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Category Archives: Friday 5

Out of the Vault: Friday Five – January 1, 2010

Posted on Posted in 2010, Friday 5 .

I have a confession to make…

I originally started writing this blog entry on December 2, 2009. Isn’t that sad?!

My desire was to start doing some “Friday Five” updates and that clearly didn’t pan out… maybe someday I’ll get there, but for now you’ll have to take what you get from me and my quickly moving attention span. But with the recent acquiring of a Motorola Milestone and a recent move back to St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador (which results in more personal time) there’s hope I’ll be updating more. :)

So I’ll leave what was in my original post and basically put it in italics. So anything in italicswas part of the original post. Everything else is part of my new commentary on this resurrected draft.

Instead of making up some silly New Year’s resolutions, how about I do a Friday Five and touch on areas I want to work on over the coming 12 months.

  1. Run a 5k – Shoot. Haven’t actually done this yet. Actually, my regular summer running was neglected this year due to added travel, my sudden change in employment, oh yeah and moving and having multiple weddings this summer. But I recently signed up for a beginner yoga class and am taking meditation classes too… so that still counts as a more healthy lifestyle (which was the main goal of the 5k run).
  2. Knit more challenging projects – I like to think I’ve done a pretty good job with this.
    I took a class at The Knit Café to make an Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. It was lots of fun and I want to do it again. I also took a short class with Fiona Ellis on how to knit cables. Oh and we can’t forget the class I took at Creative Yarns where Mairi McKissock was teaching two stranded/Fair Isle knitting. I made a bag for myself and then one for my mom as a surprise. Now I just need to learn how to knit socks…
  3. Update blog and videos semi-regularly – um yeah… that hasn’t gone so well. Hoping to change that now.
  4. Increase personal savings – I’m actually pretty pleased with my change in spending habits. There’s always room for improvement, but I’ve made a lot of progress in rationalizing why or why not to spend money on something.
  5. Improve my French skills – again, haven’t really done much with this one either. The original intent was to use the My French Coach Nintendo DS game that Matt gave me. Time to dust off the old DS and start at it again.

So while the year is more than half over (really more than 3/4 over),  I’m doing pretty good with my Friday Five for 2010. If I manage to keep #3 on track, I’ll remind myself to post a follow entry to evaluate how this year panned out.

Friday Five Follow-up

Posted on Posted in 2009, Family, Friday 5, Friends, Xmas .

As mentioned in my previous post, as time allows, I will post an expanded version of my Friday Fives.

Here are some additional details to my December 4 Friday Five…

1. Enjoy family traditions

This is something I could talk and write about all day and night and there would never be enough time to cover everything. Christmas and the holidays have always been a big deal in my family and I’ve dug up two videos that can help visualize what it’s like for us. Every year, relatives from both my Mom’s and Dad’s families get together to celebrate this special time of year.

There are often sing-alongs, lots of food and many laughs. Click on the videos twice to see their YouTube details.

  

 

 

2. See the Christmas lights in those hidden pockets of the city

Do you have any idea how intense the Christmas decorating is in St. John’s and the surrounding communities?!

Xmas Tree

There are houses that are pretty much covered from top to bottom with lights and colours. I’ll try to get some photos and video footage this year to really show how crazy and awesome it can be.

 

 

3. Have an annual dinner with friends from high school

"The Group" 2006

It may seem odd to a lot of people, but most of my friends back in St. John’s have been my closest and dearest friends since High School (even Junior High and Elementary School for some!). Amongst a few of us is a tradition to get together on December 23rd. We normally have a potluck, but this year we’re going out for dinner. We have a blast and it’s a great tradition that will hopefully continue for many more years.

 4. Spend time with my parents and immediate family

I have a lot of family and friends in St. John’s and it isn’t always possible to see EVERYONE in 10 short days.

Parents & I

It has literally been a year and half since I last saw my brother, sister-in-law and two adorable nieces! We’re all pretty excited that we’re all home for Christmas this year and being able to spend time with them and my parents is going to be so great!

This photo was taken in St. John’s Airport back in either 2006 or 2007 just before my husband Matt and I returned to Toronto.

 

5. RELAX

Going home is always fun, but relaxing isn’t always something that happens easily. With so many friends and family to see and things to do – it can leave you exhausted and a bit dizzy by the end of it all. My poor husband is used to a much quieter Christmas and he’s a real trooper to keep up with me and the fast pace of it all.

Book

This holiday season, I hope to read more, work on some knitting and make sure I feel rested when returning to work on January 4th.

 

 

So those are my hopes for the holidays. What are your plans? Did any of the above seem familiar to you? Do you have certain traditions or “must haves” that really make this season magical for you?