Wednesday 24 April 2013

Destination Fernie

We have set our sights on Fernie. It seems like we
will get the best of all worlds there. Only 2 
hours from Lethbridge {hello family visits}, 
It's a nice enough escape that perhaps we will get
more company our way, we will be close to all
the nature I've been craving. Ski in the winter, fish year
round, and of course the lake is a close 30 min in the summer.
Rhys signed up to do his pipe fitter apprenticeship on Monday.
Luckily he already has his plumbing ticket so he gets to
knock time off pipe fitting because of that. His current
company also is allowing him to maintain his 
current Journeyman wage while he does this 
apprenticeship which is AWESOME! Otherwise it would
have been a major pay cut to go back to being 
a 2nd year wages. With his pipe fitting ticket he is 
one step closer to being able to get a job at the mine.
Now for me. I took this .7 rotating days,eves,nights which means
most of it is shift work and gives me a lot of flexibility
with my schedule. SOOOOO.... I'm trying to decided
which program to take that would put me in a good
position to move anywhere. {FERNIE}
I'm leaning towards human resources but we will see what
the next few weeks of investigation work out.
I would love if I could take the first year
online or distance- perhaps evening classes here and 
there and then decide for the last part to opt to do full
time classroom. Time will tell. 
I just want the next 5 years to put us in a good position
to move without risking it all.

ANNNNDDDD... I got back to running. So far I'm 2 runs
down this week and feel great that I'm doing something. 
The eating part hasn't been fantastic but it hasn't been
HORRIBLE either so I'm okay with that. 

Happy Wednesday!

Monday 22 April 2013

The Future

I have a hard time living in the present. 
I am a day dreamer. I can sit in one spot for an hour thinking
about what I want my life to look like. It's the "getting there"
that's always the issue because I change my mind every
few weeks. I would love to venture out and move somewhere
else to explore but the uncertainty of it would give me
a heartattack! What if we couldn't find work? 
what if we lose money on our house? 
What if we were so poor that we couldn't come home?
And yet when I'm checking on all these people
living in different WARM areas of the world I can't help
but think to myself- They must think we are CRAZY!
We live in an area that has winter 8 months of the
year, is brown 10 months of the year, and hardly has
any water to speak of. I think we are crazy!
I would love the Fernie lifestyle of waking up and going 
for a hike before work. Taking the afternoons to go skiing.
Why Calgary? because thanks to oil, that's where the money is. 

Anyways, all this has been floating in and out of my mind for 
the last year or so... I'm thinking it might be time to do
some more school that can take us to other 
places in Canada. Suggestions are more than welcome!!!!

Saturday 20 April 2013

Run Run Run

I finally bit the bullet and got myself fitted with some
good sneaks! They were a tad on the pricey side
but luckily I can claim them under my benefits. 
They fit like a glove and hopefully will make my shins
scream for joy instead of the agony they have been.


Okay so all you late 20's early 30's people.... Were "Brooks"
not the brand that Wal-Mart carried when we were kids?!?!?1
I was shocked that they are sold at Running Room and 
even more surprised that a pair of these bad boys 
will run you $200. WHO KNEW!

I was going to test them out this morning but when I woke up
and it was whistling like Lethbridge outside I decided that maybe this
evening or tomorrow morning would be a better bet. 
I run like I golf--- I'm a "fair weather" kinda gal. 

Bright Sunshiny Day

Yesterday was a fantastic day! My body and mind has been feeling
pretty tired with work lately. I'm sure all the late evenings have
something to do with it, but also the drama at work
on top of the uncertainty of my job took a toll. 

Yesterday I got offered my permanent position back at FMC
which means new exciting things for us. 
I feel much more secure at FMC with layoffs going on. 
Not that I have much seniority in CT but I am above a 
few people which means I won't be the first to go ;)
It also means that a move might be in the works, that
being said, it is time to put a little money into the 
basement and get this place ready to sell next spring perhaps????
 Being offered the job also came with the anxiety of handing in
my resignation at SHC. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated it being.
I think everyone understands that ultimately you need
to do what is best for your life, but I always walk into things
expecting the worst, then when that doesn't happen, it's an 
added bonus. 

I also went to fix up the window that was replaced last week. It
was leaking  pouring washer fluid into my car whenever
I went to wash my rear window. I popped in and the
guy fixed it on the spot. He was so friendly and apologetic.
I honestly don't mind when mistakes are made. They happen.
What I love is when a business makes it their mission to have
good customer service. I've had 3 windows replaced through
them and have had great service every time and
price wise, they are the best. If anyone needs glass work
done- head over to Wood Chip Auto.

My feet were also happy to slip into my birkies yesterday.
Even if it was only sunny for one day, it feels like spring is on it's way
and it's making me feel much more uplifted than I have been in
while. Between planning our trip and things
seeming to fall into place, life is feeling pretty good.
 


It was also date night in the Williams house. We are such homebodies 
that we tend to stay home and watch a movie or snuggle up with
our computers. So getting out last night was a treat. We would
prefer to go to a restaurant that is privately owned. It always
makes me feel better to know that our money is being spent
on someones talent or small business... That being said,
we opted for Earls last night. The food is always good, usually 
quick, and it was in the area. Rhys and I of course started 
betting {we bet on EVERYTHING} on how many
red seal chefs they would hire at a chain 
like Earls. I decided the best way to settle this was to ask
our waiter, and when he didn't know the answer he 
said he would go ask. Before we told him
not to worry about it he was gone and 
the Chef returned in his place and had a chit chat about
how their apprenticeship works and how many they have
on staff. Our bet BLEW up in our face. HAHA.  
Nothing like having the Chef come chat with us to bring 
attention to our table. It was hilarious because we are 
both shy, fly under the radar kind of people. 
Something to giggle about anyways. 


We then decided to swing by Rhys' parents house and surprise them 
with DQ. Had a 10 min chat and off home we went.
I love when a day starts well and ends well. No complaints here!

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Days off

I am sooooo looking forward to my 4 blissful days off.
I have been on a stretch of 8 {not the longest you might say}
but they certainly have dragged. I'm looking forward to 
my coffee and morning walks with Eddie which I have
been too lazy {tired} to take him on. 
I'm also looking forward to throwing my hair up into
a greasy bun and letting it stay there.
One of the most dreadful parts of my work week is
blow drying my hair every day. 
{I promise even on my days off I still shower daily}.
I'm hoping to get some snazzy runners this week
and start jog/walking again. 
Oh and of course making a few visits to my
friend Meg who is holding up in the NICU
 like a trooper {not that she has a choice}

A premie and a miscarriage

There has been A LOT of bad baby luck going around 
this week. On the 10th my friend had an emergency
c-section and had a beautiful baby girl Sloane, who was
just over 3lbs. They have a long road ahead of them
and can't bring her home for at least 
6 weeks which means lots of commuting. 
I can't even imagine. She is such a trooper but
is feeling a bit lost. She wasn't ready mentally prepared 
for a baby yet, no longer is or feels pregnant and 
yet has no baby in her arms. 
My other friend was also struggling with fertility and
finally got pregnant. She was beside herself with excitment
to then only have a miscarriage. My heart breaks for both
of these dear friends of mine. Sometimes life really isn't
fair. It only does so much to think that things
happen for a reason {words no way in hell I am mentioning}
It's hard to know what to do for either of them right 
now and I'm so thankful they both have 
great husbands to lean on during this hard time.

Monday 15 April 2013

Planning

For the last few years, Rhys and I have talked about 
heading out to the west coast for a holiday. We are
FINALLY going. The countdown is on. We are 
leaving June 14th and going for 10 whole days.
WOO-HOO!!!!
Our hope is to spend a couple days exploring Victoria
and the towns going up the east coast of the island
and then heading across to Ucutelet for 5 days.
I originally planned not to go across to the
west coast of the island but after a little
investigating it is the part that I am most excited 
about. We are planning on renting a beachfront cabin
and doing lots of hiking, exploring, perhaps a paddle board
lesson as well as some whale watching.
My hope is that my sister Amy and her boyfriend Kyle 
will join us on the Ucutelet leg of the trip. I think it
will be fun for it just to be the four of us. 
We have only met Kyle once and it was only for 
brunch so it would be awesome to get to know him
a bit better. Fingers crossed that plans come together
and things will be booked by the end of next week.
 

Thursday 11 April 2013

More Snow!

I have refrained from being one of those 
whiners that constantly complain about the snow.
I like the snow, I like the winter, I like seasons
I am ready for spring already!
I want to see tulips and buds on the trees
I want to smell the rain.
You know "April showers bring May flowers"
NOT in Alberta.
I want sunshine and warmth
I want to sit on my deck in the mornings 
and drink my coffee. 
I want to go camping!

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Just Breathe

That has turned into my mantra of the week. 
There was plenty of things to be anxious about throughout
the last week but today I woke up feeling
like the weight of the world had been lifted off 
my shoulders. We got things sorted out between our
besties and the world feels right again. I always find 
fighting with friends is extremely awkward and hard 
which is why I don't like to do it! 
Long story short is that we had a fight, had a talk, 
got things sorted out, and everything is back to 
normal. Phewf. That was way too much stress packed
into 2 days. Luckily it's over and we are all 
moving forward. 
My dress is ordered. The "men" are being measured for 
their suits. The hotel is being booked this week. 
Sometimes genuine conversations are hard to have. 
For some reason they seem to get harder and harder as we get 
older. Luckily we were able to all sit down and calmly
sort things through.

Just Breathe

Sunday 7 April 2013

Soul Searching

I've been laying in bed for a couple hours already tonight unable
to quiet the thoughts in my mind. Even my "go to"
anxiety tricks aren't working tonight. 
After months and months of wedding tensions 
things finally came to a head tonight. Over text. 
Yup. Text. 
So ridiculous. 
My head spins through varying emotions every 10minutes
and I can hardly stand it. Anger, Resentment, Sadness,
Guilt, Relief and then cycle again. 
We were officially "fired" from the wedding party tonight.
I would have liked a union rep present for this. {haha}
I have tried to be the peace keeper for far too long... 
perhaps that is what went wrong. 



in·teg·ri·ty  

/inˈtegritē/
Noun
  1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
  2. The state of being whole and undivided: "territorial integrity".
 Rhys was honest. I was honest. We will not be divided.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Catching Up

I dropped off the earth for 2 whole weeks. And I really had
nothing going on! Anyways here is the last 2 weeks of
my boring life ;)
We got new furniture for our living room and LOVE it.
It has added seating room to our place and also made us
realize that we actually like our house. 
The way this house is designed and decorated is
definitely not how I would want our home to 
be decorated. The grey is quite cold, but since this
was an investment home we went with what
was the trend right now. New furniture just spiced 
it up so that we can enjoy the house while we are in
it. We have spent more time on our main floor the
last 2 weeks than we have the entire 2 years we
have lived here. 

{bringing home the chaise}



{being able to snuggle up- with our electronics of course ;)}


I applied for a permanent position back at FMC. It was a really
hard decision to make. There have been lots of sleepless nights 
deciding what was the best thing for me to do. I'm 
very fortunate to have found someone who really wants me
to make the decision for myself and work where I will
be happy but it also means the decision is all mine
which is HARD!
The list of pro's to reclaim my permanent at SHC in the 
fall is REALLY long and the list to stay at FMC is 
REALLY short. All the reasons at SHC involve
more money, less commute. 
The short reason to stay at FMC is happiness.
Which means that IF I am offered a job at FMC, that is
where I will stay. At the end of the day I love my coworkers at 
both places, and it's busy at both places but I feel like things
are more emotionally settled at FMC which is something 
that means something to me. I am an anxious person 
naturally and I like going to work, feeling like I am good
at my job, and that people recognize that and appreciate
me professionally. I was missing that at SHC and I can't see
that changing any time soon with the management style that is
currently in place. 
Which means we have been exploring COCHRANE!
The thought of moving closer to the mountains, being in
a smaller community has always been appealing to both of us.
We went looking at some showhomes on the weekend and 
although there were a couple floor plans that would be perfect 
for us, I'm not sure if we want to build right away again. 
There are many good reasons to build and lots of 
incentives to do so right now but I'm not sold yet. 
I can't see us moving in the next year but perhaps next 
spring we will be calling Cochrane home.  
We had a delightful day exploring the area, found a great
spot for a delish pasta lunch and then realized I was late for work!
So we rushed home, got changed, was heading out the door...
 

{yummy lunch in Bragg Creek}

{the cutest decor with nature out the windows- LOVE}


What I meant was CRASHING out the door.


Soooooo sucky. We are having the worst financial luck as of 
late. We are really getting our shit together finally but man
life is really testing our abilities to stay on track!
Hopefully things come in 3's and we are finally done

1. our friends REALLY expensive wedding that is drying up our savings
2. The car being broken into and insurance not covering us
3. replacing my rear window

Anyways, I was annoyed and couldn't help but shed a few
frustrated tears on my way to work that day 
{thanks mom for opening the flood gates}.
It put me in a bit of a funk at the beginning of my shift to then
walk outside on my lunch break and see the beautiful sunset. 
hmmmm.... Life is pretty darn good.