Friday Post

Nothing major to discuss today.
I really didn't want to get out of bed today... I managed to roll out at 7:30... I'm definitely not a morning person.
I teach Spin class this noon hour and Yoga tomorrow :) Yay! (I am having major yoga withdrawl. I didn't teach my usual yoga class last weekend, and I was so stressed out for the rest of the weekend.)

Tonight I'm going in to Bell to have my cel phone plan changed. I've been paying ridiculously high bills lately, and I think it's cause no one has ever helped talk me through "the right" plan for me. That's bad customer service... they are obviously just trying to make as much $$$ as they can. I also think I'm eligible for a new cel phone too.

I just got off the phone with a girl friend. She said that she and her boyfriend are moving to Houston! Wow! In order for her to be allowed to work down there she thinks they are going to have to get married sooner then they had planned. Her BF isn't thrilled by this idea... which I really don't understand. If you want to be with someone and spend the rest of your life with them, why wouldn't you WANT to get married to them? (Unless you had doubts that they are "the one".) I hope they can work it out... they won't be moving till May 2007 anyways.

Officially OFF

I am officially getting my braces off on October 3rd!
I discussed it with my orthodontist and we have decided to take the braces off sooner then later because the teeth are basically where we want them to stay for good :) So the sooner I get the braces off, the less chance I have of breaking a bracket off or causing my teeth another set back of that type.

oh, what a day!!!! So much work to do!!!

MY HOT 7 - fave songs o' the day

Without my iPod creating this list might be a little tricky and scuewed.

Here's my top 7 songs to listen to these days...

1. Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
2. Let it Whip - SR-71
3. Come On Girl - Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Contact - Brooklyn Bounce (Venga Boys remix)
5. From London to Berlin - Infernal
6. Lips of an Angel - Hinder
7. Gunnin for you - Hedley

(bonus track: A bit patchy in Bulo (Tate Re-Rub) - Switch)


Have a listen to a few, let me know what you think!

I'm tagging Rosie T, kaTz, My Aunty D, and my cuz RainBow Annie.
:) Have fun!! (:

New bed already?

Yup, sending the new bed back, upgrading to the queen size! :) I think my old bed MUST have been a queen too then! Grr... I wish I would have measured! Boo. Oh well, they are coming to exchange it in 2 weeks... I don't think the bed we have will kill us to sleep on for a couple more weeks. (It's very comfy, just too darn small.)

I have an ortho appointment tonight... I'm pretty excited because this might be IT! I think I'm ready to get these braces removed for good!!! Let's see what my orthodontist says about it. (I think she'll be happy to hear me say that!)

I'm sore today. :( Wanna give me a massage?

Out of the Blue

I got a raise today... not sure what for, but maybe they got wind that I have been searching other places for a potential new position.

Seriously, I love this company! Unexpected raises are always nice!!! :)

Manic Monday

After a great weekend, it's Monday again... my craziest day of the week. (It's a fitness double header for me!) I'm tired already just thinking about all the energy I'm going to require for my CardioKick class at noon! (Oh well, I'm sure I'll be just fine.)

And I really am getting sick and tired of not having my iPod. Burning cd's is sooo for the birds! What a waste of time! My sister thinks I should buy a temporary mp3 player while I'm waiting for the iPod to get fixed or assessed "broken". What do you think? It certainly would save me a whole lot of time in the long run!!!

Also, this was our first weekend on the new bed... and we've determined that it's too small! :( I didn't think I'd have room in my room for a queen sized bed but apparently a queen is only 6" wider then a double... doesn't seem like much, but I'm sure it will make all the difference in my sleeps in the world! (As much as I love cuddling with Collin, I can't sleep that way!) It's a good thing I bought the bed from Sleep Country... they have a 60 day comfort guarantee... :) They say you should sleep in your new bed for2 weeks before calling in with a comfort complaint... but this issue of size isn't just going to fix itself... I'll be calling my SC rep soon to tell him we need to upsize!

old friend!

I used to have a boyfriend who has 2 twin sisters. I became really close friends with his sisters and even now that I don't talk to my ex anymore, I still keep in touch with his sisters (one more then the other!)
Well I sent the one I'm more in touch with an email a couple weeks ago, to tell her about my great news (re: Collin) and that I couldn't wait for her to come for a visit. We actually managed to find a weekend that worked for both of us: this weekend!

She's coming out tomorrow to stay till Sunday! I'm pretty excited! We always have a great time when we see each other (catch up on things, and generally just enjoy each other's company!) She's really easy to talk to and totally non-judgemental. She also met her man a few years ago after being single for a long time, like me... so I know she knows what I've been through and will be very happy for me and Collin.

Ahhh.. Good times :)

New Bedding

Collin and I went shopping for some new sheets for my new bed (that is scheduled to arrive sometime on Saturday! I can't wait!!!)
They are very posh... 400 thread count, sateen finish.



^^^(sateen finish is pictured here. My sheets are in the color flax... imagine the color of a flax seed!)

I want my new bed NOW! My futon is giving me a bad back! :(

A flip can make the difference

I decided to part my hair on the opposite side today. It feels weird, but I already got a compliment on it... "I love your new hair color" LOL
It's funny how much darker the hair is that is hidden all the time. It actually kinda looks like I dyed my hair!

the best compliment

I didn't blog about this on Saturday because I was out of town all weekend, but a woman that came to my Breathe class on Saturday gave me one of the best compliments ever! (Very unexpected, but it made me realize that I DO make a difference!) She said that she has been taking yoga and Breathe for the past 3 years and in her words "Yoga is my life!" so I assume she knows what she is doing when it comes to yoga and meditation... and she said "I know you always say to come to you with comments after class... well, I just wanted to tell you that you are the only instructor that I can really, truely meditate with. It's like a voice is talking to me when you take me into my meditative state. At first I was afraid of it, but It was so welcoming and now it's something I just crave!"

Wow!
I had no idea I could make such an impact on someone... especially during meditation (I've always thought I needed to work on my meditation teaching style) Apparently I'm doing just fine!!! :)
Her comments really made my day!

He met the parents! :)

This weekend collin and I headed to Leduc to visit with some family. (I introduced him to my parents and brothers, and he introduced me to a couple of his cousins and their significant others.) It was a wonderful weekend! I am sure my parents loved him... eventhough we only got a couple of hours in to eat supper and visit with them. My dad is doing well with his recovery from his knee surgery which is very good to see! And my mom is still workin hard at her new job (Fabric Land)... unfortunately, not loving it as much as she thought she would, but she's learning some very important skills that I'm sure she will benefit from in the future! It was good to see my brothers too. Josh showed off his latest artwork, (good stuff Josh!) and Jeffery showed off his new mop... er, hairdo. lol (that kid's hair grows like a weed, and he hates getting it cut!) Apparently long hair is in for boys of school age. (Maybe I'm just getting old!) But all in all the family is healthy and still kicking! I was happy to see everyone, if even just for a little bit! (Yup, even Sadie is doing good!!!) We will have to plan another visit very soon... now that we realized that Collins cousin lives a block away from my Mom and Dad, I'm sure we will! (His cousin's girlfriend knew my where my parents lived as soon as I mentioned their dog! LOL Sadie barks at everyone walking down the path! Especially those who have dogs!)

Collin told me last night that Cindy (his cousin's girlfriend, that we stayed with) gave me the "thumbs up" and told him that she really liked me! I am glad, because I'm sure she'll be seeing a lot more of me :)

RHCP concert recap

Collin and I went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Edmonton last night... They put on a great show (despite the fact that their openning act ruined our ears with their hair metal guitar sounds and lead singers screeching vocals! Ugh... they were TERRIBLE! and SO DAMN LOUD! If my ears could bleed, they would have been last night.)
I couldn't even understand the band's name when the lead singer said it... (Collin and I both heard him say "we're Sum 41", but they obviously weren't them...) Our ear drums were in need of the smooth sounds of RHCP, and fast!
After an hour of the opening act trying to kill us softly (seriously, it was that bad!), RHCP took the stage. They opened with a new song, then rocked right into some top 40 tracks... They pretty much played the entire Mars album at the concert. The encore was a new track followed by a new version of "Otherside".
We drove home last night. So needless to say we didn't get much sleep.
Well worth the trip, I must say... despite the ear drum damage. I hope I'll live!

RIP green iPod mini

Well, it' officially pooched (as the technician at Future Shop said)... My iPod Mini decided to DIE yesterday! :( Lovely... it's back to burning CD's for my fitness classes again, which I'm not looking forward too. She said it wiill take a minimum of 3 weeks to a maximum of 60 days to have my iPod "serviced" to see if they can fix it. I say, "Why fix something that's obsolete anyways?" Most likely they will come back with a verdict of "It's broken beyond repair" and I'll get a new one, but since there are no longer any Minis to be had, I'll probably upgrade to a Nano. (The new Nano sure is purdy! :) But still, now I have to wait at least a month before I will get hooked up with that. Boo! A month without my iPod, what a sad month. LOL (Yes, I have become dependant on it!)

Today is my day off, and since it's been raining for 3 days straight, Collin has the day off too. We are going to go shopping for him today! I'm excited! He needs some new shoes, a new belt, definitely some new underwear, and we'll see what else we can find :) I'm sure I'll find some things for me along the way too :) Yay Shopping!!!

iPod Catastrophe and the Bureaucracy at my job!

So, I get this job at work today... it's something rather tedious, so I go to get my iPod out of my purse and it's frozen! Urg... I tried to reset it using some buttons but no dice... I really hope it's not fried. Tonight when I get home I will try plugging it in to my home computer and hopefully that will be the kick in the ass it needs to get unstuck! (Fingers crossed tightly!)

Today, the atmosphere on my work floor has been very unsettled. I am fairly new to this group (I came here in June) and it's also a very new kettle of fish for me (International drilling versus domestic oil and gas) Which is fine... just means I might require a little more direction and assistance on completing certain tasks. Well, today Mike (the other technologist on the floor that was here before me) was in my office helping me do something that I have NEVER done before, and his geologist (who thinks he's his BOSS) comes to my door, and as Mike is in mid sentence describing some process to me, he says something to the affect of "Mike, leave Jessica on her own. You are required to do another task!" Mike said "But Jesica has never done this before, she needs some direction!"... blah... blah... and they both left my office. Then like 20 minutes later, my actual boss comes into my office and says "Mike is responsible to help the other guys, and you are responsible to help these guys... So please try to keep your jobs seperate."

What the??? I thought we were working as a TEAM? Since when is it OFFSIDE to work with your collegues?
This really pisses me off... and I think I'll be looking for a new position sooner then later. Mike needs out of this devil group also... he's being treated like crap here!

Luckily my head is attached!

Last night Collin and I went to the pool to use the hot tub, since we were both still feeling quite stiff from our Sunday hike. It was nice! (and I get in free since I'm now an employee there :)

But unfortunately, all the Rn'R made me lose my head, and I forgot to pack my bag with the things I needed to teach class with today! ARGGG. I forgot my iPod cable, mic belt, and my headset! Boo! So, the class is gonna get to rock out to some of my old music (like from 8 years ago) from some CD's that I found in my desk at work. (and I'm going to have to scream at them, because without a mic, my voice just get's drowned out by the music!) Crap, I hate when I do this!

I'm really out of sorts since Collin came into my life. I have no idea how to function anymore with a significant other in your life! (But I'm definitely willing to relearn!)
I really, REALLY like Collin... and I'm also really excited for him to meet my family [well, my Mom, Dad and 2 younger brothers] this Saturday!

Headachy?... bring on the Royal Treatment

Last night, I got the most wicked headashe before I had to teach my STRONG class. I think it was stress induced. (Yeah, I worked myself up about it being my first class at this certain gym) Try lifting weights when you feel like your head is going to explode... it's not fun, trust me! I think the class went good though.

Before I got home I called Collin to tell him about it... and lucky me! When I got home Collin was waiting for me at the door with his arms wide open, with 2 Advil in one hand and a glass of water in the other for me! He even offered to give me a head massage, which was heavenly... and totally made the headache go away! (it was either that or the drug finally kicked in! LOL)
What a total sweatheart!!! (This guy certainly does know the way to a woman's heart!) I think I have already fallen for him!

Busy and tired!

Since I met Collin, we have been making a weekly pilgrimage out West to enjoy the wonders that are the Canadian Rockies (as well as each other's company). Yesterday we did a 10.5Km hike just off Hiway1 (near Banff) called Cory Pass-Edith Pass. As always we took pictures... if you would like to see the beauty that we witnessed yesterday, click here!

I think we are both hurting units today though... eventhought this hike was 10k shorter then our Iceline hike.. the elevation gain was much more severe, and it took us 5 hours to complete this circuit. (We didn't even stop for lunch... we just stopped, had a Red Bull, and carried on!) Needless to say, when we got back to Calgary I was VERY very hungry but in no mood to cook, so we ended up at Chili's... Mmmmm, supper was awesome! ( and well, I think we deserved it :)

Today I am scheduled to teach not one, but 2 fitness classes! Yep, CardioKick at noon, and Strong at 7pm. Of the few days that I've double booked myself it has to be one after a day of greuling hiking! ... ugh, yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.

(PS... but despite all this physical activity, I'm still managing to gain weight... what the? Must be from all the eating I'm also doing. I've become a fiend for chocolate covered almonds.... MMmmm...)

Breathe

I taught Breathe today. I just LOVE it!!! I don't know why I never got into it sooner! For anyone that feels stale in their fitness routine, I'd recommend adding a yoga class to your weekly routine. The power and strenght you feel from the movements as well as the breathing is bound to bring the joys back to your workouts!
(that is... if there was any joy in your workouts to begin with :)

I'm still searching for a good beginner Tai Chi DVD. I think I'll end up returning to Chapters and buying the one I saw there, cause since I found that one, I have not found another one since! (I think buying a DVD that I can learn and do at home is more what I'm looking for right now... not another class to add to my already BUSY schedule!) ...my sister calls me an overachiever ;)

Power Chained up & 5 year recognition!

*** If you are looking for the
**Tai Chi Update**,
click here and scroll
to the bottom section of the post! ***

My braces weren't taken off yesterday! Boo!
But my Orthdontist did notice the gap that was forming between my front teeth and put a power chain on. It's completely clear, so it's barely noticeable... but already, just one day after it was put on, I'm noticing the gap that was there between my two front teeth is almost gone!!! :)
My mid-lines are still about 3mm off, so we are just waiting for those to come together (my orthodontist thinks about 2 weeks to a month is all I need) I'm really getting anxious for my mouth to be Braces-Free!!!

Tonight I am going bed shopping. Yes. I need a new bed! I have been sleeping on the same Futon bed for the last, give or take, 7 years! I think it's about time to take the plunge and buy a REAL matress bed!!! I went to Sears with my friend Katz a few weeks back, and we had a lot of fun trying out the different beds! I am going to take Collin with me tonight, and I actually DO plan on buying one tonight!!!
(I'm getting quite excited of the prospects of sleeping on a brand new pillow top matress! :)

*** **** **** ***** **** **** ***
**5 years of service**...
I knew there was a team luncheon scheduled for today but I didn't know what it was for or where we were going to be at until the meeting this morning. Turns out it was for ME to celebrate my "5 years of service" with my company! They took us all to the top of the Calgary Tower for a wonderful lunch! :) I ate too much... but what's new? lol
I also got a pair of Bushnell binoculars as a gift of my achievements. (They will come in handy on my hikes, I'm sure!)

Tai Chi and Braces

Since I started teaching Breathe at the gym (which is a class containing a blend of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates moves) I have really fallen in love with the idea of practicing Tai Chi on it's own.

I have done some research and found a local organization that teaches the practice of Taoist Tai Chi and today is one of their "Open House" classes where they invite people to come in for a free class to try it out. (Basically, to see if you will like it before you make the hefty $400/year comittment) I am pretty excited to see what it's all about, because I'm pretty sure I will really enjoy it!

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I have an orthodontist appoinment at 3:30... she might be REMOVING my braces today!

I got my braces put on September 8th, 2004... so it will almost be a full 2 years to the day that I am getting them off! I'm pretty excited to see my smile without a bunch of metal in it!!! I bet I won't even recognize myself! :) (I took that picture on the day before I got my braces put on)
Here's another photo montage to show you what my smile has been through...

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**Tai Chi Update**...
I thought the "Open House" was at 6pm last night so I rush to get there on time. I walk in and all these people are already in mid tai-chi... I get motioned over to join in, so I do! They are doing a simple move to start, I'll call it "Twist and look into the mirror". I started getting bored, then onto a new move... I'll call it "Blocking and reaching". I actually worked up a sweat during this move. "This is pretty great", I'm thinking to myself, until they start to do a walking set of, I'll call it "Slow walk while pushing someone's head into the water" (No, I don't know the moves names yet! LOL) I honestly thought I'd make a complete fool of myself, but I just watched the leaders, and I was able to catch on really good!
Finally, the lead instructor says "We're getting ready for the Open House in a half an hour so we should quickly get to our Full sets!" In my head I'm like... "Full Sets???... what? Dipps??? You mean this isn't the Open House???" HA HA HA I was actually an hour early and I walked in on a continuing Tai Chi class! LOL
I did mention that I was supposed to be there for the Open House (I bet they were all looking at me like "Who's THAT girl???") and the instructor said to me "well, for a beginner you did great!"
I just sat and watched them do their "sets". It was very interesting to watch!

I'm not sure if Taoist Tai Chi is the kind I want to get into. Does it all have to be learned in the full 108 moves sets? or are there Tai Chi clubs that just teach you the individual moves??? That I need to find out!

Pictures, loads of 'em

I finally got with the program, and set myself up with a FlickR account.

See my first picture upload here... Grosmont Lake/Emerald Glacier /Johnson's Canyon. (Pictures are from our long weekend hiking trip in Golden, BC.)

PS... My new camera rules! Woo Hoo!