Run, Cheddar Bob, Run!

Well I did it. I signed up for my first 5k run and there's no backing out of it now. I signed up for the CIBC Run for the Cure Run September 30th. I haven't really been training like I should be. I know what you're thinking...5k is nothing! You don't need to train for that. Well I do! I have never been good at running long distances so I need to build up my endurance. Plus I'll have friends running beside me so I have the motivation to keep going.

Not only is this on my bucket list, but it's for a great cause - all proceeds go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This is near and dear to my heart. Some years ago, my wonderful Grandma Ronnie developed breast cancer. Our family is one of the lucky ones because she survived and is still kicking around today. She is one of the most positive and strong people I know so I am running to support her and the many others breast cancer affects.

I am only part way to reaching my goal and if you should feel so inclined, please donate to this wonderful cause. If you would like to support my run you can click here. There is also the option to make a general donation if you wish. 

 Bras aren't the only way to save your boobs!

Relating to Relationships

Does anyone else know this little tune that we were forced to sing during choir practice in elementary school?

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold."

We had to sing this little ditty in a round to warm up our voices. I still remember it. It's burned in my brain.
I never really thought about the lyrics until I was a little older. I have to admit I completely agree with the first part of it. Of course you should make new friends! As often as you can. Meet new people, learn new things, expand your world. However, the second part of the tune...a little trickier. Maybe ranking your friends a la Olympic style isn't so great. But of course, don't take for granted those that have been in your life for years.

I have to admit, lately I have been a not so great friend. Or least felt that way. I have been completely preoccupied with a new relationship. Yes we are in the honeymoon phase and most people shrug that off but I feel guilty about it. Although I love my G-Man and spending time with him, I have had no time for the other loves of my life - my friends.

It's really hard for me to be on this side of the fence this time because for most of my life I've been the third wheel. The single friend. The one that experiences 'absent friend syndrome', not the one causing it. It's probably extra strange for my friends to not have me out and about because I am ALWAYS the party-goer. You want to do something? Name it. I'm there. It might be hard for my friends to get used to this side of me because they've never had to. A couple of buddies asked what I've been doing and why I haven't been around. Honestly, I'm busier than ever. I have been out. I have been doing things. I'm not locked away somewhere. I swear! Making room in your life for not only your friends and events, but his friends and events is hard! There is only so much you can do.

I read an article some time ago that said when you enter a new relationship you will lose 2 friends. That is the most depressing thing I have ever heard. Yes, inevitably there will be changes. There may be less days and nights spent dissecting a love interests' texts or hanging out at the beach. You won't exactly be out on the prowl with your single girl friends. But I never say no to a couple drinks with friends. Or a free drink for that matter. I'll take that. Thank you. The thought of losing a friend simply because you are no longer a single seems ridiculous.

I'd like to think that my friendships are strong enough to last a little MIA. It won't last forever. I've had to go through with it with the majority of my friends. You know they're a good friend when you pick up right where you left off. And even if you haven't seen them in a few weeks, they will be there when you need someone's shoulder to cry on or rant about something stupid he said or did. Golden friends stay golden.

I couldn't have said it better.

Oh the Humanity

There are times, more often as of lately, you read a news article, hear a radio clip or watch a video and think "What is wrong with people?" Most recently a friend of mine told me about a news headline that made us laugh reading it out loud.

"Daycare staff charged with running toddler fight club"

A toddler fight club? I cannot even imagine those cute, little 3 year olds whaling on each other, let alone what the rules would be for this fight club.

#1. You do not talk about toddler fight club.
#2. You DO NOT talk about toddler fight club.
#3. If someone cries, you still fight.
#4. No pinching. Only punching.


Most sane, rational and moral people cannot fathom this as a real thing. Sadly it is. The news article can be found here: http://www.lfpress.com/news/weird/2012/08/21/20124111.html

The Hands of our Future will never be the same.

Summer Lovin'

When most people are asked their favourite season, probably the vast majority say Summer. (Especially all my teacher friends out there.) I can't wait for 2 months of freedom and debauchery when I am finally a professional teacher. That is after all why we become teachers right? (Don't worry I'm kidding. I'm not one of those.)
Summer is when us Canadians crawl out from the darkness, blinking into the sunlight and spend 2 glorious months frolicking in the sun, splashing around in the water and shot gunning beers. Ah the simple pleasures in life.

So even though, yes I love summer, this blog is dedicated to everything I hate about this time of year.

1. Too much is happening:

I have not had a weekend to myself since the beginning of June. Every Friday and Saturday night has been booked weeks in advance for various events. So even if something cool pops up unexpectedly, the chances of me being able to attend are slim. That cool festival I wanted to go to? Sorry - I've got a shower that day. That band I've wanted to see for years? Can't - family reunion. Summer is prime time for random road trips and crazy adventures. But I can't go, I have baseball. At least most of the events are in fact fun and I have a good time. It's just slightly stressful to have so much going on. It's tough being popular. 

2.  I can't save money:

Saving that ever important dollar is hard in the summer. There is so much fun stuff happening and so much to do (*see above) and it all costs money. I thought happiness was free? Well not in this case.

3. Bathing suits:

Yes, I'm pretty sure everyone has this fear at this time of year. In the Spring the gym is busier and people are getting their bikini bodies ready for the beach. Well, Summer is also the time of year when beer has never tasted better. Especially my new love of Somersby. Have you heard of it? It's so delicious and full of sugar apparently. YUM!

But beer is not your friend during bathing suit season. You can be like me and drink as much beer as you want and avoid the beach at all costs. It's really the only solution.

4. It's hot out there:

Yep, it's summer. Yep, it's hot. I'm not complaining about the heat (how cliche would that be?). I do hate what the heat does to me though. I am a very sweaty person. Two minutes outside in humid weather and I am dripping in places I didn't even know had sweat glands. Wearing makeup is useless. There's no point in making my hair look all pretty. It's going to be in a ponytail in a few hours. Needless to say, I am very attractive in the summer.

5. The beach:

You are sitting in the hot boiling sun (*see #4). You are forced to wear minimal clothing (*see #3). There is sand everywhere. It gets in everything. Stuck to you, in your pockets, in your bag and somehow in other very strange places. Sand is the devil's handywork.

6.  Work:

The pace slows down at the workplace. I get distracted easily (this blog was in fact written during work hours). I have to work very hard to look busy.

Also, our hours change and we have to start earlier! Sure we get finished earlier too but it is surprisingly hard to get up and going for a 30 min change in time. Plus, I don't holidays yet and work really gets in the way of all the fun things I have planned.


So there it is. My grinch/scrooge take on Summer. Love it or hate it.

Sing a Song of Love

I'm at that particular age where my weekends are consumed with weddings, bachelorette parties, showers, stag and does, etc. Lately my life seems to have been consumed with celebrating the lives and loves of friends and family. Which is so exciting. Yes, my schedule for the summer is already pretty much booked up, but I am so happy to be a part of these special days in any way. Celebrating the good fortune of the loved ones in my lives is something I look forward to. (Except, as stated in a previous post, long-drawn out showers where I am obligated to seem excited about heart shaped dishes). I've never been good at faking it. I'm glad you like it and will use it...but it's not clap-worthy.

I'm not sure when it happened but I've become a little more emotional as the years progress. I find myself getting weepy at sentimental speeches or getting teary eyed at romantic or sad commercials. The tin girl seems to have grown a heart somewhere along the way.

This past weekend I was able to celebrate a great friend's wedding and have to admit, some tears were shed. I know what you're thinking - what happened to you Cheddar? I can't relate to some mushy girl. Yuck. But wait! Before you go, please note that heavy drinking and dancing still happened and I kept the tears to a minimum and hid it as much as possible. Better? Thanks for sticking it out.

The sentimental stuff has to be said. It has to be acknowledged that you are happy your friend has found happiness and love and that they deserve it. In fact I was so overwhelmed with joy I sang a little song. I thought I'd share it with you.

The intro got cut out of the video so I'll say it here:
"For those of you that don't know me, I have a little hidden talent and love of singing. I usually try to keep this to the car or in the shower. But Mego was there the first time I performed at karaoke and have since performed a favourite song of mine over and over. So I thought it appropriate to share a little diddy on her special day..."

Maybe next time I'll choose a shorter song.

The who, what, where, when and why of it all

I've been asked quite a few times why I blog. Honestly, I'm not sure there's an easy answer to that question.

I'm not doing it for money (I wish!).
I don't have a specific niche like a fitness blog or healthy recipes or even educational ideas.
I definitely don't have deluded dreams of becoming a professional writer. I know I'm not a gifted writer. Many bloggers are. Just not me.
It is simply a personal blog. A little glimpse into my life. I truly don't think the story of my life is so much better than anyone else. Trust me, my life is probably boring in comparison to most people.

It started because when Menace and I moved to Taiwan to teach, it was how we kept our friends and family updated about what we were doing and that we were in fact, still alive. But when I came back home and went to teacher's college, I realized how much I missed it. Which is why I started this one. There's something therapeutic about jotting down some words and sending it out into cyberspace. 

I've always enjoyed writing as an outlet and when I was growing up kept a journal/diary. What girl didn't? I still have those old diaries and sometimes when I'm looking for a good laugh or have an overcoming feeling of nostalgia, I like to look back and read those stories that seem so meaningless now. I'm pretty sure in elementary school I had a crush on everyone and reading Judy Blume books caused me to overthink everything.Things like why weren't my boobs growing faster (I still wonder when they'll come in fully), and when would I have my first kiss.

I even have a book of things I would write. Things like poems and (when I thought I would be a singer when I grew up) songs. I keep it hidden and tucked away. I never shared these with anyone. It was embarrassing to me - as a very shy little girl - to have people read something I thought so personal. But I've kept it up over the years. I still won't let anyone read it. Stay out of my room please.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has a voice and something to say. I guess the reason I blog is I like to think that some little anecdote I've shared makes someone out there smile or nod and say "I know exactly what you mean!" It makes us all feel a little less alone. A little less weird. Although I still get extremely embarrassed and shy when friends of mine come up to me and say they love reading my blog. It is so surprising sometimes at who is reading my little blog. Although, it's good to know there are people out there actually reading it and enjoying it.So thanks and read on my friends!

Does this make me a bad person?

We've all had those moments. When we wonder if we are the good people our parents raised us to be. To  treat others how they would like to be treated or if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all, etc. Although I really do try to be nice to everyone, there are certain instances when I have myself wondering..."Am I a bad person when...?"

1. I avoid eye contact with homeless people. I don't work in a big city where I'm accosted everyday by a homeless person but when I am approached, I try to avoid eye contact and walk away as quickly as possible. Don't get me wrong, I have and will give some change if I can. You can't ignore them all the time. But yesterday, when I was driving home from work and that cardboard sign flashed me at a busy intersection I rolled up my window up and suddenly paid attention to nothing in particular on my radio. I really didn't have change either but even if I did, the chances of me doling it out would be slim to none. The advance only stays green for so long!

2. I don't like showers. No, not the cleansing kind. I take those daily. But bridal and baby showers to me are just so painful. I LOVE celebrating the happy occasions in my friends and families lives, and I really do wish I was loaded and could give them extremely extravagant gifts. But, showers just feel so obligatory and forced. You can only sit through so much toilet paper bride. It's extremely difficult to 'ooh and aah' over a set of mixing bowls. If it were a group of guys doing a shower you know it would turn into a drinking fest - which I would support, except at the baby shower. Inappropriate.

3. I laugh when other people fall down or hurt themselves. I think we've all had that moment when we burst out laughing at someone else's pain. I mean how can you not find it hilarious when a baseball hits someone square in the ass while they're running to third base? Sure, that's gonna leave a mean bruise and they are probably in pain. Our first reaction is often to burst into hysterics. It's human nature to try to laugh off something that is obviously painful to try and trick ourselves and others that it doesn't hurt. Otherwise I don't think America's Funniest Home Videos would have been so popular.

4. I find some children intolerable. We say that all children are beautiful in their own ways and that they say the darndest things. Which is true. I love kids, their energy and their innocence. But if that Nanny show on TLC has taught us anything, it's that some children are just little assholes. Unnecessary temper tantrums and spoiled to the bone. I have absolutely no patience for this and can't believe what their parents will let them get away with. I would have gotten a swift kick in the ass (with steel toe boots) if I acted in that way.

5. I hang up the phone on people. Telemarketers and other annoying people are always calling our house and even my cell phone. I will often just hang up the phone on them in mid sentence. I have tried in the past to make up excuses and explain to them why I couldn't chat, but to no avail. So I often resort to just hanging up. I feel bad about it though. I know these are people just doing their job and trying to make money but they are wasting my time and their breath.

You may have read this list and think to yourself...what a monster. But I assure you, there are other qualities about me that aren't so questionable.

• If we share an appetizer or some food, I will always let you have the last one. (As long as I'm full and it's not fried pickles. Otherwise, every man for themselves.)
• I will let you sneak in front of me when traffic is slow and heavy. Unless of course you are that jerk that tried to speed up ahead of everyone in the lane that is shut down. Then you deserve to wait.
•  I will always tell you if you have something stuck in your teeth or weird stuff on your face. No one should be punished like that.

 

I tried lipstick once. I don't recommend it.