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.

I couldn't resist....

Dear Lord,













Every single evening
As I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little Prayer
Keeps running through my head:

God bless all my family
Wherever they may be,
Keep them warm
And safe from harm
For they're so close to me.

And God, there is one more thing
I wish that you would do;
Hope you don't mind me asking,
Please bless my computer too.

Now I know that it's unusual
To Bless a motherboard,
But listen just a second
While I explain it to you, Lord.

You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends;
Inside those small compartments
Rest so many of my friends.

I know so much about them
By the kindness that they give,
And this little scrap of metal
Takes me in to where they live.

By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you.
We share in what life brings us
And from that our friendships grew.

Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above,
To bless those in my address book
That's filled with so much love.

Wherever else this prayer may reach
To each and every friend,
Bless each e-mail inbox
And each person who hits 'send'.

When you update your Heavenly list
On your own Great CD-ROM,
Bless everyone who prays this prayer
Sent up to GOD.Com





Amen

New Directions and Career Choices

I have been weighing up my career direction alot since I got made redundant and sick, and I sat down and figured out a couple of things.......one, I am a people person, and I need whatever I do to be predominately about people. I hate back office type work, and I thrive in an environment where I talk to people constantly. The second thing I have realised is that although I will work at any job for at least minimum wage, I know that I am worth so much more than that, and I know that I deserve to be making some decent money.

Do you know I have still not heard back from the supermarket about that job and I see the women who interviewed me every time I go there.........it actually smarts a little that they didn't have the decency to even let me know that I was not successful. Si's Dad jokes around and says that maybe I should write a letter to their head office withdrawing my application........but honestly I don't think there head office would give a stuff.

So, now I really need you to help me out here....I have an idea and a possible opportunity and I would love some feedback from those who know me, even if only through here. It is kinda big and I am still in the thought processing stage, but I am almost at the point where I am I have nothing to lose by trying this.

So, what is it?????? Well, it is people orientated...........but also sales orientated...... what I am thinking about doing is the Real Estate Salesperson Course, partially as a little bit of a back up as this job finishes in about 8 weeks and looking at the job market there is definitely not alot around so I was kinda thinking that if I do this, then at the very least I will be attempting to make some money (on commission) instead of sitting at home being a kept woman who is getting depressed that I can't find a job.

The other reason I have been thinking alot about it, is that over the past 9 months of helping Si's parents with their house purchase, I have shown a little bit of a flair for finding houses that met all their criteria (well 80%).......and I really enjoyed it. I can even remember the floor plans of 90% of the houses we viewed.

Now - I know that some people will say that this might be a bad time to get into such a venture due to the economy etc, but I kinda figured that if you start when it is at the bottom the only way you have to go is up, and because this opportunity is in my hometown I have an advantage of local knowledge and already having some contacts in the area.

The other thing I guess I am considering is that while Si and I are co-habitating with his folks, it makes our expenses a whole heap lower at the moment, so it buys me some time to make it work.......and if I can't be making a living out of it by the time their house is built, which is about January then I will simply say, I tried, it was not for me and walk away......and get a regular job (hopefully there would be jobs available). If I don't do this - will I regret not even trying?

So, can you please leave me a comment to offer your point of view..........good or bad, especially if you have thought of something I haven't.......either that or send me an email to janine.hallewell@gmail.com

I really do want and need your feedback on this one.

Fantastic Weekend

Well the weekend weather has sure made things feel more summery and warm. We had a fabulous weekend, that really started on Thursday night. Si's parents decided to head up to the lake for a few days so we have had the house to ourselves since Thursday. We both had to work on Friday, but we came home and had a relaxing night watching a DVD.

Woke up with pain in my lower back and have not been able to shake it at all, it is like a constant ache across my lower back and then I get stabbing pains on both sides as well. I have read that it might be a side effect of one of the meds that I am on, so I am booked into see the dr this afternoon.

With Si's parents being away we were also looking after Oscar, their miniature schnauzer/Griffin cross dog (I will get a pic of him to put in here later on). Now he is used to at least 1 walk per day, mostly two, so I decided that he needed to get some exercise whilst he was in our care.....so on Friday night I took him for about 1.5 km and then on Saturday morning took him to Dad's house and back which was about 2.5 km round trip. I was really pleased with that and although I do have the joint pain in my ankle it was bearable. I also managed to take him for a walk this morning in the frosty cold morning that we had - it was only about a km but at least he had a little walk. Actually I have become his new best friend.......it is really funny.

Saturday was just filled with household chores, washing clothes and getting them dry and folded....still have one basket to fold.....I made a nice brunch for us both - bacon & egg muffins - was meant to be eggs benedict but the hollandaise went terribly wrong.....!!

Si was going a bit house bound in the afternoon so we decided to see a movie. We both really like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, so we went to see the movie Public Enemy - a true story about a US bank robber from the 30's. It was pretty good, but then I think most things Johnny Depp does is fantastic.....I have been a fan since 21 Jump Street days.

After the movie we discovered we had a flat tyre/puncture.........and after we finally got that changed and drove home slowly on our space saver tyre (I hate them) it was almost 9pm. Watched the telethon till about 1am and then went to bed......was up early the next morning (thanks Oscar) and pretty much just cruised around the house watching the telethon.

Now, weight wise, things have been a bit all over the place and I have been trying to concentrate on not drinking when I eat.....which must have had some effect as I had crept up to just over 103 kgs and as at this morning I was back at 101.7 kgs, so a definite improvement, although I can honestly say I am really not too worried about it. I can also say that even with the excess skin issues I can appreciate what I see in the mirror.....I mean without having the surgery I am actually happy with where I am at, sure there are areas I need/would like to work on - like my bat wing arms and my sharpei legs....but all in all - I am good with it.

Actually on a slightly different topic.....Jo recently said about being able to go clothes shopping and find things that fit........I am having so much trouble with this. I scour the clearance rails and they are all size 26-28 and size 10-12 ......nothing in my 18/20 size at all!!!! Gets really depressing when I can finally fit off the rack clothes and there aren't any in my price bracket.( IE cheap) - but if that is all I have to complain about then as the Mitre 10 Mega guy says "LIFE IS GOOD"

Overdue Update and some Good News.

Wow, such a long time since I updated. Last week just flew by and I got to spend some more time with Roz on Thursday as they headed back to Wellington. I wish there wasn't that little bit of water between us, but at least airfares are not too bad, and it looks as though we should be able to make it down there sometime before Christmas.

I have had quite a bit of pain in my left ankle over the past week and my rashes on my elbows and buttocks have gotten worse again. It is all part of the auto immune thing, and although my liver levels are coming down (still elevated) the other symptoms have either come back or got worse. I have a major set of bloods this week and I am hoping that I will get a follow up appointment with the specialist in the next couple of weeks to look at the medication etc.

But now onto the weekend - which was pretty cool.Saturday was just getting the washing done, and then we went to visit the cat at the cattery. He seems really happy there, actually I think he is the “top” cat there as he has been there the longest. He seemed pleased to see us, but just before we left he decided he had had enough of us, and he went to his food bowl and ate……so feeling good about that.

Saturday night made my now “famous in our house pizza’s” – I decided to make 3 different flavours and they were all so yummy.

• The original and first one is – chicken, bacon and sweetcorn pizza with hp sauce drizzled on top.
• The second – sweet chilli chicken with caramelised onions and red peppers.
• The last one was – spicy apricot chicken, with apricot bits and cream cheese.

All of them were very very yummy.

On Sunday morning I made brunch, which was Sweetcorn and Bacon Fritters with a homemade chutney sauce. Then last night I made a red wine and beef risotto from scratch!!!!!! I didn’t enjoy this as much though…….not sure why. Had a blast cooking again – and I took photos of the meals and I think I am going to make up my own ‘family’ cook book.

Oh we had some good news on Friday night, Si has gone full time at his job, although they are paying him slightly less per hour than if he was part time. They also have monthly bonus’s for their full time staff so it should work out to be about the same. It has certainly given us some security and as we will still be living with Si’s parents for a while, (in a rental) it means that it also takes the pressure off me having to settle for any job. So I can be a little bit choosy about what I want to do.

Oh – and this morning my weight is up to 103 kgs – not very happy about that and yes although some of it will be influenced a little by the steroids, ALOT of it has to do with what I am eating and drinking and when. So I have pulled out the pouch rules again, and although I cannot actually meet all of them because of our living arrangements, I can actually do a lot of them. So this week I am going to -

1. Have my protein shake every morning – had it this morning with 3 dollops of yoghurt, 2 scoops protein powder and about ¼ cup of milk.
2. Drink as much water as I can in between meals and water load about 30 mins prior to eating
3. Not drink with my meals at all
4. Not drink for 30 mins – 60 mins after my meal and then sip sip sip.
5. Eat the protein first Try to avoid the carbs………(will be hard in the evening meal)
6. If I need to snack – make it a couple of crackers with cheese – not the chocolate and lollies etc I have been having.
7. Oh – and I almost forgot – take my vitamins

Part of this came up due to our WLS support group meeting, and although I have health issues at the moment,and I am not really concentrating on my Weightloss as such, I do need to be as healthy as I can be for my body to fight the other issues, and if that means making sure I am following all the rules so my digestive system is working properly then maybe it will take the stress off the other areas.

This week should be pretty breezy, just work and concentrating on the above and paying bills. Will try an update a little more regularilybut as mentioned before it seems like nothing much is happening at the moment, and it just seems boring to write - went to work, had lunch, came home had dinenr, played WoW and went to bed. LOL - I am sure I could manage to come up with something a little more exciting - but not much!!!