One year ago today, I was lying awake, a nervous wreck before I was to start a new job. That job didn’t work out for various reasons, but almost 6 months later to the day I found a job I love, and here I am 6 months after THAT still loving it!

I haven’t felt this happy in a long time…in fact, I don’t know if I’ve EVER been so at peace with my life. The next step is to get physically fit and lose weight, and to continue to take care of my mental health.

Ramble done…thanks for listening to the musings from my little corner of the world

I wanted to give the chance to all of my readers to mock these wonderful pieces equally! Therefore, here are the 7 candidates in the order in which I saw them…

I’d love to hear my readers’ opinions on these special pieces- poll to follow! I’ll even award a prize (yet-to-be-determined) to the person who responds with the best comment 

It isn’t something I talk a whole lot about to anyone other than close friends, but I haven’t had the best luck in the relationship arena. I’ve never accomplished anything on a strict timeline; I was 19 when I got my driver’s license, and my university degree has been a true roller coaster of up-and-down emotions and academic results. There are some things I believe in setting a firm goal for; for instance, if you read my 30 in 30 post, you’ll know that I am DETERMINED to lose 30 lbs by my 30th birthday in January. There is no one but me standing in the way of that goal!!

However, I draw the line with relationships and firm goals. I have seen what has happened with the “I want to get married by 28″ and “I want to be a mom by 30″ people, and in the majority of cases things haven’t ended well. Of course, I know there are special circumstances; illness, military deployment, or any of a myriad of personal reasons why people want to accomplish something by a certain point in their life. Saying that, I get REALLY stinkin’ jealous of some people around my age who are getting married, have found Mr/Ms. Right, are having kids…they have someone to love them, to care for them and about them. Don’t get me wrong; my parents and brothers are WONDERFUL and have been, and continue to be, an enormous support to me. However, it would be really nice to have someone around to talk with, to cry with when I’m having a bad day, to watch my favorite movies and TV show with…to just be there for me when I need him.

Sooo…I’m taking the first baby step in jumping back into the wonderful world of the awkward back-and-forth tango more commonly known as “dating”; I’m admitting that I truly want to find someone, that life partner who will stick around through the bad times and the good. I don’t know what’s going to end up working for me, but I talk a lot and love meeting new people, so I’ll use that to start with and go from there    Barring that, there are always arranged marriages…

I was one of those crazy people who got up at the crack of dawn (well, earlier than the crack of dawn, actually; it was 3:50am!) to watch Will and Kate’s wedding. You see, my mother and grandmother are great fans of the royal family, and books about the various members of the monarchy have always been everywhere around the house and cottage. It was a great activity for Mom and I to enjoy, and watching the entire wedding with her will always be one of my favorite memories of time we spent together 

When word got out that Will and Kate would be coming to Prince Edward Island this summer, there was NO question that I would be going! My BFF got the weekend off of work to join me, and I shift-traded in order to make a nice long weekend. Time set aside, we headed over to the Island after work on the evening of Canada Day. On Sunday afternoon, we did a bit of a reconnaissance mission to determine where we would stake out our spot the next morning for the main event; an appearance and walkabout at Province House. The royal couple was set to land in Charlottetown on Sunday evening, so out to the airport we headed! It was really neat seeing their plane land; I forgot (*GASP*) my camera at home (as you will read later, it was just as well!), so I snapped a pic with my iPod Touch:

The next day, we left the cottage bright and early in the morning in order to stake our place in front of Province House. We parked at my grandmother’s house and walked the 15 minutes into town (remember this; we had also done a round trip the day before during our recon mission!). The royal couple was scheduled to speak there, do a walkabout, ride down Great George Street (the street perpendicular to Province House) in a landau (i.e. a carriage pulled by horses!), and then watch a performance on the waterfront. We got to the area at about 8:30, and there were a LOT of people there; some had been waiting since the previous evening! Since I am relatively short (5’6″), there was no way in Hades that I was going to be able to get any decent photos, since people were crammed together like sardines and we were 2-3 rows of people back from the barricade. Instead, I concentrated on enjoying the moment and taking pictures of the giant TV screen that we were coincidentally positioned close to 

By the time Will and Kate appeared outside, we had walked 15 minutes at a rapid pace and stood in the same spot, barely moving, for almost 2 hours. Remember than recon mission from yesterday? I don’t wear sneakers in the summer unless I’m at the gym. Therefore, I was wearing my super-comfy, well broken-in Birkenstocks. Standing in that crowd, I could FEEL giant blisters on the bottom of both feet, and they felt like they were on fire! I managed to limp down to the waterfront to do some more stalking (bff is SO lucky that he’s 6′+ tall and has a SUPER camera!!!), and then managed the 15-minute walk back to the car through gritted teeth. By the time we got home, my feet were so sore that the only thing I could compare them to was the result of the Black High-Heeled Boots in Paris incident of 2005! I unfortunately had to miss Will and Kate’s departure later that day for Summerside, where my bff shook both of their hands, and where my mother ended up on cbc.ca!

Lesson learned: if you’re going to stalk Royals, do so in Nikes, not Birkenstocks. Even the most fit will be taken down. Trust me!!

JULY [um, yeah...I can't do math...!] 21st, 2011, is the day. The day when it will be exactly 6 months until my 30th birthday.

Honestly, the number doesn’t mean a lot to me. I’m not one for setting age-related goals in life; every time I’ve tried, I’ve ended up disappointed and miserable. So, I told myself that I will do my best and get things done in my own time! No “I want to get married by X”, “I haaaave to have kids by X”, etc., for me!

One thing that can’t wait, however, is my health. I’ve let my fitness level and eating habits lapse over the past couple of years, and I think that things have finally settled down in my life. It’s time! I have pledged to myself to lose (a minimum of) 30 in 30; that is, 30 lbs by the time I turn 30 on January 21st. I think 6 months is a more than reasonable amount of time to accomplish this goal; I did it 7 years ago, and I can do it again!! My new place of work even has a gym in the basement, and the staff does a “Biggest Loser” competition a few times a year. I do well when I’m accountable to someone or a group of people, so I’m signing up right away for the next challenge! My goal is to be bikini-ready for next spring; perhaps my bff and I will set off on one of our adventures. I really, REALLY want to go back to Hawaii, or on a Southern Caribbean Cruise, or…well, you get the point 

So, stay tuned…as of June 21st, I’m going hardcore and I’ll need my readers’ help. I know that I’m going to have BAD sugar/salt/fatty food cravings, so there might be a few posts with barely more than “I desperately want [insert food here] right now!” There will probably be some bad days along the way, too…but writing, for me, is the best therapy

Seriously, though…if you have a family history, get checked out!!!

I can’t recall exactly what we did that night, but I do remember my father calling my neighbor’s house early in the morning, telling us we had a new baby brother. “Are you SURE?” I kept asking; I had wanted a sister for years! My father assured me that he was very much certain that the baby was a boy!

The next day, I remember walking into the front door of the hospital, and riding the elevator up to the maternity ward wriggling with excitement. When I saw my new baby brother for the first time, I fell in love immediately and I have never, EVER regretted not getting the sister I wanted.

He has brought us such joy over the past 19 years; from when he used to take our things and sell them back to us, when he wandered off to the mini golf course at the age of 3 (and scared my grandparents to death!), and when he graduated from high school last year with high honors.

Happy 19th birthday, buddy- enjoy your life. You have so much to look forward to!!

You may think it was funny to say this, but I have 2 brothers around your age and several male friends who, fortunately, like me the way I am. I don’t think any of them would find your comments funny in the least, and, if given the chance, my brothers could beat you to a pulp. Good thing I don’t advocate violence except in cases of self-defense!

I know I don’t need to defend my physical appearance, but I’m going to anyway. You see, you have no idea what is going on in my life. Three years ago, I was fit and many pounds lighter. Instead of calling me Fatty, you probably would have driven by and whistled. There is no one event that caused me to gain weight, but let me tell you that I have gotten enough flack about it from my mother; I don’t need it from strangers too. How sad that you are naive and ignorant enough to decide, in the 5 seconds it took to drive by me, that “Fatty” is the best word to describe me.

I am a wonderful, caring person who would help anybody, even you, who was in need. If I saw you being beaten up, I would call for help. If you asked me for a quarter for bus fare, I would give it to you. Too bad you probably wouldn’t ask, since you seem to think that my weight makes me less of a person. Ask my friends, little brother, and family; you’re missing out on a lot. Trust me