Day 9

This week is down to earth week.

What a perfect day to watch a documentary. This morning I had a conversation with my friend Tara which actually started with how handsome we thought Bradley Cooper is (my future husband... how great does Jennifer Casey Cooper sound?? great ring to it.)... some how it got into how I liked Leonardo DiCaprio because A. He is an unreal actor and b. he is an environmental activist. I am most recently a "new founded" environmentalist. So what do I do.. I hit up google to show Tara exactly what Leonardo DiCaprio has done... and what do I find, he has produced and narrated a film called The 11th Hour. And what did this documentary do... it brought be back down to earth. It reminded me of the bigger picture of how much of an impact we have on the world. What are the things I can do to make a change? What are some of the bigger things that are happening that need to be change? How does the human population have an effect on Natural Disasters? These are all things I think we think about every day.

Some people say.. why the environment? Why is this what you are passionate about? Well I answer this question almost every day. After setting up a new composting and recycling program at work I get to explain myself every day. Getting people to take the time and using a compost while they are busy is like pulling teeth. Changing there ways is difficult and you really need to be able to explain your ideas. So why is it important? Is composting napkins and chopsticks really going to make a change? What is the value?

Well let me share with you what I think. Some people will say... well Jenn still drives her car, or she owns gucci bags and a cell phone and an i pod. Being environmentally friendly doesn't mean I need to be a tree hugging- live in the jungle- and eat berries and fruit all day. What does it mean to me?? To live a life that I want to live well being sustainable to the place I live in. Being conscious of the purchases I make and what kind of effect they have on the earth when I am finished with them. But why can't we have both? You can.... this is the difference of well-being and well-wanting. If everybody took the time to show a little love, our generation could make a big difference. Using our natural resources instead of fossil fuels. Look at all the things that the human being can do?? Look at all the technology we have created. So why not use these brains we have to incorporate our lives around the planet we live in. 

So what are some things you can do in day to day life?

eat at local places, Calgary is great for local food! To name a few of my favorites... Notable, The coup, BoxWood, Deville.. If you have not heard of them.. look it up! Check it out!

Start a recycling program at work and at home. You name it,  I recycle it... We recycle everything from chopsticks to tea bags.. to cork... to paper... to to-go boxes for food. Start recycling.

Try to not use your cars. I know its tough even I have trouble with it... But start with walking to the grocery store... why drive? 

But really what can you do to make a difference??? Share your ideas with me and with others...what can you do to come back down to earth? Show it some love! Treat the earth with respect and it will show it back to us. 

Good night all... see you tomorrow on Fancy Friday!

Day 8

Todays post is a bit different from the rest. I wondered when this day would come. So far I have basically written about sunshine and rainbows, but life isn't always like that. Some days are harder then others. The first step is realization! Not that this has been an awful day... it hasn't, but is a day that made me ask a lot of questions. 


Todays task started off by me taking my first run of the year outside. Its the first real glimpse of spring and was a warm day outside. I always find the first day of starting to get back running is the hardest. I really had to pump myself up. A couple struggles I came across..... 


I live downtown... not such a easy place to run in... nervous about where to go... where not to go. So I decide to drive over to my parents place and go from there. Shows I like to be in my comfort zone right? So off I go... beautiful day.... nice spring smell.... but puddles everywhere! Needless to say my feet were completely soaked within the first ten minutes. I stick it out for a while longer.. but still unbearable. I call it quits. So now Im feeling guilty.... I didn't really feel like I made the effort to find happiness today. Was I sad? Did I not have a good day? No.... my day was fine, I set goals at work, I had a positive attitude, but there was just something missing that just wasn't there.


What do I do? First... I go to chapters. I buy a book.  Not satisfied. Second, I decide to go to a movie alone. This is definitely a first. I have never gone to a movie theatre alone. But why not? I watch movies at home by myself. Its not like you have a conversation with someone while your at a movie. I can spend time with just myself. So I get to the theatre, buy a ticket and sit down. Im overwhelmed. Why am I worried about what people think of me being alone at the movie? Why couldn't I find anyone to come with me? Why can't I concentrate on whats going on? And then of course, I start thinking about the past. I love movies and use to go to them all the time.... what changed and where is that person that would want to go with me? And then I think... well Im not happy. I want to cry. I want to leave. But I stay... of course I send some emotional text messages to both my sister and my mom who were then probably thinking... I wonder whats up with Jenn. I stick the movie out... I enjoy the movie but Im sad that I had no one to enjoy it with. And now that's what Im left to think about. 


I do have friends who go to movies alone.... but I don't think I can. Its not for me. I am proud of myself for going.. I've been wanting to see this movie all week. (Limitless, you should see it!) But going alone made me feel like Im missing something. It makes me question if Im happy or if Im missing something in life. Weird.... Im an extremely happy person.. but how do I get in moods like this? I guess this is the 365 day process to figuring out exactly who I am, these are things I need to tackle. 

(How can you be sad with this view right?!)

Not wanting to leave this post on a sour note... here are some pictures from my run, and also a message from a friend that I want to share. I also don't want people to think Im going to bed sad... I can only imagine the phone calls and texts I would get! When I got home, (something that brightened up my day) A message from a friend who told me he was proud of me and my blog, and that I am on the journey to find myself and Happy to hear how well I'm doing! Of course this puts a smile on my face... good job Myke!

Day 7

Today was a day off for me at work! Yesterday I made plans for my sister and Charlie to come over in the morning while my brother and law tried to get some sleep. (He is working nights so needs some peace and quiet in the morning) 


Task for the day.. Entertain a three year old at my not so child friendly house. Its not that my house is unfit for a kid... its just that I don't really have much to entertain any! Charlie is the one and only little one that has been over to our house! I had to wake up pretty early this morning which is rare for me when I have a day off.... I never get to sleep in. Immediately I got to work tidying up the place, deciding what to have for lunch, finding some sort of activity to do and got to work!

When Charlie first got here she would not even really leave her moms side. Slowly but surely... with bribes of course I get her to open up and live a little. It first took a popsicle (something Im very happy I went out and purchased that morning) a trip to starbucks... and then of course we made some jello! By this time Charlie was back to her normal self and happily running around. She drew pictures in my notebook, pretended to read a book, and then we had a picnic lunch in the living room. 

Charlie and her mommy

This picture makes me happy because she is pretending to read a book that a friend made for me that has quotes in it. I was funny watching her make up a story!

This was a bit of a first for me. Don't get me wrong, I spend time with Charlie all the time and we do fun activities together... but she never comes over to  my house. Usually we spend time together at grandmas or my sisters place. Goals for the future: Maybe have some arts and crafts. Get my sister to trust me alone with her for a couple of hours (hehe)... and Charlie just stay with me :)..... oh and maybe have her over for more then a couple of hours!!!

Best thing Charlie said all day.... "Thanks for the picnic" as she left in the afternoon!

Task.... successful.... and will probably be repeated... will need to buy some toys of course!

xx

Day 6

2 trips to Safeway, one trip to seven eleven, 6 bags of chocolate chips and 3 and a half hours later I am finally finished. Although all of the above things don't sound so exciting...(except for the chocolate chips part) the were the best three hours I have had in a long time. The whole time spent giggling and laughing with my roommate Lane. 


We most recently got a new oven and have been using it the last two days none stop! Last week a girl at work brought these cake pops in. They were absolutely amazing and she proceeded to tell me how easy they were to make and told me exactly how to make them. So tonight was the night I decided to try it out! Let me tell you.... not an easy task! The pictures are embarrassing! 

(this is me rolling the cake balls. As you can see... Im still sporting my very fun nail polish)

So from the beginning... I stop at Safeway to get all of the tools to make these cake lollipops! When I leave the grocery store I realize that I have already forgotten an ingredient.. milk! So I decide to stop at seven eleven down the street from my house. When I get home I immediately start baking a cake. This part is all very organized, I watch a bit of t.v with my roommate and soon the cake is finished! So the cake comes out... I let it cool... crumble up the cake, add icing... and roll it into pretty little balls. All this time feeling very proud of myself!!! This whole time Lane is debating if she should go to bed or not. She wants to stay up to see the final product but she also has school in the morning. So she decides to help me. I need to cut my skewers in half (make shift lollipop sticks) so Lane gets on melting the chocolate. Turns out cutting skewers is harder then you think. The house we live in is being renovated on the main floor. Lane suggests to go use a saw. I do... and it doesn't work. But definitely provided entertainment thinking it was a good idea.  When I come back upstairs to our kitchen, Lane is getting along well and she is getting the chocolate melted. We decide we should add milk to the chocolate to change the consistency. NOT a good idea! Pretty soon we just have a clump of white chocolate. So Lane says... why don't you just do this in the morning? And I just couldn't do that. I started the project and I needed to finish it. So I hope into my car and go and get 4 more bags of chocolate chips!  Come back and finally melt the chocolate!!! Although is still is not a consistency to stick to the cake mix well. It turn out to be an epic fail! My cake keeps breaking, I can't get the chocolate on smooth, the sprinkles are sticking to my hands. epic fail. 

(attempting to roll the ball in sprinkles)

Final product: Not good! But hey.... at least they have character. 

(final product)

Turns out making cake lollipops is not easy. I am very proud of anyone who can make them successfully. I am just not a baker. I guess if I ever have a craving for them I will have to find someone to make them for me!!


The best part about the whole experience...... the amount of times I smiled and laughed at my self. Although my cake pops are "flawed" they still taste amazing and I think they are extremely cute. I did get frustrated and only made 5 out of the 34 I was planing on making... but practice makes perfect and when my mom gets back in town... Im sure we will make some together! (Hers will probably be perfect)


Something that will not be added to the list in the about me section. Baker. Cake pops are not for me..... at least not without my moms help. 


See you at Day 7

Day 5

Wow! What a fun day! I was invited by the coworker and his wife last Sunday to a get together they were having on Sunday afternoon. I was really excited to go but unfortunately I did not even make it last week. Joel was very disappointed but we definitely made up for it today! I work with Joel about 6 days a week and we get to spend a lot of time together. We have known each other for about 4 and half years now but were never really close. We went from knowing each others names at work, to becoming Facebook friends... and now we run a restaurant together. Going off first impressions neither of us could imagine we could become good friends..... but hey, 4 and a half years later it happened. I'm very proud to say that I can have him, and his wife Shandelle apart of my life!


So today I went over to there place for lunch. So nice of them to invite me! I ended up staying from about 1:00 to 6:00 It was a fun afternoon of yummy stew and good conversation! Both were definitely needed! My parents are out of town and I usually spend Sundays with my entire family. This is something is greatly missed when they are not in the city. Having lunch with Joel and Shandelle made up for the fact I could not have dinner with my family.


So your probably thinking... what is so great or different about what she did today? Well even though I'm very extraverted and extremely outgoing I get shy and quiet around people I don't know. Part of the reason I didn't go last week is that there was going to be so many people I didn't know. So I "maned up" and put myself in a situation that I knew I would be  a little bit more uncomfortable in. So what did I learn?? Sometimes you have to put yourself in a place where your uncomfortable to learn and meet new people! And thats what happened today! Im happy to say that I now have two more positive people in my life and that I learned more about a person I work with everyday! Sometimes I think that friends are work don't always take the time to get to know each other in life outside of the building and Im glad to say that we have both made the effort! It was worth it.....




I also completed something off of "the list" today! I brought Joel and Shandelle flowers! Which I loved doing, and they were a very beautiful color! Something people should do more often. Flowers add life to the room and Im happy I could do that for them!


Tomorrow Im going to take my blog to the kitchen! Can't wait to tell you how it goes!


J

Day 4

Todays task was a little bit more silly then the previous things I've done all week. When I originally thought of doing this... I thought... I defiantly wont make it through the whole day with my hands looking like this. Even as I am typing this message it is making me laugh at myself. So a couple of months ago I painted Charlie's nails exactly like this, but come on... she is three, and I am twenty three.... what is fun and looks cute on a three year old doesn't mean it would look good on me. If this were true, I definitely would try to wear tutu's every day of my life. (kids clothing is a way more fun then adult clothing) Its a little bit different and I knew I would be getting some type of a reaction from people who saw it. 


So I originally thought this is not a good idea and was already thinking about taking it off. (I brought nail polish remover to work) So I get to work, half an hour early today to install some very cool new soap dispensers. I have to use my hands to show Darren the handyman exactly where I want them. Being pretty self conscious of my fingers I ask Darren what he thinks about it. He said "yeah, I was wondering.. why are your nails like that" So I told him about my blog.... and he replies with... "you should blog about how to manage your financials." Very Random and also very irrelevant. Weird to be that thats what he replied with!  He then goes into a twenty minute shpeal  about why I should do this, why it will benefit me and how great it is. Well I'm sure it is great... and Im sure when my mom reads this post she is probably thinking that thats what I need instead of pointlessly painting my nails all different colours. But mom---- my nails ended up making me very happy today, as well as all the people who work for me. (I will save my financial blog for another day, how exciting will that one be........not)


So turns out... I might actually start doing my nails like this. Every time I looked down at my nails and obviously I see them loud and clear right now as Im typing they make me laugh. Not only that but they made other people laugh. I bet when I show up to work on Monday at least two girls will have there nails painted like this. Look out Calgary.... a new phenomenon is coming our way. Definitely was great to hear people laugh and giggle all day at work, one of the great joys of my life that I get to work in an atmosphere were laughing happens all the time! One comment I got is that this is the new thing to do on the runway.... apparently in all the magazines.... so the new word Im adding to my list for the day... hipster. Thats right.. I am now a hipster. I set a new trend today and its going to take off. I feel very proud of myself.


I challenge everyone to do one silly thing a week that makes people laugh. Silly Saturdays maybe?? 


until Sunday


xo

Day 3

Day three of blog writing. The funny thing about today is that I was excited to come home and write this blog!!! It might actually be the highlight of my day. I guess blogging makes me tick (maybe I should write blogger to the list of things "about me"....or it could be premature as it is only day 3) so this blog is either getting me excited...... or I just had a horrible day. Probably a little bit of both! Those of you who know what kind of a day I had at work..... will know that I didn't have the best day! Its a good thing I am so passionate about my job!!!


Soo..... what new thing did I decide to do today? I sent snail mail to one of my best friends who is currently living in London, England. This is something I don't ever remember doing, so if I have sent snail mail, it was done far before I was a teen.... and with that being said, Im sure my mom did it for me!


My friend, who is living in London has never read this blog, its only been two days and I have had not had a chance to tell her! I've decided Im going to hold off on telling her, and wrote about my blog in the handwritten letter I sent her. How fun is that? Not only does she get to receive a letter in the mail... but then she also will have like twenty whole days of blogging to catch up on!!! (So Miss Amanda, you better be sending me a whats app message as you read this!!!!) Those of you who don't know me or her.... we have pretty much been inseparable since 7th grade. With the exception for the fact we lived in different cities for a couple of years and now that she lives in London. ( A bit of a contradiction hey?) We went to junior high and high school together, and while in grade 12... we lived together for half a semester! Pretty great experience living with your best friend while your still in high school! We have traveled North America together.... seattle, portland, hawaii (all with our high school cheer team) as well as Houston on a family trip! Most of my memories include her and I'm sure we will be friends for life. Defiantly a bridesmaid if I ever get married. And in exactly 3 months and twenty days I can say we traveled Europe together. That is right Im going to London!


So back to my new "task". I wrote Amanda a snail mail. Some interesting things I noticed while writing this letter.........


1. I can't spell, and I rely on spell check
(as I just wrote that I asked my roommates boyfriend how to spell "rely")
2. I wrote the envelope about 5 times before I wrote on the envelope in a satisfying way
3. When putting stamps on the envelope, I had no idea how many to put on
4.I guess when you send mail to europe you actually have to go to the post office (who knew?!?)




So what an experience that was! A lot of hard work! I noticed how much I rely on technology and how much apart of my life it is.... thinking about it now, I should send more letters in the mail. Thinking how it made me feel writing the letter and how Amanda will feel when she gets to open it?? This is definitely a task I will try to add to my every day life!


So today I learned... I can't spell... nothing new.. I say it almost everyday... that taking time to put more emotion and care into a letter is far more liberating then sending an e-mail. Everyone should try it! (will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside)


So things that make me happy.... writing letters!


Can't wait for tomorrow.... tomorrows task.....pretty fun!

Day 2

So today was a tough day! Thinking about what to blog about is difficult!! I woke up bright and early after sleeping at my sisters house already thinking about what new "task" I was going to do today.. After a busy day at work and still no ideas,  its now 6:00pm and I am venturing on the road to go to my sisters. With my sisters suggestion of putting Charlie (my three year old niece) to bed, I knew I had to find something--hopefully something a little bit more interesting then putting a toddler to sleep. Secretly its because I knew I would never have success (No way she would listen to me) and that my second task of the whole entire project would be an epic fail. Putting Children to bed is not really my strong point, but flaws:Perfection.....right? 


So Finally!! I figure out this fabulous idea of something new Im going to do today. And if I can say this, it was a really really great idea! So to complete this new task, I had to go buy something at the drugstore. As I take out a twenty dollar bill to pay, I noticed that there was writing on one side of the green bill. I put it back in my wallet, take out another twenty... pay... leave, and then decide that this task has got to wait!! This twenty dollar bill practically flashes in front of my eyes and I decide that I need to do something with it today. My old idea is just going to have to wait, but something to look forward to tomorrow. 


Your probably wondering what was written on the bill... well it says "Follow this bill at www.whereswilly.com" This is the first time I have ever come across a piece of currency with a message on it. Im now pretty excited to log on to this website and be able to see exactly where this bill has traveled to and how many people have handled it. So I get onto my macBook and go to the website. Enter the serial code, and their we have it! The history of exactly where this bill has traveled to. Turns out this bill has only been checked in once.. kind of disappointing... but the results were still mildly exciting. This twenty dollar bill had been checked in to Langley, B.C in 2008 and then checked in again by me in 2011 in Calgary, AB.  So this got me asking a couple of questions... I still wondered really how many different cities this bill went to? how many people have touched it.? How did it get from Langley, B.C to Calgary, AB? Did it really take three years to travel here?


So what do I decide to do?? I decide to write the name of my blog on a twenty dollar bill!! thats right http://idontwant2wait.blogspot.com is now written on a twenty dollar bill. Is that even legal??? Now that I have written on the bill I am a bit alarmed that your not suppose to write on Canadian money... not only that.. but I wrote my personal blog name on the bill. I guess I am officially trackable now, I hope I don't get in trouble. So the thought behind it???? If every person that earns or is given my twenty dollar bill there is a chance that possibly they will log on and check out my blog!!!!! Hopefully leave a comment and tell me where they are from!! I can't wait to see if I get any response! If you so happen to come across this twenty dollar bill please make sure to leave a comment!! (If your going to starbucks tomorrow I would suggest going to the starbucks in Dalhousie station..... you might have the chance!!!) 

So things I tried that are new today......

1. Found and tracked a piece of Canadian Currency

2. Branded a twenty dollar bill with my blog name

3.Probably broke a law for writing on a piece of money

Until tomorrow.....

oh and P.S.. It took my brother-in-law about twenty five minutes to get Charlie to bed. Definitely a task that would have been a lot more difficult for me!

Day 1

Over much thought I have decided to start my first blog.


I am going to spend 365 days trying new things to discover who exactly I want to be, or more really what I inspire to be. Every day trying a new activity...a new task.... challenge my mind and my body to do things it might not always want to do. Check things off "the list" (Which is on the right hand side of this blog), find things that excite my mind, but also find things that maybe I don't particularly enjoy. The thought behind it.... one day I will discover exactly who I am, what I value, and what I believe in. My hope is to make mistakes along the way... grow... maintain my morals and values, and to live a little. Not all things are going to make me happy, and Im not going to excel at everything. But who knows-- Maybe I will find a new calling, find the inner doctor/artist/yoga master in me. Oh boy the list could go on. 


So what is the first new thing I tried for this project? I'm sure you could guess this one. My Blog!! As much as I wish my first new "task" was more exciting this one was a lot of work. Maybe by the end of this year I will be able to add Blogger to the list of things I just described myself as in the "about me" section. One can only dream. So what were the hardest parts in starting this blog. The name!!! My Blog is all about finding myself, about finding true happiness, about trying new things. So I thought about it.... The Happiness Project,-- taken and now there is a book about it. to be jennifer casey-- rather boring, not sure how many people would want to be me (I like to think most people do). The runner up--flawedequalsperfection-- based off a saying I actually just found today "Flawed can be more perfect then perfection" which I plan on proving in this exact blog... and will probably be my new quote possibly for the rest of the year. Im not going to be perfect at everything, nor am I going to be perfect at everything Im passionate about. Who wants to be perfect anyways??? Now I have the option to put my personality into everything, make it my own.


So what did I land on... 


idontwant2wait




With some much needed input from my older sister we came across idontwant2wait. Its actually a song title by Paula Cole. The chorus being....


I dont want to wait
For our lives to be over
I want to know right now
What will it be
I dont want to wait
For our lives to be over
will it be yes or will it be
sorry


So first things first Im not very good at reading the inner messages in songs. But what I take from this.. is that I really just want to know what I am all about right now. Of course I don't want to wait to know the things that truly make me happy, and of course I don't want my life to be over! Also the song was on Dawson's Creek, so who can go wrong with that?  And thats what happened....BOOM!  A blog title. A day down of trying something new, only 364 days to go. March 23rd 2012 probably won't come soon enough!