had enough energy to drive out to Abbotsford to go to Vespers before calling it a night. We got there just as they were starting. I was a really good and refreshing evening of worship and praise. I felt good but tired and ready for bed on the drive home. On the way home we discussed our plans for a road trip to West Edmonton Mall in the beginning of July. We dropped Ash back at her car and then K dropped me off at my place. Pretty much right after I got home I climbed into bed and went to sleep. All in all a really good but tiring day.

The beginning of a new week. Jan 9

Today started good. I got up in enough time to shower, blow dry and straighten my hair and make and eat breakfast before I left for work. The morning passed fairly quickly and before I knew it, it was time for my lunch break. The afternoon passed as quickly as the morning had and before long I was heading to the bank to drop off deposits and then was done work for the day. I watch a few tv episodes when I got home and took a short nap before doing a half hour of wii fit. My goal for this week is to do a minimum of 30 minutes of wii fit each day this week. After I finished the wii fit I got ready for YA's and text K to let her know I was on my way to her house to pick her up. We stopped at Tim Horton's quickly for some treats and then were on our way. We had a really good YA's tonight. We started with worship lead by M and J, which was totally awesome. Then we prayed and shared communion. We sang some more songs and shared our hopes for what we want God to do in our lives this year. We shared our weakness and desires for what we would like God to help us with this year. Where we would like to grow and do this year in His name and honor. It was a really amazing night. As each of us shared the group would pray for the person who had shared. It felt great to share with other Christians and have all of us pray for each other. I normally don't feel comfortable praying out loud in groups but after K shared tonight I felt moved by God to pray for her and with her. Afterward she thanked me for praying and having the courage even though she knew it's not in my comfort zone. I think God's presences was strong with us tonight as a group and I know He will use this group and these friendships to do amazing things this year.

A relaxed Sunday. Jan 8

This morning I woke up around eight. I went on facebook for a little bit. Talked to J for a while and asked how the snowboarding was on Saturday. He and a friend went to Seymour. He said it was good, lots of snow but they were only there for two hours because it started ice raining and they were getting soaked. I had planned to go to church this morning but I was having a hard time feeling motivated to get out of bed. Instead I went back to sleep until later in the morning. In the afternoon I decided to set up a new wii fit profile and delete the old one. Now that it is the new year I want a new outlook on my exercise and weight loss progress. I did an hour of wii fit and then relaxed for the remained for the day and evening. I am really looking forward to making the kind of progress that I want to achieve this year, both in my weight loss, being physically fit as possible and my other goals for this year. I can feel this year will bring big changes and I can't wait to get there.

Saturday plans. Jan 7

Saturday started out fairly quiet. I slept in, then got up and showered and then went back to bed. I got up later in the day and went on the swing for a while. Then I came back inside and did an hour of wii fit while tidying and cleaning my place. I went for a 4km walk on the hill and then to the store for a few groceries. I rented "I am Four" and was almost at the end when it started acting stupid. I did have enough energy to try and make it cooperate so I bought "V is for Vengence" on audiobook and then listened while falling asleep.

A quiet day. Jan 6

I worked a couple of hours this morning but went home around 9:30am because I wasn't feeling well. I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a couple of things and the went home to bed. I slept most of the afternoon and then met with K at 2:30pm. We went for a 4 km walk at the Rotary Trail for some fresh air, exercise and girl time. We talked our little hearts out and then she drove me back home. I was feeling good but tired when I got home. I slept a little more and the watch a few episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I text back and forth with K, J, Ji and M talking and making plans for the following week. I took a bubble bath around 7 and then went back to watch more episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Motivation. Jan 5

I made up a tracking chart for my weight loss for the next five month and then decided that I would need something motivational to keep me on track so I ordered a beautiful dress from Victoria Secret for my friend M's wedding in the end of May. It is really gorgeous and I got it in a jeweled blue. It almost looks like a short, straight strapless dress except it has one shoulder strap. I have wanted it for a while but had no where to wear it to and didn't feel confident enough to pull it off. It will definately be motivational for me to reach my goal weight by her wedding.

Winter. Jan 4

Today was fairly good. Nothing super great to report but nothing really negative either. I worked 7 to 1:30 and then headed home. I was going to run a few errands today but it was raining so hard I really couldn't motivate myself to get in and out of the car a bunch of times. Instead I went home. I took a nap when I came home and then watch this year's Doctor Who Christmas special "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe." I took a shower cause I was feeling like I needed it and then climbed back into bed. That's one thing about winter. If I am not snowboarding or at work I have a tendency to want to climb into bed. Wether to watch tv, read a great book or just take a nap. It seems if I don't have plans in the winter you can find me in bed.

Back to work. Jan 3

This morning was my first back at work since last Wednesday. Getting out of bed and getting ready for work wasn't as hard as I feared but it did feel a little strange. The first four hours of my shift went by quickly as I had invoicing and some other paperwork to catch up on from the holidays. The afternoon went a little slower but before I knew it, it was time to head home. I admit when I got home all I really did was laze around and watch tv for the rest of the day. I think for the rest of this week I will actually try to get things done and do fun things. Today after work I plan to stop at Verses and pick up the new Paul Wickham cd, then stop at the grocery store and pick up a few items before heading home. I also think I am going to take today to clean my place top to bottom. Getting all those fun things like dishes, laundry and vacuuming done. I don't really like doing it but I love the way it feels when it's done and everything is spic and span. Then Thursday I think I am going to go swimming at the Cheam Centre at night. Friday maybe I'll convince K to go see a movie with me. And then on Saturday maybe I can talk J into going snowboarding for the day. That would just make my week terrific. Then Sunday I'll go to the 10:30am Main Street service and maybe for lunch afterward...

Snowboarding day... Jan 2

So Ka and I finally went snowboarding this morning. I went in the beginning of December and then had plans to go with people during the month and the plans kept getting canceled for various reasons and it was starting to drive me a little bonkers. But finally this morning Ka and I drove the hour and a bit to Mount Seymour, bought our day passes and hit the slopes. We did 5 runs on the fairly easy hill and then made our way to the lodge to get a drink and some food. Then we headed back out to the hill for some more snowboarding. A couple of runs later we were getting tired seeing as the Mystery chair is longer than the Lodge chair we were doing earlier. Around 2pm we headed back to the car and loaded up our gear and headed out. We decided that we felt like getting an early dinner in Vancouver before heading home. We drove around a little trying to decide and finally settled on the Catus Club in the city. The food is good and not terribly expensive. On the walk back to the car we saw there were some sales and stopped to do a little shopping. Soon after that we started the drive home. We stopped at a Starbucks for a little pick me up and the talked and sang along with Hillsong all the way back to Chilliwack. All in all it was a terrific day. Couldn't ask for a better final day off before the work schedule starts again.

Day with the girls. Jan 1

So today has been terrific. A great start to the new year. The service this morning was fabulous and the worship was awesome. After the service K, M, Ji and I went to Abbotsford for lunch. The plan was to grab a quick and yummy lunch at Wings. We were throughly disappointed to discover they were closed. Of course, then we remembered that Abbotsford has a Swiss Chalet and all was good again. We had delicous food and talked and visited for a couple hours. Eventually we headed back to Chilliwack were we said our goodbyes and headed out. Ji and I met up at the mall and did a little shopping and soon enough K texted me and asked if we were at the mall too cause she wanted our opionion on a sweater she was trying on. We soon after made our way over to the Payless shoe store. K decided she wasn't seeing any shoes she wanted and headed home while Ji and I continued trying on shoes for a while longer. We then made our way over to the Sears and shortly after said our goodbyes and headed home. I have to say for the first day of the new year it has been pretty terrific so far. Plus the fact that tommorow K and I will be heading out to Seymour to go snowboarding and I can finally try out my new board. So excited I can hardly wait!!

A new year begins... Jan 1

And so a new year has begun. I have to admit I am fairly excited. I just have this overwhelming feeling that this year is going to be fantastic. Full of changes and adventures. This morning I am awake at 5am unable to sleep any longer. I am going to the 10:30 service this morning at Main Street. I always love the new years day service. We usually watch a video recapping the previous year and the Shawn does a sermon about looking toward the future or something or that kind. I am curious to what it will be this year. I am going to start this day right this year. I am going to eat three main meals with no snack, seeing as over the holidays I have had plenty, and I am going to drink enough water and do both 30 minutes of wii fit and go for a walk after the service is over this morning. I also think I am going to finish organizing and cleaning my place. I am slightly addicted to the feeling of a really well cleaned and organized living enviroment. It gives me the feeling of a fresh start and a clear head space. Two things that are important for the beginning of a new year. Above all I plan to enjoy today, take some pictures and relax. I plan to enjoy every day of 2012 to the fullest and experience all that it has to offer.

Dec 31, 2011

It's the end of another year and as many others I find myself looking both into the new year and back at the past one. This year was both fairly life changing. The beginning of the year started as many do, filled with plans and aspirations of the future. I had a busy schedule planned out. I planned to complete the Bookkeeping for Small Business Certificate. The way the courses were lined up I would be taking courses from the end of January to the end of August. One would end and the next would immediately start. I was excited. I knew it would make me a little broke (money-wise) and tired because I was going to still be working full-time during this school schedule, but still I was excited. And so it began. I would work Monday through Friday 6am to 2pm and then go to college Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 9:30 and do homework inbetween when time allowed. It started off well. I like the subject matter, in fact, I worked with it each day at work so I was able to apply what I was learning each day at work, which was a definate benefit. After the first couple of weeks things were still going well. In February my work situation changed slightly when we got a new supervisor and general manager at work. At first things were ok. I work in a male dominated work enviroment so I am slightly used to ranchy comments and that kind of behavior. Unfortunately, you do get used to it after awhile. The problem arose when the new supervisor took that behavior to a whole new level. He would always comment on how we looked and say inappropriate things towards us. We asked him to stop and told him that it made us feel uncomfortable but he would just ignore and continue on the same. The work and school schedule continued its brutal pace and the work enviroment not only didn't get better but got worse. We continued to ask him to stop his behavior but he continued to brush it off. In May I got sick for a couple days, as I guess could be expected considering my schedule. I knew things had truely gotten out of hand when I was leaving work because I was ill and the supervisor propositioned me grosely as I was leaving. Not only was he totally and completely inappropriate but I was visibly sick, honestly! The next couple of months pasted much the same expect I was not longer sick which was a slightly improvement. The other unfortunate thing was because of my crazy schedule I had to withdrawn from my splurge group which is something I loved, but with how much I was working, going to school and trying to do homework and still have my family and friends and Young Adult's group it just wasn't possible for me to fit it in. In June I became friends with a guy I knew from church. His friendship became something I valued. After my crazy and sometimes draining work days I would talk to him for an hour or so before heading off to school or doing homework. He encouraged me and talked me through those crazy times. We continued to be friends through the summer. We moved our friendship to the kissing kind until it became more clear to me that as much as we connected well and like each other he wasn't in a place to start a relationship. I didn't want to hurt myself on purpose so we both withdrew back to being just friends. I admit we slipped up a few times but mostly we were able to just be good friends. At the end of June and beginning of July I had finally reached the end of my rope with the inappropriate behavior at work. I finally had it out with the supervisor about his behavior and how he had to stop and it was not ok. He reacted just as I thought he would and screamed at me and trying to blame me for it. First like I had encouraged his behavior and when that didn't work he claimed I was blowing it out of proportion. When it finally got through to him and I had alerted my boss, who was out of town for the last five months, of the situation he finally seemed to get the message. He went back to his office and stayed there for a while. Finally he wrote an apology letter and said he was taking responsibility for his actions and would stop this behavior. Things did get somewhat better, although for the following week afterward he kept coming to my office and trying to get me to absolve him of it or something. I told him that I acknowledged his apology but that he needed to keep his distance and only talk to us about work related things and such. A couple weeks later he started acting work appropriate. In the end of August I had finally completed my classes and couldn't have been happier. I was also excited to go on vacation with a girlfriend of mine. We had been planning since the end of last year to go to Las Vegas since neither of us had been before. We went towards the end of September. It was great. We went for five days and had a blast. It probably wasn't the same as most peoples trips to Vegas but was great for us. We spent a majority of our time at the pool, we were staying at Plant Hollywood and they have a terrific pool. We met different people each day and
would hang out with them at night. We went for dinner, went dancing at the club in our hotel and generally had a fantastic time. The one small downer was that my digital Canon camera went missing / got stolen about a day into our time there but D still had her camera and we were having a great time. Soon we were flying home and enjoying being home as much as we had enjoyed being on vacation. October was a great month. I turned 27 and had a terrific birthday, I never been one of those people to be scared to be turning another year older. I love birthdays, always have. In October I started hanging out with a couple of people from my Young Adults group more regularly. K and M being the main ones. Now that I was done with school I have more time on my hands. I would go to Young Adults on Monday nights, which is a mixture of Bible study and hanging out with others between the ages of 20 and 30. On Tuesdays K, M, A, her friend and I would go to Vesper's in Abbotsford and sing our hearts out. Then then rest of the week I would hang out with my family and other friends. The end of November was great. I went snowboarding for the first time in years and loved it so much. A couple of weeks later I bought my own snowboard and boots. I can't wait to go more this during the rest of the season! December was full of friends, family, Christmas events and services and general holiday stuff. In the beginning of December Dad and I drove to Everret, WA and saw a Michael W Smith concert. We both love his music and have never seen him live before so it was sort of an early Christmas present to ourselves. It was fantastic! Christmas eve was terrific. I helped K and L set up the Main Street location with trees and we spent about three hours lighting and decorating the fifteen or so trees. At night I went to the 5 o'clock Hillside service. It was really good! After the service my family and I had apps and exchanged Christmas presents. Christmas day was a fairly quiet one. My best friend T, who I had plans with was feeling sick and had to cancel. I spent the day hanging out watching movies and such. In the afternoon my sister Lis and I went for coffee and the hung out til the evening. The following week was great too. I got the majority of it off from work and just lazed around and watched movies and hung out with friends. Yesterday K and I went shopping and then to see "War Horse." It was so good and may have made me cry a little. I am not entirely sure what I have planned for tonight but I do know that this past year has been eventfully. There was the good, the bad, the interesting and the life changing. The good was enjoyed, the bad made me stronger in myself and my faith, the interesting made me laugh and the life changing was in the gaining of terrific friends and the strenghting and and trust in my savior Jesus and my faith in Him who contols all things. This coming year is going to be great. I can feel it already. Can't wait to see the things to come...