Year in Review - 101 Things revisited

Back on October 18, 2011 I put together a little list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. While I still have until July 14th, 2014 to complete the list, I thought it would be a good time to reflect back on what I have accomplished so far and review what I am still working on as I start looking towards the New Year.

101 Things in 1001 Days : 19 items Completed

9) Get a tattoo to commemorate the LG4CF June 1, 2012 See Blog post

 10) Get a pedicure- I've had a few but my first one after the Longest Game was April 11,2012 - when my poor hockey feet were finally healed
12) Wear my hair straightened for a week - April 11th, 2012 - Chemically straightened my hair. It lasted just over a week then my hair became very defiant again.
25) Get my cholesterol and blood pressure checked Nov 18,2011
26) Get a physical Nov 16, 2011
30) Exercise 5 days a week (not including dog walks) for a month. Including cardio and strength training. Continue as inspired Sept 24,2012 - present. Run 3 days, cycle 2 days, Hockey once a week: Still going strong...
33) Participate in the 5K Obstacle Course Zombie run August 4th, 2012 - The Zombies got me at the final stretch but I still got my medal :)

40) Go on a golf vacation - Dec 6th - 11th, 2012 (Mesa Arizona)

43) Take a Kickboxing class - June 18th - July 9th, 2012 
45) Plan weekly meals 4 weeks in a row - Since Oct 1, 2012
56) Make fresh bread in the bread maker for a month November 2011 (on and off since)
58) Make a crock pot meal - Slow Cooker Orange Ginger Beef - Dec 22, 2011 - Sooo Good!
61) No chocolate for a month - Oct & Nov 2012 (Yes, even with all that Halloween chocolate)
62) Clean the home office and throw out/shred/recycle any unneeded papers. File the keepers July 20th, 2012 - New home office!



65) Paint the bathroom (upstairs main) - Jan  2012

Before

After

      











67) Buy an iPhone January 17, 2012 - Love it!
68) Make an iTunes workout playlist of 180 minutes Nov 17, 2011: I've made a few more since
78) Rent a boat for a day and spend the day exploring Howe Sound http://www.sewellsmarina.com - Aug 8th, 2012



88) Attend a performance of the VSO March 3, 2012 Wicked Divas
94) Renew my passport May 11, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have 12 items that are currently in Progress:

6) Make a list of 100 quotes that appeal to me - I have about 20 so far, including:   

          Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.  –Anonymous

 11) Get a massage at least once a month - I like this one so much I do it every 2 weeks
15) Get the necessary repairs done on my car - Only a few more repairs left
24) Reach my healthy weight- Almost Halfway there!
27) Keep a food and exercise journal - Using MyNetDiary.com
31) Run a 10K under 1 hour - Training for the Up the Creek 10 K run in Port Coquitlam in (April 2013)
32) Complete a ½ marathon - Aiming for the Trail River Run ½ Marathon in Port Coquitlam (September 2013)

39) Golf at least 25 rounds - Due to a shoulder injury during league hockey last season, I was unable to golf in 2012, except for the 2 rounds in Mesa (item #40)
57) Try 20 new recipes - About 10 so far
69) Make a list of 41 songs that were significant in my life - It's getting there....
90) Go out with a friend once a month  Every month so far.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In addition to my 101 items, the following are a few more highlights from 2012:

1) In June, my fur kids got me a Dragon for my Birthday. Not a real one of course but a very handsome statue named Monitore. I mentioned him previously in my Meet Monitore Blog.

Monitore dressed for the holidays

2) In July we finished the renovations for the Man Cave

3) In early November I went short.... I took the plunge and cut my hair, losing 2 pounds off my head

                
4)  In November I attended the premiere screening of "Lace Bite", the documentary about the Longest Game that I participated in back in August of 2011. I never thought I would see myself on the big screen, but what an honor it was to be part of the documentary and a player in the game. It brought back so many memories. Carmen and Sharron did a wonderful job on this documentary and I urge you to see it if you can. You can purchase a copy of the DVD, which is now available. Click below to link to the website.

Click here to purchase your copy of the Lace Bite DVD

5) At the beginning of December, my husband and I treated ourselves to a VIP evening at the Journey concert (with LoverBoy and Night Ranger). It was blast back to the 80's.....

David and I with Journey band members Jonathan Cain and Ross Valory

I thought I would do much better for #66 on the 101 list: Blog at least once a week. Looking back, including this post, I have Blogged only 8 times in 2012 but looking at the list of completed, in progress and added activities, I had a lot of material I could have blogged about. I anticipate that 2013 will keep me busy on the blog......

Wishing all my Blog readers a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Cheers!

Longest Game 4 CF: One year later

It has been just over one year since 40 players, supported by volunteers, friends and family, created a new world record by playing the Longest Hockey game in support of the Cystic Fibrosis community. On September 5th, 2011 at 10 am, the players achieved a new record of 243 hours & 5 minutes, raised $171,000 in donations and promoted International awareness of Cystic Fibrosis.

Here's some interesting facts about the game:
  

• The first goal of the game was scored by Red #42 (Tricia Tait)
•  The Zamboni drivers, who normally take 10 minutes to clean the ice, were able to get the task done in 7 minutes to meet the 10 minute maximum break allotment 
• The Longest Game was reported on by 21 Media outlets across Canada (plus a few more in the USA)
• A LG4CF jersey, signed by the 40 players was auctioned for $5,000 at a CF fundraiser

During the LG4CF, Sharon, Carmen and their film crew from Beyond Your Eye Productions was on site filming the Longest Game documentary, "Lace Bite". Click below to see the official movie trailer:

I can't wait to see the documentary and it is making its debut over the next couple of months at the DocuFest Atlanta on September 23rd, followed by a showing at the St. John's International Women's Film Festival on October 19th. To keep up to date on the documentary, subscribe to the Beyond Your Eye website or follow them on Twitter @BeyondYourEye

I finally put my LG4CF jersey on display in our house, right next to the Canucks 2011 Stanley Cup #23 jersey, signed by Alexander Edler. The Edler jersey was given to us by my mom who bought it at the LG4CF auction. In addition to the jersey, she also arranged to have the jersey display boxes custom made by a friend.

#23 Alexander Edler Canucks jersey (signed) and the #41 Julie Makranyi LG4CF jersey

Unfortunately we lost our World Record status in May of this year but my experience, memories and support for the CF community will be with me forever.

Below are links to previous LG4CF posts:

LG4CF photos
LG4CF Commemorative Art
A LG4CF Reflection
August 2011 Blogs


 

Three Dog Night posts to support Shelter Dogs

As many of you know, all my dogs were adopted from the BC SPCA. I am an advocate for adopting homeless dogs from animal shelters and supporting causes that help these organizations continue with their work.

I happened to come across Pedigree's annual  "Write a Post, Help a Dog" project in which Pedigree will donate a 17 pound bag of their dry dog food to shelters in need - up to 450 bags, for every blogger who writes a post promoting Pedigree and the Pedigree foundation.

When I came across this campaign from Pedigree, I had to participate and add a post to show my support. The goal for 2012  is to generate 450 blog posts to ensure Pedigree can donate the grand total of 7,650 pounds of food to shelters in need. The deadline to post is midnight EST on June 30th. (That's today!!!!)

Pedigree also has a commitment to the adoption of and placement into loving homes for shelter dogs through their Pedigree foundation*.

If you would like to participate in the "Write a Post, Help a Dog", just follow these simple steps:

1.  Write your own post about “Write a Post, Help a Dog” and what the Pedigree Foundation is doing to help. This needs to be done by MIDNIGHT EST, SATURDAY JUNE 30TH! That's today at 9 pm for the West Coast!
2. Link it to Blog Hop at the bottom of this post. (you need to link to capture your blog in the posting numbers)
• Click on 'click here to enter' then enter your blog name and blog post http: address to add your blog name to the list
• Get the code from the link at the bottom of this post and in HTML view, add the code link to the end of your post to show the entries from your fellow bloggers.
3. If you are under the wire to meet the deadline, feel free to use/copy some of my post
4. Once you've posted, add this little badge on your blog to acknowledge your contribution

  

Now, go give your Dog(s) a Hug and a Kiss.

*The Foundation has its roots in The PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive, a campaign initiated in 2005 by PEDIGREE® Brand. This annual adoption drive—active in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland—has helped raise awareness of, and funds for, dogs in need. In 2007, PEDIGREE® Brand created The PEDIGREE Foundation to further help the cause.

LG4CF Commemorative Art

Yesterday my close friend and LG4CF teammate Tricia and I finally got our tattoos to commemorate our participation in the Longest Game 4CF last year.

We absolutely love this tattoo. It turned out better than I had been envisioning for the past 9 months. Yes, a tattoo on the foot does hurt* to get done, but it was so worth the pain for a result like this. Considering that our feet took the brunt of the beating during our 10 days of hockey it seemed only fitting for the artwork to appear here.

Our tattoo artist was Chris Hold at Sacred Heart Tattoo in Vancouver. We brought him a concept** and with some input from both Tricia and I, he designed this for us. If you are planning to get a tattoo, I highly recommend Chris as your tattoo artist. He is very creative, personable and talented. He also has this template if you are interested in sporting this look - Tricia and I are happy to share.

This tattoo has a significant meaning. The overall tattoo symbolizes the commitment, experience and accomplishment of the Longest Game 4CF. The Rose is a representative of 65 Roses, which is a term associated with the cystic fibrosis community; "Believe" is for: Believe in yourself, Believe the impossible is possible and Believe that someday CF will stand for Cure Found.

Afterwards we met up with our husbands and celebrated our newly acquired art with dinner at Steam Works. Overall, it was a Great day!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Hurt like a sonofabitch
** A special Thank you to our incredibly talented LG4CF teammate Lisa Mackay for her artistic input into our initial conceptual design

Meet Monitore

Sunday afternoon my husband and I decided to go out and take a look at some Landscaping and Yard places to get some ideas for the backyard. At one place I saw this incredible statue made of concrete and I couldn't get over how much I liked it.

When I came home from work today, I was surprised by a new addition:

Meet Monitore, isn't he handsome? I just love this statue and right now I have him perched to watch the front door. He is an early Birthday gift from the Fur kids (how did they know?).

"A long time ago, before men and magic, dragons ruled this land. Perched on high at the entrance of their kingdom, sat Monitore. Ever vigilant, the young dragon watched over the comings and goings of the day."

Now Monitore will be keeping watch over our kingdom

Does this make me the Mother of Dragons now?

Happy Birthday Mom!

This sculpture was designed by Klaus Kinast and sculpted by Marie Michon, both residents of Victoria, B.C.

Great day for Great Strides

Today was a great day to reunite with my Longest Game 4 CF teammates and supporters as we joined numerous others in the annual Great Strides  5K walk, Canada’s largest national fundraising event for Cystic Fibrosis. We spent this morning catching up as we walked through Queen's Park in New Westminster,  while raising awareness and money for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Our team, Team LG4CF LaceBites, surpassed our $1,000 goal and raised $1,415.

So far, the event has raised over $2,097,584 .

 Team LG4CF LaceBites (Lto R): Me, Tricia, Sina, Kari, Jade, special guest Quinten, and Tamaki.  Missing from photo Elysia and Melissa

It was so nice to reconnect with my teammates again and with some of the LG4CF volunteers and supporters, including CF families that came to boost our spirits during the Longest Game. I was so happy to see Des and Anne Burke, my former coworkers, who also volunteered during the LG4CF.

Although she didn't participate on our team, former LG4CF player Katrina was there walking for her brother's team "Dustin the Wind" with the newest (and adorable) team member. Her brother Dustin was also one of our "DJs" and volunteers during the Longest game.

Katrina sharing a laugh post walk

Newest team member, tired from all the excitement

 Before the walk started, we were treated to the very talented Hip Hop Group "Freshh", who performed a dance routine to get us motivated.  If you are a fan of "Canada's Got Talent", then you would know that they were among the top 3 Finalists. One of the members, Ryan, was unable to perform today as he was in the hospital for his annual CF check up. Here is my attempt at capturing their performance:

Here's a few more pictures:

FRESHH sharing a few words before they perform

Me (41), Tricia (42), Jade (19), Elysia (1) and Melissa (on right)

L to R: Melissa, Elysia, Jade and Tamaki

Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters for making today such a great day. And Thank you to our LG4CF LaceBites Team Captain Tricia for getting us all organized!

 See you next year!

Passing the Torch

As of 5 pm today (PST), our Longest Hockey Game World Record was broken by 40 men in Chestermere Alberta, who played for over 246 hours (~ 10.5 days).  As much as I would like to retain my World Record status, I admire the dedication shown by these new record holders who raised $1.4 million for the Pediatric Cancer and ICU ward at Alberta Children's hospital. 

CTV Calgary: Record setting marathon hockey game 

The tweets and blogs from some of the players throughout the game brought me back to our game 8-1/2 months ago, when we experienced the same aches, pains and challenges to reach our goal.

Congratulations to Team Hope and Team Cure for this incredible achievement. Give yourself a pat on the back and an ice bath for your feet. 

Cheers!  

Best in Show - Expert's choice

On Saturday I happened to channel surf across the International Best in Show for Dogs. I thought I would check it out since I had another 10 minutes before my show started. It was quite interesting to see all the different breeds being presented but I was not the only one watching.....

It appears that Nugget strongly felt that this dog, the Great Pyrenees, deserved to win the category. She was completely disinterested when it switched to the Newfoundland.

I am not surprised as this dog had a similar face and build as the Burmese Mountain dog which is her absolute favorite breed. Whenever she sees one at the park she gets completely goofy giddy to the extent of overtly flirtatious.

I didn't watch it to the end but I think I'll trust her opinion as she is probably the expert. 

"Now tell me, which one of these dogs would you want to have as your wide receiver on your football team?" - Buck (Fred Willard) Best in Show (2000)