We Matter

Physically, I'm doing great.  I'm eating different, way healthier, and I'm sticking to the plan.  I'm so proud of myself for that.

Emotionally, it's been a rough day a bit.  As a teacher it's hard seeing what some of your students experience, and today was hard because of that.  I can't say much but the student is physically okay just having a hard time with events in their life....besides being a teacher, I often play mom too.  Everything in me wanted to take this child in my arms and protect them and say nothing bad will happen.  If only I could promise the truth in that...

As a teacher, I strive to make each student know how much they matter in this world, how much they can effect everything around them...this ten year old has such a rough journey ahead of them and I just hope that they can remember how much they matter.  We all deserve knowing that.

Fingers Crossed!

So I may very well have a house lined up to move to way closer to work...the town says that I'm to get the confirmation as soon as the current tenant confirms his move out.  I'll go from a 45 minute drive to a five minute drive.  Nice eh?  It's a cute little place from the outside-I still don't know what it looks like on the inside, but I do know it has been renovated.  Here's a couple of pictures of what could be my future home!

Rolling in the Deep

So a city that I grew up in for so many years is slowly rolling in the deep-aka...they're flooding bad.  I got the chance to go in this past Saturday for Mother's Day and saw first hand what's happening.  As of today, evacuations have started.  Businesses are shutting down and people are preparing for the worst.

As relieved as I am that my friends and family are not affected by the evacuation, I can't help be worried for others-listening to the news conferences, I easily get emotional at the idea of people being misplaced and away from their homes.  Hopefully the dikes will hold the water and homes and businesses will be safe.  In the meantime, here are some pictures that I want to share with you that I took.  The last one is not one that I took that I was able to find from ebrandon.ca.

So this is the highway I take to travel to Brandon-the 83...in actuality, the part of the river is actually only what you see under the bridge and that is swollen twice its size still.  Just south of Miniota.

Going towards the bridge, towards the Assiniboine.  See the water on the side?

Here you can see how close the water is to the highway.

A dike on 18th on May 7th-they were building the dikes higher.

Looking at the dikes towards the west...that's not a lake...that's farmland.

This is  small park on the west side of 18th where the skating oval is in the winter.  Notice the little hut is nearly underwater.

The road into Dinsdale Park is now a dike.

On the east side of the bridge on 18th...looking north.

Looking northeast.  That's like a little hut in the background nearly buried by water.

A close up of the hut nearly under water.  Beyond that is the amplitheatre where weddings and wedding pictures usually take place.  That sure isn't happening this summer.

Near the skating oval once again off of 18th.

Bye bye barbeque...in the back..the machine is packing down the dike.

Looking east of 18th

Looking north.  Notice the streetlight in the background?

Streetlight nearly buried.  These lights are probably about a storey and a half tall?  The walkway goes under the bridge along the river.

This picture not only shows the light so well but how fast the water was moving.  The water at points seemed like rapids.

The new twinned bridges-east side.  You can see how high the water is to the bridge.

Looking north east towards Kirkcaldy Drive and Conservation Drive.

The walkway no more...

Not my picture but truly shows how bad it is.  This is along 1st just north of the bridge.  In the background you can see the playground where I played as a child, and the train that at one time, you could actually climb into and play around.  This scene is so heartbreaking for me.  To see what you love become devastated...another interesting connection I have to this picture is that my great grandparent's house used to be located where the road/highway was-in order to build the road, they bulldozed many homes, including my great grandparents.

Putting Me First

So in the last posting I shared that I was really making an effort to get out and move more.  Well, I've gone a couple of steps further...

I actually questioned whether I should share this or not, but being that those I know who check this blog (who are known personally to me) are so supportive, I'm just going to say it straight up.  I am in the worst health of my life, and a lot of it has to do with choices I've made.  A few of my health problems are not anything that was my fault, but I need to make some radical changes and put me first.

Step 1:  Start exercising-this I've done.  I'm not entirely sure whether I'll continue the program at school, but I am doing a program at home with my Wii.  I love my Wii.  It's amazing and it has awesome workout tapes that give you instant feedback.  Now, I've been really sick these past couple of weeks so I didn't get to work out for like four days in a row, but today I was back at it.  It felt good.  I felt sore and good at the same time. I think ultimately, I want to be able to start by working out four times a week for a 1/2 hour at a time.  It's a good start, and then as I get used to it, I want to keep increasing it.

Step 2:  Be honest about my weight.  Yeah.  I said the W word.  The fact is I'm not okay with my weight the way it is.  I know it's not healthy and I definitely know it's not helping my health.  So, I rejoined Weight Watchers this last week.  It's a whole new program on the Points Plus, and it's weird to me that calories aren't the concern anymore.  Now you pay attention to the carbs, proteins, fats, and fiber.  I feel really good about being on it, especially as I learned I was at my highest weight ever (despite being in the same size that I've been in for the last 1 1/2 years).  I have a funny body...I can gain 20 pounds and not even know it because of how my body is.  The fact is I have to change habits, and I have to start taking care of myself.  That time is now.

Step 3:  Look at nutrition.  I'm on a multivitamin and other recommended vitamins as I try to get healthier.  Eat more balanced meals.  Drink a heck of a lot more water instead of drinking diet pop all the time.

The fact is, I just need to make sure I'm doing all I can for my health issues...lower my blood pressure, take pressure off my joints, and hopefully make a committed long term effort to doing what I can to prevent anything worse from happening...

Kinda overwhelming, but that's okay...one step at a time...

Changing Patterns

So I have started making some changes in my life-I've started working out regularly, which is a big first step.  Next is to really start working on eating regular meals that are healthy and high in fruits and vegetables.  One thing I've found with me moving to the sticks is that my consumption of veggies have gone way down...so that's one thing I really need to change.

Why the changes?  I just want to start focusing on me, and what it means to be healthy.  For so long, I have always had stress with whether or not I would have a job, etc and now that that's out of the way, well, it's time to take time for me.

The workout itself is going very well...I work out to the Wii, walking, or at work.  I'm finding that I can only rely on myself to be motivated-which is okay.  This is about me, isn't it?

And hopefully somewhere along the way, I'll start feeling a lot better and have more energy.  Boy, do I need some!

Toils of the Week

I don't know about other people, but I find when I get sick, I get more emotional.  Whether it be cranky or crying, I usually end up retreating to being by myself.  It's enough that I have to put up with my company, rather than anyone else to deal with me.

There are tiny moments that I wish there was someone to take care of me-bring me soup or something to drink-but I can get over that quite fast!

I've had more adventures in flat tires and being stranded on the highway, locking myself out of my house, and buying 200 subs at Subway for a fundraiser.  I helped throw my first baby shower.  Eventful?  Sure.  Boring.  Oh, no.

I'm looking forward to a tiny bit more relaxed week-it'll be good.  And honestly, it's okay.  I have people looking out for me so I guess in a little way they are helping to take care of me.  Life could be a heck of a lot worse.

Looking to the Future

Now that I have permanent, it's taken a lot off me-I have a secure job to take me through the years.  Now I just need housing.  This part is quite frustrating-I've been looking and looking, and so far, nothing.  I had a lead on one place but they don't allow pets.  So, I'll keep looking, but it's frustrating.  You want to live closer to work and there's limited housing....so we'll see....