Pics from the Arthritis Walk

Here are some pictures from the Arthritis Walk. You can see how pretty the grounds are where the one kilometre walk took place!

Yes – they are my sisters!!

Arthritis Walk Fun!

The Arthritis Walk was yesterday, and our Frozen Woman team raised over $3,694!!! I'm so thrilled that everyone came out, and that they did such a wonderful job raising money and donating money themselves. I had no idea that we'd do so well.

We were in the top 10 teams in Toronto thanks to our efforts, and my younger sister Jamie (yes, she's a tad competitive) already has big plans for next year, involving raising money with a hot-dog stand, T-shirts, etc. You go, girl, I say! (Me, not quite so competitive, lol!).

It was the perfect day: sunny and clear, and while it was on the hot side, there was a lovely breeze, and we walked the beautiful park route (yes, we walked multiple loops of the 1km route rather than the city-traffic 5km route, which we'd signed up for, because I wasn't sure how I'd do and with the 5km route, there's was no way to get back if you couldn't do it). It was a good thing I decided to do that. My hips were sore-ish, but when we got back to the car after the walk, my legs were actually shaking. Same thing when we got back to my place. I felt fine other than that, and it wasn't dehydration, so I'm not sure what was up with that. They were still kind of shaky for some time.

Anyway, the organizers did a fabulous job. There were muffins and yogurt to snack on and coffee and water to drink before the walk start, water and yummy green tea drinks during, and after there was a barbecue with hamburgers (veggie, too!) and hotdogs and all kinds of fruit. Music was playing and added to the party atmosphere.

I had such a good time with my family and friends (many hugs were exchanged!).

All in all, a fun, fun morning!

Family Reunion...& Leotard

Had my cousin over for the weekend. She came from some distance and we had a wonderful time visiting. On Friday night we went down the road to an Italian restaurant that's new to the neighbourhood for dinner and had a delicious meal. On the way we stopped at a cheese shop and bought cheese, glorious cheese, for the weekend, including one called Mimolette that I've never tried before.

On Saturday, the sun was shining and it looked spectacular out, so we decided to go for an outing to an Anthropologie store. My foot was hurting (on Friday I had walked barely any distance to a pool near work to get the Aquafit schedule), but the store was within driving distance, and I figured I was up to one measly shop, so off we went.

I got a great pair of skinny black jeans (and I do mean skinny – I've lost weight since RA came on, despite munching on endless Toblerone bars and other assorted goodies when I need comfort). My outfits have been somewhat restricted for the past two months, since I can only fit my swollen feet into two pairs of boots, so having one more pair of jeans to wear is great.

We also popped into a health-food store, and I bought some ground-up hemp. I don't prepare meat at home myself, and I'd found out that hemp is a complete protein (woohoo!) and contains other good-for-you stuff like omega-6 fatty acids. Then we rested up at the fab-smelling tea shop Teaopia, and I had a chai latte while watching talented young skaters from a local skating club whip round the outdoor rink and do spins and jumps. Fun!

Back home, we were all set to take a nap when my sisters arrived, so the chatfest began in earnest. My crazy French friend was also coming for dinner, but had to work late, so it wasn't till around 8 that we sat down to eat the yummy meal my cousin had prepared (chicken breasts stuffed with smoked gouda cheese and bacon, risotto and asparagus – can you say delicious?!). During dinner we got onto discussion about what we'd bought at Anthropologie, and my cousin and I both said "Leotards."

Crazy French friend said, "What??"

We said, "Tights. You know – opaque hose." And then my sisters, cousin and I all looked at each other, and asked, "Do you think leotard is actually a German word?" (Although quite frankly, it sounded French to us!)

That's happened before when we were kids. Our mum would be talking to us in English, toss in a German word on a regular basis, and we would think it was English and then use it with our friends, and they'd have no clue what we were talking about. Like Zieps (or English knot) as in: "You have a Zieps in your hair." No clue that wasn't English!!

Anyway, we Googled it – as CFF (crazy French friend) said "Leotaaaaaard?" with her accent and had all of us laughing hysterically. We determined, yes, it actually was English (but, oui, of French origin – aha!!!).
 
And so I've decided I'm going to call crazy French friend Leotard within the pages of this blog from now on.

Today, my cousin and I slept in (thank god, as we didn't get to bed till midnight and my hands and feet were severely unhappy, but I was having too much fun to kick everyone out). Now, I have masses of laundry to do, but despite a nap, I'm feeling shaky and too tired, so I'll just continue to take it easy.

All in all a good weekend that was worth the tiredness and pain. Love my family, love Leotard!

P.S. A friend from work just came by unexpectedly and dropped off some lasagna her husband made. So wonderful, so kind, so thoughtful!!!

Letting People Know

Called one of my cousins today to let her know about me. She was great. Offered to come from far away to spend the weekend with me and cook me yummy meals (she's a great cook!).

A number of other people already know, and they've all been amazing. My sisters, of course, know. As well, my closest friends have been there for me from the beginning, and their support has been amazing. They've sat with me at the doctor's, brought me meals, cooked for me, done my dishes, helped me with laundry, kept me company, talked, listened, and, probably most important of all, made me laugh.

What would I do without all of my lovely friends and family? They really are amazing.