Eat, Pray, Love

Three simple words, three words that I think more of us need to learn to live by.

Last night we had a girls night out and went to see the new Julia Roberts film Eat, Pray, Love. I had read this book about 6 weeks ago, and was dying to see the film. Lets just say that I had pretty high expectations going into it.

I can now say that my expectations were met and exceeded. I loved this movie. It was the first thing in a while that really made me stop and think about my life, and how I was living it. It followed fairly closely (especially for a movie) to the book. It really encompassed Liz's journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia.

The feelings that I got from the film, and book are hard to explain in words. I hope that some of you have the chance to see this film, and experience what I did last night.

Time to Share #22

A few weeks ago I announced that I would be having my first guest blogger! Well here is here first post.

You may have heard me talk about Bethan before. She is one of my best friends, and a young woman who as wisdom beyond her age. Hope you enjoy her points of view.

Kindness--

I can honestly say that I would never see myself as a being a guest blogger, but when my good friend Stacy asked me I jumped on the opportunity! It took me awhile to decide what to write on and it came to me as I was at school last week....

I am currently attending Olds College, I am married and I am quite a bit older than my classmates. I have tried to be as helpful to my classmates as I can throughout the year: explaining different aspects, or helping them with a question or even studying with some students that are struggling. I got asked the other day why I take the time to help others, doesn’t it slow me down and doesn’t it not allow me to finish my work as quickly? I am a very talkative person and at that moment I found myself dumbfounded, I didn’t really know what the person meant or how they wanted me to react. This got me thinking...

I do not think of myself when helping someone or even how they are slowing me down. I look at it as I help others and they help me. A lot of my classmates do not feel that they help me; they do not realize that it is a great feeling for me to help them. If I needed help I know someone will be there to help me, and even if it isn’t an action that I can explain, by allowing me to help them they have helped me. I like that kindness in contagious, if I show my kindness others may pass it on.

This quote says it best by Barbara De Angelis,

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.”

This takes me to a time when I needed help... I was about 2 hours away from home in the truck. I realized that I was low on fuel and was not going to make it home so I pulled into the gas station, I just put in 20 bucks enough gas to get home. I got the till and realized I didn’t have my wallet in my purse it was in the car, I knew exactly where it was. I explained the gas attendant my story and was curious if I called my husband if they could take his VISA number and charge the card for the gas I had already put in the truck. The gas attendant said it wouldn’t work and I was mortified at this time the man behind me stood forward and paid for my gas. I asked if I could get his address I would pay him back, he told me just to pay it forward.....

That man, which I never did even get a name from, had a huge impact on my life that day and from that day on. I didn’t make my life about creating these heart warming stories, but simply to just bring kindness into the world. If it is helping a student in class or just by sending a random text to a special friend or smiling and saying hello to a stranger. I don’t think there is anything bad about bringing happiness into the world.

Here is another quote to explain what I mean, by Leo Buscaglia,

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

So as I write this blog and you read it I hope that it has made you think twice about being kind to others. Here is a list of 10 simple acts of kindness maybe you could consider and may change someone’s life and not even realize it:

1. Send someone you care about a random message telling them you are thinking about them

2. Tip 100% for good service at a restaurant

3. Tell someone how much they mean to you

4. Smile and say hello to a stranger as you walk by

5. Let the person that is such a hurry behind you just go in front of you

6. Give your seat up to someone else in a public place

7. If you see someone else in trouble...stop and help

8. Pay for the person behind you in line at Tim Horton’s

9. Send an random card to someone in the mail (everyone loves getting good mail)

10. Donate to a charity

11. Just Smile...it will spread and bring a smile to others around you.

I hope this blog leaves you with a perspective in life that being kind can make a difference. Anyone can make a difference in this world I will leave you with one final quote by Theodore Rubin,

“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”

Gossip

Yes something that we all fall guilty to once and a while, but do we really understand what we are doing?

Today I had someone tell me a few rumors and gossip that had been going on about me. Not only did it hurt our friendship, as he took the rumors side over me, but it really hurt to know that some people actually think that about you.

Today I want to share a few tips with everyone to help prevent rumors.

1. Just because a girl and guy hang out does not mean they are sleeping together or want to. We can just be friends, and that is completely normal
2. Just because a boy sleeps at a girls house does not mean that they hooked up. Many houses have multiple beds and couches that make great sleeping surfaces
3. If you are good friends with someone and they tell you that something is not true, chances are they are not lying. In my books friends don't lie to one another.
   
4. Karma is a bitch, remember that when you are starting or spreading rumors
5. Just because you "think" you know someone does not mean that you really know someone. Next time the the few minutes to try to get to know someone before you just to conclusions that can really hurt someone else

Hope there help or reinforce a few what i would think are common sense ideas.

A Little Inspiration

This afternoon my good friend Bethan sent me an email out of the blue. It has been the highlight of my day, and just what I needed on a Monday afternoon.

I hope that everyone gets a pick me up like this, and that you remember to share with those how special they are to you!

My inspiration for the day Stacy!

I was driving along and a song came on my ipod I hadn’t really listened to, its called “Thing Built to Last” by Heartland, they sang the song I loved her first. Anyways I goggled the lyrics and copied the following:

here's to the makers of things built to last
Like church bells and bridges, and baseball on grass
Like Ferguson tractors and Lucchese boots
My daddy's old tools I still use

The pledge of allegiance, the stars and the stripes
The words in the Bible, the sun in the sky
And here's to the twinkle in old married eyes
Still there after fifty years past
Here's to the makers of things built to last

We live in a world now of plastic and glue
Disposable honor, replaceable truth
If a part breaks, why fix it?
Man, what's the use
It costs less to buy it brand new


So after I listen to the song I think of my friend Stacy! She is a wonderful lady and inspiration to myself, even though I don’t think she knows it! Anyways I was thinking how we can all get caught up in the plastic and glue and even just life and it is great to take a step back and realize that there are things in this world that are incredible and that will last forever….like our friendship!

I just wanted to share my inspiration with you friend! Even though the song talks about a love relationship I totally related it to a friend relationship and just like I know I can always count on you! You can always count on me!!

Love ya Happy Monday Stacy!

21st Winter Olympics: Day 3 Recap

Wow what a day for Canada! Today had lots of amazing stories that came out of the games, as well as a personal story that I want to share.

1. Canada Wins Its First Gold Medal on Home Soil

Finally! On day 3rd what seemed to be the impossible for Canada, has now happened. In the men's freestyle skiing, Quebec native Alexandre Bilodeau claimed the gold medal. He put out an amazing run that will go down in history as being the first gold medal performance on Canadian soil.

The 3 other Canadian freestyle skiers that qualified for the finals did not disappoint either. Vincent Marquis finished 4th, Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau finished 5th, and youngster Maxime Gingras finished 11th.

2. Kristina Groves wins 3rd Olympic medal

Kristina Groves walked away with her 3rd Olympic medal tonight, and first of what hopefully is many in the Vancouver games. Groves finished 3rd in the 3000m Speed Skating. Her team mates were also in the hunt with Clara Hughes finishing 5th and Cindy Klassen finishing 14th. All three women still have 3-4 races left in these Olympic games.

3. Pairs Short Skate

The Pair's Short Skate was tonight. Canada has 2 teams competing in this. Although we are not favored for a medal, the Canadian teams are still though to finish well. Currently we are in 5th and 6th place, with the Free Skate tomorrow. It would be great if one of our teams could finish on the podium. All we can do it hope for the best for these young teams.

4. Men's Luge

Today the Men's Luge competition came to a close after a scary week for these athletes. Although Canada did not win a medal in the men's competition, we still had a great competition. We had 3 athletes competing and they all finished in the top 20. Our highest finisher was Samuel Edney, who finished 7th. This is the highest finish ever for a Canadian in an Olympic games.

5. Ignite the Dream

My friend Shaun is spending a week in Vancouver as part of the pyro team for the Olympic Games. This is as close of a personal connection as I will get to the games, but still think its a great story.

Shaun is helping do the Ignite the Dream show twice nightly downtown Vancouver. The show runs at 9:30 and 11:00 Pacific Time. I just finished watching the 9:30 show and it was awesome. There is a great mix of music, pyro, fireworks, and a few surprise guests. The show streams live on the BC Government website. I encourage you to check it out!

http://www.gov.bc.ca/

2010 Winter Olympics: Day 1 Recap

The 21st Winter Olympics are now under way. It is my goal to do a daily recap of what is happening and some of the great stories to come out of the games.

The first day of the Olympics got started with a somber start. The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian Luger. I think it was a great touch that is fellow Georgian athletes still walked in the Opening Ceremonies in his memory with black scarves and black armbands.

The Opening Ceremonies itself left me with mixed emotions. There were some great highs for me, but also some parts that really left me questioning the games.
Throughout the whole Olympic experience, from the moment the Olympic bid went in, there has been a great focus on the Aboriginal people of Canada. Now I do understand that they are a part of our heritage, and they continue to be part of our country, but the focus of them was just to much. I think the real image of Canada almost got forgotten about.

This focus was brought into the Opening by a entire section being dedicated to the Aboriginals of our land, and also having the 4 chiefs be regarded as "Olympic royalty"

Now for the great parts! I love watching the athletes come into the stadium. This year it was great to see the Canadian athletes that would be competing the next day still be able to be part of the opening as it really is part of the Olympic experience.

The other part that I really love is the lighting of the cauldron. This whole process leaves everyone guessing as to who will be the one to do the lighting. Included in this process is the entrance of the Olympic flag. This year there were 8 people chosen to carry the flag, and I think that all 8 people were excellent choices. Former hockey star Bobby Orr; musician Anne Murray; champion race car driver Jacques Villeneuve; Betty Fox, the mother of cancer research champion Terry Fox; actor Donald Sutherland; gold medal figure skater Barbara Ann Scott; UNAMIR commander Roméo Dallaire; and Julie Payette, Canadian astronaut, carried the flag into the stadium.

After that came the actual lighting of the Olympic cauldron. This year there are 2, one indoors and one outdoors. The outdoor one will remain a permanent fixture in the city, while the indoor one will only be up until the closing ceremonies.

This years caldron was light by 5 people, the first time that a sole person has not done the lighting. Wayne Gretzky, Steven Nash, Nanct Green Raine and Catriona LeMay Doan were selected to light the tourch, with Rick Hansen selected to bring the tourch into the stadium.

The cauldron was supposed to rise from he floor with 4 pegs, and a middle cauldron. Unfortunetly only 3/4 rose and left Gretzky, NBA star Steve Nash and Olympic gold medal skier Nancy Greene Raine to simultaneously light the cauldron while fourth torch bearer, speed-skater Catriona LeMay Doan, was forced to stand by.

Later Gretzky was driven down to the waterfront to light the other cauldron.

I think overall the Openings were a great start. There were a few dry moments, but there seems to be with all Openings. One of my favorite parts was a poem that was read about being Canadian. I am still trying to find it online, and when I do will post it.

Hopefully the rest of the Olympics will go off great. And be sure to stay tuned for more daily recaps!

In Memory

This week the world lost two tremendous men in their own right.

Lee Alexander McQueen was an English fashion designer known for his unconventional designs and shock tactics. McQueen worked as the head designer at Givenchy for five years before founding the Alexander McQueen and McQ labels. Met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Designer of the Year award four times.

McQueen faced a tough life in this last days alive. His mother passed away only days before, and Queen is believed to have taken his own life on February 11, the day before his mothers funeral was supposed to happen.

This fashion legend will remain in the history books as one of the best and most promising designers to ever come out of the UK.

The second man to leave us this week was Georgian Luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili. Nodar as in a training run at the Olympic luge track when he was killed in a training accident. This came the afternoon before the Olympics opened, and brought on a somber start to the Vancouver games.

I think that this is a real tragedy for the sporting community in a time of celebration and sport. I think the biggest tragedy is the media in this unfortunate circumstance. I feel that there was no need to show pictures of the accident, and especially not to show the video footage of it.

Hopefully the rest of the games and NY fashion week will go on as planned, and that at both of these events both of these men will remain in our hearts.

Time to Share #17

Well the time has almost come. A time that only comes every 4 years, and in those years leading up to it, there is so many hours of dedication and hard work that goes into it.

Yes, I am talking about the 2010 Winter Olympics! There has been so much hype for so long about this event, and now with it only 8 days away, the excitement is really building!

I think that there are so many great stories that come out of the Olympics. There are the stories of the athletes that usually are our focus, but outside of that there are the stories of the coaches, organizers and volunteers.

Without thousands of organizers and volunteers the games would not be possible. I don't think people realize that without them there would be no games. Everything from the bidding process, to the torch relay, to the games themselves.

I am truly excited to be a Canadian and see how our athletes do during this years games. I have high hopes for our athletes.

The Countdown Is On!

With less then 1 month until the Olympic games begin, the excitement is definitely in the air. Last night the Olympic torch made its way through Edmonton.

Brett and I headed down to Churchill Square to see the torch, and see the cauldron be lit. Although we were not sure what to expect, it was a pretty neat thing to see. There was so much pride and excitement in the air.

Although I am disappointed in some of the approaches that the Olympics are taking, I think that it will be an amazing few weeks to watch out Canadian athletes compete in their home country. I know I will be glued to the TV during that time!

The Evolution Begins

The world of Avatar is something that is all very new to me. So when the new James Cameron movie came out, I was not jumping up and down to see it. Sure it had great technology, and supposedly a decent store line, but it was not just overly appealing to me.

Over the weeks, I kept hearing more and more reports about how amazing the movie was. Finally tonight I was able to see the movie, and what an experience it was.

The first thing that is truly unbelievable is the 3-D experience. To have the movie jump off the screen, and be right on your lap, its amazing. The way we watch movies really has changed. Secondly, the idea and work that went into this film is unlike any other. To creating a new language to new animals, and a new culture takes more time then you can imagine.

Once you settle in to the movie, the story takes place. It is a great mix of action, emotion, and a little bit of romance as well. The movie has a great plot, and takes you to another world, literally!

One of my new favorite actresses Zoe Saldana is the lead actress. Not only is she beautiful in real life, but she makes a beautiful tall blue woman as well!

If you have the chance go see this movie, especially in the theatre. I don't think that watching it at home will give you nearly the same effect.

Starbucks

Every time I go to Starbucks I always seem to get the same cup... well with the same saying anyways.

It is one of my favorites that I have ever gotten, so I thought that I would share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Way I See It #76
The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating- in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.

Settling

Over the last few days I have come to the realization that everyone should... Settling is not necessary!

Although we all know this, we often find ourselves saying that this is good enough, or will do. However, I think that it is really discouraging to see people like this.

No matter if it is a relationship, a job, a house, or even an outfit, there is no reason why each of us do not deserve the very best that we can have.

This weekend I was reminded of that, and seen some areas in my life that I had settled on. I hope that this is a "wake-up call" for all of you, and that you make sure that you are getting the very best you can. Because all of us deserve it!

Wake-up Call

Once and a while we have events in our life that cause us to have a wake-up call. Either we are not following the goals we set out for ourselves, getting off track, or taking things for granted. This last week, I had a huge wake up call.

A few weekends ago I spent the most amazing weekend with my girlfriend and her fiance, and another friend. We went riding, laughed, visited, and just had an amazing weekend spending time with each other. Two days after I left she was rushed to hospital with a virus that was attacking her nervous system. She is OK now, and is back home after spending a few days in the hospital. However, she is having to depend on a walker to be able to walk and has a long road ahead of her to recover.

It is stories like this that makes me realize that we cant take out lives for granted. So many of us go through the motions ever day, doing what needs to be done, but not really living life to its fullest. Hearing this also made me think of the small things that we take for granted in our lives such as driving or walking.

I hope that my girl pulls though, as I know she will. She is a true fighter and has already set a goal of walking down the aisle at her wedding without the walker, and I know she will do it!

Life Lessons

Over the last couple of weeks I have confirmed something in my life... I am not a patient person! This revelation is not a new one for me. I am the type of person who would rather do something myself then teach someone or wait for them to do it or have someone else do it for me rather then having to wait to be shown how do to do it, or what needs to be done.

This matter is slightly different in that I have absolutely no control over what h appends, something else I don't like much in life, but that's for another day. This situation has felt me waiting for an answer. At this point in time I have no idea when I will get what I am looking for, or if I ever will. But for now, I am doing my best to try and be patient.

It seems the more I think about the pending answer the more it consumes my life, and so recently I have been trying to keep as busy as possible to prevent that. We have a local cattle show that is coming up that I have been working on some animals for over the last few weekends, and I have also started to scrapbook again, something that I haven't done since college.

Hopefully, this test of waiting will end sooner then later, but in the mean time, at least I am working on my patience, and who can't afford to be more patient?

There is always tomorrow...

Bad as I like ye, it's worse without ye. ~Irish Proverb

This quote seemed very fitting for the day that I had today, and it made me think that you really have to take everything with a grain of salt.

I don't have a lot of information for you right now, but will for sure keep everyone posted. I have a feeling that their will be a lot to share either for the good or the bad in the next couple of weeks. And regardless will take all the support from my friends and family I can get.

A new beginning

So the day has finally come. After reading many blogs, and seeing so many people in my life start there own amazing blogs, I have finally taken the leap and am ready to share a little bit of my life.

This comes as a huge step for me as I am usually a very reserved and guarded person when it comes to my personal life. I find I have let the communication lines drop between myself and the people around me lately, and an now opening another avenue for them to track my life and let them in on the adventures I have been taking. It seems like the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is pick up the phone and call someone after spending hours on the phone at work.

I hope that everyone that reads this finds something that they can either laugh at, learn from, or even just appreciate.