My Maids...And How I Asked Them

There are a few things you hear constantly when you get engaged:

"Let me see the ring"
"Did you set a date?"
"Where are you getting married?"
"Who's in your wedding party?"

This last question was one that I thought about a lot over the past few years. I always knew Mike and I would get married one day, and to tell you the truth, the girls I had in mind a few years ago are almost completely different than the ones that will actually be standing with me that day. That just goes to show how much can change in a couple of years.

So how did I choose my girls? Well I thought about it long and hard. Who has been there for me? Who doesn't judge me? Who can I see myself still being close with in 10 years? Who do I have the most fun with? Who knows ME? Once we decided how many would be in our wedding party, it was easy for me to know who I would choose. And also hard for me, knowing there were a couple girls that are all the things I listed above but we just didn't want a larger wedding party.

So here are my girls:

Maid of Honour-Shauna
I've known Shauna for 5-6 years now. We met because her husband and Mike grew up together. We went to their wedding 5 years ago, and when we would visit from Calgary and see them we always had a good time. When we moved back to Ontario over 2 years ago, we became a lot closer. She has the same kind of humour as I do, and I can literally tell her ANYTHING without worrying if she will think I'm weird. She's my soul sista!



Shauna (on the right) and I in Jamaica last year

 Maid-Jenny
Jenny and I went to high school together, but we weren't really friends then. We dated the same guy (at different times!) and I don't think she liked me that much at first. After high school we started hanging out through a mutual friend, and we've been close friends ever since. It's been almost 10 years! Jenny and I have had our ups and downs, and while I was in Calgary we would lose touch every now and again. But I always knew if I needed her, even if we hadn't talked in a long time, she would be there for whatever I needed. We've been through a lot together, and any time I was down she was the first person there helping me pick myself up.

Jenny!

Maid-Kristen
Kristen and I met while we were both living in Calgary. She is dating another Mike who went to high school with my Mike (confusing I know). After they moved out west, some of our mutual friends came to visit, and we all got together one of the nights. We were pretty much inseparable after that. A year later, when it was my last night in Calgary before moving home, we were in my parents foyer after a night out crying and hugging about how much we would miss each other. We talked about how we would be in each others weddings one day. And now that day has come! 


Kristen!

Maid-Lisa Lisa is Mike's sister. I grew up with 2 brothers, and always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. I felt that it was very important for me to have her as a bridesmaid, because I know we will be in each other's lives forever. She is an extremely talented graphic designer and I'm SO excited that she has been able to help me design all the wedding stationery. She also co-hosted my bridal shower with my future mother-in-law and did an amazing job.


Lisa!

Asking my maids was something I wanted to hype up a little. I had seen these "be my maid" boxes on a blog I follow quite awhile ago, and was instantly in love with them.



Photo from rinserepeatblog.com

Check out the Rinse. Repeat. blog tutorial where I drew my inspiration. I pretty much followed the tutorial other than changing the wording, photos, and colours. I also added their initia to the front of the box, and I freehanded all the writing rather than using stickers or a stencil. Instead of using pre-scalloped cards, I printed the descriptions out and glued them to cardstock, then cut the edges using scallop scissors. The last difference was the VISA gift card. After going to the store to buy them, and realizing there was a $6 fee to activate them, I opted for just making a little money holder out of card stock and just giving them cash instead.

Here's how mine turned out!

All 4 girls were very surprised by the boxes and thought they were neat and cute. They all said yes of course and now they have been by my side helping me every step of the way. As I had mentioned before, my future mother-in-law and sister-in-law hosted an amazing shower for me. All of my bridesmaids were able to be there as well as my mom who was visiting from Calgary. I was overwhelmed with all of the guests gifts and well wishes. I'm not used to having so much attention on me, but I guess I will have to get used to it for the wedding!

Big News

On Sunday June 17th, I was asked the greatest most exciting question of my life, thus far. Mike asked me to marry him...and I of course said YES!

We have been together now almost 6 years, and have lived together for 5 of those years. We are beyond ready and excited to start this next chapter of our lives together.

I was very surprised that the engagement came at this time, he was definitely very sneaky and kept assuring me that the "ring fund" kept getting depleted with house costs, a new truck, and so on. So I was maybe expecting it at the end of the year or even next year. I am VERY happy that it is happening now!


He proposed during our Sunday morning hike with the pup, in one of our favourite places. I cried for a few seconds and then I was just so shocked and happy. He said I made the most hilarious face with my mouth hanging wide open haha! Now our hiking spot will hold a lot more meaning, and every time we are there it will remind me of this moment. 

Right after he proposed, we are both SO HAPPY!

So now that we are engaged, the planning will start, which I am really looking forward to. Our goal is to plan something with as little stress as possible, and focusing on what WE want, and not what we are told is right or is traditional.

Still getting used to having this rock on my finger and a perma smile:)

We are tying the knot on November 17, 2012. Yes this year! We always both knew we would want a short engagement, I think mainly because we have been together so long and already feel married that we didn't want to waste anymore time. This only leaves me about 4.5 months to plan a wedding, but I think I'm up for the task. The way I look at it is that it's less time for me to be browsing Pinterest and wedding blogs and finding too many ideas. Also the extra time would have probably led to us spending more money than we wanted to. I feel like this is the way it was always supposed to happen for us. 

My beautiful ring, and party nail because I am SO excited!

Now to the most important detail, the ring! Absolutely stunning and gorgeous. More than I could have ever dreamed of. My favourite thing in the whole world right now!

June Photo Journal

Summer salmon

Finally started the series this month!

Yummy quinoa bowl

Bachelorette party invitation

Leftover salmon turned into a tasty wrap

Hooked, onto the second book

Some snuggles with my love

Remembering my Aunty Lisa, 1 year 

I'm engaged!

Foster the People concert with my bestie! We only waited 6 months.

FTP, amazing

My new fave, Avocado macaroni & cheese

Quite possibly the best combo EVER

Finished all 3 books within a few weeks, now I can watch the movie!

LYM Challenge: Week 7 Review and Final Thoughts

Wow I can't believe this challenge has come and gone so quickly! 7 weeks is a fairly long challenge but it just flew by for me. This could perhaps be because I wasn't focusing on practicing yoga EVERYDAY which is fairly time consuming. Also, the challenges were all attainable, and knowing that I would be able to complete them probably helped the time go faster because I wasn't getting disappointed.

Week 7's challenge was the most difficult for me. Not because I talk too much or don't like to sit still and be silent, but because of life. We have been extremely busy the last few weeks, and this last week was no exception. Not only was Mike gone last weekend, but this past week/weekend we had a visitor from out west. Because they were out of the house in the evenings, I was with the dog, and it is very difficult to be silent when you have a puppy running around trying to eat everything in your house. A few days I did manage to get some silent time in, but it may not have been the full hour, and it was mostly in the evening when I could put the pup in his crate so he would settle down. All in all it was an ok week, but I think because I was so busy with other things I didn't focus on it as much.

This challenge was a really great 7 weeks for me. Although I didn't practice as much as I would have liked, I tried not to focus on that. I tried to instead focus on what the challenges could bring to my everyday life once they were completed. I am going to review the challenges now and give a little blurb about what I've learned or what I plan to carry into my life now.

Week 1
Be Healthy-No processed foods/toxins in your home.
This challenge wasn't very difficult for me because I had already been eating clean (mostly) for several months. This is something I feel very strongly about now that I have lived it, and I will continue to eat as clean as possible in the future. The benefits definitely outweigh the taste of fast food that is conveniently packaged.

Week 2
Be Accessible-Practice active communication with those around you.
This challenge was an eye opener for me. It is really amazing how much talking we do and how much of those words get lost, or lost in translation. I have made a point to really listen to people when they are talking to me, and then asking them questions before I jump to conclusions or race in with my own opinions. I will absolutely be taking this part of the challenge into my "normal" life.

Week 3
Live Green-Eat only vegetarian meals. I didn't have any trouble with eating no meat for a week. I actually enjoyed it! I don't think I will go vegetarian in the future but I have been including less meat in my own diet. Mike of course still requires it at every meal though! All the meals I made felt light in my stomach without the meat, and I didn't notice any loss of energy or anything.

Week 4
Sangha Support-Practice 1 random act of kindness each day. This was probably my favourite challenge week, because I love doing nice things for others. I had a lot of fun making cards, little treat packages, giving Mike some breaks here and there and sending little love notes in his lunch, and baking treats for coworkers. This is definitely a challenge that I am going to bring forward into my life always. Knowing that you can make someone's day, or even just making someone smile really makes a difference in my own life.

Week 5
Outreach-Volunteer for an hour. I wasn't able to find an organization to volunteer with during this week, but I did get a trade volunteer position at the Moksha Brampton studio where I practice. I am now about a month into my trade position and I am really enjoying being a part of the studio, and of course getting to practice for free. I am still looking to volunteer with the Victim Services of Peel but haven't heard anything back yet. Applications were only being accepted until June 1st I believe so they are probably reviewing them all now. I'm hoping to get a call for an interview. Fingers crossed! This week did teach me that being a part of the community is very important, and it actually feels good knowing that I'm giving up my own time to do something useful for someone else. They would never be able to keep the studio as clean as they do without all of the trades, and so this is an important part of their community.

Week 6
Live to Learn-Read 30 mins each day, and 2 hours each weekend day. LOVED this challenge, because it forced me to make the time to read. Although I didn't read many intellectual things during this week, I really enjoyed catching up on The Hunger Games series. I have already purchased 2 other books to start reading once the series is finished. I've always loved to read but life sometimes gets in the way. Our busy schedule hadn't really allowed much time for reading, but even now I look forward to those few minutes before bed that I give myself for reading.

Week 7
Be Peace-1 hour of silence each day. I had a hard time with this one, but I still recognize how important it is to have silence and peace in your life. Even if I can't fit in a full hour, I will still do my best to take at least a few minutes of silence each day.

Avocado Mac n' Cheese...Otherwise known as Heaven

Comfort food and healthy aren't usually two words that work together. But at tonight's dinner they did! Mind you, I had to make this on a night where Mike wouldn't be home, because he is not a fan of avocado (I don't understand it either).

Here is the recipe for this amazing Avocado Mac n' Cheese, from a new blog I found. It is not a clean blog but generally healthy and they use fresh ingredients for the most part. This wasn't a clean recipe, so I changed it to make it healthier and cleaner. It wasn't entirely clean but pretty close to it! Here are the changes I made:

-I used organic kamut pasta (penne because macaroni is too small for me and takes forever to eat I find)

-I used Monterey Jack cheese instead of pepper jack (Because I've never heard of pepper jack and neither had the cheese lady at Fortino's)

-I used Organic unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk

-I used vegan margarine instead of butter

-I didn't add any salt

-I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose white flour

I also had a problem using my blender...in that it wouldn't blend. There wasn't enough liquid. So I just mashed it up like I would guacamole and it was fine. 

It was so tasty! Definitely better than a box of KD, and healthier. The cheese sauce was so creamy and full of cheesy flavour, and the avocado mixture added even more creaminess. The cilantro and lime were nice flavours that you wouldn't normally see in a mac n' cheese, so it kind of ages it a little. I wouldn't be putting ketchup or hot dogs in this gourmet meal!

I added a spinach salad and a little Hunger Games and it was pretty much the best beginning to my night I could have had:)

You MUST try this one!

The Art of Making a Baby Giveaway!

Ok so you are probably wondering why I am sharing a link to a giveaway for baby items. Before you jump to conclusions...I am NOT expecting!
I will be planning for a family in the future though, and this blog is full of information, product reviews, great photos, and insight into what motherhood is like for this particular new mom.
I have been following her blog for probably the last 10 months or so, and although I do not have any babies/kids I find her posts informative for the future. Especially the product reviews!
She often has giveaways for various products that she has used herself and reviewed, so you know they are probably worth winning!

The Art of Making a Baby Giveaway Check out this giveaway for a 3 pack of glass bottles and a bottle warmer. If you are interested check out the rest of her blog which is a timeline of her pregnancy from the conception planning phase to motherhood:)

LYM Challenge: Week 7

It's the final frontier! I can't believe the last 6 weeks has passed so quickly and that I am finally facing my 7th and final challenge. I have had so much fun, and learned so many new things during this on and off the mat challenge. I have continued a lot of these things after the challenges have ended, which I'm proud to say has only helped me.
The seventh Moksha pillar is "Be Peace".

Be Peace - We offer the benefit of our practice to the benefit of all beings everywhere.

Sounds like kind of a tall order but it’s actually pretty simple!  When we improve ourselves from within, we have more to offer our family, our community and the world.  For us, this is what yoga is all about.  Working hard on all the pillars, sweating buckets on our mats, all for the benefit of all beings everywhere – all for peace.

The seventh and final challenge is:

Practice 1 hour of silence daily for the next 7 days!

Check out this interview with Deepak Chopra on Listening and Stillness. He has listed some "to dos" to help you be silent.

This challenge is going to be difficult for me. Not entirely because it's an hour, but also because it will be hard to find an hour where I don't have to be speaking to the dog. Most likely I will have to do this later in the evening when I can put him in his crate for bed.

For the next 7 days, enjoy extended Savasanas after each day you practice.  If your studio has the time, work towards 20-30 minute long Savasanas.

If you aren't sure what savasana is check out this video which will show you the posture. Why is savasana so important? Check out this article The Importance of Rest.

Savasana is one of my favourtite postures in yoga. It is in savasana that I am able to let go of all of my stress from the day and just lie there. It is a lot harder than  you think. So many times I am tempted to wipe the sweat that is dripping from my body, open my eyes, take a drink, or get up. But whenever those things come to my mind, I remember that I need this rest, and it is just as important, if not more important than the other postures I practiced today. This is one of the reasons I loved Power Yoga Canada. Savasana was part of the practice there. For about the last 10 mins of practice, the whole class was able to enjoy savasana together, in silence, before we close the practice together. There were no distraction allowed from the other people. At Moksha it is a little different. We spend about 1 min in savasana before closing the practice, and then are given the option to stay as long as we wish. Unfortunately, most people rush out of class to get to the showers, tearing their mats off the floor (which is now sticky from humidity so it makes a very loud noise). It is almost impossible to drown out the amount of noise that is going on, so my savasana is often cut short, not by my choice. I try to remain if I can for at least 10 mins, and then I close my practice in my own way. For this challenge when I do practice, I will try to increase that another 10 mins.

Here are some other links worth checking out that were included in this week's newsletter:

50 Peaceful Things-This is a really neat list of peaceful things to do that the author has created based on "The Book of Awesome". My copy is currently in the mail so it will come at the perfect time for this week's challenge. I'm going to try to do a number of these peaceful things during the week.

The Power of Silence-This article gives us 5 examples of when to use silence and why. Most of us can benefit from reading this article. Two that I was really interested in were gossipping, and during arguments.

The Dalai Lama: 18 Rules for Living-Very inspirational way to look at living your life. Definitely some important lessons in there.

Shhhh...Time to be silent.