Post Valentines, Pre Lent Life in General, and photo madness!

With March on the Horizon, there is much to prepare for in the upcoming spring!

Valentine's Day is most commonly known as a day to shower each other with gifts and love. But why not have that everyday. Possibly not the gifts part, as this can be pricey, but more giving the love. There is not enough love in this world, and on that note, I would like to extend my I love you out to my Soul Mate.

Often times, people are only celebrated on special occasions such as birthdays, weddings ect. I want you to know that I celebrate you everyday. 

Isn't he a hunk?

The Saturday prior to V-day, we set out to Lion's Breath Yoga for a couples class in Acro Yoga technique...what is acro yoga you ask?

~AcroYoga blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of Thai massage, and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. These three ancient lineages form this practice that cultivates trust, connection and playfulness~

Definitely something we are going to keep doing. As both beginners within acro, we started at the same ground level of expertise- this is very important for two alphas :) I completely recommend this class for you lovebirds out there as it not only is something active, but good for the spirit.

We went to the Harvest room at the Hotel MacDonald later that evening for an AMAZING dinner. Of course, who goes to the Hotel Mac and does not explore???? We found a pretty amazing photo opportunity in the upstairs area while looking at different parties to crash (after all it was a Saturday).

Two Star Crossed Lovers

Pre Lent Preparation....

With the weekend almost over, I would have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed it. In order to prepare for the 40 day challenge of having no processed foods or alcohol (except for the odd glass of red), both Friday and Saturday were full of lots of wine, spirits and mini eggs. Although completely rewarding and indulgent, I can't believe there are people out there that follow this lifestyle all the time. I am paying for this in more ways than one and my body is ready to get back on track. 

I decided to start off with doing the 12 day wild rose cleanse in order to detoxify. The Wild Rose Cleanse is a herbal supplemented 12 day cleanse that requires you to go without any flours, mushrooms, peanuts and soya sauce specifically, and everything else that is bad for you. The kit is not that expensive, and you can get it from most grocery stores or health food stores. I've done this cleanse before, I know what I'm up against. The first 3 days are the hardest, as  your body works to clean out all the processed gunk that sticks around in your colon. Your skin becomes more oily, and some breakouts are expected. The nastiness clears around day 4, I generally feel leaner, tighter, and my skin actually glows!

As for the physical component: I haven't been completely strict with my workouts, but I have excelled in the yoga. Yoga is going to increase from 1-2 days and weights will continue 2-3 days per week as well as the occasional jont in the river valley (weather permitting). 

What to expect in March's Blog

1. DIY

2. Music Compilation

3. Recipes

4. Photo's!

February Schmebuary.....

I would first like to extend my hello's to the three people who read this blog- Hello.
Moving on....

So January is finally over. I consider it the longest month of the year, as it starts of fresh with all the good intentions made whilst drunk on how you are going to improve yourself in the new year. However, all is not lost. We're coming into the middle of February already and I feel we're making headway into our resolutions just fine.
Like :
1. Being off of Facebook and what I am doing with my time instead.
2. Completely submerging myself into Yoga and Running.
3. Reflecting on my relationships with people and helping to mend broken hearts.
4. Getting farther away from the idea of "Weddings" in relation to the day and not the sacrement.
5. Settin up for Lent.

numero uno
Life without Facebook is, like I've stated before, not much different. Although I feel its not as easy to creep on what my friends are doing at any given time, time spent with my friends in real-live-time is more rewarding. Conversations are richer, and I don't feel like we're just recapping on what I've seen on computer. It's nice. So what have I been up to you ask? ~Not sleeping. Yep, that's right! The fairy on insomnia has taken a poop on my ability to sleep in anymore. I wake up and suddenly am overcome with thoughts, ideas, music ect, it's very similar to that stain commercial where you can't hear what the guy is saying because of the dflksdhjfsdkfhsluifhflj gibberish going on in the background. This is not a new thing however. I have crossed paths with this poop fairy before, but it was when I was working shift work, messing up my circadian rhythm and delving into a major depression.
.....But I don't work shift work anymore........am I depressed?
Generally I am happy with everything in my life at this moment. Granted, there are some major things going on, but none that would constitute a depressive episode.
Solution: I'm not being creative enough. This month I will make something. I don't know what. But I promise by next post, you will see something.

2
Running.......I reached the 300+km mark on my old shoes, I got new ones. I haven't quite had the chance to try them out due to some sickness that has been circulating the household but soon. Not to mention it's bloody cold outside and I refuse to run on a hamster wheel.
Yoga......So far every Tuesday has been dedicated to R&B Yoga with Dawn at Lion's Breath Yoga. The reason why I keep going is I am WAY more chilled out. I think more clearly, and the bearer of bad moods knocks less at my door these days. Yoga chills people out. I think less (when I'm freshly yoga'd), I stress less, and I don't care as much about the petty things- until the weekend. Then I am up at 7, like this morning, contemplating what I should do with my new-found time-even though I have a hangover, my mouth is super dry from mouth breathing all night, my stomach is killing me, AND I AM NOT SLEEPING RIGHT NOW> GAH!
Solution: More yoga. The world would be less stressful if everyone did it. But, I am only responsible for my own actions. People would not only be more chill, but happier, healthier, and more bendy. Already Ryan and I are noticing the benefits of going every week not only in our relationship, but physically. I can proudly say that I am able to not only do a headstand- and invert my whole body without the aid of a wall, but I am starting to master the handstand. Tonight we get to try acro-yoga in a couples workshop for Valentine's day. This sounds potentially dangerous but I have a feeling we will be able to add something cool to our list of couple awesomeness.

THREE
In the past six months, I have seen 3 married relationships end in divorce. I'm not getting into details of any of them as this would be completely ill-mannered and rude. What I am going to ask is what makes marriage so appealing?
Is it because it might be the right thing to do in this stage of life? It is because things are good and not being with the person would indeed not be as fun? Is it because your friends are doing it?
I ask you, 3 readers, to please send me answers. 
Adult relationships are way less fun then the childhood friendships, at least, in my opinion. Of course there was always some sort of recess drama, but you knew that given the attention span of these growing individuals, time will pass and the dust will settle. Life will go on and friendships will remain. As adults though, I am finding too many grudges, too much passive aggressiveness, and way, way to much drama. I was speaking with a gentleman who just turned 98. He drives, he works (still! out of choice!), he lives at home, and he doesn't hold grudges. Being a Nurse, the majority of my time at work is spent advising people on what to do with themselves so they don't end up dead. I had no advice for this man. I sat there, and made life notes on what he was telling me as if they were answers to tomorrow's big exam.

Don't hold Grudges, take care of each other, and tell people how you really feel, they can take it.

As for mending broken hearts- I am here for you, know that. I've walked this road, and it's a little darker than the previous ones. But know that I am here to talk, to not talk, to tell you pretty things as well as the ugly ones. Hang in there. It might not get better all at once, but at least the memories fade.

les quatre


I'm just going to say it- wedding planning is for the birds. I'm not getting married anytime soon, however, there has been talk of it as of late.
Sure, getting into a pretty white dress, and sealing the deal with your best friend is a beautiful thought, however, it's not that simple. Let me first clarify that I am talking about weddings, not marriages, and certainly not the sacrament. You're probably thinking that my disdain of wedding planning arose from my previous experience in a past relationship. Not entirely. Ever since I could remember, I have always thought that weddings are so overdone. Just like funerals, there is an industry that works on purely on our emotions in order to gain profit. So much money, so many rules and so much drama all in one day! It was my previous experience that taught me not to sweat the small stuff ever again. I'm not saying I won't have a wedding. But I honestly believe that weddings are not for the bride and groom- they're for everyone else. What matters to me is the promise- that God brought you two together, and its up to you to keep it that way. The rest is all temporary and rented. So why spend so much stress, fights, drama, and money on it? No wonder people elope.


V


Lent- for those of you who aren't catholic, Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday, 22 February 2012 and ends on 7 April 2012, which is the day before Easter. It is more than just giving up something for 40 days. I see it as a cleanse for the soul. 
This year's lent is: No processed foods of any kind. This is going to be really hard, but if Jesus can fast in the desert, I can go without processed junk. Not to mention the health benefits. Good for the body and good for the soul. I'll keep you posted throughout of course with food blogworthy photos. Now, if only I could give up insomnia and worrying....

January, I think we should just be friends....nothing serious.

Well, the New Year is well on its way to becoming something grand. I would like to extend my apologizes to those who have been ever so patient with us and eagerly awaited more posts. Expect a new issue of LW/OFB every month or more.
So, what is it like so far W/OFB? Pretty much the same except I have way more projects on the go (which could be due to the motivation of the new year). The start of January was the start of Ryan and I working out and strictly working towards our health goals ------> To run a half marathon in August for Diabetes!
There is something to be said about yoga.....we started a couple weeks ago with the R&B Ashtanga at Lion's Breath Yoga. I really enjoy going to this class as it is taught by the owner who has an amazing presence to her, and being able to contort to sexy music. Pretty empowering and definitely a workout.
*Note: if you are single, this might be a great place to meet someone <3
Lion's breath is fairly priced, and is a welcoming environment for those who are new to yoga. I recommend you try it if not for the chakra alignment, but for tight pants and great music to bend to.

Pulling Out Your Phone More Than Your Wallet

FIRST OF ALL

Don't Let A Slip Get You Down...Learn From It

So I caved and I did check facebook this week. I played Car Town. I won't start making excuses about how it's hard because they even advertise in Cad and Driver now. Ultimately the game is a time waster. So instead of just feeling guilty, I asked myself why I felt bad. First, identify the reason.

-I went on facebook because I was waiting to get picked up, and it is a short activity.

Identify the need

-I went on facebook during this time because I was curious about what was going on

-I wanted to play car town

Identify why you feel guilty about this

-I didn't want to go on facebook again

-I could have done something else better

So what could you have done differently?

-I could have picked up the guitar and played a bit instead

Nice. Ultimately I feel guilty because I could have picked up the guitar, and I caved and went on facebook instead. There's more to it. When I go on facebook instead of play guitar, I am denying skills I have worked for 15 or 16 years to hone. I am also denying all the instruments I've spent a lot of money and time on. But I learned from it. Next time I have that brief period where I'm thinking, "well I have a few minutes, what should I do?" I'll remember...there are my guitars right in the next room that don't get used a lot; and they really should.

Pulling Out Your Phone More Than Your Wallet

I thought this was an anecdote worth sharing. I was at Subway today to pick up lunch. Every casual Friday I go pick up lunch at Subway. It's my treat for busting my ass all week (depends what week it is, some weeks I bust my ass hard, and some my ass is relatively comfortable). I don't really drink coffee, and I eat out occasionally, but not frequently, so I think I can excuse the Subway.

Basically what I saw with people in line, was that more people were holding their smart-phones than they had their wallets. Essentially, most individuals couldn't spend more than a few minutes without pulling out their phones; the woman in front of me constantly on her blackberry messenger. 

Facebook, as well as smart-phones, are part of this idea that we can't stop being connected. Aside from the smart-phone being an adult pacifier, with its apps and games and whatnot, it is also another way to connect to social networking to make yourself available to people 24/7. 

Whatever happened to just being alone with your thoughts for a few minutes? Are we scared of that? I wonder how many men whip out their phone on the can rather than take a paper or a good book to read to the washroom with them.

-Ryan

What would Saturday Afternoon be like without Facebook? - Managing your 'Down Time'

Saturday Afternoon Without Facebook - You Have Free Time...What To Do?

Whilst Sarah is out being tutled (ie with her stats tutor), I have two choices for the remainder of the afternoon. I can take a nap, or I can play Gran Turismo 5.

Really, not everything you do will necessarily be productive outside of facebook, but it certainly gives you options. Today was fantastic. We went grocery shopping in the morning, made breakfast, and then I went off to recommit myself to my band Aperture. No one thinks about facebook while their jamming, this is a fact. Unfortunately, because I haven't quite signed off of facebook yet, when I got home, I absolutely had to check this thread in which someone threatened me over my sociopolitical opinion on a photo he posted. Threatened with violence? Why yes. That's right, this was an adult conversation. Hence future involvement of actual law authorities. Think about how outside of facebook, this isn't a problem.This guy is a friend's brother, and even my friend doesn't know how dangerous this certain individual is. I don't mean dangerous like Hell's Angels dangerous. I mean dangerous like writing a 1700 page manifesto and then shooting people in Oslo. This isn't the kind of problem that comes up in real life. Back before facebook, you would be having a sociopolitical conversation only with any other individual in person. If that person decided they didn't like that you were challenging their views, they could take a swing at you. You could fight 'em, or call the cops. I'm 28, and sure, over facebook, I could invite him down for a good ol' fashion face pummeling. But that's not what an adult does. Hence, call the cops. But generally, we're assuming you would know the person you're talking to, because the people you hang out and talk to outside of facebook are actually your friends and people you know in person such that you know if they are actually a threat to you or not. I have many friends I know in person that express "extremist" political views, and I'm not trying to insult their views by calling them "extremist" - they are alternative political views, but many interpret these as extremist. They definitely like to defend these views, as anyone passionate about their politics would. But I know these people. I know if they said they'd take a swing at me for something I said, we could talk it out, and go home friends at the end of the day. And if they took a swing at me, no harm, no foul. I know them. I know that's all it is. I don't need to wonder if they're going to start stalking me. This thread really shows two things

• 1) It is a complete waste of time for me to think about this person, and to have gotten involved in his discussion about comparing Obama to Hitler and
• 2) Facebook is full of one off relationships like that...aquaintences, met-onces, friends-of-friends who could also be aquaintences and met-onces of those friends or peculiar relatives. People you don't know. Possible hazards in your life. 

When facebook is gone, I can engage in sociopolitical conversations with my friends who I know aren't going to go crazy if I disagree with them to the point of threatening violence.

Anyway, no facebook also is kind of strange. Because at first, quitting is like, you open up your computer, and you want to go on facebook. But you have no facebook. So instead, you're kind of lost. I searched 'tired' in google, and came up with this:

http://tired.com/

Who is 'us' in this scenario?

This is the first problem you'll encounter when quitting facebook, especially if you used it all the time like I did.

Managing Down Time


So you have some down-time, we all do on the weekend. And like I said, I could play Gran Turismo, or I could sleep. Ultimately though, without facebook, I can take more time to do either of those things. Sure, they aren't productive as, say, working on music with your bandmates (but you can't do that all the time unless 4 other guys live with you), and we all appreciate our rec time, and sometimes just engaging in lazy activities. Usually I'd spend some time on facebook not really doing anything before I'd do any down-time activity. Now I can forego that. So I either have more time to sleep, or more time to play GT5. Perhaps, I can get in a little of both with the time I'm saving. Either way, I think I come out ahead. Even my down time productivity is increased.


-Ryan

Introducing....Life Without Facebook

The following are the final posts of Ryan and myself as we have decided that life without facebook could indeed be better.... This blog was created to show the masses that life can occur outside of status updates and make believe farming games. Through the next year (and possibly more) we are going to blog about our experiences/trips/adventures of life- without the need for FB.

Enjoy!

*Please Note*

Effective November 27th, 2011 I will be signing off of facebook and deactivating my account. After a long discussion with some very close friends, I have come to the realization that facebook was starting to take over my life and my ability to actively be a good friend. I have been thinking about this for a while, and I no longer feel the need to look up how someone is doing or wha...t is new with them by just going on FB. I would rather spend time with them in person or even on the phone. Facebook is starting to become the demise of our society and thus effecting how we communicate with each other. I'm not stating technology is bad, I feel there are more effective ways that I can use it. I feel there is too much I am missing out on by not spending time with the people that matter most, that being said, you can still contact me by phone/ text 780-236-2731, or by email sbraun@ualberta.ca/ sarahpcn@gmail.com and I will write you back even though I have a long history of not doing that. Also stay tuned for a URL of Ryan and Mine's new blog.

Love you all, and take care.

Sarah

After discussing it with a few close friends, we have generally decided that social networking has become quite parasitic. This website is a waste of time to me, and serves no real purpose in my life. Therefore, I'm suspending my account. For those of you that need to get a hold of me, you have my number.
- Ryan