Back in the Action - For a Couple of Nights Anyway

Just got back from working some overtime on my old Unit - 71 Urology which I will be doing again tomorrow night. So exciting!!!!! First off, well, if you've read previous posts, you know, I really could use the money, secondly, sometimes I miss the action of the nursing unit. (It's nice to keep my hand in, and tonight, I got right back in the action like old times) Where I work now, I love it, I love the routine, I love my people, I love the clinic in general, and we're busy as well, but working on a nursing unit is a different kind of busy. It's knowing that at any minute things could get crazy and you have to be prepared for anything. So, that was kind of fun. (glad nothing too crazy happened though) I had a very nice compliment on my Unit Clerk skills from a Plastic Surgeon who came to do a consult. I was pleased with that (considering I haven't done it in a year - so humble) I hope they call me more often now that they know I can do the occasional evening. The problem is that as soon as I tell them that they legally are obligated to pay me overtime, they're all - well - umm - no we're not that desperate yet. Anyway, looking forward to tomorrow night.

Observations About Friends

Just got back from dinner with an old friend. We've been friends pretty much since we were 14/15. It's funny, how the friends who are your friends because they sort of drifted into your life - and you hit it off with them - they end up being your friends for life. I've had a LOT of relationships in my life. Some healthy, others most definitely not. There was an entire year there where I lost friend after friend because of some silly falling out or another. One of these though was quite painful as he was my very best friend, and at times I still do consider him my best friend. I pray for him every day whether or not I want to because he was my very best friend for about 6 years and there's a history there you know? Anyway, that was a rough year. But, in my observances in my many many relationships; I've noticed that when I go out of my way to be someone's friend, often that friendship (for me) does not turn out well because it's not a naturally formed one, and usually (as per my nature) it turns out to be someone who needs my help, so I help them, and then they often take advantage of my good nature, and then, it ends badly. You'd think I'd learn by now not to do this, but then - God says that we should love everyone, and help everyone, so I think in my naive way I thought - I'm helping them right? I know it's inconvenient for me, but they need help, so here I am to help. The truth is that if you don't help yourself first, then you can't be of any service to anyone. That is the actual commandment - Thou shalt love thy neighbour - as thyself. This indicates to me that one has to love themselves before they can love others. A lesson that has taken me a VERY long time to learn, and even though I know it now, I still find myself making the same mistakes from time to time. So, back to my observations about friends. My true, closest, best friends...... they've been there pretty much through everything. I have a small handful of people that I can actually put into this category. Every single one of them just appeared in my life one day and we hit it off in a natural, casual way, and now - I know I can turn to them at any time (even with large amounts of time and distance between meetings) and they will be there for me. I'm really, truly grateful to actually know what a true friend is. You know, many people go their whole lives and never find one person that they can truly connect with. It makes me sad to think of anyone missing out on what I've been blessed with - true kindred spirits. I love you my friends - you know who you are.

"Who Can Turn The World On With Her Smile?"

As I sat out on my front porch tonight, covered in 6 layers of clothing to be able to sit out of doors for prolonged periods of time on a semi-cold Canadian Winter Evening; I watched the Total Lunar Eclipse. A rare event, and also one which makes me reflective. I sat out there in the cold, neighbours on their evening walks passing back and forth, Coyotes yelping, and howling in the far distance, and my brother's cat trying desperately to get outside every time my Mum opens the door to see how the eclipse is progressing. Something magical happens as the earth sits exactly between the sun and the moon. All of the animals feel it, and consequently, they start to act a little funny. Maybe it has to do with magnetism, or maybe they just don't like the idea of the moon going dark, I don't know. As I sat out there, I couldn't help but start an open conversation with God, and discuss my life and how it's progressing with him. The last couple of years (as I've mentioned before), I've been going through a huge exodus, and recently, through my learning period, I've learned some things which I really wouldn't be able to progress further without. For this I am grateful, even though the learning process was painful. I really feel like I narrowly escaped something dreadful in the process. But of course, this is how we do learn. At this point, I feel almost like a different person. Today on my walk, I was walking down the street, feeling like Mary Tyler Moore - exuding confidence and thinking "I'm going to make it after all", and really feeling comfortable in my skin for the first time - ever really. After a while, I started to get stares from creepy men, so I thought "Maybe I ought not to exude so much confidence" Sad how we do that to ourselves, a little bit of fear makes us shrink back and think - maybe I should be less than I am. The quotation I have on my blogspot here to the right by Marianne Williamson states that we ought not to listen to those voices but become who we rightfully and truly are. Forget what the world thinks, forget what you have been trained to think of yourself, and see yourself the way that God sees you. If we could all do that, we would be amazed at our potential. I know that we all have divinity inside of us as we are his children whether or not we know it. I hope and I pray that each one of us can see ourselves for who we are and who we can become. If we do that then nothing can stop us. We hear so much negativity in a day; most of it comes from inside our minds - negative self talk. It's something we've been trained to do, but something that we need to overcome if we really want to change ourselves and the world around us. It seems silly, but Stuart Smalley had the right idea - lol - "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonnit, people like me" If you don't get that reference, watch some old episodes of SNL. So, that sums up my thoughts as I watched the lunar eclipse tonight.

Randoms

After my Napstravaganza week-end, I had a pretty fantastic restful sleep last night and am totally feeling rested and revived today. Went to the gym as usual after work, feeling great. I think my body just needed recovery time. (weird, because I never noticed that being a problem in the past with blood donation - 'course it had been 8 years) I'm contemplating signing up for the walk to end Breast Cancer. I don't think I'd have a problem coming up with sponsors for the minimum fund-raising effort of $2000; but the entry fee is $75.00 and I'm kind of impecunious, so that may be a challenge for me. Maybe the next paycheck, we'll see. It's 60 km from one end of the city to the other over 2 days. I totally could do that. I'm a big walker, and I'm in good shape at the moment. So, I think I'm definitely going to do it. Will keep posting as that development progresses. It's the week-end of July 25-27. I'd miss church, but it would be worth it I think. Read a book on the week-end - "The Five Love Languages". Extremely helpful in understanding my relationships better. I won't tell the world what my love language is, I'd rather people found that out themselves by getting to know me better, but it's pretty cool to understand myself and my family members better and how I can improve relationships. Have now moved onto a totally different subject in my reading - "The PCOS Diet Book". Learning what I can and can't eat and what will help overall with my condition. So far, it's really interesting, but pretty much what I expected as far as what to eat is concerned. There's certain things, like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, etc that will help with very specific symptoms of PCOS which I'm definitely going to be incorporating to my diet. Well, that's all I have to blog about today. Random bits, nothing interesting really. Oh, I just thought of something else, heehee, today my co-worker and I were taking our daily walk - just on Stephen Ave to Winners and the Book Store and back. Well, have you ever noticed in a busy crowded street, if you don't move, people will mow you right over? Well, Shawna and I got pretty sick of having to move for the busy people today, and decided to start playing chicken with the pedestrians. One lady actually side stepped between us, but refused to move around us. It was hilarious. So, on the way back, we see a couple of cops coming towards us and I'm all (under my breath) Shawna, lets play chicken with the cops. So, they're coming towards us, and one of them is all - "Becky!" I'm all "oh, I know one of them" Turns out it was the husband of one of my friends I grew up with. Hee hee, Shawna and I were killing ourselves laughing after that. I'm all "hi, how's the wife, how many kids do you guys have now? 4, wow, that's amazing" So much for chicken with the cops.

There Seems To Be A Sale On Naps

I cannot believe how tired I've been over the last 3 or 4 days. It seems like I need a nap every half hour or so. I haven't changed anything I'm eating (not really), granted, I haven't really found time for exercise this week-end. (mostly because of my nap time), I'm not depressed or anything, I'm really happy. My only conclusion that I can come to is that giving a pint of blood took more out of me than I realized. I'm totally wiped out; it is rididculous. Has anyone else had an experience like this where giving blood made them tired for like - a week?

Lessons from the Primary Kids

So, there I was in Primary (church for the young 'uns) today with my class, and this kid behind me starts telling all the girls that they're pretty. They all blush, and giggle, and scooch a little farther away from him. I'm laughing and thinking - that's one smart kid. He then started goofing off and told his buddy, the hot-headed one with the red hair that he was pretty and cute. LOL!!! I was killing myself at this point. The red-headed kid was not so much laughing, but freaked out and actually acted out violently against the cute kid with the free-wheeling compliments. Now, what does this say about us as a society in general when even at a young age of 9 or 10, it's instilled in kids to hate someone (even though buddy was joking around) just because they say that they think someone's cute who's the same sex as you. Heck, girls do it all the time (not in a lesbian way), I can't go anywhere without one of my girlfriends saying "oh, you look pretty today" or "you look really good Becky". This is behavior we've adopted from a young age. But, when a guy says to another guy (even though the kid was joking) that they're looking alright, it's considered unmanly and they are shunned for it, or labled as a homosexual. Like it or not, there are many people in our society who have chosen to live the homosexual lifestyle, and whether or not you agree with that, you must be tolerant and respect them for who they are. I myself, being a very religious person am not in agreement with the HS lifestyle, but, I absolutely love and adore my friends who have chosen to swing that way. I have plenty of friends who are gay, and love each one of them for who they are. They know how I feel about it, but also know that it doesn't change the way I feel about them. Anyway, pretty sad when kids this young are already violently reacting to any sort of reference (even a joke) about it. I suppose it is in the nature of the natural man to hate like that. The whole purpose of coming to earth is to overcome the natural man, and to become a spiritual being so that we can become more like God. That includes being tolerant and loving to ALL your brothers and sisters whether or not you agree with them.

Running in Reykjavik

So, I just wanted to put my plug in for my friend - Natalie Siu, who is running for the Canadian Diabetes Association in Reykjavik, Iceland in the summer. She and I both work at the DHCC, and see the effects of Diabetes on a daily basis. As I think I've mentioned before, 300 Albertans are diagnosed with Diabetes every WEEK. That's an awful lot of people, and an insane growth rate. (who knows if you're not next - anybody could be next) There must be something in the water, or maybe it has something to do with our ridiculous lack of funding for Health Care in this province. Personally, I think more needs to be done to prevent this, and to educate the general public about how they can prevent the onset of diabetes. I certainly am at risk - being a PCOS sufferer, but am doing everything I can to prevent the big D. So, in order to provide more funding for more research into how we can tackle the problem, Natalie is running for the CDA this summer. She needs an awful lot of sponsors to do so, so in order to help her with her goal, I thought I'd post her website where people can donate to her campaign. It is found at http://www.nataliesiu.com/ Go there, read her blog and story, and give generously if you can. Much appreciation and hugs and kisses all around.

Valentine's Day Blood

In honor of this wretched holiday today, I decided to do something productive and helpful. I went to the blood bank to donate my blood. Traditionally, they have always had trouble finding my veins because they are deep and small. I warned the nurse ahead of time. (maybe I shouldn't have?) But, alas, even though they do these things all day, she was unable to obtain blood from my left (non-favored) arm. In the process, she managed to make me bruise pretty profusely, and I now have a giant purple welt there with a nasty bump, which I assume is a giant hematoma below my flesh. It hurts like H&$@. I'm sure it will go away though. So, she got a second nurse to try my right arm - which she had absolutely no trouble at all obtaining blood from with the exception of it being a bit slow, and she managed to get it to go faster as well. So, I will remember that for when I go back in 52 days. (apparently that is how long one must wait in our country to donate blood) So, in order to get to donate, I had to answer a zillion extremely personal questions (which are totally understandable, and I completely agree with the law on this one). It was somewhat fruitless to even ask me as most of them start with - "Have you ever had sex with someone who....", and after a number of these, I just said - you can pretty much answer every question that starts like that with a no. She had to ask anyway. So, I endured. Anyway, it was a really great experience, and halfway through a Barbershop Quartet came (as it is V-day after all) to entertain. I felt pretty good. I think everybody should donate (if they can). At the end, they MADE me eat cookies, and told me I couldn't work out today, so I relented. (a little reluctantly), it's only one day right? So, I'm going back again in April. Anyone want to come with me?

My Work Life

Hmm, what to blog about today..... After yesterday's spill all my guts out blog, don't really have much to blog about, except work I guess. It seems to just get busier and busier. Our phones are ringing off the hook. I mean, I know there's 300 new diagnoses of Diabetes in Alberta every week, but they don't ALL have to come to my clinic, do they? I work at the Diabetes, Hypertension and Cholesterol Centre in the Calgary Health Region, and we book for a number of clinics under that umbrella title. We have the Diabetes Education Centre, the Hypertension and Cholesterol Centre, the Vascular Risk Reduction Clinic, and the Weight Management Clinic. The Weight Management clinic isn't really just for everybody who wants to lose weight, but is more specifically geared towards people who have a BMI over 40 and have at least 1 or 2 co-morbidities. The patients who are selected to participate in the program are prepared for the Laparoscopic Banding Surgery which is NOT a solution, but a tool to help them lose weight. (an awful lot of our patients get that mixed up) What they do in the surgery is laparoscopically they go into the abdomen, and place a band around the stomach (as opposed to cutting out or stapling any portion of the said organ) When their stomach stretches the band (which it is bound to from time to time) they go to their Surgeon for "fills" where they fill the sides of the band with Saline to keep it tighter around the stomach. It's really a fascinating process. I'd love to see one done, but I am not that lucky, just a lowly clerk. But, lowly clerks are important too. I really need to stop using the word "just" when referring to myself. Lets, see, yep that's all of the clinics I book for in our mass conglomerate clinic. Really we have a great staff who know their stuff, and contribute to the team. I love where I work really. When I came on, it was a little difficult adjusting, as I had just come from acute care, and not just any - Urologic Surgery. (which I have some really interesting stories about, and when I'm not in a public setting such as this, you should really pull me aside and ask me some of them - if you're not squeamish about such things that is) So, acute care was pretty intense - as it is anywhere in the province of Alberta. (our HC system is pretty screwed up in my opinion, the Government puts a tiny bit of money into it, and *poof* it's gone like it was dust or something) My stress level dropped considerably coming to an Outpatient clinic. It's starting to get more stressful though, as we're planning to change sites, and seemingly get busier and busier. Plus, everybody keeps bringing me projects saying things like... "oh, it doesn't need to be done today, you can get to it whenever you have spare time." Well lately, there is no spare time, so those projects pretty much sit on my shelf until the person comes back and says - "Did you get my project done?" and I say "Nope, didn't have any time to get to it." Meh, whatever. The main thing is, we're busy, and we're happy, and we have great staff, and that makes all the difference in any workplace.

My Silent Battle - Silent No More

I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk about something that's slightly more personal than I'm usually willing to write about in my blog. Mainly, for the reason that it's something important that I think people (particularly women) ought to be aware of, and be spoken of more often. 10% of women suffer from a syndrome which I have suffered through my whole life many of which have absolutely no idea that they have it. I had no idea until maybe about 4 or 5 years ago. No, actually, my Doctor first mentioned the idea in 2000 when I was preparing to go on a mission, but we didn't discuss it seriously at that time. The Syndrome I'm speaking of is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (or Stein-Levinthal Syndrome) It has a number of symptoms, most of which I have, and they are - none of them very pleasant. The most difficult one of all is that it contributes to weight gain. When I was a little girl, I started gradually to gain more weight than most other neighbourhood kids. We all pretty much had the same diet, but I seemed to put on more weight than my friends. (Granted my parents submitted me to THE most unhealthy white death diet on the planet being British and all, but that wasn't really that much different than everybody else) This made it extremely difficult for me to lose weight, and anytime I made any sort of headway, I was quick to gain it back. PCOS is a metabolic disorder which begins in the hypothalamus decreasing insulin production, and increasing a variety of androgens causing rather unpleasant effects including numerous cysts on the ovaries, painful and irregular menses, high blood pressure, migraines, hair in all the wrong places, and thinning hair on the head, and most unfortunate of all - it can cause infertility. All of these symptoms can be treated, and also reversed with proper diet and exercise. Unfortunately though, it takes flipping FOREVER to see real results in weight loss with just diet and exercise, but I am proof that it can happen. Granted, it has taken me a year and a half to lose 70 lbs, but it certainly has been worth it. So, long story short, this is a most unpleasant disorder, and there are more out there like me that have no idea that they have it. They're probably just going through their lives thinking they're a bit bizarre because they grow a little hair in the wrong places and have a totally abnormal cycle and have just always been fat. Most people don't even discover it until they try to have children. Some studies have shown that PCOS patients who's Doctors treat them with Metformin which is an anti-diabetic drug balancing out the sugars in the body have seen positive effects including help in losing weight, decrease in unwanted hair, and most definitely - fertility resulting in pregnancy. So, I went to see my Doctor about this today, and she's an amazing Doctor really, I'm really lucky to have her, she really knows her stuff. I asked her about Metformin therapy, and she was not all for it at all. She's always the type to go the natural route and not too quick to take the quick fix. She refuses to put PCOS patients on Metformin unless they are trying to conceive. She really firmly believes in the GI Diet and exercise to naturally produce the same effects. So, disappointed a little, I've decided to plug on, and keep doing what I'm doing even though it has taken forever to see the effects of it. I really do feel a lot better than I ever have though if I'm really honest with myself. So, there is my effort to spread awareness about a silent epidemic that is affecting many women out there who have no idea they even have a problem. For more information about PCOS, see these links...

http://pcosacanada.org/

http://projectpcos.org/

http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_ovary_syndrome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmvkzO-5024

Words of Healing (for me that is)

Some things I read today which I found extremely helpful to me...

"When things that are of the greatest importance are passed over by weak-minded men without even a thought, I want to see truth in all its bearings and hug it to my bosom. I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief."

"When God offers a blessing or knowledge to a man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned. The Israelites prayed that God would speak to Moses and not to them; in consequence of which he cursed them with a carnal law."

"I have always had the satisfaction of seeing the truth triumph over error, and darkness give way before light."

All quotations from Joseph Smith, Jr.

Used Items Forever!!!!!!!!!!

I think I've given up on buying New items altogether. Especially when there are such great deals out there on used stuff. Today I took my old books into this used book store, and found 2 DVD box sets - series 1 and 2 of this CBC documentary. "Canada: A People's History" They had a lot of other wicked cool stuff there as well, but I decided just to buy this. They had them marked at $25.00 each (which really is a deal), but anyway, with my credit for bringing in my books, I paid $24.68 for both together (which made them $12.34 each). I went through all of my other books today and decided which ones I "need" and which one's I don't, and I'm going back there next week to turn the one's I don't in. I'm pretty excited to see what kind of deal I can get next week. This, coupled with my new found passion for thrift clothing shops has turned me into a "used item" junky. Seriously, how else is one to keep up with their closet with a changing body shape? Best thing to do is go through your closet, figure out which clothes are too big for you now, put them in bags, take them to the thrift store, get your wee coupon to buy "new" used clothes that do fit you. It's really a fantastic system. You get rid of your old clothes (benefitting the psychological aspect of weight loss), and get new ones. It's ingenious. I thought of it myself, but I'm sure others have discovered this. I don't know if I'll ever buy new clothes again to be honest with you. (except underwear and socks that is, umm, and bathing suits) Yeah, it's opened a whole new world for me. Now, with the book thing, I'm not saying that I'll never go back to Chapters or McNally Robinson again, I'm just saying that there are serious deals at some of the used book stores. Seriously, go there. I went to Fair's Fair on McLeod Trail near 75th. So worth it.

Extracurricular Employment

I'm often amazed at the stories I've heard from actual people about how they've done so well in Network Marketing (or MLM's). Mainly because, I don't see how anyone could possibly without giving up their entire lifestyle, time, energy, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and sanity to do so. I've actually talked to people who have made a career of hopping from one MLM to the next and waiting for the one their in now to fall apart so that they can hop to the next one. I never fell for this in my earlier years, but living in this extremely expensive city (at the moment) and not being able to make ends meet as a health care worker, I looked for other options to increase my income. I kind of felt this one was alright, and decided I'd give it a try. Truthfully, it probably was a LOT better than most others out there mainly because it has an amazing leadership team, a great endorsement from someone who is respected worldwide, and also a great product. But, in the end, with my nutso life, I couldn't justify the time spent on it OR the money spent on ordering and using the product myself. So, as of today, I have resigned - FOREVER from Network Marketing. I'm just not cut out for it you know? I'm way too honest, and if someone doesn't absolutely need something, I can't tell them that they do. It just doesn't feel right you know? I have to focus my energy on other things, like self improvement overall, and in the funding department, I'm looking at taking on a second job. Perhaps something in data entry 2 or 3 evenings a week and Saturdays. So, if anyone knows of anything like that, let me know. I'm up for it. I've started networking (in the telling people - sense of the word ;-) to let people know that I'm looking for something like that. My background is a whole lot of health care, as well as a lot of computer knowledge (not in a programming way), and just about every retail and woodworking minion job that ever existed. (including a vast knowledge about pets as I worked at Petland), probably don't really want to ever go back to retail again to be honest with you, unless it was at a book store. So, if anyone knows of anything simple that I can do 2 or 3 eves a week and a Saturday or 2 a month, let me know. I'm interested.

Phenomenal Books at Incredible Prices!!!!

So, I've been looking for a copy of this book to purchase for at least a year. It's one of THE best books on faith ever written. Anyone who knows me really well also knows that I am a huge fan of Gene R. Cook. The man has amazing faith, and I am always excited to learn more on the subject from the man. I've read the book before, but it's such a gem that I wanted my own copy. I looked on Amazon for a copy, and discovered that it is available only second hand for a minimum of $46.76. (as all unbelievably difficult to find and out of print books are on Amazon) Anyway, about 3 months ago, I was in my church bookstore - Beehive Books, I looked in the used book section in hopes of finding it, but to no avail. I asked if they had a list where people could write down their requests, and if they saw that one come through give them a call. They did, so I had them make note of my request. Last week, I got a call from the Cardston store saying that they had a copy and that I could pick it up. I asked if they could transfer it to the Calgary - Queensland store for me and have them call me to pick it up. Yesterday they called, and today I went to pick it up. I could not believe my luck because they offered it to me for $2.50. What a freaking steal!!!!!!!! I looked closer on the book and on a piece of paper, it said something about it being $12.50. I pointed this out to the clerk, and she said, no, the price on the book is $2.50 and it's in the computer for $2.50, so that's what you're getting it for. I was sooo excited. It has a little bit of writing in it, but the writing is notes that are actually helpful to one reading the book, so I'm totally ok with that. I'm amazed really at the bargain and the lack of effort in finding this treasured gem. Just thought I'd share my good news with everyone.

My Spongey Valentine

My co-workers - bless them - gave me a gift today. It was this - The Valentine's Grow Your Own Boyfriend Sponge Man. This they stapled to a copy of my Chinese Horoscope for the year. They highlighted a portion of the horoscope. - "You are likely to find a new romantic interest, but try to take things slowly to avoid any dissappointments in love - especially if you are not single!" Do you think they're trying to tell me something? My "favorite" (note the sarcasm) holiday is coming up. Not that I'm bitter or anything, I'm fine with it, but I honestly have never had a good Valentine's day - ever. I think what makes it worse than anything is the pressure everybody puts on you. My girlfriends are already asking me - what are you doing on Valentine's? I'm all - well, likely nothing I guess - probably sit at home. Why does everybody seem to think it necessary to have "someone" at Valentine's day? Why can't we all go back to Elementary school where we gave out little bits of paper - remembering everybody and not leaving anyone out so that everybody felt included. I'm all for getting little bits of paper in my home-made heart-shaped envelope. I'm not saying I don't appreciate the gift from my friends at work, in fact I do. It was awfully thoughtful of them. They are some of the best women in the whole world, and they have sincere concern for me and my "dating" welfare. I just wish life (and dating) were simpler. Why does everybody have to make it such a big deal? Why can't we all just go and hang out, and make friends and see if we get along enough to want to spend more time together? It really is as simple as that you know.

My Shameless Yoga Plug

Can I tell you? - I Love Yoga!!!!!! It is so good and makes you feel really good overall. Not only is it a good stretch for all of your muscles and for body toning, but you feel so relaxed after, and balanced overall - mentally and physically. Those ancient Indians (from India) knew what they were talking about I tell you. I've just finished another Yoga practice as you can probably tell. Seriously, I think everybody should take it up. And, no it is not a girl exercise. I know a guy who does Yoga and loves it as much as I do. Another bonus for men doing Yoga is that it is predominantly girls doing it and therefore, men - *wink wink, nudge nudge* an excellent way to pick up girls. Seriously, it is amazing how much better you feel after you've done Yoga for a while. I've been doing it fairly regularly now for about a month. (at least 4 times a week, but prefer to do it every day if I can) Before that, I had a once a week class. Now I just practice in my room before I go to sleep with this online Yoga http://www.myyogaonline.com/ Check it out, it's totally worth the membership if you know what you're doing to begin with. Here ends my shameless plug for Yoga practice.

Life is what happens when you're making other plans

Why is it - that everything one has to do to catch up with life is always planned to be done on one day? Granted, most people get their stuff done on 2 days - Saturday and Sunday. But, for me - Sunday is a day of rest, so I only have Saturday. So, today I had everything planned out to be done today, but before I even woke up, my day was pretty much planned for me - as my Dad woke me up saying - "Becky, I need to go to the Emergency room". He was having massive pain in his lower abdomen due to the events from earlier in the week - Tuesday I took him to get his 16mm kidney stone lithotripsied. So, there's little bits. (in this case - a chunky bit) that have been passing all week. It turns out, this bit is stuck in his Ureter. I used to work on the Urology unit, and I've seen probably 100 of these situations, but have never been on the other side you know? For us on the unit, it was no big deal - another Renal Colic. Especially when we were dealing with more serious cases of Cancer in various Urological parts and removal of said parts. So, anyway, being on the other side - the family side - of a Renal Colic is not as easy as they make it look. So, took Dad (and also checked Mum in for her chest pain due to last week's accident) and, decided that they were in good hands and therefore, went to do (at least some) of the things I had planned. Vitally important for me - was the oil change. So, dropped off the car, waited, very impatiently, and wandered around Chapters for a while not finding any books that I wanted because I was thoroughly distracted. I mean, usually, I can spend a couple of hours in there easy and find lots of books to covet, but I just wanted to get things done and move on and get back to my parents in pain at the hospital. There were other things I wanted to get done, but didn't really get to them. I'm supposed to be going to a party for a friend - turned 30 earlier in the week, and wasn't going to go after my mad day, but, after talking to her husband and being severely guilt tripped into it. (you know who you are :-), I have decided that I'm going to go. So, once my laundrey is switched over so that I have sheets to sleep on tonight, I'm going straight there, and that is about... now. Bye.

*AMENDMENT*: So after going to my friend's party that her husband guilted me into going to, I've discovered that I'm actually really glad and grateful that I did go. It was a lot of fun, and I got to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in forever. Even if I did get hit in the face with a Soccer ball, and I had to drive all the way out to High River to go, I'm really glad. (actually, the highway driving was really therapeutic after today's chaos) So there you have it. Go to parties, even if you're too tired, and don't feel like it. You won't regret it. (hopefully)

Exodus Patterns

Have you noticed that life has cycles? I had a teacher at church once who called it an exodus pattern. You start off somewhere where you're not growing, and then you go through an intense period of trial and growth, and then you finally arrive at the "promised land" so to speak. 3 steps involved. (I call it Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial - if you want to know more about what that means, ask me another time in person) Well, the last year and a half or so has most definitely been all Terrestrial for me. Growth and trial in every place I look. I'm really very grateful for it though because, if I hadn't had those experiences, I wouldn't be ready for what's next. What's next has got to be great, because - dang it, I deserve it and it's time for me to find my promised land (so to speak) I've been thinking of moving for quite some time, and I'm going to do some very serious thinking and praying on this subject. You know, life is just a series of these cycles over and over again. It's a pattern found in every great story (both fiction and non-fiction) What I've learned, I won't share here, but it is profoundly important and I really feel blessed for having learned it and for God's love for me in bringing this knowledge to me. The truth is, even though I suffered great pain, I would have never learned these things any other way. Strange, but I can honestly say that I'm grateful for painful experiences. Am I alone here, or do any of you out there feel the same way?

Lesser Known Facts About Becky

- I'm the biggest fan of history and most other "boring" topics that involve a good story.
- I have never been in any province in my country east of my own. :-(
- I've always had this fantasy about becoming an olympic athlete of some kind.

- I can sing the entire Sarah McLachlan album - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy from beginning to end in a really loud voice. (with accompaniment from the album)

- I have literally hugged a giant cactus. (saguaro)

- I've had my heart broken dozens of times by several different people, but have only really truly been in love once.

- I can (but would rather not) eat an entire bag of chips with an entire jar of salsa.
- I once owned a Bearded Dragon and would like to have other reptilian pets some day when I have my own home and space and time to take care of them. (also want dogs and cats)
- I want to live on a completely self-sufficient plot of land someday where I can raise my family - complete with wind turbines and solar panels and a lovely garden.
- My favorite singer of all time - Ella Fitzgerald.
- I have seen Neil Diamond in concert not once, but twice. (he's an amazing entertainer)
- I'm really grouchy when provoked. (no really, honestly)
- I once had a bigger collection of Star Wars memorabilia than any girl on the block.
- I don't tolerate pain well at all. (which I have inherited from my mother)

I'm sure I'll think of other things, but these are a few for now which I am willing to share. Thanks for reading my nonsense.