New Year: New Swag, New Chapter, New Goals!

Welcome to 2013!

2012 was a HUGE year for me. Lots of things changed in my life, and all for the better I would have to say. In February of 2012 I started my first 40 Days to Personal Revolution and my life changed forever. Since then I had spent a lot of time on my mat, in the kitchen, and on myself. I started the energy exchange program at Moksha Yoga Brampton and  blogged lots of recipes and yoga challenges. I got engaged, planned a wedding, and got married in the span of 5 months. I went on a memorable honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. I spent countless hours on dog training for a now adolescent and stubborn dog. I grew distant with some friends, I grew closer to some others. I also celebrated life changing events with others, like weddings and pregnancies.



A framed collage I made with wedding photos and stationery

 New Swag

My husband gave me a Canon Rebel T4i as a wedding gift (amazing I know!). I had been complaining about our old and poor quality point and shoot camera for about a year. I had also stopped taking photos other than ones on my phone. I'm the type of person that has over 100 albums on Facebook, and would always be the one with tons of photos from get togethers with family or friends. I have always loved taking photos, and more importantly having keepsakes of memories that I've made with those around me. I had been wanting a digital SLR for awhile, and was hoping to save money from my birthday and Christmas to get one. However my sneaky husband bought me one along with an extra lens. When I opened my gift the morning of the wedding I was so shocked, and then I was angry with him for spending so much money! He then explained to me that really it was a "family" gift because we would both be using it.

My new camera!

I also purchased a new yoga mat in 2012. It is a Jade yoga mat, which is the same mat they use at Moksha Brampton. I had been renting a mat from them every practice because my Lululemon mat was finally starting to deteriorate from the hot room. I had been using it for almost 3 years so I really was due for another one. The Jade mat is awesome! No need for a mat towel as it is no slip even with sweat all over it. It stays put on the floor too, which means it doesn't stretch out while I'm in downward dog. Plus $5 of the cost was donated to Ovarian cancer Research, and it's eco-friendly. I received a Lululemon yoga mat tote for Christmas from my new sister-in-law as well which worked out perfectly. I'm very excited to put my new swag to good use.


Me practicing the morning of my wedding on my new mat:)

 New Chapter

I married my best friend on November 17th, 2012. We married at The Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It was a beautiful fall day with uncharacteristically warm weather at 8 degrees and sunny. It was a whirlwind 4 months of planning up until that day, but it totally paid off because it was the most perfect day of our lives. We had around 115 of our closest friends and family to celebrate with us. You always hear that your wedding day will go so fast and you won't remember half the things that happened, and it's completely true! Even though the hotel staff (including our wedding coordinator) had everything under control and I was able to relax, there were so many people to talk to, photographs to be taken, speeches to listen to, food to eat, and dancing to be done. All of that crammed into one day is A LOT! The important thing is that I remember the most important parts of the day for me, and for all the rest we had our photographer. 
Now Mike and I get to start this new chapter of our lives together, and I can't wait!


LOVE

 















On our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic

New Goals

The passed two years I have been setting goals for myself for the upcoming year. Last years goals were things like eating healthier, practicing yoga more often, and running a 5km race. I achieved a good chunk of my goals from 2012, and it is such a great feeling to have accomplished those things. I think the fact that I didn't go too crazy with them, and made them achievable made it a lot easier to reach them. I also didn't set too many goals for myself. For 2013, I started writing my goals out before Christmas, and I used Lululemon's goal setting worksheet (download towards the bottom of the page) to help me write out exactly what it was that I wanted to accomplish this year, in five years, and in ten years. Here are some of my goals for 2013:

Career
-Power Yoga Canada teacher training  (save for the Winter 2014 session)
-->fill out the application
-Research self-employment business practices/info/tips
Health
-Practice yoga 3 times/week
-Continue healthy and clean eating
-Discover 20 new clean eating recipes and blog them (I'm pretty sure I'm going to surpass this goal, as I have already found and blogged a few in January)
Personal
-Take a photography course and learn how to use my new camera
-Run a 5km race, maybe 2
-Family
-Pay off debt



Early AM practice in one the most beautiful places, so peaceful

I have already signed up for a photography course online, which I started this month. It has modules each ranging from 20 mins-1 hour or so so definitely achievable even during a busy work week. I also received a guide book for my new camera for Christmas and will be reading a few pages here and there. The yoga teacher training has been in my mind for about 2 years now. I think I am ready for a life changing career move. Once I have completed the teacher training, I will have to work very hard at securing steady teaching jobs in various studios in the area. I want to research marketing options, as well as learn how to run my own business. I also need to work at saving enough money to take the training, which is around the equivalent of what a year of college costs.
This passed summer, Mike and I along with a group of friends, ran in the Run for the Cure to support breast cancer research. Our good friend's mother has been affected by breast cancer and survived twice now, so we felt it was really important to support him. It was a 5km walk or run. We both ran the 5k and I was so happy I did at the end. The feeling of accomplishing something I never thought I would was amazing! See I am not a runner. I was always the one who would choose the 400m dash in track and field in school. Endurance was never my thing. In fact, I loathed running. But I had my mind set that I was going to run, and I only stopped once or twice for a minute or two to pace myself. I can't remember my exact time, but I do remember it being pretty decent.

Paying off my debt has always been an issue for me. There was always something else I needed my money for and then next thing you know I would have a few thousand dollars on a credit card or line of credit. I have been paying for my car for about 7 years now! I cannot wait for that payment to stop coming out of my account every month. I have learned that I will never purchase a new car again, I'll always go with a used one, and I will NEVER finance a car for the length of time I did my first.

All in all I am VERY excited for what 2013 has in store for me. After a solid year of yoga and clean eating, I am feeling better than ever and ready to continue my healthy lifestyle. I could not imagine my life without these things now, and this is something I have truly come to love about myself. Being able to live a life that I want to live has been my greatest lesson so far. If 2012 was that life changing for me, I can only imagine what 2013 will bring!

Namaste!