Pony Scout Fluttershy

My most recent cosplay! I made this as part of a sailor moon/My little pony crossover group. I can't say I'm a big Pony fan but the characters are cute and I got to wear a pink wig... Enough said. 

The group and I entered in the costume competition at Edmonton expo with these. We didn't win, but we had lots of fun! And a few moments of being scared to death before hitting the stage in front of a billion people. 

Enjoy! 

Also, while I've been on my blogging break we passed our 2 year blogiversary!! Yay!!

xoxo

Road block!

Well, it's happening. I think it happens to every creative person at some point. The road block. 

Not knowing what to write about, or having ideas but not being able to get them on the page. I love writing this blog, it's such a good outlet and an awesome way to share but right now I'm stuck. 

To all you lovely people, leave me a comment, tweet me, send me a message! Tell me what you like to read about on here, what are your favorite posts??

I think I'm going to take a tiny blogging break (maybe..) to work out some posts and get a new feel for what I want on here, preferably with your input! 

Help me out! And don't go forgetting about me either! I'll be back before you know it!!

xoxo

Yoga challenge

By now you should know that I'm not really someone who does much of anything just part way. I go full force and jump right in. 

Currently I'm into yoga. I've been doing it for 4 years and I've always loved it, but I've been on a rather long break from it. The studio that Chad and I were going to changed owners, classes, etc.. And so we stopped going for a while. And then that 'while' turned into months... 

But now, thanks to an awesome Groupon, I'm back! 2 months unlimited yoga for $60!! You really can't beat that. 

Lotus Soul Yoga is the studio I'm calling home at the moment. They have great teachers, good class times, an awesome studio space and lots of variation in classes. I've learner more poses in the last week than I have in the past 4 years. I feel challenged every time I go, in the best way. I learned headstand already!

We have decided to make a challenge out of our passes. Go everyday unless it's not possible. And if that's the case, make up for it by going an extra time the next day. I just finished day 9 and I'm feeling pretty awesome. To clarify, we are going everyday for 25 days, taking a break and then starting again. 

To add to this challenge, I'm also cutting out alcohol 100% for the duration of the challenge. And maybe longer, who knows. I'm not a big drinker to begin with since it adds nothing to my life so I don't think this will be difficult. I'm hoping it will just be an extra little benefit. 

An aspect that is a bit more challenging though; bed. I'm trying to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier; all the while making sure I get enough good sleep. It's slow, but I'm getting better!

My brother asked me if I'm turning into a hippy. It actually made me laugh because I don't see myself in that stereotype at all. And then I thought about it and decided that maybe I should be. It means I don't have to brush my hair right??!

Yoga is a great workout in a class environment, more exciting that a gym or treadmill, more engaging than a solo run, it works the entire body, builds flexibility and allows for mental peace (if only for the 60-90 minutes of class.) 

If you've never done yoga I highly recommend it. 

Come join me in class!

xoxo

Check www.groupon.com for your local deals. They have some real winners!

And www.lotussoulgym.com if you live in the Edmonton area and are interest in checking them out. With 3 studios and great schedules I'm sure you can find one convenient to you.  

The purge to simplicity

As I mentioned in my last post I've had a bit of a stuff purge recently. I was only planning to clean out my closet but after giving it some thought I just couldn't stop. 

These things are just that, things. All of these clothes (that I don't wear anymore!) are not adding value to my life, all of the unused bits in the linen closet, bathroom and kitchen aren't benefitting me in any way. I'm not talking about the character pieces, souvenirs or decorative bits either, I mean, why should a household of only 2 people have 15+ bath towels? On the other end though, I don't feel the need to have frames or trinkets covering every surface either. 

Since the purge I've been trying to rally my whole life around some simple ideas. Stuff is just stuff. I want things in my home/closet/life that make my happy, give a feeling of fulfillment and add beauty to my days. 

To get more specific, clothes that don't make me feel good for any reason, are not needed. If it doesn't fit I don't need it. If I feel self conscious wearing it, I don't need it. It's pretty simple. I DO NOT need 15 pairs of pyjamas.

Will I ever get to that true minimalist, pick up and go lifestyle? Seems somewhat out of reach right now, but life is a work in progress. I'm making an effort to shop as little as possible and when new things do come in, something has to go out. 

Going beyond physical things, I'm trying to simplify my time online as well. I use Facebook as little as possible, keep my inboxes empty, don't give my email to anything new unless I LOVE it or need to for whatever reason. I think the internet, tv and related are a huge hindrance to me getting things done. Not to say I will quit them all together, but less time should be spent on them. Especially if I'm just using out of boredom. 

For the sake of my mind, I don't tend to read magazines anymore either and have gotten rid of all my old ones. That is just an expensive way to allow the world to make you feel bad about yourself. That, and the IKEA catalogue is way better than whatever drama is going on in the lives of the Housewives of Orange county. 

Speaking of IKEA, it's a very very slow work in progress, but someday I would love to have a perfectly designed/decorated home that is cohesive and relaxing and simple and beautiful to be in. It's the little things. 

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Summer recap 2014

A little bit of the happenings in my life. It's been a good summer. 

To be honest though, the sad truth is that as much as I love taking pictures, I never seem to take enough at one time to merit a full post about that event. 

This is my answer to that. Some of what I've been up to and a bit of a photo dump. 

First, and most exciting. At 22 years old I finally got my drivers license!!

I've had my learners since I was 17 so it's about time I got it done. I honestly can't believe I waited so long. It's life changing. The first time to drove by myself was so exciting. 

To fit in with the driving theme, I also bought myself a vehicle! Thanks to my great uncle for a steal of a deal on his vehicle that he no longer uses. I now have myself a "soccer mom van" and I love it. It's not what I planned to get, but it does that job just fine. 

Chad and I had our 6 year anniversary this past month as well. Time seems to have flown by and also taken forever.. All at the same time. 

We spent our day climbing a mountain together. High-fives!

Having worked on my Armoured Sailor Neptune costume for over 3 months, I can happily say that I got everything finished on time, nothing fell apart and I absolutely love how it turned out. It was received well by others as well which is always satisfying. 

I wore it to Animethon, my first time at this convention, and had a great time.

I'm not sure how I finally got myself into doing this, but I've felt it coming on for a while. I did a, rather large, stuff purge. I must have halved the contents of my closet. It felt pretty amazing actually. So good in fact that I had to do it to the whole house. Linen closet, bathrooms, kitchen, spare room, living room... The other rooms didn't take a hit quite like my closet did, but it felt good anyway. Sometimes all the stuff feels like it's crushing me. 

That is a whole post for another time though. 

A friend from work and I went out to Heritage days in Edmonton. Basically, it's food from countries all over the world all in one place. Each country has an area, some larger than others and they use that space to not only sell food, but some countries put on performances. Music, dancing, etc..

If we are being honest, I was just there for the food. Which country do you think I chose? 

Greece. Gyros in Pita. Naturally. 

It wasn't quite the same, but super delicious anyway. 

From there, we went over to a tiny local amusement park. Pictures don't really do rides so this was a good park for me. Mini golf, go-karts, batting cages, bumper boats... Some people did the cages while waiting for others to show up and then we all did the go-karts together. Slightly scary, but a lot of fun. I had the constant feeling that I was going to roll over, but eventually decided that was probably pretty difficult to achieve, considering how low and wide the car is. We finished off with a silly round of mini golf. 

Lastly, and most recent, I went to a staff party for my job and had the best time. We rented a bouncy, bungee, thing.... It was the best fun I've had in a long time. Basically, you wear a harness with a cord attached to the back and the other end of the cord attaches to the back of the ... bouncy thing... 

The center wall of the thing has Velcro on it and the person strapped in has a Velcro bean bag. You run as hard as you can and try to stick it on, getting as much distance as you can. 

Harder than I expected. 

Once you get to a certain point the cord will pull you back too. Most likely you will fly back and land on your back with your butt and legs in the air... 

Great fun. Trust me on this. 

And that's life for me. 

xoxo