August 19th

This was a busy day for a day off.......

The DH loaded up the Dodge to head to the conference centre and hotel for the IC and I stayed behind to work my shift at the second job before heading out on Thursday.

It is a good thing I did since I was getting texts from the DH if things that he had forgotten to bring with him to the hotel.  So I started a pile at the front door and decided to just keep adding to it until I packed up the car.

Grandma S stopped overnight to watch the Noodle so I could work the second shift.  She was able to stick around into Thursday so that I could run into the store quickly without a dog.  So once I had the car fully packed with the girls and all the stuff I headed off to Niagara Falls around lunchtime.

I received a call from the DH saying that he was should WaytoKill'em around the Falls and that I would have to drive on Clifton Hill to meet them to get the room key. O_o  This is the busiest street in Niagara Falls Ontario because of the tourist stuff to do.  I am glad that the DH was waiting for me outside to the attraction since there was no way I could have found parking.

I crossed the border into NY and that is when I fell apart.... believe it or not, there is a Sheraton AT the Falls and a Sheraton ON the Falls?  Well I had the wrong on in the GPS and I was trying to figure out why it kept taking me back across the border.  So I pulled over and called the DH crying and he gave me the address I needed and I was just over a minute away from the hotel.  PHEW!

I got to the hotel and started to unload the car and when I got up to the room with the girls the hotel had a surprise for them!

This was nice of them!  I should have told them that I had the 2 dogs, since I can see some looks coming from Nikki claiming this bed.  So on the last trip to the car I brought up the bed that is in the car for Melodie and she is such a sweet girl she just slept on the old dog bed and was happy.

I began unpacking the luggage for the stay and the DH and WaytoKill'em came to the room with Garcia and Jong and we had a good chin wag to catch up on news.

At this point I realised that I hadn't eaten since I ate the power bar in the car and the troll was getting achy. So we decided to herd down to a TGIFridays and met up with AwardsQueen and R6RC.  And of course I was at a restaurant with Garcia so we had to get Mozza Stixs again lol.  He got a fair bit  more than just these but who I am I to turn down a decent mozza stick!

I also discovered that when you are in a hotel restaurant that is holding the IC, you can never just have a meal and leave.  As we were enjoying dinner we were joined by JD and BFFlorida.  They are a great set of friends who went me to the stock yards in Dallas.  They were the ones that invited me along so I thought I would return the favour and show them my neck of the woods on a walking tour tomorrow of the Falls.  So as I was getting tired from the noises of the restaurant I had the best of intentions to get up and go, but then we were joined by KU and her hubby MU.  At this point I was too tired from the day and needed to leave and it isn't like I wasn't see them during the IC.  So if you plan to go, go.  There will always be someone showing up and you will never got out!

So I took a very tired Nikki back to the room and she decided to flop for the night and this is where she spent the rest of the night:

August 18th

And this begins the upswing to the IC..........

Garcia and Jong were up from California to take advantage of the sights and fun that Toronto had to offer before heading out to Niagara Falls NY for the conference.  So the DH and I headed off to the hotels around PIA to catch up with them over a really late supper.  See California folks are 3 hours head of us in the time zones so since the DH  were working  and could get out until 8ish, this worked in their favour.

Last year at the IC Garcia and I were notorious for enjoying the same appetizers, in particular the Mozza Stix.  Did you know I went looking for the post from that weekend and there isn't one?!?!?!  The shock!  LOL  Anyway, Garcia mentioned at dinner tonight of we should split another order for old times sake.  I told him that I would be up to eating half an order, but definitely try to eat one.  Well I did try, and got through half.  The DH was nice enough to eat the other half and Jong and Garcia split the rest of the order.  Of course I did order off the kids menu again and tried side ribs again.  I didn't get through them all (only 3) and the troll let me know I was full.

So I am sure that Jong and Garcia will be in my posts later on since they are joining us in Niagara Falls on Friday after a few sight seeing spots in T.O.

August 16th

Was a day away to see the Jays!

It was bobblehead day.  Yes a bobblehead.  They were having the alumni from 1985 make an appearance since it was the anniversary we won the division series.

 

So I went as C's second person so that she could get 2 of the bobbleheads.  She likes to have 2 so that she can keep one to display/play with and the other stays in the box so that she can sell it as a collector's item later.  I think she mentioned that this is how she is supporting her retirement LOL

 

So this is what we went for and as you know it was the second trip for us.

 

 

 

It was a very hot and humid day and the stadium was packed.  It was very tight quarters with the young guy beside me and I was hoping that it would be an empty single seat but alas it wasn't.  So all of us were very tolerable with each other and I am glad that I wasn't at my highest weight because that would have been ugly.  Between all the sweat in places I didn't think sweated ands constantly touching someone would have drove me nuts.

 

Well that will be the last game of the season for me since F is going with C to the last 2 games that she wants to go to.

 

I guess I will see if she needs me next year LOL





August 15th

Was a blast at the farm!

The DH and I took Nash and her friend Little Sara to the barn and had a great ride.  The sun was shining but it made for a really warm ride.  I don't think Nash minded at all and who did they put me on for a horse?  Kelly!  Really.....the Cadillac of the horses!  This gal was built for comfort and not for speed.

 

 

And before you ask.....yes my feet are out of the stirrups, my butt fit in the saddle and no I am not wearing a helmet (after much discussion from the DH.)

 

I did find however that I have no padding left in the my riding butt :(  I had 3 points on my bottom that were bony where I was making contact with the saddle.  But I did have loads of fun!

To quote the Dixie Chicks......

"I said a long time, long time, long time gone
Well it’s been a long time
Long time, long time, long time gone
Oh, it's been a long time gone
Long time, long time, long time gone
Yeah yeah"

I know it has been a few weeks since my last post but I plan on getting caught up during the day today and into the weekend.

So rather than swamping you guys with one loooooong post I will break it down into multiple posts with the date on it as the subject line.

You have been warned!

So make a cuppa and settle in for a long chat :D

Gonna be busy......

So I thought I would get quick post in.

 

-things with the physiotherapist are going well.  The crystals all have made it back home so know we are working on balance and the inner ear coordination.  She said 2 more visits and I should be right as rain.

 

-had a bit of a scare this week.  I had gained 5 pounds and was really concerned about it.  I was able to analyze my foods and found that I was eating waaaay out of my range in carbs.  So I have started reading labels again and buying new power bars and yogurts. I am happy to say that with these changes I have lost those 5 (again) and another 2.

-C was declined her revision surgery and that was a shock to me.  She had the same surgery as me and she was told that if she had any other surgery she would have been approved.  This is a good lesson for me to always keep everything in check. 

-Had DentisT over to the house this week and I tried on her skirt again and it was fitting pretty good.  I think it is the skirt I will wear to the marine dinner next Friday.  I just need to find a brown top to wear with it.  I also showed her my purple dress and it looked okay.  I am still trying to figure out how I can weigh less than my barn days but the still feels tight in the tummy?  I guess that will be core work in the new year and for next weekend it will be Spanx LOL

-Made a new friend recently (waves at her in case she is reading this) and I think I will call her Fleesa :)  She is into running and we decided that at the conference that we would be going on runs together.  So I guess I better get on GoogleMaps to see what I can route.  I see her being a "virtual" buddy support system and hopefully I can return the favour.

-This weekend I am doing something that I haven't done since surgery.  I am heading to the barn.  The last time I was there was for my birthday 2 years ago.  If you notice, my butt is too big for the saddle and I felt bad for Amarillo :(

 

We will see how this weekend goes.

 

-Next week is the start of the IC and holidays.  I know that here is going to be a lot of food at the IC so I am going to keep my cups nearby to measure EVERYTHING!

 

-As for the rest of the vacation?  That will be camping.  We need to compress from planning the IC for the past 2 years.

 

So I think I will be able to post from the hotel in Niagara Falls NY but if not it will be from the campsite!

The weekend that wasn’t

Well the weekend didn’t turn out like I had planned but that is okay since it turned out to be a nice one anyway.

I got a text from the DH saying that work has dumped on him and he isn’t able to go camping.  I had a though for 30 seconds of going on my own but when I go home and saw the state he was in I really couldn’t go for 3 days and leave him there.  I figured he needed me more than I need to plunk my butt at campground for 3 days.

So I offered to work his shift at the 2^nd job to relieve some stress for him.  I managed to get 2 hours worked on a busy Friday shift before my disassociation kicked in.  Lucky enough things calmed down around 8 and I headed home.  I asked the DH if he wanted any supper and I was willing to grab something. He said that he was eating some old pizza and that was enough. So I headed to DQ since I heard that they had some new chicken “snack” wraps.  So I ordered the chicken quesadilla and took it home.  I was pleasantly surprised at the size and it was Tiny Tummy size and it had some nice flavour, except for the black olives.  Really O_o  I will need to remember to order them without the olives next time.  Needless to say Mel-Mel and Nikki were happy to get the end pieces as I ate it.

Saturday I lounged and the DH said that the money I earned working his shift was mine, so I decided to blow it on clothes.  Or tried to LOL.  I texted Maine & her daughter about hitting a few stores and they were up to it.  So we headed off to a local charity shop where we found about 27 things to try one and I came home with 3 LOL. I found a navy blue skort from Reitman’s that says size 11.  Really….a 11. So does that make me a 12 in a regular store?  Who knows.  I also found a pair of jean shorts and a nice top that gives me some shape.

From there we headed to the local mall and I ended up at a bra shop and they had bras at 40% off which is fine, but when they start at $40 I was bit concerned.  Do I picked up 3 and now the “girls” are happy where they belong and snug again. I did have some buyer’s remorse since I know I can get them cheaper at Wal-Mart but I was informed that "the “girls” wouldn’t be as happy or look as good.”  So I will keep them.

I headed to a store that always seemed out of my reach since they do carry XXL but every time I looked at them it seemed waaaaay to small.  This time, armed with courage of Main and her daughter and 90 pounds gone I ventured in.  I decided that since I was my 8 month surgiversary I wanted to see what I could find for a good “after/in process pic” to post.  And well Maine found a nice dress in the XXL and I tried it on.  In my mind it seemed a little snug and I am sure when I hit goal I will reconsider it.  This is the dress we found:

 

It has some pleating on it to hide a multitude of sins and really distracts the eye.   I would have considered buying for the IC, but I really didn’t have $150 to buy it right now since I am still saving for the room for the OH conference in NC.

So I headed home after dropping off my fashionistas and the DH and decided to head out for supper.  We hit the Montana’s nearby and I tried pork ribs for the first time.  They sat really well and will most likely order them again. 

Sunday was supposed to be a fire and supper with Main and her family and C&F.  Well F was feeling under the weather so he passed on coming out but we tried to have some fun between all the rain.  It started to storm at 5, so dinner was moved inside and we finished cooking it on the stove and we watched the original Tron since PizzGuy had never seen it.  Once that was over C decided to leave since her and F had tickets to a baseball game and she likes to get to the stadium early.

At this point the weather had cleared so Maine and the family moved back outdoor to toast some marshmallows and take the dog s for walk.  Well we got back and the weather was moving in again so we all headed back downstairs to watch “Morticai” since none of had seen it.  Once it was over everyone headed their separate ways for the night.

Yesterday had glorious weather so I put some laundry on the line and helped the DH with some stuff for the IC.  I t was mostly name badges and organization but I am sure that he was glad for the help.  Once I had finished that up while he was at the second job, I had a migraine kick in.  I am not sure if it was the lack of protein or what, but I was breaking out in sweats and so I went upstairs to bed at 8.  Needless to say as of this morning the headache has not subsided but the boss is on holidays and it payroll.  So I will suck it up (and 2 tablets) and head off to work.

So far the tablets are kicking in and I am trying to get through my work.