Happy (almost) birthday to me!

When birthdays come around, it’s natural to become somewhat reflective. As I look at where I am in my life, I easily get hung up on the fact that I’m not anywhere near where I thought I would be at the ripe “old” age of nearly 32. I’m also a far cry from where society likes to dictate a ”successful” 32 year old woman should be in her life.

Divorced….Childless…..NOT a homeowner….

According to society’s standards, I am well on my way to becoming “that crazy cat lady from apartment 11E.” 

Alysia Ann Jansen, Spinster Extraordinaire.

However, when I choose to assess my current life situation from the depths of my soul, I’ll tell you what I DO find…….

A woman surrounded by LOVE thanks to a close knit family that has been through hell and back and come out the other side stronger than ever.

A woman blessed with a life FULL of LAUGHTER thanks to 3 VERY special little humans that make up a large part of her heart.

A woman that has created a network of inspiring friendships that fulfill her both intellectually and emotionally.

A woman driven by intuition and her heart….that makes decisions based on what her gut tells her. Always has. Always will. 

Regardless of how it stacks up to society's expectations, how can a person be anything but grateful for a life like this!

Therefore, in the spirit of perpetuating abundance, I’m planning something a little different for my birthday this year.  As you may know, I’m a huge fan of RAoA…Random Acts of Awesome.  Such a big fan that, between now and my birthday, I will be compiling a list of 32 acts of AWESOME that I will complete over the course of my birthday weekend (September 13 – 15). 

Now, I have MANY people in my life that deserve a little bit of awesome but, in the hopes of trying to spread some awesome to a broader group, I’m asking for suggestions from YOU! Do you know someone that is having a rough go these days and needs some awesome in their life? Or maybe you know someone that gives so much awesome that it’s about time karma came back around and returned the favour? Tell me…..and I’ll make it a priority to find a way to share a little piece of awesome that weekend with 32 deserving people! 

*A*

Happy Love Day!

It’s no secret that romantic relationships are a mystery to me. So, on a day dedicated to love, I decided to devote some energy to detailing the THINGS I KNOW FOR SURE when it comes to what I love……

My Family

Just the thought of my family can bring me to tears. Maybe I’m a big cry baby or maybe I’m just so full of love for them that it likes to express itself by way of water running from my eyes. Either way, I am in love with my family. I am proud of how close we are and the support that we share. At times when life could have driven us apart we came together stronger than ever; for this I am so grateful.

Easton, Alivia and Davin make my heart sing. The thought has crossed my mind that I can’t imagine having my own kids because I don’t want the relationship I have with them to change. They are the true loves of my life.

Blaine, Janine and my Dad. No words. Just more tears. The following quote says it better than I ever could……

Music

I love music. There is rarely a minute in any day where I don’t have some form of music playing. Heck, even when I shower I bring my IPod dock into the bathroom. I’m sure my neighbours hate me. Music helps me express the emotions I don’t know HOW to express and the emotions I don’t WANT to express. It helps me bring light to my feelings and keeps me sane.

Weightlifting

The barbell is my boyfriend. I am in love with it and, like in any good relationship, it’s hard for me to express exactly why. It inspires me, challenges me and occasionally pushes me to my limits so that I can learn exactly what I’m made of. In the last 17 months, since I devoted my time to strictly weightlifting, I have learned that I can do more than I ever thought I could if I just remove my brain from the equation. Stop thinking and trust in your abilities. Trust that you have everything you need in order to succeed. Who would have thought a chunk of metal would be so adept at teaching me life lessons without asking for anything in return. How could you not fall in love with something so selfless?

Reading

My mom used to brag that I taught myself how to read so I’m confident that my love for reading has been with me since the day I was born. I could spend an entire afternoon in a book store or the library. I choose books based on recommendations from friends and based on their popularity on “Best Seller” lists. But, if I was being completely honest, as we all should be when talking about what we love, I often choose books just because of how they feel. A book that opens easily, isn’t too big or cumbersome to hold and has just the right thickness of paper gets me every time. This may explain why the next time you see me I just might be reading a book titled “Why do animals not have religion?”

At the end of the day, I’m comfortable with the fact that I have NO idea where my life is going or what it has in store because I have all of these things to LOVE while I enjoy the journey.

*Often people ask me about my music playlists. So, below is a list of every song that came on while I was typing this………

In My head – Jason Derulo
Come Over – Kenny Chesney
Give Me Love – Ed Sherran
No Diggity – Chet Faker
Rich Girl – Hall & Oates
Shake it Out – Florence and the Machine
Fix You – Cold Play
Limit to your Love – James Blake
Migrate – Mariah Carey
Black River – Amos Lee
No Envy, No Fear – Joshua Radin
Late Night Hour – Ice Cube
Cry with You – Hunter Hayes
Put it Down – Brandy
Hoo-Bangin’ – Westside Connection
4 my Man – Missy Elliot
Coming Down – The Weeknd
It Hasn’t Been Long Enough – Eric Hutchinson
Through the Wire – Kanye West
Muscle Relaxants – The Rural Alberta Advantage
Tear it Up – The Dudes
The Ditty – Paper Boy
The Light – Common
Make me Proud – Drake