GOOD LUCK!!!

 Good luck today, ladies!! <3

I wish I was in Disney..

So I'm supposed to be in Disney right now.  I'm supposed to be running a 5k tomorrow.  But I'm not.  Really, the motivation for this trip (aside from the getting in shape thing) was to see my girls!  There's a whole group heading to Disney this weekend, most are there right now, and I REALLY wanted to go.  I really wanted to spend the weekend with the ladies, some of whom I've met and some of whom I haven't.  But alas, I am not there.  So instead I want to say...

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!

I'm so proud of you ALL! I can't wait to her all about your adventures!

Shameless Self Promotion

Today and tomorrow I will be in Toronto with a team of kids from the Junior Achievement Company Program, in Halifax.  Wait, what, why?!  You may ask...well, because I've been volunteering with this company for the past 15 weeks and they've ROCKED MY WORLD!  And everyone elses!  But lets start from the beginning (a logical place, don't you think?)

Junior Achievement Company Program is basically a program that allows students to create their own company and their own product in 18 weeks.  They go from development to having a full executive team and staff to selling to shutting down their company.  In 18 weeks.  Intense, huh?

I got involved in JA because a friend of mine works for them.  She invited me to be part of it...and how could I say no to mentoring our future leaders!?!  I love it.  There are 4 of us, advisors.  And we have a group of 12 wonderful kids!  And smart? HOLY!  They have this amazaballs product called Texttens.  They are mittens, with removable thumbs so you can text and stay warm. Brilliant right?!

Shown with their school logo.

These kids are smart.  Like, smart smart smart! And they're passionate.  I'm so thankful I've been able to be a part of this group.Anyways...how we got to Toronto...They won the Pitch It! Competition!  Think Dragon's Den (or Shark Tank for the Americans in the room).  They did a regional Pitch It! (Dragon's Den) and provincial Pitch It! and they KILLED IT!  Their reward was Dinner with a Dragon.  So we're headed off to Toronto to meet Arlene Dickinson.  I'm PUMPED.  The kids are PUMPED! We're all just very excited and feel very lucky to be part of this program.  So that's where I'll be for the next two days with part of the Texttens team.  Will report back on sales and successes soon! (And stay turned for an indepth look at how the kids are doing, what their sales are, and all that fun stuff!)

And if you want a pair of Texttens..let me know! We only have 75 (ish) left and they're going fast!

PUGS!!!!!!

As you may, or may not, be aware...I am kind of obsessed with my dogs.  So much so that my twitter is @LifewithPugs.  I know, it's a strange thing to be obsessed with but look at their little faces!!!

When we were little mom always said pugs were "...so ugly, they're cute!"

And since I've never really dedicated an entire post to them, I felt it was time to do so.  Prepare to be pugged.

Michelangelo is named after the Ninja Turtle!

This handsome pug is Mikey.  He will be four years old in May.  He's pretty much the laziest pug until something catches his attention...and then he just looses his mind and starts barking and jumping and, well, his nickname is Crazy.  

Miss Molly Sue loves this bone she stole from mom's lab/pitbull mix!

This little girl is Molly Sue Nesbitt.  Yes, she has a full name.  We adopted her when she was about 9 months old and Mikey was about 4 months old.  He needed a friend and she needed a home.  From the minute we took Molly in she was loving and snuggly and very playful!  She's got a huge personality and she's pretty smart...for a pug.

Now, why am I posting about my pugs?  Well, because they're kind of like my children (Yeah, I'm one of THOSE people.  But it's not as bad as you think!).  Mr. Dan and I love these little guys.  They've got huge personalities and they're so affectionate.  They are cool with just chilling on the couch but they're also always game for playing with a toy or going for a walk.  They get along with EVERYONE.  Dogs, cats, birds, parents...EVERYONE.  And they're just so goofy.  Sheldon comics can explain better than me...these are real life happenings.  Trufax, even!

Anyways, it's a weird bond but I'm okay with it.  And so is Mr. Dan...

Halifax Politics...you'll be hearing a lot about this in the future...

We have a municipal election coming up in October and you know what, Halifax?



WE DESERVE BETTER!!

That's right, Halifax.  We deserve better.  We deserve politicians that have a vision, not just go along with the status quo.  We deserve people with a drive, not just someone that is there for the ride.  We deserve diversity, not just the usual career politician.  We deserve change, not the same shit we've had time after time.  And I think we've got a glimmer of hope.  We're going to get there, Halifax.  I KNOW it.

Do you know how I know it? Because we are finally seeing some REAL candidates emerge for this election in October.  Today local blogger, commentator, musician and instructor Waye Mason announced he'll be running on Pennunisular Halifax in October.  THERE IS HOPE! 

Now, I'm not saying run out and vote for Waye - you vote for whoever you want - but what I am saying is we're not just stuck with the career Peter Kellys, or the well I'll vote for X because they've been there for so long.  We're not stuck with whackjobs or people who aren't serious...REAL candidates are emerging.  Waye is just one.  Mike Savage is another.  We have REAL options now Halifax.  So get out there, get involved, learn what your politicians platforms are and for Jebus' sake get your ass out there and VOTE.

Honeymoon Recap!

HONEYMOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, that's right.  It was that good.  

We decided we wanted to spend our honeymoon in Varadero, Cuba at the Iberostar Playa Alameda.  Let me say that the weather was FANTASTIC the whole time we were there.  During the day it never went lower than about 25 and never higher than 35.  And it was sunny!!  Basically it was a wonderful week to spend on the beach and exploring town.

So let's start from the beginning:

The cab picked us up at 3:40 a.m. on Thursday. It was way too early and I was not happy. I got sick on the flight to Toronto. It sucked. But Mr. Dan was so sweet. He made me a pillow with his hoodie and found me some headphones so I could try to block out all the noises and sleep. After we landed, and I got on firm ground, I felt a lot better. We had a nice little brunch, chatted and waited for our next plane. Apparently it was re-scheduled so we had 3 hours instead of 2. It was okay though. We had a nice chat and people watch!

We arrived in Varadero around 2:30 p.m. Got all our stuff, no problem, and found our bus. It was quick ride to the hotel (which was lovely!) and then we were there. The first few hours we got checked in, wandered around the beach and the resort, figured out where everything was and headed to the buffet for dinner. We were exhausted so then we headed to our room. And our keys wouldn’t work. So we went to get new ones…and they still wouldn’t work. So maintenance (Darel) came and explained (in broken English) that he was new but he’d fix our locks. 1 hour later his supervisor arrived. Then Darel ended up climbing to our second story balcony and letting us in. He stayed for 2 more hours, and was such a sweet man, but couldn’t fix our door. He got the manager who made sure we had a new room that had all the same amenities (king sized bed, second floor, etc). It was mid-night by the time we actually got into our real room…but I was just happy to sleep.  The experience was really crappy but Darel and his team were great to us.

The next few days we spent going into town, relaxing by the pool and on the beach and playing in the waves. It was SO windy that we had these huge waves to play it. It was like we were 10 year olds…but it was so fun to just act silly with my husband.

We went into Varadero (the town) twice. It was a lot of fun and we ended up spending 4 hours just wandering around and buying jewelry, rum, cigars, etc.

Our evenings consisted of dinner (2 restaurants were alright, the other one was CRAP. Buffet was always good) and then drinks in the outdoor courtyard with live Cuban bands. On the 4th Mr. Dan and I went to the “Romantico” restaurant and then got absolutely loaded while watching the band. We ended the evening on our balcony with beer (and a cigar for him). It was the best "monthaversary" ever.  (Did I really just call it that?! LOL)

We didn’t really do a whole lot but we had so much fun. We relaxed, we got a “tan” (I got freckles and now look like less of an albino) and we spent so much time just sitting and chatting. It really was a much needed, much appreciated, wonderful honeymoon.

And here is my proof:

We made it!!

The building we stayed in

Hot day in town! 

Celebrating!

Lizard.

Taxis in front of the hotel

Love palm trees!

I'll just take these beer back to my room to examine....

The beach!

Hello palm tree <3 

The pool

Our last night:(

Where the eff did she go?!

Hi again.  Miss me?  Well apparently some people did because I've been getting asked about why I don't blog anymore.  And so I'm back.  I can't promise I'll always be thoughtful, or that I'll have the most entertaining posts, or that I'll even post once a week (I'll try! I promise!!) but I can say that I'm glad to have been missed.  Even if it was only by one or two loyal readers!  (I'm not dreaming, someone missed me...right?!)

Anyways, I believe we need a recap.  When we last left off I had been training for a 5K, just totally effed my back up and we were leaving for our honeymoon in a week.  To answer your first question: Yes.  Yes I am still training for a 5K.  No, it's not the one in Disney with my ladies.  Sadly I could not get the time off to go, or the funds for my plane ticket to Florida.  BUT I am still working out, I am still walk/running and I will be doing a 5K...just not the one I planned on.  

My back is much better.  Thanks for asking. I've been seeing a chiropractor and as long as I keep up my end (good posture, stretches, etc) everything seems to be on the mend.  

Now the honeymoon...oh you'd like to hear about that, wouldn't you?  Well that will have to wait for another day because I feel that deserves a post.  But until then, here's a teaser:

Seriously effed...

I seriously effed up my back this weekend.  I have no idea what I did or how I did it but it lead me to the doctor's this morning.  I'm off work until Wednesday (two day work week? Um YES PLEASE!) and I have to see a chiropractor.  And no running/jogging for at least 7 days.  After that, take it slow.  Oh well.  Lots of time to do light housework and catch up on the soaps, right?

I can "run" (aka jog/walk) the 2 km around my block in 22 minutes.  That means I am getting closer to my goal of a 5K!!

For those of us that aren't up to date on my situation - I will be doing a 5K with some wonderful women (who I met ONLINE *GASP*) in February.  Now, I know that I've said before that I don't have the body of a runner...and I don't....but a jogger, well maybe that's me.  I just feel better about this.  I feel better about me.  I feel...empowered.  ha!  Anyways, to go with my empowerment, here is something that describes my running life.  Enjoy;)

SOLD OUT!!!

Kick it Up has SOLD OUT!! I am SO thrilled! wo0ho0!!

Thanks to anyone who was interested, supported us or bought tickets.  I'm so pumped we're sold out so quickly!!

Kick it Up!! Support Dress for Success!

Come join us! Tickets are going FAST!!

Where did my life go...?! Some thoughts on volunteering

It's been hectically busy in my life.  I feel like sometimes it's not my own.  I've taken on a LOT of volunteer positions and moved on from some others.  Basically, I'm working on expanding my resume (with causes and events that are near and dear to my heart) through volunteer experience. 

Being a volunteer is an amazing thing.  I've always believed, and I think this is my parents and grandparents doing, that volunteering is the best way to give thanks and give back to your community.  It  is a concrete way of using your skills and knowledge to help members of your community.  It's something that I have always done and I will continue to do. 

I actually told Mr. Dan the other night that I couldn't wait to be retied (says the woman whose just starting her career) so I could volunteer at all the places I wanted to.  So I could be as dedicated a volunteer as I wanted to be.  Mr. Dan just smiled and nodded.  He knows how much I want to take on - and he also knows I can't do any of it while working a full-time job.  But a girl's gotta pay the bills, right?

Anyhoar, the bills are getting paid (thank you employer!) and the volunteering is continuing to happen.  Right now I'm working as a volunteer Media Coordinator for a Dress for Success event (more info on that in the coming days), waiting for the Bluenose Marathon Organizing Committee to get up and going again (I'm co-chair of Public Affairs), being an Advisor for Junior Achievement (my kids are AWESOME!) and working with some ladies to do a fundraiser for our pug group. They're all great events/causes and I'm excited to share the deets, as they come along, with you all (even though I'm still suspicious there's only one of you, dear reader).  So for now I say: Get out there and volunteer! Go to the food bank and spend an hour, visit your SPCA or read to some kids.  Every volunteer is valuable.  Every skill you can  bring to a committee or event is valuable to your community.  Get out there and DO IT!

Wedding Maddness!!!

So I know I've been MIA for a few days but it's with good reason: One of my closest friends just married the love of her life! AND  I got to be the MC! Hense...busy!!!

So now you may be expecting a big post about something...but you're about to be disappointed.  I'm just going to do a little AW about this wedding.  I'm so happy for them! They deserve a post;)

So... CONGRATULATIONS KAT AND ANDREW!!!!

Post Thanksgiving Deets

So as you may or may not know...this Monday (aka yesterday) was Thanksgiving here in the magical land of Canada.  It was lovely!

Anyhoar, Mr. Dan and I were unable to head to the relatives due to him being on-call for work all weekend. No matter to me...I decided I could cook a perfectly good Thanksgiving dinner on my own (see post here for my menu).  And it went REALLY well.  We didn't do turkey (why get a huge turkey when a small chicken will do?!) but we did do all the fixin's.  From potatoes to veggies and even some bubbly - we had it all.  And the one thing that Mr. Dan (and our two friends that showed up to help us eat all this food) said was AMAZABALLS was the cheesecake squares.  So I decided that, in the spirit of Thanksgiving...and deliciousness, I would share the recipe.  I found it on allrecipes and then did some mod's to make it work for us.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

What you'll need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons cold margarine
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. 
3. Set aside 3/4 cup for topping cheesecake later. 
4. Press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. 
5. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
6. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese (make sure it's soft!! Otherwise you'll get chunky cheesecake) and sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice. 
7. Pour over crust. 
8. Sprinkle with your crumby mixture. 
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 
10. Cool on a wire rack. 
11. Cut into bars. Can be stored in the fridge

I'd rather be a whale...

I caught this story on Facebook today and it really caught me.  Big or small, flat or full chested, ghetto booty or not; I'd always rather be the whale.



A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"



The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:


"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.


They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.


They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.






Mermaids do not exist.






But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?


They would have no sex life and could not bear children.


Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.


And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?






Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.






At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.






We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.


We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.


Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

How did that happen?!

Holy carp (yes, like the fish!), Mr. Dan and I have been married ONE MONTH today! wo0t wo0t! It seems like just yesterday that we were standing in front of my Grandfather (our minister) and our family and friends saying "I do.".  It's still an amazing feeling to me to wake up every morning and hear him call me his wife. 

Happy 1 Month, Mr. Dan! I love you;)

October!

Fall is here...it's in the air! I can feel it and smell it...and that means it's ALMOST FREAKING THANKSGIVING!! AHHHH!! Now I know you Americans don't get Thanksgiving when we do but ours is HELLA early this year.  Actually it's next weekend.  Now I'm going to have to work so I've been doing a little research and planning the menu for Mr. Dan and I.  Usually we'll spend time with the folks but I'm working Sunday (dammit!!) so we're doing our first solo Thanksgiving.  It's going to be good.

Anyone care to see my menu...?

Fancy champagne and strawberries! NOMMM

So I'm not doing turkey because I prefer chicken annnnd I'm not buying a huge
turkey for the two of us.  So roast chicken it is.

We're going to have some DELICIOUS cheesy-bread...NOMMM

Roasted veggies! NOMMMMMM

Delicious garlic and herb mashed potatoes!

Annnnnnd we'll finish it off with some pumpkin cheesecake squares *drool*

What are you having for Thanksgiving?!

Window Shop Wednesday!

It's another edition of...WINDOW SHOP WEDNESDAY!!!!!!  YAY!!

This week...Pottery Barn!

I LOVE this Sumatra bed.

With these!!

This new TV stand would be killer with our new TV!!

Since we've got that new TV and stand we better get some drinks and dispensers...

And some mason jar mugs to drink out of!

And some mood setting lanterns