Goodbye 2007...

One year ago today, we were in Warrington, England, getting ready for a HUGE NYE party... I cant believe how fast time flies these days!

So I thought should do a little review of my year, since its almost over.

Some highlights of 2007:

• We spent January having the holiday of my dreams, traveling around the UK, Austria and Italy. Got to go to Rome and see all the ancient stuff, which has been at the top of my "to-do" list forever.
  
• Got engaged to my wonderful man in the Austrian Alps
  
• Had implantable contact lenses in April and May to correct my short-sightedness, giving me better than 20/20 vision - bye bye glasses!
  
• Did some big renovations to our house (this is still an ongoing project though)
  
• Survived a nasty car accident with everything but my nerves (and the car) in tact.
  
• Got offered a fantastic new job, and quit my old one!

There havent been any enormous fitness achievements this year, but I have at least maintained my fitness levels.

2008 is going to be a big one. I start my new job in just over a week, and while I'm really looking forward to it, I'm really nervous as well.

We also will probably organise a wedding at some point (but after 8 years, really, whats the hurry?!!) and also get the renovations finished.

Fitness wise my goal is to gain more muscle, and lose 5kgs of fat. I still havent got Maggie's body yet - so watch this space!!

I hope everyone has a fabulous New Years tonight! We are going to a friends house for a party, but the weather in Brissie right now is not really conducive to a great New Years, its been cool and rainy with gale-force winds for the last few days. They're even talking about cancelling the fireworks in the city.

Anyway, I hope that whatever you get up to that its a great night. See you all in 2008!

So thats it for another year...

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!

Early yesterday morning we exchanged a few little gifts, and most importantly gave the dogs and cat their pressies. Shavez was sooo funny, his stocking had a sqeaky ball in it - he just LOVES this ball - he takes it with him everywhere and will not let it out of his sight! He's like a little kid with his dolly. It looks so funny to have this great big dog carrying a little ball everywhere. Even when he's sleeping he has to have the ball resting beside his face LOL...

We then went for breakfast with OH's family, where we did had a lovely BBQ breakfast out on the deck. Then the kids hit the pool, and OH chased them around and squirted them with water pistols - he is just like a big kid himself really.

We then headed home at lunchtime and my parents came around. I enjoyed a glass or two of bubbles, and then all of OH's family arrived for a dinner time BBQ.

Santa was good to me this year - OH got me a Polar F11 heart rate monitor...

I got the blue one, and I cant wait to start using it! I've been playing with it this morning, and I'm amazed with all the features its got. Its much puuurtier than my old black Polar, which has copped an absolute hiding over the years. I think I will be doing well to use even half of the features on this new one though - but its just so lovely!

OH's family also lashed out and got me some diamond cluster earrings... real diamonds too so I was most impressed! Musta been a good girl in my past life!

I'm having a week off weight training this week, so it will be good to get back into it. It will be good when the gym is back to normal hours too! So the dogs will be getting lots of walkies this week, and I may go for a few jogs too. Only two more weeks of being a lady of leisure - I cant believe how quickly 5 weeks has gone already! Actually I'm really looking forward to starting my new job, it will be good to have something to sink my teeth into.

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying some relax time at the moment, I'm off to read some blogs!

Happy Birthday S ! .....

Its OH's birthday today - happy birthday baby! For one month of the year we are the same age, and doesn't he just LOVE to rub it in that I'm 11 months older!

I'm in a great mood today - I did an awesome step class this morning, I really dont know where I got all my energy from! I always leave a little in reserve for the last track (the one before the legs and stretching) - I love the last track! Left the gym with a bright red face, came home and walked the dogs. I wasnt going to walk them though - they've been naughty and I was going to skip it. Went outside this morning and found a dead possum on the deck again... poor possum. We never know which dog actually committed the crime, so they always both get in trouble.

Anyway, took them for a shorter walk than normal, but they really were a handful this morning and hard to control. Then they both decided to take a poop at the same time - try picking up two lots of doggie doo in a plastic bag when they're both being difficult, circling your legs and whining to get going again - not happy!!!

Then I came home, showered and took my measurements and skinfolds - and they have gone down!! Woohoo! So happy with that!

So I'd best avoid the scales tomorrow anyway, after Beef Wellingtons and Caramel Mud Cake tonight for OH's birthday :-)

You may find this hard to believe but...

... I'm getting bored at home!

Yep, being a lady of leisure ain't all its cracked up to be!!! It is very strange having no proper routine. The only thing I do with any regularity is go to gym every morning. Then if I'm in the mood I walk the dogs, shower, sit down in front of the computer and play on the internet until about 9am. I have this rule that I dont start doing any physical "work" until after 9am.

My other rule is that I dont switch on the TV until its time to watch 'Antiques Roadshow' (5pm) - I've become addicted to that show... sad arent I??

I've done most of my Christmas shopping, I've weeded the garden, I've painted all I can until the plasterer finishes doing his stuff, I've cleaned (actually I could prolly do with cleaning a whole lot more, but that just isn't fun) and I've visited friends, cuddled babies etc... I'm now resorting to doing crosswords to try and keep my mind active!!

Its funny somedays, I soooo look forward to OH coming home from work so that I get a bit of human conversation!! I mean, I talk to the dogs and cat a lot, but they dont tend to talk back LOL.

Anyway, I went out for a Christmas get-together last night and I was very good - only had one glass of wine very early on. I didnt even eat very much (mostly because it was horrible) so I dont think I did too much damage last night. I was very tired getting up for gym this morning, and it showed in my lack of strength. I didn't make the same reps today that I did last week, and left gym with jelly triceps!

Its OH's 32nd birthday on Friday (he's finally catching up with me!) so I've got to go get myself organised to cook Beef Wellingtons for 7 people - I'm not sure if my oven is big enough! Wish me luck!

Its a Wonderful Life

Its a Wonderful Life is my favourite Christmas Movie of all time. I'm not really sure why - maybe its because I love Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, maybe its the stilted 1940's acting, maybe its the fact that it makes me cry every time I watch it... but what a lovely lovely movie. It really does make you stop and think about how good your own life is, and what impact you have on other people's lives. I watched this movie on Monday after I had my wisdom teeth out, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

I am a bit of a wreck at the moment after my efforts on Wednesday! Not only am I black and blue from bruises, but my upper body is sooo sore too. From pull-starting the mower a million times (from when it kept stalling) I have the sorest shoulders. Chest is still sore too from weights this week. I'm finding it difficult to do things like pulling t-shirts on and off, and doing a bra up is a bit of a challenge!

Yesterday I did my usual step class, and I was knackered!! Another girl and I were agreeing that this latest release of Body Step seems to be a LOT harder than previous releases...

This morning I took the dogs for a walk, and then today I'm going to clean windows... gee I get all the fun jobs dont I???

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bull in a china shop

One thing mum always used to shout at me (apart from “Clean your room” and “For God’s sake, stop tap-dancing down the supermarket aisles!!”) was

“Christ Hilary you’re like a bull in a china shop!!!!”

I was always crashing through the world at top-speed, always in a hurry, slamming doors, bumping into things, breaking stuff. We used to live in a two storey house on stilts, looked like a little Swiss chalet, and she used to reckon me running down the stairs made the whole house shake…

I got better as I got older. But yesterday I had a bit of a day like those old days. For some reason I was in a hurry to do everything. I had a list of things to do yesterday, and there was no stopping me!

So my to-do list went something like this:

Go to gym
Do groceries
Post Christmas Cards
Paint upstairs hallway ceiling
Paint downstairs bedroom ceiling
Mow all lawns

It started to go wrong when I went to post the Christmas cards, I got stuck halfway across an intersection when I got stuck at a red light. Couldn’t go forward or back. A pedestrian abused me for being halfway across the pedestrian crossing – now that just put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

So I came home and painted. Forgot that when you roll on ceilings that the paint doesn’t just splatter straight down onto the drop sheet – it flies out in all directions. Consequently got paint everywhere and had to keep stopping to clean it up.

Cooked stir fry for lunch, dropped food on floor from rushing…

Cut my toe on a floor tile, just from walking past it.

Got a huge glob of paint in my left eye. I mean it dropped straight into my eyeball, and OMG that sucker stung!! Spent the next ten minutes rinsing my eye in water and searching for eye drops, which we don’t seem to have anymore since I had my eye operations!

Noticed it looked like it was going to rain, so ditched the painting halfway through to go mow… it took me about 2 hours because the mower kept stalling because the grass was too thick. I bumped my leg on the mower and have ended up with a massive bruise on my thigh.

And finally when I went to close a sliding screen door last night I managed to bang myself in the forehead with it – hard. I have a big egg over my left eyebrow now.

So I think that qualifies as a bull in a china shop kinda day! Mum would be shaking her head right now!!

Double Ouch

I had my other two wisdom teeth out this morning, so now the entire right side of my face is a bit screwed up. Because both upper and lower were removed this time, we had twice the number of needles didn't we? So I think my face is twice as numb as last time. This time my chin is now frozen in one spot - all the way to the top of my ear - yeah, double ouch is right.

On the aftercare information sheet they give you (just before you pay them the arm and a leg that you now owe) it says "Absolutely no smoking for at least 48 hours - and no alcohol for 2 weeks" !!! I had to read it twice! And then I spluttered!! "Wha....??" I'm now reduced to grunting and pointing because my lips, chin and tongue are frozen in the one spot...

"Wha???? No alcohol for two weeks??" This is barely deciperable from me, but the dentist figures out what I'm saying. "Oh people always freak out about THAT!!" he laughs. "Dont worry about that - but no alcohol for at least 48 hours though - ok?"

Phew - I can relax knowing that my Friday night glass of wine is still on the cards.

Still, it was a much better experience this time, no stitches for one. AND it was cheaper than the quote. Gotta be happy with that.

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We did some tiling in the entry/lounge area on Saturday, and its looking pretty good. Its amazing how doing one area can make you feel like you are so much closer to the end. It still needs to be grouted of course.

This morning I did my regular Monday morning cycle class, followed by walking the dogs. I'm now going to put my feet up for the rest of the day (dentists orders - honest!), wait for the feeling to return to my face, and eat soft and squishy food.

Look what I'm getting...

Last week I used some credit card reward points to order a Navman S30, which is an entry level GPS. Dont you just love shiny new gadgets? When I start my new job I'm going to be driving around a fair bit, so this will be a fairly important tool for me, so I dont get lost. I'm hoping to have it before Christmas, I cant wait!

I also ordered a couple of singlets from Lean Ladies so I'll be on the lookout for the postman in the next few weeks! I have recently discovered that a new Lorna Jane has opened up at my local shopping centre. So far I have managed to stay away, but its calling me.

I've been training hard and eating clean this week, but I'm still feeling bloated and I cant seem to shake it. Maybe I will cut out my morning coffee and see if that helps.

I have done nothing but paint this week, and I'm over it. This week was the first time I had ever painted a ceiling, and I can tell you - it aint fun. Its all very well having a drop sheet on the floor, but it doesn't stop the paint from splattering on your face, in your eyes, on your hair. It certainly doesn't pay to roll on ceiling paint with your mouth open either.

Its been stinking hot here this week, which hasn't helped. I have ended up with a bit of a crook neck from craning my head back all day, and man did my shoulders get a good build up of lactic acid this week! The worst of it is that I have only done two ceilings - many more to go! At lunchtime yesterday I gave up and went back to painting walls instead.

Today I'm having a bludge day. Well actually I just refuse to paint today. Maybe I'll do some more weeding, or I might just go check out Lorna Jane!!

Mind over matter

... otherwise known as "I think I can, I think I can..."

This morning I was up as usual at 5am - ok so actually it was more like quarter past, I almost slept through the alarm. Anyway, got to gym and did an awesome shoulder/bi/tri workout (shoulder is feeling good after the acupuncture by the way), then hopped on the cross trainer for 20 minutes. Felt good - but quite fatigued by the end.

Came home and took the dogs for a brief walk, dropped them off and headed off on my 4km route. Last time I ran/walked this (Saturday) I managed to jog as far as the local school , which is about a third of the way, before I had to slow to a walk. Since I'm no runner, this I thought was a pretty good. Usually after I catch my breath, I pick it up for more jogging.

This morning, the minute I stepped it up into a jog, I though "oh-oh, I'm never going to make this, my legs are sooooo tired!". But I kept saying to myself "Just make it to the end of the main street". Making it to the end of that street involves two small hills, nearly killed me!! Finally made it to the end and thought "Hey its a downhill slope now - keep going - just make it to that power pole". Then when I got close to that power pole, I thought - you can make it to the school!

So I kept going, and kept jogging to the school. Then I passed the school and just kept on going. I kept setting myself markers, and each time I reached the marker I picked another one 50 metres ahead. In the end I got about half way before I had to slow to a walk and gasp for breath!!!! But man it felt good. Last time I jogged to the school I had fresh legs too - so just goes to show how mind over matter can get you further than you thought. By the time I got home my legs were cactus though!

To me, this is the best thing about fitness. To achieve something, even something minor as jogging further than you thought you could, or saying no to a glass of wine when you REALLY feel like one - knowing that you're progressing, improving, eating clean, gaining control and just feeling really good about yourself - what an awesome, powerful feeling.

So I'm feeling really happy and positive right now. I'm just going to have a little rest here before I start painting some ceilings today. Have a great day!