Wednesday 31 October 2012

Happy Halloween!

So it's been awhile since I wrote a blog post but lately life has been pretty good. This past weekend I had a nice relaxing time spent at home doing a whole lot of nothing, which is exactly what I needed. On Sunday, Brandon got in to a car accident on his way home from the bowling alley so to cheer him up, Sarah and I decided to take him out for appetizers in the afternoon and then Brandon and I went to see "Pitch Perfect" that evening. It was an awesome movie and a great way to end off the weekend! However,  we're pretty sure that the Focus is written off. I'll keep you posted on those details.

Now it's Wednesday and it's officially Halloween! Last night, we decided to carve pumpkins. We started with 4 pumpkins but then Brandon decided we needed more pumpkins to carve so he ran to the store and we ended up with 7 pumpkins in total. We're hoping that having this many pumpkins lit up will attract more kids to come to our door trick or treating. We'll see if it works! Below is pictures of the beautiful outcome :)

Ghost, scary faces, owl, witch, and bats.


My owl! :)

Cleo looks like he saw a ghost!
My owl pumpkin took me about 2 hours to carve but I was happy with the outcome so it was worth it! We also decided to save all the seeds and we made 3 flavours including creamy dill, seasoned salt, and garlic. They're so delicious!

I didn't go out to celebrate Halloween this year but I think our night of carving pumpkins was festive enough for me!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! :)

Friday 26 October 2012

What the Funk

Lately, I am in such a funk. Not with anything in particular but just with life. I feel constantly sleepy, achy, and sore take today for example I napped for 1.5 hours but tonight I still feel under the weather a bit. I guess I have been fighting a cold for the past little while but it's really dragging me down. I don't have very much energy and I have zero motivation to do any type of school work, exercise, or anything productive (ie. house work, laundry, etc).  I also think it is just the time of the year, the weather is really cooling down and winter is right around the corner, which means long long months of cold and snow. Another thing that is kind of weighing me down is the fact that I am not doing as well as I hoped to in all of my courses. I got back my midterm marks and didn't do very well on my human physiology exam, even though I walked out feeling confident... so this is dragging down my mood. I know I just need to focus more and make more time to study and prepare for my finals but it's tough to stay motivated after "failing", atleast in my eyes.

I guess I just need to find a way to get out of this funk. I talked earlier this week about getting more active and eating better but since then I have devoured half a box of mini Halloween chocolate bars and only worked out once... so it is time to change my attitude. I need to pull myself out of this tough time and find things that make me happy and motivate me to do better and be better.



I am feeling pretty heavy lately and weighed down but it's time to let it go. It's time to just enjoy life and find ways to be happy!

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Getting Healthy

As I have mentioned before in a blog post, I often spend time thinking about health and fitness. This is due to events that I have gone through in the past and also even more now because I am getting my kinesiology degree. I go to school each day and learn about things such as nutrition, exercise prescription, disease prevention, anatomy, human physiology, etc. and my life has started revolving a lot more around these things.

In Grade 9 and the summer leading in to Grade 10, I went through a big transformation and my body changed drastically. I stopped eating so much junk food, moved my body more, and generally just paid more attention to what my body needed. I went from 210 pounds down to 170 pounds and everyone at school definitely noticed! However, now that it is 5 years later I have let these habits slowly fade. I mean it seems kind of silly because I have copious amounts of knowledge on the subject but I am not practicing what I preach. I feel it is the time to commit to going through a transformation again and getting back on track with my health and fitness lifestyle goals. Instead of always thinking about doing it or saying "I'll start working out again tomorrow" or "just one more night of eating junk food", I want to just do it.

This means that I will commit to working out 4-5 days per week with a combination of cardio, strength, and yoga. I will also pay more attention to what I am eating, which doesn't mean I can't eat unhealthy foods but I will eat them in moderation. I will eat more fresh and wholesome foods that don't come pre-packaged, so think fruits, veggies, and whole grains. However when people think of health they often neglect to think about other aspects such as getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, rest, and relaxation.

So here is to a new chapter in my life. Here is to doing instead of saying. And here is to getting healthier and happier with my body and my life.

I will also hopefully be posting some of my healthy recipes and updates on workouts I am trying or progress I am making, so keep your eyes open for updates. :)




Cheers to a new "me"!

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Home.

This past weekend I had a great time at home. Brandon and I left the city at about 10 p.m. after his Friday night bowling league, so I didn't get home until about 12:30 a.m. My aunt, uncle and 3 cousins stayed at my house this weekend so when I got home my parents and aunt and uncle were still awake so we visited for awhile. 

Then Saturday was the day where we were finally laying Melissa to rest. It has been over 2 years since she passes away but at that time my aunt and uncle and her kids were simply going through too much, so they waited until now. She was buried in a beautiful blue and purple urn and then placed in an oak box made specially by my uncle and cousin. The family gathered around shared some memories, placed roses and pictures in the box, and then laid her to rest. There were tears shed and I simply felt my heart breaking. I have mentioned before that I have experienced a great deal of loss in my short lifetime but it never gets easier. I was glad that she was buried beside my Grandpa and my other cousin Brad. My Grandma mentioned during the ceremony that all 3 of them would be up in heaven playing cribbage and it's so true, this thought alone warmed my heart a little. The rest of Saturday evening we ate crazy amounts, had fireworks, shared memories, played games, and laughed in her memory. 

Sunday the family came over to our house for brunch where we once again ate way too much food. Then we visited and had cake because it was my Grandma's birthday. Sunday evening I ate supper at Brandon's house with his family and then we headed back to the city and back to the daily grind of school and homework. I can't wait until I get to go home again on Remembrance Day weekend!

Here's a few photos from this past weekend:

Amanda & Sam, my little cousins.
My Missy :)
My dad's family.
Amanda, Me, Sam.
My mom with her in-laws.
 My 2nd cousins on my dad's side. Brydon, Liam, Dylan, Aleha, Dallas & Devon.
Nicole, Mike and Aunty Stacy professional chefs.
Dad and Annalynn on the quad.
Grandma blowing out her candles.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

Thursday 18 October 2012

Thankful Thursday.

I am just going to take a few minutes to reflect on life lately and highlight all the wonderful things in life I am thankful for. These include:

BEING DONE MIDTERMS! These past two weeks I have been extremely busy prepping and studying for my midterm exams and midterm papers. This week alone I had my Nutrition exam on Tuesday, 8 page paper due Wednesday, and this morning I wrote my Human Physiology exam. This means that I am extremely exhausted... I am so excited to just unwind, watch t.v, take a bubble bath, hang out with Brandon, and cuddle my Maggie.

I am thankful I get to go home this weekend to see my family. My cousin Melissa passed away 2 years ago in June and this Saturday we are finally burying her ashes and laying her to peace. It will be a time to reflect on her wonderful life and how important she is to all of us and also a time to hang out with my family.

For my sweet kitty Maggie. Honestly, I have a billion pictures of her on my phone and I could talk about her all day long... but she really is my baby. I love her cuddles and I feel like she knows when I need some of her lovin'.

For Brandon. Over the past couple weeks he has been very supportive and always encourages me to keep going when I just want to give up! Also, this morning he made me coffee to take to my exam and he packed me a "little treat" of mint girl guide cookies... he sure knows the way to my heart! :)

Finally, I am thankful for rest, relaxation, and time to connect with myself and my needs. I need more exercise, less junk food, and more time to enjoy my hobbies!

Okay I lied, lastly I'm thankful it's Thursday, bring on the weekend! :)



Friday 12 October 2012

Leaving the country...

So today is the day that my big sis leaves the country and heads to Europe for an indefinite amount of time. Anywhere from 3-6 months is her time frame and she doesn't have any set plans for exactly where she is travelling, they will just fly by the seat of their pants. She's going with her best friend Katie and they get to explore and have the time of their lives! I am super excited for Ashley to leave but I will definitely miss her! Things in the next 3-6 months will be a lot different... It will be weird not having her in the same city as me to go thrifting or hang out and it will also be different to not have her around for Christmas holidays. My family is extremely close and my sisters are my friends, so it will be different having her so far away from us! I know that we can still connect through email, facebook, and skype, so hopefully that will make it easier. I hope that some day I can travel to beautiful places, live carefree, and get tons of new experiences under my belt... but for now I need to concentrate on school. Ash, please take tons of pictures and let me live vicariously through your adventures. Remember: to be safe, have fun, and remember us back home! I'LL MISS YOU!

Aunty Katherine, Ash, Steph, and I

Ash and Amanda (my cousin)

This picture cracks me up, so goofy!

Ash & I at my 18th birthday!

Yet another picture of my goofy sisters!

Steph, Me, Ash, and Mom at the Lady A concert!

Beside the Lady A tour bus!

Ash and her boyfriend, Andy.

The 3 sisters.

The whole big family!


Wednesday 10 October 2012

Happy Hump Day!

I can't believe how fast time is flying lately. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was moving back to the city for school when in reality it has been almost a month and a half... crazy! This past weekend was such a blast at home. Brandon and I arrived home on Thursday night for an extra long 4 day weekend which consisted of:

Friday- a birthday supper for Brandon at his house! A delicious steak supper followed by homemade carrot cake with cream cheese icing (made by moi). Then I went to watch Brandon and his family bowl and at about midnight my mom got home from work and my sister got in from her long drive from Saskatoon!

Saturday- BRANDON'S BIRTHDAY! My mom, sisters, Brandon, and I went to watch my cousin Sam play volleyball! It was such a strange feeling being back in my old high school but I realized my cousin is a great volleyball player! Then it was Thanksgiving supper at my house with my mom's side of the family, so delicious but way too full. Then we ventured out to a bar with a whole group of our friends to celebrate Brandon's birthday and also our friend Sarah's birthday which was the following day. I was the DD and got home at around 3a.m., so I was whipped Sunday!

Sunday- Breakfast with my grandma at our house and then my sister Ashley, my mom and I went shopping in Brandon so my sister could pick up last minute things before her big trip to Europe (she leaves this Friday :(! ). Then I went to Brandon's house for his family Thanksgiving where once again I ate way too much (turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, and also an ice cream cake for Brandon's birthday). Then we played cards with his family and then headed out to my house again to play Settlers of Catan with my family, while having drinks and once again eating way too much food!

Monday- Hung out around home, set up facebook accounts for my sister and my mom (I know they live in the dinosaur age), and then I said good bye to my family and headed back to the city!

Now for these next two weeks, I have midterms to study for, papers to write, and projects to finish up! October is always a crazy busy time for a University student and I find that it always has a way of sneaking up on me.  I will be very thankful when I have a bit of time to breathe but for right now I will appreciate the fact that I have the resources to get a University degree. It's time to head out to my evening class! Oh the joys of being a University student.




Thursday 4 October 2012

HOME TODAY!

I am beyond excited today because I am headed home for a 4 day weekend! :D It's only a 4 day weekend because I am skipping my class tomorrow but I don't care because it means one more day spent at home!

This weekend is Thanksgiving but also my boyfriends birthday! I am so excited to:

 hug and kiss and love on my Missy and Jinx
My sweet Missy.
Fat little Jinxy
 to spend time with my family

Ash, Mom, Dad, Me, Steph
celebrate my man turning 20 (finally)
Brandon and I last year.
 enjoy the farm in the fall
This is not my farm, but I will post pictures of my farm next week!
 eat ridiculous amounts of pumpkin pie
Mmmm delicious!
spend time with Brandon's family.
Left to right: his grandpa, me, Cathy, Dave, Ryan, Sarah, and his Grandma
Sarah, Brandon, Ryan and I.
 I am going to try my best to let my stress go, focus less on school work, and try to unwind and relax. My home is by far my favourite place. I grew up on a farm, with a really close knit family and I consider myself to be extremely lucky and I miss it like crazy when I'm in the city.

Only 1 more hour until we hit the road, hopefully this snow (yes, snow on October 4th) won't delay us too much! :)

Wednesday 3 October 2012

So What Wednesday...

- so what if... I just wish it was Thursday at 4:30 so I could be on the road home!

- so what if... I am being way less productive than I hoped to be this week. I seem to be lacking in the motivation department.

- so what if... I have fallen off the workout bang wagon this past week or two. Partially because I am extremely sick and also because I feel like I don't have any extra time. (excuses, excuses)

- so what if... I am only a month into my 3rd year of school and I am already sick of school! Too many assignments, papers, and exams all at the same time... I need to breathe.

- so what if... I am spending more time looking through my favourite blogs today, rather than getting homework done. What a vicious cycle!

- so what if... I AM UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND! A 4 day weekend at home that will be filled with family time, celebrating my boyfriends birthday, hanging out with friends, delicious food, pumpkin pie, country walks, lots of picture taking, and snuggles with my Jinx and Missy. I am beyond pumped!

Now I just need to get done all my homework before I can have a stress free weekend. Wish me luck!


Monday 1 October 2012

Hello October!

It is officially Fall and I am lovin' it! :)

This past weekend, I soaked in the best farmers market ever where I bought lots of fresh produce and some pumpkin sugar cookies. I plan to go back in a couple weeks and pick up some pumpkins to carve for Halloween! I also went for a walk with my boyfriend and took lots of Fall pictures... I hope you enjoy the colours as much as I do!




My leaf collection for a crafting project.


Park by our house.



Look at all those colours, so beautiful!


I plan to soak up every last inch of Fall before winter hits. I plan to take lots of pictures when I go home for Thanksgiving this weekend, so stay tuned :)