The Olympics, BC Style

Tabs and friends on a snowshoe field trip on a mountain top. Tabs had the best time ever!
Taking a wee break from my lit review to blog. I feel sleepy already and it is still morning.
Pip is home today from preschool as her cough is still bad.
I went for my barefoot run this AM with Fernando. All was well until the last km. I developed a small blister on my instep of one foot. Odd, I say. Fernando is such a jock. He runs so fast--pulling me up and down hills. He has developed the worst habit of taking the cushions off of my new antique sofa and eating them.
Sometimes I think I should have bought tickets to the Olympics to actually be a part of the audience to experience the thrill. However, a chat with Joop convinced me otherwise. The crowds, fighting, and passes one needs to even drive on the highways seems like a good reason to avoid Vancouver at this time. However, I loved that the opening ceremonies focused on our aboriginal culture in BC. Nature and BC's first peoples are what BC is about. That is what makes it an amazing place to live.
Will nip out for a coffee break with the Pip to SB's shortly and then get back at writing.
Oh, "Shutter Island" was far too horrific, confusing and gory for me. However, Leonardo's acting was good. They could have made a much, much creepier and intelligent film if they'd only let me rewrite the script!

Balloon Volley Ball

My girls playing hard.
Back home.
Very tired today. Feel like I am fighting Pip's cold.
Tonight I want to take Peter to "Shutter Island"--the movie. Hopefully all will work out.
Very excited to try out my new barefoot runners. Yes, seems like an oxymoron. However, they are the closest thing to actually being barefoot. And I believe in the superiority in barefoot running over running in running shoes. The running shoe manufactures have duped the world into thinking one has to have maximum padding in order to run properly. However, all that extra "support" actually causes one to run awkwardly and puts all ligaments and joints under strain. Since I switched to barefoot running, I've had no injuries. I used to hurt all the time running in my top of the line, special ordered, expensive running shoes.
I really don't want a cold as I finally am back at my exercise regime and I love it. I'm even going back to  Bikrams on Friday--gotta finish out my membership--WAY too expensive to waste.
2 weeks until Hawaii--am I excited? YES
Have fallen head over heels in love with the cat pictured on the SPCA site--oh how I want to adopt him. I soooo miss having a kitty to love. Peter will divorce me if I adopt another pet. Yet.....

Hotel Life

Kamloops has been interesting. The girls are sleeping at my parent's house and Peter and I at a hotel. I've hardly seen Peter at all as he is conferencing 24/7. The girls are having a great holiday with their grandparents. I have been working a wee bit in the mornings and then joining the crew by noon. My mom has made us all her delicious specialties.
The down side is that Pip caught a dreadful lower respiratory bug and has been ill. I've had to bring her to the hotel with me each night to watch her. Her cough is horrible. It hurts her and she cries. We went for supper at the new White Spot near my parents house last night. It was great except we had to leave early as Pip could not stop coughing and she was mess.
The Kamloop's Bay had a wonderful sale and I bought myself a very sexy red dress for evenings.
We've been enjoying watching the Olympics.
I'd like to go on a hike today but I may have to leave asap as Fernando may be locked in our house alone. Peter may have to get a ride home with a fellow conferencer.

Fireflies

Tabi and Nemi at the dance competition Friday night. The most darling dance duo ever! They were amazing--didn't miss a beat. Though it was a little crazy before they went on: the DJ didn't have Fireflies. He couldn't use our CD either. I phoned Peter to drive down my Ipod asap. The DJ was able to somehow hook up my Ipod with his system and the performance was saved.
Valentines Day weekend was rather good for Peter and I. We went out for supper (although PJ forgot to make reservations--we squeezed in at the Cactus Club. Then we missed the movie so we rented a British film "in a day." It was good. The suspense was great. An unusual film.
I must complete my lit review before Hawaii so I am working hard each and every day.
Mist had a great afternoon yesterday at the H2O Centre with Marley. It is great they are such good friends. Marley is the daughter of Caroline--a friend of my sister Theresa's since 1977!
Marley spilled the beans on what her mom was up to yesterday--so Caroline if you read this--I am curious as to where and what?
My girls and I all upped our bikini collections for Hawaii and now we all have 3 to take!
I finally started back at my workout schedule, yay!!! My nausea is under control--$30 a week worth of manuka honey later! I am feeling fantastic again even though I know I still am fighting the bacteria in my gut so I must remain on double dose of acid reducers for about 2 more months and the honey too. It feels so good to feel normal again yay!!! When your health is seriously compromised for an extended time period--one reflects on life . And I want to live my life is the spirit of fun adventure, and compassion.

Dance Fever

Pippi on her way to preschool. She has a crown on under her hat and thus the Russian hat is quite vertical!
Nem and Tabs are busy practicing their dance for friday night's dance competition at the school. They're dancing to Owl City's "Fireflies." Pip and Artemis are watching Cinderella and Mist is at a volleyball game and will later go to a friends for pizza. I have made a pot of Thai peanut chicken but without MIst home to eat it, perhaps I should save it for tomorrow. Tabs and Pip won't touch it.
I've decided to finish my lit review for my class paper. I guess I better get busy if I don't want to take it to Hawaii with me! Tomorrow I shall start.
Watching my diet and doubled my meds (that stop acid production in the gut). Also I am taking 4 tsp. of Manuka honey a day to kill any unwanted gut bacteria. It is quite yucky to eat so much honey. It may take up to 4-6 months to cure my gastritis.  I have to get another blood test done but I am putting it off as any medical buildings/offices cause me stress. It has been a long, difficult time this gastritis. I've lost 5 pounds because of nausea.
My new mantra involves a compassionate/holistic approach to maintaining my health balance. No more pushing. Only kindness.
I am P O'd at Bikrams. I asked that my remaining classes be used by my sister as my health break means I cannot do such grueling workouts (on a great day one feels the need to barf at least several times during a Bikram's workout--imagine how one not yet 100% would feel)! Of course she spouted her garbage about how Bikrams is healing so I should be doing it and no she would not let me give my classes to Miranda :P! :P! :P!
I really want to take Zumba once a week as I love to dance. But alas it is so popular I couldn't get into the class :P!
My new workouts include much of the same save not getting up quite so early and substituting a gentler yoga for Bikram's and adding Zumba. I hope I can start my new regime next week. I don't want to loose all my muscles!
My favorite TV DVD's to watch when one needs a pick me up: Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City and The Office. All quite delightful.

Princess Penelope's Party

Pippi and her guests enjoyed her birthday party yesterday.
This winter was about two weeks long in early December. Ever since it has been above freezing temperatures, no snow and tulips coming up.
Mist is home with an upset stomach.
I must finish a paper before Hawaii--a Chapter of my thesis. It is so confusing as I haven't even started my study so how can I write a chapter?
And yes, we're booked for our two week family holiday in Hawaii during March break. We're going to the big Island. 3 nights at the Orchid Fairmont and then 11 nights at a condo. Theresa and family will be on the Island during that time too. They are renting a beautiful acreage in the mountains about 20 minutes from our condo.  Two weeks in Hawaii is going to be great.

If Only the Middle Way

Pip and Mommy out for lunch with Daddy.
Pip is a little under the weather today. She seems to be getting a cold virus and has an upset tummy.
Mist and Tabs have piano tonight.
I desperately need to purchase landscape logs to place under our fence in several places as Fernando is a snake and can get out of our yard easily. Yes, it is a tragedy that we spent $4000 on a fence and the Bleeping dog just slides his wiry body right under it!
As boring as it may be, I am still in recovery. Gastritis is not something that goes away quickly it seems. I thought I could stop my meds and be back to normal. However, that was not the case. The nausea returned. I did go for a great massage yesterday and discovered my back muscles have been seriously strained and have remained so since mid december when I did all that heavy lifting. Of course the massage seemed to cause my back to behave worse than ever: spasms that cause a wave of pins and needle to run down my arms periodically.
I am a wreck it seems!
How Zen is that?
But for all you souls out there that are on an ambitious treadmill of trying to be superhuman--let my tale me a lesson to you. You can train like an Olympic athlete and have amazing strength and endurance but then where do you go? You add more strenuous workouts of course! This crazy obsession with working my body to the max only proves that too much exercise does not make one immortal--it only drives one into the ground.

Princess Penelope Scarlett turns 4!

Pippi, yesterday on the very day she turned 4 years old. The dresses for dolly and Pip are from Auntie T and the dolly "Brianne" is from Granny. Pip had an exciting day with presents galore. She will have her party this Sunday at home.
A long road of healing is still being travelled by me. Just walking for exercise. Going for a massage today to try and help my back--I think the stitch may be from back damage I acquired after lifting furniture by myself all December and perhaps from Bikrams?
I have the system that after long periods of emotional stress, my body seems to go into a shock like state and I feel weak and nauseous for months afterword. The difficulty is even recognizing when I'm under chronic stress. I always think pushing issues to the back of my mind to deal with "later" works. It never does, I just keep myself existing in a hidden state of stress. And I don't crash until I get physically sick.
But I have learned much. Most importantly that : A calm mind listens to the body. An agitated mind drives the body.
Needless to say, I am guilty of driving my body constantly and never listening to it.
I am in the midst of big life decisions. But I feel I am on the right road to make OK decisions without falling into the ditch along the way. And I am back to meditating each night at home before bed--it is the least I can do for life balance.