Day 1: Social Distancing

It’s not often that I have nothing to say. I’m not sure how to handle everything that’s going on. It’s hard to believe this is happening. I feel like hitting pause on everything because our health is really what matters. How can life continue in any normal way? But things do continue like payments and deadlines. It’s hard to take a break when you need to monitor the situation. You know you should look away but you can’t because it’s right here affecting everything you do. On the computer, in your email, on social media, tv, every time you go to the fridge and think about your food. I should do something to make myself feel better. I haven’t gone to the gym in a couple of days and I don’t want to lose my mojo. I finally got it going after a struggle up fitness hill. Today I made a nice curry and cooked some of our favourites. Did a face mask and a hair mask but it didn’t take away the knot of anxiety in my chest. Last winter I spent a lot of time at home because of my injury and the insane amount of ice outside. Since then, I really benefitted from the work I did around the house during that time. I completely moved my room around so I had a nice workspace, organized my closet, sorted every bin, reorganized the cupboards, spice drawer. It gave me sanity in a time where I felt I couldn’t go anywhere and I didn’t feel like myself. It was hard but I made it through and learned a lot about myself in the process. I’ve been trying not to touch my face if I’m outside and it’s really hard to not touch your face. I wish I had…

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My Fitness Journey (So Far)

Let me start this by staying I felt like complete shit for a lot of last year. Behind the many smiling selfies, I was in pain, depressed, and trying to ignore nerve damage in half of my face. I had been treating my body like garbage with alcohol, bad food, no sleep, and something had to change. I gained a bunch of weight and after being small my whole life, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t live like that anymore. For a lot of 2009-2019 I went to multiple events a week, sometimes several per night. I was always on the go. I ate like crap and drank multiple times a week. When I hit my 30’s, my body changed, I gained weight, then I had a breast reduction, nearly broke my back w/ two cracked back ribs and closed out the decade with a fractured collarbone. A lot of good things happened in the last decade too but I’ve already shared that stuff. For years I dreamed of being a better me, one who ate healthier, felt good in a bathing suit, had longer hair, and genuine happiness that shined out of her face. That’s who I wanted to be so I started doing things differently. From September to January, I lost 20+Lbs and does it ever make a difference! I’m saving time by not stressing over my clothes not fitting. I feel mentally and physically stronger. I have more energy and I’m happier. Here’s the low down on how I got here and I feel confident that I will stick to it this time because I love feeling this way. Fasting In August 2019 I started intermittent fasting, 8hrs eating window (noon-8 pm) and fasting the rest of the day. I started to feel healthier, more energized, and leaner…

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Cali Sober & The Holidays

Here’ an excerpt from a piece I wrote for Twisted Extracts about the term ‘Cali Sober‘ and the holidays. If you’re not familiar with the new-ish term, it’s essentially not drinking (or drinking less) but still using cannabis. When I learned it at the Pretty Elevated event a while back I thought ‘hey, that’s me!’. I shared some thoughts on how the holidays are often all about drinking and to have some other options than beer and wine at your holiday hangout. Scroll down to read a snippet or check out the whole article on twistedextracts.com here. Side note, if you haven’t tried Twisted Extracts, I highly recommend them! I absolutely love their cara-melts or jelly bombs that come in CBD, THC, or a 1:1 combo. They’re the perfect dosage and the CBD is good quality. RESHARED FROM TWISTED EXTRACTS, READ IN FULL HERE: I’m not here to define exactly what sobriety means to you, but navigating the holidays as someone who doesn’t drink can be a bit awkward. Drinking culture is such a big part of society and I think it’s time to redefine holiday hosting without all the booze. This year, if you are hosting a holiday get together, please have other options than just beer or wine for your guests. Making a signature cocktail? Try creating a temperance cocktail or an option without alcohol. If there’s someone who isn’t drinking, be considerate of their choices, and if they don’t mention it, don’t pry with questions. We all have our own reasons for making changes, maybe they’re not drinking that night, that month, or ever again. That’s their decision to make! If you’re attending holiday events, be respectful of where and when you are using cannabis. Check with your host to see if they have a preferred place…

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PHOTO DIARY: Cannes Film Festival 2019

I can hardly believe it’s almost TIFF! It feels like we were just in France for Cannes! After our trip to France, I was so incredibly tired, I’d spent most of May traveling or at conferences. I posted a few photos in this Telus post about our Cannes adventure but I wanted to share more about the experience so I don’t forget anything. It was a really cool experience! From the moment I saw the red carpet and Cannes main building I was in awe. I’ve been watching celebrities grace that carpet my whole adult life! When I picked up my badge, I had this moment of “omg, we’re really doing this!”. I was there in charge of content for The Holy City, a film co-produced by Sean’s company, Occupied VR. I loved walking the streets and people watching. Cannes is full of character with old cobble streets, beautiful beaches, a merry go round on the main strip, huge yachts lining the harbor, and bustling patios lining the sidewalks. I was happy to learn there are multiple Zara stores in case you have a wardrobe emergency and a tuxedo rental place if you need one a hurry. A couple of my fav moments were walking out to paparazzi behind Elton John, walking past Chloë Sevigny, and seeing Tilda Swinton sauntering down the street in a gorgeous muumuu. She was stunning! Each day we walked or took an Uber down to the festival building. In order to get inside, we had to pass security including bag search and badge check. We spent most our time on the first floor of the building in the XR Hub, on the film sales floor, or at the international pavilions. The Holy City premiere was on the 2nd day of our trip so the rest…

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Review: Sonos x IKEA Speaker Collab

This week I went to the 2020 Ikea Catalogue media preview where they announced their partnership with Sonos. I love IKEA and smart home accessories so was keen to learn more. Through this partnership, IKEA is focussed on enhancing your home with sound and lighting. This post is not sponsored by Ikea but I would love if it was! I was given the new SYMFONISK speaker and set it up as soon as I got home. Wanted to share my thoughts right away because I’m super impressed. It’s my first Sonos and by far the nicest speaker I’ve ever personally owned. Symfonisk Setup In a few minutes, I set it up on my home wifi, connected it to Apple Music, and my Amazon Echo to work with Alexa. The SYMFONISK I received is a bookshelf speaker which is quite the coincidence because I have been looking for the best bookshelf speakers recently so this was perfect timing! It can go vertical or horizontal and be mounted as a shelf that can hold up to 7lbs. Multiple speakers can be paired for surround sound, paired over wifi, or to your TV. You control the speaker with the Sonos app and can set up voice controls. Mine is connected to Alexa and works perfectly! Symfonisk Design x Quality Both speakers in the series come in black or white and are designed to blend in with your home decor. The bookshelf speaker is $149 and table lamp speaker is $249. Pretty good price for the sound quality and Sonos brand. For the one with the light, you can add in smart bulbs like Phillips Hue or Ikea’s own smart bulbs to make the light change colour. At the media preview, they had a bunch of the speakers paired together for ‘party mode’ which…

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Found on Film: Memories from Bondi Beach, Australia

Last week I took a couple mystery disposable cameras to be developed and one was from Australia in 2004 while I was at university. It’s crazy to think how many apartments and places this camera has been. My life has changes to much but this year was such an important time of my life. Let’s go back in time, this is pre-blog and social media, I was 21. I decided to go to Australia because it was the furthest place away from Canada. I’d always felt a down under connection my family is from NZ and I am New Zealand citizen. My BFF Cheryl and I both had no idea wtf we wanted to do after college so this was a really great option. We could drag out school for another year, spent it in Australia (hello beaches & babes!), and turn our marketing diploma into a degree. Australia is just full of amazing beaches and the best way to experience them is to hire a campervan from somewhere like campervan hire Brisbane, so that you can park up metres away from the sand and sea. That way, you’ve always got everything you need and you save so much money on accommodation, as well as having some amazing views. I think this exact day was the first time we went to Bondi Beach. These were taken at the top of the hill before you go around the bend and see the water. It’s so beautiful, if you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. One of the most beautiful and magical places. Cheryl and I ended up making friends with some people who lived in the white building overlooking Bondi Icebergs. There were so many internationals living there, it was like nothing I’d ever seen. So many people in their 20’s,…

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Thoughts on Graduating: Find Something You Love

Last week I spoke at the graduation for Conestoga College. There were 15 programs graduating and hundreds of students. I got to wear a gold cape as a ‘special guest’. I checked the colour of the cape before the event and came prepared with gold shoes. It was pretty cool! The top photo above is me with Conestoga College president John Tibbits at the presentation of my Alumni Award last year. I was in shock when I found out I’d been nominated for the Premiere’s Award then Conestoga surprised me with an Alumni Award. [The highest award from a college delivered by the president!] This isn’t the kind of award you can apply for, and I am so honored to be recognized. I took my mum, and her BFF (aka my second mum & Fairy Godmother!) to the ceremony. We had a great time! Looking Back… I’ve spent the last decade working in social media as the industry grew and developed. I’ve had my blog for 14 years. When I went to Conestoga College for Marketing, social media was not invented. Blogs were not invented, there was no Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. I was into marketing as soon as I knew what it was. I chose to study it in college because I had a *feeling* the internet would be something big. SMART THINKIN’ EH! Honestly, in college, I used to skip class and I hardly ever bought textbooks. I didn’t have much money in college or university, but I always did the work. I worked well in groups when I was the leader, I liked writing, I was really into presentations. I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I left Conestoga College, so I went to university, in Australia. I liked business but I had no…

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Easy Ways to UP YOUR MOOD in Winter

I don’t know if I’ve ever spent so much time at home, inside the house, as I have the past month and during the Polar Vortex. Thankfully, today our upstairs patio door is no longer frozen shut but winter is far from over. Long winters like these are often hard to get through and the constant dull weather can really bring down your mood. If you’re feeling stir crazy or craving some something to boost your mood, here are a few things I like to do to make me feel happier when the SAD kicks in. Home Spa Love yourself and self-care your mood to a higher frequency with a little time, DIY beauty hacks, and products. You don’t need heaps of money or fancy stuff to pamper yourself like the queen you are. I love doing masks and usually get them from Shoppers. Also recommend checking out the beauty section of Winners, they almost always have a good selection at a great price. I got this set of metallic masks to nourish, brighten, and hydrate plus an applicator brush there the other day for $7! ? I Pinned a few DIY recipes with ingredients you probably have on hand here or scan the pin code in the Pinterest App. Make a quick body scrub by mixing your used coffee grounds with coconut oil. Or make a simple lip sugar scrub with and a combination of white/brown sugar plus olive oil/coconut oil/honey, with peppermint, lemon, grapefruit, lavender, or activated charcoal to brighten. My mum makes a GREAT, thick, face cream with marigold, frankincense from New Direction Aeromatics. I love it! Light Therapy This helps to boost your mood, deal with SAD, and can (not an expert!) help depression. I have the Phillips Hue light system in my room that includes Hue…

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Hello 2019!

Here’s a little update with what I’ve been up to so far this year, my latest Sunwing commercial, and some Netflix recos for the winter storm that’s coming this weekend. I’m prepping to stay inside for more hibernation! First up, I’m doing quite a bit better with the collarbone and took some much needed time off over the holidays. I got new x-rays today and my bone is healing slowly with no complications. Thankful it’s winter and totally a-ok to stay home for days on end in lazy clothes. Sean and I went to the cottage for almost a week during New Years and it was the perfect break from everything. We kept warm by the fire, watched movies on DVD, and went for walks on the frozen lake. Woke up New Years Day feeling fresh and ready for a new year. 2018 started pretty rough. I was in New Zealand with mum and on New Year’s Eve, I accidentally put diesel in the gas car the on New Year’s Eve. I was stressed out and upset when I got gas. I’d never done that before and hopefully won’t do it again! However, the car was toast! ? We had to have a flatbed truck come to our cabin in the park to bring a new car and take the old one. I was hungover, embarrassed, and frustrated. It also set us back a few hours on our trip to see Nana. The first 2 weeks of the year were pretty stressful as we spent time with family and Nana before she passed away. It was a hard time to go through but it also brought us closer. After all 2018’s ups and downs, I was ready to start 2019 with nothing but positive vibes. I’ve watched heaps of great…

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Sometimes I Don’t Feel Like It #16

I’ve been laying low the last month, posting less, staying in. I just haven’t felt like it. The other day I wrote down something I overheard Sean said on the phone when someone asked how things were, he said “a mix of awesome and shitty“. It stuck with me, that’s how I’ve been feeling the last month. On November 21st I was given a prestigious award from the President of Conestoga College, Alumni of Distinction. It was a proud moment when I sat at the back of the crowd with my mum and my ‘Fairy Godmother‘ (mum’s best friend) who watched me walk up and make a speech in front of the group. It felt amazing to be recognized for my career, not something that was voted on by social media but actually recognized by people older than me who didn’t really know me personally.  This part of the night was awesome.  It was really cold that night we were happy to get home and cheers over a glass of wine. We were all filled with such excitement. We weren’t up late but I went outside for a minute before bed. This part of the night was shitty. I slipped on some ice on the concrete stairs outside mum’s house. I fell on the concrete steps resulting in a black eye and later found out I fractured my collarbone. I went to the doctor the next day, swollen and bruised. I got acupuncture. I felt like garbage, how could this happen? I barely remember falling, mum holding frozen peas on my head, the drive back home the following day. I tried to hide it, act like nothing was wrong. I covered up my face, wore glasses, stayed home from events. As for my shoulder, it was 1 week and a trip to New Orleans before I thought, ‘ I really…

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