A House Warming and A Farewell

This past weekend saw us have a combined house warming (for our 'new' home) and a farewell for K.

I was planning on having the house warming once we had done what we wanted around the house and garden and then I realised that it's probably inappropriate to have a house warming 10 years after you have actually moved into the house so, with that in mind, once the roof was on the deck (luckily we had it after the roof went on because it did rain during the night and we all stayed lovely and dry given the size of the roof) we tidied up around the house and garden and invited everyone over.

We saw friends we haven't seen in forever and neighbours we haven't seen since we left Wewak Ave.  It was great.  We saw photos of what has been done to our old home - good for them for making it their home.  They aren't changes I would have made but hey, it's not my house any longer.

We chatted and laughed. We drank and ate.  And ate some more.  There was so much food I landed up sending some home with people as they were leaving.  We had cake.  There was so much cake, some of that went home with people as well.  And we still have left overs at home.  Thankfully lasagna freezes so well although there is a limit to how much lasagna two people can eat !!!!

There were tears.  Tears from my baby as she said goodbye to friends - realising that she wouldn't be seeing them for a while - unless they Skype her, in which case she will see them quite regularly.  But I don't think that part of her brain was engaged.  There was sobbing about not seeing the old people and requests for them to go and visit her - I'd like to say that will happen but my folks aren't getting any younger and I'm not sure that they are up to a trip to the USA to see their grand-daughter for a few weeks but we will wait and see what happens.

I know that this is going to be a great experience for her - she will grow up and she will mature and she will come home a different person - and hopefully a better person - although given she is going to be an au pair to one child, the family she is going to be living with obviously has money - I hope she doesn't come home expecting us to keep her in the way to which she would have become accustomed !!!!!  Like white Christmases and 10 day cruises on the Caribbean - those we will not be providing on her return home.  What we will give her is lots of hugs and kisses and job applications to find a job so that she isn't financially dependent on us and wanting to lounge around watching day time TV when she could be out in the real world earning a living !!!

Photos were taken and will be downloaded and uploaded onto here for you to see at a later time.  Right now, we have to get our bedroom and WIR cleared and the bathroom gutted because I saw an e-mail yesterday morning that said "Sorry we can't make it on 28th at 7am - we'll be there on 30th at 7am" - apparently A forgot to mention that they had given him a start date for the renovations !!!!!!  So, now that it is the 30th I hope we managed to get it all done in time (given I am writing this on 29th !!!)

And, Thursday and Friday that we had taken to spend some time with K before she leaves, may actually be spent with K adding her 2c to our choice of tiles / basins / toilets / shower screens etc !!!

Have the best week !

TFTD : Knowledge is essential.  Your mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains it's original dimensions.

I Need My Sunnies

As I write, there are only 8 sleeps until my baby leaves.  7 mornings of waking up and going and looking at her sleeping because next Sunday I doubt she will be asleep when I get up - I doubt I'll get much sleep but hey, I'll have the whole day to sleep when we get home from dropping her at the airport.  She has to be there at 5.30am so we will probably have to leave home by about 4.10am.  There is a late GC Suns game on the night before so I imagine it will be close to midnight by the time we get to bed and then we will have to be up before 4am in order to get dressed, get the car packed and get going.

I know that I am thankful for my sunnies because they have already saved me some embarrassment when driving along while crying !  On my way to work the other morning, after I had heard when she was leaving, I was busy telling A and he said "Geez, it's getting close isn't it ?" and there was nothing I could say because I was already crying !!  And, I'm sure, that they will come in very handy over the next couple of weeks for the exact same reason.

I know that I am thankful for this fantastic opportunity that she has to live in another country and experience a way of life, and weather, completely different to anything she has ever experienced before.

I know that I am thankful that I will have the Learn To Run program to concentrate on which will help to take my mind off wondering what she is getting up to although I doubt there is anything that I can do that will stop me missing her.

A, later than I'd like, link up with Sarah from Creating Contentment for Thankful Thursday and Ann from Help! I'm Stuck for Thing I Know.

Have the best weekend and take care !

TFTD :  Sometimes people come into your life, not to love you, but to help you realise that you are worth loving.

My Dad Ran 160km in 18.5hrs

This weekend saw the Kokoda Challenge take place on our door step - well just about our door step.  A saw lots of participants when he went to Masters to get what he needed to finish the railing for the party on Saturday night.

While he was gone I was thinking about exercise and what I am currently doing (nothing now that I haven't been to PT for 2 weeks because of my back) and what I have signed up to do (Learn To Run with Operation Move) and what my Dad has done w.r.t. running in his life.

He has run 10 Comrades Marathons - this is not a 42.2km marathon - this is a 90km marathon that is run every year between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.  The run from Dbn -Pmb is an up run and the run from Pmb-Dbn is a down run based on the height above sea level that the two towns are.  Of the 10 races that he ran, I think it was 3 occasions he broke 7.5hrs and so won a silver medal.  The first 5 finishers get gold medals, anyone who finishes in under 7.5hrs get silver and anyone who finishes within the alloted 11hrs gets bronze.  Not only did he run this race which is not only an endurance race that puts considerable strain on your body but managed to stay mentally sane through all the races, but he also ran the 100 Miler.  Yes, 100 miles (160km) in about 18.5hrs.   This is a completely different race because it was run around an athletics track - so, for 18.5hrs, he basically ran in circles.  If nothing else, how he managed to stay on track mentally, I have no idea and I asked him about it after dinner last night but he didn't say too much.  He said that his brother was marking off the laps and would let him know when he had reached miles stones but clearly you have to be bloody strong mentally and extremely fit to be able to run for that length of time.

Now, I am not about to go out there and try to run the Comrades, nor am I going to attempt the 100 miler, but I am going to get out there and get working on my exercise so that eventually I can be running the 10km races that I ran a few years ago.  I am going to get myself healthy and fit for when I turn the Big 50 next year.   I don't want to be over-weight and unfit heading off to my 60's !!!!

Together with cutting out sugar and increasing my exercise, you would have to think that I will achieve my goal - time will tell !!!!

Linking in with Jess from Essentially Jess because it's been to long since #IBOT !!!!!

Have the best week !

TFTD : It's much easier to love yourself when you're being yourself.

Why I Blog

Firstly, I want to apologise to the lovely ladies who left comments on my last post (which was over 6 weeks ago - where does the time go to ???????????), who kept on coming back to check up on me and couldn't see their comments.  They hadn't been published because apparently there is a setting that says I need to publish them if they are over so many days since the blog post was published (need to change that quick smart !!)

Secondly, I was tagged by Lydia C Lee over at Where The Wild Things Were to write about'Why I Write' which I did change to 'Why I Blog' mainly because I don't really see myself as a writer - in fact I know that I have no imagination to write anything other than the truth !!!

Why Do I Write What I Write ?

I started blogging back in the day when blogs weren't even cool to have a blog in April 2005.  I 'met' some lovely ladies and we were, generally, all on a weight loss journey.  Then FB came along and some moved to FB, some stopped blogging and I had a break.

Then I started blogging again and, again, it was a weight loss blog.  Then it turned into a healthy living blog. Then it turned into a running blog.  Then it turned into a coping with menopause blog.  Of late it's been a very quiet blog.  I have signed up with Operation Move for their 'Learn to Run' program - not because I can't run because I used to run and run, a lot.  But I need the motivation to get running again.  For too long I have had a lot of excuses but August will see me say goodbye to my baby and I need something to take my mind off her leaving.

The MAIN reason that I write what I write is that I hope that I will be able to help others, even just one person, to know that they are not alone in whatever challenges they are facing.  I have faced weight challenges time after time - the ups and downs of losing and gaining weight.  I have faced running challenges.  I was absolutely ecstatic to read on FB that when I was running, I inspired someone else to run and she now runs marathons - that really blew my mind !  I have faced health challenges - and anyone who has been or is going through menopause - will know exactly what I am talking about - so if I can share my story and it helps someone else, my writing has accomplished what I set out to do.

How Does My Writing Differ From Others ?

Well, I definitely don't fall into the category of 'Mummy Bloggers' - and I loathe that term but don't know what else to call them.  I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than most of them.  I don't share recipes or any type of craft.  I guess this is more just a way for me to document what I have achieved - or not - depending on what stage I'm at.  I suppose there are a few of us 'oldies' (and I use that term in the nicest possible way now that I am getting up there !!!!) who really just blog about life.

What Am I Working On ?

Well, other than this particular post, nothing !!  I don't plan my blog posts.  Most times I have no idea what I am going to blog about - it's a case of, 'OK - I've got 20mins - what can I write about' - especially when I am not really focusing on anything in particular in my life.  Currently I am doing the I Quit Sugar program and feeling heaps better for it although I have had the odd slip up and haven't followed their menu plan exactly.  I have enjoyed some of the food I have tried but I haven't tried every single dish on the menu plan.  And, from August, I will be working on my exercise / running so hopefully I will get some posts out of that.

I am going to ask for a watch that will track my pace, distance etc for my birthday next week - not sure whether I will be asking too late because my birthday present may already have been bought.  Oh well, it will then be a case of driving around to work out distances.  The one challenging thing in this program is going to be the hills - where we used to live, it was flat - like absolutely no hills other than the little bridges over the canals flat - where we now live, it is hilly - like every where you turn, there's another hill.  Am I ready for that - I don't know - we'll see next month when I start !

And now, to pass this on to two other amazing bloggers - I nominate Jules from The Bumpiest Path.  I can't even remember how I 'met' Jules but she is one amazing lady who, not only looks after her own children, but fosters children and recently started to foster Baby Bella who was only 5 days old.  She is selfless in her actions and, you can see, that she would do anything for 'her' children.  They are truly blessed to have her looking after them.  I nominate Chris from Diet Coke Rocks who is in the same age category as me and blogs about her family and her sewing - she sews the most amazing quilts and blankets and pretty much anything that can be made with fabric and a sewing machine.

This is going to be a double link up post - with Sarah from Creating Contentment for Thankful Thursday and with Ann from Help ! I'm Stuck for Things I Know - basically because this post covers both !!!  I am thankful for being tagged by Lydia - it was the prod I needed to get blogging and it's what I know about why I blog !!!

Have the best weekend !!!  I have a weekend full of pulling weeks to look forward to - yay .............. not !!!

TFTD :  What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.  It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead - Nelson Mandela