Set Back - Moving Forward!!

Clearly we have a set back!  WTH?

Person to be sponsored lives outside of Canada

Type of application	Step 1 Assessment of Sponsor	Step 2 Assessment of Person Being Sponsored (applicant) (The Call Centre does not have processing times for step 2)
Spouse, common‑law partner or dependent child	55 days (working on applications received on January 3, 2012)	View by country Status available online

You know what....my husband will be here very shortly and I am not even going to entertain any frustration right now. NO I'M NOT!

I've been keeping myself busy pretty much all week to make the time go faster, and I think it has. Movies with a friend one night (The Vow), Bingo with Mom tonight (We didn't win) and dinner with another friend tomorrow.
Then, ONE MORE SLEEP!!
So, Canadian Immigration, you are not gonna get to me!
When Furman gets here I will be too busy to worry about how long you are taking with our application.  (OK, who am I fooling? You know i'll still be on top of it)

I'm excited to get to bed so that I can get to tomorrow.

Had a great evening with mom at Bingo tonight. Almost didn't go because I had been feeling kind of blah for much of the day. Yes, in the midst of my excitement about Furman almost being here I did allow other non important things to get to me.  Sometimes I think people do certain things intentionally to get under my skin.  lol  When that happens, I often find comfort listening to messages from Joyce Meyers or any kind of gospel music. Fred Hammond is a favorite. I'll make sure to listen to him on the way to work tomorrow.  Fred Hammond - All Thing Are Working  And, Furman was a great help in encouraging me to go have fun with mom and i'm glad I did. She is always a breath of fresh air. Growing up I missed soooo much time with her (That's another story) that I always feel like we have to make up for time lost. I love her soooo much.

Took a new photo of my favorite lady today!!  Had to share.

MY FAVORITE LADY!!

MOM

God Bless Her Always

Anyways, as I said, i'm heading to bed so Friday can hurry up and get here!!

I just want to Thank God for answering my prayers. I'm very grateful for all He has done for me. I still have a few prayers outstanding though...lol  But, I know He is working on them, working on me.  I'm very blessed that Furman loves me just the way I am.

Tomorrow is another day!

OMG! 

What number are we at?

      Yes, I am counting down the arrival of my husband like a kid counting down their departure to Disney! I'm excited to have him around while we wait for Immigration to give us the seal of approval. So yes...i'm counting!! I'm counting this, i'm counting that....life just seems so much better when you have different things to look forward to.
   Actually, as I write it's about 98 hours still left to go!  But who's counting? lol I AM!!

While I had a pretty relaxing weekend, watching The First 48, going to church and doing a bit of decluttering while my daughter was home sick with the Flu, my husband was in Miami running the Super Spartan! He sure did! 8 miles with 30 obstacles.  All I know is that after seeing his video, i'm a little concerned about my own ability to complete the Spartan Sprint in June. Now that's only about 3 miles with 15 obstacles.
Oh boy...what have I gotten myself into?

Furman doing the Super Spartan Race Miami Feb. 25, 2012

After I finish running the Toronto Yonge St 10K in April, I definitely need to start working on my upper body strength. I'm sure Furman will help me with that though. And, it's nice knowing that he'll be around to help nurse me back to health after i'm all beat up. I will not be backing out!! Nope...I am NOT a quitter!! I wanna make my husband proud. I'm sure my kids will be proud too although they think i'm nuts. I don't mind getting down and dirty like he did in this photo. But why am I doing this you might wonder. Well, I have no clue..lol I guess it's basically to challenge myself, which he inspires me to do, and have some bragging rights. Why not? I'm more active now than I was 10-20 yrs ago. Go figure.  When it's all done, i'll have bruises with a story probably for each one and some bling that might look a little similar to the bling he just got.
  Just think, my active life all started with the decision to do the CN Tower Climb on October 22, 2009 with my friend Catie from work! Took me about 36 minutes. 2009!! I wont even tell you what Catie did it in but she left me in the dust and she's got some years on me in terms of age.  So proud of her. She is pretty inspiring too! We challenged ourselves by climbing the 1776 stairs just so that we could say we did it. It was a bucklet list thing!!  lol Then, together we decided to do our first 5K race (The Toronto Women's 5K) on May 30th, 2010 and Furman made sure he was there for that, by surprising me. He's such a romantic. We did it! Damn, I had to....Furman was there to watch...lol    And i'll let you know that running definitely wasn't on my bucketlist. But, since we didn't get any bling for our first race...the rest is history. I had to do another, then another...and now look where I'm headed. My Athlete's Dashboard
I even went back to where I started and did the CN Tower Climb again to try and beat my time and I did. Running the 5K's helped me shave about 7 minutes off my first climb time...here comes the bragging.....29 minutes baby!!! Felt awesome!! Being active has done wonders for my asthma. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that did I? Yeah, i've been an asthmatic for about 7 yrs so on the first CN Tower Climb I  went up there with my puffer. When I hit floor 67 I thought I was gonna croak. lol But when I looked around me and realized there was only two ways out which was up or back down, I kept going. I sure did. And, when you see older people passing you and people looking like they are more out of shape than you are, you get yourself moving pretty quick. I had that shake your head "Hell Naw" moment that helped me finish both times. Now, If it's up to Furman, i'll be running a half marathon by next year if not sooner. (Stay tuned) lol I can't even imagine, but I will never say never. My husband has faith in me and that makes me feel awesome. I just have to learn to have faith in myself.  Till that time comes.....

Dear Lord, I hope I don't break anything.

I'm so proud of my husband. He's my hero!

  He's my SPARTAN!!


He will be here after 4 more sleeps. In the meantime, i'll keep running!

Today I started Day 1/Week 5 of Personal Running Trainer.  My friend James via text message said that i'm an inspiration. I started laughing. Wondering who i'm an inspiration to, because I can't seem to get anyone to get active with me. Then he said I inspired him. That was nice. I had a feel good moment. God is good. If I can do something for someone else while trying to do for myself...then i'm happy and know God is too.

What number am I at? Yeah yeah yeah....I didn't forget...4 More Days to Go!!

Last Weekend Alone.....

I thought i'd post today to mark my last weekend alone.
On this day next week my husband will be here!! Yay!!!! It's gonna come quick, I can feel it.

So, what do I do this weekend?  Party? Here's my jam!!

Ok...so those that know me can stop laughing now. I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a party. It might have been Valentine's 2010 when my husband came to surprise me actually. Not sure I went out after that. Guess that happens when you don't have the same friends you used to have to drag you out....lol  It's all good though. I can still PARTY at home. It just wont be wild. I won't get intoxicated but I might get sweaty from dancing. LMFAO (get it?)  I'll dance around the house with my broom or something and Party Rock as I organize!!! 

How can you not move when you listen to this tune? lol  

Awe, to be young again!!! Just gotta get up off the couch.

Speaking of the couch....In reality, my weekend will probably be spent on it watching The First 48 marathon of shows I have taped.  It's supposed to snow all weekend so I don't think I'll be heading out until its time for church on Sunday. Mind you, I still have my wedding dress hanging in the same spot it was when Furman left in October. I've been meaning to take it to a store to get packaged and preserved but haven't gotten around to it yet. Snow on Saturday is certainly not going to help my case. I'm sure Furman will say something about my dress not having moved. But hey, when he is here WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!!!!  

Did I mention i'm excited my husband is coming?  lol  I think this might be the longest we have gone without seeing each other.  Last saw him end of November.  I'm tired of waiting.  lol

I really do have to find time this weekend to make that space I said I was going to. Husband-Proofing

After all, it's my last weekend alone.  At the same time, I know that I wont have to worry about doing too much because when he is here WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!!  lol

Till then, I will keep waiting for my Sweetheart......

"You can kill a lot of time if you really wanna put your mind to it.."

Last Weekend Alone!  (Keep in mind that when I say alone I mean no disrespect to my daughter...lol, but i'm sure everyone knows what I mean)

Love You Furman.....I'm here "Waiting For You"

Making Progress

Person to be sponsored lives outside of Canada

Type of application	Step 1 Assessment of Sponsor	Step 2 Assessment of Person Being Sponsored (applicant) (The Call Centre does not have processing times for step 2)
Spouse, common‑law partner or dependent child	48 days (working on applications received on January 3, 2012)	View by country Status available online

Now, don't get me wrong...it's nothing to jump around and dance about YET! But, it certainly puts a big smile on my face for the weekend and gets my brain wheels in motion. Trying to do some math here.  They update this weekly on Thursday's from what I see.  At this rate, I can expect that they will get to our application and we should receive a Client ID by the end of March.  Now that's based on my own math which is something I was never really good at anyways. lol  But hey, last update was 53 days as they were working on applications received December 22nd. I didn't think there would be much over the Christmas Holidays so I'm not overly surprised at the speed that this is moving. (Check out my CountUp on the right side of my blog) But like James Brown sang..."I Feel Good Now" nah nah nah nah

  

I might have to try to learn some of these moves so that I can do the dance when this all comes through...lol 

Till then......

UPDATE ON PREVIOUS BLOG:

Mourning the Loss of Baby Turtle

I contacted the pet store by phone to tell them about my daughters turtle. They indicated that I can bring the dead turtle in and they will replace it at no extra cost.  So, we went into the pet store last night but they said they wont have any more turtles available till Friday. (Left the dead turtle with them anyways) Looks like my daughter will be getting a replacement after all. And, in telling the store clerk about her turtle set up it was confirmed that my daughter certainly knew what she was doing and actually did better than the standard customer.  The clerk was impressed that she had a UV light for the turtle. Good ole Google...gotta love it.  My daughter did me proud - That's MY babygirl!!

In Other News..lol...... 7 More Days!!!

Mourning the Loss of Baby Turtle

Today is a sad day!
My daughter unexpectedly lost something that she was so excited to have...her baby turtle. It died, and we have no idea why. She only just got him 5 days ago.

 Not yet named.

I have no clue where she even got the idea that she wanted to have a turtle. She wants me to have a baby sister or brother for her so I guess this is her substitution. But, she wanted one and didn't need my help to get him. I mean this girl was serious!!  She was doing her Google research and visiting pet stores. I couldn't understand this all of a sudden urge and figured it would pass. Well, she showed me!! One day after church she convinced me to take her to a nearby petstore to have a look. However, they didn't sell turtles although they gave her information on another pet shop nearby. She had a backup plan though. Because she read that she could probably even order a turtle online but she needed a credit card. So, I gave her permission to load an unused prepaid credit card that I had in case she was going to explore that option. She didn't need to. She decided last Friday to check out the other recommended pet store only to find that they had turtles. Oh boy was she excited!!

Oh but wait...I gotta mention how she prepared for this turtle before telling you about her getting one.

In the midst of her research and checking out pet stores, she made a stop at the thrift shop - good old Value Village. They had a 10 gallon aquarium for $15 and she called me right away. This, was actually when I realized that this girl was really serious. She stopped at another thrift shop to see if they had any aquariums too then went back to get the one at Value Village. Without me, you know what she did?....lol  She borrowed the shopping cart to transport the aquarium home since she obviously couldn't carry it.  Had me cracking up when I found out. Sure did!  God Bless her....gotta love her determination. Takes after her momma if I must say so myself. It was funny when she was telling me about the looks that people were giving her as she strolled through the streets to get home pushing the cart with the aquarium. Needless to say, I now have a shopping cart in my garage that she needs to take back when the sidewalks are clear of snow again. She made other stops on other days too though. She made sure she picked up turtle food and water conditioner and some kind of gel stuff to condition the turtle's shell, a thermometer, something that looked like a little island for the turtle's basking and special lights. I mean, she was hooking it up! She forgot a few things though and I hope that those things didn't contribute to the turtle's ultimate demise. The aquarium fit lights weren't working so she was substituting with lamps and she didn't get a chance to pick up her plants. And, I think she was basing the turtle research she did on adult turtles and not baby turtles. But, what do I know? It's important to keep in mind too though that when she went to the pet store she bought the turtle from, that it was only supposed to be to check it out. But, in her excitement she brought him home. Little unnamed turtle about the size of a quarter.



I don't know what happened. All I know, is that it wasn't me! She left me to babysit the turtle on the weekend but when she came home Monday night that turtle was alive!!! It sure was!! Today, is another day and it must have passed in the middle of the night or early morning. Again, I really don't know. I'm still scratching my head on this one. I'll have to play Sherlock Holmes when I get home tonight. I hope its playing tricks on her!!
She's been texting me since early morning with her distress over the loss of her turtle and I feel so bad. She said she is 100% positive that he is dead because he hasn't moved an inch. I mean turtles really don't do much anyways so you can imagine my questioning how sure she was. But, she's sure. So now what?

I will say....that I am soo proud of her because of the initiative she took and everything she did to get her turtle. Clearly, there needs to be a bit more research. Then again, maybe she got a lemon? lol So, when I get home tonight, i'll have to find a way to cheer her up. Maybe take her to a movie. Good thing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been out of the box office for years. lol I'll be a bit more involved now to help her figure out what went wrong and what needs to be done differently. Then, when she thinks she got it right, i'll pay for a new turtle for her to try again. In the meantime, how do you dispose of a dead turtle? The ground is still kind of too frozen for a small burial. What about the compost? Guess we'll have to Google that too.

Furman, you are coming home to a teenager!! Be ready!
Parenting is no joke!!  lol

FAMILY Day!

Well today is FAMILY Day! Or as the American's know it, President's Day.



In 2008 our government decided to give us all an additional holiday because they realized that there was no holiday between New Years and Easter. So our gift is called FAMILY Day. Some of us get it, some of us don't. Judging by the very light commute to work this morning, it seems that most definitely get it. I think some employers didn't get the memo.          About Family Day - Wikipedia

Who better to spend your Family Day with than your Office Family?
Forget hanging out with your kids at home who get the day off of school by the way. Nope...those with smaller kids who have to work have to make daycare arrangements and possibly travel arrangements because if they take transit there are additional issues. It's a holiday, so transit is on holiday schedules which doesn't help those that need to be at work early. Oh....but you get to spend the day with your Office Family, doing what you do day in and day out...work. What's better than that? After all, we just had a weekend off!! Have you ever thought about the number of hours you actually spend with your co-workers? Definitely more than you do with your immediate and/or extended family. So, why not call them Family? In many instances, they act just like family too.

Think about it this way:
Just like your extended family, there are often co-workers you can't stand and those you absolutely love. Some talk about you behind your back and some are great at keeping secrets.  There are those nosy parkers that want to be in everybody's business and there are those that really want to keep to themselves away from the possibility of any drama. They just want to do their work and go home. And, just like that crazy uncle or crazy aunt that many families have...the office has one or a few of those too. Oh, and don't forget the one's that are always trying to be the boss or are always kissing the bosses ass. But, for the most part, many are pretty good at coming together for special occasions. Ie. Birthday's, Retirement, Showers, etc....or just the standard office meeting. You get to see those not in your immediate work group till the next occasion just like the occasional family get together that families have. Oh Oh Oh, let's not forget that just like your home family, your office family loves to eat too!! They sure do. So office families are like your family in many ways. Difference is, you are stuck with them every day unless you move to another office family. Yup, that's a difference with real family, you can't get rid of them completely no matter how hard you try. You are connected by blood if not anything else.  They will always be your family whether you like them or not. You didn't pick them. But, an office family, you've chosen in a way by choosing that job. And, as long as you want to get paid and be happy at work, you get to like them, or not. lol Some of them, you even like outside of the office....they've become real friends and often help make that day at work more enjoyable.

So, it's Family Day and I'm at work. But, i'm not complaining because i'm still with Family, of a sort. Now, if my husband was here at home while I'm at work...then we'd have a problem! I'd be all grumpy and stuff because I can't hang out with him unless I took a day off.  lol  I know, I know....I'm a Newlywed. I've already heard grumblings from other co-workers about how at home with their spouse and/or kids is the last place they want to be.  LMAO  I don't want to ever feel like that.

For those who get to enjoy Family Day off. I hope that you are doing just that and having a FAMILY day. Take that opportunity to enjoy your loved ones and maybe take part in one or a few of the many Family Day activities happening around town. After all, like I pointed out, we spend a whole lot of time at work. We really do!!  On that note....I'll get back to mine. I am very blessed to have worked with the same company for so many years and with some really and truly great people. So whether I get the day off or not, "I won't complain".

Whitney said it for me......

After spending 6 hours today watching the Going Home Celebration for Whitney Houston on CNN I took some time to reflect. A few songs sung at the service really touched my soul. Ie. "Stand" by Donnie McClurkin and "I Look To You" originally sung by Whitney Houston but sang at the service by R.Kelly.  She has a great library of songs but the one I have posted is one of the songs that has touched me the most because of it's meaning. It came at a time when Whitney felt she had survived her darkest hours and I know how that feels because I have survived my own. A dirty little secret (not drugs) that I haven't shared with many......but a part of my life that has made me stronger because I got through it. "I was not built to break" 

Life is great now. God has blessed me richly.  I LOVE YOU FURMAN.

"I Didn't Know My Own Strength!"

But, I still have what is like an Achilles Heel that just takes me back to a painful place sometimes. I think Whitney had hers too. I know that God is good and I try not to forget.(Psalm 40:1-3) I surround myself with those that lift me up and love me because they see my spirit and who I am. While they may not know all that I have been through, they know that I'm a survivor and that I'm a better person because of my trials. I'm sure that Whitney was too. Often enough, a smile remained so that others would not know I was going through anything. Almost like Whitney on stage. I felt like too many expected me to fail and I couldn't let that happen. In Whitney's case, too many expected her to be perfect, but she wasn't. So while the media and others dog Whitney out for her drug addictions, etc...nobody really has a clue how she punished herself for her own failures. But, i'm sure she did. I did. I have media too, and those are some of the people that I have the most love for but who are just who they are. They sit and wait for the next big story, or for the opportunity to dog me to others but not to me directly. Gee....sounds a bit like Whitney. Yet many were on hand to see her Going Home. It was awesome how the song "Don't Cry For Me" sang by CeCe Winans fit in.

"And I crashed down and I tumbled, but I did not crumble"

While I have many pains that I have conquered, I have pains that I still have not. I think that was Whitney's problem too. One of my biggest hurts is the rejection by my two younger sisters because I am not perfect and by the father that wont even take the time to get to know me, his only child. Of all that I have been through in life, those are the pains that I still struggle to deal with because they are caused by people I have the most love for. I love my sisters more than they could ever imagine. But, my imperfections keep us apart. They are the drugs in my life. Take them and you hurt, take too much and you hurt more. I guess this was how Whitney may have felt about Bobby. So, for the last several years I've been saying No to drugs. "I Look To You" With about 15 yrs difference in our ages, I believe that my sisters just haven't learned to appreciate life's lessons that people go through that make them who they are. Instead, they judge me for the few mistakes they know I've made (good thing they don't know them all) instead of loving me for the person those mistakes have molded me into. We didn't grow up together, so they really don't know me at all. And while one has apologized for the reprehensible things she has said to me and to others about me, knowing that she meant those things and just apologizes for saying them is where my heart aches sometimes.  

"I picked myself back up, I hold my head up high"

So....I give it to God.

I am so full of Love right now that the other pains don't hurt like they used to. Don't get me wrong, they are still there. God will take care of that in his own time. In the meantime, I have found "The Greatest Love Of All". I do love myself! God has blessed me with awesome children and a wonderful husband because HE loves me. I am loved UNCONDITIONALLY!! Others, I love from a distance.  In time, I know God will work the rest out.

"When You Believe"

R.I.P Whitney Houston. Thank you for sharing your wonderful voice with the world. Thank you to your family for taking the world to church today.   Romans 8:28-31 ".....Because if God is for us, who can be against us?"

Why Thank You Canada Post!!!

I wasn't expecting to blog today but after receiving the phone call that I just did...I had to tell ya!!

Canada Post called.    Yup.

How long has it been since I posted on my blog that I opened a ticket to investigate my package not being delivered? Hmmm...That post was on Feb 2nd in which they told me that I would hear from someone within 2-5 days. LOL  And today is? Gheez Louise.  The lady called me (her name wasn't Louise by the way) to tell me that my package was delivered on January 31st.  Well gee!! It was Feb 3rd when Canada Post all of a sudden updated their website with my delivery confirmation. It took my phonecall on Feb 2nd for them to do it but they got it done.  Oh, and remember, their update didn't include the time of delivery. Naturally because it wasn't scanned as delivered at the time, but someone obviously just responded to the request and said "Oh ya, I delivered that one".  So this lady tells me my package was delivered on January 31st, in case I didn't know already. All I could say to her was "Yeah, ok.  If you say so". I know I sounded rude....but I was disturbed by the fact that it took them more than what they promised to get back to me, and that they didn't seem to be calling me with an explanation but just an answer to my inquiry. This...is the service I paid for. I could have saved a whole $8.00 at least by just sticking a stupid stamp on it.

Why Thank You Canada Post!!!

Anyways....TGIF!  Monday is Family Day....a holiday that I DON'T GET. So like Canada Post who also doesn't get it, I will be working. But, Canada Post definitely needs to be there with all the money they've been losing as a result of people not mailing stuff like they used to. Well maybe if they were more reliable!!  lol Who am I fooling....I'll send an email over a letter any day.

   Thought this was cute (Hope they weren't using Canada Post)

Enjoy and Have an awesome weekend.

14 Days!

It's been two weeks....

.... so I decided that I would go on the Canadian Immigration Website and check to see if there was a status update and where they're at with processing times.  I'm not even going to lie...you know I've been on the website a few times within the last two weeks. lol  I mean, you never know!! Right?  Anyways, while there is no status update YET, I have noticed that as of February 15th the processing times for Step 1 - Assessment of the Sponsor has been changed to 53 days. (It was 54 last time I peeked. After all, it's only been 2 wks) They are working on applications received December 22nd, 2011.

Person to be sponsored lives outside of Canada

Type of application	Step 1 Assessment of Sponsor	Step 2 Assessment of Person Being Sponsored (applicant) (The Call Centre does not have processing times for step 2)
Spouse, common‑law partner or dependent child	53 days (working on applications received on December 22, 2011)	View by country Status available online

This is good. I mean how many applications would they get over the Christmas and New Year's Holiday? So, this could be moving along a bit quick, I think.  I know...I know....PATIENCE!! My friend that is a few steps ahead of us didn't get his Immigration Letter providing his Client ID till last month sometime and his application was sent in October.

In the meantime, I'm continuing with my training while awaiting the arrival of my husband for an extended visit. Woo Hoo!!  15 More Days.

TRAINING - I don't think I mentioned anything about that in a previous post. But, I have been training to run the Toronto Yonge St 10K in April.  Yup...i'm running for fun...lol  Why? Well, I started running about a year ago and after running my first 5K for which I didn't get a medal for (but my hubby surprised me with a visit to support me), I decided I wanted to run another to get some bling.  I think all 5K runs should give out medals.  After I got some bling on my second 5K, I wanted bling from a different 5K, different route.  A RUNNER WAS BORN!!  hahahaha  Running 5K's in addition to climbing the CN Tower stairs...yes, that's 1776 stairs or should I say like 144 or so flights of stairs...for fun mind you. I wasn't this active when I was younger. Go figure! My husband is a runner so you know where all the encouragement comes from. When I started, I was running with my friend Catie from work. But, she works at a different office and lives in a different city. So really and truly, I was doing it alone like I am today....but not for long. He'll run with me.
I dragged my daughter with me once to do a 5K....that was nice. She did no training, figured she'd run on youth and when I was ahead of her....she was letting me go...lol Think she bit off more than she could chew. She didn't realize how hard it was until we turned the bend and she saw how much farther she still had left to get to the finish. It was sooo funny. But, we did it together which is a great memory. (Hubby was there for this also, but he didn't run with us, he ran the Half Marathon instead with his crazy ass!..lol)
I've also had the opportunity to run a 5K race with my husband....at that time he was my fiancee. We signed up to run a 5K race I had already done to support and be there with my cousin Michelle who was supposed to be running her first race. But, things happened and she cancelled leaving us to run the race alone. It was great...crossing the finish line together....it was the same day he proposed to me!! So naturally, a race I will never forget.
I did run a 10K race with a colleague from work in March 2011, training alone but he ran the race with me and made it seem a bit easy at the time. He is also a bit of a runner so he helped keep pace, encouraging me and keeping conversation so the running wasn't too much on my mind as I was doing it. I chose to attempt the 10K because I felt that I had conquered the 5K and wanted to push myself more, but nothing after that.

Preparing to get married, I started dieting and maybe a little treadmill work, but not like I was when I was preparing for a race. I was trying to get into perfect form for my wedding dress, which I did. Following my wedding, I still didn't get back into running. Laziness kicked in big time. So, I did what I needed to do to get myself motivated....I registered for a 10K race, but not just one, two of them. The Toronto Yonge St 10K and the Oasis Zoo run in September.  Oh boy! Oh, but not after registering for something called the Spartan Sprint. This will be one for the History Books!!

God help me!

The registration for the 10K in April is supposed to be like a warm up for me for the Spartan that's in June. I know I need to start working my upper body because the Spartan is an Obstacle Course Race that I know is going to be hella hard. Not quite sure what I have gotten myself into but Furman will be doing it with me.  (Might need him to kiss my boo boo's...lol)  I'm going to be bruised like there is no tomorrow because I already bruise easy. All in good fun...yeah, ok. I'll have a story for each bruise i'm sure and I know my hubby will be there to nurse me back to health.

So yeah, I've been using my iPhone App called Personal Running Trainer in which I am doing the 8wk to 10K program that has me running 4 times a week gradually helping me with speed and endurance.  it helps that there is a small gym in my office building so I have been hitting the gym at work before my shift. I know that when Furman gets here....he's going to register me for "Furman's Bootcamp!" That, I have no doubt.  lol  He will make sure i'm at least close to ready for the Spartan Sprint with his Military Training.

All this, will keep us occupied as we wait for word from Canadian Immigration. Was hoping to get a letter or something from them before he comes, but it looks like that's not how it's going to work. I'll keep checking though....for something.   Stay tuned!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

It's Valentine's Day today and while I was missing my sweetheart I anxiously awaited the delivery of something special I had sent to him. An Edible Arrangement!!  

Am I good, or am I good?

It's hard to do little nice things for guys. In general I don't think guys really care either way, although I could be wrong, but I still like to treat people the way I like to be treated....so I do, what I do. lol Even though I will be seeing him in just 17 days, today is Valentine's Day and I want him to know that he is thought of and that I love him more than money can buy.  (But hey, strawberries are good for ya...and a little chocolate and nuts don't hurt either!..lol)

Now don't get me wrong, I know he knows that I think of him EVERY day but while guys may try to say how every day is Valentine's Day....it's really not.  lol  Yeah Yeah....I've heard all the fuss about how Valentine's is such a commercial holiday, a money grabber for stores, etc. But, I don't see anything wrong with celebrating Valentine's personally, because every day is Not Valentine's. I don't need a big hoopla or gift for Furman to prove his love to me. Trust me, I know Furman loves me more than anyone ever has. I think it's when you never have a Valentine that you really don't care to celebrate Valentine's because it's a dreadful reminder that you don't have that special love. Valentine's Day can feel like either Heaven or Hell depending on your social status. For me, it's been a lot of Hell. I hated seeing flowers delivered for others so in love, and hearing of special dinner plans, etc...because I didn't have squat!! On the other hand, when you do have someone you love more than words can say....it makes Valentine's Day just that much more special.   At least it does to me, so I want to do something if I am able. Why not? I can celebrate now...I have my long lost love, a love that was sooo worth waiting for. I'm a simple person, always have been. Never had much so a little goes a long way. Whether I get or not, it makes me feel good to give to someone I love and that doesn't always have to be a gift.  Furman is my Valentine's gift, my Easter gift, my Christmas gift, and definitely my Birthday Gift.  Every birthday from now on will be a happy birthday. Good planning on my part to marry the day before.  :)  But back to Valentines.....

This morning, Furman posted these on my Facebook Wall.

The fact that he took the time out to do that is what means the world to me.  I don't need the chocolates or roses, etc, although they don't hurt...lol  But these simple posts made me feel warm and fuzzy!!That's all  I want....and he does a great job of it from a distance.

Do know that i'm not going to use Valentine's Day as a way to gauge my personal worth or the commitment of my partner. After all, it IS just another day. And I will not forget that there is nothing better than a spontaneous love gift compared to the obligatory offering sometimes made on Valentine's Day that is often forced and pre-packaged.  I don't want Valentine's Day to ever feel like an obligation for either of us. So I hope that Furman doesn't feel obligated because I do know that he loves me. He has shown me in many many ways, time and time again and I owe him an apology if I have ever made him feel that way.  Certainly was not my intention. But after not having this kind of love for sooo many years....I kinda do want to celebrate. Every day, Valentine's Day, I don't even care...let's do it all!!!. I can't wait till Furman is here!!!

So, I did my workout this morning and got the website ready to track the delivery of my special item. I wouldn't have been able to sit by the computer to track it all day because I had an off site meeting in the afternoon for a few hours. Guess it didn't matter because I knew Furman would be able to text me with his reaction to my treat. lol  I love surprises!! And he did....before I left the office for my meeting he sent me a text to let me know that he got my gift.  I FELT SOO GOOD!! Just wish I was there to see his smile. He sent me a photo and it looked just like it was supposed to, minus the one he already ate by the time he took the photo.  LOL

 (He loved them!)

CHECK THIS OUT....Furman ended up telling me that he had also planned to surprise me with a Valentine's gift when he realized my day at work was done. There was no delivery when I got back to the office after my meeting so he was very upset that something he planned didn't work out. The funny thing is....that he said it was also an Edible Arrangement. I am cracking up!! Great minds think alike...no wonder we are married!!! So I head down to our loading dock just to double check on deliveries but while they had flowers and stuff for other people, there was nothing for me. Once I got back to my desk to pack up to leave, the front desk calls me. It's like 5:10pm now and I am usually gone out the door quick, just not today. But...here was my delivery, better late than never. Valentine balloon with Teddy and an Edible Arrangement. Soo beautiful. Great minds sure do think alike. There is more proof right there that Furman and I are made for each other!!

Can't wait to get to work tomorrow to get into them!! Was rushing out the door when they came that I had to shove the whole thing in the fridge...with balloon and teddy. Poor teddy!! I'll make it up to him tomorrow.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!! I AM THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD!!!

Best Valentines Ever! - 2010

Tomorrow is Valentine's!! And, i'm without mine.
But not for too much longer now. 18 more days!!

In the meantime, I sit here and think about my Best Valentine's Ever. 2010!  A Valentine's Weekend that made up for all the years never having anything special done for me for the occasion. Furman definitely made up for that in one shot.

With us being so far apart, spending Valentine's Day together is difficult to plan.  I was missing him so much because it was our first Valentine's Day since we got back together. So, I was kinda feeling a bit grumpy as Valentine's Day came closer. My friend Desrie had done her part to make sure I wasn't home being miserable over it though. She had invited me to attend a Valentine's Party with her.  While I insisted that I couldn't go because Furman wasn't here, he insisted that I go ahead and go have fun. He sure did. So I told Desrie to go ahead and pick me up a ticket. Furman convinced me to get a nice outfit and do my hair up nice. He even convinced me to go ahead and get my nails done. Desrie was all for that because she loves to shop so she was right there to help me and I found the cutest little red dress. But Furman didn't want to see any photos of my dress or anything. No, he wanted me to wait till I was completely dressed for the occasion to take a photo and share with him via text or email.

That Friday night I went to work at my part time job along with my daughter and cousin. Now, when I am normally driving to work and even when I am at work often enough, Furman and I text each other or speak on the phone. That Friday evening was no different. We had been in regular contact throughout the day so he knew what my plans were for the evening and for the weekend.  While I was at work that evening we had continued texting each other back and forth so what was about to happen was clear genius on Furmans part.  He randomly asked me to go look out the window where I was working. Knowing this man is thousands of miles away his request didn't make a bit of sense to me, so I wasn't about to go look out the window and feel like an idiot. But, because Furman is such a charmer (lol) he easily convinced me to look out the window which looked out into the rear parking lot. Because it was evening, it was pretty dark but with a few security lights on where the cars were parked just outside the door.  So, when I looked out the window I didn't see much. Oh, but wait....it looked like something was on the roof of my car so I left the window and headed for the side door to see what was going on. I walked out the door to get a closer look at my car with the girls peering behind me with the door ajar. What was on the roof of my car was a battery operated candle. (The battery operated candle has sentimental meaning to us because Furman and I had taken a cruise upon reuniting and in one of his romantic moments he had decorated our entire cabin with a bunch of those candles.  It was sooo romantic - but that's another story.) So when I saw this candle on top of my car I knew it had to do with Furman. My first thought was that Furman conspired with one my friends to deliver a Valentine's gift to me.  I thought that it may have been left between the parked cars with the candle on top to get my attention. But, as I walked closer to the car so I could see what I thought might be between it and the other parked vehicle, the girls at the door started screaming. As I looked to see what on earth they were screaming about, Furman was walking towards me from the underground parking garage ramp with his iPhone up to videotape my reaction. As always, he looked sexy as ever with his hair down. And I swear, I wish I could do it over again, because I couldn't really react when I was standing there in shock. I think I disappointed him because I couldn't scream in excitement. Instead, my shock led me to happy tears as my mind was processing what was going on. It was like I was dreaming or something. The man I love was right in front of me. But how?

What he did: He planned everything perfectly. He was telling me to get all dolled up for this Valentine's dinner and dance because he knew he was going to be there with me. LOL  Pretty clever. But he didn't plan it enough to make sure Desrie had an extra ticket though....lol I had to call her right away and tell her to get one, once my shock wore off and reality set in. She took care of it though. Was probably a good thing he didn't contact Desrie ahead of time for the extra ticket, because i'm not sure if she would have been able to keep the surprise. The girls were so excited to see him and showed it while my heart was just overcome with so much emotion.  With him now standing in front of me live and in the flesh, to hell with working. Right away we packed up to leave the office as he told us how he pulled this off on our drive home. How he kept in contact with me the entire time so I wouldn't think that he was anywhere but Miami. How he got on the plane and travelled here using Google Maps to direct the Airport Taxi driver to get to my job quick speed. Yes, he cleverly got enough information out of me days before when he was setting his plan in motion so that he could look up the building that I was working at and find me. He knew exactly where he was going and told the Taxi driver the story of his quest for Love on Valentines as he gave directions. Meanwhile, others that knew his plan thought he was crazy to travel here unexpected to surprise me because of the possibility to them that he could be the one surprised. Thank God, Furman knows me and how much I really do love him. He knew enough to hop on that plane and make that Valentine's the most memorable ever!!  He took a chance on love and it really paid off.

One of my best memories ever!! How do you top that? Other than with a wedding.  :)
So, I sit here and remember how much this man loves me. The man who is now  my husband. 
MY FOREVER VALENTINE!!

What a difference Furman makes!!!

I held back tears today as I made notes about my life (Chronology of Events) in preparation for my testimony at an upcoming Ladies Prayer Breakfast that I am a part of. It's one thing when you have a bunch of memories in your head, but when you put them on paper in some sort of sequential order....it just makes things look a lot different and much more crazy. At the same time, it shows just how much Glory I need to give to God for bringing me through so much and to this point. I'm still standing!!!! I go through my list of "stuff" since I was 5 yrs old and i'm asking myself like Holy Crap...does it end? Then you know what.....I get to 2009, and it does.  It's almost as if Life started when Furman came back into my life.  I don't know how I'm going to give a testimony to these women without breaking down like a big baby. I don't know how. But, I think it's good to share how I've struggled and fought and Won. Some people may wonder how I could share what many may hold to be such private details of my life. The way I look at it is that we are not on this earth for our own purpose but we are here for God's. So, that being said, why should life be a complete secret? How is someone supposedly supposed to learn from my own experiences if I don't share them? How can God get all the Glory when I don't share what he's brought me out of.
  
As much sadness as walking down memory lane brings, I have to look at where I am today.  I know that all that I have been through has made me the person that I am, a person that I am happy to be. A person that Furman loves and has loved for many years.  After all, when I first met Furman I was very much a broken spirit which is probably a big reason why I fell for him big time. When I needed it, he made me laugh (still does), he made me feel special (still does), he loved me (still does) - He made me forget the bad stuff when I was with him (and he still does) and I thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread...lol (still do). But it's probably part of the reason why we had to be apart, we both weren't ready. Apart for many years, for some reason, he still held onto memories of Me. Items I had given him, photos, etc. He knew, we'd be "Forever something", somehow. So now, while I was still going through so much more life "stuff" after Furman and I had separated many years ago, God was doing what he does....working things out in his way. Not only did God bring us back together, but he gave us an incredible love story to appreciate and share with others. He's taught us to appreciate each other so much more than we did when we first met and he's shown us "Real Love", a love that is the perfect example for my children to make sure they don't settle for anything less.  They can look at our love, and look at God's love for us despite our flaws.  God knew I was ready for Furman because I had started seeking him for his direction.  Now, I've got the husband of my dreams who shows me that I am loved and special and you know what I realize, that God has been showing me that all along, I just wasn't paying attention like I was supposed to. When I look back now, I don't ask "Why Me?", because now I know.  Out of the Miry Clay, God has been polishing me and now I am Shining!!  Chayil.

Now don't get me wrong...I know that nothing will be perfect and Furman and I will have our challenges (We'll get through them together and with God's help) But I have a better understanding and appreciation of where I have already come from, where I am going and who to go to! Better yet, I am thankful that God has chosen the perfect mate to see out the rest of my days with me. My Soulmate - Furman. Imagine what we can do together!!!!  God is in our relationship and will hold us together just like he brought us together - for His purpose. I will continue to Praise him and give him the Glory.  I know God had his hand in it and will continue to work on other relationships in my life that need working on too.  When Furman and I got back together I spent many nights on my knees praying for God to take him away if he wasn't who God wanted for me because I knew what I wanted, and wasn't sure what God wanted. (Although it seemed like fate to me..lol) As a result, God made sure I knew what he wanted and I know he's happy that I consulted him first this time....LOL  On that note....I'm excited for my husband to get here!!  It's been 4 months since we got married and I can't wait to not have to spend another day without him.

Thank you God for answering prayers - What a difference Furman makes!!!

Husband-Proofing

While I am waiting to update everyone on our Immigration Process, I was wondering....do I blog? If so, what do I say?

Well, when I came into work this morning someone asked me if I was ready for my husband? Lol  In other words, have I made space, etc.  That got me thinking.  Man, I got things to do.  25 Days till arrival! (At least until it's deemed permanent by Immigration, and hopefully that will happen while he is visiting.)

HusbandProofing (Courtesy of TrissPedia) - The act of making an environment relatively comfortable for your husband. The act of HusbandProofing reduces the potential for frustration in trying to make your home, his home.

Now that I've got that defined I gotta figure out what it entails. After all, it's not like ChildProofing where I need to put things away and take certain actions to keep him safe. No...With Furman coming from a place where it's not so safe to a place where we don't really think twice about being safe (spoiled by living in a relatively decent part of the city), I think the area of safety is covered! I already know that he'll have us locking things more often and not leaving things visible in the car, etc.  lol  It's a different world in a sense and adjustments for us all.  But, what i'm referring to is the stuff like making room in the closet and in the dresser drawer. Oh heck, I might need to get a new dresser drawer. I can't have my husband living out of bags or plastic bins. I need to find somewhere to put whatever items he finds important to bring cross country. So yeah, I got some things to move around at home that I haven't really looked at yet.  Then again, he is the master of making space and throwing stuff out. I've already seen him in action. :)  I guess I need to make a list of what I can do to save him so much trouble. 

While my husband is here visiting he wont be able to work until he receives Permanent Residency.  I guess part of my HusbandProofing will also be to make sure that he has everything he needs to entertain himself while i'm stuck going to work. Hmmm? Grocery shopping we will definitely have to do together along with so many other things I look forward to. Satallite TV with more channels than he really needs is already in place. Internet - check! Home Phone - check!  Cellphone? We'll talk about when he is ready for that one.  GPS - check!  After all, there will be lots to explore and get used to. Maybe not at first, but i'm sure eventually he might want to flip whatever routine he's gotten himself into and start "The Adventures of Furman".  He'll do whatever his heart desires I'm sure. And, I know he'll be enhancing my own routine. Oh, with that, I have no doubt. He hopes that I might be ready to tackle running a Half Marathon by next year so you know what he'll be adding into my routine - More get fit time...lol And Oh gheez....i'll have to do more cooking!!  That's gonna shock his system! Definitely wont be like his mama makes...lol  Hopefully he won't lose too much weight.  hahaha  But hey, more get fit time? More cooking?  I think we'll be ok.

All in all, i'm very excited for the upcoming changes and sooo look forward to having my husband around for more than a vacation. It's going to be so weird. And, I know he'll drive me nuts sometimes but i'm sure i'll drive him nuts too!  That's LOVE!  Looking forward to it. Time to get ready....the King of the Castle is coming home!!  I Love You Furman!!  Hurry Home!!

Delivered!! - Thank You Mr. Postman! (God Answers Prayers)

FINALLY!!    DELIVERED!!!  Woo Hoo!!

Track Status

Product Type: XpresspostExpected Delivery : 2012/01/31 

Date	Time	Location	Description	Retail Location	Signatory Name
2012/01/31	AM	MISSISSAUGA	Item successfully delivered

Notice how they can't log the time but just put AM...LOL  Scoundrels!

Just after I brought my stalking of the website to a minimum.
After I downloaded the Canada Post App for iPhone just in case I got the urge to check.
It's a text message from my husband to let me know that he has finally received delivery confirmation that puts me at ease.  Imagine my surprise. So, I logged in to check for myself and Voila!  Man oh Man! Someone was trying to make me happy today. Thank you God!! I guess with them putting the delivery date as the date it was supposed to be delivered means I wont be getting that refund after all.  :)  It's all good.  I can breathe now. My package is safely in the hands of Canadian Immigration. Now the real waiting begins!! My timer can really start now. I wonder if Canada Post will call me back?  It doesn't even matter.

TGIF!  I would have hated to go into the weekend with this on my mind. I had plans already to hang out tonight with my friends from Junior High, Kamla and Yasmin. Now, we can have a toast and be silly! Well, i'm sure we would have done that anyways.  Kamla would have come up with something we could toast to.  lol Oh yeah...tonight my toast is to Canada Post for finally putting my mind at ease. It helps that my friend Yasmin has already gone through this entire process that I am starting, although she did it many years ago. She gives me hope! It's awesome to have a friend that knows exactly how I am feeling and what I am going through. Yup! Yasmin was right there to give me that celebratory call once I put that sucker in the mail. Thanks Yas, for doing the happy dance with me on the phone.

So....I guess now my blog posts will be to a minimum now.
I prayed, and God answered my prayers.
Next prayer....let's get this done quickly!!
Let's see how long it takes them to open my file and assign a Client ID# so that I can stalk the Immigration website for updates...LOL  That's the next thing I'm waiting for. Hopefully that will be done before Furman arrives. 28 Days!!

Under Investigation

Well, I figured I'd write my blog early today because now that i've exhausted all my options I can't do a darn thing more but WAIT. It's out of my hands!!

When I got to work this morning you know my first call was to Canada Post.  It sure was.  Wasn't taking any excuses today, and frankly, they weren't giving any. Good old Jeremy was pretty frank in fact, said my package was probably sitting in the back of a truck somewhere.  Well gheez, that's good to know. Hopefully at some point somebody just might find it. He took my information and gave me a Service Ticket#. My issue is now under Investigation. Someone from Canada Post should get back to me within 2-5 days.  Now that's Express! Oh, but i'll get a refund. Can you believe this? In my anger, I had to call and vent to my auntie who used to work at Track and Trace for Canada Post.  Can't say I felt better though...lol  She did suggest that I check with Immigration, just in case it's in the mailroom somewhere. So, that's what I did. Gave them a call and spoke to Renee.  Unfortunately, he wasn't much help either but God Bless Him for trying. Basically, they have no clue if they've received my package and won't have any clue until it's been logged as received in the system, which could take up to two weeks. Well, that's just great! "Have faith in Canada Post" he tells me.  BAHAHAHAHAHA  Ok. At this point my package was probably better off going regular mail instead of entrusting it to somebody to make sure it gets delivered. I checked with a colleague of mine who recently went through this process for her own husband and she confirms that she just stuck a stamp on it and put in the mailbox. So she gave a little chuckle and I wasn't happy. But Nooooo, I had to be careful! I needed confirmation. Look where that got me!  I spent last night questioning myself on what I could have done differently. I mean really? Couldn't come up with anything though. Just kept reminding myself that it was going to a PO Box where there can be no signature.  People send stuff to this address all the time. Why me? Why me Lord?

So.....status is UNDER INVESTIGATION!!  All I can do is wait to hear something from Canada Post, keep checking the website to confirm delivery just in case it's located and delivered late, or even follow up with Immigration in a couple weeks to see if it gets logged. Other than that....PRAY!!  I like Furman's positivity, gotta love him. Like I said before, he wants to believe that it's been delivered and they just forgot to scan. So, i'm gonna try to go with that one to reduce my stress.  But you are darn right that I'm gonna bug Canada Post for my refund though. Darn skippy!  Let's see what happens between now and next week.

 LOL  (How I feel! - Fist pump)

I'll wait. Nothing else I can do....but cringe every time I check for status and get this:

Track Status

Product Type: XpresspostExpected Delivery : 2012/01/31 

Date	Time	Location	Description	Retail Location	Signatory Name
2012/01/31	09:20	MISSISSAUGA	Item out for delivery

Ok God...I'm turning this one over to you now!!