"The Weigh In"

Darren and I have both started the journey to "lower BMI land"! Yesterday was our first weigh in...yes - jut like on TV - we have a weekly weigh in in which we both compare our weight loss and then gloat....Here are the results:

Darren: -0.6
Shawna: -2.4

Shawna wins week1 !!! You may wonder what i have won - well nothing - except to prove to myself that I can do it ...it's based largely on the amount and kinds of food I was eating - the minute I became disciplined about my eating habits - was when I started losing weight - at 2 lbs in the first week...I am impressed - all those highly educated nutritionists actually know something!! I'll give them this one.....

Darren is struggling with the eating healthy thing - partially becuase its his new job....He recently switched jobs from RBC to being Sales Manager at a Dodge dealership in Stettler. It was a really great move - and maybe I'll explain why in another post - but let's focus on the weight loss goals.... His dealership his having a massive indoor sale offsite - and for extended hours - so he is working 12 hour days and although the dealership provides them with food - it all comes from the many fast food restaurants around....so he has had to resist the temptation of KFC, the Tim Horton's doughnuts, the burgers, the baking and the pop....but he is not doing bad considering everyone else around him is eating constantly! Good on you D-Train!

Along with the eating healthy - I had decided that in the winter - there is nothing worse than getting up in the morning and heading to gym - when its dark, and cold and depressing.... so I brought the gym to Shawna! I managed to get myself a Nintendo WiiFit (the procedure should also be saved for another post) and just last night Darren set up our new (to us) elliptical trainer! Although we briefly exercised on the elliptical - we have realized that combining"24" and an elliptical will result in skinnier Benson's! I have curling this evening - but I cannot wait to hop on!

And that's it - so the score is Shawna - 1; Darren - 0 - stay tuned until next Monday for the next Weigh-In!!

New Years Resolutions

We all Make them - and few keep them!

Well, I am tempted to make this years New Year's Resolution "not to make any more New Year's Resolutions" I need this kind of motivation to make me feel guilty enough to at least try to complete some life bettering tasks.... So below are my three New Year's Resolutions:

1. Lose 20 pounds

• This is a joint effort with Darren; we have put up a pretty hefty reward up for the first person to lose the "newlywed 20"...we weighed in this morning... although I know my willpower stinks (especially when it comes to chocolate and jalepeno and cheddar chips) I think i can do this ... exercise and eating right - that should not be hard..... Yeah right....We will document our progress here - for you all to see (I will recount the first weigh-in in another post)...which leads me to my next resolution:

2. Keep the blog up to date

• I want people to rely on our blog ot keep themselves up to date; to interact with the Benson's - in a way that our website sparked many people to track our wedding - so here - is the new "Home of the Benson's" Photos, random comments and general life updates will be posted here for all to see and enjoy.... so no more complaints about the wedding website! Hope to see many of you following our haphazard life! and the third resolution partly relates to the keeping of memories:

3. Scrapbook more!

• I love to srapbook - and that might be a bit of an understatement - the accomplishment and pride I feel when I finish a project makes me so giddy its hard to explain! And since my reorganization of the scrapbooking room - and the realizationthat I have begun many projects - I will be working hard to make sure that I finish them - and scrapbook with a renewed excitement that can only come from receiving the coolest paper rack ever.... (If you scrapboked - you'd understand)

So that its - Shawna's News Years Resolutions! Maybe Darren will post his for us all to see later today.....

The Migraine

Well - It's official...

I have joined the Migraine Club! Only my entry into it was somewhat scary!!

At work yesterday - I was feeling a little weird.... then my vision started blurring - my left arm went tingly and then numb - and to top it all off - my face started twitching and losing feeling!! Now - for those who have suffered throught the first aid course - you know that most of those are sign of a STROKE! I panicked!

A million things went through my head - most of which started with...I am too young to have a stroke.... SO I called Darren... and he came to me rescue! He patiently drove me into the emergency room in Red Deer - waited there for 3 hours with me while al kinds of sick and injured people passed us into the ER, read crappy magazines and listened to alot of puking....I OWE HIM HUGE!

When I got in to see the Doc - I was a bit scared.... but he ws very calming, reassuring and told me it was just a migraine... and that people react differently to migraine's..some people puke, somepeople lose vision and some people get weird nervous system reactions...(that was me!)

Since it was my first migraine - He let it slide - but any more and I may have to get some more treatment....until then - This danm headache won't go away!!

Okay - enough about me! Peace Out!

Blogging is Hard....

to remember to do!

I wanted to update this blog weekly - if not daily!

Oh well - now I will have a New Years Resolution!

In the meantime - here's a little tidbit about my newest venture....

As many of you know...I do love taking pictures - my over-filled harddrive on my computer is certainly an indication of that! I was lucky enough to get a really great camera in April of this year and my pictures have started to take a turn for the better! I try to practice weekly...with different subjects...and lately I have been improving quite a bit.

At the time that I was buying a camera - my new found friend in Stettler, Tricia, and I had a "boat" night at BP"s and put into motion our plan to become Stettler's newest photographers!! There, in BP's - surrounding by blaring music and more than one carafe... fresh. photography was born!

Well - 4 weddings later, a few baby and maternity photo sessions and some families - we are offically a business - with products, suppliers, a bank account, GST number, Business number and soon an accountant! We think our photos are different, edgy, contemporary, journalistic and different. I have taken on the motto: If you want a regular photo, with a regular backdrop and cheap prices - head over to sears - we can't and won't do that! So far so good......

We, however, know there is much to learn on our journey to excellence...so we've decided to enlist in education....ahh yes - learning....

I enrolled early on in teh New York Institue of Photography.... and am only on Unit two...but working hard on finding some subjects to take photos of - the only problem is - things aren't very nice-looking in the winter (especially when there is no snow...) ... but I have made a pact that I will work on it every week....and I have an idea for my latest assignment...hopefully it will work...I will try tonight and keep you posted!

Tricia and I have started the Excellence in Photographic Communication course at the end of October - I think we only have three classes left - but it has been quite the experience - We have both had a light bulb go off inside our head...and suddenly - WE GET IT! I have noticed an improvement in my pictures since the "Manual Only" pledge and have been excited that I am finally understanding the technical side of it....now its just a matter of putting it all together!

It is time for us to move forward - this may require a bit of risk on our part - but no pain - no gain.... and I know I am willing to work my butt off for this one.... so I am throwing caution to the wind...and come what may... (okay - bad cliches...but you get the point!)...

Just for interestes sake...here is one my latest photos for the "At Work" presentation I am working on at my "other" job (and it will be featured on their christmas cards this year!).....

Halloween

I hate Halloween.

There are several reasons.

1. I hated dressing up - I am not creative - nor do I feel comfortable pretending to be something I am not...for some this is fun - for me TORTURE!
2. Going trick or treating was somewhat embarrassing....begging for candy; having to sing to get a chocolate bar and getting all kinds of guesses as to "what you are" and none of them getting it right!
3. In Endiang, and for the most part Canada, it was always damn COLD!
4. And the biggest reason I hate Halloween - I AM AFRAID OF THE DARK! That's right - truly afraid of what I can't see....and even more afraid of what might be lurking there - to have an entire holiday dedicated to things lurking in the dark creeps me out. period.

Having said that - I am not against giving out Candy to little ones who still enjoy the holiday - its true - you won't catch me dressing up or sneaking around cemeteries, but you will find me at home - with all my lights on - happily handing out Candy.... but only if Darren isn't home!

Darren, or the "Halloween Grinch", doesn't think that buying candy to hand out to strangers is very good investment. Thanks Banker. He'd rather turn off the lights and hide out in the basement with our newest Wii game. Last year, our first Halloween together, we went to the farm for supper - and turned off the lights at our home...so this year I expected some elaborate ploy to get us out of the house to avoid the candy free-for-all.

But ahh.... Hunting season opens tomorrow! Darren will be off in the woods all weekend - leaving me free to hand out Candy at will. I snuck out last night and bought Halloween Candy...and I admit - its expensive... but for the first Halloween ever - I get to decide...

MAKE THEM SING OR NOT?