Phoenix Project: Day 1

I have come up with a name for this new positive direction: Phoenix Project. The phoenix is a mythical creature that, at the end of its life, is burnt to ashes and out of those ashes rises a new, young (ha ha--don't I wish!) phoenix. I certainly feel like I've crashed and burned but it's time to rise up, better than before!

As for my positive moment of the day...Lukas and his ninjitsu class decided to raise money for Haiti by doing as many push ups as they could in 10 minutes. Lukas, being 6, had some difficulty understanding the tragedy in Haiti but really wanted to participate. He's been practicing over the last week and today he completed 167 push ups!! We are so proud of him for his effort! His practice total before today was about 90 so he really worked very hard tonight!

Kailyn also contributed to fundraising for Haiti. She sold Valentine cookie grams and thanks to donations from Grandma and Aunt Sherry, we have a TON of cookies to give away!

I am really pleased with the efforts both kids have made to help others who are suffering.

The Truth

I've had a few comments here and there (not mentioning any names...Starr) about the lack of posts on my blog. I've been thinking about this for a while now and I think it's time to tell the truth--just put it all out there. So, here goes...

The last few years have been...challenging (which is an understatement). It was 3 years ago that we decided to move 3000 km away from our home, our family and our friends. Why? Most of you know that we are very religious and, even though it may sound crazy (especially given all we been through), we moved away because we felt like it was the right decision for our family. So, with no job, no place to live and no idea what we getting into, we jumped with complete faith into the unknown.

The last 3 years have included 4 different homes, 3 different schools for our kids, 6 jobs (between Bob and I), 1 broken leg and unbelievable debt. This has been discouraging, frustrating, aggravating and at times I wonder if we made the right decision. BUT, in these last 3 years we have also experienced a plethora of blessings: financial help from family and friends, new friendships, strengthened seasoned friendships, spiritual growth, leadership opportunities, and many miracles that have happened on a regular basis.

Sometimes, my dark and twisty soul likes to focus on the negative things...the difficult things and unfortunately, sometimes has become too often. I've allowed myself to become cynical and pessimistic instead of focusing on all the good things that this experience has brought me. I'm not the person I want to be. I’ve found it really difficult to blog because I have nothing to say—nothing that I really want anyone to know. I felt that people (family and friends) would judge me for making such a crazy decision to move out here, beg me to move back (which I don’t feel good about doing), pity me for our run of bad luck (I don't want to be looked at with pity or like I'm broken) or perhaps would be disappointed in negative person I’ve turned into.

So in an effort to purge the negative and re-adjust my focus, I will be starting my own challenge. I will be actively seeking the good things, God's tender mercies, and chronicling them here (which means hopefully there will be a lot more updates). I'm hoping that through this adjustment I can become the person I want to be!

Makeover

Here's a picture of me this summer at Heather's "wedding" with the Condron Ladies...I'm the blonde one!

Today I went for a makeover! A friend of mine works for a magazine and she was looking for people to go and have makeovers. I went for the before shot this morning and then it was off the salon for hair colour and cut and makeup. I went straight from back to the photo studio for the after shot. On the way home I stopped by my friend, Jayden Cartwright's house for few more photos...

Girls Camp

Last week I was able to attend girls camp as a leader. For anyone that knows me at all, you know that I really don't like camping...unless it's in a hotel, with room service. But, I went and had lots of fun with the girls and the other leaders. Here's a few pics of the "camping experience":

me and "Opa" trying to keep the bugs away me working on my emergency shelter. Opa and I had to teach a class to some of the girls on how to make an emergency shelter. With a little help from google, we were able to create a masterpiece!
Opa posing for a pic

me inside the poncho shelter

Opa

both of us in the shelter

we were so proud of our shelter that we gave it a name "Chateau Poncheau" for all your emergency needs! here's me, taking advantage of the hood window!

I wouldn't do it unless Opa did it too!

Here's one of our girls getting right into it!

Here's our wonderful students and their version of Chateau Poncheau.

On our last day, the leaders organized a mock disaster and the girls had to quickly adapt and respond to the scenarios presented to them. Here's JP looking a little injured.

Group shot on our final campfire. The girls were amazing and the leaders were exhausted by the end of the week.

Kailyn's Ballet Photo

Here's Kailyn's 2009 ballet photo. This is her second year of ballet but her first year at the new ballet studio. She has done really well this year thanks to her wonderful teacher. This year they preformed a version of Alice in Wonderland. Kailyn's class were cards (obviously).

Photo Update

We've been really busy over the past couple of months with lots of house guests. First, my Mom came in April then Christa and Zoe in May and Allyson, Jeremy, Alexis, Jaxon and Rylee in June. We've had tons of fun and spent lots of time at Canada's Wonderland and the beach at Grand Bend. Here's some pictures:

Kailyn, me, Zoe, Lukas, Bob and Christa at Wonderland.

Lukas, Kailyn and Zoe at the beach.

Zoe

Zoe again

me, Lukas, Bob and Kailyn at Wonderland

Rylee, Jeremy, Alexis, Jaxon and Allyson at Wonderland

Lukas, Scooby, Rylee, Alexis and Kailyn

Rylee taking nap at the beach

The kids heading into the FREEZING cold lake

Lukas, Jaxon and Jeremy relaxing on Swan Lake

Kailyn and Alexis in the second car and Jaxon and Lukas in the first one...these kids are so funny!

Allyson and I getting ready for the rollercoaster!

Jaxon and Lukas

Allyson and I--obviously, I'm trying to keep her calm during a terrifying ride.

Our favorite sign at Wonderland...

Jaxon, Rylee, Lukas, Alexis and Kailyn

Finally...

This is for all my loyal and faithful readers...all 3 of you. I haven't really posted anything since October so there's a lot to catch up on and I'm not really sure where to start. Here's a quick chronological review (which I may fill in with better detail later).

I had my last birthday in November...I turned 29. This is it. This is the end. Much to my disappointment, I can feel my youth dissipating each day. I am officially getting old. I didn't really think it would hit me that hard but I was wrong! When people would ask me my age, they would seem surprised and now when I say I'm 29 they get this look. It resembles a look of pity and it is almost always accompanied by a sad shake of the head...Hopefully I'll be able to keep things in perspective and be too overwhelmed by my accumulating age.

I was offered a job!! This is very exciting news for us. I was really concerned about even looking for a job because jobs are scarce out here and the wages are much lower. I really didn't want to have to find work at a crappy retail store. I wanted to be able to work flexible hours with good pay and be able to be at home at night with the kids. Bob let me know that one of the office assistants was let go and asked me to bring a resume down to the office. I printed up a quick resume and took it in. They interviewed and hired me in just a couple of days. It is a fantastic job! The wages are amazing and they allow me work when Lukas is at school so I can be at home when he is. So, Bob and I both working for the same company.

We also had Christmas!! We were all able to fly back to Calgary and spend Christmas with our family and friends. The kids were so excited. When we asked Kailyn what she wanted for Christmas she told us that she wanted to spend it with Grandma--she was so shocked and surprised when we told her about our plans to go back.

Bob and I just got back from a beautiful trip to Jamaica! We've never been able to take a trip together and it was a fantastic getaway for the two of us. I got my very first stamp in my passport!! The weather was great--not too hot. I didn't come back with a sunburn! We relaxed on the beach, took tours, climbed the "Famous Dunn's River Falls" and ate a ton of amazing food.

I realize this is a very condensed version of life for the last several months but life has been really busy and I am trying to get my groove back. I seem to spend every day catching up. I usually work every other day so on my work days I'm catching up on things I missed from the day before and when I'm home I'm trying to catch up on laundry, cooking, cleaning (which I hate) and of course, visiting friends. I will make a better effort at updating the blog on a more regular basis...maybe...if I have time...

Wait Just a Little Longer...

Friends check every once and while to see if your blog is being updated...REAL friends leave comments like, "Ummm Halloween was months ago...get to work!" Unfortunately for my REAL friends, you'll have to wait just a little longer. I started a job in December I am trying to get my new groove. On Monday morning Bob and I will be heading to Jamaica for a week courtesy of my sister, Elizabeth.

Hang in there--I promise I'll post and update everything when I get back!! For my friends, Dee, Starr and Debbi, even though I neglect my blog, I check yours every day!!

Be back in a couple of weeks!

Halloween

Bob loves Halloween. It's his favorite holiday--in the real world, Halloween isn't a holiday but in Bob's world it would be! Last year he was the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera. He actually starts planning what he's going to do for Halloween a whole year in advance. We'll be sitting, eating our children's candy after they go to bed and he'll be scheming over what costume to wear for next year!

A couple of weeks ago I asked him why he couldn't apply that same planning and attention to our anniversary that he gives to Halloween. He simply said, "Halloween ONLY comes ONCE a year..."

Yep, it made no sense to me either! Gotta love Hot Bob! Our compromise is that I will start showing more enthusiasm for Halloween when he starts showing enthusiasm for our anniversary...

You Asked for It!!

I have had several people ask me about my weight loss so let me back up a little and fill you in on the whole story.

Several years ago we took our kids and spend the summer in California. I was still carrying a little leftover baby weight from Lukas but I was determined to lose it while I was down there. I was success in losing weight but not in keeping it off. This is me and my sisters during my skinny Cali days:
For the next 4 years I gained weight despite the fact that I was constantly trying to lose it. I tried EVERYTHING to get it off. I signed up at a gym. I hired a personal trainer. I tried several diets. I signed up at a different gym. I would do 1 hour of cardio and 1 hour of weight training 5 days a week. Still no weight loss. I know that muscle weighs more than fat but my back fat was still exploding over the back of my pants.

After we moved out here the pounds just kept coming until I weighed the same amount as I was the day before Kailyn was born. This was incredibly depressing. My clothes no longer fit and I was sinking lower and lower.

I started going to the gym again. I started working with a trainer...again. I started journaling my food intake and after 6 weeks and all the self control I lost...2 pounds. 2 STINKING POUNDS!! I sacrificed chocolate...I sacrificed popcorn...I cut back carbs for 2 pounds!!

My brother in-law, Richard (is opening a Gold's Gym out here) was listening to me complain...again...about my fat situation. He had been approached by a company that wanted the gym to carry it's products. Richard was going to do some research and try it out himself. But out of kindness, or a sincere effort to stop my complaining, he asked me to give it a test run.

This is my friend, Jillayne and I in March right before I started working out:I was desperate. I had no other options. I'd tried everything else.

The program I'm on is called Isagenix and basically it is a cleansing diet. Our bodies are filled with toxins (some of those are environmental and some are things we eat). As a natural defense, our bodies surround these toxins in fat to prevent them from entering into our blood stream causing more harm and damage. The cleanse removes the toxins and the fat comes off.

I still exercise. I still try to eat healthy and get rest. I don't feel hungry or deprived and I still eat junk, just not as much and not as often. The biggest difference I noticed was my energy and endurance. I could barely jog a block without being winded. About 3 weeks after I started with Isagenix I went out for my jog. I would do a walk/jog for about 3.5 km. I got to my first "rest stop" but I wasn't tired so I kept going. I got to the next "rest stop" but still wasn't tired. I kept going and jogged NON-STOP for 5.2 km! Never in my life had I ever done anything like that before.

I am happy. I am healthy. I AM HOT!! I love it!

Let me know if you have more questions. I'd be happy to answer them!!

...But Now I'm Found!!

It took:
1 husband
6 kids and
1 metal detector
45 minutes to find
2 rings in
8 inches of leaves and grass!

I can't believe they found it!! So I put them on for a quick picture and now they're off until I can take them in to be sized. Miracles happen!

I've Lost It...

Yesterday we spent the afternoon taking hundreds, yes hundreds, of pictures. After I finished my post last night I called my Mom (who has been requesting more pictures) to let her know I put the new pics on the blog. While I was talking to her, I looked down and noticed that my wedding rings were missing from my finger. I'd mentioned to Bob a few weeks ago that my rings were loose and spinning around my finger but, I didn't do anything about it.

Right now my rings are out on the lawn somewhere. Hopefully we'll be able to find them soon. Bob is bringing home a metal detector from work to check the lawn. Bob and Kelly searched through all the pictures to find ones where I'm still wearing my ring and ones where it's missing. Here's one of the last pictures when you can see my ring...

Then we had this HUGE leaf fight on the lawn...

Then we dog piled Richard and in this picture my ring is missing...Keep your fingers crossed...

Finally, a new post!

Yes, I know how horrible I've been...and I know it's been over a month since my last post. Here's the update:

Bob was finally offered a full time permanent position with the environmental company that he's been working for (yes, the same on that drove over him). He loves his job. He's been travelling all over Ontario for work so we haven't seen him a lot this past month. Bob's also busy working with the Young Men at church. In his spare time (ha! like he has spare time!) he could be found reading or catching up on Heroes.

Kailyn has started grade 3 and is making friends in her class. She started back at ballet and taking piano lessons. She also started attending Activity Day Girls with the other kids from her church class. She loves to read and just finished the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles.

Lukas is in Senior Kindergarten, which means that he's at school all day every other day!! He has the same teacher that he had last year and he seems to be doing much better. He is sleeping much better at night and so he's much more relaxed and has less headaches. He has several little friends that he enjoys visiting, Claire and Simon are at the top of his list.

Now me. Well, in June I started a cleansing diet that helped me lose 25 pounds over the summer. My wonderful husband commented that I must have so much energy now that I don't have to carry around a huge sack of potatoes everywhere I go. He was trying to give a compliment and it totally crashed and burned. But, I feel great and I'm so much happier with my appearance. I workout at the gym 2-3 times a week, I've been helping Kelly to paint the kitchen and then all the usual "Mom" stuff...laundry, supper, chauffeuring children to different lessons. Enough about me...Here's a few pictures that we took today! A big thank you to Jayden for coming out and helping us get a "few" pictures!