a lot has happened since then.. where to start. hmm.

well, on may 12th, jason and i left for europe with one of the families i nanny for. we went with t and k and their parents. luckily we weren’t sitting with them on the flight – t got air sick and k wasn’t able to sleep, even though it was an overnight flight. i, on the other hand, had a decently peaceful sleep! minus being woken up for a bit for a bite of amazing cheesecake. but hey, who can complain about that?! (jason was enjoying his on-board meal and thought the cheesecake was so good i had to try it)
we landed in london, but didn’t get a gate and had to walk onto the tarmac and take a bus over to the terminal. while going through customs i made the mistake of being honest. “what’s the reason for your trip?” “i’m here with the family i nanny for back home to help them out” was my response, which just led to the guy thinking i needed a work visa. in the end, i explained that i wasn’t being paid/receiving any compensation in europe and i think i confused him so he just waved us through. i learned to just say it’s a vacation after that one!
london was good. jason and i explored lots, i saw lots of the typical sight-seeing things. i ate haggen-daas for dinner two nights. and as dessert one night. we saw phantom of the opera (amazing!) we took the kids to a few cool playgrounds (i love london playgrounds!) and also to the tower of london to see the suits of armours, crowns and jewels and other things… though we avoided the dungeon where they show torture chambers. i figured that wouldn’t go over very well!
we took the chunnel to paris after 7 days in london. paris was alright, not my cup of tea though. i don’t speak any french aside from counting to ten and saying that i am a pizza with cheese. we did the typical sight-seeing here too, along with lots of walking. we didn’t take the metro at all… which wasn’t too bad. paris is very small in size, for the places we wanted to go to anyway. i did take the metro one day though. jason got food poisoning on the day we were supposed to go to disneyland. we swapped days to have the kids that day (and the next day off) and while he stayed home, i ventured to the zoo and playground with the kids. it was too far for 4 year old legs to make it there and back, and not lead to grumpiness, so we took the metro. eurodisney, btw, is trash. if you ever get the chance to go… don’t. go to california’s disneyland instead! (love love love it there!)
after five days in paris, we said goodbye to the family who were headed home. jason and i were on our way to rome for three days. rome was nice. first of all, we arrived by air and then took the train into the city from the airport. we had to lug our oversized suitcases (we are never traveling with more than carry on from now on!) through romes busy streets, bumpy and uneven sidewalks and crazy amount of people. i was also dressed for paris weather, where it was 15 degrees… rome was easily 30 degrees at that moment. finally found the hotel, checked in. and then jason proposed! (i said no. seriously, i did!) well, that was an interesting start to rome! we ventured out that evening, after hiding in the air conditioned room with some take-away pizza from around the corner. spent a day at the vatican. and a day at the colosseum and forums area. again, not taking metro anywhere… rome was huge, walking distance wise. luckily, our hotel was decently central.
next stop venice! if i ever have to go back to europe (please don’t make me!) i would want to go back to venice. absolutely. we took the train from rome to venice and then a water bus to the hotel. i, as usual, got us lost and it took a bit longer to get to the hotel. but that’s okay. lugging suitcases up and down stairs through crowded roads is fun… *cough* we explored that night. i loved it. walking through the endless little roads (calling them sidewalks doesn’t make sense… but they aren’t roads either since they don’t have cars there….) venice is exactly what you picture it being from looking at pictures and seeing it in movies. nowhere that i have been has been true-to-film like venice was! and it’s so neat to just aimlessly explore. i love love love it! we explored a few sight-seeing things. ate lots of gelato. ate even more pizza and pasta.
and then we got to have a fun trip home! between the trip to the airport, the waiting, flight to london, more waiting, flight home and then customs and the drive home, it was 23 hours. ugh. at least duty free in london gave out free shots! after not eating all day, being tired and not drinking more than a couple times a year, the three free vodka drinks we got at duty free really made the search for food hard… we were giddy and lost in heathrow!
don’t get me wrong, i enjoyed europe, looking back at it. but we don’t travel well. we just wanted to be home with our kitties, sleeping in our own bed. london, paris and rome are all places that i wouldn’t go to a second time. i’ve seen it once, i don’t need to see it again. venice, on the other hand, is somewhere i’d love to go back to, if i ever was in the neighbourhood. so never, but that’s okay! it’s on the list!

in july i went up to visit my mom and her boyfriend, kevin, in the yukon. jason and i drove up. it wasn’t as nice of a drive as i hoped. there wasn’t much in the way of things to see. and towns were far and few between. i had to pee at one point, and had to wait two hours for a bathroom! seriously?! that’s just mean. there was no way i was going on the side of the road. there were bears, moose, porcupines, bison and other wildlife we saw along the way. i’m not going out there!!
we got to yukon on day two, at nearly midnight (sorry mom!) after realizing that i couldn’t get my payphone calls to go through to my mom’s house because they don’t have 10-digit phone numbers, i finally got through. we met at the tim hortons and she led the way to her place. we did some sightseeing with her the next day and with her and kevin in the evening. we went to skagway, alaska one day… basically just for lunch. we looked in a few of the stores, but it was just the usual tourist junk. mom took us to tagish, where they have a cabin, another day. we did some fishing and kayaking. i caught a fish! it was tiny but jason didn’t catch any so i have to at least gloat about the fish i  mom had to return to the water, since i wouldn’t dehook it. it’s pretty up there, and i’ll have to go visit again… just next time, i am flying! even though it costs a bit more.

last friday, august 12th, we got a puppy! her name is lilo and she is a five month old corgi pup. she’s really well behaved, and nearly 100% housebroken (well, she probably could be said to be 100%… but she gets excited sometimes…) the cats are not sure what to think. they have been sneaking around the house but they have been coming out to snuggle at night and during the days too, so they are adjusting well. lilo lets them be, for the most part. though sometimes she will follow them when they run past her. since she has short legs she can’t jump up on the couch and the bed, and the cats realize this and use it to their advantage.

the wedding is set for november 11, 2011. 11/11/11. that’s just under three months away. i’ve got my dress. we’ve picked, reserved, paid a downpayment and all that stuff already. we were wanting to do something small, just the two of us, in jamaica but that idea didn’t go through after we looked at the laws, cost of the marriage etc. so instead we decided on vegas, with a few friends. we are currently at 32 confirmed guests. that’s 32 more people than we originally planned (though, don’t think you aren’t welcomed!) neither of us really care for a big, fancy wedding. so we are going to do a simple ceremony without a wedding party and without personal vows, followed by a reception with dancing, buffet and open bar. i still have to get my dress altered… which i should probably plan to get that done this weekend.

i’ve got another 8lbs that i want to lose before the wedding. as of this morning, i am down 80.1lbs from august 2009. i am thrilled! and i think i have lilo to thank for that one! with all the walking i’ve done this weekend, i’ve dropped 2lbs since friday… i’m looking forward to finally hitting my goal weight after nearly a year long plateau!

the youngest i nanny’s mom, jo, has gotten me started on weight watchers. she started it while i was in europe, just with the books, not going to meetings or anything. it seemed like an awesome plan (i always figured you had to join) and so i started doing it too. it worked! i dropped the three pounds i gained from europe. then i went to yukon, gained four pounds and dropped that. now i am back on track. i joined the online weight watchers so i can track it easier (writing it out doesn’t work for me, but the online tracker is amazing, especially with the iPhone and iPad apps!) i’m down 9lbs overall since starting it! it’s great because if i budget for it, having ice cream or chocolate isn’t cheating on the diet! it lets me have some slack for my sweet tooth. oh, and of course there’s also starbucks! i can have that too!

well, i think that is pretty much all that i have to update you on from the past few months! i’ll try to update again soon…. maybe without going mia for three months.

I love how this photo turned out. <3

now i get to graduate onto week two, which i began earlier tonight.
well, let me tell you! it’s so much harder finding the energy to give it my all after a 10 hour shift of a busy day with three kids! i did manage to find the energy though… bribing yourself with starbucks can do that.
the gym was also much more busier than i am used to seeing. which only made me keep at it and not wimp out after the 5 minute warm up. when i go in on saturday and sunday, there is usually no more than… uh… hmm… one, plus two, plus one, minus three. oh right, one. me. that’s it in the mornings when i go. i like to go around 7:30am and i didn’t see a single other person either time. and even on monday, i went right after the morning rush and only saw one other person during my work out (i left just before the lunch hour rush)

i feel good after the run today. if you can really call it that. today was a total of 10 minutes warm up and cool down, 11 minutes power walking and 9 minutes running. either way, it was a good work out. i feel refreshed and on the verge of a muscle cramp. wahoo!

tomorrow will be a break day. in other words, i have a show that i want to watch and i refuse to take any longer to get to watch it than i have to. but back to the gym on thursday and friday.

maybe jason needs to be sent out of town more often.

right now he is in san francisco on a business trip. they sent him down for a conference until friday. well, not actually in san francisco, but that’s where his plane lands and then it’s about a half hour drive from there to redwood city.
with him out of town and an empty house (no offence to the kitties!) i have more reason to go to the gym and work out rather than coming home to an empty house. i’m so glad we live in an apartment! i’ve already been sitting here and picking up on the creepy noises. and have i ever mentioned how much of a wuss i am when it comes to creepy noises?

i think i’ll be sleeping with the lights on tonight! and music on all night to drown out the noises.

oiy, it’s going to be a long three nights….

then spring and summer hit. i stopped going to the gym 3 times a week. i started cycling and hiking. i did the grouse grind. two out of three peaks at the chief in squamish during the same hike. i was biking long distances, at least 60km a week. one time i even biked from my house to the states and back…. a whopping 80+km in one day.

then came fall. i retired my bike and my hiking boots to the storage room for the cold, rainy seasons. and took a break from dieting.

while i still stuck to some light activity (i did a handful of hot yoga classes, went for regular walks and also got into play the kinect for xbox) i got lazy. and my stamina i worked so hard on last year went on a hiatus with my calorie counting.

i managed to not gain too much weight while trying to jump start my metabolism (6lbs, some of which was water weight and dropped off after a couple days of proper eating when i started my diet again at the end of january) my stamina, however, is gone. for running, anyways. i tried going for a couple runs around the neighbourhood and found myself gasping for air just moments in. so it’s time to get back to running and get myself on track.

i love the couch to 5k program. it’s an awesome introduction to running. i used that last time, and while i didn’t follow it exactly, it really helped the first couple weeks. by week 4, though, i was just running as much as i could and then walking for a moment and running for as long as i could again. this time, however, i am hoping to follow through with it and not skip ahead. i’ve already completed week one, day one yesterday. and while i did much better than i thought i would, it was a decently good challenge.

oddly enough, i find it easier to run on a treadmill than outside. so many people have told me that it’s easier on your body outside and that you feel better with the fresh air. while this may be true, i prefer the treadmill. it lets me set a pace so it’s a challenge but i’m not killing myself by running too fast and wearing myself out. when i go running outside, i try to use my Nike+ to run at 5km/h but i usually end up at 5.8km/h and don’t last as long. on a treadmill, it’s hard to run faster than you set.

besides, with the treadmill, i never have to run in the rain! i can read, watch tv or movies and not have to watch for oncoming cars!

last night dashboard confessional were in town. just, not in my town. they were in seattle, about 3 hours south of my town… er, city.

if it wasn’t for the fact that i would have had to take the day off (or at least the afternoon off) to get to seattle for a two hour concert and then drive all the way back home at midnight, i would have been all over the pre-sale of the tickets. that and i think jason would have left me out there for dragging him all the way to seattle to stalk his future replacement.

*sigh*

dashboard confessional is my all-time favourite band. well, if you can call it that. i mean, why you hear dashboard confessional you think of chris carrabba. you don’t really think of the obsolete drummer, guitarist or anyone else. just chris. *swoon* that is unless, of course, you haven’t even heard of them. if that’s the case, please leave my blog. go ahead, click the little x. you’re not welcome here. (i kid, i kid. but seriously, look them up. now.)

i saw them last time they were in town. my amazing boyfriend bought me tickets. and even sat through the concert without complaint. maybe he just feared for his life and enjoys having his limbs attached to his body, but nonetheless, there wasn’t any discussion of leaving early. not only did i get to swoon for an hour and half, but i found a couple new bands (the opening acts) that i liked. and i ran into a couple of friends that was no surprise they’d be there.

i’m hoping next time they come to the west coast, they will include a vancouver show. that would be awesome.

and i would have to book a few days off work to stalk him. and for the jail time. because after all, no sounds like so many other words that it is easy to mishear someone.

feel free to join me! post in the comments with a link to where you’ll be uploading the photos.

RULES :

it doesn’t have to be one photo a day. if you find all 50 on the first day, then you may post all 50 on the first day.
you aren’t allowed to edit the photos to make them work for the criteria. if it asks for a green leaf, you can’t photoshop a red leaf to be green.
you may edit the photos in any other way.
a stranger is someone you haven’t met prior. and after you take a photo of them, they are no longer a stranger and you can’t use them for another photo.
it must have been you that took the photo. you can use timers, remotes or whatever else, but YOU must have pushed the shutter release.

THE LIST :

1. the time 7:44, am or pm, on a digital clock
2. any or all of the harry potter or twilight series books
3. the oldest person in your household
4. a picture of a picture that you took at least a year ago
5. a strangers keychain
6. a child’s shoe
7. water dripping from a tap
8. your phone (cell, home, work, whatever)
9. a dying flower
10. litter, anywhere but in a garbage can
11. a strangers ring
12. a flame
13. the number 6
14. the cover of a newspaper from any day you have work or school
15. someone you know smiling
16. an up-close shot of your eye
17. the letter F (upper or lower case acceptable)
18. graffiti
19. something cooking
20. a fruit, not left whole
21. the view from your bedroom window
22. an electrical socket, with or without something plugged in
23. something sour
24. something sweet
25. a stranger making a shadow puppet
26. a word that caught your eye in a dictionary (book or electronic dictionary count)
27. something the shape of a heart
28. car door handle
29. a tool of some sort
30. someone dancing
31. opposites
32. smoke
33. something being cut with scissors or a knife
34. eye glasses
35. a circle
36. a fire truck
37. board game, in play or set up for the photo
38. railroad tracks
39. starbucks (coffee cup, logo, store, anything to do with Starbucks)
40. a cloud that looks like something
41. a mathematical equation without using written numbers
42. something that begins with the letter L
43. funny expression of someone in your household
44. something written in a language that you don’t speak
45. something you made
46. coffee/tea cup
47. a street sign
48. a bathroom mirror photo of yourself (myspace moment anyone?)
49. ice (natural or manmade)
50. an action shot of someone you know jumping, while midair

my photos can be found here!

An early morning stroll

while i hate to make resolutions, i find that starting a goal on the first of a month helps keep me stick to my guns. so i decided to make goals starting on the first of the year.

what are they? well, they are fairly common goals. nothing special.

1. blog regularly. at least once a week i want to post. even if it is just a speechless sunday or some completely pointless post. something, each week.

2. walk regularly. once the weather warms up and the days lengthen, i want to do at least 45 minutes of walking a day. that can count walking to/from work, but not any of the walking i do *at* work. until then, i will settle with 15 minutes a work-day and 45 minutes on my days off.

3. feel comfortable in my own skin. on new year’s eve 2011, i want to be at my goal weight/size/shape. that’s a long time to lose my final ~20lbs. but it’s not about just losing them, but keeping them off.

4. with that weight loss goal in mind, i am also going to go back to stricter eating and cutting the junk food. i am going to have one cheat day a week, where i don’t have to count calories or make sure i am getting the right amount of protein, carbs and fat. it will be a day i can cave into my cravings. it won’t be an overboard indulging, but a healthy dose of not-so-healthy food.

5. for work, i want to be sure to spend more one-on-one time with the kids. i aim for at least and hour and a half, each, per week. but i could do more. sometimes when it’s quiet and calm, i could be building train tracks or reading or playing barbies with them but instead i usually use that opportunity to do some tidying up or catching up on laundry, which is doable while everyone is running around and being crazy sometimes.

6. take more photos. as if i don’t take enough already, but i mean of us. i have 3 photos of jason and i from last year. and from the last 5 years, we have maybe a dozen. if that. if it weren’t for my progression photos this past year, i would likely only have a few photos of myself. even then, i don’t really think i’ll be flashing those progression photos of myself, aside from the album on FB, which has limited viewers. i have enough photos of nature and random landscape photos.

7. and lastly, i want to save up. i want to get money set aside for future things. school, maybe? i’m not sure yet. while i am not living pay check to pay check, i haven’t been saving up. i could and i should. but after europe. although, until then, i am saving up for europe. so technically, i am saving up already.

what are yours? do you make them each year? have you ever stuck with them for the full year?