As promised - some visuals of NZ

Maria and I on the Beach at sunset














Teapot anyone?

Where are you mister dolphin?












Queenstown












What a Luge-r!! (I know - not funny!)













If you weren't aware - this is the zorb...and below is how one exits the zorb!

The move is on...

Well the move is complete is more like it. Yesterday was our first day at the new building for work. It was a very busy day and I am glad it is over! The new facility is nice...takes a bit longer to get here in the morning, but it isn't terrible. The parking lot is huge and all of the shaded spaces were taken today, so I'm out in the blazing sun again in 34 degree weather, so it will be nice and roasty when I return to my car at the end of the day. I think the car was finally cooling down by the time I arrived home last night. The poor air conditioner just isn't able to deal with the nasty weather we've all come to know and love here in the GTA!

I was able to get out and mow the lawn on Saturday before the heat wave struck us. Unfortunately, I ran over the power cord with the lawn mower and wasn't able to 100% complete the task...I think it is good enough to wait for cooler temperatures though. It will have to be good enough because I can't breathe outside and am not prepared to die for the lawn.

It is just over 2 weeks until our Relay for Life event, so please don't forget to pledge me if you haven't already. I'll try to get some pictures from the event, but you all know how good I am at posting pictures...only 3 months after my trip and I still haven't posted NZ pictures. I promise I will do so soon!

Hope everyone is keeping well. Talk to y'all soon!

C.R.

The Day After....

I'm Alive!!!

Aaron and I finished the 1/2 marathon in 3hrs 48mins! And we weren't last!!

YAY us!!

There is talk of doing the 1/2 marathon in Toronto in October...stay tuned for more info as decisions are made ;)

In the meantime, the Relay for Life is on June 2nd. A few team members have dropped out so if you're interested, I think it's a great cause and we'd love for you to join us. Please let me know if you would like more information and I'd be happy to send it to you.

I will update again when I have more time. I just wanted to let you all know that I survived the 21.whatever km walk yesterday...I'm a bit sore, but feeling good for having completed it.

Take care,
C.R.

How can it be May?

May 9th....how did that happen?

This coming Sunday is the marathon - the question now is if I will be able to make it the whole 21kms without hurting myself. I think I can do it and it will feel soooo good when it's done!

I have some pictures of the work I did on the garden at home, but they're at home of course, so I'll have to post them later.

Not too much else is new in the world of CraxyRaE - just tired and trying to get through another week. Did a bunch of baking this weekend...quite yummy snacks...I'll post a recipe for some super yummy cookies - I make the white chocolate and cranberry version..

Everyone’s Favorite (Oatmeal Chocolate Chip) Cookies

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until well combined – the mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Add egg whites and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add the chocolate chips and stir just until blended. Do not overmix.

4. Drop spoonfuls of dough about 2” apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Flatten each cookie a little with your hand. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until pale golden around the edges but still soft in the middle. Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 1 ½ dozen cookies

Contents per cookie:
Calories 167
Total Fat 4.4g
Saturated fat 1.3g
Monounsaturated fat 2.3 g
Polyunsaturated fat 0.5 g
Sodium 148.6 mg
Carbohydrates 30.6 g
Cholesterol 0.8 mg
Fiber 1.2g
Calories from fat 23%

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies:
Replace the chocolate chips with 1 cup chopped white chocolate, and add ½ cup dried cranberries. Adds 1.4 g fat per cookie. Or if you like, replace the chocolate with an equal amount of white chocolate and the fat content will remain the same.

I hope you enjoy!

C.R.