Where did my motivation go?

It's January which means it is a slow time of year for subbing. I should be cleaning and finding the few last touches to make our place a home and doing my online course, instead I have no motivation and have been doing next to nothing.

Growing up I was always on the go. Between school and swimming and music and babysitting I always had things to do, yet always managed to get everything done and have time to hand out with my friends. In University, I worked TWO jobs (YMCA and Roots), and even was the Aquatic director for a year, while doing a science degree with a zillion labs. How did I ever manage to do it?

When I work, I'm only there during school hours of 8 to 3. I do have Swim team four days a week (4-6pm M & F, 4-6:30pm W and 8:30-10am Sat). And yes I do organize everything for our miniphin program so I do spend time doing swim team stuff away from the pool. I play in the Holland College Band on Tuesday nights but that is only 7-9pm. Why do I have no motivation to do anything? Whether it is cleaning the apartment or doing my online French course, I find it so hard to convince myself to do the work. Part of the issue with the online course is that there are no real deadlines.... I have to finish everything in 1 calendar year, but as long as I do that, then I'm good.

Here I am on a day that I don't work. Sitting on the coach. I did do a bit of swim team work and then played around with an online room design app (which confirmed what I already knew about our computer room, that one desk and a futon would work well space wise).
I need to find my motivation! The kitchen is a mess. The bathroom should be cleaned. I should vacuum. I have course work to do. Yet I have much music on, thinking about reading my book and realizing that if I want to swim a workout before I coach, then I should make some lunch soon.

Blast from the Past

Happy 2012 everyone!
Matt and I had a great low key New Years. I spent most of New Year's Eve Day playing Minecraft then got all gussied up, and we went and had dinner at Sim's... I'll be honest, while I normally LOVE their food, it was only okay. We actually had to send back our side because it was WAY too salty. We just went home afterwards and watched the countdown on TV.... well actually I turned on the ET Canada New Year's Concert from Niagara since OLP was playing.... we actually missed our countdown because they are in another time zone, oops! But it made me realize how much I enjoy OLP.

I've always been into music, but got into it big time back in JR High, this is right around the time when OLP, IME, Econoline Crush, Bush, Moist, Tea Party were popular on Much. Tonight I've just been playing on youtube and listening to everything from the past. It makes me realize that there really isn't much NEW rock out there. Sure there's Foster the People (which aren't really rock) and there is the Sheepdogs, but they do more of a 70s vibe..... really I can't think of anyone who really does rock or alternative right now and it makes me sad. While I do enjoy pop and dance music, sometimes you just want or need to rock out.

I didn't make any real big resolutions for 2012.... just to continue to be happy and enjoy life, to not sweat or stress over the small stuff.  Things I am looking forward to? Becoming an Aunt. Going on a trip with Matt. Possibly getting a new car or a house. Hopefully getting a full time contract at a school. But you never know what life will throw at you. Just need to smile, breathe and keep going.

Looking back on 2011

Christmas Snow!

I've been thinking about the past year and realized how lucky we are. 2011 was an amazing year for Matt and I, and our families!. Here's a quick look back....

January: I was fortunate to have a fair about of subbing and several swim meets to coach at.
February: I had the pleasure of subbing during a school field trip. We went on a Sleigh Ride, went tobogganing and got to pet the horses.
March: Another busy month! Lots of subbing.
April: We moved into our lovely duplex! I really love living here, although we still haven't finished decorating... we're getting close though! We got new couches and curtains as well.
May: Things continued to be busy with PEI Swimming Provincials, then I went to Wolfville with a bunch of swimmers to the NS Jr Provincial Champs.
June: I completed my Learning Facilitator Training by co-facilitating a Swimming 101 course in NS. This also meant I got to go home to Halifax for a weekend and managed to squeeze in a lovely Pot-luck at Lindsay's!

July: Started with Mom and Dad coming up to PEI to spend Canada Day (and Mom's Birthday) with us on the island. Our weather wasn't the greatest, but I did manage to spend a few days at the beach. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate) came to the island. I ended up getting a bunch of great pictures of them when they were in town.
August: Laura and Sebastien came home for a visit ... at the same time Kathy and Jody and Heather and Stuart were here. It was great to see everyone. It was also when we found out that Laura was pregnant!
September: Everything started up quickly. Lots of subbing. Band started. Swim team started. I took a more active role in overseeing the Miniphin program with the Swim team - designing all the practices for the fall. I also finished all my paperwork so I could take a french course online to help raise my french level. I started teaching Swimming lessons again AND I started to swim and train again.

October: Electronic Arts (EA) bought Bight Games. This had been in the works for a while but it became official in October. Matt is guaranteed work for 4 years which is very nice. I also got an iPhone!! There was also Thanksgiving and finishing swimming lessons. We girls had a bachelorette for Kylee. Kylee and Jamie had us over for their annual pumpkin carving party which is always a hoot! And of course Halloween, although we did not dress up, but we did have some trick-or-treaters who came to our door.

November: Went by soo quickly! I worked nearly everyday! I continued to swim and coach and band. Matt had several big deadlines so he worked a lot this month which wasn't fun, but at least he had one day off each week, instead of having to work non-stop!

December: More subbing and Swim team. I got to go to Quebec City with 42 swimmers on the team which was a lot of fun.... I didn't like the bus ride home, but that was mostly because I couldn't sleep. We also had our annual "Elf Extravaganza" Swim Meet where all the coaches dressed up as elves which was fun too. Christmas was a good time. Dad came and got me. Laura and Sebastien were home so I got to see her belly-bump. We found out the sex of the baby and threw Laura a Baby Shower. It was a busy but Fun Time.

March Break!

I'm so happy that this week is March Break. I am really looking forward to not having anything that I have to do. That said I will have a lot of things to do in our apartment as we will be moving in less than 2 weeks! I'm so excited about our new place. Having a duplex will be so nice. Hopefully we will make it feel more like a home, rather than a place we are staying. I have been preparing big time for the past few weeks, going through things like clothes and books, trying to purge. I think I'm doing really well, although I need another few rounds in my closet. I know that logically, if I haven't worn something in a year, that I should get rid of it, but I am getting down to things that I either really like or are really good quality. Some of those are really hard to let go of, but I'm trying my best. I've gotten rid of 2 1/2 blue bags of clothes and have about another 1/3 of a bag started. That's without going through my summer clothes which are stored in a plastic bin. I'm also getting rid of a lot of my books. I have so many, but now with a kindle, I can get them electronically which take up a lot less space.

Today Matt and I had to be out of our apartment for over two hours while our landlord was showing the place..... well we really didn't have to be out, but it would just be awkward to hang around, so we left. We decided to go through the car wash since it was such a nice day, only to discover that the seals around the window on the driver's side are now so bad that they let water in. Oops! It really wasn't too bad, only a little spot up at the top and it only let water in when it was doing the big rinses that spray directly on that spot. It's making us really want a new car, although that really isn't in the cards until the fall. We own our car so to get a new one (or rather lease a new one like we are thinking) is a fair amount of money which we probably shouldn't spend at the moment. Our current car is 8 years old and starting to get expensive.

One annoying thing about today, we tried to go to both Leons and The Brick to look at furniture for the new place (new tv stand, & side tables for the living room and a couch) but they were both closed. Oh well, wasn't the end of the world. We ended up going to indigo, bulk barn and superstore then went for a little drive. It was such a nice day and the sun was so strong. I'm hopeful that the spring weather we have been experiencing for the last week or so continues.

Made a yummy stew out of leftover pot roast for supper. Paired really well with all the candy we got at the bulk barn. Ugh! I have such a sweet tooth!. I really need to cut back.

Lucky

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Bean!
Bean who?
Bean a long time since I seen you!
I know, I know! But hopefully with a new layout and updated title, I can get back into the swing of things.

Lately I have been realizing how lucky I really am. I have found my calling in being a teacher. I am fortunate to be able to get enough work to support myself and can continue doing other things that I love such as coaching swimming and playing in the Holland College Community Band. It is times like these when I want to pinch myself. I don't have everything I want, but I have the things that count and make me happy. Those other things that I want are just bonuses.

Matt and I are getting readying to move. We are so excited. We are going to move into this nice little duplex, two blocks from where we currently live. It was gutted about a year ago and redone completely. The main floor has a living room and a nice big kitchen. Upstairs is two bedrooms (one we will use as our computer room) and the bathroom. It is probably not bigger than our current space, but the layout is better and we will have a deck and a washer/dryer/dishwasher which are all perks. We move in around the first of April and can't wait!
Along with this move, comes a lot of sorting and purging. I've been really good so far at getting rid of things such as clothes and old books. I mean I still love to read, but where I now have a kindle, I can start to transition my book collection over to digital formats and get rid of a lot of books I have already read. I'm a bit sad that I haven't been reading as much as I would like. Sometimes I find it had to get into a book, whether it is because of the book, or of my mood or that I'm using a kindle has yet to be determined. That said I have read two more books from the Betsy the Vampire Queen series in the last day or so. Working so much and having all these extra-curricular activities does not lead to much time to read.



I love coaching swimming and being around the pool. It is something I've done for years and years and I have been so fortunate to be able to continue doing with with my career. That said, this year I am experiencing some major challenges. I am coaching a group of 11-14 year olds who are competitive. and unfortunately at these ages kids either decide that they enjoy swimming competitively and are able to have a lot of motivation to do what is asked OR they just goof off. In my group I am at about 1/2 and 1/2 right now. It gets hard to try and get these swimmers who are goofing off to listen to me and do what is asked. There are some days when I want to pull all my hair out because they are being so frustrating. There is only one more training cycle left in our season (from after March Break, through to provincials May 13-15). I have made some progress with a few of them, so hopefully I can motivate the others and get some good training in so that they can meet their goals. I've been having issues with the parents as well, since they don't seem to understand how much time and planning and effort goes into coaching. I can't force a kid to swim. I can only do my best, and it is a crappy feeling when your best isn't enough.

Fashion Blogs

I have been a lover of blogs since I became a techno nerd. Its true! I had one way back in the day when livejournal was everyones main place to go and since then I've enjoyed creeping and reading others. There are blogs for everything and everyone. I used to write a daily "what I did blog" until I realized I'm crazy boring.... then I started this one and its still boring but meh. No one reads it.

My love of blogs stems from the interactions of its readers. Want to get a question answered? Join a community blog and ask away and then come back and read the comments. You get real advice from real people who have been in the same situations. I love reading about my various medical issues (Graves & Celiac) because I get to find out how others are coping; What medications they take; Tricks that they have learned; And of course, Gluten-Free recipes. Its one thing to read about it in a book but online, where others have commented, you know if the advice is really good... and if the recipe is worth trying! Recently I have discovered Fashion Blogs and have fallen in love.

I was surprised when I actually liked working in retail and ever since I started at Tabi back when I was 15, I have loved to work with clothing. Feeling the difference between the fabrics. Seeing the differences in the cuts. Helping people with various body shapes find what works for them. I really upgraded when I went from working Tabi to working at Roots. During my first year at the MicMac store, I started to really get into fashion, but it wasn't until I joined the Spring Garden store that I was hooked. Partly it was because of the girls I worked with, and partly because the Spring Garden store had such a larger selection than the MicMac store.
I was no fashionable when I was a teen. I pretty much rebelled and went the opposite way that most girls went. I remember spending grade 5 and grade 6 living in black leggings and super baggy t-shirts. I didn't want to look like everyone else. I didn't want to wear kaki pants. Then I went further away from the others. I dabbled in super baggy pants. I work tank tops with flannel shirts overtop. I went from only wearing leggings to only wearing jeans. I was almost in high school before I joined the "short t shirt" club instead of always wearing mens' shirts. Then high school....... oh dear.

Actually I look back and love it. I was an individual. My friends were all individuals. We didn't care if we wore the latest look, instead we enjoyed being ourselves. I think this is one of the main reasons why we are pretty much all still friends. We had figured out who we were and embraced it. I went through a period with some purple streaks in my hair (c/o some purple kool-aid - my mom was not impressed). Bracelets were one of my loves. I wore them everyday from wrist to elbow. I had a pair of mens jeans (they were so comfy!). I did own pleather. I had a shirt made of netting. University I wore a lot of Roots (because I wore it to work before or after class and didn't want to change).

I feel that by working with clothing (and trying EVERYTHING on) you get a good sense for what works on you and what doesn't. I'm a huge believer in trying things on. I know now that I have a super long torso so all those short t-shirts don't work on me (on other people they hit at your belt line, on me the hit at my belly button). I am curvy. I have to be careful about pockets. Working at Garage was an interesting experience as they are geared towards young teens.... thing 12, 13, 14 year olds..... I was 23, 24 working there. Again, working there you have to wear the clothing so you figure out what works for you and how to make something match you instead of you matching the clothes (been 16 once, don't want to look like I'm still 16 - although I have been asked if I am a high school student volunteer at some schools that I work at). I've learned not to really care what size the label says - it doesn't matter. What matters is that you like what you are wearing and that you look good in it.

I love leggings (I think it kinda brings me back to when I was little). I'm on the fence about jeggings but mostly because I have yet to see a good version of them. If a pair had the right wash and look, I might pick a pair up. I love dresses for work. I have lots of cute flats and a few pairs of nice heels (still scared of them since I sprained my ankle). I do shop too much because I get an idea into my head or when I see something I can picture an outfit that I need to have and wear. I'm trying to streamline my closet with pieces that I can wear for work and wear when I'm going out with friends. It is slowly working.

While fashion blogs are awesome ways to get ideas of how to wear something or what is "in style" I have mixed feelings about them. I like reading them but some of them are all about just taking a picture and showing people what they are wearing everyday. I like to look good... but I don't look picture perfect every single day. If I'm just going to the laundromat, I'll just throw whatever on and pull my hair back. Makeup? Ha! Not unless it is a super special occasion. That said I'll still continue to read them. :)

I'll end this with a question.... what is your favourite item(s) in your closet? Can be a new item or old one.
Mine are my brand new Steve Madden black heels. They have a small heel (1.5") and a round toe. The heel is also a bit thicker (not chunky but not skinny like stilettos). I also love my purple bench hoodie (because it is the best shade of purple!)

Oldies?

So I have the habit of making myself feel old by realizing that the kids I teach know nothing about the bands that I used to love. Check out some oldies below (They may not be "good" but they definitely bring back the memories).
P.S. You want these for yourselves, then check out iTunes :)


I totally used to know the whole dance to this one!



Again Kristen and I used to be able to do the dance :P


This song Screams Jr High Dances to me



I used to <3 Sugar Ray
This one screams Saint Anne's Trip to me... and that crazy time we went to the OLP concert and met up with people and had a fun but really random day.


Well this one is only because I recently saw the Movie "Date Night" and he was in it and he wasn't wearing a shirt.....

Adventure in PEI

Matt unfortunately has been working like crazy the past few months.  So last weekend when he had Sunday off, we went for an adventure. :) We headed up to the North Shore to a spot called "Thunder Cove". It's not that far from Charlottetown but is it ever pretty. Here are a few of my photos  from that day.

Now (hopefully) Back to Regular Blogging

Hi All!
This summer has gone by in a flash! Old Home Week starts tomorrow here on the island which here means that summer is pretty much over. There is an old folk lore that states that the wind always changes to come from the North during the Gold Cup and Saucer Races, to help push the horses on. All I know is that today feels like fall. There is a nip in the air.

So lets see, my summer... Well I worked a whole lot in May and June, then Matt and I headed down to my parents new cottage (literally across the street from the old family one my grandparents bought). It is so nice to be able to see the water and hear the waves at night. It is also a real house. Mom and Dad will probably be selling the place in Colby within the next year or two. They plan on keeping something in the city (apartment or condo) but want to enjoy the perks of my Dad's job and traveling everywhere. Plus visiting Lo/Seb in BC and Matt and I here in Charlottetown.

View from the Deck :)

New Cottage!

I spent a weekend in Halifax to attend Natalie and Dan's Wedding back in July. It was so much fun to see them get married since we all met at UMPI  and were there at the beginning of their relationship. The UMPI crew had a great reunion at the wedding and in our hotel room.  It was so much fun to see everyone and hear all their stories. It sometimes feels like so much has happened since Maine, but then it also seems like no time at all has passed.

Hannah, Erin, Shannon and I getting ready for the reception

The next big thing that happened this summer was that my little sister Laura got Married!  I'll post more pictures on that later but she was such a happy bride and so excited to be starting her life with Sebastien. She had a super day for a wedding (although Dad would say it was a bit too hot). As I type this, she and Seb are now driving across Canada to their new home in Victoria. 

Steve (bestman), Seb, Pascal (groomsman) and of course, Lo 

Trip to Toronto

I want to figure out and be able to make custom blog designs and layouts. I love doing digital scrapbooking so this really shouldn't be a huge leap yet for some reason I can't find out enough information on how to do it. BOO! Its the combination of the art and the programming that I like the idea of .... hopefully I'll figure it out someday.

So a few weekends ago, Mom and I went up to Toronto for two nights to go to Steve's Wedding. I've known Steve since we were babies and we were really lucky to stay good friends even when he and his family moved to New Orleans at the end of Grade 8. We had a great time, did some shopping on Friday after we arrived, met up with Step

h in downtown Toronto on Saturday before the wedding then went to a great wedding reception.

Steph and I at St. Lawrence Market

CN Tower

Steve and Jenn's First Dance as Husband and Wife

Steve and I

Easter

Somedays I think I need to get a life... other days I think I have too much of a life. I think it all works out in the end.... right?

Matt and I had a wonderful, quiet Easter here in Charlottetown. I did a big Ham and lots of veggies and it turned out really good if I do say so myself. The only huge downside was that on Thursday night, someone stole our license plate off the back of our car. So I had to report it. Then Saturday I was doing a quick errand when I got caught diving my car (with no plates which they told me I could do when I reported it stolen) and given a warning ticket. So for the rest of Saturday, all day Sunday and all day Monday we did not drive anywhere. It was gorgeous out, so it wasn't really a big deal until I realized I had to coach swim team on Monday at 5pm up at CARI (by UPEI) and I live downtown near the water..... took around 45 minutes each way to walk there and I only had one kid there to coach! Got a new plate yesterday (and was a few minutes late for work which as most of you know I HATE being late for anything) and then today I found 1/2 of the old plate on a neighbour's lawn. It was missing the last digit (2) and the registration sticker. I guess its okay that they only wanted the sticker and my old plate is not going to be used for some crime... right?

In other news I've joined the gym again. Since I'm subbing and getting random hours/days, I figured I needed something productive to do other than shopping, when I don't work. I joined last Thursday and have gone every day except yesterday (too busy with Work and getting the license plate stuff and band concert). My goal it to keep me moving so I try to do a day of cardio then a day of cardio and either arms/legs. For cardio I've been doing 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes of the bike and some swimming (normally 50 lengths of their 15m pool but today I only did 20 since I was tired and walked to/from the gym).

Oh! I've made Matt an icecream cake from scratch for his birthday tonight. I HOPE it turns out well...... it was a bit messy to put together. He specifically asked for one 'cause he knows I can have ice cream but not DQ cakes because the chocolate crumbs in the middle are made from wheat cookies and have gluten. I wanted to do curry for supper (one of his favorites) but the mix I normally use was sold out at Sobey's. I'm going to try the other Sobey's before or after swim team and hope they have it. If not I guess we can have leftover ham :P

March Break

So it is March Break and it is starting to feel like spring. I really do enjoy spring. The days are getting longer, the sun is nice and warm and strong. Watching the world come to life again. There are bits I don't like.... like the mud everywhere, but this year I have invested in a nice pair of rain boots. I love them. Got them at my current favourite store... Winners. They are nice and tall, brown and pink with polkadots of various other colours. Everyone who has seen them thinks they are very me. I couldn't NOT buy them for $25. Winners has been having a lot of really nice things or rather I've been finding all the really nice things there lately. I'm still rocking the dresses. I have so many.. oops. But they are so nice and comfy to wear but they look nicer than a t and jeans. Plus many can be dressed up for work with the right accessories.

Nothing really happening on the job front other than they are trying to hire french immersion teachers now. So I'm making up my cover letter and editing my resume. Subbing has been going okay - some weeks I've been getting a lot of work and other weeks hardly any. I'm glad this week is March Break, I had to have a tooth extracted on Monday and have been sore and swollen ever since. So I'm kinda glad I don't have to turn down work or have to explain to the kids why I don't want to be talking a lot.

Mom, Dad, Laura and Sebastien are coming up this weekend for a visit. Dad's birthday is on Sunday and he wanted us all to be together. I did offer to go home to Halifax but he decided to come up. They will come up on Saturday and we're going to go to Sims Steakhouse and Oyster bar for supper. They wont be staying at our place (too small for that) but will be staying at the Delta which is right downtown and only a few blocks from our place. It should be fun.

I love my family, I really do. But.... I'm getting sick and tired of them ALWAYS going "How are you feeling.... oh I/someone I know found this website about being gluten free"..... I'm the person who has celiac. I'm the person who has to live this. But you know what? For me, it is NOT hard. I don't miss bread. I really don't. I like to cook. It is easy to cook "traditional" meals with veggies and some sort of meat. They are naturally gluten-free and taste so yummy and tend to have leftovers. Its not like our meals are boring. I make spanish rice, chilli, Roast Beef (and stew from the leftovers), I've learned how to make gravy without flour. Stir fry's are good as long as I use a gluten-free Soya Sauce. I've finally found a good gluten-free pizza crust. Taco's are gluten free (as long as I use the hard shell kind). My food is healthy and natural. I love fruits and veggies. I'm making smoothies. I'm not starving like my Mom seems to think. I'm feeling good as long as I read the labels. I'm not wasting away... if anything I'm gaining weight since I LOVE food so much.

Impatient

I believe that everything happens for a reason but I'm getting impatient.
I want a full time/permanent job. I want our own house. I want Matt do be done this project and to be able to spend time with me instead of working 18 hour days and all weekends.
I am so fortunate to be getting a fair amount of work. I keep getting it at one of two schools which means I am getting to know the staff and students at these schools. I'm also making an effort to work on my french and to improve it. I'm getting into the habit of watching french tv when I'm home. Even if most of it is english shows that have been dubbed, it is still good practice. I'm also getting good at not only understanding what is going on but this week I've professed to the point where I can watch/listen to french tv while being on the web (perez, facebook, etc). I also have noticed an improvement in my french.... just on friday I was teaching grade 1 french immersion and at the end o the day the kids were colouring hearts to make a valentine's day wreath. I went over to check with one kid and said "ahhh vous avez cree une suite, rouge, rose, rouge, rose, rouge, rose" but all I could think afterwards was "wow my r's were really rolling and sounding good!" Oh also.... grade 1 french immersion, on a friday, of a week with mostly indoor recesses due to it being too cold out results in kids bouncing off the walls..... I mean grade 1's bounce on a good day but holy moly were they wild! I love it but by the end of the day, I was exhausted!!

I've also realized recently how much I LOVE cooking and baking. I don't try to do super complicated things, but still I do enjoy the time I spend in the kitchen. I don't have the luxury to be lazy anymore - as most "fast" foods contain gluten. I have to cook from scratch. Recently I've learned to make chilli, and tonight I made a pork roast for the first time. I've done pork chops but never a pork roast. I did it in my slow cooker which I love for doing roasts and chickens. Tonight's was a bit dry but that was because i forgot to put potatoes in the pot, so the stuffed potatoes took 40 minutes to cook in the oven. I've had great luck this winter in making applesauce from scratch. Not only is it pretty healthy, but it makes the apartment smell good AND is good hot and cold. I've also been trying to eat a lot more fruits and veggies for snacks/lunches. So far it has been working well although I feel weird to pull out my lunch and have an apple, an orange, some grapes, some carrots possibly some strawberries. I wont say I've given up on making a good gluten free bread, but have decided to do it on my time, instead of forcing myself to do it in order to have sandwiches for lunches. Rice cakes work well for a carb (which I do seem to crave) and the plain ones are good with bruchetta mix. I've still not tried to do my own flour mixing when doing gluten free baking , but have a few in the cupboard that I want to try to use. I've been keeping with mixes as I feel they have better turnout rate.... although really its only been like 50/50 at the moment. I also have learned that I need a few more basics for my kitchen.... like a dutch oven and a proper round cake pan.... you should see me using my corningware to make a cake :P It works and that's all that counts.

Lazy Saturday

So today is Saturday, January 2, 2010, a palindrome if you write it this way 01/01/2010 (same backwards and forwards!)
Matt and I had a lazy day, although it did not start that nicely for me. See Matt is a night owl and loves to sleep in, so since he has been on vacation, he has gotten into the bad habit of staying up way too late and sleeping most of the day away. Since vacation is almost over (boo!) he decided to start setting his alarm for earlier times to get him into the habit of getting up before noon (good idea for work, right?). So this morning as I've decided to go back to sleep since I'm battling a cold, his alarm goes off at 10am and keeps going off for a long, long time. Of course then I couldn't get back to sleep and he is dead to the world. Go figure. At noon I finally went to get him up and moving as we had a few errands that we wanted to do today. Nothing really big or serious. I wanted to go to the Mall to pick up a few things and he needed to exchange a video game from ps3 to xbox and we needed to go get a few things at the grocery store.
After that we came back and I watched some of the Torchwood/Dr Who marathon on Space and made some hodgepodge Chilli - I stuffed it full of al kinds of veggies and ground beed and beans and such. It was so good for supper. Plus there are lots of leftovers. So now we have beef stew leftovers and chilli leftovers for this coming week. I love leftovers for supper during the week... just heat up and go! My weeknights tend to be quite busy with swimteam and such that not having to worry about what to make or being able to make it quickly is certainly a plus. Also with all my food issues, knowing for sure what is in my supper is also good to know.
I had some pictures to post but I'm being lazy and don't want to go into the next room to get my camera cable, so they will be posted later.
Hope everyone is nice and bundles up at home. It is only really windy here but there is the chance of snow/rain/ice..... seriously I enjoy the weather way too much! :P

Welcome 2010

It is the first day of the new year and I am looking forward to what the fates have in store for me.
2009 was a memorable year and while I would not change anything, I am glad it is over.
I started the year by wanting to take a photo each day... that only lasted 30 odd days. I started substitute teaching. I had pneumonia, I was luck enough to get two contracts teaching at two different schools, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I knit my first pair of socks, I went to Florida and Disney with Matt, started speaking french again, had my first summer off as a teacher, started taking and loving yoga classes, and severely sprained my ankle.
There are so many things that are going to happen in this next year and I'm sure the year will fly by as quickly as the last. I do have some dreams and hopes for this coming year.... to get a full time permeant placement, to hopefully go on a fun trip, to maybe even get a new car and possibly apartment. As for resolutions.. I don't really have any. I want to continue putting myself first with my diet, exercise and wellbeing. I want to continue to eat healthy (which isn't really a choice but a necessity.... No Barley, Rye, Oats or Wheat due to Celiac and limited Milk and eggs due to slight intolerance/allergy).

I've been having some trouble with gluten-free baking. I'm okay with the everyday cooking but its when I try to make bread or other treats that I am having some troubles. In "normal" baking, gluten (found typically in your flour) is what gives viscosity and extensibility to the dough. If you have added yeast (say for bread) then gluten allows for the carbon dioxide bubbles given off by the yeast to be trapped, making it rise. After baking, gluten stabilized the final shape of whatever you are baking. This makes gluten free baking hard. You have to use various different types of flour (corn flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, etc.) So far I've been experimenting with different brands of mixes (think like a cake mix). Some have turned out alright but others.... well not so good. I find the dough can be really sticky and hard to work with when mixing or shaping into a loaf of bread or into biscuits. Most have turned out in the end pretty edible but not great and nothing like the "real" thing. Oh well.
I was very lucky to be gifted with a lot of gluten free products for christmas, mixes and such, so I can't wait to try some of them.

Antsy

I am getting so Antsy.... Fall is in the air. I read on facebook about teacher going back to work and setting up their classrooms and planning while I'm sitting at home, bored and in limbo.
I know our schools do not go back until September 8th and know that logically there will be hiring done next week but I want there to be a lot more postings and to be actively applying to things. At the moment there are only three jobs out there.... THREE! one way up in Souris. Two others that are part time. One is a literacy teacher and the other is a music teacher. I will apply for the literacy one as it is better than nothing, but I really don't have the experience for it. I could try for the music one but I would be scared shitless if I ever got an interview much less the job. I love music. I love playing I love learning about it. But teaching it? I could teach the basics but the singing part scares me. I love to sing when I am alone... but really to this day I hate singing in front of others. That was always Laura's thing. I will belt out a tune in the car but Matt's there I wont. I trust him with everything.... yet I wont sing in front of him.. how could I teach music with being scared to sing?

I've been forcing myself to stay home as much as possible lately. I don't have really any money to spare right now and going out tends to mean spending money. I did go out a few days ago... just went up to the mall on my way to leisure world to buy some yarn for a knitting project, and ended up buying a few things. I got a few cute shirts and a really cute plaid purse. I've been looking for over a year for a nice big plaid purse so that made me happy. I also got this amazing orange Calvin Klein wrap dress. It was at winners since early spring for 60 bucks but I got it for 11. I LOVE it. Its got a retro feel and will be amazing to wear to work.
I've started two new knitting projects. One, is a cute tube top and the other is a flutter sleeve top. I really like both patterns so hopefully I'll be able to knit them. I've also gone through 1/2 of season 3, all of season 4 and half of season 5 of Angel.
I hopefully will start getting ei soon... one of my ROE was late getting to them but hopefully after 5 phone calls I've gotten it all sorted out. The woman today seemed like she was getting it all set up so hopefully I will have money soon. I'd really like a job better though. Teaching is definitely what I love to do. People keep saying "oh you're so busy the first year of teaching" but I enjoy it so much and am so frigging organized all the time that I don't really see that being an issue for me. Again depends on what I teach of course.
I also can't wait to either get a house or fix up this apartment. We have a clause in our lease about hanging pictures and things (it is a heritage property after all) and we are on the third floor with a tight little staircase. I really want more seating in our living room and want to put things on the walls but as we are starting to talk super seriously about getting a house the last thing I want to do is put things up only to have to take them down right away. I have all these grand plans of what I want to do to decorate. types of furniture (as we only have a love seat and ottoman atm) colours. etc. I want it to be modern but colourful. Nice but contemporary. Homey and cozy but fun! I can't wait... if something would come on the market that we like. And can afford. Seriously. Most of hte places downtown are either HUGE or are condos. and In Charlottetown when condos are more expensive than waterfront houses, you know there is something wrong! We don't see ourselves in a condo.... we want a house with a driveway to park our car. A backyard with a patio and bbq and chairs. A washer and dryer! A clothesline! *sigh* Someday. Hopefully soon.

Summer 09

I swear, the older I get the better at procrastinating I become. I find the littlest things to keep myself busy so I don't have to wash the dishes/clean the bathroom/post on my blog. I LOVE writing and do miss it. I also a the biggest blog reader, enjoying vicariously living through others with stories of their lives.

So what has been going on in my life? A whole lot of nothing for the most part. I'm really enjoying having the summer off, although still not having anything lined up for the fall bugs me. Those who know me REALLY well know how overly organized I am. It is a strength and a weakness all in one. When I got my contract in March I threw myself into being organized by knowing every last bit of the curriculum that I had to cover and then coming up with numerous activities/lesson plans/ideas on how to cover each (including worksheets that I made up, text book chapters & questions, websites etc.) This made teaching more fun because I had done all the "prep" work ahead of time and could enjoy being in the classroom and tweaking my ideas/plans to suit the class and kids. But without having anything lined up for the fall, I keep collecting ideas for anything I might teach but at the same time know that I shouldn't until I know something. So I troll through the internet going to various blogs and teaching communities going "ooo that would be great to do with grade X" or "I'll have to try that if i teach class Y". I have ebooks and pdf's galore on classroom management and bulletin board ideas..... I just wish i could plan a bit more concretely...... and get rid of the things that I wont use/need. But it is also my love of doing this and my desire to know more and plan more that makes me so happy and so sure that this is what I want to be doing for a living. That this is my passion. I keep telling myself to stop and relax. To take a deep breath. To believe that I will get something for next year. The closer it is getting to labour day, the harder that really is. That said, PEI students go back to school on Sept 8.... a week later than most provinces. So I keep believing that there is something there for me.

So since I have all this time off. Not working. Not being paid. What am I doing? Going to the beach for the most part. :P I love lakeside beach. It is up on the north shore and is so pretty. It is right by Crowbush golf resort. The water is pretty warm. The beach is pretty clean (no seaweed at all til about a week ago when we had some big surf). Most days I drive up by myself, go for a swim and lay out with a book. I've currently read almost all of the books (mostly mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. I say most, because there were a few that the library does not have but its not the end of the world. On average I'm going through about a book a day. I love to read. I always have and probably always will. I absorb books. I'm a fast reader and once I get into the story, I never want to put the book down until I know the ending. I'm also surprised that I am going towards more murder mystery type of books at the moment. I go through phases, but will read pretty much anything.

I spent a few days in St. John NB with Katie, a friend from UMPI. We had a great time and I got to see a few of my other UMPI friends (Erin and Lindsay) as well! We hung out by her pool and went to St. Andrews and to uptown St. John. It was nice to see her again and to hang out with someone who is going through a lot of the same things (starting teaching etc.). Matt and I have also been down to Halifax a few times this summer. We came for a weekend to meet up with a few of Matt's friends and to go sailing which was a blast! We only went around the harbour but it was a beautiful day and lots of fun was had. He and I also got to spend a few day there last week so we could go to the buskers and then go down to my parents cottage for a few nights to visit with family from the UK and Croatia. There's never enough time to see everyone when we go home. It sucks because I want to see everyone but I also want to be able to relax. Plus we went last Thursday.... less than 12 hours after I had an asthma attack that landed me in the ER for an hour or so. I was in and out pretty quickly but I was still not feeling 100% either. I'm fine now. I'm disappointed that I didn't' get to see the fireshow at the buskers.... it is one of my favorite parts! But being with family was so great. It was so nice to see my Aunts and Uncles and cousins, and of course my Parents, Sis, her fiance Seb. Its wierd in a good way when you see your family expanding. I'm so used to my family being my parents, lo and I.... now it includes Matt and Seb.

Enjoying my Summer

Here I am, my first summer as a teacher.... and its WIERD! You all know that I do not "do nothing" well. I get bored and anxious. But I am trying to be productive. I'm reading a whole lot. The apartment is staying pretty clean (aside from the exploding closet/dresser in the bedroom) I've been knitting a lot (sock number 1 is almost done... I'm almost to the toe). And I have watched a fair amount of tv.

Books. I've been re-reading the Sookie Stackhouse books. On HBO there is a show called True Blood, based on this series of books. Basically in this alternate world, the Japanese have come up with a synthetic blood substitute, which leads to vampires "coming out of the coffin". The main character, Sookie, lives in rural Louisiana and works at a bar, and gets heavily involved in the supernatural world. The tv show is loosely based on the books but changes things. The books are not the best literary pieces in the world, but I find them entertaining and an easy read. Great for those beach days (although we've only have one so far this summer!). I personally found the first book really hard to get into, although that could be because I am used to the show and kept comparing the two. There are currently 9 books out, with the next one being released next May. I haven't read number 9 but am on the list at the library so am waiting for it. If you've read these books, what do you think? Matt is reading them now, mostly because we watch the tv show together and he finds them slow. He's really picky with his books whereas I will read anything!

We've been having kinda crappy weather. I finished work and then went right down to the cottage in Hunts Point for Mom's birthday. I love it down there. Its about 20 minutes from Liverpool, 10 from White Point. The cottage is looking amazing. Mom and Dad have put so much work into it. One of the coolest things they have done this spring, was put a new well cover in. It looks like a little wishing well. It is so cool. I was there from Wednesday to Sunday. Laura arrived on Friday night and we took Mom to Bay and Lunenburg for lunch and shopping at their fun shops. The Teaser is always fun and there is a really cool yarn shop called "Have A Yarn" (http://www.haveayarn.ca). We had Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory which was delicious as always. But the big surprise happened afterwards.... See while we were out, Mom's friends from the city were arriving at my Aunt's cottage and being shuttled over to our place for a big surprise party. She was SHOCKED! It was so great! We have everything all planned so that her friends could stay the night at my Aunt's cottage down the road. Dad had Alimentos (owned by Chef Mitchell Williams) doing the catering. It was a great time. I had to come right back to PEI on Sunday, to be back in time to apply for more jobs for next fall.

Since I've been home, It has been cold and rainy and yucky! Luckily I have been able to keep myself busy by applying to any/all teaching jobs that come up. I got my hair done (Wohoo! back to blond!). I went to the library and got out a bunch of books. I got some in french as I need to work on my french. I took the Department of Education French test and received the rating of "Intermediate" which is good considering I haven't really used my french in over 5 years (well until this past spring). I really want to increase my rating to Advanced Plus so I need to start doing more things in french (french reading, writing, tv, music, etc.)

Going Gluten Free is going okay. I'm feeling better (although not 100% yet) but it is hard as I have to think about what I eat and check the ingredients for EVERYTHING. If I don't feel like cooking, I can't go get fast food. I can't just order a pizza. That part is hard. Matt has flex hours at work and has been busy with two games now now the apple app store, so while he isn't working super late, its hard to just make supper, when neither of us know when he will be home. Speaking of his games... if you have an iphone and/or an ipod touch, you should buy Big Top Ten (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=320461424&mt=8) and Kill All Bugs (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=320789969&mt=8) Matt Made them! What do you think?

My goal is to be good about updating this summer. Topics probably will be really random. But hopefully people will read it and comment! (hint hint :P)

Bad About Updating....

Sorry for being super bad about updating.
Okay, so the first major thing that happened to me lately was getting teaching contracts here in Charlottetown... yes contracts, plural. One for the mornings and one for the afternoons. In the morning I am at Glen Stewart Elementary School where I am on a grant and I help out the grade 4 and the grade 5 french immersion classes. They are really great kids, but just have huge classes so having another teacher in the room to help out is great. I also get to practice and improve my french. I haven't routinely used it since probably grade 12 so this is great. I'm so shocked at how much comes back and how quickly it comes back. Hopefully having french will help me get a permanent position for next fall!!!
In the afternoons I am at Parkdale Elementary school where I am filling in for a mat leave. I share the position with the reading recovery teacher. We teach grade 4. I mostly teach them math and then when they are at their specialists (gym or music) I do resource and help out in other classes. I LOVE teaching and I LOVE knowing where I am going to be every day and getting to know the kids and other teachers. My obsessive organization and planning really comes in handy :P It is a lot of work and you can't really turn off you brain from thinking about school stuff (kids, planning etc.) but I am so happy that I became a teacher.... it is really what i was meant to do!
Having these contracts are great but I am nervous about next year. I really want to get another contract or to get a permanent position. The biggest issue here in PEI is that we are in the middle of school reorganization.... they want to close 11 schools, one of which being Parkdale. These closure are due to our declining population and such. BUt the process to close these schools has been...... complicated. The school superinentdent wrote the report saying that these 11 schools should close. Then there is 90 days of public meetings and input. But they accused him of not including information in this report and therefor he had to add things to it which restarted the 90 days. So currently public input is being accepted until May 12 then the school trustees have to write a report which is due May 31. Then the government has to have the final say. Then the schools that close will close at the end of June. There are lots of issues for and against. There is also a supreme court hearing next week on whether this whole process is legal. UGH! I understand both sides of the issue. From a really selfish point of view..... if the schools close they have to reassign all those teachers which means less positions for people like me to apply to..... I hate being selfish like that but after having contracts I don;t want to go back to subbing. I will not be able to apply to potential jobs until June 15th at the earliest.
Matt and I went to Florida with my family from April 2 to 12. It was really fun. We had a blast. We spent 3 days in Treasure Island (outside Tampa) for my cousin Kathy's wedding then went to Orlando. We went to Epcot and Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios. Anyways here are a few pictures from my trip. :)


Seb, Lo, Dad, Me, Matt, Aunt Margie and Mom at Magic Kingdom


Seb, Lo, Dad, Mom, Aunt Margie, Me and Matt at Epcot


Dad, Lo and I at Bubba Gump Restaurant


My Dad's Wicked Shirt and my Drink that the Bank of Dad bought me :)


Matt and I at Magic Kingdom


Matt and I on the beach in Treasure Island for Kathy's Wedding