New Shoes!

I finally got my new running shoes. Oooh, aren't they pretty? :)

They're very pink. Not my first pick, but I can embrace my inner pink. They don't look quite so pink on my feet, and once I start running outside...they won't be pink anymore. Or white. Hee hee. So tomorrow morning it's off to the gym to start my training schedule. I'm so excited!

Work, work and more work....

I don't feel like I've done anything since I went snowshoeing! Last week we had our management retreat, which was great, but it was a lot of work. The DPL managers met off-site and hashed out our priorities for this year etc. It's energizing while you're doing it, but once we were done...I was exhausted. And then Saturday I had the Human Dignity Coalition annual Board retreat, which again was an all-day goal-setting session. I'm really excited. We've got some amazing things planned for this year. This is a great non-profit organization. If you're looking for a way to give back to the C.O. community, this is a great way. Then Sunday I had to work...and this week I'm working 10 hour shifts because I have a staff member on vacation. All of which is fine...but I am feeling a tad burned out.

I did however get some pictures of Kai learning to ski. Both Randal and I learned to ski really early. Here's my mom teaching me to ski on Silver Star. We used to go there every year when I was really little for a week or so. The rest of the winter we skied Whistler and Grouse.
Not sure where this is, but I think it may just be at a local park in North Vancouver. He's so cute!

Oopsie! I love how Cito just lies there in the background. Not at all concerned. Hee hee.

Live for every moment

Wow, what a filled weekend I just had! Friday night the Bella Executive Committee had our holiday party. Like last year, we did a white elephant exchange. Last year I got the fish. This year....I got back what I brought! :) I took the white goose cookie jar I got at the New Year's white elephant that we did. Dave opened that one...but then at the end, he stole what I had, SO I HAD IT BACK!!!!! But no worries, I stashed it in Cate and Josh's shower. Hee hee. No way was I bringing that thing home.

On Saturday I went to a memorial for the husband of one of the Bellas. I didn't know him, but I sure wish I had. It was so sad...but at the same time it was great. There were so many people there that loved both of them, and EVERYONE talked about what a great guy he was. He lived life to the fullest every single moment. They did a slide show in honor of him and I'd say that 98% of them were outside. And in every one he had this enormous smile. So I decided that perhaps he should be my muse. He can't be here anymore to love life and take advantage of the beauty around us, so I will. The best way to honor his memory is to try and live like he would have.

So, to do that we went bowling! :) It really was super fun. I suck...but I had a great time. And I even learned something. I've been holding the bowling ball the wrong way my whole life!!!! I've been using my thumb and then those first two fingers. Um...no. You're supposed to use your thumb and then the second and third fingers. Who knew? :) Once I did that...well, I didn't get any better, but it sure felt better. We'll go back soon and I'm gonna ROCK! Hee hee. Sheila won one game, Chris one, and Barrie one. But if we'd played a fourth game I would have one it! Yea, no. But I'm being positive.

This morning Barrie and I went for a great snowshoe. It had snowed there last night, so there was a nice layer of soft snow. It was just gorgeous.

We did the loop out to Meisner out to the Meisner shelter and then back. It was about 3.5 miles, and again, no leg pain!!! :) I did have some foot pain, but that was from my orthotics and the non-flexing shoes. But it was still great. It was just amazing, and wonderful to be outside after the memorial on Saturday and the revelations I had.


It's been snowing most of the day. It's beautiful. :)

Night snowshoe

Last night I went on a night snowshoe with the Bend Bellas. It was fun! :) And I was very happy with how my legs felt. I mean, I hurt...but it had nothing to do with the compartment syndrome or surgery. I'm just soooooo out of shape. That, and I wore the wrong socks and boots. My socks slipped down and bunched up against my leg right where they'd start rubbing. It was kinda ouchy, but I made it. And I feel great today and I managed to do it. HOORAY!!!!!

It was dark out there, but still light enough that you didn't have to use a headlamp. Anyway, Julie fell a bit back behind the others with me (I was having trouble going as fast as the others) and we were just using my light. Then all of a sudden this "THING" leaped screaming out of the bushes at us. OMG I almost had a heart attack! I think you could probably hear my scream a mile away. It was stupid Heidi! It made her laugh so hard I think she may have peed her pants. After I recovered I pushed her in the snowbank. This is kinda what she looked like...

It scared the living beep out of me! It scared me so much I almost cried. You know that feeling? Sigh. It doesn't help that I am kinda scared of the dark.

Anyway, it was fun. Speaking of snow, this is a picture taken of the area in front of the Sunriver library, where I work. This was a week and a half ago, so we have even more now. We can barely see out of the staff room windows! :)

Time passes

Wow, I really haven't been very good at updating, have I? :) Oh well. Not much new with me. I've spent the last couple weeks re-arranging my upstairs rooms. I decided I wanted the bigger room for the bedroom. I initially took the smaller room, because it has a porch. But I can still use the porch if it's off the "office." And the bigger room is so nice and bright!

I also got a new bed frame and a new dresser. Oh yea, and something cool, a combo mirror and jewelry keeper. I just love it.
It's taken me quite a while to get it all organized though. And I'm trying to organize my office so that I have some good space to work in. I have a ton of big projects at work coming up, and then with the Bend Bella Cyclists we have a lot going on, and this year I'm the race director for Pickett's Charge, a mt bike race here in Bend in June. Ulp! Organization is my focus this year. For any women in Bend, come on out and snowshoe with us tomorrow, Wednesday night. We're going to meet at PMS at 6:00 and go night snowshoeing. HOORAY! :)

Oh yea, and did I say that my goal for this year is to do the sprint distance of the Deschutes Dash? I'm excited, but a bit scared. I've never done a triathlon before...hell, I've never run before!!!!! :) I'm starting a program that within 13 weeks will have me running 10k. We only have to do half of that for the sprint distance. I'm going to be training with a couple friends, which always makes it easier. We'd love to have a cheering section at the finish line! :) I know that some people say they could roll out of bed and do a sprint tri...well, I can't! For me this is going to be a big deal. I've never been able to run before! Maybe for the Dash I'll "decorate" my legs to accentuate the scars....

On a sad note, I found out yesterday the husband of one of the women I know from the Bellas died skiing on Mt Bachelor Sunday. My heart really goes out to her and their families. He was only 27. Way too young. It's so important to tell the people that you love, that you love them. Things happen so quickly. None of us want to live with regrets about what we said or did not say. So, to take something positive from his death...make sure you live you life the way you would want to be remembered, and tell people how much you mean to them.

Happy New Year! :)

I had a nice quiet New Years with some friends. New Years has always been my least favourite holiday, but the last couple have been pretty good. It's been a hectic holiday season, so I was happy to just go to a house party with a couple friends from work.

As usual, we did out annual tin pouring tradition. My friend Liisa introduced it to me when I moved here seven years ago. You melt some tin, pour it into a bucket of cold water and it makes a shape. You can then "tell your future" from looking at the shape etc. It's just fun. Here are a couple people melting some tin.
That water is c-c-c-c-cold! It had been sitting outside for a couple hours, so we had to break the ice that had formed. Here I am pulling my piece out. Mine always comes out long...lots of people's this year were much more compact. Colleen's looked like a wing! Evidently I don't pour mine quick enough, so that's why it turns out in the long shape.

Then before midnight we did a white elephant exchange. Ana's was fun. She got PMS Detergent, and Bitch and White Trash Detergent. Hee hee hee. It supposed to be bubble bath...but they really did smell more like real powdered laundry detergent. Ugh, I don't think Ana should use it.

And me, I got a gorgeous ceramic duck cookie jar. Whooeee! :) OMG it's just hideous.

I did have a good time though. Then I spent New Years Day putting together a dresser I bought and switching my bedroom to the bigger room I have. I got tired of the same room...I like change!!!!! :) I went through almost all of my storage boxes and ruthlessly weeded out the things I don't need. Right now I have...let's see...seven boxes of stuff for Goodwill and then there were four boxes of complete crap that I threw away.

A nice start to the new year, cleaning up and getting rid of debris that I don't need or want anymore. Out with the old, in with the new, right? :)

Over the hill and through the woods.....

...not to Grandma's house we go, but home! The drive was very long. I started at 7:30 am, spent over an hour at the border crossing, then had to go veeeeery slowly over Mt Hood. I probably would have been faster going down to The Dalles and up Hwy 197. But I didn't know. This is how the pass was all the way. Actually, this was one of the better sections. I was ok going slow, I felt safe. But it just made for a long day.

As soon as I got home the kitties wanted to go outside. They don't like being inside all the time, and they'd been inside for six days...so out they went. They came back in after just a little while, since it was snowing hard. But they were just happy to get out! :)

Merry Christmas!

well, I'm home in Vancouver for Christmas. The drive up was pretty good, but slow due to weather and a couple accidents. Christmas eve we had immediate family, plus Syl and Spiro, of course. Here's a picture of the creche I made for my mom back in...wow, maybe 1983 or '84? There's not one more like it in the world! :) It was Smurfs, Terracotta warriors, llamas, Perivuan china bull, crystal turtle and more! We still put it up every year. It's SO vanEijnsbergen!!!! :)
Syl and Spiro came, like always, with their brand new baby. She is just GORGEOUS! I am biased, but she is gorgeous. we had a really good time, and were so happy that they came. Like I've said before, Syl has spent more Christmas Eve's at my house than I have since 1986 when I met her. She has not missed one! And this year with a 6-week old, they were there. So special.

Here's mom and Kai watching the Santa candle merry-go-round. He's a pretty good kid. Very cute. My parent's camera has some even better pictures. I'll upload those when I get 'em from them.
And here's mom looking at the destruction in the living room after we finished opening our presents. Big job cleaning that one up!

Today, Christmas Day we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Langley for Christmas Day dinner. My cousins were also there, and we had a lot of fun. We had a rather nontraditional Christmas meal, paella. But it was amazing. There are two dishes, 'cause it had shellfish, so that one on the left is for me, without shellfish. I'm allergic...

Along with the paella they ALSO had crab legs. Hee hee. I thought they looked hilarious.

Here's the feast. Unfortunately 'cause of the way the room is set up I could not get back far enough to get everyone in. Too bad.

It's been a good Christmas so far. We're having an "open house" tomorrow and then I head home Thursday. Hooray! :)

Nothing's new...

I haven't been updating 'cause nothing has been happening! :) My legs are healing slowly, but they still swell something awful. I've been trying to do some really gentle spinning at home, alternated with leg and ab exercises. I'm also trying to remember to take it easy and not get to anxious. I'm sure I'll heal in leaps and bounds in the new year.

I'm heading up to Vancouver on Sunday to spend Christmas with my family. I'm looking forward to it. I have to work Saturday for one of my staff, or else I'd head up sooner. Another of my staff fell off a ladder yesterday...I really hope he's well enough to work.

Other than that, the Bend Bella Cyclists Executive Committee had a cookie exchange at our monthly meeting, so I've got lots of great cookies. Too many really, so I'll be giving some away and taking some home.

Surf's up

Wow, I haven't updated in a while! That's probably since not much is happening. I've started back swimming...but I can only do about 15-20 minutes of very slooooow laps. Well, it's more like one length, stop and tread water for a minute, another length and rest...but it's a start, right? :)

It is going well, but I'm still only allowed to work 20 hours per week at the branch. I can work from home though. The incisions look really good, except there is some dimpling around a couple of the stitch marks on my left leg. Can you see the dimpling...and no, that's not cellulite!!!! :P My legs still get tired pretty quickly and they swell too. So I'm wearing super sexy compression stockings for another couple weeks to help with that. I'm hoping the dimpling is just because of swelling.

Since I am only working part-time, I watched Surf's Up today. It's really actually super sweet. More than that, it's good. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it...even to those that don't watch kids movies! :)