Ho Hey - The Lumineers (Ukulele Cover)

Just threw this one together quickly! I hope you enjoy! Let me know in the comments if there is a song you'd like me to try! (Or on Twitter... or facebook...or Google+.... or Path....or About.me.... or....)

Special Credit to Sean, who totally set up the shot, the mic, the recording...etc. and got me through this! :)

#PositiveThurs - Week 95!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to another #PositiveThurs recap. Brought to you, by you!

This week, I'm sharing some of the #PositiveThurs tweets that made me smile. Some of them need no explanation. :) Let's get to the HAPPY!

A parent, supporting their child is the greatest gift of love! There is so much emanating from this tweet:

@nikki2987 My daughter, @sydneylynnr is going to be an amazing mommy in six months :) #PositiveThurs

— Michelle Russell (@realtormom3) March 22, 2013

Ok, this is the BEST PICTURE EVER. Just try not to smile/be jealous you're not there!

Days like yest. make me appreciate the program I'm in and the lovely girls I've met & am friends with #PositiveThurs twitter.com/monicamichelle…

— monica michelle (@monicamichellex) March 22, 2013

Ok, maybe I have a soft spot for "family" tweets... so sue me. This next one is FULL ON Daughter to Dad appreciation!

I have the most amazing Dad in the world #PositiveThurs #thatisall

— April May June (@aprildawnray) March 22, 2013

I'm including this one because I want to be sure no one misses how funny this is.Click through to the video - it is WELL worth it!

"@sciencechannel: Elephant Seal Stops Traffic in Brazil: ow.ly/jhCyV" #PositiveThurs

— Abby Pollen (@abbypollen) March 21, 2013

I always enjoy Graham's tweets. You know when you can feel how genuine someone is? Yeah - THIS GUY. This tweet is one of the BEST team building tips!

Best way to build a team - say yes when someone needs your help. #spiritual #business #positivethurs

— Graham Duncan (@GrahamDun) March 21, 2013

I bet you DO have a lovely smile!

I just had a stranger tell me I have a lovely smile. made my week. :) #PositiveThurs

— Robyn Garner (@RobynStaceyP) March 21, 2013

Now for ALL your wonderfully AWESOME tweets from yesterday!

I ran another race.

As the title clearly spells out – I ran another race. This one was the Bazan Bay 5K. I thought it might be appropriate to do a little race recap! (Even though I'm a little late in doing so.)

It’s a little weird, because lately I’ve been running longer distances. Before the race, I couldn’t remember the last time I ran “only” 5K. I had no idea what to expect of myself.
I set a goal between “There’s no way in hell” 30mins, and the “Would be cool” less than 33mins. The fastest I had ever run 5km was just under 34mins and that was with Skye pushing and (pretty much) yelling at me to go faster. This was actually my first race ‘by myself’.
I ran my warm-up with Lara and felt completely psyched out. I was feeling tired and winded… but I wasn't tracking how fast/far we were going… so who knows, maybe I was setting an unrealistic warm-up pace. I placed myself near the back of the pack at the start line. Which leads to kind of a hilarious moment when they announce “3, 2, 1 - GO!” and you end up just standing there waiting for the crowd ahead of you to get going. Then finally: Time to get moving!

I started out “easy”, because I like to gauge how much I’ve got in the tank, and then attempt to use it all by the end. At my pace, I was in this awkward group of people who were walk/running. So I played hopscotch with a handful of people. There was this one girl in particular who was easy to spot and I chose her to “keep up” with.
The course is an out and back. So less than halfway through (at my pace) you get to see the ‘Elite’ runners coming back. It is SOOO awesome to watch. The only downside is that it tricked my brain a little and made me start thinking that the “back” part of the “out + back” was happening sooner than it was.
On the way back, my legs were excited, and pushed onward. HOWEVER, it wasn’t all rainbows and lollipops. My breathing was getting really bad. I was breathing HARD and making the strangest noises. So much so, other runners were looking at me like I was crazy/going to die. I kept hearing Rayna saying "who can't run 2km?", an inside joke we love to say when things are feeling uncomfortable.

Before I knew it, I saw the finish line. I was EXCITED and pushed myself as hard as I could. I got close and I started SPRINTING, I got across the line and then I heard Skye yelling from the sidelines "You're not done!! Keep going!!" That line was just the start of the 100m sprint. *Facepalm* I had NOTHING left. That last 100m, an 80yr old man with gout could probably have gone faster than me. I had passed the girl who I was trying to keep up with, but in that last 100m she made it past me. Sweet victory was all mine though when I found out my chip time was faster than hers.

I almost forgot to tell you my chip time! 31:33, baby! What a crazy awesome achievement. I'm feeling reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaally good about that time. Cutting over 2 minutes off my previous PR.

#PositiveThurs - Week 94!

Wow!! What an awesome week!!

I'm certainly glad the weekend is finally here - Tonight I get to meet up with some awesome twitter folks and sing some karaoke! I haven't done that in forever - and I'm really looking forward to it!! (Want to come? Click Here for Details)

Every week, you post pictures that make me smile! This week was no different:

Amazing how this works even virtually. #positivethursday twitter.com/LaurelHounslow…

— Laurel Hounslow (@LaurelHounslow) March 14, 2013

So awesome!! Take what you need!

When I asked the question "What makes YOU awesome?...Let's celebrate you!" I got this response:

@nikki2987 I volunteer on the crisis lines & helped out a suicidal individual last night; sent the ambulance #rewarding #PositiveThurs

— Aimee Lynne (@EHmee84) March 14, 2013

WOW. Aimee - I REALLY want to celebrate you! Thank you for volunteering!!

I think I love the hashtag on this next tweet more than anything else:

Sometimes we need to be reminded how lucky we are - to live in such a nice place like Victoria. #yyj #smilingnomatterwhat #PositiveThurs

— VIHAC (@VIHAC) March 14, 2013

SMILING NO MATTER WHAT!!

This put a smile on my face:

Megan brought in a new Playdough kit for her son. And we quote, "Smell that? Smells like childhood!" #PositiveThurs ow.ly/i/1GKnb

— Radar Hill Tech. (@radarhill) March 14, 2013

"Smells like childhood!" :)

Well everyone, thanks again for being so very very awesome!!

Last but not least: Your amazing #PositiveThurs tweets!

#PositiveThurs - Week 93!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the #PositiveThurs recap!

MAN OH MAN! What an awesome & amazing week! I normally feature about 3-4 tweets... but I have 9 bookmarked - so let's get cracking!

Social media CAN be about getting face-to-face with people. Thanks for a wonderful #smcvictoria mixer last night! #PositiveThurs
— Janis La Couvée (@lacouvee) March 7, 2013

This tweet from Janis reminds us that meeting face-to-face and being present in that moment is just as important as being engaging online. What an awesome reminder from the #SMCVictoria mixer! :)

Ok, if this doesn't make you smile... I'm not sure what will:

I find these "Texts from Dog" ridiculously funny, & I sure needed a giggle today. #positiveThurs twitter.com/really_Mariann…
— Marianne Cygan (@really_Marianne) March 8, 2013

I love "Texts From Dog" and you most likely will too!!

Recognizing your weakness

Everyone has something that they are AWESOME at. I'd say my biggest asset are my problem solving skills. Give me a problem, YO, I'll solve it!

However, as human beings we are all flawed. No one is perfect.
Isn't it funny how common that phrase is? "No one is perfect" or "We're all human." We're always taught that it's ok to be flawed and to focus on all the things that make us AWESOME.
While that is great advice, it's also terrible advice. Please give me a minute to explain.

I feel like I'm going through a "growth spurt". I keep finding these motivational things that inspire me to grow. I am eating healthy, I am exercising, I am losing weight, I am bringing my positivity to #PositiveThurs and one other thing.

There is one other "flaw" that I have that I've not shared with you. I'm terrrrrrrrrible with budgeting. I'm a paycheck to paycheck type of girl. I'm GREAT at spending every penny and allocating every dollar. I have $50 left and payday is in 2 days? Awesome, let's go out for dinner.
It wasn't until recently (in the last year) that I realized that I have this "problem". I didn't even realize it was a problem.

So I started a debt management program with an awesome credit counselling society. They rock. Like, SERIOUSLY ROCK. They put on webinars and you have an assigned counsellor who helps you with your particular situation.
Do you have a seasonal job where you only get a steady paycheck 9 out of 12 months? They can help.
Do you want to have a stay at home parent and still make it work financially? They can help.

I attended a webinar this week and I'd like to pass on a little nugget of info I learned. This is so ridiculously obvious that I can't believe I never thought of it.
Unexpected Expenses: Like your pet getting sick, or your car breaking down or someone back home is ill and you want to go visit them. That's what credit cards are for, right? Well, that's a tricky road. We've convinced ourselves as a society that it's ok to put ourselves in debt, because those expenses were unexpected. We couldn't have known that our car was going to break down. Or could we?
We *know* unexpected expenses occur, so that's why it's important to budget those too. 
I can't believe I never thought to save for the unexpected. I've thought "Ok, I want to go to Russia, so I need to save $XXXX.XX to get there." or "I'm saving this money to buy a car." but never "I want to save so that I have the money to pay for the necessary things."

Here's the great thing about recognizing this weakness: I am stronger for it. I'm able to learn new skills and to adapt to a new way of thinking.... therefore eliminating that weakness.
So yes, celebrate the things you are AWESOME for (because I'm sure there are a lot of them.) but don't forget to recognize your weaknesses too. Because therein lies all your opportunity for growth.

#PositiveThurs - Week 92!

One thing I love about #PositiveThurs, is no two tweets are the same.
I love how USYouthBowling & Mr #BePositive get in there with awesome quotes. Tweeting out to their followers all day.
I love how Bmeckie posts pictures of Mr.Pickles.
I love when people I don't expect to post anything about #PositiveThurs, do.
I love the "Good Morning" Tweets between a bunch of you for #PositiveThurs ( SocMedGirlYYJ & BakeDanceLove - I'm looking at you)

There is so much about #PositiveThurs that I love. Here are a couple of things that jumped out for me.

Never underestimate the power of cuddles #postiveThurs
— Darcie Nolan (@Hockey_runner) March 1, 2013

I agree with Darcie WHOLE HEARTEDLY.

When someone asks you why you are so happy, you really don't need an answer. Because it's no crime to be happy for no reason. #PositiveThurs

— Nicole Richardson (@nicolekay_16) February 28, 2013

...and then you can ask them "Why AREN'T you??"

Last but not least... Paint Happy Trees...

'Sposed to post a pic that "makes me happy." So, for you, Ross the Painter on #PositiveThurs. Party on, #yyj & #yvr. twitter.com/smuttysteff/st…

— Steffani Cameron (@smuttysteff) March 1, 2013

Here are your AWESOME tweets from yesterday!