Tag: blogging for fun

Finally, a Blog Post About The Simpsons (Seasons 1-8: Part 2)

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Welcome back! Without too much delay, I wanted to continue the discussion around my top 10 favourite episodes from Seasons 1-8 of The Simpsons. So grab your favourite flavor of Krusty’s partially gelatinated non-dairy gum-based beverage, and enjoy these next 5 episodes!

Radioactive Man (Season 7, Episode 2)

Truly a classic of The Simpsons, Radioactive Man is a recurring comic book character beloved by Bart, and many townsfolk alike, particularly the kids of Springfield. Downright hilarious and with a high quotability score, even if you’re not an hardcore Simpsons fan, I’m confident you would have seen this episode at least once in you life.

Synopsis:
It is declared that the newest Radioactive Man movie is going to be filmed in Springfield; tryouts for Radioactive Man’s sidekick, Fallout Boy are set to take place at Springfield Elementary. Bart is eccastic and cannot wait to audition for the role of his dreams. Unfortunately, Bart is deemed perfect for the role with the exception of being an inch too short and the role is cast to Milhouse; whom didn’t even want the part but was forced by his parents to audition. Of course, Bart is disappointed but tries to live vicariously through Milhouse; what Bart sees as exciting and cool, Milhouse finds his new gig tiresome and miserable. Meanwhile, the town of Springfield is taking advantage of Hollywood being in town, creating new taxes, jacking up prices and so on. While filming the most expensive scene for the movie in the powerplant using “real acid?” Milhouse runs away and disappears to Bart’s treehouse as he feels too overwhelmed by the pressure. The film is ultimately cancelled and the producers who are broke, go back to Hollywood.

Why I Love It:
Now more than ever, with so many comic books being transformed into movies, I can only begin to imagine the excitement and hysteria that would ensue if a movie based off of a comic book was going to be filmed in my hometown. Apart from a fun concept, this episode also brings about hilarious tidbits and moments; Springfield placing an ad to film the movie and not even spelling the ad correctly (FLIM Springfield), to the iconic Rainier Wolfcastle cast as Radioactive Man to bring to life the character we’ve only read about through Bart and others, and the little ridiculous ways that Springfield ultimately destroys the film’s productions. After all these years, I still laugh out loud at almost every scene in this episode, and honestly, my heart goes out to Bart (as a short person I feel his pain) for being fingertips away from achieving his boyhood dream.

Memorable Quotes:
“Up and Atom!”
“Up and At them!”
“Up and ATOM!”
“Up and AT them!”
“UP AND ATOM”
“UP AND AT THEM”
“Better…”

“But we already did it. It took us seven hours, but we did it. It’s done.”

“My eyes! The goggles do nothing!!”

“Well, when they find him they’ll… hmm.. (mumbles)”
“Uh, excuse me. You didn’t answer me. You just trailed off…”
“Yeah… yeah. I did kind of trail off, there, didn’t I?”

Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie (Season 4, Episode 6)
How do you feel when your favourite childhood cartoon is turned into a full-length film?

Synopsis:
Homer and Marge learn in parent teacher interviews at Springfield Elementary just how bad Bart’s behaviour truly is; Marge is very concerned that Bart does not receive enough punishment when he acts out and encourages Homer to discipline Bart seriously. Upon returning home from the interviews, Bart has smashed Grandpa’s teeth and while he is sent to bed without supper, Homer sneaks him up a few slices once the family has gone to bed. The next day, the Simpson kids learn that there is going to be an Itchy and Scratchy movie, and immediately they buy some tickets. Bart continues to get into mischief and trouble, with the last major incident being when he fails to watch Maggie. Homer is quite enraged and ends up ripping Bart’s movie tickets to bits and forbidding him to watch the movie, ever. As all his peers and schoolmates have seen the film, Bart is depressed, angry, and jealous. Both Marge and Lisa plea with Homer to reverse the punishment, but Homer refuses, even after months. After eight long months, the movie finally leaves theatres, and Bart admits defeat to Homer. The episode ends with a flashforward forty years where Bart can finally watch the movie with Homer.

Why I Love It:
Another example of Homer trying to be a “good” parent, I really like the dynamic here of Marge and Homer trying to be better parents to ensure that Bart doesn’t grow up and continue his patterns of misbehaviour. I think this episode is also very relatable as a kid, because I am sure there was always a time when we felt a punishment we received was disproportionate to what “bad” act we may have committed. This of course comes from someone who seldom got in trouble, and when I did it was never to the degree of Bart Simpson’s behaviour, but I sympathize all the same: not seeing the movie for opening weekend? Fair. For a month? Also fair. But not being able to see it EVER? In a time where Netflix didn’t exist and you had to wait MONTHS for it to be released on VHS, and even then if you could never see the film would your parent even LET you rent it? As time goes on, I love this episode even more because now that The Simpsons Movie exists, I lived through the joyous experience that is your favourite childhood cartoon show being adapted into a full-length film! Like all the episodes thus far, this one has many quotable moments too. Kudos to Homer for sticking with his punishment for so long: 40 years!

Memorable Quotes:
“You’re welcome to watch anything you want on TV.”
“TV SUCKS.”
“I know you’re upset right now, so I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Boy, time really flies when you’re reading… THE BIBLE? Ew…”

“Be good for Grandpa. We’ll bring back dinner.”
“What are we gonna have?”
“Well that depends on what your teachers’ say. If you’ve been good, pizza. If you’ve been bad, ummm, let’s see… poison!
“What if one of us is good and one of us is bad?”
“Poison Pizza.”
“Oh NO. I’m not making two stops.”

Bart Gets an F (Season 2: Episode 1)
The one when you’re really rooting for Bart to do some good, and also thinking about how much fun snow days were when you were a kid.

Synopsis:
After failing to read Treasure Island for a book report, Bart is confronted by his teacher, Mrs. Krabappel about his slipping grades. The following test, Bart fails to study, faking an illness and being sent home before writing. Lisa warns her brother that he cannot hide from the test forever, and he must put in the work if he doesn’t want to fail. Bart calls Milhouse for the answers to the test, but learns after taking the test the next day at school that all the answers were wrong. Mrs. Krabappel holds a meeting with Marge and Homer and the school psychiatrist, who recommends that Bart repeat the 4th grade. While Homer and Marge think that holding Bart back a grade may help, Bart is determined to work hard and pull up his grades, enlisting the help of Martin Prince for tutoring and study tips in exchange for teaching Martin how to be cool. Initially the plan works, but Martin quickly learns Bart’s bad traits and bails on helping him study for the next test. With a prayer to God for one more day to study, Springfield is hit with a massive blizzard. In the morning, the Simpsons learn that everything is closed for the day; including the school. While Bart is enthused and ready to go sledding, Lisa stops him at the door, reminding him that he asked for this, and needs to do the right thing and use the day off school to study for the test. Agreeing with Lisa, Bart then tries his best to spend the day with his nose in the books, despite all the fun everyone is having outside. When class is back in session, Bart fails again by one point, and breaks down crying in front of Mrs.K; upset that he actually tried his best to study. While Mrs.K initially doesn’t believe him, Bart is able to make a connection with something he read in the textbook, and Mrs.K awards him an extra mark for “applied knowledge” allowing Bart’s grade to improve to a pass.

Why I Love It:
In one of my first blogs, I wrote about how I wanted to be an educator since I was in Grade 3; and helping people learn has always been an important goal for me. Thus, an episode like this really pulls at my heartstrings as an educator, because the reason I got into teaching was to help each individual student learn and see their own potential. In my classroom experiences, I’ve had many students like Bart, and learning over the years how “normal” or “typical” learning techniques don’t help kids like Bart succeed, makes it all the more important that teachers really understand each and every one of their students’ needs. Of course, when I first watched this episode, I didn’t know anything about what it meant to be a teacher, but the episode still spoke to me because of how hard Bart really tried. On a bigger scale, I think that this episode shows us how we really don’t know what people are going through, and even though on the surface they appear to be one way, we cannot use past actions to make judgements on them here and now. A solid episode, especially considering it was very early on in the show’s run.

Memorable Quotes:
“Hey Otto Man, I’ve got a big test that I’m not ready for. Could you please crash the bus or something?”
“Oh, sorry little buddy. Can’t do it on purpose. But hey, maybe you’ll get lucky!”

“Everyone knows you’re faking it.”
“Well, everyone better keep their mouth shut!”

Lisa vs Malibu Stacy (Season 5: Episode 14)
Imagine if you could make your very own Barbie doll!

Synopsis:
Grandpa Simpson decides to give his inheritance to the family early, but is disappointed when the kids spend their silver dollars on toys. Lisa is thrilled to own the new Talking Malibu Stacy doll, but instantly is disappointed at the sexist comments and remarks the doll makes. Lisa is determined to speak with the Malibu Stacy doll manufacturer, and reaches out to Mr. Smithers, who holds the title as the largest Malibu Stacy collector, to help track down Stacy Lovell (the woman behind Malibu Stacy). Upon meeting, Lisa expresses her disappointment in the talking doll, as she had been waiting her whole life to hear what the doll she idolized her whole life would say. Lisa and Lovell partner up to create a new talking doll, Lisa Lionheart – a doll that not only looks more realistic but also has motivational and encouraging catchphrases. When learning about the doll, the Malibu Stacy company fears the doll will surpass theirs in sales, and releases a “new” Malibu Stacy the same day that Lisa Lionheart is available in stores. All the little girls in the store go crazy for the “new” Malibu Stacy, with the exception of one who purchases Lisa Lionheart.

Why I Love It:
This episode is always a memorable one for me; I loved playing with Barbie growing up, and while I always looked at the positives about her (she had so many awesome careers, had cool clothes, went on lots of adventures), it wasn’t until I was a little order that I realized the negative ideals that Barbie might be suggesting to young girls. I sympathized with Lisa, as you always imagined up the types of things your Barbie would say if she talked and fit into the creative world you made up for her amongst your other toys and dolls. I love how determined Lisa is to make it known to the big company how someone who actually uses their product is feeling about their toys, and Lisa is always methodical in her approach. The idea of Lisa creating a new doll was inspiring, and taught us as the viewer an important lesson about how we are influenced by things like our toys. While I’m not laughing as loud in this episode as I am with most of the others on the list, there are some very witty and comical tidbits here, like when Stacy is trying to come up with the hairstyle for the Lisa’s new doll; blurting out that all the Simpsons have hideous hair… were we all thinking this all along? Bahaha.

Memorable Quotes:

“Lisa! Ordinarily I’d say you should stand up for what you believe in, but you’ve been doing that an awful lot lately.”

“I’d be mordified if someone ever made a lousy product with the Simpson name on it.”

“Do we sell…french…fries?”

“How about Blabbermouth? The jerky doll for jerks.”

“It’s awful being a kid, no one listens to you.”
“It’s awful being old, no one listens to you.”
“I’m a white male, aged 18-49. Everyone listens to me! No matter how dumb my suggestions are.”

Homer the Heretic (Season 4: Episode 3)
I bet you’re craving those moon waffles right now.

Synopsis:
Homer decides to forgo church during a blizzard. He has an excellent day skipping church, and thus decides moving forward that he is not going to be attending church anymore. Despite Marge’s plea, Homer doesn’t change his mind. Homer is happier than ever skipping church, but Marge, Ned Flanders, and Reverend Lovejoy try to convince him to return. One Sunday, when the family leaves for church, Homer is living it up, but falls asleep on the couch with a cigar in his hand, which ultimately falls on top of a pile of magazines and catches fire. Homer wakes up, but is quickly knocked out due to the smoke. The Springfield Volunteer Fire Department head over to the Simpson house, but Flanders comes to the aid of Homer before the arrive. Once the fire is put out, Homer agrees to give church another chance, and when returning to the next service, sleeps through the whole thing (snoring aloud).

Why I Love It:
This episode poses very interesting questions and considerations about one’s relationship with God/faith. As someone who grew up going to church regularly, it definitely crossed my mind once in awhile what would happen if I stopped going to church? What was I missing out on? Is my life better by going to church or can I be spiritual and faithful in my own ways, outside of attending church on Sundays? All serious thoughts aside, I really enjoyed this episode as it places Homer in an intriguing position; as a parent he is expected to set an example for his children, but does that mean that skipping church is a bad thing? This is one of many episodes that poses a number of questions about religion, faith and spirituality. While in the end, Homer ultimately decides to join his family at church and his faith in God is restored (even if only slightly), the antics he gets into are memorable and comical.

Memorable Quotes:
“You know, I have a feeling there’s a lesson here.”
“Yes, the lesson is-“
“No, don’t tell me. I’ll get it. The Lord is vengeful. Oh, spiteful one! Show me who to smite and they shall be smoten!”

“Rise and shine, and give God your glory!”
“GROWL!”

“One size fits all, my butt!”

“You bet your sweet…ass!”

Well Springfieldians, that wraps up my first set of top 10 episodes for The Simpsons. Which of these episodes on this post is your favourite? Which episodes from Season 1-8 that you love did I miss? Trust me when I say that this was quite difficult to put together, and I know I left out some real gems. Meet you by the lemon tree! Until next time…

Discovering Disney Springs

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While on my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, my friend and I took a day off from the parks to visit the highly anticipated Disney Springs. For those who don’t know, Disney Springs, formally known as Downtown Disney is a massive outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment hub. While there are many Disney themed shops, there are also several other stores not affiliated with Disney whatsoever. There is so much to do and see here, and lots of money to be spent (if you’re not careful) and I will give you a rundown of just how our day was spent discovering Disney Springs.

After 3 long consecutive days at the parks, Saturday was a much-needed sleeping-in day and a day which we needed to simply go at a slower, less scheduled pace. While I mentioned before that I don’t pre-plan a ton of my trip when I go to the parks, with dining reservations and fast passes, you are bound by some sort of time keeping a schedule for part of the day; yet none of that was happening today! We were able to sleep in and get a good rest, and we didn’t head over to Disney Springs until about 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

Our View at Lunch Time

Upon arrival, we headed to D-Luxe Burger restaurant for lunch. This is a coined as a family-friendly spot for burgers and fries in a rustic atmosphere (though there is plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the water and other shops). For about $30 you get two gourmet burgers loaded with toppings, a generously sized fries for sharing, and two beverages. Of course, my friend and I shared this combo. D-Luxe also offers this delicious garlic-mayo for dipping; it was so good! They will cook your burger to your liking whether that is medium rare or well done etc. It was a really gorgeous day, so we definitely took advantage of eating outside; probably the nicest weather of the whole trip, a high of about 24 degrees Celcius.

After lunch, we began to walk about the docks at Disney Springs and check out the shops. Of course, instant favourites of ours were: Market Place Co-Op, Star Wars Galactic Outpost, Disney Pin Traders, Candy Cauldron, World of Disney, Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (yes we snagged some delicious ice cream and free chocolate samples!), Disney Style, and Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories. Unfortunately, Saturday was the day where I was feeling ill, and quite frankly, couldn’t really take advantage of all that Disney Springs had to offer because we had to leave a little earlier than we had planned. Nevertheless, we did have great success shopping! I was able to score a fantastic Star Wars sequence jacket & a Loungefly Star Wars bag; I had limited myself to only 2 items for the trip so I was really happy to find these.

There really is so much to do and see at Disney Springs; they have a movie theatre as well as live entertainment, mini golf, and so much more. When the weather is great, it is so easy to spend the whole day roaming the grounds and checking out all the shops and stops. I know that many people take 2 or 3 days out of their trip to explore Disney Springs, and it is easy to see why. Luckily, we were able to return to Disney Springs on the last day of our trip to do a few more things and indulge in Sprinkles Cupcakes! I would say that the shops at Springs offered some items you couldn’t find in the parks, which was nice to see. On that same note, if there was something you saw at the park you absolutely wanted but didn’t get, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to pick it up at Disney Springs. One way to check for sure is to ask a Castmember (Disney World employee) at the park if the item is available anywhere else; they have a handy app that tells them where the items are located. Also, on your My Disney Experience App, under the shopping section, you can look for items by name or franchise and the map will show you what other locations have it. For example, if you absolutely need that Mary Poppins bag, the app will tell you if you can get it at Epcot, Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs. Keep it in mind, next time you’re searching for something but remember that technology isn’t perfect. For example, the app didn’t say that my bag was available at Disney Springs, and it was! So sometimes you gotta roll the dice or take your chances; you may be in for a surprise.

Before you head to Disney Springs, check out their website for a list of all the shops and entertainment events going on. I recommend planning out at least a few of the things you want to see, and getting an idea of where they are located in relevance to each other. For dinner, almost every place requires reservations, so keep this in mind. You can call ahead, or use the Open Table website to look at some available timeslots (if any). Last, but certainly not least, have a budget! It’s so easy to get caught up in everything Disney Springs has to offer, but you don’t want to break the bank doing so!


Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for my next blog on our adventures in the Animal Kingdom.

A Board Game Appreciation (and Recommendation) Post

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Many people have set New Year’s Resolutions, or for those who do not like to call them resolutions, New Year’s Goals. I’ve never been the type to make resolutions, but I do promise myself to continue trying new things as the year goes on and to do more of what I enjoy. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, 2018 was a very busy year, so busy in fact that I had very little time to do the little things I enjoy; like playing board games.

Board games are a pastime that I thoroughly enjoy, and it has become a staple at almost every hangout with my friends. My collection of games has grown immensely and anyone who has been over to my house can tell you for certain that there is definitely something for every type of gamer. Over the last several years, there has been a real resurgence in the popularity of board games; board game cafes are popping up in many areas and group party games like Cards Against Humanity seem to be beloved by all, even those who may not own any other games on their shelves. I really appreciate these board game cafes because they allow people to become reacquainted with some old favourites, or even try something new without having to outright buy the game themselves. These cafes have presented many fun new games that I’ve since added to my own collection and because of these cafes, it has become easier for me to pinpoint the kind of board game I thoroughly enjoy playing.

For me, board games are a wonderful way to not only pass the time, but test your whits, work on your strategy, escape to new worlds, or simply just unwind and have fun. I enjoy all levels of board and card games whether they are party style, team-based, strategy, cooperative, negotiation, guessing games, trivia, or word games. With so much variety and style of gameplay, how could you not enjoy playing games? It is very easy to get lost in all the choices, and it can even be overwhelming to branch away from the standard games we all grew up playing like Monopoly, Scrabble, Guess Who, and Yahtzee. This is why I think those board game cafes are very important!

While the New Year is only 5 days in, I can say with much joy that I have been able to partake in quite a few games board (and card) games already. Games like Catan, Blokus, Fluxx, Exploding Kittens, SET, Powergrid, King of Tokyo, and Sheriff of Nottingham, just to name a few. I could truly write a separate blog entry on each of the games I play the most often, and why you should really give them a chance if you haven’t already, but I thought that since I am just beginning to explain the joy of playing board games, that I will provide just a short list of games that are interesting and fun to play. So here we go…

Settlers of Catan
Yep. Anyone who knows me knows how much I really love this game. For those who don’t know, Catan is a multi-player game (anywhere from 3-6 players) where players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop settlements and cities, while trading and acquiring resources. Players gain points as their settlements grow; the first to reach a set number of points, typically 10, wins. Catan became an instant favourite for me, and the added bonus of so many different expansion sets really adds a variety of new elements to the basic gameplay. Some of the expansions allow for settlements to take place across the sea, while others have you battling pirates or traitors, and even having to work together with your enemies to build up your armies of knights and fight off the pirates trying to take over your settlements. It is difficult to become bored with Catan, simply because there are so many variants that change up the outcome of the game. There is even an option where you can combine some of the expansions together and make an intense board consisting of a 42″ x 33″ playing space (pictured below). Now, some of you might be thinking that Catan is simply too long of a game and you don’t want to be playing for hours on end. Honestly, you are partially right. I’ve played so many games of Catan, I’ve seen the game be as quick as 25 minutes, or as long as 5 hours and 20 minutes. It all depends on the variants, the number of players, and how quickly the players take their turns. I highly recommend it though, at least give it a chance.

OrganATTACK!
For anyone unfamiliar with The Awkward Yeti- Heart & Brain Comics, google them right now! Nick Seluk created the most hilarious, heartwarming comic about the organs in our bodies and how they react and interact with each other during a day-to-day experience. Thanks to Kickstarter, he was able to create a quick-play card game based off of our organs. OrganATTACK is all about trying to remove your opponents’ organs before they remove yours. The last person to still have at least one organ is the winner! Players use related afflictions to attack their opponents (for example, playing Gallstones on Gallbladder). Apart from how sweet the drawings are, this game is loads of fun mostly because of how simple it is to learn and how quickly you become hooked. OrganATTACK is an instant favourite because each hand you are dealt is different, and the draw pile is full of various action cards that can totally turn the game around, including a poison card which instantly kills one of your organs! Seriously give it a chance, I promise you’ll be laughing and have a great time playing.

Ticket to Ride
Like Catan, Ticket to Ride became an instant favourite in my board game collection. The objective is to build train routes to various cities and ultimately collect the most number of points based off of the routes and cities you connected. Each player starts the game off with a minimum of two destination tickets and you can acquire more if you choose, but you won’t know the other destinations your opponents are trying to connect; most routes only have one path so you have to plan accordingly. You are able to create a train route once you’ve collected the appropriate number of cards in the appropriate colour (i.e. 4 yellow cards). Ticket to Ride also has different versions that introduce new twists, but mostly just give you a brand new board to build on (i.e. Europe or Germany or New York City). Playtime runs about one hour, but you’ll be surprised how fast that hour will go by when you’re focused on connecting your train routes from Seatle to El Palso.

Dutch Blitz
I was introduced to this game from a Reddit Gift Exchange that I participated in back in 2017. I gifted this game to someone and their feedback on it was so positive that I thought to try it out myself.
The objective of Dutch Blitz is to score points by playing as many cards as possible on Dutch Piles, and by emptying the Blitz Pile as quickly as possible. This is done by playing cards from the Blitz Pile, Post Piles, and Wood Pile on the Dutch piles. It may sound confusing, and at first, I was a little confused, but once you look closer at the instruction sheet and see how the piles are set up, it is very easy. Dutch Blitz is an absolute hoot to play! The cool thing about this family-friendly fast-paced game is that all players are playing their cards at the same time. The quick pacing of the gameplay coupled with the fact that you can have up to 8 players at a time, makes the game a whole lot of fun. Each round lasts anywhere from 3-7 minutes depending on the skill level or intensity level of those you are playing with; many times I’ve played this game with friends it has gotten to the point where everyone stands up in anticipation of seeing where they can play their cards. I honestly think this game is great for all ages and all intensity levels. Also, it is very inexpensive on Amazon – my copy plus the expansion pack cost me only $10.00.

As I said above, I could go on and on listing games that I thoroughly enjoy playing, but I am confident that these four have been a good start. I chose these four not only because they are my favourites, but also because of the style of play; I thought that discussing two longer paced more strategy based games and then two short-play quicker games would be a good way to get a conversation going about the variety of games that exist. My goal for 2019 is to continue trying new board and card games, while also taking more time to play those that I really enjoy playing and have a lot of fun doing so. Yes, this includes old school favourites like Monopoly, Clue, and Risk- we still play these in my house!

What are some of your favourite board games or card games?

2018: A Year in Review

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A few years ago I started a tradition on Facebook; I made the conscious effort to reflect and highlight some of the positive things that I experienced throughout the year. When I started the post, I did so because it seemed that the internet (and almost everyone on it) was having a pretty shitty year. Rather than feed into the negativity, I decided to combat it because even though misery loves company, happiness is contagious! Now I make sure to reflect every year…

As I reminisce about 2018, I recognize that I am quite fortunate. 2018 was truly a marvellous year filled with love, happiness, and important moments and milestones. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everything that I have experienced this year, and for all the people in my life whom I experienced it with. I won’t touch on everything, but here are some highlights:

Panama 2018

I had the opportunity to travel to Panama with 7 of my closest friends at the beginning of 2018, and it was really a trip of a lifetime! A week in the sun, poolside with some of your best friends was bliss. While in Panama we got to venture into Panama City and travel to a National Park Waterfall. Many laughs were had and the trip was a symbol of the bonds we have built over time, but also as a way to relax and unwind before the business of 2018 would kick into full gear; three of the people in this photo were getting married later on in the year.

Speaking of weddings, I had the utmost privilege to be the Matron of Honour and Best Woman in two of my friends’ weddings this year. Being chosen as the Matron of Honour in our friends’ wedding was extra special because my husband was asked to be the Best Man. For us, the love we have for the couple who got married is hard to summarize into words, thus being asked to be in their wedding was truly heartwarming. We wanted nothing but the best for those two, so we made it our mission to ensure their wedding day (and every event related to it) was everything they wanted and more. Planning a Tea-Party bridal shower was quite fun, especially because High Tea is something special the bride and I started doing together a few years ago. We added an extra dash of fun by making it a Mad Hatter Tea Party Theme…

Bridal Shower – April 2018

Spring 2018 also included road tripping to Myrtle Beach with some fabulous friends. We partook in some golf at Myrtlewood Golf Club, celebrated Cinco de Mayo at one of the best Mexican Restaurants, enjoyed the beach and pool (maybe a little too much), and experienced a very sweet Wine Tour! If you can think about the cliche phrase, “it’s the journey, not the destination” – that basically sums up the road trip to Myrtle Beach. Such an amazing time! I seriously recommend road trips at least once a year…

Golfing in Myrtle Beach

Celebrations in 2018 were not just about getting hitched, many of my friends also turned 30 this year. Birthdays have always been important to me, and I honestly believe that every birthday is worth celebrating because you never know what birthday might be your last. Sorry to be a downer here, but birthdays should be celebrated, whether that means treating yourself to something small or throwing a huge bash; whatever you wish! 2018 was filled with many fun-themed birthdays including Medieval Times, Old School Dances, Carnivals, and Road Trips to Ottawa!

  • Medieval Birthdays
  • 30th Birthday Dances
  • Life’s a Circus – Birthday Bash

Turning 30 was memorable for me because it gave me the chance to really appreciate everything that I have accomplished in my life so far. Apart from having an amazing husband, a wonderfully supportive family, and a supreme squad of friends, I am thankful for the continued opportunity to work with my family in Real Estate, while also being able to continue influencing young minds through my academic mentoring and tutoring. I’ve been working since I was 12, so knowing that I wake up every day and enjoy going to work is satisfying. I want my work to be meaningful and fulfilling but I don’t ever want it to make me miserable. Thus, I often reflect on how lucky I am to have work that is low-stress.

I will now touch upon the three weddings that I attended this year. As I mentioned above, I had the honour of being the Matron of Honour and Best Woman in two of the weddings, but the third wedding was also very important to me. Someone very special in my life was getting married, and he decided to do so on his birthday- what madness! It was an extra special day, and I was privileged to attend as a guest. I don’t know how to put into words how much I love all the people who got married in 2018, so I can only hope that they really do know how much I care for them. Being able to be with all of them on their wedding days and create new memories on is really priceless. Especially when you get to be in a room with so many people who love them too! I don’t think I ever danced or laughed or smiled as much as I did at these 2018 weddings…

  • July 21st, 2018
August 4th, 2018
  • September 29th, 2018

Overall, 2018 was a fantastic year. It was filled with laughter, love, adventure and memories. 2018 made some of my friends new parents, or parents again, and getting to witness these people take on these new roles is exciting. 2018 granted me the honour of being a 3x Auntie, as a new nephew was born into the family. 2018 reminded me why it is so important to be your truest self, to tell those who are important to you when they’ve upset, hurt or disappointed you, but to also tell those same people that you love them and why you do. 2018 taught me how adulting can really be fun, as my husband and I were able to do some additional renovations to our home, like completely finishing our basement!

2018 was a very good year, and I am glad that so many positive things happened in my life. Thanks for the memories! 2019, if you’re even half as good as 2018 was, I can’t wait to write about it.

Wait, She’s Blogging?

manda_faromeiro

Yup. It’s happening! A blog.

Okay, it’s true. I’ve decided to start a blog. Really? I already said yes, and here’s why.

Since November 2016 I’ve had the pleasure of making the most out of the years and years of post-secondary education time (and money- so much money) studying to be an educator and became an academic tutor and mentor. After getting a job working in a school setting after graduating from Grad School in 2012, by 2016 I was feeling quite burnt out and ready to find a new career. This is not what I had in mind when I thought about working with children. Was everything I was taught in teachers college a facade? I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, honestly, since I was about 9 years old, so giving up on this dream was a hard pill to swallow. However, that is exactly what stress and unhappiness can do to your dreams. 

Quitting my job of almost five years was one of the hardest things I did; I had moved quickly up the company and for the most part, enjoyed the challenges and skills I was facing along the way. When I was recruited on LinkedIn for a Student Tutor/Mentor job, the light at the proverbial tunnel was once again in sight. After only working at this job for a few months in the evenings after my full-time work day was done, I knew I had found the honest reason why I had always been drawn to teaching from the beginning; making a difference. Yes, it’s cliche, but it’s true. My favourite part of being an educator is building relationships with my students, evoking their love of learning and trying new things, and helping them to learn new skills. In this job, I have had the pleasure of working closely with some very special students. Working with this group of students has reminded me how much I take for granted the ability I have to write. Which brings me to the reason for this blog.

One of my students used to hate writing. We have been working hard for the past year and a half on writing. Learning to write, like reading takes time, dedication, and practice. Practice is key. Session after session we would talk about writing tips, strategies, and we would practice writing. It did not matter how much or how little we wrote but each day we wrote. With each day that passed, we wrote a little more and a little more. Eventually, we got to a point where writing came easily to her. I did not have to prompt with questions or starting ideas, she came to our sessions with a little bit of writing done for each assignment that was given to her at school.

This week, I asked her, “How do you think you became so confident at writing?” She laughed and said, “Well, when you write every day you become more comfortable with it and you know how to get the ideas out of your head and onto the paper. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense, but at least I’ve written it down and can edit it later.”

As an educator, I jumped for joy. To see this kind of progress in over a year’s time is phenomenal. This student could barely get a sentence or two out without complaining or mumbling “I don’t know what to say” over and over again. Why is this important? It is another lesson when the student becomes the teacher. My student taught me to remember that wonderful feeling you get when you write.

As someone who loved school, yes, loved school, writing came very easy to me. I conducted research and wrote essays or reports with ease. In fact, my cognate in graduate school was originally 35 pages over the requirement. Nerd alert! So what does it mean? After my session with my students ended last night I had some time on the drive home to reflect on writing. I realized I don’t write much anymore, and I miss it. Sure, I won’t be writing any reports or research essays, but at least I’ll be writing.

That was long. If you’ve stuck through all that to get to this point, I thank you! Oh, and an official welcome to my blog! Not sure what exactly you’ll be reading about on here, but hey, as the saying goes, it’s the journey, not the destination that matters.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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