No Resolution

Last year's New Year's resolution was so good that I am just going to keep with that. I can't imagine what I would come up with after the past year we have had. 2020 was just such a crazy time - a global pandemic, unemployment, pregnancy, lockdowns. I just want to see it all fall behind us and have 2021 bring health and hope to everyone again. (I also want to go out and get a job as soon as this baby is born.)

My mom suggested that we open our front and back door to 'blow 2020 out of the house' which I thought was a cool idea and possible New Years Day tradition that we could start at Casa Verde.

A Good Resolution

So it is more than a week past New Years but I decided to make a resolution, in fact I am stealing one that I heard. Watching Stephen Colbert (The Late Show) this morning, as they post content online, and he had Larry David on who mentioned making this resolution a few years ago. I think it is brilliant.

Pee Before You Leave - Anywhere! Don't be ashamed to go to the bathroom. Just say, "I have to go to the bathroom before I go," you know. People aren't going to look down on you for doing that! No. go to the bathroom, then leave, you'll be so much happier than sitting in the car cursing yourself, going "Well, I don't know why I didn't go to the bathroom?" --- Larry David

I have gotten good about doing this at restaurants before leaving, mainly at Trivia Nights in Oakville because many times I have been on the highway driving home - mad at myself for not peeing at the bar before heading out. But this year I am going to try to extend it to when I am visiting people and here at home before leaving to go somewhere.

Happy New Year!

Can't believe that it is 2020! Managed to stay up to truly ring-in the new year at midnight. Feeling very old when being awake that late feels like an impressive achievement. Kristen and Noah came over and the last few years we have gone to Fresh and then hung out together playing board games. We switched it up and get Swiss Chalet take away, which was easier and cheaper. Played a number of rounds of Spender, which I really enjoyed and need to remember to ask for next year.

Fresh Start?

A couple of months ago people were making fun of the fact that I wasn't posting very much on Always Standing, and that at New Years I would probably make my usual resolution to start writing more. I don't want to give myself that type of pressure and just hope that I get back to it naturally, especially with my trip to Africa coming up and the posts that will go with that.

I have just gotten through That Awkward Time Between Christmas and New Year's that is super weird. (Though I worked a from home so that kept me a bit on track with the days passing.) I am back to work in the office tomorrow, and I have caught a cold - so not a great start to the year, hopefully it will pass quickly.

B.R.A.T. Diet

So I fell a bit by the wayside with my big plans for lots of posting in 2017. But, in my defense, I got really sick. Like really really sick. I won't get into the graphic details but from midnight Saturday, all through Sunday and Monday and then still today, I have been unwell.

But, I love learning medical acronyms and have a new one to share!

The B.R.A.T. Diet

This is what to eat when having stomach issues because it is very bland. It gives your digestive system a chance to rest and recover. So here is what it is that I am eating:
B - Bananas
R - Rice
A - Applesauce
T - Toast
Except not really rice, since I don't like it. I have been having the occasional small bit of plan pasta instead of rice. Jason picked me up some Gatorade as well and got me his favourite 'flavour' which is 'red' and decent.

No, Thank You

Just before writing about her Top 5, Steph did a thank you post on her blog reflecting on her biggest year yet with Stephanie Beach Photography. I am so excited about the future of her company. You can read about the many things that has made this past year such a highlight, but for me it will selfishly be her participation at my wedding (which she also mentioned). Here is her sweet message:

I had such a hard time writing the original blog post for these two. This wasn’t because their day wasn’t interesting, on the contrary, Chris + Jason’s wedding was the most unique we have ever been a part of (and this will likely be a true statement for a long, long time, if not the rest of time). It was difficult to write because nothing was ever enough to express just how much they mean to us. When the bride is your very best friend, who has (and continues to) given you so much and always been there for you, expressing all of that in a matter befitting her, such a charismatic and well-spoken person, can be troublesome. Writing down the words that truly show how genuinely happy I am that two people as caring, thoughtful and utterly wonderful as them, have found each other took me longer than usual and to be honest, I still don’t think the words did the entire situation justice. I love them to pieces and getting to document their wedding days was without a doubt, a highlight of my photographic career and I can’t think of any other way I would have wanted to spend these days with them.

Check out the full 2016 Thank You post, HERE. You can also see her post about our wedding, which I love and frequently reread, HERE, the pictures are so beautiful.

New Year's Resolutions

2017

- Eat Better (Less carbs, more vegetables!)
- Cook More (Cut done on eating out)
- Save/Make More Money (Going to need to read Gail again)
- Post Daily (Always Standing)

What are yours?

Ramp Up In January

Looking to 2017, I am again hoping to post more on Always Standing. I realize that December has the trend of being a slow month for me writing over the last few years, historically this is how many posts I have done each December:

2016 - 4
2015 - 3
2014 - 7
2013 - 16
2012 - 15
2011 - 14
2010 - 30
2009 - 16
2008 - 15
2007 - 24
2006 - 22

However, I am going to ramp up for January and plan to get a lot of posts lined up. So, no backdating posts, I actually am going to try to write in advance and schedule them. Stay tuned.

Peru Overview, With Help From Mom

Each time I travel it seems that I 'report' about it differently on Always Standing. Some of the styles I have used include single photo updates, a series of photos, a rare video post, standard responses, slightly cryptic messages, written posts, live updates, scheduled itinerary details, but most frequently a long list of notes provided as a summary.

My mom has a very consistent documentation style on her blog vicarious travelling, she posts each day of her trip separately and outlines the events like a diary entry. Her goal is to share details with friends, like she would if she was emailing them about the trip. She includes a lot of photos each day, and often captions them (something that I never do.) I figured that because she had also described a big portion of the Peru Trip, I would send you over to her blog for the days that related to my time there.

- MARTES - Tuesday December 29 - We arrived in Cusco in the afternoon, so Jason and I are mentioned (with a photo of us shopping) at the very bottom of Mom's post.

- MIERCOLES - Wednesday December 30 - This is the day that the three of us went horseback riding into the mountains around Cusco. Rereading her post now I am reminded of watching the lightening hitting the hills on the other side of the valley - it was incredible.

- JUEVES - Thursday December 31 - Mom only has a short written post for this New Year's Eve, which was when we spent the afternoon doing a bit of a practice hike. I got good pictures of both Jason and Mom during our walk.

- JUEVES 2 - Thursday December 31 - After she got home from the trip, Mom wrote about the last 6 days in more detail and included photos. This is her bigger post about our Cusco hike.

- SACRED VALLEY 1 - Friday January 1 - The first full day of the G Adventures Tour was a trip in a van around the Sacred Valley.  No real hiking to deal with at this point. Her first post is mainly about a weaving place that we visited.

- SACRED VALLEY 2 - Friday January 1 - We also saw various Inca Sites and had lunch at a local restaurant, my mom has lots of photos from this day. Three posts worth.

- SACRED VALLEY 3 - Friday January 1 - This is her final post from New Years Day, mainly focused on Ollantayambo, a town where we visited an amazing Inca Site and then spent the night at a local hotel.

- DAY 1 - Saturday January 2 - The pictures from the first day on the Inca Trail are perfect! They show the sites, the camp, our food, and how much fun we were having (though at the same time, I was still pretty nervous at this point about what the other days would bring.)

- DAY 2 - Sunday January 3 - This day was hard. Everything I had read told me it would be hard and it was. The last hour uphill was very very very difficult and I practically crawled up the last 50 meters. Then, in a surprising twist, the last 2-3 hours doing down hill was even harder for me! I ended up wishing I was still going up hill since the steps down were very painful on my ankles. I was dehydrated and unhappy during that descent.

- DAY 3 - Monday January 4 - Everything I had read was right again - this was the best day on the Inca Trail! I loved every second of it. If you could have seen me I was beaming from ear to ear all day and how could I not be on a day that was an incredible combination of jungle, physical challenge, ancient ruins, mountains, cake, waterfalls, llamas, and more.

- DAY 4 - Tuesday January 5 - We made it to Machu Picchu! My mom has a great picture of the three of us posted.

I am glad to be able to link over to Mom's writing to share my experience in Peru with you. You may want to also read her Reflections or Recommendations for the trip as well. Oh, and like me, she loves to receive comments so feel free to post some either on this post or any of hers.

Lifestyle Challenges

I read a lot of Buzzfeed, something that I got from Nicola and Kristen. I even have the app on my phone, which I definitely got from Nicola. I decided around New Years that I would try a bunch of their "Lifestyle Challenges" this year and see if I can gradually improve some of my habits.

I am going to start slow, since I am feeling too lazy to tackle any of the getting fit ones or even the one about becoming a morning person. I signed up for the 5-Day Inbox Cleanse, which promises the following:

Only five days to a better email inbox? With our new Inbox Cleanse, you’re going to take control of your email. It’s not about getting rid of all of your email completely — it’s about optimizing your inbox to highlight important messages, improving your communication over email, and cutting down on unnecessary clutter. Each day, we’ll give you a simple tip that you can act on, improving your inbox in only 10-15 minutes a day. And the positive skills and habits you learn will help you maintain your inbox’s sanity for long after the challenge is completed. Because your inbox deserves good email, and so do you.

I am using it for my personal Yahoo Mail account, since I am pretty good at organizing and sorting my email at work. What sucks is that the daily tips and instructions (which include app suggestions) has been created to work best with Gmail, which I don't use. However my personal account currently has 977 emails sitting in its Inbox, so any help is better than nothing.

It is a daily email course, so I had to give my email address and they will send me a message each day, starting tomorrow. I will report back at the end of the week to let you know how it went.

Feliz Ano Nuevo From Peru!

Cusco, Peru filled up with yellow yesterday and Thursday. The colour is supposed to bring good luck and it is everywhere on New Year's Eve. People are selling yellow flowers, leis, hats, and more. There was a massive increase in vendors for all the yellow products in the markets, public squares, and lining the major streets. All the cashiers at the grocery store were where wearing various yellow foam hats, but some of them didn't seem to have their heart in it. It reminded me a bit of Stampede in Calgary where the whole city gets "into it" but sometimes it is forced. I am excited for 2016 so it isn't forced from me - Happy New Years! (or Feliz Ano Nuevo, which is missing some accents over the letters but I am too lazy to find the keyboard shortcuts for them.)

Casa Verde - Our New Home

Happy New Year! I wanted to start 2016 off with a big announcement – Jason and I bought a house!!! We are very excited and it was a grueling process, the Toronto housing market is insane. I was frequently upset and stressed during 2015, especially the past few months, dealing with the overwhelming task of trying to buy a house in Toronto; giving up and looking at places in the general GTA or even further away kept looking like a tempting option (though the market anywhere that is considered commutable to Toronto is pretty rough.) I am glad that we stuck with our goal to stay in The City. We have found a place that we are very happy with.

We were able to buy a detached 3 bedroom house in the Mount Dennis area. It has been named Casa Verde, which roughly translates to Green House in Spanish (the second most common language spoken in the area.) Right now old windows and lack of insulation mean that the house isn't very energy efficient and it is our goal to work towards making it a more eco-friendly property. Jason and I are also very 'green' when it comes to home owning.

There are a lot of renovations to be done, so even though we take possession in mid-March we probably won't be moving in until a few weeks after that. I can't wait to start posting fun Before and After shots of the renovations and decorating.

See You In 2016

Stay tuned in the NEW YEAR for more Always Standing posts and great content. I am taking a break for now, as I am sure you noticed, but please come back first thing in January.

Third Time's The Charm?

In 2013, I planned to post on Always Standing everyday, though quickly lessened that to 6 times a week. I wasn't even close, in fact with 234 posts written in 2013, I was actually only writing 4.5 times each week. I decided to renew the resolution in early 2014 and try again to post everyday. I did a bit better last year and wrote 40 more posts than the year before, but I still didn't push over that 300 mark.

I think the main reason that I missed the mark again in 2014 was that I took two big breaks. In July and again in December. I should have better planned for Always Standing during vacation time, written ahead or had Guest Writers. I hope to improve on this and not have such long hiatuses in the future.

So, I am going to try again. I would like to try to get a post up pretty much everyday in 2015, without the liberal use of backdating that I increasingly started to use as a crutch. Let's see if this time next year the little number in brackets beside 2015 reads 365 or more!

Done With It

Ok, I am done with this year. I had lots of backdating plans to fill up December with posts but I just wanted/want a break. This month has flown by and has been insanely busy. Jason had his birthday at the end of November, then we did a lot of Christmas things early because we took a trip to Edmonton to visit with Mike and Aimee. (In fact we are flying back from Edmonton this evening; Jason, Mom, and I have been here for a week.) So, I will be saying goodbye to 2014 in the Toronto airport and tomorrow morning, I am going to start fresh with Always Standing for 2015.

Not Every Day In 2013

Reviewing my New Years Resolution from 2013 about blogging and I did not fulfill it. I had decided pretty early on that instead of trying to blog every single day in 2013, I would do 6 days a week and allow myself to skip one day. Well that would mean about 312 posts last year, and if you look on the left-hand side, I only did 234. It was a big improvement from the previous few years, but it still isn't up to pre-2010 standards and I have yet to ever have a year that Always Standing has more than 365 posts. If you look at the breakdown, like all resolutions, I start strong and then have a weak June and off and on weak months after that.

So, I am trying again - My resolution then is to BLOG EVERY DAY IN 2014 so that the number beside it reads at least 365 by this time next year. And again, this will hopefully, up my readership, mean more comments, improve my writing, and better document my life. (A reread of last year's post and it says "document this amazing year that I plan to have" and this time I am not going to make near as bold a statement.)

Speaking of blogging...
Remember to regularly check out the two blogs listed in My Links:
- Mom's Travel Blog - She recently did a great post reflecting about her first year of blogging and I really agree that it becomes more about doing it for yourself than for others - however, I am still the type of writer that lives for the comments. Unless she is travelling and using vicarious travelling as a daily diary, then mom is posting a little more than once a week.
- Steph's Photo Blog - She has always been good and seems to be getting better and better! With Stephanie Beach Photography taking off the way it is, I was worried that Steph's blog would become less personal, but it hasn't. She posts about once a week, a combination of client shots and personal ones.

Also, check out the funny writings of my GeoConnections' Girls:
They don't quite post enough or consistently enough to show up on My Links yet, but when they do bring something to the internet it is always amazing!
- Generic Blonde Musings - ERin's blog started back in the summer and follows her life back in Edmonton. She spent a couple of years in Ottawa but has moved back west again.
- Whispering Swede Nothings - Anne's blog to document her time in Sweden as she works on her Masters. She has always had the funnest posts, even previously on her personal blog. Also Sweden seems crazy. It looks like Anne is posting about twice a month or so.

Resolutions For 2014

This year I am going to try to take better care of....
My Body
(exercise, eat better, moisturize, etc.)
My Apartment
(keep it tidy, organize the kitchen, clean etc.)
My Boyfriend
(listen, more massages, cook, etc.)

New Years Eve Is Now

Since work starts tomorrow, tonight feels like a less intense New Years Eve. I won't be staying up until midnight but I have started to think about my resolutions. Being away from the office for the last two weeks has been a nice break from responsibility. Today we had to go grocery shopping and it was one of the larger trips we have had. The power outage, time spent at The Cottage over the holidays and our recent trip to Ottawa has meant there was no food in the house. I am feeling ready to move forward and start 2014, last year had some terrible moments. I don't want to dwell on them so instead I will list some great things about 2013.

2013 Included:
- Jason moving in
- Kristen & Noah's Wedding
- Huge birthday weekend at The Cottage
- Stampede!

Still Here

As you may have noticed, I have not posted on Always Standing in a LONG time. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and planning to start writing again on a regular bases soon. I hope to get back into the swing of things next week.

In terms of my New Years Resolution of blogging every day, I lasted until the start of June and lived up to that goal. I think that is probably the best I have ever done on a resolution before!

New Years Resolutions - Blogging

This past year I did not blog very much. On the Left Side Bar you can see that only 187 posts were published, which is almost as few as 2006, the very first year I started Always Standing, and I was only blogging starting from June that year. I always say that I try to blog at least every other day and with 366 days this (leap) year - 187 posts is just that. My resolution then is to BLOG EVERY DAY IN 2013 so that the number beside it reads at least 365 by this time next year. Hopefully this will up my readership, mean more comments, improve my writing, and better document this amazing year that I plan to have.