My thoughts on the dating (or lack of) epidemic

So, the other day, I wrote this note on facebook. I had some response about it, not any response for the purpose of which it was written, but mostly from my sisters in the same predicament as me saying - good for you girl - you speak for us all!!!!! So, thought I'd share it with you out there. Men, pay attention, this is what most every mature Mormon woman wants.

Attention World!!!

I am now back on the market and free for dates!!!!(not that anyone except for a small handful of people knew that I was off the market, but it's true I was) Now, these dates are of the variety of which are entirely non-committal and exclusively for the purpose of having fun and getting to know one another. Candidates who are not of my faith may not know that this means also that there will be no sex involved as I am not a believer in pre-marital sex. Having said that, I am open to dating anyone of any faith (or non faith) just as stated previously, to get to know one another and just have fun. Also, for those of you who are of my faith, these dates will not at all be considered as a marriage proposal. For, I truly believe that most Mormons are pretty screwed up on this subject and get the 2 confused. So, if you're sick of spending your Friday nights sitting in front of your computer and yet again playing Oregon Trail or Zombiefying people, or whatever it is you're doing, give me a call (a couple of days in advance please) and say something simple like - "Hey, lets see a movie", or "Hey, lets get some Thai", or something like that, and I'll consult my schedule, and regardless of whether or not I'm free for that particular evening, I will find a spot to fit you into another time slot.Some things I like doing are......Just about anything really, I'm pretty diverse in my interests. I like all kinds of ethnic foods, movies, or anything that sounds creative or fun.So, my number is on my profile, give me a call if you're up for it.

B

So, that was the note, what did you think? Too forward? Desperate sounding? If it sounds desperate, make note that it is not. Just an attempt to educate the general population of the epidemic of pathetic and sad Friday and Saturday nights out there now devoted to facebooking. I've done my part, I've said my piece. Go to it men!!!!!!! All they need is to be asked; and remember, it's just one date - not eternity.

The one drawback to living in the greatest country in the world!!!

So, I gotta say, living in Canada on days like today make you wonder - a little - exactly why you are still here. Of course, in the middle of summer when everything's fantastic, and the weather is perfectly pristine, one tends to forget that it can get to be -43 degrees Celsius with the wind chill factor. I've always prided myself on being able to withstand such drastic temperatures, but lately (perhaps with the recent weight loss, I have less insulation?) I have been able to withstand it less and less. I'm really starting to wonder why on earth I leave my house at all on days like today. I guess though, that the ability to move forward and do all of the things you would normally do even though if you expose bare skin to the wind you could get frostbite in less than a minute makes me and all of the others who live here true Canadians. We are amazing really for our resiliency. Plus, we do live in THE greatest country in the world in every other aspect, and a little bad weather really is a fair trade for all of the great things about living here. Having said that, I still think about moving every time the weather gets to be this way. One of my best friends recently moved to Hawaii, perhaps I should take a leaf out of her book. Or at the very least move somewhere where it doesn't get colder than -10. That's totally doable. -10 I can do easy with a t-shirt on.

Passing of a Dear Friend and Valiant Soldier of God

I know I posted one already for today, but recent news has made it so that I need to post again. (2 in one day!!!!) Tonight, at 7:00 pm MST, a dear friend to all Latter-Day Saints - President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away. He was 97 years old, and passed due to old age surrounded by family at his SLC apartment. He was always such a light and example to every latter-day saint. He had an amazing sense of humor, and never failed to make people laugh at General Conference. He saw some amazing things happen in his lifetime to do with the growth of the church in so many ways. He contributed so much, that I don't really honestly believe that I can possibly type every single one of his accomplishments here. For some reference to that, see this article... http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8095453 It's pretty good and unbiased, and lists much of his accomplishments. Anyway, personally, I will miss him very much. I'm very happy for him to be able to be reunited with his sweetheart - Marjorie who passed away in 2004. I know he missed her very much, and can imagine what a joyful reunion they will have - as they were the very best of friends. You could tell at every conference in recent times how much he was feeling her loss. Yea for spirit world reunions! Well, not much else to say except farewell to a dear valiant soldier of God who fought the good fight, and served to the greatest of his capacity. How I will really very much miss him. Onward and upward though, and the next prophet that the Lord chooses to help him lead his church will be just as special and missed just as much when he passes. The Lord will always have great leadership at the head of his church, and as one great man passes, so another great man takes his place as God's servant as he is omniscient and sees all ahead of time. Rest well my friend. I will miss you very much.

Parental Drama!!!

So, my parents - bless them have yet again gotten into a bit of trouble. They're 75 and 74 now, and it seems like every other week there's some new drama to deal with regarding them because they're getting old, and because I live with them and am responsible for them, I'm always the one who ends up taking care of - whatever situation comes up. Yesterday they went shopping (always shopping) and they got into a car accident (pretty bad one) because Dad turned when he shouldn't have. They were taken to the hospital via ambulance and as it turns out - Dad dislocated a finger (which popped back) and now has a bit of a puffy hand. Mum on the other hand had some serious seatbelt bruising throughout her chest (better that then being splattered all over the pavement, so always take the seatbelt bruises over no seatbelt) She's pretty sore, but overall they'll live. The car is totalled. I have a feeling though that this means the end of Dad's driving days. This also means that I am going to be doing most of the driving for them wherever they need to go. I'm happy to help them, but at the same time, I feel sad for them and their loss of independence. Anyone who knows my Mum knows that she is fiercely independent. She's taking the possibility of Dad no longer driving pretty hard. She has stated in the past that she thinks she ought to go out and get her license. (SHE'S 74 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!) I really don't think that's going to happen, as she gets a bit confused as it is from time to time and has pretty bad short-term memory loss. Along with the parental drama, I have to take Dad to his Lithotripsy on Tuesday to get his 16 mm kidney stone blasted. He's been carrying this thing around for months, and keeps passing small bits of it that break off from time to time. He doesn't bother to tell anyone about these passings until after they have passed. I do wish they'd be more sensible, but what can I do? Mum's knees are recovering fairly well. She had both knees replaced with prosthetic this past year. She had a small incident where she twisted one of them while still recovering, but that is all ok now. She's just recovering from this recent accident now. What to do with these two? Any advice people? I guess there's nothing really except to deal with one thing at a time day to day and encourage my siblings to help out more. They would you know, it's just that I'm here, and responsible, and single, and have no family of my own. Not that I'm bitter about that, but it does get to be a bit much some times. Ah well, these are the days of my life.

Welcome to my new Blogspot!!!!!

Hello there world!!!!!

This is not my first attempt at blogging, but I thought it was time I had an OFFICIAL blogspot to let the world know what I was doing. Granted, most people already know what I'm doing if they are my facebook friend. (I'm pretty good at keeping my status pretty well up to date) Anyway, I'm not going to be too open about what is EXACTLY going on in my world on here, but I will be sharing things that I feel people ought to know. I have a lot to say really. One thing that I really ought to be talking out more about is my recent weight loss. Many people have noticed and they keep asking me - "What are you doing?" and "How much have you lost?" etc. and well, here's the story...

So, up to about a year and a half ago, I weighed about 270 lbs. I had been this big for quite some time, and was maintaining pretty well. I had been 270 lbs throughout my mission, and also when I came home. I didn't see anything wrong with me really. I was pretty comfortable with who I was. (too comfortable) One day though, (and I can't even remember what spurred the thought) I started thinking about my future and about kids, and marriage and stuff, and I realized that if I really wanted to have healthy pregnancies and healthy kids, that I had to start focusing on getting my own self healthy. Plus, my parents were dealing with all kinds of health issues that were obesity and diet related which also encouraged me to want to make a change. So, I started with a cleanse (Isagenix) which my sister had been doing. I did one cycle of the cleanse - it was super expensive, but I found that I had lost 20 pounds after the cleanse and got myself down to 250 lbs. I was pretty impressed with this, but decided that I certainly could not keep up the cleanse as it was too expensive. Anyway, I maintained the 250 lbs for quite some time. I went on a trip to Scotland and came back (after eating their wretched fat encrusted diet at fast food and fish and chips places) I was at about 255. Pretty good really when you think about it. In January of 2007, I decided that it was time I got serious about exercise. I had been exercising off and on for a while, but not consistently. So, I started by going to the gym at the hospital every day after work. At first, I was doing 30 minutes of cardio and 3 times a week, doing weights, etc. I found that after a while this got pretty tiring. It was too much too soon, and my body was not impressed. Not to mention my mental well-being. So, I committed to stick to 30 minutes of cardio a day. It was doable. So, after work every day, I did 30 minutes of the Ellyptical (I chose the Ellyptical because of the low-impact effect of it) So, got used to that and pretty much made that my routine. Then, in the summer of 2007, I got interested in taking on new business opportunities - mainly because I needed extra income and the cost of living in this city is ridiculous. So, I found this one MLM type business - Herbalife, which I felt pretty good about getting involved in. I invested (a huge unmentionable number of funds) and started up the business. Well, I haven't done very well with it business wise (I'm no sales person), but since August 10th, I have been on the Herbalife products, and continuing with my exercise regime, and I have now lost almost 50 more pounds. Basically what's involved with the Herbalife plan is replacing 2 meals a day with their shakes; making sensible choices for your other meal of the day, and supplementing your diet with herbs which help to increase your metabolism. It's been ok overall, and for my busy lifestyle, it suits me fine. Anyway, from start to finish, I have now officially lost 65 pounds!!!!!!! I have 55 more to go before I get to my goal of 150. At the moment, my routine has increased up to 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week, walks on my lunch breaks with co-workers, and at least 30 minutes of Yoga every night (7 days) before I go to bed. (that one's more for my mental and spiritual well-being, but it helps with muscle toning as well) So, I feel probably better than I ever have in my entire life. I feel like a whole new person, and I'm really happy about it. I've always wondered what the person underneath all the excess fat was like, and I kind of like her. So, that - my friends is the story about the weight loss. I will continue, and keep you posted about my progress over the next year as I continue to lose weight and increase my well-being overall. Let me know if I can help any of you with your goals.