Life Update- November

I can't believe it's the second to last day of November already! This month, like most months this year, has just flown by! Before I update you on what I've been doing this month, I just have to share this video:

Oh man... after you have recovered from the amazing-ness that is Luke Bryan, read on to see what I've been up to this past month!

Once again, work dominated my life...but work also rewarded me with some pretty great opportunities. Besides the day to day office stuff, this month I:

• Attended the National Finals for Chartwell Senior Star (Canada's talent competition for people 65+)
• Hosted a Community Engagement Session; a chance for us to update our community partners on what we've been working on the past few months
• Attended the Chamber Awards, where we were nominated for two awards; Best Marketing Campaign (we lost to men in heels) and Best Fundraiser (we lost to real, live elephants)
• Did a presentation to local branch managers of one of our community partners
• Attended a Young Professionals Networking event, where I was the last to leave because I got talking to a Chef who has his own television show!
• Meetings: 1 staff, three committee, 4 department meetings, 6 community partner/sponsorship meetings, 1 potential volunteer meeting
• Networking Breakfast

The highlight of my professional life this month was working on a television commercial for CTV! I ended up being much more involved in the process than initially thought. HUGE thanks to CTV for allowing me to REALLY work with them! I was originally just supposed to sign off on the script and recruit people to be in the commercial. But I had the opportunity to provide them with a concept, consult on the script, offer input and shot ideas when filming, and review footage while on location. We will be shooting the second part of the commercial next week. I can't wait to share more details AND the final commercial with everyone!!

Personally, I have been just as busy and have had a variety of fun things going on:

• Had dinner with my university roommate
• Went to an AHL hockey game
• Fundraiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters (posting about the event is on my list of things to do!)
• Dinner with friends/former co-workers; including meeting one friends new baby!
• Dinner with my dad
• Bowling with Brock Alumni
• Brock Trivia Night in support of the United Way
• High School Alumni meeting
• Sorority meeting
• Peter Pan...it was a traditional Panto performance, so much fun and highly entertaining

Today is a co-workers last day before she starts her mat leave, so we are having a little going away lunch for her, which will be bittersweet. She is a close friend and I will be sad not to see her everyday. I know that she'll be back and I know I'll still see her. It's crazy to think that, likely, the next time I see her, she will have a baby! Also, tonight is the Brock Alumni Christmas Dinner! I'm excited to be kicking off the holiday season with my fellow Alumni Network executive members.

December will be busy with work; handful of meetings already set, plus the staff Christmas lunch and finishing our CTV commercial. December is also the holiday season, which is always a busy time for everyone. December is also World Juniors (international hockey tournament)!!!! It's going to be a great month!

I also wanted to thank Sarah from Journeys of the Zoo for featuring me on her blog during the month of November! 
   

One last thing...if you are looking for a unique gift, a gift for someone special (significant other, parent, sibling, etc) and/or a gift for the person who has everything, check out Datevitation! They are now shipping to Canada!

Food Court Flash Mob

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and happy Thursday to my non-American friends!! I have had a busy week but today is Day 1 of shooting our tv commercial! While it should be a bit of a hectic day, it should also be a fun, interesting day. I'm looking forward to being part of the filming and I'm looking forward to Day 2 of film next week. 

Today I decided to share Food Court Flash Mob! I know this video is a couple of years old, but I still love it and I still think it's beautiful. 

Christmas Playlist

While Christmas might not be my favourite holiday, I love the Christmas season. I love the spirit of Christmas, the giving and generosity, the baking and visiting, teh haunt for the perfect gift and sending Christmas cards, the movie, books and music. Just everything associated with the Holiday season, I love. 

In the spirit of the season, I decided to share some of my favourite Christmas songs. There are so many Christmas songs that I love and it was hard to create a playlist of my favourites, but I did it!

I Pray On Christmas       Angels We Have Heard On High       Silent Night       O Holy Night       12 Days of Christmas       Christmas By The Lake       God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen       Santa Claus Is Coming To Town       Hark! The Herald Angel Sings       The First Noel       Christmas In Killarney       I Saw Three Ships       Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas       The Christmas Song       Cold December Night       Run Run Rudolph       I'll Be Home For Christmas           

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be working on a commercial for a national television station. Sure, the commercial will only be seen in select, local markets...but still.

That I've been sleeping a lot. I'm just exhausted- mentally, physically, emotionally. I just need a break.

To be taking next Monday off. I'll be doing my annual Christmas baking with my grandma. We bake together every year...it's our tradition.

That even though Rogers just bought the broadcast/media rights to NHL hockey, CBC is still going to keep Hockey Night In Canada. If you're not Canadian, you won't understand what a huge deal this is.

To wishing the snow will hold off for a couple more weeks. I'm just not ready.

Inspire Me

Happy Monday! Even though I had a low key weekend, I could still use another day off to recover from the craziness that was last week! I have another jam packed week ahead of me and it`s a co-workers last week before she starts her mat leave. Sad. 

Here`s some inspiration to help get through this last week of November:

Cara Box- Fall

I decided to participate in Cara Box, hosted by Kaitlyn from Wifessionals. Cara Box is kind of like a  subscription box combined with a blog swap, only better! This is a quarterly swap, with each round having a different theme and you're paired up with two people- one person who sends you a box and a person you send a box to- which makes the boxes super personal. Plus, each box includes a letter of encouragement!

It's time to reveal who we were partnered up with and what we got. I was partnered with Tawnya and Kyla- who doesn't have a blog.

The theme for this round was "Fall", where we were tasked with finding out what our partner loved about Fall and creating a Cara Box based on those 'favourites'. It was great getting to know both my partners and it was fun to put together a Cara Box for Tawnya. You can see what I sent her here.

This is what Kyla sent me:

 

My favourite thing about Fall, is the start of hockey season...the scarf will be nice to wear around the rink. Kyla sent three different teas; sadly they are all loose leaf teas and because I'm not much of a tea drinker, I don't have a tea pot or strainer so I won't be able to try them anytime soon =( But the Noel Vanilla Bean shower gel smells soooooo good!!

To see what everyone else got, check out the Cara Box link up here.

Sign ups for the next round of Cara Box will open on Dec 2...more info can be found here. 

Boys Behind the Blog- Round 6

Boys Behind the Blog is a monthly linkup featuring your husband/fiance/boyfriend/best guy friend/dad/brother/grandpa! Stephanie & Mal created this link up to brag about their men and get them more involved in their blogs.

Here's how it works: They post the questions on the 1st Thursday of the month, you ask your man to answer 5 easy questions and then link up with on the 3rd Thursday of the month. 

Before getting to this rounds questions, let me tell you a little about the boy. He's someone I've known since I was in University. I consider him one of my closest friends and someone I can tell anything too. Not only is he nice, caring and handsome, but he's also incredibly special to me and I'm thrilled that he agreed to participate in this!

1. Who is your favorite band/musician? 

Gang Starr, Jay-Z

2. What was your first CD/tape? 

Warren G - Regulate

3. Who was your first concert? 

KRS-One

4. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? 

Turkey with stuffing

5. Finish the sentence: I am thankful for... 

A wonderful family

5 Must Watch Christmas Movies

While Christmas might not be my favourite holiday, I love the Christmas season. I love the spirit of Christmas, the giving and generosity, the baking and visiting, teh haunt for the perfect gift and sending Christmas cards, the movie, books and music. Just everything associated with the Holiday season, I love. 

In the spirit of the season, I decided to share 5 of my favourite Christmas movies. There are so many Christmas movies that I love, but here are the first five that I thought of. In no particular order:

1. Elf-This is such a fun and funny movie! Elf is a favourite in my family and multiple screenings over the weeks leading up to Christmas. My sister and I have a tradition, where we also watch this movie on Christmas Eve, making it the last Christmas movie we watch each year. Buddy the Elf heads to New York to meet his birth father. With quotable lines (|Buddy the Elf, what's your favourite colour?" and "The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." are personal favourites), heartfelt moments, NYC adventures and lots of laughable moments, it's hard to find someone who doesn't love this movie.

2. Deck the Halls- A new neighbour moves and goes to extremes decorating his house for Christmas- in an attempt to have it seen from space. Of course, there is conflict rises between the two neighbours and hilarity ensues. While not the best Christmas movie ever, the cast-Danny Devito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis and Kristin Chenoweth- is great and the movie has more than it's share of funny moments.

3. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation-A Christmas classic and seemingly on everyone's holiday movie 'must watch' list. The Griswold's prepare for Christmas, things don't go as planned; too many Christmas lights, a tree to big for the living room and a cousin showing up with a trailer. It's one disaster after another, but at the end, it's all about family and celebrating Christmas together.

4. Christmas Magic- This is one of those cheesy made for tv movies, which I saw last year for the first time (and watched repeatedly). Carrie, is in a car accident and must help a struggling restaurant owner get his business on track, before she can pass over. The deadline, of course, is Christmas Eve. This movie is predictable and corny...but for some reason I love it.

5. A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa- How can you have a list of Christmas movies and not include a Muppets movie?!? We join The Muppets as they travel to the North Pole to deliver a couple of letters to Santa, which ended up in Gonzo's pocket after a trip to the post office. The letters eventually make it to Santa and The Muppets are returned to their home in time to celebrate Christmas. 

There are so, so, so, many great Christmas movies; Home Alone, Christmas with the Cranks, It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, Frosty the Snowman...I can't wait to watch them over the coming weeks!

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be going to see Peter Pan on Friday!! I got the tickets for free from one of my contacts (bonus!) and will be seeing the show from her. I'm really looking forward to it!

That I've started watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music. I love the Christmas season!

To be participating in my first every cookie exchange this year! While I'm happy to participate, I'm still trying to figure out what to bake. I was thinking maybe candy cane cheesecake squares...but I really don't know!

That I will be attempting to take some time off this month! I've already booked Dec 2 (to bake with my grandma) and Dec 24 (to travel home for the Holidays) off. I'm looking to take another day or 3 off in Dec, we'll see how that works out for me.

To not be good at competitive things. Last week, I went bowling; girls vs boys. The guys lowest score wasn't even close to the girls highest score. I personally, bowled a 46...as my friend Eric said, more room for improvement. Last week, I also did a Trivia Night. Our team came in second to last. I had a TON of fun at both events though, and that's really all that matters, right?

Have you entered the giveaway for $1,000? How about checking out the I Am Canadian feature at Journeys of the Zoo where I am the featured blogger?

Inspire Me

Happy Monday! I have another week full of meetings and networking ahead of me. It's going to be busy, but if I survive the week, I will be rewarded with Peter Pan! One of my contacts was able to get tickets for me! I'm not sure if it's a play or a musical, but it is live theatre and I'm looking forward to it. 

To help me get through this week, some inspiration:

Sunday Social- 4's

Happy Sunday! Like this week, this weekend just flew by! With the Holidays quickly approaching, things are about to get hectic and I can't wait! Like all weeks, last week was a busy one. I attended the Chamber Awards on Tuesday (we lost to real, live elephants...we didn't stand a chance to begin with =), Young Professionals Networking event on Wednesday (they served dates with parm cheese, wrapped in bacon- YUM!), Thursday was Alumni bowling (boys vs girls...the guys lowest score wasn't even close to the girls lowest score...but we had so. much. fun!) and Friday was Trivia Night in support of the United Way (our team came in second to last, but again we had a lot of fun!). 

This weekend has been relatively quiet; I did a little bit of work, some Christmas prep stuff...nothing all that fun or interesting.

 

Before getting to this weeks Sunday Social...there is a $1,000 giveaway going on, which you can enter here. Also, my blog crush Sarah from Journeys of the Zoo is featuring me on her blog this month as part of her I Am Canadian series.

   

  

1. Name 4 jobs you've had in your life.

Event Coordinator, Insurance Broker, Customer Service Rep, Waitress.

2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.

Pitch Perfect, Clueless, Zoolander, Cinderella.

3. Name 4 places you have lived.

My parents place, Brock University campus, my parents second home and my apartment- all places in Southern Ontario and Southwestern Ontario. 

4. Name 4 of your favorite foods.

Duck and rice, chicken crepes, nonna's lasagna, cheesecake.

 

5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.

Cell phone, wallet, business cards, pen.

 

6. Name 4 places you have been on vacation.

Australia, Portugal, Jamaica, Spain.

First Perceptions

Even if we don't admit it, we judge each other within a minute or so of meeting, which is why first impressions are so important. I'm told that I make a great first impression- hopefully people who say this to me are not lying!

But what about perception? How do people, who me know-maybe not well, but still know- perceive us?

Back in April or May, I was having dinner with some friends that I met through the Brock Alumni Network. While we knew each other, as in had previously met and previously socialized together, we did not know each other well. For some reason, the conversation turned to me and how I was perceived by the group.

The consensus was "girl" (and also that I come across as a Kindergarten teacher). Always wearing skirts and/or heels, always smiling/laughing, lots of pink, smiley faces in my texts and emails, nice, stickers.

While I am all about being open minded and not being pigeon-holed into a category, I was ok with this perception and, have to admit, it's fairly accurate. 

A few years ago, a wonderful, wonderful friend said that, based on the way I spoke, you could tell that I was intelligent and well-educated. This was his perception of me. While it was said after a lengthy conversation, it was the first time we had met. To this day, this is one of the nicest (and my favourite) compliments I have ever received.

In September, my boss and I were having a conversation and she was making a lot of Star Wars reference, which I was NOT following- she was calling me Young Jedi, something about a force and mind tricks...I don't know. I finally had to admit to her, I had no idea what she was talking about and that I had never seen an episode of Star Wars. She apologized and said that she thought I was a Sci-Fi nerd like her. 

Me? Sci-Fi? Really? Apparently, that was her perception of me...and I don't know why. I am definitely not into Sci-Fi. But, what made her perceive me this way? While she never answered that question, and she was very off in her perception, it does make for a funny story. 

Earlier this week, I had a co-worker tell me that he could see me as being a huge Lady Gaga fan. Again, really? I do not like Lady Gaga. At. All. Around the office, I am frequently talking about my love for David Myles and Luke Bryan (both loves well documented on this blog, BTW). David Myles (folks jazz/roots) and Luke Bryan (country) are not even in the same musical genre as Lady Gaga. Again, no idea why he thought this...

Last night, I was bowling with Brock Alumni and I was talking to a guy I had never met before. Well into our conversation, we decided to play the "guess what my major was" game. His other guesses included (after I said my major wasn't math based and I did chose my major specifically because there was no math): psychology, rec and leisure, English, business, child & youth (that Kindergarten teacher thing?), concurrent education (ditto), geography, speech therapy. My major was Communications.

His initial guess? "Something agriculture based." Do I come across as something agriculture? Or was it just my bowling shoes and skirt combination?

Make With Me- Smore Crescent Rolls

Smore Crescent Rolle

Ingredients:

• 1 package Pillsbury Crescent rolls
• 1 bag of mini marshmellows
• 1 bag chocolate chips

To Make:

• Open package of Pillsbury Crescent rolls
• Unroll dough and separate into triangles
• Cover length of dough with chocolate chips
• Place marshmallow at the smaller end of the triangle
• Roll dough from the small end towards the larger end (follow direction from the Pillsbury package)
• Place on cookie sheet and bake according to Pillsbury instructions (350 for 10-12 minutes)
• Enjoy! 

Notes:

1. I saw this pin on Pinterest, which inspired this recipe. The original source of this pin, can be found here. 
2. I saw the pin, figured out what ingredients I needed and then made these crescent rolls without looking at the original source or the pin again. As a result...
3. Cover the entire length of the dough with chocolate chips, otherwise the chocolate/dough ratio will be off. 
4. I also found that the marshmallow/dough ratio was off and suggest using more than one marshmallow.
5. I wonder if using marshmallow spread or melting marshmallows and spreading them on the dough, adding the chocolate chips and then rolling the dough would be a great alternative to this recipe. 
6. Also, because I didn't follow the recipe from the original source, just did it on my own, I now realize that I rolled the crescent rolls the wrong way...but they were still good. 
7. After unrolling the dough and separating the triangles, I actually cut the triangle in half, creating two triangles, and made mini crescent rolls.

Job vs Career- Guest Post

A couple of months ago, Raewyn, sent me a random email, which resulted in us exchanging several emails and having the opportunity to get to know each other. A portion of our emails revolved around work...it was fun to talk to her about working for a non-profit and hearing her views on the subject. I'm so excited that Raewyn is guest posting today, and I love the topic she picked- job vs career!


Hi there! My name is Raewyn and I blog over at Be a Warrior Queen. I admire Melissa for working in a field that she loves and I wanted to share with you my favorite way of finding a career that I love.

I've had a lot of jobs and worked a lot of places. Some of those jobs could have been careers, but they didn't end up that way for me. In the past month I've accepted a position as a computer teacher and I can seriously see this being a career.

So how do you know which is a job and which is a possible career?

I weighed the pros and cons of my jobs. Some I would have been happy with sticking out for several years but things got in the way, and others I just knew were temporary.

I do love notes for customers! 

For example, some people could be a server for their whole lives. They make great money and aren't the primary bread winner so they serve for some extra cash and love the experience. For me, I knew I couldn't server forever. It is so unstable and, while I've always met great people, sometimes the stress just is not worth it. I also felt this way working in retail!

I've also worked at a couple of automotive places - a dealership and an autobody shop doing office work. Many people choose this as a career choice and I almost did. For me, something just didn't feel right. I liked the people I worked with and I enjoyed learning new things, but something was missing.

It's that something that we all need to focus on. Even if you feel happy in your job, if you still feel it is a job and not a career, then I suggest taking a look deeper inside yourself for that something.

1. Make a list of the things you love to do as hobbies. 
2. Then make a list of the parts of your job that you love and the parts that really make you want to stay home from work. 
3. Then take a career test, just for fun. It will relax your mind a little bit. 
4. Now, take a look at all three of your lists. Are there some things on your hobbies list that tie into parts of your job / a job that you love? 

A.k.a. Do you love to knit scarves and you love the part of your job that allows you to be creative? Maybe you have a knack for creative design and could look into finding work in that career path. Note: In this day and age it is incredibly simple to build an online portfolio and find work!

Do you love to spend your time on social media and interacting with people and love the times when you can tell people what it is your work does? Maybe you're more into marketing!

I'll let you in on a little secret - while you're doing all of this soul searching, the universe is aligning things so that your deepest desires come true. If you're thinking about doing something in marketing, an opportunity is going to present itself.

I would love to hear about your career exploration process or if you ever need any advice, shoot me an email!




Thanks Raewyn for guest posting!

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be happy that Rob Ford is not my mayor. While Canada has been in the news recently because of Rob Ford, I don't live in Toronto...he's not my problem. And, he is not representative of Canada, just Toronto.

That, after 27 season, I have finally jumped on the Survivor band wagon. Up until this season, I had only seen one episode of Survivor (my RA in university sat on me and made me watch...true story)

To not be domestic. I don't cook, clean, bake, decorate, DIY...it's just not me. I can attempt all of those things, but I don't enjoy any of them and I'm really not that good at it.

That I'm not happy to have woken up to snow. Yes, it's mid-November and yes, I live in Canada and yes, I know it could be so much worse. But snow...really? I'm just not ready.

To looking forward to bowling on Thursday and Trivia on Friday. I'm not good at either...but both should be fun, 

Have you entered the giveaway for $1,000? How about checking out the I Am Canadian feature at Journeys of the Zoo where I am the featured blogger?

Remembrance Day-Lest We Forget

Remember the sacrifices that our brave men and women have made fighting to give and preserve the freedom we share today. With bravery and strength they serve.   
 

Highway of Heroes by The Trews

Weekly What?

Idea taken from my darling friend Jenn from Party of One for Weekly What?

Basically, you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday! What a great idea! I love the concept of having all of your posts from the week in one post- it's a great summary of the week on a blog.

MONDAY: I started the week off with some inspiration. 

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I posted a Blogkeeping items.

THURSDAY: I shared my thoughts on the CMAs.

FRIDAY: I finished the week with poppies. 

Favourite Thing- Poppy

In Canada, we wear poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day and to honour our military members- those who have served, those who are serving and especially those who have fallen. Poppies are worn from the last Friday in October until November 11, Remembrance Day. It is actually a sign of disrespect to wear poppy outside of this time frame (with a few exceptions). 

photo by Daniel Hayduk and taken from here, found via Google Image Search

A poppy was chosen as a symbol of remembrance because of John McCrae's poem:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

One of my favourite things is how much Canada honours and respects it's military personnel- with our Highway of Heroes, our poppies and our Remembrance Day ceremonies.  A ceremony is held at local cenotaphs, wreaths are laid in honour and remembrance of our soldiers and at the end of the ceremony, people have the opportunity to lay their poppies.

Photo taken from here and found using Google Image Search

 

It's in wearing my poppy and at these ceremonies that I am never more proud, or thankful, to be a Canadian.

Tomb of the Unknown Solider photo taken from here and found using Google Image Search

Lest We Forget

CMA's & Canadian Girls

CMA's were on last night and, of course, I was watching. I think that Carrie and Brad did a great job hosting- as usual! They are so funny and I loved the song that they did during their opening. 

Best way to kick off...well, anything? Have Luke Bryan! It is well documented on this blog that I LOVE Luke Bryan!! What a sweet moment when he sang his song in memory of his brother and sister during the show. But the opening number... *sigh*. Luke really does make things he better! He is such a great performer and so much fun to watch. Not to mention, pretty ok to look at...(proof can be found on my Luke Bryan Pinterest Board)

CMA's were great...but I have to show some Canadian love too!

Canadian Girls by Dean Brody

Speaking of Canadian...I'm the featured blogger for "I Am Canadian" at Journey of the Zoo for the month of November!

Blogkeeping: Seniors Stars, I Am Canadian & Cash Giveaway

I am SUPER behind with all things blog...I need a break from life just so I ca n get caught up! I just got home from the National finals of Chartwell Senior Star. Super long day, but I had a blast. As always, I have the best intentions to write about this...soon.

My blog crush, Sarah, hosts a monthly feature called I Am Canadian and I'm the featured blogger for November!!! Thanks Sarah =) Click the image below to learn more about the feature AND to see how similar Sarah and I are!

   

Lauren from Pink on the Cheek will be hanging out on my sidebar for the next little bit. Lauren is a newlywed and one of the friendliest bloggers I have ever encountered!  

Everyone know how much I love Smart, Pretty & Awkward...this is a blog that I recommend to everyone. EVERYONE. Who doesn't love getting tips on how to be smarter, prettier and less awkward? Plus, Molly's advice is actually practically and easy to apply to your life. But I also really love The Love List which is essentially a list of people, places and things that the blogger loves. She covers everything from art & culture, decorating, fashion, lifestyle and everything in between- including bedtime must haves.

And finally, if you haven't entered the $1,000 giveaway, you can do so here. If you have entered, GOOD LUCK! If you haven't entered, how come? Who couldn't use an extra $1,000???

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be dreading winter. The says are getting colder here...and I'm starting my days by scrapping frost off my car. Here's hoping it's a mild winter!

That I'm the featured blogger at Journey's of the Zoo, for their I Am Canadian feature!

To love that peppermint mocha's are back at Starbucks

That I think you should enter this giveaway for $1,000.

To be in a bit of  funk...I need to regroup, refocus and reenergize.

That I had a fun at the charity event I went to on Sunday. I'm hoping to be motivated enough to share pictures and details on the event later on this week.

To be going to the National finals for Senior Star (Canada's premier talent competition for Senior's 65+) tonight! I went last year and had a blast. We take a bus down to Niagara Falls, have dinner and watch the finals of Senior Star.

Inspire Me

Monday...ugh. I think most people would agree that Mondays are the worst! After a fantastic weekend- hockey game, fundraiser and traditional Italian Sunday dinner- who wants to get up early and go to work? Although, after getting through my work day, I will be rewarded with dinner with a friend.

As mentioned, I had a fantastic weekend! I met up with my university roommate, where we reminisced over the days we lived together and the experiences we had before heading to a (AHL) hockey game! We saw the Abbotsford Heat beat the Hamilton Bulldogs in a shootout. It was a great game and I had a lot of fun. 

Yesterday, my mother and I attended a fundraiser in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sparkling wine reception, 3 course lunch and a fashion show. It was a lovely afternoon in support of a great cause. I have the best intentions of writing about the event later this week...we'll see what happens. 

An unexpected portion to my weekend, but the highlight, was dinner with my family. When I was younger, we would go to my grandmother's house once a week for a family meal. Grandchildren became busy with after school jobs and activities and my grandmother eventually remarried...so these weekly meals stopped. My great-aunt decided to have 'everyone' over for dinner.

Sitting around a table, with my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great aunt and my great grandmother...being served pasta, stuffed peppers, chicken parm, potatoes, sausage, peas and onion, salad...I was brought back to my childhood. I was reminded of the importance of family and the traditions and values that come from being part of an Italian family. I loved every minute of it. 

Anyway, enough about my weekend...some inspiration to get through the week:

Sunday Social- Wish List & Media

Between trying to stay warm and trying to stay awake, I'm getting ready for the last little bit of this weekend. I had the opportunity to go to an AHL hockey game last night with my university roommate. We saw the Hamilton Bulldogs play the Abbotsford Heat...the Heat won in a shootout. It was a great game and I had a lot of fun. 

Today, I'm attending a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters, benefiting their Go Girl program. I attended this event last year and I'm happy to be going again this year; sparkling wine reception, 3 course lunch and a fashion show. I can't wait to share this event on my blog!

 

Before getting to this weeks Sunday Social...there is a $1,000 giveaway going on, which you can enter here. Also, my blog crush Sarah from Journeys of the Zoo is featuring me on her blog this month as part of her I Am Canadian series.

   

  

1. What is currently on your wish list?A bag that I can use for work...Something that will hold my laptop, Kindle, files, wallet, pens, etc. I think I've narrowed it down to either:

Dange Dover

or

Danier Leather

 I also have a Wish List on Pinterest...not a lot of things are on it, but I'm sure I'll be adding to it.

 

 
2. Share a new iPhone, droid, iPad app that you have recently discovered that we all need.

Well, I actually use Blackberry and don't use any apps..unless BBM is an app...

 
3. What is a new fall tv show that you have added to your dvr?Survivor: Blood vs Water! I know that this show is not new and has been on for YEARS but I've never watched Survivor until this year. I don't know if I love the show, but I love Hayden (and have seen he was on Big Brother)...so I watch it for him and haven't missed an episode this season. As for new shows...I haven't gotten into any 

 
4. Share your social media links so we can follow you. (Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, etc) Tell us which is your favorite and why.

My favourite social media is Twitter...I love how to the point, concise and timely the information is. Whether it's an update on world events, play by play of a hockey game or just knowing what my friends are thinking/doing...it's a great way to keep up to date.

 

My social media links: Twitter Pinterest 

 
5. What is a tv show, movie, or song that you could watch or listen to over and over and never get tired of?

A movie that I a, currently watching on repeat is Pitch Perfect. This is such a fun and funny movie! When it comes to TV shows, Friends continues to be funny, no matter how many times I've seen an episode. Everyone knows I'm a HUGE David Myles fan and I can listen to any of his songs on repeat, but right now, I'm really loving Whole To My Half. 

Weekly What?

Idea taken from my darling friend Jenn from Party of One for Weekly What?

Basically, you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday! What a great idea! I love the concept of having all of your posts from the week in one post- it's a great summary of the week on a blog.

MONDAY: I started the week off with some inspiration. 

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I posted a Life Update.

THURSDAY: I shared my Halloween Costume.

FRIDAY: I finished the week with an AMAZING Giveaway and Round Up of October Posts.