It's the little things that count...

This made me smile... The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha lists the simple things in life that most of us appreciate but never really acknowledge. For half of the list, go here. (If you want the whole list you gotta buy the book. It did start as a blog though.)

Take a look at Neil's list and see what resonates with you. Here are my personal favourites (only from 800-1000...they're all good!):

#997 Locking people out of the car and pretending to drive away

#995 Finding money you didn’t even know you lost
 
#992 Being the first table to get called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding
 
#990 Picking up a q and a u at the same time in Scrabble
 
#980 Old, dangerous playground equipment
 
#958 Being the first person into a really crowded movie theater and getting the prime seats
 
#943 Using Q-Tips the way you’re not supposed to use them
 
#935 Eating cookies like Cookie Monster
 
#933 The first scoop out of a jar of peanut butter
 
#922 Getting a trucker to blow their horn
 
#817 Doing something half-assed at the last minute and getting away with it

#816 When the late-night pizza order arrives really, really early

#921 Snow days

#920 Getting the eyelash out of your eye
 
#909 Bakery air
 
#900 Multitasking while brushing your teeth
 
#890 Really, really tall people
 
#874 The Five Second Rule
 
#861 Not getting a hangover when you were expecting to get one
 
#837 Pushing those little buttons on the soft drink cup lid

Something New

I don't go out that much, but it seems the last month or so I've been heading out every weekend to Whyte or downtown to a bar for some reason or another. We usually hit up the same places...and it gets a little boring to be honest. Suite 69, The Pint, Cook County...they're fun places, but when you're craving something new - especially on a beautiful spring night that feels like summer, they don't always cut it.

On Friday night, a few of us girls decided to walk up Whyte Ave to see if anything caught our eye. We popped into a few places before we went into the Australian-themed pub called The Walkabout (used to be Thirsty Turtle). It was great! Two open patios to enjoy the summer breeze, decent dancefloor, cheap drinks, good crowd, clean bathroom....and several tables of goodlooking guys...nice.  (I was scoping for my single friend of course!)

Check it out if you have a chance. I hope to be back on a warm summer night (I'm thinking after a supper of nachos and margaritas at Julio's...)

Seriously, summer can't be beat.

Six for Summer

Back to my goals...I haven't forgot about you, and I do realize I have just over a year left to complete them! Goals aren't goals unless they're written down (for me anyway!), so here's exactly what I would like to accomplish within the next couple months:

• redo the fireplace (wrangle my Dad for some help hopefully)
• redo my laundry room
• road trip (I'm thinking out by Nordegg somewhere?)
• dive (I'm so scared to go in the water headfirst...this is a biggie for me!)
• golf
• weigh 115 lbs

I think this is a doable amount...some are work, while others should be fun to complete. I think that work/life balance is really important to feel fulfilled and happy. I've certainly realized just how important that is since I started my new job...I feel slightly more relaxed day to day, and find myself not stressing over tiny to-do's I can't get to every night. And maybe the sunshine that comes through my office window a bit more often has something to do with my brighter outlook...

So ready for summer!

I'm Back...

Lack of posting is because I couldn't access blogger for the longest time. Long story, but it's sorted out now. I've been tagged by Magz again...of course I'll own up! On today's menu: five questions, five answers.



Where were you five years ago?

~Just finished up my second year of my Professional Writing Degree
~Working at the Edmonton Country Club
~Dancing with Canadian Showgirlz
~Dating Trav of course
~Living with Nikki B (but I'm not sure where though!)


Where would you like to be five years from now?

~On our gorgeous quarter, in our dream house
~Beginning our family
~Overhauling the local dance studio
~Working part-time at home, writing magazine articles and freelancing
~Healthy, fit, happy


What was on your to-do list today? (or is!)

~go to the drugstore
~fill up the car
~go the the library
~go to G&E and get dog food
~bank


What snacks do you enjoy?

~tortilla chips and gaucamole
~brown rice cakes with almond butter
~Babybel
~bananas
~oatmeal with homemade chocolate chunks


What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

~hire a personal accountant
~buy vacation homes all over the place!
~buy a dance studio for me and the Habs for Trav (Am I out of money yet?!)
~help out Trav's family and mine
~donate to a large list of organizations that matter most to us

And I'm tagging:
Crystal
Hillary
Sassy Molassy
Stacy
Jon

Tackling Tuna

I was a sugar freak. Addict. Chocolate pop-tarts for breakfast was a common occurrence...so was chocolate chip cookies. Or often, nothing at all.

Fast forward nine years, and I think I can officially call myself a healthy eater. Although I try not to be about labels...I'm a big believer in enjoying things in moderation. I've found though through my eating overhaul that small changes set you up for the bigger ones - and it just gets easier as you start feeling better.

I started fairly small - no pop. Diet or otherwise. Once I handled that and didn't miss it (I was never much of a pop drinker, and when it come alcohol, I'm all about the vodka water), I eliminated all juices with added sugar. Since then, here's some small changes I've made...not that I don't enjoy the "off-limits" things once in a while, but it's what I try to avoid almost every day.

1. No pop/fruit punch (any beverage with added sugar)
2. No white sugar
3 No refined flour
4. Only natural peanut butter
5. Chocolate 70% cocoa or higher

Those are the main ones...I also avoid HFCS, sodium benzoate, MSG...basically anything I can't pronounce! As a side note, did you know that in Canadian-made products, HFCS is labeled as glucose-fructose? Sneaky sneaky!

The other bonus with my small changes is that I try new foods - I was a pretty "safe" eater (but not really because I was eating crap!) I now love zucchini, tomatoes, onions, salmon (getting used to it anyway), asparagus, sweet potato...that's a big step for me! I now love to cook and bake...it's can be stressful...but usually I find it relaxing and have a sense of accomplishment when everyone enjoys the food I've made.

One food I haven't made peace with yet is tuna...I had a nasty childhood experience with it when we visited friends of my Dad's. I remember the lady slapping it out of the can onto a piece of white bread and staring at me as I took one bite and almost threw up. I'm sure it wasn't that bad...I just had the thought my whole life that tuna could possibly kill me...so it's finally on the list for me to eat this week! Hopefully made in a tastier way though...what's the best way to eat it when you're an newbie? I'm thinking a tuna salad sandwich or tuna melt?

I hope tuna won't disappoint me...

Missing the country...

Nothing but a number...

I was going through my old emails this morning, and found this forward from a friend that I actually enjoyed enough to keep around. Hopefully it'll brighten your Monday morning a tad.


George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.  'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . .. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'  May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!


 HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil'sworkshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, whois> with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares?