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Thankful Thursday 14: Home(body)

Welcome to the fourteenth instalment of my Thankful Thursday series, Home(body)!

This week I’m focusing on gratitude for home and everything it entails: my home city, being home from my vacation, my home (apartment), and as I refer to in my title, my act of being a homebody.

Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the weeks of July 20 – July 26, 2018!

Things I am thankful for over the past week:

I had a busy first day back, and it really helped me get over the fatigue of the long drive from Calgary and get back into the swing of things.
This past weekend, I participated in the 24in48 Readathon, which I really enjoyed. I ended up reading for 17.5 hours in 48 hours between Friday and Sunday. You can read about my experience on my book blog.
Starting off the readathon in style on Saturday morning. And I’m still obsessed with my sloth mug.
The weekend was also filled with rugby! Friday to Sunday was the Rugby World Cup 7s, so that was on pretty much all day each day.
My life looked like this for most of the weekend.
Andrew and I played golf again at the Stanley Park Pitch & Putt!

It was a beautiful morning!
I had a couple of appointments this week and those often cause me a lot of anxiety but they went well. And now I can breathe a sigh of relief that they’re over!
On Monday, I biked the seawall to one of the quieter beaches to sunbathe and read.

My best friend and I went to high tea at Honey & Salt (one of the restaurants at the new Parq casino in Yaletown) and it was delicious. We also walked home and I finally got to see the beautiful umbrella installation near Yaletown-Roundhouse station.
Not pictured: The two crêpes that were also included.
On Wednesday morning, I went for a run and got treated to a beautifully calm sunrise.
Wednesday was also my husband and I’s third wedding anniversary, which is always a really happy day.
Image by Sean McGrath.
Andrew is an excellent gift giver, and he usually tries to go super literal with the traditional anniversary gift each year. This year, he told me it was difficult to find “tanned leather hides” (you can Google it), so he went whole hog with a bunch of leather items, themed around our upcoming travel and of course, colour coordinated to our wedding. New, much-needed purse, purple leather manicure kit, portable jewelry case (with a hidden compartment for necklaces), leather pencil-case, teal leather clutch (also much-needed), luggage tags, and bracelets for future Canada days together.

Finally, today I started doing a new workout program as part of my half-marathon off-season cross training. It was hard, but I know it was a great workout, so I’m going to keep at it!

And the theme for this week, Home(body)!

This week I’ve felt a really big sense of gratitude for everything that is home to me.

Home

First, I pretty much invariably feel thankful for Vancouver any time I go away. I love to travel, but dang I love my city. Every time I get home to this place, even when I’m sitting in the same place in traffic for twenty minutes because of a road closure (what happened this time), I fall in love all over again.

Home is also a person for me, my husband. Even just being away for a week reminds me of all the reasons why I love him so much. As they say, absence makes the heart grow stronger.

Returning home after being away also makes me remember how much gratitude I have for our little apartment. It’s not new, or modern, and it’s definitely not spacious, but it’s ours. Our personalities are everywhere in this little space, and I’ve spent 8 years curating it into a place that makes me so happy. My book nook. The couch by our window with the view I love so much. My desk. The library. My plant babies. There is so much for me to love about this place, and I need to remind myself of this the next time I scream about needing a dishwasher or not wanting to go down to the basement with the laundry.

Homebody

Finally, I’m really thankful to be able to be a homebody at this point in my life. I’ve spent most of this week in my apartment. Yes, I’ve exercised outside. I’ve gone to the beach. Hung out with a friend (twice). Had four appointments. Gone out for food with my husband (also twice). I’ve visited friends and their adorable kids. I’ve played golf. But really, I’ve spent at least 90% of my time at my desk, cleaning my apartment, in my bed, on my chair in my reading nook, or on the couch. I’m really trying to take the time to journal, write, read, and think. To spend time just being with myself, and learning and growing. I’m getting cozy. I’m relaxing. It’s definitely been much-needed. And I’m thankful for it.

There you have it!

So, that’s my Thankful Thursday list for this week. I hope it inspires you to make your own, and get on that gratitude train!

Peace and love,

Bee

Thankful Thursday 11: Taking a Break

Welcome to the eleventh instalment of my Thankful Thursday, Taking a Break!

This week I’m focusing on gratitude for taking a break, I’ve definitely been doing in many areas of my life over the past two weeks. I even skipped a week of posting this series!

Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the weeks of June 22 – July 5, 2018!

Things I am thankful for over the past two weeks:

My carbo-loading dinner with Andrew on Saturday evening before the half marathon (pretzel bites with cheesy dip, chicken pot pie with salad, and yam fries).
Finishing my half marathon just 40 seconds past 2:30, my goal time due to my hip injury
My hip injury being finally COMPLETELY HEALED!
The new Panic! at the Disco album, which is really great
My two other new favourite songs, Not a Love Song by bülow and by Jocelyn Alice.
The amazing teacher book club meeting we had about reading a non-fiction book about a person who inspires us (I read I Am Malala, which I will be reviewing on my book blog in the near future)
Tom’s contribution was particularly amusing.
The fun but exhausting weekend of Provincial Regional Championship (PRC) rugby where I coached the VRU N-E-W U16 girls.
My U16 girls, and my co-coach, Georgia!

The U18 team, which I helped coach at practice, who won bronze!

My two Sentinel girls who made the U18 team, love them so much <3
The amount of sleep I’ve gotten over the past few days since work and rugby ended (I slept 10:30-5:30 on Monday night, then went back to bed Tuesday morning at 7:30 and didn’t wake up until 2:30.. bliss).
Finally, the amount I’ve read since work ended. I’ve already finished three books this month, and I’m starting another today!
My happy place.

And the theme for these two weeks, Taking a Break!

Two major areas in my life are taking a huge break this week: work and running.

First, work!

The first week covered in this post was the last week of the school year, and aside from invigilating a provincial exam and prepping a modern language educational activity, it was all admin work and prep for next year.
I don’t usually realize how much work takes out of me until I take a break. I typically get sick right at the start of the Winter holidays, of Spring Break, and of the Summer holidays. It was really nice to have this transition week from full-out working to more relaxed working, to fully off.
I was so tired by Friday that I fell asleep at my desk after arriving at 7:30 (Good thing I technically don’t start work until 8:30! Don’t get me started on traffic, I’ll go on for days.). It was nice to have no other real responsibilities aside from helping set up at the staff end-of-year party which I helped plan as part of the Social Committee.

Second, running!

My training for my second (and last) half marathon of 2018 finished up and I ran the race on June 24. The weather was as perfect as could be for the time of year (it did get quite hot toward the end). Along Cornwall Ave, people were on their front lawns spraying us with sprinklers, it was awesome!
It was a really great way to end off 6 months of training, and now I’m going into my six month off-season with a couple of weeks of post-race rest and planning for my cross-training months which will see me through December. It’s been nice to give my body a break; half-marathon training is quite intense. I don’t think I could ever do a full marathon.

There you have it!

So, that’s my Thankful Thursday list for this week. I hope it inspires you to make your own, and get on that gratitude train!

Peace and love,

Bee

Thankful Thursday 10: Wrapping up

Welcome to the tenth instalment of my Thankful Thursday, The Little Things! No, I’m not wrapping up the series, but I am wrapping up some other stuff!

This week I’m focusing on gratitude for wrapping up – quite a few things have neared the end of their life span for me.

Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the Week of June 15 – June 21, 2018!

Things I am thankful for this week:

My new sloth mug, which is giving me child-like glee to sip out of:

Thursday was the last day of scheduled classes for the year
Andrew and I went to see Incredibles 2, which is the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time. I came away with sore stomach and cheek muscles, and cried laughing more than once. Here’s a gif you’ll appreciate if you’ve seen the movie.
It was really hot early in the week, but it’s cooled down right on time for my half marathon tomorrow
Andrew and I went to Red Robin for a nice (not so) little dinner, and we got these amazing Chocolate Hazelnut (mine) and S’mores (his) milkshakes.

I made it through report card week, albeit with a couple nights where I was working straight through until bedtime

And the theme for this week, Wrapping Up!

I finished up most of the requirements for the teaching year this week, and I also started wrapping up my half marathon training for the year.

First, the school year.

As I mentioned above, this was the last week of scheduled classes. Thursday was the last day. We are still providing opportunities for students to come in and do some fun learning activities next week, and of course there are some provincial exams to invigilate, but the school year is almost complete. And a lot of the usual stressors are gone, like planning lessons and marking.
I had a couple of students in the bands performing their year-end pieces in Player’s Hall one morning, and I was so proud 🙂

My student is the girl on bass guitar! This is the senior jazz band

That’s my student on trumpet in the grey t-shirt!

That’s my student on piano! These two photos were of the junior jazz band.

I posted my final grades on Friday morning. Then, I got my last couple of students across the finish line who hadn’t been passing.
The LSP teachers hosted a picnic on Friday at lunch, and one of the VPs got his head shaved for Cops for Cancer.
The awards ceremony was on the last day of scheduled classes. I got to see the final product of the amazing paintings a couple of students had been working on in the cafeteria for a couple of weeks. They are the banners on the sides of the stage.

One of my favourite students (I know, I’m not supposed to have faves) gave me this beautiful bracelet as a gift on the last day. Not only does it suit me super well, it went along with a lot of what I taught my Planning 10 students this year about mindfulness and mental health. I won’t miss the I-Reports that come along with teaching Planning 10 as I switch over to a fully French subject assignment for next year. But I will miss the course’s meaningful content and the connections I was able to make with students because of it. Thank you Anna <3

Finally, I’ve been collecting textbooks, organizing binders, and cleaning my office. It’s been really nice to have a bit of a change of pace.

Second, the training!

My training for my second (and last) half marathon of 2018 is wrapping up as well. On Tuesday I did my 10k race pace at dawn, with this beauty around me:

Then on Wednesday, I did my 6k race pace, at dawn again, with this view:

On Saturday, I’ll be doing 3k slow, and that’s it for the training! It’s been a long 7 weeks of battling to come back from my hip injury and still try to finish this half in a reasonable time. It looks like my goal will be sub-2:30. It’s a bit of a disappointment for me as I spent most of the training season doing really well at the 2:00 pace. C’est la vie. I’m going to work on cross training and keeping up some distance for the next six months leading into the 2019 season. Next year, I’m hoping to run both the BMO and Scotia again. I’ll perhaps join my parents for Edmonton in August, too! Fingers crossed!

There you have it!

So, that’s my Thankful Thursday list for this week. I hope it inspires you to make your own, and get on that gratitude train!

Peace and love,

Bee

Thankful Thursday 9: The Little Things

Welcome to the ninth instalment of my Thankful Thursday, The Little Things! Finally back to actually posting on Thursday.

This week I’m focusing on gratitude for the little things, of which there were several this week.

Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the Week of June 8 – June 14, 2018!

Things I am thankful for this week:

Andrew brought a Lucky’s donut home from work for me today
These floofers on Granville Street

I got a lot of marking done! There are still huge mounds to go but I feel like I’m actually going to make it.
This owl mug I got at London Drugs for $3.99. $3.99!!! (I actually got two, and they are slightly different)

These views on my runs

Our favourite brunch locale, Craft Beer Market in False Creek, empty and super peaceful on Sunday morning after I ran 20k (more on that in a sec).
This view from my best friend’s apartment.
This piece of art in Starbucks while I did some marking with said friend.
The view I get every day when I leave work.

Also, some not-so-little things.

I knew I wanted to see if I could run the 20k scheduled for Sunday (the last run longer than 10k until race day), so I decided to do a slow stationary bike ride on Saturday to loosen up my legs instead of the 6k steady. I biked for the same amount of time it would have taken me to do the run. Then, on Sunday, I planned to head out around Stanley Park for a 10k, and then turn around and go all the way back if it went well. It did, so I completed 20k!! It took me 2:33, so I’m changing my expectations for the half, but I’m thankful I was able to do it at all.
I’m also hella thankful for this gorgeous 7am view about a quarter of the way through:

Finally, I had to schedule an appointment in the middle of the day on Tuesday, so I decided to take the day off work and schedule some other appointments too. I got by thyroid checked on the new dose and it’s back to normal (I could have told you that myself based on how I’ve felt, but it’s nice for the blood work to confirm it for me). Physio was amazing as always. I had a fantastic counselling session. And I got my nails done! It was a much-needed mental (and physical) health day. And it turns out I got my favourite TOC in for me! 🙂

Here’s my nails!

There you have it!

So, that’s my Thankful Thursday list for this week. I hope it inspires you to make your own, and get on that gratitude train!

Peace and love,

Bee

Thankful Thursday 7: Birthday Week

Welcome to the seventh instalment of my Thankful Thursday! This week’s theme is my birthday week. Sadly, I’m a day late again, but I’m vowing not to make it a trend! Next week’s Thankful Thursday will come out on Thursday.

This week I’m focusing on gratitude for my life in general and what turning 27 has meant to me.

Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the Week of May 25-May 31, 2018!

Things I am thankful for this week:

The awesome birthday I had on Wednesday
- Work was a low-stress day, and I had my prep block (on day 1 I teach all 4 blocks, but on day 2 I teach 3)
- I got my free Starbucks birthday drink (Triple Venti Caramel Macchiato)
- Andrew and I went to dinner at Earl’s and watched the hockey and tennis
- Then we went to see Deadpool 2 which was HILARIOUS

The title of this post, Birthday Week!

Every year on my birthday, I naturally get retrospective about the last year. Usually this leads to gratitude. My 20s have been incredibly eventful so far, and I have so much to be thankful for, this year especially!
- I finished my Diploma in Guidance Studies, the first step to becoming a counsellor.
- I got a full-time continuing contract with West Vancouver Schools, at the school I’m at this year. For all you NB’ers, this means a B contract. I’m here to stay!
- I got accepted to my Master’s program of choice at UBC, School Counselling. This will be my fourth (and last!!!) university program. I’m very excited to start in September (and excited to finish May 2021).
- I coached three rugby teams (girls’ age-grade club, high school girls, and girls’ PRCs).
- I signed up for two more half marathons and ran one (the next is June 24th, and I’m rehabbing my butt off to be able to run it!).
- Andrew and I got to spend a rejuvenating weekend in Whistler around our second wedding anniversary.
- We also got to go to Calgary for Christmas and spend a week with family.
- I travelled to Cuba with Mom for a week over Spring Break.
- Both Andrew and I are feeling happier than ever and really excited about our life plans.
Life is pretty good, and on my 27th birthday I was and am feeling really grateful for my past 27 years of life. I’m working in a professional field that I love, and I get to write and be creative and read like a fiend in my spare time. I’m active and do community activities, and I hang out with friends virtually and in-person often. Mental health is a struggle as it always has been, but I’m really getting good at appreciating what I have. Here’s to my 28th year!

There you have it!

So, that’s my Thankful Thursday list for this week. I hope it inspires you to make your own, and get on that gratitude train!

Peace and love,

Bee

And the theme for this week, Home(body)!

Home

Homebody

There you have it!

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And the theme for these two weeks, Taking a Break!

First, work!

Second, running!

There you have it!

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And the theme for this week, Wrapping Up!

First, the school year.

Second, the training!

There you have it!

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Also, some not-so-little things.

There you have it!

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Here’s my Thankful Thursday for the Week of May 25-May 31, 2018!

The title of this post, Birthday Week!

There you have it!

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