New Traditions

Tyler and I have been together for over six years now and this Christmas was our sixth as a couple.  We always have an amazing Christmas together, wonderful time with our families and special moments just for the two of us.

This Christmas was the first one we celebrated as a married couple.  Now that we are officially together forever it felt fitting that we did a few things differently and hopefully one of them will stick and begin our Christmas traditions as the Lapier's.

For starters we purchased our first real Christmas tree.  Tyler picked out a very nice tree without me and least expensive tree stand he could find.  We decorated the Christmas tree together (by together I mean I decorated the Christmas tree while Tyler changed the outlet sockets in the living room).  He felt there was no more procrastinating this task as we would be plugging in a huge fire hazard and he should ensure they are safe.  It was lucky Tyler was in the living room though because about half way through decorating, the tree tipped over completely but Tyler caught it.  (I think purchasing a tree stand with a little more girth next time and maybe even a little higher cost will, be the way we go.)

On Christmas Eve we went to church.  I have been attending the Corunna United Church for about two years now and this is the church we were married in but Tyler doesn't come with me on Sundays.  Christmas Eve is my favourite part of Christmas and I thought it was perfect to spend it in Church with Tyler, my Mother in Law and my Brother in Law Keegan.

We woke up on Christmas morning in our own little home and exchanged gifts just the two of us.  Its so nice to have alone time especially on special moments when we can give each other something meaningful.  (I guess we were not completely alone because our fur baby Charlie was with us.)  It is so fun to watch Carlie open gifts, he knows exactly what to do.

So out of all the craziness of the Holiday season we have managed to create a few special moments for the Lapier's and hopefully, we can build on these next year and years to come as our family grows. 

Getting in the Spirit

I have been shamelessly listening to Christmas music in my car for the last two weeks.  Well maybe I have a little shame as I have been doing it secretly in my car for the last two weeks.  

I don't have to hide my joy and excitement for the season any longer because Christmas is only a few weeks away and its time to start throwing around those Merry Christmas's.

What have I been doing to get in the spirit?  Heres what:

Listening to my fav Christmas tunes

Wearing red lipstick and a little more glitter than usual (funny story about by glitter I will share later)

Decorating my home

Getting a real Christmas tree instead of our fake one

Drinking eggnog (with a splash of rum of course)

Hunting for the perfect gifts

Reflecting on how blessed I am to be surrounded by so much family and love this time of year

Planning my Christmas dinner (yuppers, I am cooking Christmas turkey for the Browns this Christmas and I am so excited)

Making plans for get togethers over the Christmas holiday

Watching Home Alone and planning to watch more of my favourite Christmas movies i.e. The Family Stone

Saying Merry Christmas

Giving to those who are in need

I am sure there will be more Christmas cheer over the next two weeks which I plan to share.  I am so looking forward to all the dinners and parties with friends and family and just hanging around the house in my cozies with my husband and my dog.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year! 

A Little Inspiration

Last weekend I attended my youngest sister Emily's dance recital.  She has been attending George Brown for the last year and is finishing her performing dance program this month.

Her show was better than I expected, there was not only dancing but also signing and acting, it was very entertaining.

Any sort of live performance normally inspires me and provokes my thoughts.  Sometimes I get lost in the characters, story, music movement or even thinking about the actual performers and what they are like off stage.  All in all, I find live performance inspiring.

Watching my sister perform was an even more inspiring moment.  She is technically a very good dancer but when she really shines are the moments in which she looses herself in the dance, movement, music or emotion.  She allows herself to go somewhere, a free place where all she needs to ever do is move.  

This is inspiring because we all have the capacity to throw ourselves into something we are passionate about and loose our reservations or negative thoughts.

I hope she holds on to those fleeting moments and allows them to drive her towards success.

My passion has changed over the years and I am working on narrowing my focus so I can let go of my own reservations.  

Following passion is not an easy path to take, the easy path is to take what is handed to you.  Sometimes living your life with passion is difficult because you need to challenge something that is out of the ordinary or try multiple times, its hard work. 

I know that if I live my life with deliberate actions, set goals to meet and allow myself to let go, I will be great.  Thanks for the inspiration Em!

Women In Networking

Women meet, share, engage, listen and inspire.  I am lucky enough to interact with wonderful women all the time.  Women who work hard, have opinions, are intelligent, are feminine, are mothers and wives.

I woke up this morning rushed through my regular morning routine, helped my husband get his lunch together as he put out the garbage and cleaned the first snow fall off our cars.  After he left, as I poured my coffee, I thought to myself - "how do couples with kids do this?".  It was not easy to get two people out the door, let alone 4.

I went off on my way to start my day feeling relieved that I was simply responsible for myself.

Today I attended my monthly women's networking lunch.  Included in this group are women of all ages but I am one of the youngest.  There is one woman who attends often who was pregnant last month and without her bump this month.  She had recently given birth to her 4th child and was back at it, a month later.  She looked wonderful as she usually does, I always notice that her hair is nicely done, her outfits are trendy and she is always engaging.

I found this inspiring, if she can do it, then I can do it too.  I am not ready to have kids yet but it's something I have been giving a lot of thought to and my husband and I have been speaking about lately.  

I love my job and the freedom to do and be where I want to be when I want to be and I know when I have a child I will loose some of that.  Seeing these women each month who still strive for growth in their professional lives as well as at home, gives me hope that I could learn to balance the type of life I hope to have someday.

One thing I do wonder about though is how much they sleep, this is the really scary part for me because I love my sleep!

Thank you to the women around me who want more and show me that I can have it all with a little hard work.