Today I turn 39. Wow 😳! That sounds so old. It also sounds so freaking young. This is me at 39… no filter needed 😂.
Birthdays are always a time to reflect, have I done everything I wanted to do by this age? Well, that can start a spiral of depression
😂 I mean, are you ever really where you want to be?So, here’s the thing, am I exactly where I thought I would be with 365 days till my 40th birthday? No. Am I in a far better off place then I could have been? Absolutely! Winning
😜!This year for my birthday I made a list of 39 of the most positive things I have in my life! This is my birthday gift to myself! I refuse to look at the things I don’t have and will continue to be grateful and thankful for all the things I do have 💛.
1. A committed marriage to a beautiful man that treats me with respect and always makes me laugh. I am so lucky to have married an incredible man like Ninja. He is a hard worker, a fabulous Daddy, incredibly thoughtful and he knows me. Really knows me and loves me still. He is a partner in every sense of the word and I could not be happier that we fought for each other and continue to do so, every day.
2. A ridiculously intelligent 9-year-old daughter that amazes me every day. A young lady I not only love but truly like. She sees things so differently than I do and her sense of humour is so refreshing. She is compassionate, brave and kind. I am so excited to see what her future will bring!
3. A 5 year-old daughter with a fantastic sense of humour that challenges me every day. A little girl that makes me smile even at her worst. She is defiant and infuriating and charming and smart and devilish and cute and coy and girly and fashionable and a little tornado of emotion. I’m a little scared of the teenage years but I am super stoked to see the kick ass woman she is sure to become!
4. I have been fortunate enough to live with my Dad while raising my own children. Not only did I get to see him be a wonderful father to me but now I get to see him be a Papa to my children. I am lucky enough to see him every single day. I am fortunate enough to have gotten to know him as an adult and on a completely different level than most people get to know their Dad. I can’t wait to watch/help him in the world of dating!
5. A little Sister that has grown up into a beautiful, intelligent, loyal woman. She works full time helping people reach their goals, she is a awesome Mom and she does crafts! She can do it ALL! She is my best friend and has given me a brother-in-law I adore and 2 gorgeous Nieces that blow my mind! Their personalties are BIG and they make me incredibly happy
💕.6. An incredibly talented big Brother that has chosen a partner that I would have chosen as a friend in any situation that life handed me. They have given me another gorgeous Niece! One that is so young we have no idea what she will sound like or what her personality will be but I am looking forward to knowing her and all of her little quirks.
7. A Mom that is no longer here but raised me to be a strong woman that fiercely protects her family. The lessons that she taught me have shaped me into the woman that I have become and I am forever grateful that fate gave me to her. I always feel sad on my birthday without her. She gave me life and is no longer here to share my life with me. I am very grateful for the time we had and for the values she instilled in me. I am proud to be like her
💛.8. A Mother and Father-in-law that treat me as their own. Who give love freely and demonstrate every day what it takes to be successful in life. They have always welcomed me into their home with open arms and I am so fortunate that my kids get to spend so much quality time with these 2 people whom I respect so much. We are very lucky.
9. A Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law that have been through hell and back and have shown be what it is like to get knocked down and get back up again. Through them I have another talented Niece and a handsome little Nephew. I am so happy to have them in my family and so lucky that my daughters have so many wonderful cousins. Cousins are your first best friends
💛.10. Speaking of best friends, I have had my best friend of 34 years! She has been my rock, my soulmate, my inspiration, and the person I strive to be like. Even though we live 3 provinces away she is still and always will be one of my life lines, my ultimate phone a friend. She was my ride or die before that expression was even used. She is 1 tough cookie and she is the funniest, kindest, most steady person I have ever met and I am a better person for having her in my life.
11. I am also fortunate to have made a great group of friends in my new home. I have a group of people that have become my village. I know I can count on them and they know they can count on me. They are ladies from all different walks of life and they individually bring something into my life that I never knew I always needed. Making friends later in life is hard and I hit the jackpot. These women are smart, funny, loyal and they are all raising beautiful children that I am proud my daughters have chosen to be in their lives too.
13. I live in paradise. Growing up I always dreamed about living in Penticton and now I do! I love the lifestyle, the blue skies, the decadent wine, the farmers market, the people we have met, and the happiness and peace living here brings me. How many people get to live in a place that most people only get to visit? I actually ask myself that every day! Moving here was scary but it was a fabulous decision and I am so happy we closed our eyes and took the plunge!
14. A fabulous real estate agent
😂. She has been searching for the perfect home for my family and I for a long time. She also happens to be 1 of my best friends and I know she is going to find us the perfect home for my whole family. I know our next big adventure is on the horizon!15. A reliable vehicle. I know this sounds stupid 😂 but as someone that grew up buying used cars, having a reliable vehicle is something I do not take for granted.
16.
TV. I know that sounds trite but after a long day I love to immerse myself in manufactured storylines. The staff of Grey Sloan Memorial have become my friends over the years. I invite them into my home and they never ask anything of me. Actually, it is the BEST type of friendship 😂.17. In the past 2 years I have made health and wellness a priority in my life. I am probably more active than I have ever been and I feel great! Thanks to a group of people who test me in Fitbit challenges and monthly fitness challenges, I certainly don’t feel 39!!!
18. I have found the perfect hobby that allows me to challenge myself every day. Blogging. I have met so many wonderful people through HoneyBears and SydneyBeans! It has also given me the opportunity to fall in love with food, healthy eating, and cooking! It is also a wonderful tool for getting out my emotions. Over the past few years my subscribers and readers have increased and it humbles me to see how many people read and relate to my experiences. Thank you!
19. I have found a new hobby that I love! Podcasting! I love it for so many reasons, the friends I have made in the podcasting world are truly amazing! They are so supportive, funny, and they have become some of the 1st people that I go to when I am in need of advice. Podcasting also allows me to have an uninterrupted date night with Ninja once a week! We are at that time of our lives where we give most of our time to our children. It is wonderful to have one night a week where we can laugh, chat about our week, bounce ideas off of each other, and did I mention laugh?
😂20. Involvement in my community. As I have already said I love where I live! I have really enjoyed becoming an active member in my community and using my voice to shape the city I live in. Whether it is for the Children’s Festival, the BC Winter games, women in business, PAC, DPAC, fundraisers, Preschool boards, or attending community events, I truly feel like I belong.
21. My education. I will never say that I don’t use my university degree. I use it every day! A higher education has allowed me to become a critical thinker. Education has opened up so many doors for me and has allowed my mind to look at things through all different lenses. Knowledge is power and I love learning.
22.
Music! This may sound stupid but music has been a constant throughout my life. Is gotten through some dark times and is the soundtrack to my happiest times. Some people can relate memories to smells, I can relate it to what song was playing in the background.23. Clean sheets. I love clean sheets. That is all.
25. Technology! I know I’m old
😂 I should think like all of the rest of my generation, “kids should be outside playing! I remember when I was a kid we would come home when the streetlights turned on!” 😳 Yeah, I’m OK with change. I love having information at my fingertips… Literally! I love finding new music! I love having news from all over the world! I love that when my children ask me questions that I don’t just put them off because I can’t find the answer. I can! Everyone can! With great power comes great responsibility and in this age of the world wide web I foresee many privacy, fake news, and information crisis but I believe we are headed in a direction and will never go backwards, so I am on board!26. My Grandfather. I don’t get to see him often but I have the ability to call him whenever I want. Not many 39-year-olds have that ability. My Grandpa has met all of his great grandkids! Although I have lost my Granny, my Poppy, and my Nana, I still have him. I am very lucky 💛.
27. Choice and change. I am so grateful in the past few years that there has been a call to action! Whether it be #MeToo, Pay Equality, Women’s Right To Choose, Breaking The Glass Ceiling, Gender Neutrality, Environmental Crusaders, or Gun Control legislation, people are out there fighting for change! The fact that we have the freedom to fight for and initiate these changes indeed makes me very grateful.
28. I am grateful for the career paths my husband and I chose. Our idea of success is having enough to provide our family with the necessities but not so much that work comes before family time. When Ninja was in air traffic control we realized that we would never be happy making our careers the focal point of our lives. As soon as we found out we were pregnant we knew our time together was more valuable to us. With this realization came clarity. We would never have the big house. Disneyland would be a trip we would save up for over a long period of time. I wouldn’t be buying high end clothes and make up. That Audi TT that I loved so much, I would probably never drive one. With all of these facts staring us in the face, we realized… It was OK. At the end of our lives we will not regret working less and playing more
💛.29. Looking in the mirror. There have been times in my life that I could not look myself in the mirror. Perhaps I had debt or had put my foot my mouth… Again. Perhaps I had eaten that entire bag of chips that added to a 20 pound weight gain over time. Maybe it was because I developed rosacea and acne at a later age and was disgusted but what by what I saw in the mirror. Whatever the reasons, I’m over it. For the most part I like who I see reflected in the mirror. I am very critical of myself and definitely know my weaknesses. Instead of being disgusted by them and hiding I have decided to come at them head on. I have become more patient and tolerant. I have taken control of my physical appearance. But mostly I have stopped allowing people‘s judgements to influence my own judgment. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea LOL and you know what? I’m OK with that. I have recognized my faults and strive to work on them. Every time I look in the mirror I see, me. A woman who loves herself and works hard every day to overcome the things I wish I was better at.
30. Geocaching. Another hobby that I have picked up over the years. I have always had a love of travel and now I get to explore new places in my own backyard! As a child I used to treasure hunt. It’s one of the reasons I got into history! Now through the Geocaching world we get to explore and treasure hunt! It is one of my most favourite family pastimes.
31. Yoga. When I stretch I feel great! Yoga has given me focus, balance and a lean body. My mind feels better, I feel sexier and my body feels stronger. Yoga is a tool I use for clarity and I am so grateful that I can do something every day, in my own space that helps me feel so alive.
32. Over the years I have made some enemies. OK, maybe not enemies but there are people that certainly do not like me and I certainly do not like them. I am grateful for them though. They have taught me to be more tolerant. They have taught me when enough is enough. They have taught me to treat myself better and that I don’t have to be treated badly by anyone. To all the haters… thank you!
33. Books. As a young girl, books transported me to far off places I had never been to before. Books can be self-help or whimsical to release me from the daily grind. It doesn’t matter if I was a poor student because I could always take out a book from the library and go on a journey to different lands. Books set me free.
34. Team sports. You know that poem, Everything I Learned I Learned in Kindergarten? For me everything I learned came from a team sport. How to be loyal. How to be dedicated. How to count on others. How to be counted upon. How to get along with others. How to shine. How to hang back and help someone else shine. How to practice. How to get cut from a roster and work double hard to make it next time. It taught me endurance and helped prepare me for life as a Mom.
35. Fresh food. This seems like a given but it’s not. How lucky am I to live in a place where I can go buy organic vegetables grown by neighbourhood farmers? How lucky am I to buy my beef from a local farmer where my cow doesn’t get any yucky shots? How lucky am I, that I get to buy my pork from the pig that was fed with my cow’s milk? I know what I’m putting in my body and what is going into my family’s mouth’s. PLUS, I have never felt real hunger. I have been so fortunate in my lifetime to always have food in the fridge. This is truly something I am grateful for.
36.
I have already told you how much I love living in Penticton but I am also extremely lucky to live in my native country, Canada. The beauty of each province amazes me! After the Humboldt Broncos tragedy a couple weeks ago I realized once again how lucky I am to live in Canada. All the natural beauty, all of the sincerely kind people, it is a huge country that is held together by loyalty, respect, kindness, and openness. I am so proud to call myself Canadian.37. Google Home. My new Besty lol. I love telling her to do something without any back talk 😜.
38. After 9 years of being a full-time stay-at-home Mom, I was bold and started a new branch of the Sparkles business! I have picked up some wonderful clients and by making my own hours I can still be a Homemaker, Chauffeur, Mom, Wife, Volunteer, Daughter, and bring home the bacon!
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
20 chicken fingers
In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine honey, water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
Move cooked and crispy chicken to a mixing bowl and immediately pour the hot Asian honey sauce over the chicken. Gently stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
They have lowered the lake a ton recently! They are expecting more flooding this year. We have already had a few fires and we are surrounded by mudslides and massive rockslide. It is actually quite scary as I fear this is the new norm.
On Thursday we wore jerseys for Humboldt. Our country is still dealing with the tragedy that occurred last week. People from all across Canada showed their support by wearing team jerseys to work and school. It was beautiful to see people young and old wearing jerseys all across town 💛.
Thursday and Friday were dress rehearsals. It was super cool to see all their hard work up on the big stage!
On Sunday Ninja let me have a day to myself! At first I was freaked because I didn’t have any plans 😂 but I just laid in bed and watched hockey and read 💛. At 3:30 Dad took me to my in-laws for dinner. The Girls decorated the dining room with birthday decorations, Ninja made Beef Wellington 😳 from scratch, Dad bought 1 of my favourite bottles of wine (Blind Trust from Laughingstock) and my MIL made me my favourite poppy seed cake!
To top it off I got some super cool gifts! Ninja bought me 2 things I would NOT have thought of! Impressive! An Ancestry DNA kit and a photo box to take better blog pictures!
