Birthday Goals

Yesterday was the 22nd, three months away from my 27th birthday. Almost two years ago I wrote a post on my 25th birthday marking my quarter century. I wrote a list of the things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 26. How did I do? Lets take a look!

I think I did pretty well.

Financial Goals:

1. I want to pay off my OSAP completely.

 I want to save another $10,000.

3. I want to be able to pay for my PGDE at Strathclyde Uni full out.

Personal Goals:

1. Reach my goal weight by December 2011. I am only 12 lbs away!

2. Maintain my goal weight.

3. Attend the University of Strathclyde for my PGDE Primary in August 2012.

4. Plan a trip around America and Canada before going to school in August 2012.

5. Try to maintain my clean eating (lets just forget today happened... ;) ).

Fitness Goals:

1. Maintain a good level of fitness and tone up my body.

2. Do a chin-up.

3. Run 5km in 35 minutes by December 2012

Financial:

I paid off all of my student loans by the time I was 25 and a half, saved another $10,000 and paid for my entire year at university to do my Professional Graduate Diploma in Education.

Personal:

I completed about half of what I wanted. I completed my PGDE in Primary Education, and travelled around Scotland for the second time. I managed to lose those 12 lbs, reach my goal weight, and then gain them all back. I am still really good at eating well, but when I eat badly I do it with a thrashing! Binge eating to the max. Iz eatz all the foodz.

Fitness:

I am pretty happy with my level of fitness currently. I am in a pretty decent state of "fat fit" right now.  If I could control my eating, I would be exactly where I want to be. My problem is I don't do anything part way. With alcohol, I over do it. With food, I over do it. With trusting people, I over do it. I'm a go big or go home kinda girl and I need to put that towards my fitness. Since I have pretty much cut out all alcohol, I can no longer use being hungover as hell as an excuse.

I am signing up for the Tough Mudder on September 28th or 29th outside of Toronto, and so I have an excellent goal. Since the beginning of this year I have attended a Military Style Bootcamp, Spinning, Boxercise and Circuits. I have also realized that I really push myself in classes much more than I do on my own at the gym.

Goals for the fall of my 27th Birthday (by December 2013). I only have 4.
- Find a job teaching in Ontario. (Those teachers in Ontario know how hard this is)
- Complete the Tough Mudder.
- Buy my own car/Get my drivers license. (These two go hand in hand)
- Find a church I connect with and join their choir.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy?....I wish!

Packing Up and Shipping Out

I have moved so many times that I am a professional. 

I have become so good at compartmentalizing things and saying goodbye. I am for the last time shipping my life's belongings internationally, instead of away this time, I am moving home.

Half of the lot to be sent.

A few boxes I sent to Scotland from Korea. They only took 3 months and cost approximately $35 CDN each. This time, it will cost about 265 quid to send 100 kgs (in 3 months)... not too shabby!

I sent over 4 x 20 kg boxes from Korea and am sending 4 x 25 kg boxes back to Canada. I think I did a pretty good job considering this time I have mounds of paperwork, portfolios and teaching textbooks that I cannot bear to part with.

On my way over to Scotland, my boyfriend at the time and I spent half an hour going through my luggage in the airport after finding out it was 18 kgs over the limit....and $70 each KILO!!!

Is it sad that I was the most depressed about parting with my stationary and class set of scissors? (Except for the saying goodbye to him part HAHA)

The answer is yes, but I don't care.

This year has been one of the most challenging yet, but through all the heartbreaks, I came and got what I wanted. And now I can go home and get what I want too. I am proud of myself for sticking it out and achieving my dream!

As of tomorrow at 3 pm, I am a teacher. 

Top Ten Reasons I Decided to Become a Teacher

I am in my very last placement at school for my primary teaching credentials, and am with a Primary 1/2 composite class. As part of our Katie Morag topic, we have created a Post Office within our classroom as a free-play area for the children to role-play in.

I asked my Mom and Dad if they could send a few postcards to the school for the kids to receive as it would be a pretty big thrill for them.

They certainly outdid themselves. We received this big manila envelope on Friday before lunch and the children flipped! They were SO excited! 

Inside the envelope were a few things for me, including a newspaper clipping of David Letterman's Top 10 list for Teachers. 

Thanks for the laugh Dad! 

I am computer illiterate and can't figure out how to just add the video to the post...

Visitors Galore

Travelling around the world is lovely and I am blessed to have been given the opportunities that I have had. 

However, if you don't have someone to share it with, it can be a little empty. 

I know. Wine whine goes the priviledged girl! 

I have had a lot of people say they were going to come visit me and then the plans just seem to 

Here are some of our best moments.

evaporate into thin air. One person who PROMISED me she'd come visit is my bestie, Aly! 

This was an "enchanted forest" on the west of Scotland. It was absolutely breathtaking. there was so much moss and green almost to the clouds. 

One of the reasons Aly got to visit was a compromise with her husband, Dan (a Golf Pro) that he could play at St.Andrews. The birthplace of golf.

The town itself was beautiful and I could see myself living in a place similar to it. However, I did not care one bit about golf...so we went shopping while he played! Pretty sensible to me!

I obviously also took her out for a night on the town in my town

....the rest of those pictures shall remain in the same vault as those with her Bachelorette Party and our childhood music videos by her pool.

We were studs on that damn camcorder. 

Dan and Aly also tried BuckFast, which is caffienated wine made by monks. Definitely not as good as it sounds. That was the first, last and only I will ever be purchasing. I want my 8 quid back! 

This place is called "Rest and Be Thankful". Its places like this that make me realize all over again why I fell in love with Scotland.

4000 Word Paper and Edinburgh

I have a paper due on Monday. I have 11 sources of quotes and relevant text to my topic. I have written out my reference list, and completed the title page.

I have however, not written a single word of my ACTUAL paper yet. 

And I don't waaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Instead of working on my paper, yesterday Caitlin and I went to Edinburgh, for some culture. Also known as pub-crawling. We were actually pretty tame because apparently "Wednesday Day Drinking" isn't sought after by many others. 

Edinburgh Castle

Pints at "The Standing Order"

Nothing like cupcakes on a park bench. There was so much icing. Frankly, cake is just there to house the ever important icing.

Caitlin showed me where JK Rowling got some inspiration for names in the Harry Potter Series.. the cemetery. Here lies William McGonagall.

This was quite possibly the worst food ever, but the atmosphere was kickin'! "Jekyll and Hydes" 

Hurray for daydrinking! 

Adventures on Abbott

I have been inspired. By www.happyorhungry.com. Go check out Lindsey, she is hilarious! My paints will never be as good as hers but for a first time, I think it is commendable!

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Adventures on Abbott (Episode #1)

(No names to protect anyone from being embarrassed for being affiliated with me.)
This is me at 12.

  I was such an incredibly awkward child.

 I was so awkward and fat and liked crafts and  the indoors. But I liked boys. A lot. 

I also would have liked to not be fat and awkward and I didn't like being told I couldn't do something.

One day my sister, two of the girls who lived next door, and myself were outside watching their brother play on his skateboard. We were outside spying as we normally did, perhaps we were drinking "Freshie", I cannot confirm this.

 I had such a crush on him, but also was really pissed when we were told we couldn't have a try. I was going to show him my awesome skills.




See such an Abbott Road dreamboat. He even lit candles so he could wax the curb.

He was with some friends and I was just so mad that I didn't have a skateboard so I couldn't show him my sweet moves. I begged him to let me try. I decided that obviously I didn't look the part so that is probably why he doubted my abilities.




I went inside and found the most "hard" outfit I could find, happy face earrings and black overalls. I was feeling quite svelte that day and I thought I pulled it off.



I came outside and he let me have a shot. See, if only I had worn that outfit earlier. Mental note: Wear this more often! If this worked clearly he would see what an excellent sidekick I would be. At least I could keep his candles in my purse.




I hopped on that damn skateboard. (Note: I had never, ever been on a skateboard in my life up until that point. It looked pretty friggin' easy.) I didn't break it, so I put one foot down and pushed myself. It started wobbling.

I pushed again getting ready to get some height for an olly. I pushed again, stumbled backwards and fell off the skateboard. On. My. Ass.

Gutted.

Now were were never going to have Abbott Road babies and I wasn't going to be a professional skateboarder. 

I did the best I knew how, I went home. I took out my crafts, and I never came out to play until I was 13.

But that is another story for another time.

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Thoughts? Did you like it? Want another one? I've got an entire backlog. 

Let me know!

Hail xx

I run because...

Truth.

2.24 miles done outside before 9 am, and then another 2 miles in the gym after that.

BEAST.