Friday, January 28, 2011

I'm the Vice Ruler

When I was in high school I was kind of shy. May people find that difficult to believe, since I certainly stood out. I'm comfortable with my body and the image that I portray from a physical stand point. I have always worn colour, I have been dying my hair un-natural colours since I was about 15 years old, I can be loud, and my laughter is rarely held back....I stand out!
However, I am shy. I find it difficult to have conversations with people that I don't instantly "click" with. I am scared to death of public speaking. I am also very nervous about approaching people I don't know, like when you are soliciting donations, etc. Because of these concerns I never got involved in activities in high school.

In college I moved away from my carefully constructed support system and floundered, HUGE! I had a lot of difficulty making close friends, there isn't a single person except my Ex from my college experience that is anything more than a "facebook friend". I was in class and studying LONG hours for a college program(we averaged 25 hours a week min in class), I had a boyfriend that was in a different program and was not very social. So needless to say I did not take advantage of the social opportunities that were available.

Fast forward to NOW. I am happily living and working in the village that I grew up in. I love my village for it's very strong community spirit, the many activities that are organized here, the closeness of the villagers, and the extreme acceptance that exists here. This is a village that I am proud to call home, that I'm proud to be raising my boys in, and that I want to truly be a part of.

This brings us to last night. A friend who happens to be the President of the Village Community Association asked if she could nominate ME to be Vice President. ME! You know the shy one, the one that has NO experience with social groups, the single Mom that works full time. In spite of all of this, I accepted her nomination because I fully support the important work that they do, and want to be a part of it.
Well wouldn't you know...I was voted in with no challenger.

And so, this weeks "First" for me is becoming involved in a social organization, and I went big!

It's going to be a great year, very busy, but loads of fun!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Year of "Firsts"

It's been almost a year now since my Ex and I separated, there has been a lot of change in that year, a lot of learning, and quite a bit of challenge. I have decided that for the year 2011 I will be trying new things. Of course, I will share my experiences with you all :-)

A few weeks ago as I was sitting, mourning my Birthday on a totally new level while also attempting(for the first time in my life)to plan a birthday party for myself, I realized that I have no idea what "I" like to do for fun. This got me thinking that maybe it was time that I put myself out there and had some new experiences. Over the coming year I will post not only about my "first" experiences, but also just about anything that I do or that happens to me that is a "first".

2011 "Firsts" so far

*I went OUT for new Years Eve -Russell Legion, but was still the first time I've ever gone out

*I spent my birthday"alone" -I was with my kids, then worked, but no adult loved ones. Won't do this again!!!

*I went skating on the canal alone - This was nice, and will be done MANY times in the rest of my life

*I threw my own birthday party - The weather and illness once again decided to fuck this up, but my soup party was great none the less


I hope to do a "firsts" post each week. I would love you all to join me, make suggestions, or even invite me along for one of your "firsts". How about we all spend this year trying new stuff?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The REAL Reason I Need To Get Healthy


Today my Dad would have turned 61. But he didn't. He made it to 47 before he lost his battle with colon cancer , partly due to his profession as a Firefighter and partly due to a relatively unhealthy lifestyle.

In the past 14 years since he died he has missed so much, my family has missed him so much, and I cannot bear the thought of my boys going through what my sister and I have. I don't blame him, I'm not angry with him, I'm just sad.

In 14 years my Father has missed;

-Seeing my sister graduate high school and university
-Seeing me graduate from college
-Sharing my joy when I finally passed my board exams
-Walking me down the aisle on my wedding day
-Holding his grandsons in the first hours of their lives, or any moment afterwards
-Hearing about my sisters amazing travels around the world
-Joining my Mom on her travels around the world
-Meeting the man of my sisters dreams, who is so perfect for her
-The joy of being an "empty-nester" with his wife
-The pride of seeing is daughters turn into responsible adults, instead of the bratty teenagers we were when he died

These are the REAL reasons I will think twice before I eat anything with wheat(I'm intolerant), or drink pop, or skip my veggies, or skip my workout, or consider ordering a meal that is completely deepfried.

Losing weight is a bonus for sure, but is really of very little consequence when stacked beside living to see my boys grow into old men.

Happy Birthday Dad xox

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Bring IT! 2011

So 2010 was a big year for me and my family. A year of changes, of learning new routines, of re-prioritizing. Some of those things have been accomplished, others still need work. I am confident that at this time a year from now I will be so much closer to being the person I want to be, and living the life I really want for myself and my family.

I know that everyone says that in order to actually keep New Years Resolutions they must be few and quite simple. But I'm a list person and in order to keep on track I need to have a few items, that are then broken down into smaller tasks. So here I go....

Happy Family
- declutter my home
- spend more quality time together
- say "yes" more often
- take daily pictures of our life
- visit extended family more often

Happy Work
- send welcome cards to new clients
- create an e-mail database for newsletters and availability
- read more technique books
- go to some Breakfast Business Club meetings

Happy Community
- become more involved with Village Association
- become involved with the local food cupboard
- become involved with PTA
- become more involved with the Creative Wheel Centre

Happy Me
- drop weight
- improve fitness so that biking is more fun
- start doing more yoga
- complete my started crafts
- spend more time with my beautiful and supportive friends
- spend all downtime at work earning my Nutrition diploma
- STOP WASTING TIME

I know it looks like a pretty big list, and it is. Hopefully having it all written down will help me keep on top of it. I'll aim for checking back here every month and with determination and drive I'll be able to scratch a number of items off this list.

Happy 2011 Everyone. Bring It!