Photo Album Updated

I have added a new album to my Yahoo Photo albums.
It's called "Hiking - Baldy Pass". <-- Click Link!
(All these pics were taken with my Fuji FinePix A510. [That I have since returned])

There are a couple pictures of me and Collin in there too.
Enjoy!

Yoga for TWO!

I found this book at Chapters and once I opened it up, I knew I had to buy it!!!

It's great! Click on the pictures below if you want to see some samples of the poses in the book! I can't wait to try them out! They look so soothing and relaxing (as well, you are reconnecting with your partner, which I think you can never get enough of!)

.

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PS... Jenny, the two sample poses pictures are full quality using my Casio Exilim camera... all 7.2 megapixels :) (Set on "Collections" mode.
What do you think?

Sharing out first cold!

Collin got sick at work, and brought it home for me to enjoy as well! Last night I was coughing up a storm! It sucked!!!! I decided instead of going to work today and spread the joy to all MY co-workers, that I'd just stay home and rest up and finish some well needed house work. I'm sure I won't be missed at the office. I finished a pile of work yesterday, and tomorrow was supposed to be my first day of vacation anyways (I made it an EXTRA long weekend :)

I am taking Cold-F/X to try and fight this thing but so far it's just getting worse! :( I have been more sick in the past 4 months then I think I have my whole childhood... what is going on? Are there new strains of bugs out there now that are hard to avoid? Am I just getting old and therefore weak in my immune system capacity? I'd just like to know, because I really wish I could avoid all these sick days! :(

SMILE

I'm going to return the new digital camera I bought, It is the Fuji FinePix A510 and I would not recommend it.

First of all, when you turn it on the mechanics make it sounds like there is sand inside! (Not cool) And second of all, it does have video capabilities, however it only captures 60seconds max at a time and that does not include audio!!!! (Who wants to watch a muted video???)

The photos I took with it turned out ok, but the other features are lacking. I'm returning it for the more expensive (and higher DPI) Casio Exilim Z70...

I'm getting it tonight. I can hardly wait! :)

My First Big Hike: Baldy Pass Trail

Collin and I had a great day yesterday. Despite his knee pain (which he said had subsided) we geared up for a hike in Kananaskis country. We decided on a trail called Baldy Pass. (Trail head near the southern end Barrier Lake, off Hiway 40.) The guide books had it rated as a moderate hike, and one that would take between 3-5 hours return trip (7.4 k total). We brought both my Camelbak's full of water (4L total) and fruit to eat at the top. (We weren't sure how challenging this hike would be.)
It took us 1hr 40min to get to the top pf the pass (3.7k continuous climbing!) There were some tough spots that I just had to stop! My little legs needed a break! (Collin had no problem though... with his long legs and balance he can climb like a billy goat! lol)
I was a bit disappointed by the view at the top, just moutains and trees as far as the eye could see. (Which is pretty spectacular in itself if you've never seen it... I guess I'm getting jaded!) I will post the pictures as soon as I get them off my camera (which I think I will be returning, again! Agghhhh)
It only took us 1hr 10mins to get down! Gotta love gravity!

My bum was a bit sore this morning. I just realized yesterday, that hiking is a lot like walking up a million flights of stairs!
(I must be a glutton for punishment!)

Click here to see pics of our hike

Rollerblading in the rain!

*Update: For those of you waiting for pictures from my bike race in Canmore, wait no more! ---> Here they are!!! <---
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Last night, Collin an I decided to eat in (I BBQ'ed. Jenny, I really need my spices!) and then go for a nice rollerblade in the river valley. We could see a big black cloud off too the West in the distance, but decided to go for it anyways. We managed to get all the way to Eau Claire before the rain started to fall... at first it was just lightly spitting, but shortly after that it started coming down a lot more heavy and constant! I was really scared that one of us would loose our footing and pull a groin so I totally slowed down my pace once the path got really saturated with water. Poor Collin was complaining about his left knee almost from the moment we stepped out on the pavement... He said he's felt this same pain before, but it's been 10 years since he was last on rollerblades! He's not exactly sure what he did before to make the pain go away.

When we got home, we were both wet and cold! Collin poured a hot bath for himself and he soaked his poor leg and back for a while. Poor guy! I don't think the bath actually did much for his pain. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help make the pain go away... and he suggested cutting off his leg. (Eeeek! It must hurt pretty bad!)

However, despite his pain, Collin did say (as we were driving home from the park) "I've been looking for a girl like you all my life! Someone that likes to get out and do stuff, and isn't afraid to get a little sweaty." :) That comment made me super happy! (This makes me think that we have more in common then I originally thought!)

I'm just NOT used to this!!!

Collin and I have seen each other every day since Saturday of last week! I sure hope he doesn't get sick of me... but for some reason, I don't think that will happen! (Actually, I think I'm the one that might get sick of him! LOL ... let me rephrase that... not really sick of him, but sick of the constant entertaining that I feel obliged to do when he's over!)
I can understand that he enjoys my company (as I do his) and I can also understand that he would be way rather be at my place then at 'his' place (which really isn't his, it's his parent's house!)

I am the oldest girl he has dated (oldest meaning in relation to his age, I'm actually older then him. He's only ever dated younger (usually WAY too young) girls. It's already becoming quite obvious to me that eventhough his birth certificate may say he's 28 years old, he's got quite a bit of growing up to do!
Hopefully he can handle my experience and I can bare with his lack thereof.

24 Hours of Adrenalin - Completed for another year!

Yep, I survived! ...Just barely ;)

The race in Canmore this past weekend was a total success. (I will post pics as they get emailed to me!) Unfortunately our youngest (14 y.o) and strongest rider was not feeling well the whole weekend. However, my team still managed to complete 15 laps (the top 5 female team did 24! that's 1 lap per hour! WOW! and the top solo men's rider did 20 laps! These people are machines!!!)
It was a fun, but challenging and tiring weekend. I don't want to sit on my bike seat for a very long time. Hopefully my spin class will understand! haha!
I did go for a massage yesterday, and wow, was it good!!! I need to get more of those! They really help break down the lactic acid in your muscles!

And, I have to tell ya the good news... but me and Collin are "officially dating"! I asked him, "So, when do I get to stop introducing you to people as 'my Friend'?" He said "Whenever you want to!" And then asked "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" :)
Yay!
(Now when he calls me, he greets me with "Hey Baby!" ...Awe!!! I love it!!!)

Race Weekend!

Today I've got a few errands to run before I get out of here for the "24 Hours of Adrenalin" race in Canmore on Saturday and Sunday.

My friend Katz will even be coming out to show her support to the "Boobs to the Tube!" Woo Hoo! Unfortunately Collin has to work on Saturday so he will not be able to come... but I think I'll survive without him for a few days! LOL
I'll make sure to take lots of pictures (since my digital camera is still screwed, I'll be taking them the old fashioned way: 35mm! Yikes!) It will be interesting for sure!


Wish me luck!!! See you all after the weekend!
Go Boobs, GO!

Pleasant surprise to make my day!

I invited Collin over last night. I offered to make him supper. I asked him what he'd like and he said "Surprise me!" So I made my famous pasta and meat sauce, with sides of salad and fresh bread. For dessert, I even popped in a Brownie! (Wow! Betty Crocker, where have you been all my life? LOL) Yup, I really wanted to impress him!
I think it worked... today I came back from teaching my class at noon to a gorgeous bouquet of Gerber daisies (9 flowers in total: 3 red, 3 light pink and 3 dark pink ones) complete in a vase, with a card that reads:
" To Jessica:
...Just because. - Collin "
I had to call him to thank him. He was very happy that I loved the flowers so much! I told him I think this is the most beautiful gift I've ever got from a guy before... he said "Really?" I said "Well ya! I feel so special!" He said "You are special!"

I love it! I'm still kinda in shock that these flowers are for ME!

The relationship just got taken to a whole new level!
Who Knew?

Hanging with my girl!

Yesterday, after work, I went out with katz for dinner (tacos, Yummmy!) and then we did some shopping! We had a great couple of hours together, hanging out and talking about men! (Sounds like she's having lots of fun here in Calgary meeting new guys! She's got 3 dates coming up!!! You'll have to read her blog to get the juicy details!!! ;) (Katz... I'm glad to see you so happy and having so much more fun with work, life and everything else!!! I am really glad you moved here! :)

Yesterday I called Collin in the am to find out where he was (I usually get a phone call or a text message at night, but Monday night I got nothing! :( He said he came down with the flu! Boo. I feel really bad for him. I think it from the lack of rest... he's been spending a lot more time with me and a lot less time sleeping then his body is used to! He stayed home last night and got a full night's sleep, so I'm sure he'll be back to his old self in no time! And I should be focussing on my race anyways... so maybe this was good timing!?!?

I got a text from D (Climber Guy) today (He's a guy I was dating for a while before I met Collin. I went to a wedding with him as his date.). He's out of town for work for a couple weeks. I've tried to make small talk with him on MSN but it seems like he's ignoring me.
Should I tell him I've met someone, or just not reply to his messages??? (I know how I felt when someone I was interested in gave me the "I've met someone else" line. I wasn't to impressed actually.) What do you think???

No more (B)itching!

The doctor was right... who knew? Doctors can actually be right sometimes? The cortisone cream he prescribed me worked like a charm and my itchy, scaly skin has disappeared! (But because of all the itching and creams I've been putting on, my arms now look all blotchy.) I need to get back out in the sun :)

Today I remembered to take my Udo's oil. BARF. I hate that stuff. I honestly have no idea how my Dad drinks the stuff like it's a delicacy! It's hardly decadent! Today I actually heaved a little after taking my second spoonful...
(swallowing 2 teaspoons of oil in the morning, as I thought, is not fun! :(

5 more days till the race :) I am getting so pumped!!! I need to start packing up my stuff, and make sure I don't forget any gear! I also need to take my bike in for a servicing because the derailleur is a little off. I know I could do it myself... but I'll leave it to a professional this time :)
I am also recruiting for next year's race... I want to put together a co-ed team for 2007! Wish me luck!

Meet the parents!

What a great day I had!
Today I started the day off with a Breathe (yoga) class. I taught, of course. ... it's a great way to recharge your batteries for the day! :)

I came home and watched tv for a few minutes, and watched my favorite televangalish (yep, some Sundays I can't resist!) and really got enlightened by his surmon. If I lived in Winnipeg, I'd go to this guys church (www.churchoftherock.ca) He is so animated and makes his surmon's interesting and pertanent to everyday life. Today he was great!
Then I geared up and headed out to pre-ride the race course (www.24hoursofadrenalin.com) that I will be riding next weekend. It was pretty much a lot of the same course that we rode the first year, they just linked up the sections differently. I think the course will be a lot easier on us riders... but that just means more riding per rider! I hope that's a good thing :)
And during my ride, I got a text from Collin :) His sister was out camping this weekend and I knew he was going to take his Mom and other sister out to hang out with them for the day. He wanted to know if I wanted to join him... to meet his family! Yikes!!! (I was actually excited to meet them, eventhough I smelt like an armpit, and was wearing a ballcap! LOL)
His family is great! Just as nice as he is, and so friendly! :) We had a lot of fun: Collin made me a hot dog, we went for a walk to the "beachy part" (which wasn't much of a beach, but it did have sand! lol), talking around the campfire, playing with the squirels and making smores! YUM!
Totally my kind of fun!

Apparently after I left they said "You found a good one, Collin!" about me! AWE...
I'm in pretty deep here! But damn, it feels good! :)

Udo's Choice!

I went to the doctor yesterday, to find out if this rash I have is shingles... the MD said "No, what you have is Eczema." Ok... what is Eczema? Apparently, it's any skin irritation that they can't explain. Grrrr....

He did prescribe me a much stronger dose of cortisone cream that is supposed to work at stopping the itching as well as the bumps/hives. I used it for the first time last night, and it seems to be working for the itching! YAY! :)
Now, let's heal all the bumps I scratched off. Boo.

My Dad swears that I need to start taking Udo's 3-6-9 essensial oils. I went to the health food store last night and bought some. (I had to buy it in liquid form because in capsule form it cost more and seemed less effective, from what I read on the bottle.) So, are you happy now Dad? Now let's see if it really works!!!???
(I took my first dose today with my breakfast. It was kinda gross, kinda just tasted like sunflower seed oil. ...At least I didn't throw up. LOL)

no time to blog, but I'll blog anyways.

this will be short. I am quite busy at work for the next few days.

I called Collin last night, just to say Hi, and he was dropping his buddy off at his place (his friend lives literally a block away from me!) and since he was in the area I asked him to stop by for a bit! He did, and again we had a great time just chilling out and chatting! It was nice! At about 9:30, it started to get really windy then BOOM... the thunder storm started! (I hate big thunder storms... at least I wasn't alone for this one!)
Then, this morning at 9:30am I get a text from Collin asking me if I would like to go for Lunch with him (since, after all that rain, he couldn't work today). I don't usually like to go for lunches... but I made an exception today for Collin :) It was a really nice date!

I really could get used to this!

A Second date.

Collin came over last night. We planned to rent a movie... because he works long hours so it was more convenient to meet up on his schedule. He came over at 8:30 ish and we headed to Blockbuster... He's one of these movie guys that has seen almost everything... And I'm a girl that has seen almost nothing.*
We finally agreed on "The Benchwarmers" (which he had already seen) with Rob Shneider, David Spade and Jon Heder (of Napoleon Dynamite fame). OMG, this is a pee-your-pants funny movie! If you liked Jon Heder in Napoleon Dynamite, I recommend you watch this movie! (Jenny, this is a must see for you!) For the first hour of the movie I was in stitches! It was also really neat to see Rob Shneider play something other then a goof for a change. (He's actually the cool one of the bunch! LOL) Totally worth the $5.00 rental fee! :)

As for the rest of the date, it went really well. Poor Collin works very early in the morning so he had to leave early, but so far we are getting along really well. I am enjoying this :) I told him about the fight I had with my best friend this past weekend, and he said "See, you shouldn't have gone to Cold Lake this weekend... Doesn't she know that Mr Right is right here!" (the big fight was about me being single) It was cute that he said that. I didn't know what to say in return, so I just smiled and gave him a hug! :)

We have been in contact with each other everyday since we went on our first date... this is totally a good sign :)

* (However, I did see "John Tucker Must die" this past weekend, and rather enjoyed it! Seeing Jesse Metcalfe half naked is always a good thing!!!)

Date #2 and I'll be wearing Calamine lotion

I talked to Collin last night, and we schedued a movie date for tonight. I've been looking forward to seeing him all weekend! I haven't felt this way in a long time! I hope it's not all for nothing.

But... one thing does kinda draw a flag for me (maybe not a red flag... but an amber one for sure!) last night I asked him about where he lives, and it got out that he lives with his mother! Ack! Yep, he's 28 and lives with his Mom! That makes me nervous because when I asked him "why?" he said "Well, when my last girlfriend and I split up, I just didn't find a new place... that, and my mom gets lonely."
I'm not really sure what to say. I do find it a little strange. I will have to find out more about this because I was really starting to like him. I have more sleuthing to do.

My rash is back in force! I applied calamine lotion to my arms last night and boy does that stuff work! I wish I could bathe in the stuff :) I might need to apply more tonight, how attractive will I be? LOL

PS. I got back last night from my trip to see my best friend in Cold Lake. The trip was fine... the visiting was good... except the big fight. I won't even get into it.

Who would have thunk it?

Did I actually have a good date tonight???
(Oh, wait... why am I asking you this? where you out with me on my date? lol)

The answer is YES, I actually had a great date tonight! And with a guy NOT from the internet! I met him (of all places) playing football with a friend in the parking lot of the pool at 12:30am the first night of the Stampede! (wow, that was a mouthful) Must have been fate, becuase he's also the guy that dropped my digital camera and ended up breaking it! LOL
He then said "I'm gonna need your number so I can take you to get a new camera and make it up to you!"
Was it a line? Who cares, it worked! :) And I'm glad it did!

He came to pick me up, came to my door to get me, I didn't recognize him! LOL He wasn't wearing a ball cap and his hair was all done nice! I hope he was as shocked about my appearance (in a good way) He was way cuter then I remembered him that night... even in the blurry pictures! hehe



Funny thing... we took this picture of us, before I left that night! Don't we make a cute couple? (Sure, for a couple of drunk people through a blurry camera lens! Ha!)

He walked me to the car door (both times) and he walked me to my door to say goodnight! I think these are all good signs, he was indeed trying hard to impress me! ...Well, it worked! :)


More to come, I'm sure!

Pet Peeve

People that come into your office and purposefully come around my desk to see what's on my computer screen and say "What are you working on?"

I hate this! It's so rude! Why is it any of their business what I have up on my screen???

NOTE : See update to post theres aways something

Sabbotaging myself

I told myself I'd try to loose the 5 pounds that I gained (again) before my bike race. (I want to go into thisyears race lighter then last year!) So far, I've been very BAD on my diet. I ordered pizza on Sunday and I've been way over-eating (fruit and cookies). :(
My race is on the 19th... today is the 2nd. I have 17 days to get back in the groove. Normally I could do it, but this weekend my best friend Raeleen wants me to come visit her for her birthday in CL. I don't think I can watch my diet while I'm there! Booo!

So I get home and basically have a little less then 2 weeks to get 5 pounds lost.... anyone know a good cleanse I should try?

TAG! You're it!

My sister tagged me... now I have to tell you all 5 of my weirdest habits.

Here goes:
1) I have a thing for eye shadow... I will soon own the entire MAC line!
2) I ride my mountain bike a lot! (but I feel guilty that this year I have only been on it bike 9 times!)
3) I recently have fallen in love with blueberries. I have eaten an entire flat in a week! and bought another one yesterday!
4) I weigh myself every morning at 7am, and used to keep my weight in a spreadsheet (and later make it into a chart to view the progress)
5) I am a serial dater. On an average week, I go on at least 2 dates.

I'm tagging:
(K)ats
RosieT.
...
...
...
Supposed to tag 5 people, but that's all I know! I need more blogger friends! :(

Have fun Peeps :) Keep it real!