The last day of an era!

Today is the last day of my 20's.  Tomorrow when I get up....I will be 30.  That scares me a little bit because I have all these preconceived notions that your 30's you are officially a grown up and you have to do all these grown up things.  But I am forgetting all that.
My 30's are going to be the time that I do things I want to do...because they make me happy.  I am going to stop worrying about what other people thing and I am gonna stop being so afraid of everything all the time.  I am gonna live each day the way I want to. 
I am gonna turn one of my apartment walls into my goals wall.  I am gonna post all the things i want to do up on the wall so I will have a constant reminder of the promise I am making to myself right now. 
Here are a few things I want to do:

1. Learn how to actually play guitar.  I can play the blues..but that is really me just strumming random cords with no idea what any of the notes are.
2. Design and sew my own clothes.  I can make things from other patterns and i can alter patterns and existing clothes.  And i can make purses from scratch....but I really want to design and make my own dress.  I am gonna try to do this for Alex's wedding.
3. Go back to school and take more courses but this time, do it for myself and not for my parents. 
4. Learn how to blow glass and decorate cakes and do as many craft courses as i can.  It makes me happy and i should spend more time on it
5. Knit myself a whole sweater.  Now this one is gonna be an intense challenge to myself..considering i am still working on my sister knitting project that should have been done in June.
6. Be happy!

I always tell people that they should do what makes them happy but I never follow my own advice...so WISH ME LUCK.

PS.  Everyone should come to my birthday celebration tomorrow.  It's at the Fox at Yonge and Heath.

The Stockyards

So, in the course of my day yesterday, I happened onto an article of Toronto's 13 best donuts in the city.  Me liking junk food and enjoying procrastination decided the article was worth a read.  I am glad that I did because lucky number 13 was the best looking donut and it was at the place called The Stockyards.  The address of this place also caught my eye, it is close to my house!  After more and more research...i know it is my destiny to go to this place Sunday morning and get a donut. 
This place is apparently a BBQ place that smokes all of its own meat.  Now as you all know, i am not a big meat eater....but one of their sandwiches is bacon and fried green tomatoes.  now that is a sandwich i would like to investigate further.  They also make their own homemade limeade...delicious!!!  The prices according to the website and reviews are amazingly low.  You get a very large amount of food for under $10.  The only draw back is that....there is virtually no place to sit and 99% of their business is take away. 

But that don't matter because....Tuesday morning...my blog is gonna be all about this place and the donuts and the sandwiches and the limeade.  I am going to go there Sunday...and get food then go have a picnic in the park...and read my book!  If anyone is interested in joining me on this culinary picnic adventure, please let me know.  All our invited....except mark who doesn't like picnics.

Facts

• I am sitting at my desk right now freezing.  Why do offices have to have the air conditioning so high? 
• I also turn 30 in 4 days. 
• My right middle finger nail is split down the middle and it has been like this forever. 
• I brought the weirdest lunch today..basically all the veggies in my fridge...i guess i will call it the ultimate veggie salad.  The only thing i am worried about not meshing well is the fried zucchini
• I ate potato chips last weekend for the first time in a month.  They weren't as good as I expected..but i ate a lot of them anyways.
• I am frustrated with many things today.  The main thing...not knowing! not knowing what is gonna happen at the end of my contract, not knowing what job will make me the happiest and most successful, not knowing what my purpose is, not knowing everything!
• Why is it so easy for some people to achieve their goals and so hard for others?
• I am currently facing motivational issues towards exercise, I run and work out and it is great but if I didn't have someone forcing me...I would prefer to be napping.
• I really want to take a full week of vacation but don't want to pay back vacation if I don't get extended.
• I want to see Scott Pilgrim VS the World and The Kids are Alright.
• I want to go to brunch this weekend.
• I am typing these facts to help me procrastinate from my own life.

The Rain Party of the Year

So, it was my dad's 60th birthday and we had the party to end all parties.  All the relatives from K-Town came up with food and beer to celebrate this great day.  It was to be a pool party and BBQ, we were to enjoy the sun all afternoon.  Except it decided to rain...and rain...and rain.  And because my family is crazy...and I love them all the more for it.  Most people changed into their swim suits and just hung outside, in the pool and hot tub and accepted the rain.  It was actually the most fun i had in a long time.  Running around making sure everyone had drinks and food while keeping everyone's fun levels at maximum. 

My dad...the guy that doesn't really like a lot of attention on himself was like the centre of all the fun.  On Friday during the party planning committee set up and prep time, we bought braydon some water balls at party packages to keep him entertained.  And it turns out...that they were more fun to dad than anyone else.  See what you do is you get these balls soaked and then you throw them at people....and that is what dad did.  He whipped them at everyone...especially the people in the hot tub.  The hot tub people and the pool people became mortal enemies and an intense battle ensued.  Luckily me and my cousin mike...we created a new fun game that saved the hot tub people from getting hit with the water balls and kept my dad entertained.  It is called SPRING ROLLS.  Basically i throw the ball at dad and he hits it with this water board, and mike tries to catch it with the pool skimmer.  And then we have breaks for the spring roll lady (steph) to bring around food for everyone.  We played this until all the balls were either destroyed or lost over the fence. 
Then we moved onto jumping contests.  There were cannon balls and belly flops and my personal favourite the leap frog. 
That is the awesome thing about my family...we can take any situation and turn it into a crazy party.  So next time.....you all should come!

20 minute challenge

This running this is getting out of control!  I said I would never run, and then I started running.  I said I would only run is if Steph was forcing me...and I ran by myself last Saturday.  Finally...I said I would never join one of those running room events because I don't want to be part of a run club due to my dislike of running....plus I think it is weird to run in a large group.  But last night, I went with steph to do the 20 minute challenge at the running room because you get a free hat. 
It was crazy crowded, all those people wearing those weird water belts and everyone wearing their matching red hats.  I was overwhelmed and unhappy about the crowd.  Then Steph was like, it's only 20 minutes...don't worry.  And it wasn't because she made us join the 5 km group and we did 10 minutes running 1 minute walking.  Also, half the group was so slow they might as well have been walking and the other part of the group was so fast that I couldn't keep up.  But I did it, I completed the 5km and was rewarded with a giant stitch in my side and a red hat that does not look good on me.  I just can't make a baseball cap work.  I don't have the sporty swagger.  At least the run was free.  I am never paying someone to let me run.  Because seriously...that's a waste of money. 

Everyone LOVES Marineland.......

BUT ERIN!

When I was younger, mom and dad took us to Marineland on vacation.  I had a terrible time, I was at that age where I thought I was too big for the kid rides and I was still too small for the older rides. 
I don't remember the whole trip....no memory of the whale shows or what we had for lunch or anything...but I do remember two things that in my mind equal a bad time.

Steph was pretty young and wanted to go on all these rides but someone had to go with her.  Guess who was elected to go on these rides...ME.  So we have a bunch of pictures of me and steph in this basket held up with fake balloons that goes round and round.  And it didn't even go fast.  I look really impressed in these pictures...I was the oldest kid on the ride.
And then....let's talk about the petting zoo. 
So the zoo has goats and sheep and other farm yard animals.  And they had deer.  You can pay to feed these deer.  So me and steph are gonna feed these deer and we are given ice cream cones full of deer food.  And as soon as we are put in the pen...the deers swarm us to get the food.....steph of course freaks out...throws her food at my feet and jumps into dad's arms.  And...i get swallowed by a deer pack. 
That is my biggest memory from marineland...being attacked by deer. 
Wait...it gets even better....we get home and the next time a marineland commercial comes on...steph sings along to the commercial and then at the end...when it goes 'everyone loves marineland'  steph throws in a 'but erin'  and guess what....it catches on.  Now my entire family..mom, dad, nana, papa, grandpa, aunts & uncles, and cousins sing the song that way.
So not only did i not enjoy the trip to marineland...i get to be reminded about it all the time. 

So why am I revealing this traumatic story from my childhood?  Well, my nephew Braydon loves fish...and is dying to go to Marineland because that is where all the fishies are.  And on Sunday when i was babysitting him, he put his hand on my cheek and was like 'Erin, you come with us to _____', i didn't understand where he wanted me to go with him..but i said..sure i will come.  And it turns out...i have agreed to go to marineland with him.  Aren't I lucky!

Rain Tans!!!

So....I had a weekend full of adventures and new experiences.  I ran on my own on Saturday morning.  It was hot and I did not enjoy it, I got a horrible stitch in my side and had to stop running 5 minutes before the end and walk the rest of the way.  And guess what...I still hate running.  It is just not a fun past time.  It was all awkward..my headphones kept falling out of my ears and i kept getting tangled in the headphone cord.  So you are probably asking yourself...why do she do it? Why does she force herself to run?  Well that is a two part answer....1. I want to get into shape and sometimes to get into shape we have to do things that we don't like.  2. I am crazy!

After finishing my disappointing run...I was all excited about my beach plans I made with some friends.  I am dying to go to the beach and have an awesome relaxing, sun tanning day.  And Saturday was the day!! and even though the weather said 40% chance of rain..we were not gonna cancel our plans.  So we stop at the grocery store and get food - I stick to my diet and get peppers, cheese strings, and turkey.  We drive to darlington provincial park and the entire way there we were driving just behind the storm.  Which rocked because we figured...if the storm is ahead of us by the time we get to the beach..there will be nothing but sun!!  But just in case there isn't sun, we bought some plastic rain ponchos at the park store. 
It is a good thing we bought those ponchos because we spent most of the afternoon sitting on the beach in our rain ponchos getting rained on.  Finally after 3 hours...we gave up!

On a side note....this diet thing...it is driving me crazy.  In a way it is good because it helps me to develop positive eating habits where i eat a healthy breakfast lunch and dinner with two snacks...but these first two weeks there is no sugar fruit or carbs.  And that is hard...because i love carbs.  And i was working my way through the apple family trying to discover what apple i like best...how am I ever gonna know what apple i like best...I only did part of the reds and none of the greens or yellows.  But here is the weirdest part of the whole diet thing.  If someone came up to me right now and gave me the option of some nice crusty bread with a little butter or a small bag of potato chips....i would choose the bread...that is how much i am missing carbs.  I am dreaming about bread, croutons, croissants, muffins, garlic bread....i could go on.

Yoga Karma

I am trying something new.  Now you all might think I am crazy after I tell you this....well actually, you probably all already think I'm crazy....so it doesn't matter.

Yoga positive thinking karma

How it works is that if you want something to happen...you think it...then do yoga, and during final savasana (the part of yoga where you lie on the ground and just chill out) I focus on the think i want and tell myself it is gonna happen because I have built up positive yoga karma points.  Then the thing I want happens.

Now to be fair, I have only used the yoga karma once and it was an emergency.  I needed to do laundry really REALLY bad..and there were no machines available all week, every time i went down...zero available.  But before yoga...i got my laundry hamper ready and said..when i get back from yoga...its laundry time.
Did yoga and then during savasana...i said to myself...there will be a machine available because i deserve it..and i really need to do laundry.  AND when i got back to my apt....THERE WAS...i did a happy laundry dance and did two loads of laundry!!
Thanks you positive thinking yoga karma!

I think everyone should do some yoga and build up some yoga karma. 

Side Note...steph is abandoning me for running tomorrow morning, if anyone wants to run with me, let me know.  I need a partner or i might chicken out and not go running at all.

Tin Houses

Since my post yesterday, a couple of you...had some comments and questions about my tin sized house that i put on my wish list.
Here is what I envision a Tin Sized house to be:
It is a small bungalow or cottage like house that is 2 to 3 bedrooms and it's not crazy large.  Steph was the one that came up with that phrase, because the houses that I liked and pointed out while we were running are 'just big enough for a tin'  thus...tin-sized was born.
The ones i like in the city are crazy expensive and I might never be able to afford them but I still like them and would be happy to own one.  If i were to look outside of the city...my parent's neighbourhood doesn't have any tin-sized houses...and Ajax does have some tin-sized houses that i could potentially afford, I would also need to get a car, and a go train pass, which would bring the cost right back up to the unaffordable price of houses in the city.  So...I may not get a tin house this year...i will hopefully get one someday soon. 
Then, I can have a craft room, and I can do laundry whenever I want without worrying about scary and mean old ladies.  And I can have a cabinet just for my different teas and tea sets.  I could have people over for dinner and roast a chicken (i know how to do that!!!).  I would have my own veggie garden and it would be huge!  I could get a little wiener dog named low rider, and he would wear a leather motorcycle jacket....he would help me keep the destructo kitties from destroying everything.
But...that's all a bunch of years down the road.

Birthdays and Partys

So....it is a big year in birthday's in my family.  My dad turns 60!!!  oh and I turn 30, and it happens only a week apart. 
We are throwing a big party for dad on the 24th....and most of you are coming I hope...it's gonna be a fun party.  A back yard BBQ and pool party. 
I am actually really excited, it is gonna be a great party, and I have a great dress to wear.  It is not gonna be a dress up party.  But I have decided to bring my own theme to the party...since dad said no theme and everything is funner with a theme....I am gonna be my own theme.  I encourage all of you to come and bring your own theme. 
Then the weekend after...the 30th, is my birthday.  You are also all invited to that.  It will be lots of fun.  Nothing fancy at all, just hanging out on a crazy nice patio near my apartment and having some drinks.  If you can't make it...you can always send presents!  I love presents!
Here is my wish list for my 30th year:
1) Be fit (shock..that is all i ever talk about now...i am starting to become boring)
2) A career, not a job.
3) Cats that don't destroy anything...actually, i just wish my cats would stop destroying things
4) Money...enough that I can buy things i like and not have to worry about my budget too much
5) Enough sunglasses to wear one pair a day for an entire year and not have any repeats
6) Laser eye surgery
7) A tin sized house

I know what you are thinking....why isn't there 'boy' on that list.  Well...in all my years of boy experience, the trouble they cause far outweigh the gain...so while i am sorting everything else out...boys are off the menu.

Frustration makes my head explode

I know you are all probably bored of all my weight and exercise talk...but I just have to rant a little today.  I weighed myself for the first time in months.  I am getting down to my goal deadline and I wanted to see how close I was.  And....turns out, I am not any closer than I was in the end of April....in fact I have gained 4 pounds.  Now I know 4 pounds don't seem like a lot over 3 months.  But when you are working as hard as I am...every little set back feels huge to me.

On a side note, we had a wonderful guest runner on our usual Saturday run.  It made for a run that I didn't hate.....as much, Thanks Ryan for adding some fun to our run.

Also, Steph has now put me on 'the program'.  Yes that's right, steph has declared herself my personal trainer and she has decided what my workouts this week are gonna be...two 5km runs, 2 interval workouts, 2 weight and bosu ball workouts...plus my boot camp and yoga on Thursday.  We will see how that goes.  Wish me luck. 
Oh also, I am trying the south beach diet because my mom and dad swear by it.  Although if i don't see any results in two weeks.  I am giving up and going back to potato chips.  I miss them!

Theme Dressing

I love creating outfits...putting together pieces of clothing in a way that it will create a whole feel or theme.  It excites me when I can help someone find a rocking outfit.  One of my favourite people to dress is Amy, because she is so open to anything.  (Which by the way Amy...if you are reading this...that red skirt we really liked at h&m, they have tons more of them at the Yorkdale store.  If you were interested.  They even have it in black.)
Sometimes just one thing inspires a whole look.  For example, after my best friend got married they had a reception at a very nice hotel in the yorkville area.  I needed a lovely outfit on a budget, so I found this great dress at Winners (like my favourite store) for only $18.  It was black lace...it had a very flapper feel to it.  so I decided to play that up, and i found a great fake multi-strand pearl necklace ($2 from Ardene's), an emerald green shawl ($10 some kiosk), and these crazy high heels which i already owned...purchased from....Winners, like almost all of my clothes.  The whole look came together really great and I had a wonderful flapper vibe going on.  I am always extra happy when my outfit comes together well.

Anyways....My nephew, Braydon, has recently started expressing his own fashion sense...and i am loving it.  Kids always have the best ideas about clothes...for example, when he went to bed last night he picked out for his pj's grey dress pants and a Halloween t-shirt.  Best pj's ever.  One of his other outfits that i love...a t-shirt i made him with fish painted on it with blue army print swim trunks.  Sometimes i think...we should just dress how we feel.  The more fun we have with dressing...the more happy we will feel throughout the day.   

Sisters

So i just want to clear something up right now.....I am not a runner.  I may run but I can guarantee that I hate every minute of it.  But I run for a couple of reasons,
1) If I run with steph, she goes to the gym with me and does weights
2) I have specific goals to reach and very little time to reach them so every little bit helps
3) Steph is very bossy, and if I let her help me, she will have me in shape faster and before anyone else can.

Actually that's what I love about my family....no matter what, I know I have their support 100 percent.  I am very lucky!  I may complain and be negative about things that are happening in my life....but i just wanted to take a moment and recognize that I have an amazing support team and I am very grateful to have them.
Especially Andrea and Steph, the best sisters ever.  Although steph is the only one who knows exactly what buttons to press that drive me absolutely crazy....I know without a doubt that if I need help or I am in trouble her and Andrea will be there!

Anyways....i know i haven't blogged much lately, but this heat is melting my brain.