hApPy hAllOwEen

Happy Halloween!!!

 

My sister Katie has never liked Halloween.  Even as a kid she would whine and cry when having to stand in the cold to take photos with our pumpkins.  She would whine and cry when having to walk around the neighborhood collecting candy.  Seriously, she has never liked Halloween.  I, on the other hand, love Halloween.  I don’t like all the scary/creepy/gross things about it.  I love that you can dress up and become anybody you want for a whole day.  Oh, and I love candy!

 

  

I am planning to pick up Emma from kindergarten and convince her that costumes are fun.  She seems to be a bit of a skeptic with this whole Halloween thing.  I assured her I’d be in costume too and that we would go visit my coworker, also in costume.  We are planning to swing into Flying Pie pizza where it is “trick or treat” day for making a free pizza.  Then I’ll run her into my parents’ house so we can trick or treat around their neighborhood.  But, she has to get into costume if she wants candy.  Emma loves candy!

 

I hope you have a wonderful Halloween. 

 

 

 

I've Been Taken Over By The Plaque

This week has been a rough one due to combating a cold/cough/congestion and also two days of nausea/stomach bug.  I pretty much feel like death warmed over.

 

I went to Quick Care yesterday before work to practically beg for some cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep at night.  There is a fine line between needing to sleep and looking like a drug addict.  It was touch-and-go there at one point but thankfully the PA must have agreed I looked like I needed sleep and granted me my liquid potion.  While it was still a rough night for getting to sleep, I was able to sleep until my alarm went off at 4am without coughing so I’m going to count that as a success! 

I am working today as a trade for taking Wednesday off which is when I came down with the stomach bug.  Thankfully I have wonderful coworkers who stepped in to cover my shifts and in exchange I am working today.  I can rest more on Sunday and Monday but honestly I do hope I am over the hill and headed back down the other side.  I don’t get sick often but this has really brought me down hard.

It has also made it difficult to meet my step goal and I just don’t think I’m going to be able to complete my 200,000 step challenge.  I keep thinking maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to bust out some activity but I’m just not up to it.  I’ll have to make my own challenge in the future and try again.

I am looking forward to time off next week when my aunt comes to visit from New Mexico.  I am also looking forward to getting back to a routine of going to Curves more regularly.  I’m planning to pop into a WW meeting sometime next week since I am working this morning and not able to attend.  Kenyon and I got the scale out at home plus I have been weighed twice recently at two different doctor appointments.  The only plus to feeling like crap is weight loss.  Thankfully anything I have gained over the past few weeks appears to be gone.  It almost feels like a clean slate now and I can jump back into healthy eating and focus on weight loss.  Before getting sick I had been looking up recipes along the Simply Filling lines and I think a focus on Simply Filling will be good for me. 

As I said in my birthday blog, there is roughly three months until my 10-year WW Anniversary so I’m vowing to try my best at losing weight over these next three months.  Staying focused is the most important step!

 

 

Silver City, Idaho: An Old Mining Town Turned Ghost Town

Today I’d like to talk about one of my favorite places in the world: Silver City.

Silver City, Idaho is an old mining town turned ghost town. 

My family has been lucky enough to own our cabin in Owyhee County for the last 57 years.  My grandparents bought our cabin in 1959.  Over the years, my father, grandfather, and uncle have turned the tiny one-room-cabin-with-lean-to into a vacation home in the mountains.  Weekend visits include sourdough pancakes cooked on the woodstove along with Dad’s “cowboy coffee.”  As kids, each of us took turns getting bathed in the old wash bin and then entertaining ourselves by watching the wood burn in the fireplace.  While we now have running water and solar power, there is no inside restroom.  You’ll have to use the outhouse.

My childhood consisted of stories about Screaming Alice who haunts the historic Idaho Hotel.  You can also visit two cemeteries viewing headstones dated back to the1800s.    

Since I am related to at least half of Owyhee County, I have many other family members that also own a cabin in Silver City.  Visiting Silver City anytime of the year (the road is open from late May to early October) is enjoyable, however, every September, on the second weekend after Labor Day, this old ghost town comes to life with the annual Open House.  During Open House weekend, the public is invited to tour 10-12 buildings and private homes that have been opened up by the townspeople who own them.  This last September, I made sure to dress for the occasion wearing my Sunday best!

If you have never been Silver City you are sure missing out.  When you are planning your vacations for next year, make sure you add Silver City, Idaho to your list.  You won’t regret it.

200,000 Step Challange: Week Three

I am slightly behind on my 200,000 step challenge goal.  Last week was a tough week for getting activity in.  I had originally thought that since I had the PSAP 911 Seminar two days last week that I’d be walking around more.  By Thursday evening I came down with a sore throat and then a full-on cold so activity was farthest from my mind this week.  I’m going to stay focused to try and get my goal met by next Monday.  I’ve got to work extra hard this week despite still feeling like poo.

Here is my week three totals:

Monday: 7,621 steps

Tuesday: 5,816 steps

Wednesday: 4,955 steps

Thursday: 3,241 steps

Friday: 6,442 steps

Saturday: 6,724 steps

Sunday: 5,742 steps

Week three total: 40,581

Overall total: 148,335

It's My 37th Birthday Today

It’s my 37^th Birthday today.  Yippie!

 

I came into work to find my console had been decorated.  My supervisor arrived early to make my day very special.  It was such a nice gesture.  She also had fresh donuts and some Hershey kisses that said “party” and “celebrate”.  I got a new gold crown and a birthday girl button too.  Thank you DeLisa.

 

My coworker Shauna left me some Halloween hand sanitizer.  We are currently dealing with a lot of sickness in the dispatch center.  Thanks Shauna! (Look at my cute Halloween Jamberry nails.  They glow in the dark too).

 

I collected my free Dutch Bros coffee for my birthday on my way into work.  I’m not sure on plans later today.  Kenyon has come down with some sort of stomach sickness so it might just be a mellow night at home.  I’m not quite over my cold either so a low-key evening isn’t a bad idea.  We will see how the day progresses.

On a side note: It has almost been 10-years with WW.  I am reminded of this as the photo I use as my before photo was taken at my birthday just before I joined WW.  I put together some comparison photos of birthdays past. 

The photo on the left was taken on my 27^th birthday and the following January is when I joined WW and the one on the right was taken in August. 
 

 

In this photo collage, the same two photos are there along with the one on the upper right taken at my 30^th birthday (my lowest weight) and the one on the lower left taken at my 36^th birthday (about 30ish pounds less). 

 

I’m still down about 50 pounds from my starting weight of 304.8 pounds.  I have been reflecting on this last few years and where the 37^th year of my life will take me.  I have roughly three months until my official 10-year WW Anniversary.  I vow to make a decent effort to get back on track with healthy eating and activity.  My hope is that at my official anniversary, I can proudly say that I have kept off even more than 50 pounds. 

Make a wish and blow out your candles….

Is It Monday Already?

Good Morning.  Despite three days off (I didn’t have to work my OT shift on Sunday), I don’t quite feel ready for the work week.  And yet, here I am!  I do have OT today so I am back to the grind this morning.

Thanks for break from the blog.  I had a little bit of rest and relaxation but really the days off flew by.  Friday I spent some time trying to help a friend who is having a difficult time.  Saturday night Kenyon and I attended an open house for new wine tasting room and then a wedding at a different winery.  Sunday a couple of my friends came over with their kids to carve pumpkins.  Let’s dive into the last few days as I share some photos:

Williamson’s Orchard and Vineyard opened a new tasting room and had their open house on Saturday.  Since we had plans to be out that way for a wedding, Kenyon and I met my Mom and Dad there to see the new place and try some wine.  I went to school with Bev Williamson-Mack and we were able to chat with her despite the many people lounging around.  Since it was an open house their whole wine menu was open for tasting.  I really loved the Dry Riesling, Lilly White, and the Late Harvest Viognier.

 

We pretty much had to sip and run and we drove across the street to St. Chapelle.  The wedding was held in the upstairs area above the tasting room, which I’ve never been.  It was a nice area but quite small and there was a lot of table/chair shifting.  The food was delicious and the desserts were nice and sweet.  The bride looked stunning and I can’t believe that little Becky Feller got married!  The Feller family moved next door to my parent’s house when I was still young.  At that time they only had two children and now they have five (and two grandbabies).  Becky is the youngest.

 

The flowers were made of wood

I came down with a sore throat on Thursday evening and by Sunday I was miserable with a full blow cold.  I met Phoenix for breakfast and then went home to rest.  Phoenix and Rebecca brought their kids over to carve pumpkins in the afternoon.  It was a beautiful fall day and we carved outside on the patio.  Oh my what a mess kids can make!  But, we had fun.

Be Back Soon

I'm pretty exhausted with all the overtime at work. I've finally got two days off in a row with not a lot planned. Thank goodness. Plus, Kenyon is off work too.

So if you need me, I'll be watching TV and relaxing. Right now I'm watching the remake of Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's not too bad.

 

I'm going to take a few days off blogging. Be back soon.

5th Annual PSAP 911 Seminar

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Good Morning!  Is anybody else ready for the weekend or is it just me?  I’ve got to finish the rest of my 12-hour shift and then I get Friday and Saturday off.  I am looking forward to it.

I had the pleasure to attend the 5^th Annual PSAP 911 Seminar on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Just as in the years past, it was a great time seeing all my dispatch peeps and having the ability to learn some new stuff.  There is a lot of hard work put into putting this seminar on from year to year and I am very thankful to the dedicated members of the PSAP team.  To the PSAP Members, thank you for all you do!

 

The seminar consists of two full days and each day has a keynote speaker, two mini training sessions, and one long training session at the end of the day.  The training is free and they even feed you.  On Wednesday our morning snack was a yogurt bar with fruit toppings and it was served alongside some banana bread.  It was the highlight of the food and really hit the spot.  There tends to be a lot of sweets served and before you know it, by the end of the day it is a bit of sugar overload.  So the healthy snack was much welcomed.  We also had hamburgers on Wednesday for lunch served on homemade hamburger rolls that were still fresh and hot.  Boy was that delicious.  The fire alarm went off twice during our mini training session just before lunch.  Maybe it was those piping hot buns?

 

This mini sessions I attended on Tuesday were Difficult Personalities and Leadership.  I really enjoyed the counselor that taught the session on Difficult Personalities.  She was really upbeat and energetic and funny as hell.  I really took away a lot from that session and am still thinking about it even today.  I loved when she said to remember that your best attribute annoys somebody else.  Ain’t that the truth!   The Leadership training was a dud.  Nice guy but very boring and really nothing new as far as information goes.  I felt like he just had a bunch of quotes to share and that was it. 

The big session on Tuesday was also our keynote speaker.  He is a manager for a one of the dispatch centers with the California Highway Patrol and has been working for the agency for 35 years.  It was fantastic to have a dispatch manager teaching one of our sessions and the three hours we were with him flew by so fast.  His training session was Catch ‘Em, Train ‘Em, Keep ‘Em which was about recruitment, training, and retention.  I got several ideas on how to make new employees feel welcome and how to try and keep people in the door.  We even have a fun idea for a recruitment video (assuming we can actually get approval).  What was really cool is that the speaker worked in the dispatch center during the Rodney King incident/riots and the OJ Simpson police pursuit.  That is awesome.

 

The mini sessions on Wednesday were Suicide Intervention and Below 100.  I’ve been to a few suicide trainings and honestly, we don’t get many suicidal callers in our dispatch center at ISP.  I had a couple during my six months at Nampa.  The counselor who taught this was very passionate about the topic and really helped us understand suicide better.  She had some great tools/tips to share so we could take them back to the center.  The Below 100 is a movement to try and keep the officer deaths below 100 each year.  There are more officers killed in traffic crashes each year than by firearms.  In order to keep the officer deaths down, the movement focuses on these key aspects: Wear your seatbelt, reduce your speed, wear your vest, WIN (What’s Important Now), and complacency kills.  You can read more about Below 100 by visiting their website by clicking here. ß   Below 100 is a very emotional topic to discuss.  Our goal each day as dispatchers is to make sure our officers go home safe to their family and loved ones.

The large session at the end of Wednesday was also our same keynote speaker from the morning.  Our speaker had a very emotional story to share of her tragic life events and her upbringing.  She is very brave for taking so openly.  Her afternoon session was on Critical Thinking but was a bit unorganized.  We listened to some calls and critiqued the dispatcher.  If you know dispatchers you know we love to find the bad in a person so critiquing comes easy to us. 

I won a prize on Tuesday and now have $25 extra in my pocket to spend at Starbucks.  WhooooHoooo!  I’m calling it an early birthday present.