Category Archives: Upcoming Plans

Feb 25 2013

Highlights

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Hello! I’m baaaaack from my vacation in Arizona. I had a wonderful time!

someecard vacation

Some highlights:

- Grand Canyon. It’s beautiful. I’d seen pictures, of course, but they don’t do it justice. Totally worth seeing. Breathtaking.

- Shopping. I may or may not have brought home close to $400 in new clothes. I have a new outfit planned for each day for the next while! Oh yes, and I’m broke.

- The food. I ate so much. Lordy, lordy. Mexican (fish tacos are my jam), Italian, The Elephant Bar (I had the best salad of my LIFE … had never been there before), In-N-Out Burger (I’m Canadian, remember?) and many more meals. I need nothing but vegetables for a bit now ;)

- It was only warm Saturday/Sunday/Monday, but I got some poolside time in. I missed the sunshine!

So I’m back now. That means back to the grind today, womp wompppppp. This week is hectic (tonight is my only free night … and I think I may need to work overtime), but I tried to prepare myself as much as I could this weekend so the transition went a little smoother. That meant meal prepping, Zumba practicing (still teaching, but wanted to go over choreography since I had a week off), and unpacking. That’s HUGE for me. I never unpack this quickly!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Feb 15 2013

Off The Map

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Wow. I sure fell off the map this week, hey? I’m sorry that I haven’t posted since Monday. My week has been insane. On Tuesday, I worked 9-5, then taught Zumba, then went back to work until 10. It was a looooong day. And Wednesday I had a non-stop, “don’t break for lunch” kind of day. Then I had spin. Then I had to make something for our annual Valentine’s Day pot luck (my pasta salad was a huge success, by the way :) ).

Needless to say, things have been crazy.

How was your Valentine’s Day? Mine was awesome. The best I’ve ever had. I’m a very lucky lady! <3

I’m about to fall off the map again. I know, I know. You’ve probably come to expect it from me now. I’ve been so sporadic with posting. As soon as I hit publish on this post, I’m packing my bright pink suitcase. I’m off to Phoenix for a week! Going to spend some quality time with my family and forget about the stresses of work. I can’t wait … it’s about 25 degrees warmer there than it is where I live in Canada. Come onnnnn sunshine!

vacation

Do you know what I’m looking to most about vacation? The eating. The fact that I’m going with my parents, and will try to let myself slip into “I’m a kid again” mode. I don’t want to make decisions. Just tell me what we’re doing next and I’m there. As long as I get to swim a few times, eat some delicious food, and shop until I drop … I’ll be happy. I really want to try and go with the flow for the next week. I make too many decisions in a day (duh, that’s being an adult and having a stressful job).

Have you ever been to Phoenix? Any suggestions for what I should do?

Feb 8 2013

Fantastic Friday

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Friday.

I love you.

Like, really love you.

I’m so happy this day is here. Weeeeeeekend time! Here’s what is fantastic on this Friday:

- I taught my first Zumba class this week. IT WENT SO WELL. I pinky swear/cross my heart promise I will write a post about it for Monday. I was so happy with how the class went. Everyone was smiley and sweaty by the end of the hour. Plus, I have coworkers in it. One of them was so sore the next day, stairs were the enemy. I get sick joy out of that (insert evil cackle here) ;)

- I get to sleep in tomorrow. And Sunday. I might nap all Sunday afternoon, too. It’s a pretty easy weekend for me. Zero complaints. I feel like my eyes have been half open since Tuesday.

yawning

- I leave for Phoenix in a week! Bye bye, chilly Canada. Hello, warm Arizona.

- A friend of mine and I are trying a new drive-in restaurant tonight. Burgers, shakes, fries, deep fried pickles. I like the sound of it. Alllllll of it. A nice way to kick off the weekend, I must say!

- Another great way to start off the weekend? By going to a play with my boyfriend! I like supporting the local arts, so we’re heading to a smaller scale production. I hope it’s good! I’m a theatre junkie.

polonius

What’s making your Friday fantastic? I want to hear it!

Jan 3 2013

Dealing With A Full Plate

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Yesterday was my first official day back to work after the holidays. Key word: official. I had gone in a couple of different times during my Christmas break to get caught up on stuff. I hate myself for being one of those people. But really, it was unavoidable. Work is insane.

I’m beginning to realize what the next month looks like for me. BUSY. I have a crazy amount of work to do at my full time job … and have my Zumba class to prep (my first class is February 5th). I feel like it might be a little bit of a struggle to keep my head above water, but I think I can do it.

I’m one of those people who needs to tell everyone their resolutions/plans/secrets in order to get something accomplished. So today, I’m using YHG readers to keep my cool. Here’s how I plan to deal with my very full plate until the middle of February:

1) Remember I have people to lean on. I can call my friends, my family, my boyfriend. If I keep my stress and anxiety inside of me … I will blow up.

2) Write it out. I have a blog for a reason!

3) A social life is important. I know my brain is going to try and feel guilty every second I’m not dancing around to Latin music in my living room or editing video at the office … but I need to remember that meeting friends for coffee or going to a movie is important. I will go insane if I limit myself too much.

4) Be organized. I need to schedule my time. I need to shut off Facebook and Twitter and focus. I lose precious time at work (especially when I’m in the office after hours) by logging in. If I cut that out, I’ll be more productive.

5) Look at the little picture. Step by step. I know I have a crap ton + even more work to do. If I accomplish it inch by inch, I’m less likely to get overwhelmed than I would be by looking at everything that needs to be done.

6) When these six weeks from hell are over, I’m going to Phoenix with my family. If that isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel … I don’t know what is ;)

What else should I keep in mind to keep from losing my cool? What do you do when you’re in the middle of crazy, stressed out times?

Have a wonderful day!

Dec 5 2012

Good Strange

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It’s very strange to not be WIAWing today. It’s also very strange to not be getting ready for work.

But … they’re good kinds of strange. Why? I LEAVE FOR VEGAS THIS MORNING!

So I’m going to be stepping away from the blog for about a week.

I’ll be back from my trip on Saturday, but have about a million other things going on once I get return. I can’t wait to recap it all for you guys!

xo

Dec 3 2012

In The Mode

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Hi everyone!

New obsession:

That’s a poorly taken photo of Arrested Development on Netflix. I would have tried to take it again, but that would’ve got in the way of my viewing time. I can’t stop watching it. I started on Saturday … how was life enjoyable before my discovery of this show?! Kidding. That’s a little dramatic. But seriously, so funny.

Do you see my Christmas tree in the background? I set that sucker up on Friday aaaaaand now I’m officially in holiday mode!

I’m also in packing mode. My living room (which I now call Suitcase Central) is a complete nightmare, and no one is allowed to come into my house until after I return from Vegas. It’s not safe for the average civilian.

Only two more sleeps until my best friend and I are IN VEGAS TOGETHER!

Nov 23 2012

Yahoo!

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Hello! I hope my American blog friends are in a post Thanksgiving turkey coma today, and had a wonderful time with friends and family yesterday. I’m in a sugar coma … we had a bake sale at work yesterday as a fundraiser for the Movember campaign. I was a terrific donator ;) (also … love the initiative, but can the moustaches go away now, please?).

So. Great news!

I got a job teaching Zumba! Fiiiiiiinally. If you’ll remember, I took my instructor training course back in May. Months ago, I had reached out to several gyms and organizations about teaching, and didn’t get far. I had all but given up on finding a place to teach … until I got a magical email from an organization a couple of days ago. She remembered me from our previous conversations, and offered me a gig! I start in the beginning of February, and will be teaching an eight week session.

YAHOOOOOO! Time to start preparing :)

Oct 5 2012

How I’ve Been Surviving

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So, my posting this week? Mediocre. Commenting on other blogs? Nonexistent.

I have a reason, though. I’ve been working my tail off on a very big project at work. I’m producing my own television series, and it premieres in a couple of weeks. I need to have four episodes completed by the end of today (just that sentence gives me anxiety). I’m fairly certain I might fail.

I’ve worked more than 15 hours of overtime since Sunday, and as such, have recognized what it takes to get through a long day. Here’s how I’ve been surviving:

1. Coffee. Lots of it.

2. By reminding myself I have a kick ass wedding to go to this weekend (a few hours away … ESCAPE!) and will no doubt take the edge off with a few glasses of wine. Hey, I deserve it. I’ll have bags under my eyes, but I don’t care :)

3. I’ve tried to take a break between work and the three or four hours I spend after there everyone leaves the office. That’s when I exercise … such a great release! It really helps me to refocus when I get back to my computer.

4. Cried.

5. In addition to the endless cups of coffee, a plethora of other beverages has also helped.

6. I have an amazing friend/coworker who left a bottle of gin in my desk drawer. Best part of my week. I didn’t indulge at the office, don’t worry ;)

7. Did I mention crying?

8. By remembering that once I get the work done this week … I can finally catch up on the endless hours of televison I’ve missed (I want to see The Mindy Project from this week!). And eat turkey. Thank goodness (get it?) for Thanksgiving. That’s on Monday, because I’m Canadian. There was some confusion when I mentioned this the other day.

Have a wonderful weekend! And cross your fingers I escape today without another a meltdown!

Jul 27 2012

Q & A

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Question:

What am I doing today?

Answer:

Not going to work, that’s for sure! I took the day off! I’m taking a mini road trip with a girlfriend of mine to visit some pals and lay beside the lake all afternoon. I got my new Shape magazine in the mail yesterday, bought a new bathing suit (didn’t want to … had to, and I love it!), and the temperature is going to be high. That’s fantastic.

Enjoy your day! I know I will do my best, as well!

What are you up to this weekend?

Jul 2 2012

July Goals

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Hello there! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and for my fellow Canadians, I hope you enjoyed some sort of Canada Day celebrations yesterday! I’m happy to have today off in lieu of yesterday’s holiday. Today’s plan includes a workout, a nap, time on a patio somewhere, and a viewing of Magic Mike.

Anyone else go see it over the weekend? I hope I can get tickets for a showing today :)

I can’t believe July has begun already! Crazy sauce. We’re already so far into summer, and that makes me a little bit blue. But I’m also pumped for all of the exciting plans I have ahead of me in the next couple of months. Hurray!

At the beginning of last month, I decided to set some goals for the first time. I think I’m going to stick with this process … I enjoyed having something to work toward.

In terms of how I did for the month of June … I would say not bad!

1) Try a new recipe. Success! I made black bean burgers the other day and they were fantastic. I have the ingredients written on my grocery list so I can make another batch again soon!

2) Build up to running a 5K on the treadmill. Done and done! I felt so accomplished after running my first one, that I’ve completed two other treadmill 5Ks since then. That’s a total of 15K for June. Not bad a for a first timer ;) My new trick: renting movies on iTunes and watching them while I run. Except it can get a little bit awkward when people look at you funny because you’re laughing and they don’t know you’re watching a movie. It was 21 Jump Street. So good.

3) Have a wonderful 22nd birthday! I didn’t have much doubt that I would accomplish this one :) It was a great time – one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had!

4) Continue going to evening spin classes. This was the only goal I didn’t commit to in June. I actually didn’t get to one class, as much as I wanted to. Life got in the way! I still did my regular morning workouts 5 or 6 times a week, but it would have been nice to add these spin classes in to mix up the routine.

I think I did alright for the month of June! Like I mentioned, I’m going to stick with making these little mini goals every month. Sooooo for July:

1) Make more of an effort to do strength training for my back. I rarely work my back … because I hate doing it. But I’m going to try and mix back exercises into upper body days. On those days, I typically just do multiple arm moves, but it will benefit me to work those back muscles too!

2) Drink more water. I tell myself this all the time, and almost never do it. And it’s SO IMPORTANT. I will go through phases where I’ll be really good and drink a whole bunch for several days … and then I’ll get into a terrible habit and rarely touch the H2O. Maybe I’ll buy myself a fancy new water jug? I think that would motivate me. It’s crucial to start drinking more!

3) Run 7K on the treadmill. Can you tell the running bug has bit me? ;) I want to be able to build up to a steady 7K on the treadmill.

There! Those are the three health and fitness goals I want to accomplish this month. Do you have any goals you’re working toward?