so close

so tonight, unlike last night obviously, I feel like blogging! about what, I do not know...yet. maybe I'll do my list thingy - only it's not really mine, I borrowed the idea from sarah. she looks like she's a nice person, so I hope she doesn't mind.

1. there are 3 teaching days left in the school year. although I am extraordinarily exhausted and on the verge of a big sore throat, I am sad that this year is ending as I feel like it's been my best teaching year ever. I love my class. I loved my job assignment. it wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I connected with my kids in a way that I hadn't the year before. I learned a whole bunch about myself and both my abilities & inabilities and I am excited to try it all over again next year [only without the stress of the leadership course!].

2. there have been some staffing changes at my school. my good friend scott is moving [and taking his family] to germany to teach. scott is the reason I am in jr high and I am already feeling kinda sad about the whole thing. scott and allison are really great people and I'll miss them at all our little get-togethers. teaching across the hall from scotty has really been a ton of fun and he's helped me so much over the last two years. not to mention, he often shows up with coffee. a little sad, and perhaps a little jealous. happy however that yvonne is moving up.

3. get to go to the lake this weekend with some ladies that I hardly know. okay, bit of a lie. I know connie REALLY well and I know two of the other ladies kinda well and the others, well one I don't know at all. regardless, I am arming myself with THE killer margarita recipe. [THANKS, E!] all will be well.

4. I think I have swimming lessons [for kids, not me] every day in July. sheesh.

5. I am contemplating trying hot yoga [allison & michelle's fault] just because I need my arse kicked and I want to lose some serious INCHES over the summer. is it awful to do it just to shock people?

6. I was up .4 on sat. I am SO close to hitting my 10% goal. one pound away. I want the dumb keychain they give away.

7. I have been stamping up a storm this week - cards for everyone! I just need to make something nice for nate's teacher. I can do that. tomorrow, perhaps?

8. john and I started watching season 1 of arrested development last night. freaking hilarious.

9. my kids [nate & ty] are driving me NUTS! however, I have a plan. an elaborate plan that will begin when summer break begins. it's the anti-whining, anti-temper plan. it's just in its formation, so I'll let you know if it works!

10. there is no number ten. there rarely is. that's okay.

xoxo.

soon, I promise.

4 more days left. well, technically 6 but only 4 with kids. I will blog after the chaos is over. I promise!!

xoxo

thoughts on community

the whole process and thought on "community" intrigues me. and even more so today. not too sure what makes today any different, but as I was with the boys this morning, I felt connected to my community - my city - in a strange way. last night I did a stamping show with some parents from my school. similar experiences, different perspectives. it led me to a place in the conversation where I felt that I needed to put my money where my mouth was, sort a speak. there is a little girl in my school who is going through some really intense stuff and I discovered a way to reach out that really is of no cost to me, other than some time. in taking that step, and in making that offer, I was connected, in community to this family. today, I took the boys to the market. although I didn't see any of my friends, we bought cupcakes from seth's grandma [and were invited, yet again to izzy's birthday party!], we visited the honey lady, who told me she had meet up with my cousin earlier this week, we bought pasta from ernesto and I taught the boys how to put money in guitar cases of great musicians. although I don't know these people, I have shared experiences with them and therefore share community or experiences with them. driving back home, I was thinking about this, looking and being struck by how grateful that I live here in edmonton. I really do love this city and it's people. while thinking this I saw a couple of things. a group of hasidic jews walking home from synagogue. families playing in the park. neighbours talking and laughing with each other.

a few months ago dean spoke about a term: communitas. communitas is an intense community spirit, the feeling of great social equality, solidarity, and togetherness. it is also a bit more than this, but this is the piece of the definition that strikes a chord with me. I cannot live in isolation. I cannot raise my children in isolation. I cannot celebrate in isolation. I need my community. I need to create a spirit of communitas with my words and my actions and in how I treat the people in my community.

PHEW!

let's do this post in list form, just because there will be too much rambling!

1. vegas ROCKED. no seriously, I would never take my kids there [too much boobage], but it was really a good time, both personally and professionally.

2. I developed a new love for tequila. I had some SERIOUS tequila and it was ALL good.

3. I bought something at the coach store. no more mockery, no more chant of "c is for cori" because I have become one of them. a person that owns coach - not a bag, however, but a LOVELY pair of sunglasses. and CHEAP!

4. I got to see the fountains at the bellagio. just rather unfortunate [or perhaps fortunate!] that I was drunk or camera-less every time I was there, so iPhone pics were the best I could do.

5. I went for a weigh in last friday and I was down another pound for a total of -19

6. I bought drumsticks for ty at the house of blues. they are ACTUAL drumsticks and he LOVES them! [hence the picture above]

7. he [ty] will be four in one week. wow. my kids are getting old.

8. I really missed them on this trip. missed john even more. I have a great husband.

9. speaking of husband, he wants to see my pictures...gotta wrap up!

10. I work with some really great people. I am SOOOOOO thankful for that! They are wonderful to work with and wonderful to travel with.

it's been a hard day's night

sorry I've been a bad blogger.  all three of you have noticed, I'm sure.  I think I am going to "list" this post, since there are random things to share.

1.  today is the 20th anniversary of when my cousin Liz was killed in a car accident.  tonight, we met some family at her grave site and put fresh flowers there.  she was 17 when she was killed, I was 16.  we don't talk much about her when we have family get togethers, and I think that has been the thing we do - not talking about things that matter.  I am not sure how to change this when many people in my family are virtual strangers, so I'm going to have to think of something.  not something for them, but something for me to do to change how I feel.

2.  there are 4 more mondays left in this school year.  oh golly gee.  EEEKKKKKK!!!

3.  ty is completely potty trained.  now, how do I get him off the potty and on to the toilet?  he is NOT going to make friends in school if the only thing that fits in his backpack is the big ol' portable toilet.  UNCOOL.

4.  I like our neighbours.  this past weekend a bunch of the kids were in the ally, and playing in our backyard.  kinda like when I was a kid.  I like that.  I feel that in many neighbourhoods, we have lost the whole "front porch" mentality - knowing the people you live near and spending time getting to know them.  well, in parkview we do it the back ally way!  put signs up in the back way so that cars don't kill the kids and gather to tell our stories over our short, and in many cases, chain-linked fences.

5.  I was up .6 at WW on sat.  pms sucks.  that and crap food on the friday before weigh in.  today was also a crap food day, but I tracked all of it.  okay, almost all.  does anyone know that point value for a chicken mcgrill wrappy thingy?????

6.  Nate is kicking butt at soccer.  perhaps I am biased, but my kid has some skills. 

7.  this has been one of my best teaching years.  I love the kids in my home room.  I feel that I have been able to build relationships with them and laugh with them and just generally enjoy their teenager-ness.  I like that.

8.  there is no number 8 - nevermind.  there is.  I upgraded my computer.  now I am back to square one and can't figure out my email.  good thing I have my phone [it gets mail] and an appointment with a mac geek at the apple store on sunday.

9.  for real this time.  there is no 9.  'CAUSE 7 ate 9!!!  LOL

xoxo

-17 and counting...

so, it was a good week, on the ww front! -1.2 down today for a total of -17.4. not too shabby, considering the last few weeks have been CHAOS [especially on the whole school front!]. kids have been weird both at home and at school. the weather has been awful and I feel like I've been stuck in "going nowhere fast" mode. oh well, today was the encouragement I needed to get my arse in gear - in the movement department! maybe I am on the verge of being over the top of the hill, and trust me, coming down is always easier.

and in other news:

1. boys got new [to them] bikes today

2. john and I saw x-men: origins last night [me likey!!]

3. ty potty trained himself this week

4. I've done far too much laundry this week

5. I was reminded this week that too much coffee too late at night leads to sleepless nights

have a good weekend, folks!

the blues

I have the post-marathon blues. prior to the marathon I had a pretty set purpose for getting outside everyday. now, I am feeling less motivated. I didn't move on the scale this week and that has me even less motivated. I need a shot in the arse. the "motivation" shot.

and then I think back to the race. it's a bit like my weight loss journey, in a super metaphorical way! the first third of the race is pure adrenalin and excitement. surrounded by 7 000 or so racers all there for the same purpose. it is really exciting. this is the part of the race that goes through east vancouver [just in case you were wondering!] down east cordova. then you take some twists and turns and you enter the park. just then the cops come through on their bikes, leading the way for the top marathon runner to come through. it's like hearing other people's stories - totally encouraging. and then the hill comes. and trust me, it's hard and steep [800 m high] and totally brutal. I feel like this part of my journey is the hill. totally brutal to stay on track, totally needing the loud music and the cheers. in the park, however, there is no one. you are alone. and although I know I'm not alone, I feel that way. I know what my goal is and I know the route to get there, I just need to keep walking. keep going. keep persevering. I can make it to the end. I just need some cheers. [and I am off to bed - it's WAY too late!!]

the pic I promised

yeah. the lone marathon picture. LOVE!

PHEW!

so we did it. and we did it in our best time ever - 3 hours and 19 minutes. I am so thrilled that we did so well. climbing the hill was pretty hard...VERY HARD. coming down was a tad easier [always is] and the last 4k were - well they pretty much pushed me as hard as I'd ever been pushed. Rae & Mom were ahead of me and I wanted to keep up. it felt like they kept speeding up, so I just kept the pace. I had some pretty good music playing and it was all good! I have to say, it was all worth it. all the training. all the stuff that it is. next year, I really want to do it again, only minus nate on my back [or the 45 lbs that is nate!!!].

I'll post a picture or two in the next few days - for now, I'm off to bed!

and a tiny bit more...

well, .2 down is still down. for a total of -16.4. I am 3.6 off schedule, but hey, like my mom said today, steph's dog weighs 16 lbs. I am minus a sam. LOL

in other breaking news...

we walked 12k today. we leave for vancouver on friday night, shop on saturday and race on sunday. we don't fly home until monday, so that will be nice. my feet are pretty sore right now, so next week they are going to HURT!

I am off to the running room to get some new socks - just waiting for kids to walk in!! [oh, pic of the race route below!]

where were you tonight?

really, my blog should get a re-title: how cori likes to brag about her exercise. LOL it will subside, soon. okay, maybe not. but at least I'm not little-miss-hot-yoga. [HI ALLISON!!!] well, I guess if I could manage to string together 40 days of hot yoga and look like allison 2 weeks before my 40th birthday, I wouldn't be complaining at all.

enough about her. this is MY blog after all! so I braved the crazy drive down the block and went to lesley's class tonight. HOLY SMOKES. we did a considerable amount of upper body work. and abs. and lunges. mmmmm. I *heart* lunges. [okay, love is a strong word. I have come to sorta enjoy the first one.] and more importantly, we did far too many planks. damn plank. regardless, it will all lead to a little, tight body in a couple of decades or so [at the rate this body wants to drop fat].

AND, I've decided that I have a wee crush on my new mac [computer, not makeup] guy. he's cute. he's funny. and he's paid to spend an hour with me every couple of weeks. UNDIVIDED attention, with no kids in sight. and he laughs at my jokes [maybe he's paid to do that too!]. it's all good. I tell ya. george may have some competition. I don't get the impression that george will mind.

okay, so now I am rambling. I should post a picture. maybe it will be a random photo booth pic!!

xoxo!

a little bit less of me

well, this was a pay off week. not a huge loss, but 1.2 lbs down for a total loss of 16.2. I haven't had a loss week of over a pound since march 7th. that's well over a month. and over a month of intense frustration on my part. alas, I feel like I've turned a bit of a corner. could be that regardless of the scale, I know that all the exercise/training I'm doing is paying off. I did the stairs in the river valley twice this week with yvonne and I walked 16k this morning with my mom & rae. in two weeks we will be in vancouver, shopping and carb-ing up for the big race!! eeekkk! that's just crazy! then they [mom & rae] are talking about beginning to train for the edmonton marathon. we'll see. [we may be on vacation that week!] regardless, these last few weeks have taught me something new about myself: I can manage a stall. I can work through the pain and the tough plateaus and I can keep going. and, I can like exercise. at the 12k mark I wasn't liking it very much, but overall, my body craves it. I really hope that I have turned a new page in the book of my life.

badda bing, badda bang

MY BUM HURTS!

you heard me right. I am literally working my ass off. hehehe! so yvonne & I did the stairs in the river valley yesterday - THREE TIMES. yeah I was sucking wind BIG TIME the first time up. then we walked a bit and did it again. that wasn't happy either. then we did a longer walk - down and around the path and over the river and back and then back up again! the third time back up wasn't so bad. coming down is awful, but that's because I need to look at where I step and then I see the ground underneath, far underneath! not pretty. but, I did it and we're going again tomorrow after school to do it again! yippie! tonight I walked to starbucks and back - a whoppin' 5k. and that, my friends, is why I hurt!

and now for some easter love - easter pics of my sweet boys!!!

one more thing...

I was listening to the tim hughes version of this old hymn today [you can listen to it here...I am not a big fan of the visuals, but the audio alone is pretty good!!] - verse 4 sums up how I feel about easter...

"were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far to small;

love so amazing, so divine.

demands my soul, my life, my all"

as a christ-follower, easter is a pretty big part of the christian calendar and something that is part of my tradition and our tradition as a family. so, if you too celebrate, have a blessed easter.

life in the fast lane

HOLY BUSY, BATMAN!!

going back to school after spring break for a 4-day week is always brutal!

however, it really has been a lovely weekend. thursday night I went for a walk [a FAST walk!] at the y and then to church for a couple of hours of music practice. friday morning we took the boys to church for the good friday service, went for a long walk with my mom & rae [9.5k], cleaned the house, did laundry, bought a few groceries, then had friends over to watch the season finale of friday night lights. a nice evening [even though I wasn't too happy with how it ended...!].

this morning I went to weight watchers and surprise, surprise, I was up .2 lbs. still at a total of -15, but this hovering is driving me NUTS! I talked to the meeting leader today about what I can do, and I have a few ideas. I'll let you know how it goes! when I got home, the boys and I painted some easter eggs. pretty low key egg fun! they are expecting me to hide eggs for tomorrow morning. grrr. this afternoon, I took the boys over to susan's house. the boys literally played for 3 hours. other than a slight mishap with some bubbles, we did not really hear from them the entire time! susan, alyssa & I played with some stampin' stuff. alyssa had stuff that I don't have and I brought some stuff for her to play with, so overall, a productive afternoon! when I got home with the kids, John took the kids to his mom's and I went for a 5k walk. my feet hurt. in three weeks, we'll be in vancouver prepping for the real deal, so we're on the tail end of it. PHEW.

okay, so I suppose you didn't need a total recap of my life. it really is rather boring. I had something else interesting to say, but once again, my brain isn't registering. LOL

have a wonderful easter...

xoxo

playing with some colour!

okay, so I sent Kristina a picture of Nate and she ended up using for her colour challenge! how fun. so, I have some time I am playing along with one of my fave colour combos!!



HOWEVER, my camera is still sitting in a safe, safe place and the bow won't let me scan, so I used the trusty iPhone to take this crap photo...SO SORRY!!



and in other news, I am down 1lb this week...THANK GOODNESS! after the week of intense exercise, I was honestly hoping for more, but hey, a pound is a pound is a pound. and more importantly, I feel better than I have in a long, long time. [other than too much dinner & wine tonight because it's out anniversary and I cooked john a kick-ass meal!!!!]
xoxo

days four and five

ahhhh. it's almost over and I have succeeded in not working and I feel rather rested. I had big plans to go into school, but that hasn't happened yet. maybe tomorrow.

okay, so I've had a strange occurrence. rumor had it that this could happen, but honestly, I though those people were nuts. totally crazy. so, as you know, I have been on a forced exercise regiment this week. since saturday I have logged 26k on my shoes this week. and I was planning to take today off - only, the strangest thing happened. I want to exercise today. I don't hurt today and I really want to exercise. I am craving it. how absolutely bizarre. so how will I solve this problem? well, I'll go to the y tonight and work out. and they open at 7am tomorrow, so I've been plotting how I can get up early and go before weight watchers. EEEEKKKK. all I can say is that all of this work had better pay off on the ol' scale tomorrow. grrrr.

off to finish watching tv with john - he 's not really watching, but who cares. LOL as long as his snoring doesn't get in the way, I really don't mind! [yes, he's home this afternoon!]

day three

I have officially logged in 4.5 hours of exercise this week [since saturday] and this 36 year old body is TIRED! I signed up for a two week trial session at the y today, so at least I have a place to walk while the snow is finding a home down the drains. my mom & I did 8k today, with a break half way through to do some serious stretching. tomorrow I am planning to go back and do a 30 minute session on the treadmill for some incline work. then friday is rest day. and some time this weekend I am going to have to do 10k. next week won't allow me to do this pace/amount every day, but I should be able to go to class [the same one I was at yesterday] on monday & wednesday and then my scheduled walks on tuesday, thursday and the weekend.

the thing I am struggling with is the whole points counting for activity. according to ww, I am not doing intensive exercise, but I know that I am definitely doing harder than moderate. today, I counted activity points half way between. BUT, then do I have to eat all 10 points? because I did, but not with heathy choices - that would have taken me forever! the 7 point cinnamon bun and the 4 point bag of easter chocolates was sure the easier way to go. however, then what's the point of exercising if it's just giving me permission to eat crap? so today I did it a bit differently. I counted the exercise as just 4 points, ate my extra 4 points and all the extras got counted in with my extra 35 point allowance [that I hardly ever use up]. is this wrong? I am SOOOOOO confused! I mean, I am still counting most everything and I am still exercising and I am still drinking a crumb load of water, so really, maybe I am doing it right? do I want to eat all those extra points? yup. however, I really want to eat them in junk food, not healthy food and then that's not quite as good.

okay, officially rambling. if anyone has an answer, let me know!

otherwise, my very sore arse & I are going to bed.

day two

well, glad to report that I went to torture class today and did two gym lengths [the short way] of lunges. did a plank or three. did squats and pushups. and I feel pretty darn good. I am thinking that for april I really need to hit lesley's class twice a week just to cross train.

tomorrow, I am meeting my mom to do a super long walk...takes the heat off for the weekend.

just thought I'd check in!!

xoxo

day one

man I got a lot done today. kids closets purged, some toys gone, dusting done and then the robot did his job. had a friend over for lunch. I walked to starbucks and back [5.2 km]. and that wee walk is the issue I am currently having.

MY LEGS HURT!! yeah, I was just blogging to complain. this whole exercise thing had better pay off. my goal is to walk or do some other form of vigorous exercise everyday this week. I started on saturday with 3k in less than 30 minutes [some of that was running]. yesterday it was an hour at the track with rae. and today. well, I think I need an advil!! all I can say is that this whole plan had better pay off. tomorrow it's off to a class in the morning. wednesday, another walk. thursday...well, maybe some damn lunges in the basement with some even more lovely squats and maybe a plank or two. blah. and it's suppose to snow again. wow. life in edmonton is GREAT!

24 is mere minutes away.