Christmas Holidays 2009

We have just got back from a very relaxing 4 days away up at the caravan in Taupo. It was just what we needed to have some space to ourselves and a bit of a rest before we gear up to move house and for me start my new job.

We headed up on Boxing Day after having had a really lovely Christmas at Dad & Val's. Although I have posted some pics on Facebook, I will put some here as well. After getting to Taupo we set up the caravan and headed to the shops. We ended up having takeaways that night as we were town a little later than we thought, but it was beautiful sitting watching the sunset behind the mountains at the other end of the lake.

On Sunday we had decided was going to be a bit of a tourist day and we headed off to Rotorua to see the sites and we decided to go to the Buried Village. It is not quite as good as I remembered it from beinga child, but was still good. Si & I both enjoyed the stroll through the parklike surrounds, although when she said the climb back up from the waterfall was "gradual" she was obviously joking as the sign at the top says " Congratulations - that is quite a climb". But the fantastic thing is that 2 years ago, I would NEVER have gone down to the waterfall. Unfortuantely it did twinge Si's back a little, but a good nights rest and some medication made all the difference.

Monday came along and we met Jackie, David & Blondiebum for lunch. Blondie had introduced herself at the supermarket the day before after having recognised me.....although she did know I was coming to her neck of the woods as she had emailed (which I read when I got home) offering us a place to stay which was very lovely!!! Si and I headed off to the Prawn Farm after that....we both love prawns and thought we would do a spot of prawn fishing for our dinner........well, after 2 hours sitting in the sun, I caught 1 and Si.......none!!!!! We decided that we would release him back in as he was a breeding male.

Here is a short video & pictures of our trip set to some of Si's music.



So home on Tuesday, got home around 2pm, Dad & Val came over for dinner, and we had a great time playing a game that I got Si for Christmas called "The art of conversation".....it is basically questions that are designed to stimulate conversation....it worked...Dad & Val stayed till around 10:30pm.

Today we have one of my brothers here for a Christmas lunch as they were with his father in law who is not well on Christmas Day. It will be great to see my neice & nephew and I hope to get some pics....not sure if they will want me to post them on here though, so might not.
We maybe having one of our friends also come up for a visit today, he had mentioned it, but we have not heard from him, so not certain. Oh well, the more the merrier.

Our New Years celebrations are going to consist of an open home party at my Dad's. He has invited some of his neighbours, friends and of course some family.....so wil be interesting to see who turns up.....will hopefully get some pics of that to.

Merry Christmas Everyone.....

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the upcoming year.

2009 has certainly been a rollercoaster year and I am certainly not sad to see the back of some aspects of it, although I really think that all the things that have happened with ultimately make me stronger, healthier and wiser.

It is going to be an interesting Christmas Day, the first combined Christmas with Dad & Val, and with Si's parents here as well. We are having 22 people at Dad's for a sit down meal which should be lots of fun. One of my brothers and his family can't make it, but we will see them on the 30th.

Planning on getting lots of pictures and maybe even some video over the holiday period. Hoping to head up to Taupo for a couple of days rest before starting the packing of the house. I was lucky enough to get our moving company for the day I wanted. They were fully booked but because of how much business we have put through them this last year, they shuffled things around for us. They also gave us packing tape and lent us boxes, which was fantastic.

Might head out to the shops tonight for one last look for any bargins.......I am really looking for a nice summery dress that has sleeves!!!! Can't find one anywhere and I really don't want the layered look this Christmas, just want to be cool!!!

So on that note, best wishes to you and your family

Love

Janine & Simon

On the Road Again

Yup – it is official, we are definitely moving house again and soon. We have only 2 weeks to pack and move………moving date is the 5th January and we have Christmas, New Years, a little holiday away and me starting my new job all at the same time. So it works out that we are moving on my first day at work, and I will have to leave the move up to Si, his parents and the moving company. We were extremely lucky to be able to get them actually as they were pretty booked solid, but because we have had so many moves with them over recent months they made room for us and they have given us a substantial discount and provided boxes and tape for us.

I am looking forward to the new house, although the two front bedrooms are a little damp and I think I will need to invest in a dehumidifier....the rest of the house is brilliant, and I will be having a BBQ in late Jan/ or early Feb for those of you in the Manawatu area who might want to pop by. I will also get some photos up as soon as we are settled and everything is in place. Of course this might take a little longer than normal as I will have started the new job as well.

Christmas for us is going to be hectic – I still have 3 pavlovas to make before Friday and this year I thought I might try and make one like what my cousin’s late husband used to make…..it is a green peppermint flavoured pavlova and I thought I could top it with cream and shaved chocolate. I will do 2 normal ones as well and have the strawberries on them. We are actually going to Dad & Val’s for Christmas Lunch and then we will be heading to the caravan in Taupo for a couple of days rest before coming home to packing!!!!

Our Christmas present to ourselves is My Sky and we will be getting that installed in the new house on 12th January, so that gives me some time to unpack the house first before sitting down in front of the telly and the new toy.

So Merry Christmas to you all…..my Christmas wish is that more of you will find your voice and comment more regularly…….I know some of you do, but it would be nice to know more of who is reading without having to go private.

Up In the Air

Still uncertain about what is happening with the house.........they have had an estate agent around, but we are not sure if the are going to put the house on the market or not. We have started looking at places in Palmerston North, but there are some real dives out there, and it makes it harder with having the dog, but she is my baby and we have references from previous landlords saying how good she is and that they never had any problems with her or us.

There are pros and cons to moving, sure we don't really want to move again, and we like our little house, but since we are both going to be working in Palmerston North, and I will be commuting 6 days a week I have to also look at the petrol costs, and the time it takes for travel. I will be finishing work at 8:30 pm and do I really want to drive 30 mins home, or just 5 mins up the road. It even means I could walk to work if we lived close enough and Si could pick me up afterwards.

The other thing is that just some of the facilities that are in Palmerston North that we owuld like to go to..........we drove through the esplanade on Wednesday night and Si had never been there.......we have lived in the area 2 years, but we had failed to take in the beauty that is around us. However, it would mean spending more money on a house that we would like to live in, and the reality is I am not sure we will get what we want for our budget.............

My weight is climbing for some reason......oh i know, must be the sugar i keep stuffing into my gob.......I have had 3 serious dumping sessions this week purley based on too much sugar. I have not been to the gym and they rang yesterday to make sure everything was okay and that i was coming back....I lvoe a gym that does that, keeps me from not using it. I will go back, just that everything is so up in the air at the moment.

No news stilll......well sort of..UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought that they were meant to get back to me last Friday .......not the 11th like it said in the email from them. So I looked like a right dork on Monday when I called just explaining that I was away at a funeral on Friday and I may have missed a call.......let's hope it doesn't count against me........especially the attention to detail........OOPS!!!!

Saw the specialist today at Palmy hospital. I am under two different depts, the gastroenterology for the Auto-Immune Liver Disease and Rheumatology for the Sacroilitis. So anyway, it was about the liver disease that I saw him today, and overall he is pleased with how things are going. He said that my levels are still higher than they should be, but he is happy with the progress I am making. So much so, he has decided to reduce my steroids by 5mgs a day for the next month and then another 5 mg reduction for the following 2 months. After that we will review.

He was not too stressed about where my weight is sitting which is 104.7 kgs as at this morning......sure I would like it to be under that 99 kgs mark, and I can certainly feel the difference now that 5 kgs makes, whereas before I could not tell if I had put weight on or not.
I should be spending more time at Curves, I have been a bit slack over the last couple of weeks, partially I think because I have been picking up some shifts at the security job and partially as I could not be arsed.

One thing however he was a bit concerned with was my calcium levels and I am really bad at taking that particular supplement.......give myself a kick up the ass!!! He is also doing tests on magenesium, vitamin D, A and E levels. He wants me to try the iron with vitamin C rather than the iron with folic acid that I am on now. So many pills I feel like I rattle!!!!! Oh and I am also on some antibiotics as I have a little annoying boil/cyst thing that just won't go away and he said it might eventually need surgery..........let's hope not.

Tonight we managed to get the outside christmas lights up......not many, just a couple of strands under each front window......really hard to get a picture of them, maybe I will try and get a video instead, so you can get the effect........maybe tomorrow night!!!

Anyway that's me done, dishes are done, clothes are washed, dried and folded and the gardens are watered........nite nite!!!!

UPDATE: I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starting on the 5th January 2009, I will be working for IRD!!!! It is a call centre position and is around 24 hours a week, however the first 6 weeks training are full time, so that is fantastic just after Christmas.

Oh - the other not so good update is that the borer issue in the house is worse than we thought and there is a possibility that the owners may decide to sell the house instead of spending the time to do the work. It would be a big job to do and I am not sure that we can handle the distruption, so we might be looking for another house.........again.............arghhhhhhh, I am an expert at moving as you know, but this is ridiculous!!!!!

No news.........

Nothing on the job front, they had sent me an email saying

We are aiming to be in a position to advise you on the status of your application by Friday, 11 December 2009. We appreciate your patience during this process and should you have any questions please do not hesitate to be in touch

Although I have not as yet heard anything. I get really frustrated when that happens and you can't help but let your midn think that it means that you have not been successful, although i do know that they had trouble getting hold of one of my referees. I so hope that I will get this job, even though the hours are not ideal, we will work around them and make it work.

Yesterday I went to my cousins husbands funeral, and it was a very very large funeral, and I learnt alot about him I didn't know from the speakers, although it was also a very long one about 90 mins all up by the time we got out to the car and heading for the cemetary. Got home about 7:30 last night, and just relaxed and watched some telly. This was the second funeral I had been to since Mum's and the first burial.......was a couple of times there that were a little hard, although it was much easier than I expected. I always get teary though as I find it hard seeing other people upset....although I managed to control it most of the time, the odd tear escaped and ran down my cheek.

Today I have been out in the garden already and done the minor weeding and watered the tomatoes and capsicums. Everything is coming along nicely and seemed to have had a huge growth spurt with the recent rain although because I have not been so vigilant, I managed to let the cauliflower go to seed. It is so amazing how nature can change something overnight from ripe and ready to over ripe and useless for what I need it.

I am going to get some more baking done today, we seem to be demolishing any baking that I do, which is normally only bran muffins and gingernut biscuts......but I might try something different today. Tonight we are going to have a BBQ dinner, just the family but salads (lettuce from the garden) and new pototoes with some rump steak and sausages done on the BBQ.

Tomorrow we might try and head out for a picnic lunch somewhere, just to go for a drive and to get out of the house. Will see if we feel like it tomorrow.

Waiting Game

So now it is just a waiting game to hear about the job. I completed the testing for them on Friday so now it is all in the hands of the test results and my referees......I had a call from one of my referees today who said that apparently I had done well on the testing....but at the end of the day it will come down to a team fit. Isn't it funny how I really didn't want this job but now after being through the process I will be so disappointed if I don't get it.

This week however will probably go quite fast as I today flew by, I started the day with some baking and then had Dad & Val over for afternoon tea. When we lived walking distance to them Dad used to drop by when he walked the dog, but now I hardly see him at all. I was hoping to get out in the garden today but just as I put my gumboots on it bucketed down. Actually Dad and Val seemed really impressed with my vege garden so far.

Tomorrow, I will have a pretty quiet morning, will try to get to curves and then back home to listen to Diva Taunia's radio show....then off to work from 2pm till 6pm. It will be a bit odd just going in for 4 hours, but it is all money. Wednesday is pretty much the same as Tuesday, although will swap a walk with the dog for curves if the weather is fine enough.

Thursday looks as though I will be going to a funeral. My cousins husband died suddenly over the weekend and it is a huge shock for all of us and certainly makes you realise that you have to live each day to the fullest.

Today I also finished decorating the Christmas tree, which our main one is not traditional, but while with little blue bows.......the others are fibre optic ones which are quite a bit smaller. I have taken some pics below.

Getting excited

Now that my birthday is done and dusted for another year I can now focus on Christmas and get a little excited about it......I didn't think I was going to look forward to this Christmas, but now I think it is going to be great. We are trying to do things on a tight budget, but that is looking okay, and I am hopeful that things will all fall into place. I am going to start getting the Christmas decorations out and up, although this house will be a bit harder to do the outside decorations.

I also have some regular work at the security firm for the next month, it is only between 8 & 12 hours a week at this stage but it does mean that it is a little extra for Christmas and maybe we can go up to the caravan between Christmas & New Year for a little break.

I went for the assessment day for the job at IRD, which I was not looking forward to, but it went really well, and the actual environment and team seem great, and now I am really hoping I get the job. Yes the hours are not 100% ideal, but they give me a great income with only working 24 hours a week, and I have the days to do stuff for myself. It was funny with the assessment, 7 of us started it, but only 3 of us went for the interview in the afternoon. We joked in the morning it was like IRD Idol and we would get voted off........and it kinda felt like that as well. They have now said they just need to do a physcometric test and reference checks, as well as the police check and tax check, and I am pretty sure they should go okay.

So the plan today is to get the decorations out of the garage, head around to Dad's to pick up our gardening tools that I had forgotten I had left there....get the loads of washing out.......(hoping it doesn't rain) and then try and weed the garden in the wind. Also need to get some dog roll for the dogs and I might go to the warehouse and get a couple of things. Oh and to the garden centre as Dad & Val gave me a gift voucher for there........yay!!!! I think buying some potting mix is on the cards so I can get more tomatoes and capsicums into the greenhouse.!!!!

Okay well, I am obviously rambling........and this is not getting any of it done!!!

Wonderful Weekend.....

I had the most wonderful weekend away and the a great Sunday home with Si. It could not have been a better lead up to me turning.................................

I loved all my time in Christchurch and as I said in my facebook, I am one very lucky lady to have such a wonderful family in my life. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know them better. I had full intentions of using my camera alot when I was down there, but didn't even pull it out of it's case........so much for doing my video posts from there as well......oops.

So today is my Birthday, what is on the cards for today......welll, a walk with the dog to get the car as it failed its WoF and the mechanic has had it since Thursday, so hopefully the bill is not too big, then it is off to lunch with some great family friends, and then just relaxing in the afternoon. I thought I had a meeting tonight, but it is not till next week, so all good there. I am popping on a casserole for dinner, nice and easy and I can leave it cooking all day. We are going to Dad's for dinner on Wednesday for my Birthday, so that will be nice.

I do have some prep to do today for an assessment day for the part time job at IRD. If I am successfull the hours suck, but it does mean that we will have some extra income and be able to be finacially ahead. I am also still looking into the party plan situation, and I rreally do like the range, but will most likely start this in the new year. I do however need to organise the parties now......!!!So if you are say Waikanae to Wanganui I would love to be able to host a party for you.......you get 1/2 price and free stuff!!!!

Other than that I might make it to curves this afternoon, I am expecting the lawnmower guy any minute......although, I am wondering if I have gotten my weeks mixed up........but the lawn is getting awfully long........Oh, the garden is going well, although I just found out that I have to weed the ohter plot, which has the potatoes in it, as apparently youhave to mound potatoes, otherwise they don't grow properly.......and this plot has heaps of dock and stinging nettle, so I am going to have to done the rubber gloves and long sleeves..........and hopefully I can salvage the potatoes........oh well, we will see!!!!

New Moon.........

Roz and I went to the new twilight movie today......was fab!!!! I only watched the first one a few days ago as Roz had mentioned that we might be going, and I really enjoyed it, and am now going to read the books as I have heard that they are really good, and I love reading, so will be nice to get lost in them. And man- the buff chest of the character Jacob!!!! NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I am down here in Christchurch and the flight was late, but really nice to have a drink with Si at the airport before I left. We headed home and had a lovely chicken salad for dinner, and spent some time chatting before heading to Riccarton mall....man that place is huge..........and it has some amazing shops that we don't have have in Palmy. There is an amazing clothing store called TS 14+ and from the brief look at their stuff I LOVE some of it, ......but anyway, I have emailed them as they are apparently opening a store in the plaza in 2010, and I have said I want to work for them!!! Will see what happens.

I went to my nephew's school assembly today as he was in a short skit about Choices and Conscience and it made me think that I have some choices to make in several aspects of my life, and that I need to find what is right for Simon & myself.......isn't it amazing where some lessons present themselves in life?

I have to say that I am really happy that some many of you delurked and commented. As I mentioned I know that some of you read in google reader or have no access to comment etc, but the comments do really keep me going some days. I also know that I don't always know what to say in comments and sometimes it really feels like it has already been said.......but it is really nice to see the support and encouragement. Oh and to answer one question......................NO he doesn't seem to mind........!!!!!!!

Anyway, need to get off Roz's laptop, have a quiet day planned tomorrow at this point as Roz & her husband have a course and then we are just having a meal together with some of the extended family. I will have use of their car tomorrow, so might go and take some pictures around the city and maybe out at the beach. Will see.

Busy Day.....and some movement

UPDATE: - Someone recently said in a blog that comments actually help them to stay motivated....I am the same!!! I see you all visiting like sometimes 50 people in a day......but you don't comment. I know some of you don't like commenting, or are reading in google reader or like me just can't think of the right thing to say.....but honestly, sometimes it kinda hurts that you all breeze in and out and don't leave me anything constructive....positive or negative. I also know that I write this for me, however is still would be nice to hear your thoughts and comment, even if it via email if you want to comment privately. Okay - enough said.


Started the day off going to the Curves, and although my weight is up I am very very happy to report that my cm's have changed....in fact I have lost 15.5 cm's in total in the last 5 weeks of attending curves, so something is working.....

I have actually lsot a huge amound my middle - a whopping 6 cms from my abdomen.....we measured it like 4 times because it just didn't seem right. I also lost 2.5 of my bust, 3 cm from my waist and 2 of each thigh.........SO super stoked about that, oh and my body fat % went down by 1% so I guess that means I am building muscle........super cool and came just at the right time to remotivate me.

Came home and walked the dog after my protein shake and a catch up on some blogs etc........then made Si some lunch before he went back to work and then I headed out to the garden to do some weeding......there was this one plant that looked kinda like a celery although the leaves were wrong......so I pulled it out....only to discover it was parsnips......so I have two fully grown parsnips from the garden that will no doubt get used.

Have a busy week ahead this week, as I am heading down to Christchurch for 3 days to spend some time with Roz. Will be fantastic to catch up with her and get to know her family better. Oh and I love the spring weather in Christchurch.

Not much on the work front - nothing I apply for I get passed a first interview for.....I have an assessment day on Tuesday next week for IRD, although it is nights and weekends and I don't really want it because it would mean not seeing Si a hell of alot. I am also looking into doing a type of party plan and I am looking at starting it in the new year...it is a product I really like, and there is no one in this area doing it, so hopefully that means I could capture the market......will see. There are no start up costs........just 6 confirmed parties......so if any of you in the area from say Waikanae to Wanganui want to help me out by hosting a party drop me an email and I will let you know more about it......would have to be in late Jan/early Feb to get me started, and there is absolutely no obligation to buy....I just need your house and a few friends......hehe.

Anyway, off to see what Si is up to outside.........he is pottering in the garage!!!

Friday........

Well what a boring title......I had a job interviews this week......well sort of job interviews....they are 'Meet & Greets' where the prospective employer get's to know you first, before they decide if they want to progress with a formal interview. I am so sick of this.....I just want to be able to get a small simple part time job which is people orientated. Well we will see what happens.

I am off with Si to the Dr's shortly....he accidentally stood on his own foot a couple of weekends ago and the toenail as gone all yukky and infected, so I finally managed to convince him to go to the dr's, so I will meet him there at 11:30 and see what they say.....I truly think he is going to lose his toenail........ouch........!!!! I'll pop back later with an update on that

I am working tonight from 4pm till 8pm at the on call job I do for Armourguard security, which will give me a little extra money for when I go to Christchurch next Thursdays.......3 nights with Roz, going to be so fun!!!! Can't wait!!!

UPDATE: Well, back from the Doctors and Si is not going to lose his toenail.......just on a courseof strong antibiotics......so that is great. I am heading of to work soon - but thought I might get a nana nap in as I am really tired this afternoon.

Looking forward to a nice quiet weekend, might head to the Saturday morning market in Palmerston North and check out what bargins we can find. I think I will only have like $20 to spend, but hopefully we can get some good fruit and veges from there. The only other thing I want to acheive over the weekend, is to get the 3rd garden plot weeded, plant some more tomoto plants and to do some baking........other than that it will just be playing my game and hanging out with Si.

A picture post...

Well I promised some time ago some pictures of the outside of my little house......so here goes......there are a few!!!!

The entrance to the house from the Letterbox to the main front door (conservatory)

Close up of the roses along the path - unfortunatley you can't see that there are about 3 different shades of roses on the one bush

Another close up of one of the roses - I love the orange one.


The house from the road...

The big backyard that Porsche is enjoying

What all 4 of the vege plots looked like......this one will have to wait to be weeded till after we have harvested the potatoes

The first plot that I weeded and then planted runner beans, lettuces, carrots, silverbeat and spinach in.

This one already had the rhubard and the cauliflowers, and since then I have planted corn, brocoli and beetroot.

A shot of all 4 plots......the other two plots have yet to be finished weeding, and I have planted some cabbage, 1 pumpkin and a couple more lettuce.

The outside studio room that the owner of the house used to use as an art studio......I however am actually going to do something else with it........

I can't beleive it - but I am actually going to sew in it.....and do crafts etc. I have started a patchwork sewing project and I will take some pics of that as I get further on.

This is the side of the house just out the backdoor from the kitchen. It is a completely enclosed section and it is more than likely where we will end up having BBQ's etc in summer as we can keep the dogs in the backyard.

Another shot of the enclosed BBQ yard area.

And finally - one of my baby girl!!!!

It's OKAY to not be OKAY

I am 3.5 hours into my second 12 hour shift for the weekend, and I can honestly tell you that this is going by so slowly……..It is really quiet here today and the person I am working with is not communicative at all…..like I have had a mumbled “hello” when I walked in the door and a “I’m going to the toilet” and that is it…….It is such a drag compared to yesterday where the women I was working with is very chatty and we get on really well…..honestly yesterday felt like just hanging out with a friend for the day.

I am technically still in training, although she hasn’t once asked me about anything I have done or checked up on me…..in fact 90% of the I have been here she has been on the phone to friends/family…….nothing work related……..now she is surfing trademe……..I mean I have facebook up and you tube etc but I am still actioning things when they come in and I have taken 90% of the phone calls.

I was hoping to get a video recorded and uploaded for youtube today, but I don’t think that is going to happen.

I have been doing some thinking about where I am at – and more so since watching a you tube video from Allison……and a post earlier in the week from Jo…..basically it is okay to not be OKAY….and to be struggling, and it is important to actually talk about it……it is not okay to sweep it under the carpet and not deal with it……

I am sitting at just above my “alarm bells” weight of 105 kgs…..today it was 105.6 and I know most of that is because I am making some stupid decisions when it comes to food and I can eat junk until I almost dump…..then I wait for a bit…..then do it all over again…….I should only be having my 3 meals a day, and I should be having much more water than I am…….I almost drink no water……..I am getting the exercise in most of the time……but the jet planes that I eat in the car on the way have to stop.

The stupid thing about the scales are that earlier in the week they were sitting at 101.9 kgs ……so I am trying not to let it become the be all and end all….and that my clothes fit is more accurate…..but I can see the difference in my face….I feel very very puffy.

SO, I have to somehow work on why I am sabotaging myself…….I don[‘t get it, I want to be healthy so we can hopefully start a family…….so why am I doing it…….need some soul searching and find some answers.

I had a busy

Busy busy weekend, which was good.....I worked an 8 hour shift on Saturday from 8 am till 4pm and then came home ready for the trick or treaters.......I love the idea of Halloween, and we had bought a sign for the front gate/letter box saying "halloween treats" and we put it out at aroudn 5 pm so that we would hopefully get some kids drop by.......well we got one set of two people.......around the age of 14.........total letdown. I really wish NZ could actually get into this a bit more......it is a fun and harmless event.

Then on Sunday we had the extended family Christmas where all of my grandmothers decendants try and get together for one meal.......a pot luck BBQ. It is usually a little later in Novemember but everyone is so busy this year we had it on Sunday. Sometimes it is the only time I get to see my cousins.

Part way through I wanted to go to the WLS group as one of the newish guys was heading off to have his surgery... and I really wanted to give him my best. Another one of the ladies had not been coming for a long time as she thought she no longer had anything positive to contribute......but I had rung her and told her we missed her.....so she was there, and it was great to see her again.Went back to the BBQ and stayed maybe another hour and then headed home.

Today I am really tired and feeling a bit run down. I have been extremely cold and just miserable. I am finding the smallness of this house a little hard and I think I need to get the little studio room set up and maybe do some craft stuff......I just think I am a bit moody today.

Not much planned for this week, I am working 12 hour shifts next Saturday adn Sunday, so that will be the weekend dealt with.

UPDATE: An added part about Halloween.
I realise that this is not a fesitival for everyone, but I like it, and although Americans have embraced it, (the candy part) the meaning behind it is actually Celtic and dates back 2500 years. The church then got involved and changed the meaning behind it, although I still believe in it as a time to remember the dead. On the day of the dead which is Nov 1st.

I also realise that not everyone is comfortable with their kids going up to strangers houses and not knowing if they actually partake in the festival, which is why I bought a sign for our house and next year I will probably do the pumpkin thing or decorate the front yard in some way, probably a few days before so the neighbourhood know that I am doing it.....Will also let the neighbours who have kids know, so they know it is a safe house.

Motivated? Am I?

Okay so I did a youtube video today about being motivated and how the WLS community there is really amazing and it does motivate me......I am not 100% on track with everything, but I am heading in the rightish direction and I am motivated to keep moving forward.

I pu tinthe video post how I just seem to be more motivated to get up in the mornings and move and to take a little bit better care of my appearance -ie straightening my hair and putting on some make up etc......even on days when I am not working. It just feels good.

So I mentioned all this to Si and he said he didn't think it was motivation.....he says I have always been motivated - but just whenI have not been well I have not been able to manage to make it work......now I am not sure if I agree intirely - however I do beleive that it is actually ACCEPTANCE......of not just the situation with my health and my job, but where I am with my weightloss.

You know over the last two days of actually getting dressed up and going into my local stores.....I have had so many compliments on how I look and how much I have lost.....some people know and some don't. But I think I am getting to a point where I am ACCEPTING my lot........and you know what.....I am happy.

The trick is not to get complacent huh?

Not alot happening

There is definately not alot happening in the world of Janine......I have finished the first lot of training for my on call casual job and I have no idea when they next need me. So far I have done 26 hours and got paid for that today......so guess what I am doing.........going to the bank, paying bills and then looking maybe at webcam prices so it is easier for me to upload videos to youtube.......or at least do quick capture videos. I actually upload a new post to my you tube yesterday for those who are keen you can go to HERE

I have been applying for more part time positions but I am finding that I get the "your overqualified" speil and short of telling them that becuase i have been sick (and frightening them even more) that is all I am looking for.......I am not sure what else to do. I think I might go and approach some of the retail shops in town next week and just let them know I am available to help with the busy christmas season........and see what happens.

This weekend coming is going to be a busy one......well Sunday is......my extended family - all the aunties, uncles and cousins get together for a family Christmas in Novemeber and this year it is on Nov 1st as everyone is so busy........very early to be thinking about Christmas I know.....but never mind, that is how it works out. It is also the Palmerston North WLS monthly support group meeting and I hate to miss them, so I might sneek away for an hour to go to that as well....it is close, so It shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Oh here is a picture of the front of our house.......taken before we moved in, but gives you an idea.......and I will get aroudn to taking some more at some point soon.

Hiccups

I haven't posted as I have been not sure how to say what I needed to say. As many of you know I took a job late last week our at Ohakea Airbase doing cleaning of the officers mess. It was 3 days per week for 5 hours pers day. Well although I was looking forward to having some regular income it was probablynot the top choice for employment, but hey in this climate you can't be picky right.

Anyway, on Sunday I actually got quite ill and had quite a major flareup of my illness. Headed to the Dr's on Monday and thankfully saw my normal GP- it was his last day as he is going back to just being an Emergency Dept Dr. He ordered some blood tests and yes htey were considerably higher than normal. Si came with me which was actually a surprise as I thought he had gone to work, which he had, but he came back to go to the appt with me as he was not sure I would ask the dr about working......you see Si had concerns about me taking such a physical job when I am not well.

The upshot of the conversation with the Dr was that he thought I was "bonkers" to even try such a physically demanding job and that he would really only be happy with me doing some sort of admin role. So I had to let that job go......my boss was really understanding about the situation and even said that if he has any admin work he will let me know.

So yesterday, I started training with the alarm monitoring for Armourguard security, which was brilliant and I enjoyed it....I did 4 hours yesterday and I have 6 today and friday with another 4 on Saturday. Once that is done I will be on call/casual and after talking with some of the staff yesterday it does mean that it will be quite casual........so I do need to find another part time role somehow..........will definately go around some of the retail outlets in my home town and offer my services for the busy lead up to Christmas.

Oh - one of the brilliant things about not working.........I can finally catch up with a great online radio show that is hosted by Diva Taunia. It is a show designed for Weightloss Surgery Patients and I have gotten to know some of them through my you tube page......if you are ever around between 11am and midday on a Tuesday check it out. Just click on Diva Taunia on Blogtalk Radio and listen in.

Actually my you tube channel is very out of date at the moment and I have not done an update for so long....I keep recording them but not getting around to editing and posting them.......shocking!!!

Pictures as promised

So I have taken a few shots of the house etc...it is just a small two bedroom place and as it was raining I didn't get any outdoor shots.....But I will, I promise!!!

Our Bedroom - with Riddick

Riddick on bed

Hallway (through to Kitchen) & Oscar

Kitchen

Kitchen & what should be dining but is our computer room

Dining room (is actually a conservatory)

Lounge - looking from doorway to telly

Lounge - looking from computer room

Porsche on the front porch

FINALLY!!!!!!!!

We are finally back in the land of the internet, man it is so funny how much you come to rely on it. It was like I had lost a limb. I had no idea how much money was in the bank account and had to resort to calling them for a balance.

However, not having it for the last few days set up some good habits, I have walked the dog every morning since Sunday, and yesterday even did a 5.7 km walk with a cup of tea stop at Dad's. This morning was only a small walk as it has been raining overnight and I had to wear my gumboots to get down to the area that I let her off the lead. Very hard to walk far in gumboots.

Have been to Curves and aqua aerobics as well, and will be going to Curves this morning after I get some chores done. - Have got to get the ingredients for the cheese ball I am making for Dad's 75th Birthday on Saturday. Also need to pick up a birthday present for him.

Oh- I also got a call yesterday from that old schoolmate that I bumped into who is the operations manager for the catering division out at Ohakea airbase......and he has some work for me.....now it could be peeling spuds for all I know, but it is around 30 hours per week and I find out more tomorrow. This works in quite well as the other job that I have secured is only an on call/casual basis. However two things - I need to make sure that I can not work the days I am training for the other job and then, I also need to make sure that I can have the days off that I am flying down to spend with Roz in November.

I have also put my name down as a part time cashier at Bunnings here in Feilding and my Dad was talking to the owner of the New World recently and apparently although they have nothing at the moment, he would be interested in me. Now this is funny as I had sent my CV into the contact ages ago (not the same person) and never heard anything. Might pay to deal directly with the owner huh?

I think I am going to make some sort of mince dish tonight - probably just spag bol. but maybe more of a pasta bake.......with penne pasta. Who knows.

Having a blast

Had a fantastic weekend just gone, caught up with Janene, Jo, Jenny, Rhian and Jorja....a very nic mornign tea and then hitting the shops. I managed to score some nice boots on the Friday night at the ezibuy sale room - 70% of the original price and when I went back on Saturday I found some nice jeads and a top...The Jeans a size 18!!!!! and the top was a size 14!!!!!!!! Although it was kinda tight - i bought it, cos i liked the colour and would wear uit under another floaty top anyhow. That at it was a size 14!!!!

In the afternoon Si and I went shopping and stocked up on some essentials for the house and then we pretty much had an at home weekend. Sunday I really wanted to start the walking the dog routine, so at 9:13 I headed out and I took her about 2.7 kms and we got home around 10am - although I did stop and natter to a couple of people I knew, or who had dogs. Got home fromt hat and really wanted tog et stuck into the gardening, so after a late breakfast I did that and didn't stop till around 1:30 for lunch. Got the greenhouse cleared of weeds, (I still need to wash it) and then I managed to completely weed one whole vegetable plot and discovered some lettuces and parsley in it already.

friends came around later on in the afternoon with some runenr bean plants so I am pleased that I had made room for them.....still haev 3 more plots to weed, and in those we have discovered rubarb, carrots, potatoes and I think cauli's......as well as 101 weeds including nettles......!! Will have to be careful there.

Si worked on our dinnign room table, he has been sanding it back and staining and varnishing it. it was my great grandmothers and we think it is about 80 years old. We left the bumps, stains and scratches on it as we felt it showed it's character bnut now at least it is preserved a little and it has come up really nice. It is a drop leaf table and is all we need for now. I will take some pics when I can.....I know I keep saying that but once we have the internet it will make it easier.

So come to my first day of being at home and not earning........wdid I rest...hell no!!!! Not when I have this much energy!!! Not sure why since my iron levels are really low at the moment, but hey it's working for me. So first things first, walked Porsche in the park about the same distance although a bit quicker today........not long before I got to the end I came across a few peopel chatting with 3 large dogs......and it turns out I know one of the couples from my old church....and Porsche had fun palying with the three other dogs - although as the only girl the others had a hard time leaving her alone........LOL, was funny. They said they meet there every morning around 7:30 so I might try and head down there most mornings, although I think i would make it the later part of my walk as we end up standing around just chatting while the dogs play.

So after the walk today I had arranged to meet Val (Stepmom) and my Anuty Jocelyn at the swimmign pool for aqua aerobics..Si's Mum came too and we had a great 45 min session. I was planning on going to Curves later on in the day but decided that it could wait till tomorrow as I still had to get out in the garden and plant the runner beans, which I can proudly say are in and watered and hopefuly happy and growing.......OMG - who would have thought I would turn out to be a gardener!!!!

Tomorrow I have an MRI scheduled to check out my sacro-iliac joint and this ti9me doesn't seem anywhere near as scary as I know what to expect. It means that I have to be up and have had breakfast by 7:00am as It is nil by mouth for 4 hours prior. So after breakfast I will take Porsche for her walk and then after I get back I will go to Curves in the afternoon. Will be interesting to see how all this exercise impacets on my weight and measurements...I was thinking of not doing any weighing or measurements till 1 month after starting, but not sure I can wait that long......hehe.

Anyway - need to get home - almost 9pm!!!!

Last Day

Well I have gotten to my last day at work and it has started well……Have a few things to finish up but I am taking some time out and getting my haircut at 11am so off to that in a few mins.

The office had some flowers and chocolates and a card for me at morning tea this morning and I cried…..I mean my time here has been short and some things have been very frustrating but all in all they are very very nice people and I will miss them.

So here is a couple of pics from today the first one being Si’s parents dog and then one of the flowers……was very surprised that they went to such an effort…….Thanks Debs!!!

Will come back later and update with a pic of my hair…..getting the blonde bits cut out as it is over a year since I shaved it all off.

Okay here it is.......here is my new haircut....I kinda like it, a little short but stillokay and the blond bits have gone.

Having a break

Yup - I am officially having a break. I am not scheduled to start my training till Oct 29th, so I get to have some ME time. This means that I am going to get myself organised and get my exercise plan back up and running and also restart Curves and of course get into a routine of walking Porsche.

The vege garden is also on the list of things to weed and get prepared ready for planting around Labour Weekend. We haev 4 raised vegetable beds and a glasshouse, and we are all looking forward to having home grown vegetables. We also have two compost bins that we will also start using to make our own compost. I am so not a gardener so this is going to be a very very steep learning curve!!!!

I think that I will also be looking at taking up a craft and I am thinking about quilting.........I love looking at Chris H's stuff and a friend in Hawaii is also going to quilting lessons. I really want to be able to make some Christmas presents and also maybe make some placemats for my table.

Our internet is still down at home till the 14th at least and I am going crazy not being able to access everything I normally do. I will not have any access to a PC unless I go to Dad's from this Friday till then.

I Got IT

I got the on call/casual job that I went for last week. It is for Armourguard security doing alarm monitoring of all of Telecom’s alarm systems nationwide. It is a similar role to one that I used to have when I lived in Auckland although on a much smaller scale. It is only on call at this stage but at least a foot in the door and gives me a few more options.

Things have been really busy at work as we moved building and I am only just back online at work…..still no progress on the home internet….will be at least till the 14th October before I will have access there.

The house is 99.9% unpacked and we are getting there with some of the other tasks like sanding, staining and varnishing a dining room table that belonged to my Great Grandmother. It is coming up really nice and will look just the part. Also have not yet got stuck into the garden or the greenhouse, but it has been far too cold to get out there.

Riddick, Porsche and Oscar (Si’s parent’s dog) have settled in really well and are getting on brilliantly and we have no worries there at all. Porsche seems to have lost some of her obedience and she seems to have picked up a couple of naughty habits, but mainly she is good and still the loving pooch we had before.

Have not yet been out every morning with her as it has been far too cold, but will definitely be starting next week as I will be at home most of the time. Will also be rejoining Curves and going to aqua aerobics a couple of times a week. Weight is looking good at the moment and is hovering around 101 kgs to 101.6 kgs…..so I am really happy with that as it did pop up to 105.5 kgs. I had to wonder if it is the supplements as they seem to bung me up a bit……..but we will see.

Will try and take some pics of the house as soon as I can…..hard without the internet at home to get posts done, but I will try and do it from here before I finish on Friday.

Ciao

J

New House

Yup - all settled in at the new house, and mostly unpacked. Just a few more boxes to go and then I am done. Si's parents moved their stuff across yesterday and we had the first night with all of us there including the 2 dogs and the cat. They seem to be getting on okay - Rissick is a little scared of Oscar but he will come right. Oscar is such a clingy dog and he whines and carries on when left alone or separate from Si's parents and Riddick doesn't like it.

Nothing really eventful happened with the move at all.....have taken Porsche for a walk around the park and have started back on track with my protein shakes. So far so good - last week I had managed to get to my 'NO GO ZONE" of 105.5 kgs......actually 105 kgs is the upper limit I had set myself with the steroids etc......so was time to get back on track. Well this morning I was 102.5 kgs, so a much better outcome. I know some of this would have been TOM as well, but still was enough to give me a kick up the pants.

The goal is be between 95 - 98 kgs by my Birthday in late November and I am sure that it will be achievable if I keep up the exercise and sensible eating.

Saw the Dr last week and he gave me my xray result.......yup I have an abnormal sacro-iliac joint and that is qhite often linked to pssorasis (sp) so yesterday I ended up having a biopsy taken off my elbow and we should know the results in a few days.

Sunday would have been Mum's birthday, and this is the first year that I have acknowledged it but not gotten upset about it....not sure if it is that I am coping with it much better as I have Si's mum down here now or that I was just too damn busy moving house.......I certainly think it helps having Si's parents, but it is still not the same as Mum.

OOPS - I forgot - the one stupid thing and very annoying thing about the move is that we have no internet and we are unlikley to have it for two weeks!!!!! We were first told that they had run out out ports........and that it was a first come first served basis, so they had switched off the port at our house (previous people) and given it to someone else.........we then heard back from the broadband team and apparently it is not the case.....it is that the Feilding exchange is being upgraded in stages and at the moment, yes they have a shortage of ports but it should all be resolved within the next two weeks. Still extremely annoying, but what can we do? Satelitte internet is far too expensive - actually I am not sure we even have it in NZ.

I am in my second to last week at work and we are moving buildings tomorrow - and probably won't have internet here till Thurs/Friday either.....I am really going to feel cut off from the world. So if you want me.......RING ME.!!!!!

Oh - other work news - I have an interview on Thursday for the oncall/casual job. It is for a company I used to work for in Auckland that I loved and on call/casual to them could mean anything from no hours to about 60 in a week, so will be interesting. I really really want this as it should give me the flexiblility I am looking for in as such as I want to concentrate on my fitness and health as well. Will let you know.

Last few days......

Well I haven’t heard anything about the casual/on call job and the other one I wanted I was not successful in getting an interview. Apparently they had over 200 people apply and I just wasn’t what they were looking for. I am beginning to think that my CV needs an overhaul as it is just not getting the attention that it used it……either that or I am applying for the wrong positions.

Anyway – enough about that for the time being. I picked up Porsche yesterday and she was happy to see us. Took her through to the Kennel and Cattery where Riddick is staying and she will be there till Saturday afternoon when we pick them both up. Going to be so nice having them back with us, although I have forgotten what it is like to have the cat sleeping on the bed…….I wonder if he will still want to.

Have taken tomorrow (Friday) and Monday off work. Tomorrow I thought I would get all the packing done (very little) and get the washing done etc so that means the weekend will be all about moving and unpacking.

I start my morning walks with Porsche at the park on Sunday, rain or shine……..we are going to go out for at least 1.2 kms every morning before work and then once I am finished I will aim to increase it and go for longer walks as well as get to Curves or the swimming pool. Actually my schedule is worked out so mornings are for exercise and afternoons for job hunting, chores etc.

Hopefully we will not be offline for long, if at all……see ya from the other house!!!

Two sleeps to go till Porsche is back and 5 sleeps till house moving

I get my baby girl back on Wednesday afternoon and I am so excited. She is going to the kennels for a couple of days till the house is ready to move into but I can’t wait. I am planning on taking her for lots of morning walks now that the weather is nicer and especially if I am not working.

I am hoping to have next Monday off to settle in after the move and also to help Si’s parents with theirs. Will be interesting to see how it all comes together.

I went to the Dr’s today to get a script for my supplements as I have been really good at taking them and I am almost about to run out of some of them – so need to keep on track. While I was there I asked him about my back xray that I had recently as well as the blood tests for Celiac disease. As is transpires I am not Celiac – thank goodness, and I have an abnormality in my sacroiliac joint which is why I have been getting the back pain. It is also link to psoriasis which is now what the Dr thinks I might have on my elbows………so another couple of blood tests to rule out Rheumatoid arthritis (another Auto-Immune condition) . But it seems we are getting to the bottom of everything……..which takes a load of the mind as now at least I know I am not going nuts.

Weight is up a little…….now up to around 103kgs. Dr is not too concerned and nor is the nurse and the nutritionist at my surgeons office. As soon as I get moved to the new house I have a new regime I am going to start – especially if I am not working – kind of like making ME a full time job by going for walks and scheduling in regular exercise. I have also made a tracking diary and a weekly planner for exercise.
Jobwise – I finish in 3 weeks and I am looking forward to a break. I have been applying for jobs but hard nothing from most of them. There is an on call casual one that I would quite like and one fulltime one that I would jump at…….but nothing else really grabs my fancy……although I did bump into a guy I knew from school who might be hiring in the hospitality industry……….and work is work.

Great resource for planning walks

I have started to try and get myself sorted for when I get to the new house and have some walks all planned out already. I am loving Mapometer website as a resource and I used to use it previously. I have already worked out 3 walks from my house and they start at 2.67 km and work up to the town block which is 8km!!!

I am also looking at starting the Couch 2 5KM program at some point - although I think I will do it as a walking program first, and then build up to running. More on that in a couple of days!!!

I am thinking that I would like to get back to swimming at some point as well, although I really don't like the sharpei legs and I do have lycra swim shorts they are just not that comfortable. The Makino Swimming pool is really good and if I am not working then I will try and head to some of the daytime aqua classes.

Oh I have also applied for a job at a company I used to work for when I worked in Auckland, and it was a job I loved. This is only an on call casual postion and it will involve shiftwork, but it would be nice to get a foot back in the door and ease my way back in. I am hoping that a contact I have makes things a bit easier - but we will see. Fingers Crossed.

12 Sleeps to go!!!!!!!!!

Well after some thinking about what is important to me, I have decided that I am going to leave Lions. I do not need my valuable time spent in meetings talking about doing something productive. I do not want to be part of the “old boys network” and it is not really going to achieve much for me.

This weekend has been a bit up and down – I was getting a little down about finding more work as I didn’t get an interview for a couple of the positions…..in fact, they for one of them they only had my application for about 2 hours before deciding I wasn’t suitable……oh well, their loss.

I talked this over with Si on Saturday as we were heading out to see Riddick …..and I worked out that apart from my wedding, I have not actually had a full on holiday since 1994 as I have always had the habit of taking a couple of days here and there or having to use my annual leave for surgeries or too look after Mum & Dad when they were sick. And I really really think that I need to take some time out for me………but that is going to make things tight financially, but as Si said, while his parents are living with us it takes the pressure off, although will make things a bit tight with Christmas etc……….but even if I can temp or find part time work any money I earn will be a bonus.

I am lucky enough to be able to head down to Christchurch to spend some time with Roz in late November. Unfortunately it is just me going down, but as I am going on a Thursday and Si will be working. He also thought it would be nice for me to spend some one on one time with Roz and her family. It the weekend just before my birthday – so we are using it as my birthday present.

On the way back from seeing Riddick we almost got flattened by a bus coming around the corner on two wheels – the driver managed to get it under control however I really thought this was a “we are going to die” moment. Very scary.

The weekend itself was very uneventful – trying to save money hard at the moment as we have the bond and rent in advance to cover as well as the moving costs. Not going to be a cheap exercise……so at the moment, it is try to save every penny. I am making lunch for Si and I and although it is not the best Weight loss surgery food – I am making cheese and chowchow sandwiches with a piece of fruit for lunch. It seems to keep me going and my tummy seems to be able to handle it.

Oh – now I guess I should update about the specialist……I saw him on Wednesday afternoon, and he was happy with how things are going, although he ordered more blood tests and a back x-ray as he is not happy that I am getting a sore back and still getting a rash even though I am on the prednisone. He said that there should be no problem with us having children (if we decide to) with the medication I am on so that is cool. I have another set of bloods to do at the beginning of October and then monthly after that for another 3 months to see how things settle down as it can take several months for it to all kick in.

Well that is probably enough dribble, although I do have more that I want to talk about, but will save for posts later on in the week. I am hoping to do a youtube update at some point and I will have to tell you about my fly buys points purchase…….oh and I guess start the countdown till we move……12 sleeps to go!!!!!!!!!

Specialist appointment & why do we bother?

This time tomorrow I will be here……..(taken at about 8am this morning out the car window) don't you just love the beautiful spring morning and the blue sky?


Palmerston North Hospital seeing the specialist to discuss my Auto Immune Liver Disease. I have a few things that I want to bring up with him and one of those is my blood tests. For the last few weeks they have been going in the wrong direction and although I am not feeling anywhere near as bad as what I was I am still getting some nasty bouts of pain and itching.

I also want to discuss my meds and if they will have any effect on my ability to have kids, and although we are not 100% sure when and if we will have kids we don’t want the medication to rule it out if possible.


Now onto the other part of my title – why do we bother? Simon and I joined the local Lions International club when we moved to Feilding, I was a Leo (young Lion) in my teens and loved my contribution to helping our community, but we are getting very frustrated at the old man’s network and stick in the mud attitude that it seems 90% of the club has. There were several issues that Simon & I raised yesterday after doing our shift at the mini golf, but all of them were swept under the carpet and we were pretty much told that because they had been doing it 40 years it was the right way and that nothing we could even suggest was worth listening to.

I came home and have done from pretty much every meeting I have been too worked up and angry at the stupidity of some of these men…..and Si thinks we should resign as it is just not enjoyable and we don’t feel that we are achieving anything and it does not seem likely that we will. Why bother…..??? We both just come home angry and upset and it is wasting precious hours of our time to achieve nothing to help others. Maybe it would be better just going to visit people in rest homes and chat to the lonely….I think I would feel like I was achieving more.

The deal

Okay so here is the deal – we sat down last night and talked things over together as a family – including Si’s Mum & Dad. With us going into a rental they have been stressing a bit as of course they have not had to pay rent or anything for sometime, and on their super-annuation on top of there other expenses it was going to make things very tight……..so the upshot of all of this is that I am going to put the Real Estate thing on hold for a little bit. It is still something that I ultimately want to do, but we think that I would be better earning some money at the moment as that will take the pressure of all of us.

It also means that we get to cement the great work we have done with out debt consolidation and actually get some money behind us. That means that we will actually have some money saved in the bank ready for me to start my Real Estate business in say 9 – 12 months. So I not giving up on the Real Estate thing, just taking a little more time to get it done and not put so much pressure on myself. As it is with trying to get it done I have come down with a sore throat and have almost lost my voice…..actually it just sounds really husky and sexy.

So I am going to be applying for jobs in the local area and hopefully making some money, pay of more debt and get ready for when I can be in a position to do it well.

No guarantees

Well here I am finally doing another update. I have been a bit tired and run down the last few days and trying to fit work and study and me time all in together and I managed to forgot a couple of important events over the weekend, so now I have some making up to do.

My study material arrived on Thursday last week, and I set aside Sunday to get started on it. I am pleased to say that I have completed 1 of the 7 papers already although it is a bit harder than I thought an I realize that I am not good at distance learning…I much prefer a classroom environment where I can feed off other people. BUT I am not going to let that stop me, and I have the benefit of having 3 other intelligent people who I can bounce ideas and thoughts off……..and we also have a good support network and I can contact the tutor at any time for any questions. So far I haven’t needed that.

So the aim is to have it all completed within the next 4 weeks, and that might be a stretch especially with having full time work as well……but we will give it a go. Unfortunately the licensing board only meets monthly and they hold the application for 14 days before it goes to the board. So even if I get the certificate and get the company I want to work for to submit my application through quickly, the earliest I will get approved is early- mid November…..which is a bit of a worry as all of the laws change on November 17th.

There is also no Guarantee that I will find a company to take me on, and you can’t sell unless you are actually a licensed Real Estate Agent. Most people who call themselves agents are actually just approved as salespeople….. anyway, as I said, there is no guarantee that I will get into an agency…..so I have also decided to apply for jobs in the local area as well……….and surprise surprise there is actually 4 jobs that close in the next week or so that I am interested in. If I am successful with obtaining one of them I can always still do the real estate thing – the qualification lasts 3 years before I would have to re-sit it, and some steady money would be good. Now I can hear some of you saying that I should STICK to one thing, BUT honestly I am being careful not to put all my EGGS in one basket……..I can always say NO to a position if the real estate career does take off.

Actually Si had a good thought, which was if I was to get full time work that was not Real Estate I could still work for an agency helping out with open homes etc in the weekends, which would get me some practical experience as well.

So now I want to hear your thoughts on that matter? Feedback really needed, either comment here or email me at janine.hallewell@gmail.com

Waiting Waiting

I really hate waiting to move to a new house......I want it and I want it now. But I only have 4 1/2 weeks to go. Actually only 4 weeks till we pick up Porsche from her foster home. We are taking her to the kennels for a couple of days as the foster family is going away for the school holidays. It is the same place that Riddick is at so we will be able to pick them both up on the Saturday late afternoon. I am sure time with fly as my at home learning will be starting soon.

We went over to the house on Sunday to get some measurements etc so I could work out what would fit etc and if we needed to shuffle arrangements, and it transpires that the master bedroom will actually go to Si's Mum & Dad as they have heaps more bedroom furniture than us, and their bed is bigger as well. They are also going to put their computer in the bedroom as use it like a telly to watch dvd's etc. While we were there I put Si in charge of gettting some pics of the house, but he did a shocking job of all the inside ones that they are useless, and he completely forgot to get one of the front of the house........so, here are a couple of the outsid, the first is the front garden atea,then one of the side of the house (2 bdrms) and then

a couple of the greenhouse and the vegegardem - which I hope I will learn to have a green thumb

Quiz Nite

Last night we all headed out to a quiz night at the local Irish bar. It was the first time I had been, but I used to love going to them when I lived in Auckland - so I thought it would be nice to try a local one. Well, we did alreight - averaged between 5-7 most rounds, and managed to come away with 2nd place - although I think the scorer was a bit sozzled by the end cos I think in the last round we only got 4 right and he gave us 8......maybe he thought we had played our joker in that round.....Oh well, it was a bit of fun afterall.

The book I am reading is going well and I am still positive about it. I get the occasionaly - what am I doing moment - especially as it is commission only, but you know what.......It only takes the first snowflake to make a snowball.......so I just need one sale to start me off......and if I put the work in, I CAN/WILL do it.

Finishing work early today as have had a call from the dog's (Porsche) foster Mum, and apparently she has fallen off the deck and hurt her back leg, so I have her booked into the vet to get it checked out.....really hoping nothing to serious. If worst comes to worst I will take her away from the foster home and put her in the kennels till it comes time to move - which is 5 weeks tomorrow......oh so can't wait.....I am dreaming about that house already and where I want to put things.

Also a couple of purchases I want to make for it long term - the first is a dining room suite. Preferably one that can extend - 4- 6 settings, and padded seats.......want to find a second hand one as I don't want to spend a whole heap on it. The next thing - which won't be till Si's parents move to their new house will be conservatory furniture - maybe in cane with cushions.....something you can relax with a good book in the sun of while chatting on the phone.

Weekend plans are a little on the quiet side..... tonight - watching Australian Idol and then the Saturday and Sunday are just going to do the washing, play WOW, go for a walk maybe, and watch some of the first series of Boston Legal on DVD. I never got into this series, but Si has watched a couple of episodes and found it really funny - that and he is a fan of William Shatner.......we watched the first one last night and it was really funny.

Very quiet in blogging land

Either people are very busy in blogging land or very quiet and shy. There is just not the comments on anyone's blog at the moment, so I am hoping it is just because everyone is out there enjoying life.

I know for me, I am gearing up to this new career - have paid the money now, so definitely no looking back. I am reading a book called 'Smart Moves' by Marnie Adams who is a successful real estate agent here in New Zealand. Thanks to Rachael for the pointer in the right direction. I am only up to chapter two, but so far some points have hit home. At the end of the day it is all about Attitude - and I intend on having heaps and heaps of attitude.........that I need to capture and harness and take me in the right direction. It is about - confidence, belief and faith.

I am so looking forward to having Porsche back with me, and am planning on taking her for walks most days.....I am really wanting to get back into the exercise, but for now it must be free and also gentle, as I need to be able to handle it whilst still getting my liver condition sorted.

I am also hoping to blog a little more often to capture that positive attitude. I know that when things are going well I tend to put it on the back burner a little as I get to busy, but using this blog as a reflecting tool it is sometimes very onesided to the negative. So that has to change!!

So - welcome to the new version of my blog - one where I share more - even what to others might be boring and repetitive.

Road to Success

“In Order to Succeed - your desire for Success must outweigh your Fear of Failure”

Thanks so much for your feedback about the real estate question. Some of you offered some food for thought, and I think I have got most things covered. I truly do believe that I will be good at this, not because I think I am a gun at sales, but because I think that Real Estate is actually more about being a being person and listening and actioning. I don't think that I can sell a house to someone unless it feels right and meets the criteria......no point hitting someones head against a brink wall if it just doesn't do it for them.

You know at the moment I am very positive about the direction things are going in, although there are bumps in the road, I am finding that I am handling them better than I could imagine. After the last few months of uncertainty, I am not worried that I am about to be once again thrust into a new career that is commission only……..I have also not even secured a position with an agency yet, although there is one that I really want to work with, and so far that it is looking promising.

I am actually spending some time today going to the Auctions of the company I hope to be working with to get a feel for how they run their auctions but also to show my face and to prove that at the very least I am persistent. They also have a seminar for sellers on Monday which Simon & I will also attend. One of the things that the principal wants to make sure is that I have the family support to venture on this new career.

On the housing front, we have found a very cute place to rent in Feilding, it is two very large bedrooms with dining, lounge and conservatory and it will be a little tight for space while we have Si’s parents staying, but come January it will be just perfect. It has a nice BBQ area and a big backyard for Porsche. It also has a glasshouse and raised vege gardens, so I am going to learn how to grow my own veges….especially tomatoes.

So that means that 5 weeks on Saturday we move again, and get the dog and cat back……I am so excited to have my fur babies back…….it will be fantastic. Actually the property is brilliant for both Si’s parents dog and Porsche as there is two separate fully fenced grassed areas so we can actually keep the dogs separate if we need to just to make sure they don’t fight. There is also an access point to the Park at the end of the road so I can take her for walks.

So at the end of that I come back to the opening sentence - “In Order to Succeed - your desire for Success must outweigh your Fear of Failure”. So am scared? Nope, because I truly believe that I will succeed.