Happy Mother's Day

Before the day is over I just wanted to stop by and wish all the mothers out there a fabulous mother's day. In particular I want to thank my mom for being such an incredible woman and mother. As a single mother not only did she play her part but she also went above and beyond for my sister and I. She has always worked hard to provide for us and give us all that we needed and more. Now that I'm older I can appreciate all the things that she has given us both large and small. But most of all I love that she always supports our decisions and provides great advice. I know that I can come to her and tell her anything that is on my mind and that she'll say just the right thing. I haven't lived with my mom in 16 years but that hasn't changed our relationship one bit, on the contrary it has made our relationship stronger. I thank her immensly for everything she has or will do for my sister and I. I love her with all my heart <3! 

Why I hate working in the hospitality industry

It's on nights like this that I remember why I hate working in the hospitality industry

1. You will always need to work on weekends. Always! Unless you kiss ass or are high up on the ladder you will always work Saturday or/and Sunday. Forget about partying but always have beer handy at home you'll need it to forget about everything you missed out on.

2. Some people are lousy tippers. It doesn't matter that they've spent $300 on their bill an extra $4 for a tip will surely bankrupt them.

3. There will always be someone who comes in right before you close. Kitchen staff forget about leaving in 10 minutes and servers good luck getting out in half an hour. They will take their time ordering and also spend 30 mins talking before they touch their food. If you're on coat check good luck getting out by midnight. 

4. You will always and I repeat always have at least one guest who ruins your day. They will ask you a stupid question, complain about nothing, treat you like crap or do all at the same time. But don't forget to smile!

5. You know summer when all the great stuff happens like bbq's and beach parties yeah you're never gonna be there.  If you manage to make it everyone will already be drunk and possibly passed out. Cheers! Now chug that last beer. 

6. Holidays?! What holidays? You'll be working them that's for sure!

Congratulations!!

It’s been awhile since I’ve stepped into blog land and I have a lot of catching up to do. I’ve mostly been keeping busy with work, helping my husband study for his exam and finishing too many shows that I care to admit.

I’m going to start by congratulating my husband for getting accepted into TWO different French programs abroad! The first program is called Explore and it’s a 4 week French course that takes place in Quebec City, Quebec. The program also takes place in Montreal, Ottawa and New Brunswick but my husband’s first choice was Quebec City. This also means that I’ll be heading there for vacation! Woot woot! I’ve never been to Quebec City before so I’m pretty excited. The plan is to go there once his course is finished and spend the weekend there.

Quebec City

The second course is also 4 weeks and takes place in St. Etienne France, a small town near Lyon. The course takes place near the end of the summer and the plan is for me to go to Europe at the end of the course so we can both go to Amsterdam, Brussels and Frankfurt. This vacation is not 100% planned yet as we’re not quite sure if my husband can go as his stay in Quebec will take away from work time so we may not have the funds to afford the trip. We will do our best to save from now until August so we can make this trip a reality.

St.Etienne, France

Brussels, Belgium

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Frankfurt, Germany

I’m really proud of my husband for getting into these programs and starting his journey into the French language. Since French is Canada’s second official language I know it will be an advantage when applying for jobs and also open doors abroad. I have to admit I’m a little bit jealous that he'll get the summer of a life time while I work but you can't always have everything right? I've also had the opportunity to learn French while in school and didn't take it so seriously so I hope he does and learns a lot more than I ever did. 


 

Work it!

As I previously posted I’m going to begin incorporating workouts into my weekly routine. Now that healthy eating has become second nature I need to focus on toning my body. I have plans on joining a gym again but I’m still not 100% sure if I will or not since I tend to skip out on the gym quite frequently and I don’t want to waste my money again. In order to make up my mind I will be doing at home workouts for a month and do my best to be consistent so I can bring that discipline with me if I join the gym again.

I have chosen two workouts from the well-known Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels.  Last year, I bought her 6 week six-pack dvd at Wal-Mart and sad to say I’ve only used it maybe 10 times. Two weeks ago I did the dvd twice in a row and oh boy was I ever sore so I’m definitely incorporating that into my workout routine. While browsing Youtube for Zumba workouts I found her Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout and it looked like it would be a great option for a longer workout incorporating cardio so that will make up the rest of my workout routine.

 

I will do each workout 2 times a week starting today Monday April 7^th. I have taken body measurements so I can keep track of body changes since you cannot always rely on scales. I will also take pictures of my troubled areas to see how they’ve changed although I’m not sure if I will post them on the blog.

Off the wagon

Yesterday, I wrote about my weight loss/fitness journey and how for the first time of many attempts I have actually succeeded and lasted more than a few days. That's not to say that I haven't had any bumps along the road. My goal is to lose 1 lb a week though for the majority of my weigh ins I seem to lose half a pound a week. In order to lose 1lb I have to consume 1,200 calories a day which can sometimes be hard and for the most part I always go over by about 200 or so. Then there are those days where I take a cheat day and go over by about 500 or more.

Last week though I hit a major hurdle and fell off the wagon completely. I ran out of groceries and for various reasons I didn't go grocery shopping for a week so I ended up eating out and buying my lunches and so my healthy eating went kaput!

On Wednesday, my husband invited some of our friends over for drinks. I decided not to drink but one of our friends brought Smirnoff Ice just for me so not wanting to be rude I had a few glasses. Then they decided that we should go to a nearby bar and have some chicken wings. I figured since it looked like my healthy eating was over for the day I would join in and get some beer in the process. Clearly I had no self-control.

Thursday morning we went to Boom Breakfast just across our apartment building to have breakfast and I ordered eggs benedict. They were delicious but could have gone with a healthier choice.

On Friday before my work shift we went to a store that sells all kinds of Mexican food, candies and drinks. It has a small restaurant and I ordered some sopes and also some tacos. I was in heaven but of course the next day I felt a little guilty for stuffing face.

The rest of the week continued just the same so I'll bear you all from the ugly details. Thankfully, yesterday I got myself to a grocery store and have started to make my way back to the healthy wagon. Let's hope I can keep this up for the next three weeks until I break the healthy life for a few wings and beers for my friend's birthday. Never said this journey would be perfect but I try to make it the best that I can.

My Fitness Story

I’ve written about weight loss quite a few times around the blog but I’ve failed to stay on track each and every time. There are many reasons why I’ve struggled:

1.       I found it hard to eat healthy and stay within my calorie intake when my husband could eat anything he wanted

2.       Counting calories was such a hassle I could never keep up

3.       Summer meant bbqs, beer, outings and I got distracted from going to the gym

4.       Once I stopped going to the gym I couldn’t get myself to go back

5.       I would compare myself to others who were also going through weight loss and I felt defeated if I didn’t get the same results

In the middle of January I decided to give it another go. So far I’ve done quite well (minus a few cheat days) and I am happy with my process and results.  Here are a few reasons why this time I’ve done a lot better:

1.       My husband decided to join me so it’s a lot easier to keep up healthy eating if we’re both taking part

2.       Once I kept up with my food journal using My FitnessPal app for two weeks it has become second nature to log my meals

3.       I’ve decided to focus on one goal at a time so I’m not overwhelmed. I started with healthy eating and now that I have made it part of my daily routine I will begin to focus on exercise.

My starting weight as of February 2^nd was 134.6 and I continued to weigh myself every week since every Monday morning. I didn’t want to focus too much on the numbers on the scale hence the weekly weigh-ins rather than daily. My goal weight is 125 lbs and I’m hoping that I can reach this weight by June 1^st in time for shorts and swimsuit season. Once I’ve reached my goal I would like to focus on toning my body especially my mid-section.

Happiness Challenge - Day 1: Naps & Day 2: Chats

I previously wrote about the happiness challenge that I will be taking part in for the next 100 days. I will do my best to blog about my days but it may be impossible difficult to keep up on a daily basis. If you wish to see my happiness pictures day to day you can visit my instagram account tridrosas. For those who may not have instagram the pictures can also be viewed on this blog on the right hand side under the header instagram.

My first day began Saturday and this challenge was definitely what I needed. The day got off to a bit of a rough start with the subway being closed from bloor to union station (my stop). I had to take a shuttle bus instead and what is normally a 10 minute subway ride turned into a 30 minute bus ride. I'm certainly grateful for the subway now. By the time I got close to my work it was 9:54 and I start at 10:00 so I figured if I'm gonna be late I may as well stop for a coffee. I was in fact late by 2 minutes which was a bit irritating because had I skipped the coffee I may have made it by 10:00. Oh well.

Toronto Subway Map

On the way back it was even worse. I had to take a 10 minute walk to the bus stop and then the bus took 45 minutes to get to bloor station. 45!!! That's how long it usually takes me to get home from work and here I was only half way. Needless to say I was not happy at all. I just wanted to go home and lay on the couch.

After a long day at work and and even longer commute all I wanted to do was relax so I did what everyone should do. Take a mid day nap. Naps are the best and truly make me happy. I wake up refreshed and no longer grouchy. I need to go back to when I was a baby and all my day consisted of was naps and food. Oh if only!

Yesterday, my happy moment consisted of chatting with my mom on facebook. I haven't seen my mom in years and it's really good to be able to talk to her at any time even if it's just about trivial daily happenings. Our chats can sometimes last 30 minutes sometimes they last 2 but even just being able to say hi brings a smile to my face.

Happiness Challenge

A couple of day ago I was going through my facebook feed and an old friend from school posted about a happiness challenge. Curious I clicked on the link and after reading about it I knew I wanted to take part. I'm usually a happy person who hates confrontation and I don't like to dwell in small daily problems but lately I have noticed that I've let small things get under my skin and forget to stop and smell the roses.

Via

Basically, the happiness challenge consists of taking pictures of anything and everything that makes you happy. It can be anything from your puppy, your morning coffee, laying on the couch, you name it, if it makes you happy you snap a picture of it. Post your pictures on twitter, instagram or facebook or all 3 with the hashtag #100happy days. The purpose of the challenge is not to compete with others or to try and make other jealous with your pictures.

The point of the challenge is to:

- stop for a brief time and really enjoy the small or big things that make you happy each and every day
- forget about the small things that have brought your mood down
- become optimistic
- appreciate the people that bring a happiness to your day
- take a break from the hustle and bustle of life



Via

According to the challenge website, 71% of people have tried to complete the challenge but were unsuccessful because of a lack of time. I thought the number was a little high but soon I realized that I too was falling into this statistic. I was supposed to start the challenge on Monday but for one reason or another I kept putting it off and it was because I had no "time" for it. Well, it's about time I start making time and realize that happiness is everywhere if you really look for it.

If you would like to join me with this challenge head to http://100happydays.com/ and register. It's easy and only takes 1 minute and then start snapping away to a happier life!





Via

Five on Friday - Birthday edition

It's Friday and I'm not working! Bonus!!!

ONE

It's my birthday! Well, not really, but let's pretend it is! My actual birthday is on the 29th but since I've been robbed of such awesomeness I celebrate today. Cue the balloons, party music, booze and cake. More booze, less cake. I've officially left the early twenties and are moving into the late twenties. Gulp.

TWO

To celebrate I'm heading to Jack Astor's for lunch and then going out for drinks at night. Goodbye healthy eating and low calories. Hello sugar overdose and hangover.

THREE

Today is my aunt's birthday. She was actually born today. She loves me though and let's me share her birthday. Happy Birthday Luz! Here's to many more and I hope you get twice as drunk as me. She's currently living in Germany so she probably will. Jager shots! Cheers!

FOUR

Tommorrow is my other aunt's birthday. That's right 3 in a row! Happy Birthday Karla! Hope you're feeling a lot better and this year please no more injuries. They say the older you get the harder it is to heal. Just kidding. Kinda. Hope all your wishes come true. Have a beer for me and I'll have one for you. Salud!

Can you tell our family likes to drink?

FIVE

Wednesday was my nephew's 4th birthday! I can't believe how much he's grown. I haven't gone back to Mexico in 6 years so I haven't had the chance to actually meet him but I love him and I'm so happy he's healthy and growing like a weed. Feliz Cumpleaños querido! I wish him all the best in the world and hope to see him soon.

Google knows best

It's almost the end of January and I'm still sick. I got sick January 1st and felt good for about 3 days before falling deeper into sickness and being miserable.

Have I gone to the doctor? No.
Will I go to the doctor? No.
Should I go to the doctor? Probably.
Will the doctor make me feel better? I doubt it.

Why? Because Google...who knows everything....said that my cough will last about 2 weeks and no matter what medicine I take nothing will happen. The cough will get better on its own. I trust Google. He has never let me down and he also doesn't charge me an arm and a leg. Therefore, I will probably continue to be sick and feel miserable but you know what? My wallet won't feel lighter and that makes me feel a little better. So I should probably stop complaining about my illness and get on with my life. I should probably Google how to do that properly as well.

Five on Friday - Weddings and Newborns

January is half way through and the blog is still feeling lonely so to get back into the groove let's start with a Five on Friday post. Here we go!

UNO

I've been married for one week! I've surpassed Britney Spears, oh yeah! We got married January 10 at Toronto City Hall. It was a very intimate wedding and can't wait to give all the details on a detailed post.

DOS

The cold that I got on New Year's day went away, thankfully, before the wedding. Sadly, it has now come back with a vengeance. My husband is now getting better while I cough up my lungs and fill up the basket with Kleenex. Great way to start the year.

TRES

I have the weekend off! I don't go back to work until Tuesday which means more days for me to recover if I can keep away from cold beer.

CUATRO

My sister-in-law is expecting her first born anytime now and I can't wait to finally meet her. Since she lives in Mexico I'll only be able to see pictures but I'm still pretty excited to be an aunty. Can't wait til the day I meet her in person.

Via Pinterest

CINCO

As I was writing this post my co-workers surprised me with cake and a lovely card filled with wedding wishes and money. I cried. They're the greatest co-workers anyone could ask for.

Hello again

My blog hasn’t seen much action since the new year but 2014 has been crazy busy. I started out the year by getting a cold which had me laying on the couch for 2 days and the freezing temperatures didn’t help my case. I then spent the rest of my time planning our wedding while trying to keep the boyfriend, now  the husband, happy as I passed on my cold and it hit him hard. I also had to do an extensive cleaning of the apartment as my aunt and uncle were coming to stay with us for the wedding. All of this while still working so the blog took a bit of a back seat. Now that the craziness has calm down a bit I’m ready to get back to blogland and chronicle life as a newlywed.

2013 Year Review

It’s hard to believe the year has come to an end; the year flew by. Although the year wasn’t without its bumps on the road overall it was a great year. So as I hello to 2014 I look back at all the highlights of the year 2013.

The boyfriend and I went to Montréal for a couple of days. The trip was a lot fun and included lots of food, drinks, sightseeing and a bit of chills from the cold. I love Montréal so much. If I spoke French I would move there in a heartbeat

I turned 25 and celebrated my quarter of a century birthday with my friends from work. We had lunch at Milestones and they all gave me great gifts and of course lovely company. I couldn’t have asked for more. Still can’t believe I’m in my mid 20’s though.

I reached my one year mark at my job. My longest job yet. Although the job can be stressful I couldn’t ask for a better job. My co-workers are amazing and we have built incredible friendships. I have learned a lot and grown as a person and it has also gifted me with once in a life time experiences like doing the highest hands free walk 

I did the EdgeWalk for the second time in my life and it was still as amazing as the first time. After a lot of cancellations because of the weather I finally managed to get up there in company of my boyfriend’s brother. It was his first time going up and he really enjoyed it

Summer was way too short but it was filled with lots of bbqs, relaxation at the pool, trips to the beach, roadtrips, drinking and tanning. I’d have to say that this was one of my favourite summers. I somehow got a few weekends off work which meant I could go on trips and have fun in the sun.

We moved to another apartment in October. I was skeptical at first because I loved my old apartment but after being in the new apartment for a few months I love the new one just as much. Although it’s a lot smaller I love the location. We have everything we need around us and it’s close enough to downtown yet also close enough to go further north. 

Tony building the new couch at the new apartment

 My boyfriend and I celebrated four years of being together and I can’t imagine being with anyone else. He is my best friend and we have so many great times when we’re together. Like any other couple we have our differences and argue but I love that we can get past it and build a stronger relationship. I love him with all my heart.

We got engaged! I’ll write another post with more details. 

I celebrated my fourth Christmas with my boyfriend. We went to our friend's, Hans and Lars', house on the 24th for Christmas dinner. We drank, listened to music and played beer pong. Probably did a little too much beer pong playing myself. My brother-in-law came from Thunder Bay to visit and it was nice to see him again after a few months. The 25th a few friends came for drinks and pozole. I was still hung over and trying to recover from the 24th so I kept the drinking to a minimum. 

Beer Bottle Christmas Tree made by Lars

Oscar (brother-in-law) and Paco playing beer pong

Beer Pong table at it's finest

We said goodbye to 2013 by going to Guvernment with our group of friends. We were a little hesitant to go because it would be crazy busy. Although it was packed and we had to wait in line for coat check it was still a lot of fun and I really enjoyed welcoming 2014 with good music and dancing.

Here’s to a new year!