Lee-Wen's Play to Win

2008 Father Son Priesthood Camp at Lac Phillipe, Gatineau Park

The Great Cardboard Boat Race

So Long, Elementary School

Connor's Gr. 6 graduation

The Tandemoniums

McMillan's Heart and Stroke Big Bike experience. We raised over $2200. Thanks to everyone who pledged me.

Obstacle course for bonus "spirit" points

A YMCA warmup

The Tandemoniums

My Deacon

Connor was ordained to the office of deacon in the Aaronic priesthood yesterday! What a wonderful milestone for him. We celebrated by having are very dear friends come over for a little get-together. I am so proud of him because I know he realizes what a big responsibility it is to have priesthood authority. I can't wait until next week to see him pass the sacrament.

And because of all the festivities yesterday, plus there was a youth fireside in the evening, I didn't get a chance to run. However, today I ran 6.8 km in 43 min. and when I reached the 5km mark, I beat my regular time by 2 min!

Also today, our office took part in the Heart and Stroke Big Bike event. We rode a bike that seats 30 and peddled around city hall. Our office raised over $2,000. Thanks to everyone who pledged me! I beat my personal pledges goal. I'll try and get some pictures from it and post them soon.

Dear Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for not raining this evening. I was able to have a wonderful run. I think what made this 5km run so pleasant was because I had Connor with me the whole time. He rode his bike and kept me company. I've never had such a nicer run. Thank you again for the nice weather. I hope tomorrow will be the same because the lawn really needs to be mowed.

Sincerely,
Jessica

Dear Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

Why are you making it rain so much? Were we not punished enough with the amount of snow you gave us last winter? Why must you be so cruel?

Do you not know that it is supposed to be summer? Do you not know that your rain and storms have been interupting my training?

I couldn't run on Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday due to the rain. I do thank you for keeping the rain long enough as I ran 5km on Monday. I do appreciate that. Today I was planning to run in between your raining phases, but just as I was about to change you start to pour again.

Yes I realize I have a treadmill at home but do you not know how much I enjoy what the great outdoors offers?

Mother Nature, I ask you to please make it stop raining.

Sincerely,
Jessica

$$$$$

How in the world did I spend $400 in groceries today?

Three-quarters of the damage was done at Costco, that's how. However, we should have enough meat to last us for a couple of weeks (I hope). Groceries in general aren't cheap anymore either. Stupid gas prices.

I didn't get to run today either. I was supposed to do another 3km but Saturday got in the way.

Saturday = laundry, groceries, kids' music lessons, etc.

On an exciting note (more exciting for my mom when she visits), they're building a T&T about a 10 min. drive from my house. For those of you who don't know, T&T is basically the Asian version of Loblaws minus the clothes and furniture.

Today's run

Today's 3km run was a lot easier than yesterday's. I did screw up my breathing patterns a little bit and started panicking for a few seconds because I couldn't regulate it. I think I was listening to my breathing too much.

The kids and Sheldon left at the same time I did to do their run 1 min. and walk 2 min. cycles. I was able to do my run and make it back home the same time they did.

I have a little ways to go to work back up to where I left off a month or so ago (11km) but I know I can do it! I'm looking forward to the cool fall run in October with the beautiful leaves changing colours.

Yesterday's run

I'm back in training and yesterday was my first run. A little tough on the breathing but I managed to keep about the same speed as I was running a month or so ago. I'm using a different training schedule now and this one's in km so it will make more sense to us Canadians.

Total distance: 3km
Total time to complete: 19:09 min.
Run 10 min., walk 1 min. intervals

Back in the saddle again

When I got off the bus today, I ran home even though I had an umbrella to protect me from the rain. Why? Because I just wanted to run.

So tonight, I tried out running. Sheldon was my running partner. Since this is his first time, we followed his training schedule I found for running his first 5km.

Today we ran for 1 min., walk for 2 min., and repeated this cycle 6 times.

I'm so proud of Sheldon! And it felt SO good to run again.

Criminal Intent

Yesterday Sheldon took the day off to get our credit affairs in order. He went to the Motor Vehicle branch to get new papers, he called various credit bureaus to get alerts put on our accounts, bought a paper shredder and a file cabinet. Later that afternoon, the doorbell rang and Sheldon answered it to find our vehicle manual, insurance papers, and vehicle license and registration papers on our front step! A neighbour boy found it hiding underneath a wooden flat in another neighbour's yard and found our name in the book so he returned it.

We went through ALL that worry and trouble and for what?!?!

Sheldon thinks that some punks probably broke in with the intent of finding some money and when they didn't, they decided to create some mischief and hide things on us.

Yeah...not impressed at all.

Do criminals take weekends off?

As we were getting into our car this morning to go to church, I noticed our glove compartment box was open and the vehicle manual (that has our insurance papers and licence and registration papers inside) missing. There were some odd receipts and papers scattered on the driver seat as well. We forgot to lock the door yesterday when we returned from the movies so it wasn't a forced entry (thank goodness, I don't think I could deal with broken glass and stuff). He/they didn't take any CD's or anything else. Just the manual with the papers in it.

Since Connor was giving his first talk in church and were already running late, we drove to the chapel and called the police on the way. Before Connor's talk, Sheldon stayed in the foyer to make the appropriate calls. During the intermediate hymn, we left to go home so we could call the appropriate credit bureaus the police gave us numbers for.

The credit bureaus are closed over the weekend.

Not only are the credit bureaus closed over the weekend, but all over their websites say we need to be members. How do you become a member? You need to purchase one of their credit security products.

Only after an hour of searching TransUnion and Equifax's website (that's right, I'm calling them out by name), Sheldon stumbled upon something that can be done over the phone. For $5 a person (that's right, we still need to pay) we can have an alert put on our credit for 6 years so if anybody tries to apply for credit under our name (even if it's us), we will get a phone call asking for confirmation and authorization. The trick is to remember to let them know if you ever change your phone number.

My big beef about this whole situation is that they don't have anybody even manning the phones over the weekend! When you're worried about something as serious as identity theft, you want to speak to a human and ask them questions. You don't want to be searching a website and pushing buttons as the teleprompter instructs. We're stressed enough as it is. I admit we are partly at fault for forgetting to lock our car doors, but seriously, some human contact on the other line would be nice!

Criminals don't take weekends off so why should credit bureaus?

On a brighter note, Connor did a wonderful job delivering his talk on the 13th Article of Faith. I'm proud of him.