The Journey of a Friendly Giant

This woman is 8 Months pregnant and lifting some pretty hefty weights above her head. Be honest, how do these images make you feel? The aforementioned woman’s name is   Leann Ellis , Fit Mom veteran, and she is pregnant with her third child in the photos. I have to admit that the first time I saw the photos a few years ago I was shocked, a tad disgusted, and kind of confused about her intentions. I instantly thought to myself what many of her criticizers are saying to her in the article “But what about the baby? How selfish can she be?” When I was 7, I remember meeting a 30 year old and thinking “Wow they are ANCIENT”. Now that I’m there, I realize I was wrong, and a bit silly to assume such things. Today, now that I’m well on my way to my 6 th month of pregnancy, I’m realizing that everything I thought I knew about pregnancy was inaccurate. I hate to point fingers, but it’s not only my fault. Twenty years ago, science had conducted very little research on the eff...

Throwback Thursday anyone? 2009 post I’m proud to say that I’m one of the happy ones. Maybe not all of the time nor at every moment of life; but in general, my mood is a light and pleasant one filled with absolute marvel for the world and the people that I’m blessed to be surrounded with. I admire a lot of people, and appreciate the small things in life; like long conversations that effortlessly ripple through a plethora of topics about absolutely everything and nothing. I appreciate the strangers that say hello with smiles on their faces when they walk down the street. I appreciate the way the sky looks most of the time, it’s breathtaking to me, and instead of looking down at my smartphone all of the time, when I'm outdoors, my head is usually looking up directly at the sky awaiting the next masterpiece. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, and a lot of people think I’m faking the joy that I seem to exude, but I feel sorry for those people because they’re dead wrong. Alas...

In today’s world, it’s easy to be sad; especially if you’re an empathetic person that reads the paper, listens to the news, and sees the world as harshly and as vulgarly as the media portrays it daily. In today’s world it’s easy to lack confidence in yourself; especially if you’re online and connected to several social media outlets; constantly comparing your everyday life, to the exciting highlights of your seemingly effortlessly attractive, adventurous and worry-free friends. Nonetheless, despite the constant negative influences that are force-fed to us on a regular basis, there are strange people among us, people like mysel f, who manage to find happiness despite the lack of absolute perfection in their lives. I happen to be in a field of work that encourages me to motivate other people. This position has taught me a lot about myself, and about the commonality between absolute strangers. (Ironically distracting side note about  Social Media) : It's a powerful tool that ...

Inspirational people are among us, as you read these words I’m sure you can think of an individual in your life that has inspired you, or continues to do so on a regular basis. Whether it’s their strength and optimistic view in life, or their relentless determination despite the adversities they may encounter along the way. They inspire you because there’s a small part of you that hopes to become like them one day, to adopt their philosophy of life, and to strive towards your own goals with as much passion and resolve as they have. I recently attended a national Education, Counselling and Employment conference called  CANNEXUS , for the third year in a row. This conference, in a nutshell, is an opportunity to learn by engaging in a plethora of topics. Inspirational trailblazers teach us about current issues; bright minds show us new ways to look at things; Knowledgeable scholars give us tools to deal with challenges and dilemmas;  leaders in our field collaborate to enhance...

If you have a Facebook or an Instagram Acccount, I’m sure you’ve seen the following image: However, despite the cynicism around New Years resolution, I’m still a fan and here’s why.       1.    I love a challenge       2.    And I'm one of those annoying people that always stick to my resolutions. Last year, my goal for the year was to read more books and spend as much time outdoors as possible. At the time I let my life get so busy that I didn’t make time for things I truly enjoyed. Both of my resolutions were revolved around improving my overall happiness. How did I accomplish this goal? Firstly, when my husband and I moved to our new home, we chose not to get Internet or Cable. (My brother still things I’m crazy for living this way.)  Now, after dinner, instead of zoning out in front of a glowing screen, we go for walks together. Instead of lazily scrolling through Facebook for hours on end, we both read. ...

There’s something strange that happens when you get out of your comfort zone and explore a different country and culture. Travelling is a fantastic way to blow your own mind enough to change your perspective about many things in life.  As you may know, this blog originated as a travel blog. Though my life has changed tremendously since my time in South America, I still enjoy travelling quite a bit. " Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime ."  Mark Twain is a wise man! And that is one of my favorite quotes of all time because I couldn't agree more. If you’ve never felt like an absolute alien in a new environment where people ask you on a regular basis why you choose to do what you do, wear what you wear, and say what you say; then I high...

Journal blog post: Word for word. 10/12/2014 The world makes it easy for everyone to be fake. In fact, there are countless examples, where falsehood is celebrated, admired and envied. Take Kim Kardashian for example; she faked her way through an awful sex-tape, and several failed relationships with several famous men to get her name, her face and the other body parts that she flaunts, on the map. Then she “breaks the internet” by exposing her cosmetically enhanced, and generously photoshopped naked body for the world to see. People are still talking about those photos, which makes me wonder how many children have seen it as well… probably too many by now... Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against Mrs. Kanye West; she’s just doing what she needs to do to get the attention she craves… However, she is the prime example of a superficial society being influenced by the physically beautiful people of the world. Even if her beauty has been cosmetically enhanced, it ...