February Goals

I always set myself some monthly mini goals for things I want to achieve during the month and since I really enjoy reading other peoples post on their goal setting I thought I would share mine. I meant to do this in January but somehow the entire month just flew by….

This month’s goals are a bit scaled back due to everything going on with the move however I still think it’s important to set some realistic goals for myself.

Physically:

• I think I picked my first Texas half marathon to run in May so I have started training for this. Realistically during the actual move later this month I won’t be able to run and I am fine with that knowing that I am fairly early in my training cycle. However exercise makes such a big difference in my stress levels that this is something I need to be consistent with and I have a fairly big goal for this race!
• Eating! Oh gosh between farewell suppers, trying to clean the freezer/cupboards out and generally being too tired to actually want to cook our eating hasn’t been the best. I want to try and make a better effort of meal planning and eating healthy this month and NOT using Skip the Dishes.

Personally

• As much as I am trying to fit in every last minute I can with people I am also trying to be aware that I need a bit of downtime in amongst it all. It’s finding that balance between having some downtime without missing a visit with all the people I really want to see before I go.
• Just letting things happen as they are going to. Being such a planner and type A personality these kinds of big changes make me anxious! Especially when there are so many things that I can’t control going on (i.e. US Immigration processing times) but I need to just take a deep breath and let it happen. It’s all going to happen exactly the way it should.

Do you set monthly goals or just big year goals? Or both?

Linking up for Monthly Goals with Cowgirl Runs and Carmy.

Weekend Recap

This last weekend was one that included so many things I love!

Friday night was a quite one spent mostly sitting on the couch and catching up Schitts Creek. Oh and having wine and leftover Christmas cookies.....

Saturday morning I was up early to head way down south to a Hot Core yoga class at Soul Hot Yoga. The studio isn't anywhere close to where I am currently living but I just can't bring myself to find another studio closer to me. I love this studio and the instructors so I am going to continue going here until we leave in a month. This particular class is always fun, sweaty and full of inappropriate jokes. Once yoga was done I grabbed lunch at Chopped Leaf (if you haven't tried this place yet I highly recommend it!) then was off to a acupuncture appointment. My arm has been falling asleep lots lately. Not just at night but also when I am doing things like blow-drying my hair. So hopefully a couple of sessions should fix everything.

Last stop of the day was a challenging group fitness class at Revive Fitness (more on this to come later). After class I went home and read a book on the couch all night. I finished reading Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter and I still have some mixed feeling about it.

photo by Laura

Sunday morning I had a bend and brunch with Ange, Laura and Jen at Craft. Tickets were only $28 and included yoga, brunch and a beermosa! You can't really go wrong with all of that. The afternoon was spent cleaning the house and waiting for Dhugal to come home.

How was your weekend? Have you tried Chopped Leaf? Have you read that book? What did you think of it?

Thinking out Loud

Happy Thursday!

I’m linking up with Running with Spoons to bring you some random thoughts for Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

It’s my last day of work until the 2017 and I can hardly wait for some time off!

• It’s been awhile since I posted last however I am okay with it since we have been seriously busy packing up our house/ getting the movers to pick all of it up, moving into our condo and work trips for both of us. However all of that is done and we should have some sort of downtime over the next couple weeks…. Well until we head to Houston to look for a place to rent at the start of January.
• I received the sweetest gift in our blogger gift exchange! Anna sent me the cutest little moose ornament! Yup! A moose! I was thinking the same thing as you when I opened it. That is until I read the card and she mentioned how she choose a red moose for two reasons: 1. as a symbol of Canada for the Canadian blogger Christmas swap and 2. As a memory of our last Canadian Christmas.  Since all of our Christmas decorations are packed away we don’t have a tree this year 😒 I propped the ornament up against the little paper tree I found at IKEA. Next year though it’s going to have a prominent spot right at the front of our tree. Thank you again to Leigh and Lindsey for organizing this.

• Speaking of Christmas I have been having a harder time than usual getting into the Christmas spirit. Christmas is normally my absolute favorite time of the year but I think this year because we are in a temporary home without any of our own things (Christmas decorations included) I have struggled making our place feel festive. We are going to see A Christmas Carol tomorrow though and going to Christmas Eve service over at Knox United Church so that should help.

Knox United

• Christmas Eve service – this might be what I am most looking forward to this season. Christmas Eve church service holds a very very special place in my heart as I have so many memories of going with my grandparents and this year Dhugal and I are going to Knox United which is also where we got married. There is something so magical about going on Christmas Eve, being reminded of what Christmas is really about, singing carols and just the general feeling of it all. I am honestly getting teary just thinking about how something like this can make my heart feel so so full.

That’s all I have for now :)

Do you have any Christmas traditions that hold a special place in your heart?

On The Move!

Well November is pretty much over and I haven’t blogged (or even had a chance to read blogs) in oh about 5 weeks……. I do however have a fairly valid reason for it! Dhugal and I are moving to Texas in February next year. Wait… what?!....Backing up a bit we found out early October that there was a potential for both of us to be transferred down with our jobs. At that point everything was still on the down low (minus telling our families) as we didn’t know about work visas or really any concrete details yet.

We decided to list our house (yes the one we literally just finished renovating) mid-October before the mortgage rules changed to see if there would be any interest. We weren’t in a rush or pressured at that point to sell so we weren’t too concerned (we didn’t even have our visas yet). Well the house ended up selling the first weekend. Selling the house was a huge relief but also added another interesting element to everything as we have to be out by December 15^th.  So in the interim we have rented a furnished condo downtown for the last few months we will be here.

The last 6 weeks have been an absolute blur of packing the house (moving across the country is a whole different ball game!), selling stuff, finding a rental here, finding a realtor in Houston (you need one to even rent) and trying to sort all the moving details out. Everything else has pretty much got put on the backburner until we at least get the house packed and we move out. Once that happens things should slow down a little (hopefully).

Moving to Texas is something we have wanted to do for so very long. It’s a place that captured our hearts many years ago and the desire to be there has never really gone away. Coupled with the fact two of our closest sets of friends live down there make it even better. I am excited beyond belief, overwhelmed and also sad to be leaving so many things I love here in Canada.

My intention is to get back blogging (writing and reading) including posts on our newest adventure!

 

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday!! I am not sure if it is the weather turning or the fact I feel like it is dark so early but this week seemed to take forever and I was exhausted.

Here are a few things that made me smile this week

Massages! Not only for the massage itself for the messages they always have randomly around the office. The 'reflective listening' message was especially important to me this week as I know I have a tendency to read in-between the lines and create a whole other scenario in my head.


It's snowing today which made a perfect excuse to break out my fleece scarf from Urban Cowgirl.

 It's a busy time at work right now so I have been working lots of later night and weekends but the other night I decided to bring things home with me.  Being able to change into comfy clothes and have wine made it a bit more enjoyable

What were some of the favourite things from your week?

Thinking out Loud Halloween Edition

Good Morning! Another edition of Thinking Out Loud link up with Running with Spoons




                    

• I had every intention of blogging more in the last week than what actually happened but then between being extra busy at work and a very full weekend I never got a chance to sit down and actually start to type anything till Wednesday night.  Really just in time for this post!

• Anyone else a stress eater? I stress eat (sugary stuff mostly) and with all the extra Halloween candy around I have been finding it extra challenging to reach for almonds or fruit instead of those delicious little chocolate bars. And to top it all off during our busy times at work they always stock up on snacks (aka junk) for when we work late. So on top of the candy I have free access to chips and cookies.

• Speaking of Halloween – it is so not my thing. It is probably my least favourite holiday. I enjoy the candy (see point #2) and I absolutely love seeing all of my friends’ kids in their costumes and handing out candy but everything else about does nothing for me. Not decorating, not scary movies and definitely not dressing up.

What about you - are you stress eater? Do you like Halloween? Do you dress up?

Local Love Pizza and Pints

The other week was both YYC Pizza Week as well as Alberta Beer Week so naturally when I saw that there was a pizza and pints afternoon tour offered, I jumped at the opportunity to attend. When we are travelling, food tours are something we usually try to do but I have never done one in the city I live in. I’m totally missing out!

YYC Pizza Week returned last week for its third year with partial proceeds from every pizza sold, from over 50 Calgary restaurants, benefiting two charities: Calgary Meals on Wheels and 100 Men Calgary. I had the chance to chat with some of the members of this club during the afternoon and they have a pretty cool concept! The 100 Men Calgary is the men’s only portion of the charity, but they have a link on their site to the women’s version as well. I recommend checking them out for yourself or your significant other!

For our afternoon tour, we met first at Beer Revolution (which I had no idea was part of Brewsters Brewing Company) where we heard a brief history of both Brewsters and Beer Revolution. The fact that Brewsters was started in my home town of Regina was a neat little fact I didn’t know before. There we got to sample 3 of their beers along with their signature pizza - Sayulita Surfer – a thin crust pizza with enchilada sauce, chorizo, caramelized onions, banana peppers, roasted poblano’s, tex mex cheese, avocado lime crema, romaine, and topped with tortillas. Not normally a pizza I would order but it was delicious!

Source

From there we got on a bus and continued onto to Cravings Market Restaurant, down in the South, and had their signature pizza - Cravings Bianca.  This one was a thick crust pizza with house made béchamel sauce, bacon, spinach, basil, and traditional . Paired with this pizza was a pint of Big Rock Cider. This pizza was by far my favourite one of the tour and this restaurant is one I would go back to try some other things on their menu.

Next we visited Midtown Kitchen & Bar. Here we had the Smoked Bovine pizza with smoked Alberta brisket, apple BBQ sauce, picked red onion, mozzarella, horseradish aioli, mustard, and micro greens. We were supposed to try a new collaborative beer created with Banded Peak Brewing Company, Vienna Steam Punk, but instead they substituted several samples from a Lacombe brewery – Blindman Brewing.   Honestly this stop was my least favourite – I wasn’t a fan of the pizza or the beer. The pizza was way to barbecue saucy and didn't really pair with the beer options we got. 

We finished up at Full Circle Pizza and Oyster Bar for their Fritto Misto Pizza. This seafood inspired pizza has a tarragon panna base, with peperonata and potatoes then they top it with beer battered oysters, white anchovy, cod, calamari and tartare sauce. This pizza was paired with a pint of Cold Garden’s East Calgary Lager. This was another restaurant I would like to go back and try sometime. Their pizza was so unique with all of the different seafood on it. 

source

Overall this was a really great tour. Tickets were $55 which I was thought was super reasonable considering the amount of food and beer we got all afternoon as well as transportation between each place. We got a brief history at each stop on the background of the restaurant and the beers we were trying. It was fun trying out places that I had never heard of never mind been to! I highly recommend keeping it in mind for next year.

Did you get a chance to try any of the pizza’s for pizza week? Have you eaten at any of these restaurants?