Highlights of my Year!

I like to ignore a blog for a year and then write two posts in a night...I'm a bit bonkers.

However, I was thinking, as I went through pictures on my computer, that I have had such a wonderful year. I'm going to go through each month and name the highlights...I encourage whoever reads this to do that! It reminds you of how blessed you really are!

January: The result of a sticky situation (me hitting the ditch) resulted in me leasing a brand new Honda Civic! Her name is Gwen. I like Gwen.

As a side-note, I think I actually got her in February, but allllllll of the other "car stuff" happened in January.

February: The students at in the Faculty of Ed had a spirit week, which ended in a "gym blast." It was supposed to be both years of Senior Years students on one team, both years of Middle Years students on another team, and both years of Early Years students on their own team. It turned out that my class (first year Senior Years, at the time) had so much spirit that all of us (except for maybe 3) came out to compete and we ended up having the same numbers as all of the other groups combined. That was a fun (and competitive) afternoon. 

March: Dylan and I found ourselves an apartment together. I don't think we moved until April, but we got the keys at the end of March. This place certainly feels like a home. :)

April: For the second time, I was able to enjoy being a part of the Strathclair Drama Club's annual production. This year, it was Annie Get Your Gun. Dylan and I got to play an on-stage couple: Tommy Keeler and Winnie Tate, the knife-throwing team. I also got to do some choreography again this year, which warmed me up for my role as co-choreographer (alongside my sister) for the next production of My Fair Lady in 2015. I am so lucky to be able to have such amazing opportunities to be on stage! 

May: I chopped all of my hair off and was able to support Dylan as he completed is B.A. 4-yr Honours Degree (2 completely unrelated things). Such a proud day!

June: I got to see my "baby" cousin and Dylan's little brother graduate from high school! I also got to go see Michael Bublé in concert. What a night! 

July: According to my pictures, I did a lot of canoeing at the lake and swimming in my hometown neighbours' pool. I got to support some of my closest friends' band, and we got started on the play that took place in November.

August: Lots happened in August! More time at the lake and a long-awaited trip to Minot. My sister got engaged in the middle of the month and I was able to take my dad to a football game, to cheer for his favourite team (who happened to win that one...and then didn't win many others after that)!

September: Got started singing with my all-time favourite choir once again and I met some new kittens! I also got to start a new school year with my classmates.

October: Got to be an extra in a movie, had Thanksgiving dinner in the field, turned 22, and carved pumpkins! I also started my 3rd student teaching placement.

November: I finished my placement in the middle of the month and performed in play by the end of the month. The play was overwhelmingly successful and we could not have asked for a better run!

Now, we come to December. So far, I have been finishing up my school work. I have also taken on the job of being in charge of organizing the Christmas Eve service that I have been attending and singing in every year for 16 years. I can only guess that my Christmas is going to be a spectacular one and that yours will be, too. 

Looking at this list, as I mentioned, reminds me of how truly blessed I am. I am now looking forward to 2015 and wondering how I will be feeling as I look back on this blog a year from now!

My "Currently..." Comparison.

It's kind of funny, I checked to see when the last time was that I have used this blog and it was about a year ago. It's interesting to look back at that post and see what has changed since then. Just for fun, I'm going to do the exact same type of post, to see how it compares to what's going on in my life right now! 

Currently...

Watching: Due to the fact that I still don't have cable or Netflix (I had Netflix for a while...then I had to delete it), I have to resort to YouTube for T.V. I have gone back to watching one of my favourite shows, Frasier. It is my favourite way to procrastinate. :P When I happen to be at mine or Dylan's parents' place, I binge-watch Food Network. 

Listening to: I have been listening to a little bit of Christmas music lately, to help me get in the spirit. Although, making up Christmas dances for the kids causes me to not do that very much until dance is over for the break. Haha. I have been listening to a lot of CBC on the radio, whenever I am in the car. Some of the stuff is just so fascinating! 

Loving: The feeling of finishing up my final projects and things. It's also nice to be finished the play that I was in at the end of November. Having some extra time is wonderful, and that extra time can soon be filled with things I want to do, rather than finishing things I have to do. 

Eating: This is a bad one. I need groceries. Badly.

Reading: I just started reading a book that was written by a friend of mine. 

Looking forward to: Christmas! I always love Christmas so much and I get so sad when it's over. But, I am also very much looking forward to the next chapter of my life, once I graduate and receive my B. Ed. What an adventure this-coming year will be! 

Currently...

It has been a very long time since I have blogged here (as usual) but, that's because I had to post on my other blog for school last term. I wasn't feeling very motivated to double-blog.

Anyway, I'm borrowing this from Kerri (thank-you!), so I didn't make it up.

Currently...

Watching: Well...since school started back up again, Dylan and I have not been able to watch our usual Desperate Housewives on Netflix. Since I don't have Netflix, cable, etc. at my place, I can only watch DVDs. Lately, Dylan has been putting on my old Billy Joel music video and concert DVDs, so I have been rediscovering the love for my absolute favourite musician. It causes me to stroll down memory lane in the best of ways, while make me feel a little less stressed at the same time. Wonderful. :)

Listening to: Whenever I drive by myself (which is rather often), I listen to Coffee Break French. It's a series of podcasts that are helping me brush up on my French, so I don't lose any of it. It has also been helping me get back in "French mode," first for my French methods class, but also for my next Pre-Service Teaching placement that starts in March.

Loving: The Strathclair musical so far. We just started a little while ago and it's so nice to be back there. It feels like we just left! It's normally hard for me to do anything even remotely enjoyable because I always know that there's something I need to be doing, rather than enjoying myself, whether it's choreography for work, homework, errands, housework, etc. But, when I'm at rehearsal, I have specific tasks to focus on, so my other work floats out of my brain for a little while.

Eating: Since New Years, I have been careful to eat three meals a day, healthy snacks if necessary, and everything is very healthy. It helps that Dylan's mom bought me a hotplate-type thing, so I can actually cook. :P Before school started, I had time to make stir fry, wholegrain rice with veggies and a quesadilla, etc. But...now my food is a little quicker, but I'm still sticking to the plan!

Reading: I hate to say that I'm actually not reading anything right now. My homework has been revolving around articles and text book stuff, so that's all the reading I'm feeling motivated enough to do. I still have three novels on my shelf that I want to get to soon, though. I think I can get to them in a few months.

Looking forward to: My second placement. It will be hard work again, but I'm excited to get back into it. I'm already not a fan of the projects and stuff that I have done/have to do, so the placement sounds tempting right about now. 

I'm not sure how long it will be until I write another one of these...but I'm sure I will be needing a little break sooner rather than later. :P Sorry if there are errors...I did this as quickly as possible!

Me? Cooking? No way!

This is a little different for me....I'm writing a food post!!

I have been wanting to cook a meal for my boyfriend, Dylan, for a long time, since he almost always does the cooking, but there were a few obstacles standing in my way. Firstly, I didn't want to cook while his roommate was there, just because things get crowded and I kind of wanted the dining experience to be as "date-like" as possible. We have to cook at his place because I only have a toaster oven and no stove at my place. Secondly, I just didn't have the money to spend on all the ingredients I would probably want. Lastly, I knew I would need a day that was feeling well overall, so that I wouldn't easily lose patience and get cranky. Yesterday, everything just kind of fell into place and I ended up cooking a meal that actually turned out to be the best combination of flavours I have ever tasted in my life. I mean, I love food in general, but I haven't even had something I liked more at a "high-class" restaurant. Needless to say, I was quite proud of myself....and the ingredients were actually surprisingly inexpensive!

I decided to look up some healthy recipes online yesterday afternoon. Dylan and I have really gotten into trying to eat healthier, so I knew that I wanted last night's meal to be as healthy as possible.

I found a recipe for Almond- and Lemon-Crusted Fish with Spinach and I figured that I really couldn't go wrong by making that. Fish is one of the healthiest things you can eat and it can be sooooo delicious. I absolutely loved cooking with the fresh ingredients, too...it made it into a fairly relaxing experience, because it was like aromatherapy! Fresh lemon and dill?? Mmm! Here's the ingredients list:

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided (I used normal salt)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 pounds cod (see Tip) or halibut, cut into 4 portions (I used cod)
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, slivered
• 1 pound baby spinach
• Lemon wedges for garnish

*I used the same bags of spinach and almonds for the fish and the salad*

I'll copy and paste the preparation part too, but I'll add my little notes along the way:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. (I had to use vegetable oil to grease the pan, but it worked out just fine!)
2. Combine lemon zest (I used the a fine cheese grater), almonds, dill, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place fish on the prepared baking sheet and spread each portion with 1 teaspoon mustard. Divide the almond mixture among the portions, pressing it onto the mustard.
   
3. Bake the fish until opaque in the center, about 7 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness. (A combination of frozen fish and my lack of speed at the next step caused this time to be quite a bit longer. I just turned the heat down and the fish was cooked just fine!)
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven (I used a little cast iron pan...I don't think it matters) over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in spinach, lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; season with pepper . Cook, stirring often, until the spinach is just wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Cover to keep warm. Serve the fish with the spinach and lemon wedges, if desired.

Okay, so the last step was a little different from what I did. I knew that we were having spinach salad, so I only used a tiny bit of spinach, quite a bit of garlic, and lemon juice. I put two little spots of that mixture on our plates, more as an aesthetic thing. Haha. It was still tasty. I love garlic.

 The above picture does not do the fish justice. It was so colourful and fresh-looking!

I just kind of kept everything warm while I prepared the rest of the stuff. I made a spinach salad with chopped up strawberries, almonds, and raspberry vinaigrette, as well as (the far less classy) Uncle Ben's Bistro Express Long Grain & Wild Rice - Fine Herbs. Both of those things were not only healthy, but they went along perfectly with the flavours of the fish, in my opinion. I loved how the sweetness of the salad complimented the savoury and lemony taste of the fish topping.

 Man...pictures of food suck. Anyway, that was also very colourful, with the green of the spinach and the bright red of the strawberries! Yum, yum, yum.

I bought a bottle of white Pino Grigio wine to go with our dinner, but we didn't have a corkscrew until it was time for dessert, so we had it after we were finished eating everything. It would have been perfect with the fish, though.

Dessert was simple and also wasn't entirely classy, but at least the presentation wasn't terrible. While Dylan was out buying a corkscrew, I made a (pretty heavy) mousse by combining Jello chocolate pudding and low-fat Cool Whip. It probably would have been lighter if I had have used an electric mixer and if the Cool Whip hadn't been frozen. Anyway, I put a strawberry on top, but we ended up finishing the rest of strawberries, just by dipping them in the mousse and eating them with our wine. Mmmm.

Overall, the meal was a complete success! I won't stop thinking about it for a long, long time. 

Be your own superhero.

Hello, hello!

I don't even know why this busy bee has a blog. I mean, I really do love to write new posts, but I'm having trouble finding the time to write. I hope this whole thing makes sense.

This year has been the most demanding year of my whole life, by far. 

• I had to take 2 overloaded terms, in order to graduate in May (6 courses each), so the homework gets pretty intense sometimes. It's especially hard when I only actually enjoyed 1/6 courses each term.
• I teach 4 nights a week (dance, musical theatre, and Zumba) to pay the bills. I do like my job, but the lesson plans and choreography take up a lot of extra time. 
• I got my first-ever role in a musical, which I absolutely love, but that takes 2 days out of my week, sometimes 3. And, I, unexpectedly ended up choreographing a few complicated numbers for the show. I was out of my comfort zone, because the numbers are waltzes, which I know very little about. But, I glow with pride whenever I see the actors doing my choreography onstage at rehearsal.  

It's the extra stuff doesn't help. This week, all my teaching jobs were gearing up for their final performances, which is more stressful than usual. Newdale Tap & Jazz has their dress rehearsal tonight, their recital tomorrow, and their final performances at Rolling River Festival of the Arts this-coming Tuesday and Wednesday. They always have me as a "guest dancer" at their recital, so I had to relearn and practice one of my dances for the recital. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a space that allows for that! I also help out with recital preparation, such as figuring out the order of the program, coming up with some sort of small finale...this year, I even found time to make a little themed "mashup" of songs to use for their finale.

Alexander Dance Club has their recital this-coming Wednesday night. These dancers have two "sessions" in a year: one before Christmas, and one after Christmas. So, I had to choreograph and teach the dances extra fast in very few weeks, so we could have them just right for recital. 

Mecca Productions has their dress rehearsal on Monday and their final concert on Wednesday. Yep...the same night as Alexander's recital. I hope I can make it back for Mecca's concert, in time for my groups to perform, but I this-past week, I have had Dylan in all my classes (he usually assists with the one, anyway), so he knows which students to look for and what to help them with. Thank goodness for my assistant. :)

The musical I am in had a full weekend rehearsal last weekend, so we were there on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday...and it is the same again this weekend. I'm going to try to make it to my rehearsal after Newdale's dress rehearsal tonight, and I can go to rehearsal before Newdale's recital tomorrow. 

This week had been so crazy that I was forced to ignore a 15-page paper that was due today. So, I stayed up all night last night, finishing my paper at about 7:30 in the morning because that was my only option.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like keeping busy. I thrive off it! But, most of my decisions this year have been based on what is necessary for me to do, not really want I have wanted to do. I know that's how life goes, it's just too bad that I haven't had a day off in a month. Haha.

BUT! I have been looking forward to this-coming Wednesday for weeks because all of my jobs (with the exception of teaching Zumba), wrap up that day. It will be an absolutely crazy day, as I'll be in Rivers for Festival during the day, I'll be in Alexander in the evening, and then I'll be rushing back to Brandon to try and catch Mecca's concert. But, I won't know what to do with all the time I will have afterwards. Oh, wait...final papers and studying for exams! :P That's okay! That just means that I'll feel like I have all the time in the world to do that.

There is a reason why I'm typing all this out, though. I'm not just rambling about how busy I am.

If there is something I have learned about myself, it is that I feel like I really can do the impossible. There have been countless times this year where I have completely broken down. I was even having anxiety problems a few weeks ago. I felt, more than once, that something was not going to get done in time, that it wouldn't be produced with the necessary quality, that there were too many responsibilities on my shoulders, or just that I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, I found a way, for the most part, to get everything finished when it needs to be finished, and it is typically of fine quality. In the middle of the night last night, I was completely discouraged. I was only halfway through my paper at about 5:00 a.m. But, I thought about how great I would feel, and how I could reward myself with sleep, once the paper was done. 

Unfortunately, this isn't the only test that has shown me how tough I can really be. But, it's these sorts of tests, where you think there's no way of passing, that shows our true potential. It's okay to lack motivation sometimes, that's not what defines you. It's having to create your own motivation when outside sources aren't providing it that shows your true character.

Maybe I have written a blog like this before, but I don't think it really matters. Everyone needs a good reminder of this point, I know that I do very often. I truly believe that it's possible for everyone to be their own superhero. Go ahead, accomplish something, even if it's small. Make yourself proud. 

A Busy Bee Christmas.

I'm still here, I promise! :)

I feel bad about the fact that my blog often feels like a burden to me. I am always aware that it's just sitting here, waiting for me to post something new all the time. It's like it's nagging at me whenever I turn my computer on! I blame that on the fact that I had to write 5 major papers and a few more minor ones before the break, so my blog felt like it was just another assignment to add to my stack of work. I'd have to come up with a topic, then stare at my computer screen while I created something that would pass as clever. 

(Funny thing, I'm supposed to be doing another major paper, that's due on January 4th. But..uh..I'm not. Obviously.)

Whine, whine, whine.

Anyways, I love Christmas and everything leading up to it (sure, shopping for gifts is always very stressful for me, but I do like giving). One of the worst feelings in the world, though, is when I realize that Christmas is over once again. It comes and goes so quickly each year! But, some of the best feelings come from looking back on each Christmas, and remembering why I always love it as much as I do.

Before this starts, though, let me just say that I placed the pictures ever-so-nicely, only to realize that they don't show up that way after I publish the post. Grr. It took me so long too! Never again am I doing a post like this. But, you know...enjoy!

This year, I came home to my parents house on December 21st, after a long day of shopping.

The drive from my current location to my hometown is only 20 minutes, but I enjoyed every second of it! The hoarfrost was so thick on every tree and wire, which made for some beautiful scenery! 

We had a very white Christmas this year, which always puts me in the Christmas spirit! The photo above is what our backyard looked like when I arrived home.

Speaking of being in the Christmas spirit, my mom did a wonderful job of decorating the house. Garland, lights, angels, candy canes, bows, and the Christmas tree (and the dogs, of course) greeted me right when I got to the house!

                   

             

I was already excited to come home, but seeing all of the decorations filled me with the warmest of feelings! I always remember decorating the house with Mom, listening to Christmas music, while picking out ornaments and putting them on the tree. I got some well need relaxation time that night, and I could not remember the last time I had felt so content!

On December 22nd, my two sisters and I had appointments to get our tattoos. We had the appointments booked for over a month, and we were all very excited, and just a little bit nervous to actually get them done. We are all very happy with how they turned out!

My oldest sister came up with idea for us to form the letters of our first names in sign language for the picture. The black triangle represents our birth order (I'm on the right, and I'm the youngest).

On December 23rd, I had a lot going on! First, I went with my mom and dad to the Tarbolton district, where my mom's side of the family lives. We helped the other members of the community decorate the old country church, where our Christmas Eve service is held each year. After we finished that, my family and I jumped on the back of "Ol' Blue" and headed to the field in which we went tobogganing, singing Christmas carols on the way. I only got to go down the hill a few times, but it was still a blast! It was freeeeeezing, though!

My cousins's boyfriend, my two cousins, and my aunt.

One of the many pictures I took before I had to leave. ----------------------------------------->

After about an hour drive, I wound up at my Dylan's parents' place, where his family was expecting me for supper. We ate, played a gift exchanging game, and then played a game of "Chase the Ace". Once everyone left, Dylan and I exchanged one gift each, and left the others for Boxing Day. 

The bag was almost as big as me! Inside of it was an extremely comfy pillow that I LOVE (not quite as much as him). :)

The next day, Christmas Eve, my family and I headed back out to the Tarbolton church in the evening. It has been a tradition for 14 years that my sisters and I sing at the service and, this year, my oldest sister and I sang "A Holly Jolly Christmas" with, what we call, a "Tarbolton Twist" (that's where I change up the words to a song that everyone knows to make it all about Tarbolton). We had a great time, as we always do. The Tarbolton Christmas Eve Service is such a huge part of my life and I can't imagine the holiday season without it! It makes my Christmas what it is and I always look forward to going.

Beautiful candles, huh? Can you tell that their fake? :P

<-------------------

My cousins, showcasing their talents at the service (singing and playing the violin).

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My family always starts Christmas Day rather late. We sleep in, eat, shower, wait for the other sister/daughter to come along, we visit, and then we start opening gifts. We had a wonderful morning and afternoon, filled with giving, receiving, love, and thankfulness. I absolutely adore having my family together. It's not ever day that we can all be together, as my oldest sister lives about 4 hours away, and we all have very busy schedules to work around. But, we all love being together as a family, and our Christmas was, I'm sure, more than we all could have asked for. One of my grandmas and two of my uncles came over for a delicious supper. We all opened Christmas Crackers, visited, and watched the "Pawn Stars" marathon. ;)

As I mentioned, Dylan and I exchanged our gifts on Boxing Day. It is extremely hard for us to be apart during the holidays, since we are so used to being together during the rest of year. It seems unfair that we can share each day together, except for holidays, usually, but our reunions are so wonderful, since we miss each other so much. Dylan got me some very, very fantastic gifts and I was so thankful to be able to be with him and give him the gifts that I got for him. We spent Boxing Day and most of December 27th together in pure contentment. We are both very much looking forward to the New Year, when we can continue to grow as individuals and as a couple, and accomplish even more than we did in 2012. I am so extremely thankful for, in no particular order, my family, my closest friends, and my Dylan, as well as all of the opportunities I have. This busy bee feels so blessed to have everything and everyone that she has in her life. Thank you for being a part of my 2012, and I hope you look forward to 2013 as much as I do!!

My to-do list.

Along with a lot of other people around me, I have been feeling a ton of pressure pushing on me from many different directions these days.

Naturally, since this is often how this time of year works in the life of a student, I am trying to fight to complete many different assignments that are due before the Christmas break...however, I find myself procrastinating because I don't know where to begin (reading, presentation, presentation, essay, essay, reading, reading, paper proposal, essay, essay, presentation, essay, or research assignment...)! I'm really starting to feel my overloaded term right about now. 

In my life as a dance (and "musical theatre combo class"...and Zumba... and "Pop Stars") teacher, I am expected to have all of lesson plans sorted out (which is totally natural), and I'm expected to start all the routines and Christmas songs for the students to perform in a few weeks/months. So, I have to prepare for all of these classes between my own classes. That's okay. I can handle that....I think!

Somewhere in there, I attempt to remind my friends that I really don't hate them, I'm just a hermit!

And, on the side, I am waiting on pins and needles to hear back from an audition for a musical that I so bravely slugged through yesterday. (It really wasn't that bad...I'm just a wreck when it comes to singing in front of people sometimes.)

So, as you may be able to believe, my to-do list is quite a bit longer than the one above. The only reason why I'm writing this post is because it has been on my actual to-do list for weeks! But, after I saw the much lovelier to-do list on Facebook this morning (Thanks for posting, Lisa), I felt myself feeling a little bit more calm about the pressures that I'm currently facing.

Count my blessings: 

Even though I am quite cranky these days (including right now), I really am thankful for my wonderfully caring boyfriend, my fabulous friends, and my lovely family. I am thankful that I have all the opportunities that I have, and that I live in an all-around safe city, in a safe province, in a safe country. I really do have a lot to be thankful for.

Practice kindness:

I really do try to live by the phrase, "treat others the way you would like to be treated". I try to do at least one kind thing for someone each day, if I can. Even something as small as stopping my car to let a pedestrian cross the street, letting a car into the lane ahead of me, holding the door open for someone, picking up someone's pen when they drop it...I don't know! Doing those sorts of things makes me feel like a good human being...and that's a good feeling.

Let go of what I can't control:

This one is probably one of the hardest ones for me, and I don't know why. I spend a lot of time wishing that I could control certain things that either no one can control, or that someone else in charge of. I probably spend a lot of time reminding myself that I can't control whatever I am worried about. All I can do is be the best person I can be, the best student, the best teacher, the best girlfriend, the best friend, the best colleague, the best daughter, etc. Sometimes, I (and I'm sure a lot of others do too) lose sight of this, whether I am worried about what I can't control, or whether I am not doing well at what I can control. Either way, this is something I can and will work on more and more. 

Listen to my heart:

Sometimes, we are all driven by what we think other people want us to do, or what other people think we should do. If you listen to your heart (your gut, your feelings...whatever), you will feel so much better with what you decide to do. Even if it's something minor.

Be productive, yet calm:

I find that I can't be truly productive if I'm not calm. So, these things go hand in hand for me! 

Just breathe:

I think we all have to take more of these moments in a day, just to relax for a few seconds and take that four second inhale, four second exhale that I mentioned in one of my previous blogs (I think...). My boyfriend likes to make fun of me a bit when I get a little riled up about something small, saying "let me just look outside to see if the world ended....nope" (jerk :P). But, seriously, that is what we need. We need to realize that what we're stressing over really isn't as big as we think it is. Breathe, then let it go. 

You should do what I just did! Go through this "to-do list" and remind yourself of these steps. It might make you feel just a little bit lighter!