Inspire Me: Celebration & Happy Hour

Some words to inspire you for the week:

Hey, It's Ok!

To be so incredible happy and excited that the New York Rangers have clinched a playoff berth!! I can breath easy and enjoy the rest of the season.

That Kentucky, my March Madness pick, is still going strong. This is not something I care about, but it's more bragging rights that the girl who knows nothing about basketball can pick a good team.

To not like the fact that Jordan on Big Brother Canada is trying too hard to be like Peter from Big Brother Canada's season 1. Something that Peter and I had an exchange on Twitter about. 

That I'm looking forward to going home for Easter and spending time with family. 

 

To be disappointed that I will miss out on the Lilly Pulitzer for Target Collection, since Target in Canada is in the process of closing- a lot of stores have already closed and the rest are in the process of closing. I was so excited when this collection was announced too 

That I am finally happy again. See yesterday's post for context. 

 

 

 

Speaking of yesterday's post... I announced yesterday that my weekly quote will be shared on Tuesdays, instead of Mondays. This weeks quote:

Inspire Me- Never Out Of Style

This is the Monday I have been counting down too. I had a HUGE fundraiser for work yesterday and ended up working over 15 hours yesterday. In fact all last week, in preparation for the fundraiser, I was working 9-12 hour days (instead of my usual 7 hours).  So today, I am rewarded with a day off. I have an appointment at noon and plan on doing only things that make me happy today; reading, writing, maybe some Netflix, spending the day in pj's, enjoy cups upon cups of tea. I earned this day off, and trust me...I EARNED the day off. 

 

I've mentioned several times, that my word for 2015 is happy. I am really focused on this word and am really making an effort to be happy. The above quote is from Lilly Pulitzer. Happy is never outdated, or overrated for that matter. 

Inspire Me-Celebration & Happy Hour

As usual, I've been dreading Monday, today more than most Mondays...it's my first day back to work after a week in Cuba!!! I had a really great time and will be sharing parts of my trip over the next two weeks. I'm excited to share my trip and relive some of those Cuban memories. But I am not looking forward to work today...on top of being out of the office for a week, I have a conference in Toronto tomorrow and an event on Friday...it's going to be hectic. Can I please go back to Cuba??? 

Nowhere near as great as a Cuban vacation, but some inspiration for the week:

This is one of my favourite quotes (Lilly Pulitzer or otherwise). With the week (and month) I have ahead of me, it's so important to remember to live life, to have fun, to enjoy. There is always time for happy hour...there is always time to go out with friends and relax a bit, to take a timeout and have a bit of fun. Life is about joy, happiness and making the most of it. The mundane daily tasks or the hectic stressful situations sometimes prevent us from remembering that. 

So, this week when I am replying to hundreds of emails, returning dozens of phone calls, either training or finding a summer student, preparing for and actively participating in a conference, finalizing event details and running said event, managing and motivating a group of volunteers and dealing with who knows what else this week will throw my way...I'll remember this quote and attempt to inject some fun, joy and moments of pure bliss into my day. 

Inspire Me- Celebration

Here we are at another Monday...but not just any Monday, the first Monday of February! Today kicks off a month long birthday celebration. It's also Justine's birthday week!

I was hoping to start the official birthday celebrations this weekend, Brock basketball game with friends and girls night, but the weather prevented that from happening. Little disappointed, but it happens and it's really ok. 

 

Later this week, I will be heading to Toronto for some birthday fun with my parents and brother. Unfortunately, my sister isn't able to come...which is disappointed, but it also means that I can go to a 19+ event now. 

 

Here is this weeks inspiration:

 

 

This is one of my favourite quotes. I think it's so important to have fun every day, even if it's just a couple of minutes. Every year, February is a struggle for me but this year, I'm going to keep this quote in mind. I'm going to live this month as a celebration and just have fun.

Favourite Thing- Lilly Pulitzer Planner

Many years ago (5+ years), I became "high tech" and put all of my appointments, important dates, deadlines, etc in my cell phone. It was great- I got a daily reminder of everything I had to do that day when my alarm went off in the morning. 

One day, the screen of my phone decided to die. My phone still worked, but I couldn't see anything. I may or may not have had a minor (or major) panic attack. Luckily, my friend Lauren had an extra day planner that her dad gave to her, which she gave to me. And thus I went back to my pre high tech days and wrote everything down. 

A month or so ago, when other bloggers started blogging about their 2012-13 planner choices, I thought it was something I should think about too (my previous work would purchase planner for us, but when my contract ended in May, I left my there...it wasn't mine to take...and have been planner less since).

Usually, I would just head over to Chapters and pick up a Peter Pauper Press planner. I decided to shake things up a bit...I had started blogging (albeit, months before), I was starting a new job, moving to a new city, and would have a new living situation so I decided to go with a new planner. I picked:

Lilly Pulitzer- UGotta Regatta (large agenda)

I had never purchased a Lilly agenda before...so this was a new experience for me. While I had read about the product on the website I purchased it from and read about it in many blogs, I still wasn't sure if this was the best agenda for me. 

I love how colourful it is, I love the print, I love the size, I love the layout. I love that it's a 17 months planner. I didn't love, that because it was shipping from the US and Canada that the shipping was more than the actual planner. 

Stickers that came with the planner...not sure if I'll use them in my planner, but I am known for giving out stickers to co-workers.

Individual days

Month at a glance

Cover pages for the month...love how each month has it's own quote and specifically designed print.

Dates to celebrate...great to have birthdays/anniversaries, etc all in one place and at a galnce!

I can't wait to start using my Lilly planner in August- which is, thankfully, only days away!