Hail Storm

Sunny again - this most certainly must be a record.

It is so much easier to hop out of bed when the sun is just a shining away.

I knew I had a lunch meeting scheduled but walked to work anyway.

I am always so glad that I did because it just gives me such a great start to my day.

My Honey was going in to the city to pick up more supplies for the golf course and he was getting the truck serviced on the way so I didn't have it anyway.

I spent a bit of time this morning figuring out the books for the golf course.

I had a few numbers that I couldn't get to work out and it was eating away at me so I kept going back to it until I got it figured out.

Maybe that is why I enjoy math so much, it is just so satisfying when you finally figure out the solution to a problem.

Also, it isn't subjective at all, the solution is the solution, I really like that.

I had a quick lunch meeting with the WCSS ISRT.

I had a bowl of beef & barley soup and a chef salad for lunch.

A couple of the guys from the office were there having lunch as well so one of them (JRA) gave me a lift back to the office.

The afternoon was busy and about 20 minutes before go home time, I heard some thunder and saw some dark clouds roll in.

Then I started hearing loud thuds on the roof.

A ferocious hail storm had came up out of nowhere.

It was so loud that a group of us gathered at the front door to watch.

These are the biggest hail balls that I have ever seen in person.

I am glad that mom & I didn't make it to the garden center on the weekend after all because the plant would have been outdoors and they would have been destroyed by this freak storm.

It pretty much looks like it snowed.

Then as quickly as it started, it stopped.

JRA was so great, he went out and shovelled a path to our vehicles for us.

Some of us weren't dressed appropriately for the weather, that is, flip flops & giant hail balls don't mix!

It did a bit of damage to some of the trees and shrubs outside of the office.

I am still in awe over the size of it.  I've seen pictures of bigger hail but never seen anything this big up close.

Yup, pretty much looks like winter is back.

I got a lift home and the road was actually quite treacherous.

The sun came out for a few minutes then when I got home, it started to hail again.

Only this time, it was much smaller and lasted only a couple of minutes.

Then it turned to pouring down rain and now the hail is mostly all gone and the sun is out there shining brilliantly again.

Weird weather!

I was half thinking about ordering in some supper because I didn't feel like cooking but found some leftovers and had that instead.

Pork, corn on the cob, baked potato and brown beans.

It was a perfect supper, the corn was so sweet & juicy.

I had to cut it off the cob as it is still a bit awkward to eat but that being said, my mouth is healing quite nicely and doesn't even hurt anymore.

I wanted something sweet after supper so had a Special K Double Chocolate Protein Bar to carb my craving.

It was good but at 7 WW points it isn't something that I plan on indulging in very often.

I had the points for it today though.

I only realized at lunch time that I was so busy I had forgotten to eat my breakfast.

I was feeling dizzy and that is likely why.

I had a quiet evening tonight.

I watched Hockey Wives, Little People Big World (I love Zack) and 7 Little Johnstons.

It was a relaxing evening.

I kind of had the munchies tonight to so I had a few snacks.

Snapea Crisps, Peanuts and a granola bar.

All things considered, I could have picked far worse options so I am ok with that.

Hoping for another sunshine filled morning!

Until next time, be happy!

First Official Men's Night of the Season

Woke up to another gorgeous, sunny day.  Geez, this must be some kind of record for our little town.

Of course I took advantage and walked down to work. 

I switched it up a little this morning and had tea instead of coffee.

I was never a tea drinker but when we went to London I kind of developed a liking for it.

I tried this Earl Grey and it is a little spicy & sweet and just so good.

Perfect start to the morning.

I had to help get a booth set up at a Wellness Fair that was taking place here in town so I got a ride to my truck and met the Chairman of our board over there.

It only took about a half hour to do so I headed back to work.

My plan was to go back and hang out at the booth for awhile but I never did make it.

I made myself an egg sandwich for lunch, I added spinach, ham, jalapeno laughing cow and spicy red pepper jelly.

It was quite a tasty creation.

I've been getting these a lot lately.

This is my favorite flavor.

It has a really great taste and it's only 1 WW point for 1/2 cup which is awesome!

This afternoon I was feeling kind of sleepy at my desk so I went on the hunt for a diet pepsi.

Couldn't find one but remembered I had these in my desk.

I go on a kick where I just can't get enough of them then it sort of dies off until the next spurt.

I forgot how refreshing they taste - this is my favorite flavor.

I also cut up some snacks to munch on at my desk.

After work I headed out to the golf course.

Tonight was the first men's night of the season so we were expecting it to be busy and it was.

I really enjoy working in that customer service capacity - I did it for so many years and I kind of miss it sometimes.  Just the interaction with people is enjoyable to me.

Plus I get to sort and organize money and being a math nerd, that really appeals to me.

The special tonight was bbq roast on a bun with potato casserole and carrots.

Ms S also made pizza which I had to try.

I skipped the bun and the potato casserole - I am not exactly sure how many WW points it would have been but I don't think I went over for the day.

We were there until about 10pm cashing out and cleaning up.

My Honey had worked late and showed up there around 9:30, he was on his way home so he had some supper and helped us out.

My sister sent these last week.

Little Mr.E lost his two front teeth!

He is so proud - and probably excited about the fact that the tooth fairy will be dropping by for a visit.

Such a handsome little dude, growing up too fast.

I miss he & his brother like crazy, especially when they hit milestones like this and I'm not there to share in the experience.

I am grateful for the technology we have though that allows me to keep in touch and connected!

My Honey & I chatted for a bit when we got home - feels like I haven't had much of a chance to spend alone time with him lately so it was nice.

We were both tired however so it wasn't long before we hit the sack.

Another wonderful day in the life of April.

Until next time, be happy!

Weigh In Day

We have been having a streak of absolutely gorgeous weather and it continued on today.

I took advantage of course and walked to work this morning.  It was so nice that I didn't even need a sweater or anything.  It is just so uplifting for the spirits.

Weighed in first thing this morning.

246.6 lbs.

That is down only .4 from last week so not as great as I was hoping but still a step in the right direction.

My goal this week is to be more diligent in my tracking this week.

My cheeks are still rosy from walking to work this morning and just look at all that sunshine pouring in my office windows.

I had to run some change out to the golf course at lunch - I thought I had some at home but I didn't so I had to stop at the bank and get some.

That ate up most of my lunch hour so I had them make me up a salad when I got there.

They added some chicken strip scraps and I made a quick dressing with vinegar, oil, mustard, honey and salt & pepper.

It was perfect.

I gobbled it up and then headed back to the office.

The afternoon flew by fairly quickly.

There is a Wellness Fair in town tomorrow and a group that I work for is setting up a booth for it.

A guy in the group met me at the office after work to grab some of the stuff we need to set it up tomorrow.

Then I headed home and got right at the golf club books.  I am behind a couple of days and want to get caught up.

My Honey got home a little early and after he mowed the lawn, he got the bbq lit for supper then got to work assembling the swing.

This is what I was trying to push around with one hand at Costco while carrying a screaming child in the other.

Phew, am I ever glad that experience is over.

This is what it will look like when completed.

My Honey noticed that my mom had gone out and straightened up our shed over the past few day.

He actually thought I had done it but we were both completely surprised that my mom had been out there doing it.

Way to go mom!

He ended up getting called back out to work just as he was getting started so he wasn't able to finish.

I put the corn on the bbq about a half hour after he left then when he got home he finished up supper.

It was around 10:30 pm when we finally ate but it was worth the wait.

Corn, pork, baked potato, mushrooms and home made beans.

My Honey is such a great cook - we go crazy for corn every summer.

It was a bit hard to eat with my mouth situation so I had to cut the kernels off.

My mouth isn't really hurting anymore but the packing is still in covering the area where the surgery was done so it feels weird, especially when eating.

It's like I have this thick piece of play dough stuck to the side of my teeth but I can't take it off.

Tomorrow night is Men's night so I will be out at the golf course right after work helping out.

Another busy day, boy I sure went from one extreme to another.

It's all good though - I enjoy the business sometimes.

It's late so I am off to never, never land.

Until next time, be happy!

Shopping Expedition

I had planned on taking my mom into Edmonton today to pick up a patio swing at Costco that she wants.

My brother needed a sitter so I offered to take the kiddos with me.

I love spending time with them so I didn't mind at all.

First thing Mr H did when he got to my place was roll his new little train right under the stove.

Miss A is the photobomber today.

He was down there trying to get it out.

Then Professor Snuggles thought he would try to help out too.

I had to pull the stove out to rescue it and swept it out while I was at it.

There were a few rogue m&m's under there and while I left for a moment to grab the dustpan, Mr H decided to eat one of them.

Little bugger!

The kiddos arrived early so we sat outside while mom was getting ready to go.

Mr H is trying his hardest here to get this balloon blown up.

Eventually I had to do it for him.

I had a bit of running around to do before we left.

Headed to the golf course to pick up a few things that needed returned then I had to meet My Honey on the highway because he had my Costco card.

We made it to the city just after lunch.

I got a few grocery items for the golf course then we were heading over to Walmart and wouldn't you know it.............

We got stuck at a train, again.  Only this time we were there right as the train started.

It was super long and when it finally did finish, another one came from the other direction so we had to wait for it too, and it was super slow.

Lots of time to take selfies in the truck though!

Waiting for the train selfies!

It seemed like it went on forever.

I timed it and it was really only 20 minutes but still, long enough.

We decided we would go for some lunch/supper and I let the kids pick the place so MacDonald's it was.

He pretty much just eats ketchup!

Just two cute girls hanging out, having some supper!

I had to pick up a few supplies at Walmart so I got that out of the way then we headed to Costco and that's when things went south.

The swing we were picking up is very large so I got a trolley for it and figured mom could push Mr H in a regular cart.

Boy was I mistaken.

Mr H wanted no part of sitting in a cart and he also did not want to be carried so he ended up having a melt down in Costco.

It was super frustrating and I know people around me were probably thinking all kinds of things about us but what can you do?

It's not the poor little guys fault, he was stuck in a car seat most of the day and I know he just needed to get some energy out.

I felt so bad for him.

Of course everything just seemed to take longer too - the line up was long at the checkout, then the receipt checkers at the exit were all line up and then we had to wait for some guys to help us load it on the truck.

It was quite the ordeal but we survived.

I was feeling drained after that however so we skipped the garden center (we were going to buy some flowers) and we just headed home.

Because I was feeling so bad for making them stay cooped up all day, we stopped half way home for a treat.

McFlurries all around!

I think it was a welcome treat.

I had one too, I just made sure I got the smallest size.

I dropped the kiddos off at home around 8pm.

Then I had my brother & my son meet me at my place to help unload the swing.

I thought I might have been able to do it myself but it was far too heavy.

After that I had to drop groceries out to the golf course so it was after 9pm by the time I finally made it home.

My Honey ended up working late so he arrived even later than that.

Another full day and I was feeling done out so I headed to bed.

So there is the weekend, gone again.

Weigh in tomorrow - I am looking forward to it.

I think I will be down.

I haven't been great at logging my food but I have been trying to keep my portions very small and also trying to make wise choices.

Guess we will see if my strategy is working or not.

Until next time, be happy!

A Parade and A Birthday

I was up and at 'em early today.  I knew I had a busy day ahead of me and I really wanted to sit and enjoy a coffee before I got started so that's exactly what I did.

I browsed Facebook a little while I was having my coffee and this memory popped up from 3 years ago.

My co-worker Ms.B and I did the triathlon they had here in town.  It was swimming, then biking then running.

I tripped on the sidewalk as I was getting there (before it even started) and hurt my toe and ankle really badly.

I completed the whole thing but my ankle I don't think has ever fully recovered.

Seeing this made me has made me eager to get back at running.

After my coffee I headed over to finish up some last minute float preparations.

Here is part of the parade float crew.

Mr. K is digging out foreman (who incidentally lost his head on the drive over to the parade line up).

Ms. S and I in our oilfield gear.  In the past 50 years our company has had several different owners and we were able to find gear with the names of all those companies.

Just standing around waiting for the parade to start.

It was wonderful to see how many participants were involved in the parade.

It was the 50th Birthday of the town this weekend and there was a lot of reminiscing going on.

I have only been here for 10 years but it is a great community and I love events like this.

My Co-Worker Ms.S made the parade a family event - her son & hubby joined us on the float.

A lot of effort went into these floats, this was the town float.

Photo bomber! (He most definitely is not camera shy!)

The line up of participants went on and on.

Soo fantastic!

Another great float.

They even got the back hoe all decked out for the parade.

Snow Mobiling is a big sport around here - it's a great area for it.

Check out this retro ski-doo - so cool!  Boy have they sure changed.

Our float.

The local gym participated.  The T-Rex's waited until the last minute to get suited up because it was quite hot out and it gets pretty steamy inside those suits.

I love how they put the ripped t-shirt on the one T-Rex - great idea!

The parade route went right by my place so I pulled out some chairs for mom and invited my SIL and Mr. H to go down to my place to watch it.

We were throwing out candy and mini footballs.

We went through the mini footballs but luckily I'd stashed one away for Mr. H.

He was so excited to see me when we went by.

He is pointing at me.

And I could just hear his little voice exclaiming in wonderment "Apil"!

I love how he says my name - it is so cute!

Look at the big smile on his face - how could you not just fall in love with it?

The Home Hardware here in town came up with this great float idea.

It was a golf cart and they turned it into a birthday cake.

It was my favorite.

We ended up winning first place for the industrial category.

Hard to believe Mr.K was super duper shy when he was younger.

They we are - the Parade Crew celebrating our win!

It was a lot of fun and I hope it becomes a more frequent event here in town.

After the parade I headed out to the golf course.

The golf course kitchen was making and supplying the midnight lunch for the dance that was being held in town this evening and as My Honey was at work, I offered to go out and help.

First things first though - I had them whip me up a taco salad for lunch and it hit the spot!

Then I corrected the error I had made on the sign.

I had to run back to town at 3:30 as SIL was having a birthday party for Mr. H.

Mom and I went over.

Here he is opening some gifts, he is just the king of making silly faces.

SIL's dad lives on the BC coast and caught a salmon which he brought to her and she cooked up for supper.  It was so good, I just love salmon.

She also made a really tasty potato salad that I enjoyed.

I didn't figure out the points but I tried to keep my portion small so I think I did ok.

Miss A blowing up some balloons to decorate.

SIL made this cake for the birthday.

She thought it didn't look that great but I thought she did a fantastic job for her first try.

Another silly face.

Couldn't get him to eat any supper but he dug right in to the cake.

I had a piece of cake too but again, I kept my portion very small.

Hard to tell from the picture but this is a very skinny slice.

After the party, I headed back to the golf course to do some more prep.

Most of it was done so I loaded up a bunch of stuff that had to go into town and headed to the arena to drop it off.

They had comedians scheduled for tonight as well.

Each year the hockey club in town has Puck n Funny as a fundraiser.

It's a supper followed by comedians followed by a dance.

This year they combined it with the 50th birthday so I had purchased a ticket to see the show.

They didn't really knock my socks off unfortunately.

One of the businesses in town donated this photo booth to the 50th birthday celebrations.

They provided props and gave free pictures.

What a generous thing to do - and a great idea.

Ms B, Ms S & I had to check it out.

We hung around for a bit then around 10:30 I helped Ms S put out the midnight lunch.

I took a plate for myself - again - I kept the portion small.

They had a bunch of raffle items to raise money as well.

You purchased tickets then put them in the buckets of the items you were interested in winning.

I won this indoor/outdoor lamp.

I am lucky - I usually seem to win prizes at these things, which is great.

Even if I didn't though - I feel good supporting the clubs around town so it's a win win either way.

This is my "I think I look good tonight but I am going to bed now so I better take a picture to remember it" selfie!

Something one might do after a night of drinking (although I must disclose that I didn't drink a drop).

I got home around 12:30.

There was a line break nearby so we didn't have any water and they had the crews working on it so I could hear the hydrovac out there just a going.

My Honey was already in bed when I got home so I didn't really even get to see him today.

It was a lovely, busy day - the weather was awesome - just an all around feel good day.

I love days like this.

Off to the city in the morning so that's all for now.

Until next time, be happy!