Bullet Points & Good Intentions

I keep meaning to catch-up here, and I 

keep having other 

things get in the way.

So,bullet points it is, with 

every intention of coming 

back & fleshing it all 

out later.

Loved Color Me Rad , we had so much fun!
Sadly, one of the gals had to head off for work mid-race,
but we got a great group shot before she left.

• Spartan Sprint! So hard,so amazing.
   Can't wait to do it
  again next year!
  

Still need to fill everyone in on the
Try-A-Tri.....no
 idea what happened
 to our times for that one. 

That's all for now. 

Working on getting enough sleep to keep 

my energy levels up....

like so many things in life,it's a 

work in progress.

Making Memories...Hoping for no Permanent Scars

Boy, I have been busy!

New Job: Yikes! It's been a bit overwhelming. Almost 2 months in, and some days I still feel like I'll never get a handle on things. I planned and pulled off my first official event. There were some hiccups, but overall the feedback has been good. Thanks again to my parents,hubby and kids for helping me out. If not for them, I would have fallen flat on my face.

Since I last posted something here we've been training (not enough) and have run a couple of races. The Women's Run (10k) in Edmonton, and we completed our first "Try-a-Tri" on June 15th ( I have dubbed it the race with no time....more on that later). There's a story for each of these races, but that will have to wait.

This weekend is a biggie. Tomorrow my Running Folks and I will be heading into the city for Color Me Rad. This is the race we had planned to run last summer in Calgary, but unfortunately there was all that flooding,so.....it should be a lot of fun. I am curious to see if the colour washes off of me after!

Then, on Sunday, my Fabulous  Running Buddy and I will be participating in the 5k Spartan Sprint race. *GULP*  I am feeling pretty nervous,with a heaping scoop of fear on top. I am pretty sure I will be glad we did it at the finish line, but the anticipation is hurting my tummy a bit.

So, this weekend,while my former school mates are recalling the "Good Old Days"over some adult bevvies in BC, I'll be getting pelted with colour bombs and crawling through the mud. Pretty sure everyone will come away from the weekend with a bunch of new memories.

For Me and Mine

I was awake before 6am today. It's Saturday morning. It's just not right.

I'm not sure what woke me. Maybe it was the sun peaking through the curtains, or the dog that was barking down the street (really neighbours? Why is you dog out barking that early in the day?), I'm not sure. I do know what kept me from snuggling back down in the blankets: my brain.

It's been a busy couple of weeks. For the second time in 6 months, I have started a new job. Not only is it a new job, once again I am learning a whole new skillset. I used to joke that I had been out of school for so long that my brain had atrophied. While it may be running a little more sluggishly than when I was a younger version of me, I am happy to say things seem to be firing on all cylinders.

For the past two weeks I've been soaking up all the information I can from the woman I am taking over from. She is very, very good at this job. I go solo on Monday, and I have some very big shoes to fill.

The job itself is very interesting. Event planning, light bookkeeping, receptionist duties......and a thousand things I can't even remember right now. I foresee a lot of post-it reminders in my future to keep track of everything.

I am trying to keep my casual position at the bank as well.....pretty sure that's not going to work out for long. I spoke to my manager before I even started looking for a part-time job,so my change in availability wasn't a total surprise. Unfortunately, I'm just not as available as they need me to be now.

As I have said a number of times, I really like working at the bank. The reality is though, there isn't an actual position for me there. Six months of never knowing when or if I was going to be working has been a bit of a roller coaster (time and money wise).

More than that, this new position will open doors for me in the future...or get my foot in the door at the very least. As my Fabulous Running Buddy had said to me on a number of occasions, all I needed was someone to take a chance on me.  It's an opportunity I just could not turn down.

I hope there are no hard feelings, but, in the end, I had to do what's best for me and mine.

Next post: Training & Races.....

In the Spirit of Saying "Yes"

Or.....alternately:

What I'm Doing the Weekend 

of my 

20th High School Reunion

I couldn't decide on a title for this, and was unwilling to give one up.

Where was I?

Right, time to fill you in on the other news I've been keeping close to my chest.

My Fabulous Running Buddy is trying to break me  encouraging to step outside my comfort zone once more.

We have registered to participate in a Spartan Sprint race.  Not only have we committed to running this crazy race, it's the same weekend as the Color Me Rad we've been looking forward to since last summer. Back to back race days.  All of this falls on the weekend of my 20th High School Reunion (which I wrote about not going to here ).

So, while old classmates are sipping cool drinks and reminiscing about days gone by, looks like I will be:

*getting colour bombed
* crawling through mud

*attempting to climb over and under any number of obstacles

*bruising and bumping this old body

*making some new memories with my friends

I'm positive that no matter what, folks will be having a good weekend,wherever they may be.

Life is Every Day

So often, we hear of someone passing away because of cancer.

Too often.

I can't think of anyone that hasn't had cancer touch their lives in some way. ( To my real life people, I am hugging you all right now).

Recently, a woman in our community lost her hard-fought battle with cancer.

We weren't friends.  I knew of her through mutual friends, the military community, and our local running community.

I remember her as a friendly, supportive person at our local races. Alway a smile, and an encouraging word for us slow-poke novice racers.

I vividly remember when we ran the Half Marathon race, summer of 2012. It was hot, smoke in the air from  grass fires. I was still running out to the turn-around point, and she was running back. She smiled at me, gave me a thumbs-up, and said "No one told me we had to run back up these hills too."

I knew who she was, this wonder-woman running despite her struggles. I admired her greatly. Her words, and her grin lent my legs a bit of strength.....and I grinned right back.

This woman fought so hard for life every damn day.

Too often we get caught up in our own head space. Worries, daily stress and dissatisfaction can pile up. Comparing what we don't have (either real or perceived) to what others seem to have can really suck the colour out of the world.

I am guilty of this ALL THE TIME.

Where am I going with this you might be wondering (or maybe you'd just rather I got to the point.)

I am going to say yes to more. Rather than let "what is not" rule my thoughts, I will do my very best to let "what is, what will, and what can be" stand a little higher on my list.
.....think Jim Carrey in "Yes Man", without the witty repartee and physical comedy

Not every day will be shiny. Bad days happen, but to remember that they are a blip, not the baseline, is what's important.


P.S. We have friends that are dealing with a cancer battle of their own right now. We think of them often. Him,as he fights the disease, and her as she battles with her formidable will and enormous love for him. Send some positive thoughts their way if you could.

Sharing Time!

Where to begin folks.

Where.
To.
Begin.

So, there's been some stuff brewing around here I've not shared with too many people.

I'll start with the professional side of  life. (Me, with one of those!)

Back in March, I had applied for a very short, temporary position with our local Chamber of Commerce. I ended up having to turn down the interview due to a scheduling conflict at the bank ( I was booked in to work).

Then, last week, my cell phone rang. I was hoping it was a store I had a raincheck at, calling to tell me my blender was in. Imagine my surprise when I was asked if I was interested in coming in for an interview....at the Chamber of Commerce office.

So I did.

I was offered the position yesterday. I will be the Executive Director at the Chamber of Commerce for the next year.

It's a part-time position. A fantastic opportunity to learn a whole new skill-set, get to know even more about the community we are planning to make our home, something I think I'll really enjoy.

I am also happy that I'll be able to continue on in my current casual position. I've said it before, I really love the work I do there.

Fingers crossed I can make it all fit. I plan on doing everything in my power to be successful.

Thinking I'll save the rest for another post. Need to sort out all the swirling in my head. Last night was somewhat sleepless. Either I was too excited to sleep, or nervous about everything on the horizon.

Pretty sure it's both.

Kitchen to Treadmill

Dreary and grey, but at least it's raining (currently) and not snowing (possibility).

Spring Break is coming to end for my kidlets. For some reason, here in our little town it's always at Easter, not March when most places do it. This year, Easter was late, so break was late. When they go back on Monday, they'll only have 2 months left until Summer Vacation.

It's been pretty quiet for us. Spending time, catching up on projects and chores that have been pushed to the side.
Son #3 and I made our famous family biscuits with homemade soup one afternoon. It was fun working with him in the kitchen. The boy has talent too! They were delicious....no pics, we ate them all.

Today the Littlest and I will be busting out the mixer to whip up a batch of breakfast cookies ( called cereal cookies in my house growing up). Our special edition: chocolate rice crispy cereal! Maybe there will be a photo addition later....it's a huge recipe, there should be some left.

Started back running this morning. Running might be a grand term for what I was doing, but I say it stands. (I despise the word "jogging", for some reason it makes me feel less badass)

After the eye-opening 5k race we did a couple (few?) weeks ago, I finally had to face the truth: If I don't move my arse, all the races we have registered for will suck. I want to finish every race feeling accomplished, not beat up, wrung out, and down on myself.

So, my training goals are:
1. Do the work.
2. Finish every race to the best of my abilities

Yup. That's it.
I am slow, plodding even. However, I have never quit a run or a race. Out of shape, and a bigger shape I might be....but not a quitter.

***It occurs to me that a blog post starting with baking and ending with running might be an odd combination. Meh, both are things I love to do.***