Year in Review (Part III)

Goal Setting:

I’m a huge believer in goal setting, and I’m one of those people who feels 1000% better about my life when I cross things off my ‘to-do’ list. Some might say I’m an organizational/planning freakazoid. Anyways, here are my goals for 2010 – based on the areas I want to improve in from Part II of the year in review.

Savings:

• Put $200 a month into a joint savings account, once I get a job, up this to $500.
• Shop for sales, use foods creatively, and only get groceries once a week.
• Before buying items for the new place, check kijiji/etsy etc for better prices and reconsider whether you really “need” it.

Fitness:

• Workout at least 3-4 times a week.
• Find an affordable gym in Calgary and try some new group classes.
• Run a 10K race by the middle of 2010.
• Build endurance up to half marathon mileage by end of 2010.

Managing My Stress:

• Have at least one “me day” a month where I do something to pamper myself (ie. Haircut, nails, massage etc).
• Read a book for at least 3 hours a week
• Have a date night with the boy at least once a week

Eating Properly:

• Try new healthy recipes (at least one a week)
• Eat vegetarian or pescatarian a minimum of 3 days a week.
• Always eat breakfast
• Limit sweets, pop, junk food to small portions.
• Eat healthier snacks.

Keeping in Touch:

• At least once a month, send a surprise letter/gift/card to one of my friends back home.
• Make an effort to consistently reply to Facebook/Twitter/texts from friends.
• Send out joint Christmas Cards in 2010.

Giving Back:

• Volunteer at least once a month with an organization that you believe in.

Career

• Join a professional organization (IABC/CPRS) and attend networking events regularly.
• Join Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills.
• Make an effort to get involved and volunteer on committees at work.

So that's it for now, wish me luck in achieving all these goals in 2010. I may get online periodically with some updates, but until the 29th - I'll probably be mostly MIA. See ya'll in the new year. Happy Holidays!

Year in Review (Part II)

Welcome to the 2nd installment of my year in review :)

What needs work:


Savings: Now that the boy has a fancy new job, and I’m facing the reality of being unemployed for at least the first little while out West, we are really going to need to get into a better pattern for saving. If there is one thing living on my own for the past two months has shown me, it’s that we can live on less (less food, less stuff, less everything). I’m sure I will get a job eventually, and then we’ll be in good shape – it’ll just be important to continue saving at that point for things like a house and travelling that we would like to do down the road.

Fitness: I find it hard to stick with exercise plans when other ‘life-stressors’ (ie. Moving and the Holidays, most recently) come up. This just makes me discouraged and I am going to focus on making it a priority in 2010.

Managing My Stress: Ask anyone who knows me; I am notoriously bad at managing stress. I cry, I get angry, and I take it out on the people who are trying to help me. It’s not good. I need to find a better way of recognizing situations that will stress me out, and doing things to avoid/manage them better than I have.

Eating Properly: I started this in 2009 but I would like to improve on it. I have considered going vegetarian or pescatarian, but I never actually follow through with it. I’d like to at least try and head a little more in that direction in 2009.

Keeping in Touch: In the past I haven’t been SUPER great at keeping in touch with friends from high school/university when I left. I really will need to make an effort this year to do so, since we will be so far away. Besides, I’d like to have people want to come and visit every now and then :)

Giving Back: In the past few years I haven’t spent that much time volunteering and I would really like to get back into it. I have always enjoyed it and have met wonderful people through it.

That’s it for today, stay tuned for Part III – The 2010 Goals - tomorrow.

Year in Review (Part I)

So since I figure I probably will not be posting very much over the next two weeks between the move and Christmas, I figured I should do this while I still had some free time. I’ve noticed some other bloggers doing something similar to this, and I think the end of the year is a great time to reflect on what you have done right and wrong – and where you can improve. So without further ado, here is my goods and bads of 2009 and my goals for the new year.

What I’m Most Proud Of:

- Finishing School(for now, I think): In April I graduated from the local college with a diploma in PR/Communications. Getting this diploma, in addition to my B.A., has made me feel like I will have an extra edge when applying for jobs in this area, and has provided me with some great skills.

- Getting a Job That I Love: As part of my PR program, we had to do an internship – and that is how I found myself back on my university stomping grounds helping out with a major event they host each year. Following this, they asked me to stay on as an employee and cover a mat leave. I was thrilled, I have never had a job that has been so rewarding, treated me so well, and given me the right balance of responsibility and direction – I’m going to be pretty sad to leave next week.

- Realizing What a True Friend Is: This year has shown me the difference between an acquaintance and a true friend. A true friend is someone who can make you laugh through your tears, it’s about someone who will help you (and recruit friends) when you’re in a bind, and it’s someone who will share in and suggest crazy ideas to support your passions. I have a few wonderful friends in London and Toronto who I will miss terribly once I leave. They will be lifelong friends I’m sure.

- My Relationship with My Sister: My sister and I haven’t always been close; in fact, in highschool we basically irritated each other 24/7. But I have to say how happy I am that we have grown closer this year. I think we understand each other a lot better, and have grown from things like my trip to Paris to visit her (where she was basically stuck with me for 10 days) so I suppose she had to learn to like me, and when she came down to visit me on the weekend in London once the boy left, so I wouldn’t be lonely.

- Learning To Focus on My Health & Wellness: I suppose this is an important one, since it is the focus of the blog. I have really learned to value and appreciate my health this year, and have taken some simple steps to improve it. I am eating better (ie. Rarely drinking sodapop anymore – HUGE DEAL), and I’m trying to step up my workouts to the point that I don’t have to think about them its just a routine – its still a work in progress though.

- Taking a Risk & Moving out West: I would probably say this is my biggest accomplishment of the year (even though its not completely finished yet), I’m generally kind of resistant to change but something about this move – just felt right. I think it was a combination of the ability for the boy and I to have an adventure in a new place, and take the next step in our relationship – and the fact that we’re both getting a bit tired of London.

- Not Letting the Boy Get Away: So this happened prior to when I started the blog, but the boy and I split briefly for about 2 weeks back in May of this year. We were just frustrated with each other and were taking each other for granted. As you might say, we were in a “funk” and weren’t sure if we were right for each other. Trying to live without each other around for a few weeks showed us what we would be giving up – and in the end this break made us stronger. And now… I’m moving across the country to be with him – big steps folks.

Alright, well that’s it for installment one. I’ll post Part II and III in the next couple of days!

Christmas = Best Time to be at Work

So I’m down to my last two weeks of my contract at work right now, and I gotta say – finishing around Christmas might be the best thing ever. Everyone is cheery and happy, and no one is in too big of a rush to get things done, so its been a bit more relaxing than usual. Also, with Christmas – comes Christmas parties! I swear I won’t need to bring lunch much more between now and when I finish because there are so many events happening around the campus.

On Wednesday, the staff in my department and our board members went out to dinner at Michael’s on the Thames in London. I’ve heard LOADS of great things about this place, but also that it was pricy… so I’d never gotten there. Thanks to work – two weeks before I leave town – I made it. Now I’m really mad I never went before actually, because the food was freaking phenomenal. One of the best meals I've ever had, hands down. The boy has never tried it, but I figure it’ll just give us an excuse to come back for Homecoming sometime down the road. It was such a nice dinner, and great atmosphere. The maitre’d is amazing, he was passing out jingle bells to the whole group and we all sang Christmas Carols – I think everyone had a great time.

Today, we have a group lunch planned for noon at another place I’ve never gotten too downtown, Blue Ginger. Seems like an Asian fusion type of restaurant and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been told there will be martini’s!

This is why I love my job; I’m going to be so sad to leave next week. I don’t know, its just hard for me to imagine finding another job that is as awesome as this one. My coworkers are fantastic, my boss is super nice, and approachable – gah, okay I’ll stop my whining, I’m moving on with my life – I should be excited right? …well, I am excited, I’m just going to miss my job.

Haha, in other news, I went and bought -40 Sorel Boots last night (see picture) – and aside from having flashbacks to my childhood ski boots - they are pretty warm. I hope they will do the trick out West.

Calgary!

Sorry for the delay, I have been meaning to post this for awhile! So as some of you may know, I spent last weekend in Calgary (AKA my future place of residence). My parents kindly donated some air miles my way so I could take a first round of summer clothes (among other things) out ahead of time, and so I could see the boy for the first time in about a month. See… aren’t they awesome people?!? Love the parents.

Anywho, got up bright and early at 5 am on Friday to make sure I’d be able to catch my 7:20 flight in time. Fortunately, because I’m traveling from London – the airport is Tiiiny … so I was checked in like about 5 minutes. Flight over was good – I was on WestJet (love them… you’ll see why later). The funniest part was when we were landing and we got through the clouds all you could see was white – London has gotten maybe an inch of snow so far this year – CLEARLY Calgary was a different story. I found it amusing to look around at everyone’s shocked/concerned faces on the plane as they realized we were clearly heading into a big blizzard. Then the WestJet steward came on and was like “in case you haven’t noticed already it’s a TAD colder in Calgary than in Ontario… but that is okay – because we’re from Calgary, and we love Calgary --- *woooo*" – it was super cute and distracted everyone from looking out the window for awhile. Once we landed, the baggage arrived pretty quick and I caught a shuttle bus downtown. It was only me and a really nice Australian girl who was headed to Banff on the shuttle, so we got to talking with the driver. I think they both found it pretty awesome that my first impression of my future home is a crazy blizzard.
Way to be Calgary, way to be.
Well at least now I can say I’ve seen the worst of it, right? Dear god, I hope that’s the worst of it.

Anyways, the boy met me at the drop-off point for the shuttle and we walked a block or two to our new apartment. It’s smaller than our one in London, but its right downtown which is handy. It will be fine for the first little while. I also don’t have a job lined up out there yet – so we didn’t want to go overboard with living expenses since we’ll only have one income – at least initially. Anyways, we quickly grabbed some lunch and then he had to head back to work for the afternoon – and I toured around 17th Avenue in the blizzard (not to worry, I stopped for Starbucks and a cupcake – so it wasn’t awful). Once the boy got home from work, we went to a cute little Italian place nearby for dinner called Gnocchi’s. It was delish, and not very busy due to the weather. The MIML took me by some of the grocery stores/liquor stores on the way home. I bought some wine and he bought some beer and we headed back and watched Christmas Vacation on TV. That was it for Friday.

Saturday we got up and went for breakfast at a diner down the road… gotta say, breakfast prices = slightly unreasonable. I feel like I will be making breakfast at home from now on. I just thought it was strange because my dinner entrée the night before was around $17 and fairly reasonable, and then I got eggs benny (I splurged) at this diner and it was like $13.50 and wasn’t even that great. After breakfast, the boy took me by where his new office is and then we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks – because it was still pretty frigid outside. Then we decided to hit Chinook Mall, we took the C-Train (its like an outdoor monorail – but I suspect I’ll always call it the subway because I’m wired to think like a Torontonian). It was enjoyable and pretty speedy as well. I saw like FOUR people wearing cowboy hats in DECEMBER, which I think is just awesome (although I bet their ears were freezing). People in my neck of the woods wear cowboy hats ONLY on Halloween or to the bar, so I find it so crazy that people wear them just because out West. Love it. The mall was good, lots of stuff to see. We found the boy some winter boots and I got some stuff from Bath and Body Works (obviously). Then we went to a nearby sushi place for dinner. The boy also bought the Planet Earth DVD set when we were out so we went home afterward and watched that on his fancy new TV, it was pretty awesome (both the TV and the DVD’s).

Sunday, I had to catch my flight back at around 2:30, so I grabbed a shuttle by about noon. Didn’t give me a lot of time in the morning, so we just ate a quick breakfast at home and said our goodbyes :( So sad! Oh well – only a few more weeks. I booked my ‘official’ moving flight – I’ll be a resident of Alberta by December 29th, woo exciting!

Guess that’s about it – that was an EPIC update. I’ll try and post more regularly so they aren’t always so long. Thanks for reading – if you’ve made it this far! As you can probably tell, getting in a workout wasn't my highest priority that weekend. I'll try to get back on the wagon shortly though. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, I realized my camera was out of battery when I arrived there - fiddlesticks. I'll be sure to take lots when I move "for real". :)

Roasted Veggie Pasta with Lemon & Garlic

Ever want an awesomely fresh recipe, super quick – well I did last night when I got home from my trip. I was famished! So on the drive home from the airport I thought up this one, took less than 20 minutes to make, and made a pretty awesome dinner for 10:00 at night. Oh and the best part, I made wayyy to much – so I am currently eating the leftovers for lunch.

Anywho, here are the deets:
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Ingredients:
2 handfuls whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, cappelini or some other long & straight variety = preferred)
1 red pepper – diced
1 yellow pepper – diced
Half an onion
2 garlic cloves, or a scoop of canned garlic
Pinch of basil
Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Green Onions
Olive Oil
Lemon
Lemon Zest
S+P

Directions:
Step 1:
1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil
2. Add pasta of your choice and cook until done, drain (do not rinse).
Step 2:
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sweat the garlic & onions until clear.
4. Add the peppers and cook through
Step 3:
5. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 350 and quarter the cherry tomatoes
6. Line up cut cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Cook cherry tomatoes for 5-7 minutes until roasted.
Step 4:
8. Combine noodles with garlic, onion and peppers
9. Add handful of chopped green onions, and pinch of basil
10. Zest one lemon over top of noodles, and squeeze in the lemon juice of one lemon.
11. Plate and top with Parmesan cheese.
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Don’t worry – details of the Calgary trip coming later – there is only so much you can get accomplished on a lunch break :)

10 on Tuesday

Thanks to Roots and Rings for the questions!

1. What was the last concert you’ve been to?
Keith Urban & Lady Antebellum in October…2nd time seeing Keith, and he was amazing as always. Had never heard Lady Antebellum before and was SUPER impressed.
2. Is it easy to make you cry?
Incredibly, ridiculously easy. I usually cry over pointless stuff though, and then it takes awhile for “big deal” stuff to hit me.
3. Do you ever feel like people underestimate you?
Sometimes, but its probably largely my fault. I’m a bit of a “yes-man” and can be fairly agreeable on the outside even if something really irritates me on the inside.
4. Name 7 completely random things that you like:
Starbucks, Cupcakes, Spa Days, New Haircuts, Getting Off Work Early, Seeing Family, MIML
5. What’s your favorite reality TV show and why?
Oh…. Such a tough one, probably Biggest Loser – I adore that show.
6. What is your favorite hair care product?
I recently purchased a styling product from Aveda called the Glossing Straightener from their Smooth Infusions line – its amazing, smells like Strawberry and makes my hair sparkle.
7. What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Umm… slightly embarrassing but probably ‘Bigger’ by The Backstreet Boys – I still haven’t gotten over my Grade 7 Crush.
8. What’s the number one thing on your Christmas wishlist?
Probably some kind of fitness equipment or a trainer, but realistically, I’ll be happy to just be finally moved out West.
9. Have you ever lost your cell phone?
Yes, I lost my old cellphone under my family’s couch in the basement and didn’t find it for like 6 months – by then I had bought another. :)
10. Did you attack the hordes of shoppers for Black Friday?
I live in Canada, so a lot of them didn’t apply to me, but I online browsed hardcore – there were some pretty awesome deals.