Why I started my own business with Arbonne

When you decide to start the business, you’re asked to write out your why - "why did you start the business?" For some people, it’s automatic – my kids, being debt-free, more vacation, more money! And when I started this business, I felt like I had a pretty great why.

For those that know me, I was another graduate that was not able to enter her field. I graduated with a major in Political Science and I focused on international development. Here I thought that I would take on the world and make such a difference in the lives of so many people. The market, however, was unforgiving to recent graduates and unless you had a pretty sweet connection or you had a stellar resume, good luck. So, I ended up taking a job for the mere fact that I needed money.

When Kimberley (my upline) told me that I should start the business, I thought “are you kidding me?! I’m not selling products. I’m just here to buy them!” But, after going to a Discover Arbonne meeting and bombarding Kimberley with so many questions, I decided to start the business and be a rockstar at it! My “why” was that I wanted to eventually get into my field, either on a voluntary basis or by creating my own organization, and Arbonne was going to give me the opportunity to do that.

At the time, I thought my why was good enough. But even in the first couple of months, I never dedicated myself to growing my business and doing the necessary activity. I couldn’t understand why I didn’t put in the effort that I needed to. Something was missing, but I couldn’t place a finger on it.

For the past couple of weeks, my mind has been going non-stop, thinking and thinking and thinking of why I wasn’t happy, why I couldn’t get my life figured out. What the heck is going on, I thought?

I’ve done a superb job listening to what everyone else wants from me – their expectations, their requests, their goals, etc. I forgot what I wanted, what I expected of myself, what I dreamt for myself. So many years ago, I used to play music and I loved it and I was great at it. My dream was to go to school for music and play in an orchestra and teach. Nobody believed in that dream and instead I followed someone else’s dream.

My biggest mistake and my biggest regret was to not stand up for myself and do what I loved to do. I hated that part of myself, the part that just gave up and said “whatever. Not everybody gets to live their dream. Be satisfied that you at least get to go to university for free.” However, that thought has changed and I firmly believe that if you put in the effort, if you make it work, if you sacrifice whatever it is you need to sacrifice, you’ll live your dream.

I’m taking the step to go back into music. For now, it’ll be lessons, but the goal is to teach and who knows, I might even get the chance to perform with a symphony. This is my life and I only get once shot at it and I refuse to let someone else criticize me, judge me, ridicule me, etc. because I’m doing something that I love! I’m not here anymore to explain why I’m doing something and I’m not here anymore to justify myself. I’m here for a purpose and that purpose is to be happy, to live my life the way it’s meant to be lived and to play music.

This has become my “why” with my business. I started this business because I want to do what I love the most and that’s to play music. No, it’s not feasible to go head first into music, but it will be because my business will allow me the freedom and flexibility that I need to play and teach and perform. My business will provide me with the income I need to still live comfortably and start a new career. This is why Arbonne is so amazing!

Some might wonder if I’m having a mid-life crisis and you’re welcome to think that. But I’m looking outside of the “9am-5pm, Monday to Friday” box and realizing that network marketing is about to become the new way of doing business (now pair that with the Health & Wellness industry that’s about to become the next trillion dollar industry!) Heck, if Warren Buffet is the owner of Pampered Chef and has his hands in 8 different network marketing companies, then I must be doing something right!

- Lady S.

#100 - Be Stress Free for a Day

How to be stress free for one day:

1. Smile the whole day and don't let anything upset you
2. Stop thinking about what tomorrow is going to be like
3. Enjoy your company, whether it be friends or animals
4. Do something you love (read a book, watch a movie, take a bath, etc.)
5. Cook your favorite dish or eat out at your favorite restaurant
6. Don't complain; just be happy

What you're reading is what I did yesterday - I smiled, I didn't care about Monday, I enjoyed the company of friends and animals, I watched the best movie (Secretariat), I went for sushi, and I enjoyed my day! BAM - stress free day, baby!

It's very rare for me to thoroughly enjoy a single day without having some sort of stressful thought run through my mind. And finally ... FINALLY, that day arrived. Now, to learn how to make Mondays stress free... ugh.

Lady S.

49 - Buy a Lottery Ticket

*Update*: I didn't win $10 million. Poopie.

---

I was waiting for the perfect moment to come along where I would buy a lottery ticket and hope for the best. What I was waiting for was the fuzzy feeling in my stomach, where it just felt absolutely right to spend $6 on a lottery ticket. However, that's not how this went down!

I walked into the Mac's store to get a slurpee with the roommate and out of nowhere, at the counter, I ask "I want a lottery ticket." Just like that - not fuzzy feeling, not this-is-the-right-moment, nothing! Of course, I want to choose my numbers, I tell her. So, I have the choice of 649 or Lotto Max, and decide that Lotto Max will do. I walk to the lottery counter and notice that Lotto Max does SEVEN numbers - yes, that's my lucky number if you don't know already. So I proceed by filling in all numbers that are multiples of 7, including 7 itself.

And now, I wait. $10,000,000 could be mine (or they could be for someone else that has been playing that lottery for years!) However, if I don't win this time around, then that's it. No more gambling for me.

I shall bid you all adieu now as I wait for my flight to C-town.

Love,
Lady S.

#26 - Paint one abstract painting for fun

This project was, by far, the greatest one yet! With the assistance of my amazing art friend, T.B., she helped me pick out all of my art supplies and show me a few techniques.

A very long time ago, I remember going the Calgary Stampede and seeing this piece of art that was just amazing. The background color was black and the artist had used silver and gold aluminum to create his art piece. But, what I loved about it so much was that it was really rich in color. The gold was so deep, yet not tacky, and it blended well with the silver. The kicker was that he used crushed diamonds on this piece and wow - it was just amazingly gorgeous. That was my inspiration for this abstract piece. Granted, it's probably not the greatest piece of art, but for me, considering that I'm incredibly uncreative with no imagination, I'm pretty proud of my art. Now, I just need to figure out where to hang it!

xoxo,
Lady S.

#88 - Tell A Random Man That He Is Beautiful

I'm so thankful that this one is officially off my list. I don't even understand why I thought it would be a good idea in the first place! Something about "open up and don't be afraid to be vulnerable." To whomever gave me this advice, here's my advice about your advice: keep it to yourself!

Let's talk about how unsuccessful #88 was. Not only was the guy caught off guard and not entirely impressed, but I'm sure he was ready to kick me out of the pub. Why? Because the guy was the bouncer! I'm sure he thought that I had one too many drinks when really I was sober the entire time. Describing this situation as embarrassing is an understatement; mortified is better. Lesson learned: keep certain comments to myself.

And with that, #88 is gone for good. And so is my pride. ugh.

L.S.

#90 - Write A Letter To A Friend And Send It Via Snail Mail

You're probably thinking that this is a simple thing to do and who wouldn't think that. But have *you* ever spent the time to sit down with a pen and paper and write out a letter to your friend? And then remember to send the letter the next day? Why would you when you have facebook or email or text or bbm? And that's exactly why I put this on my 101 list, because it rarely ever happens!

There's something magical about receiving a personal letter in the mail. For me, it's knowing that somebody took the time to sit down, write their thoughts out, go to the post office, and lick that yucky-tasting stamp onto the envelope. People don't have extra time to waste nowadays, but knowing that somebody went out of their way to send you a letter - that's special for me! And so, I did exactly that - sit down and write a letter to Stephanie.

I think you should try it (whoever 'you' are.) And hey, the best thing your doing when writing that letter is knowing that soon enough you'll be making somebody's day.

Love,
Lady Sovereign

#76: Become More Acquainted With My Religious Views

Many of you know that I'm a Christian person: I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I believe in the Holy Spirit. However, I have never really identified myself with a particular religion. My parents say they are Pentecostal and I lean towards that, but I have a problem with identifying myself to one religion. Why? Because I don't believe that ONE religion has the answers. And so, I rely on my faith and my beliefs and in God to direct me to the "right" answers.

When I moved back to Calgary after Victoria, I spent a lot of time with my family and close friend Elda, and I got a chance to become acquainted with Christianity. The marvelous thing about my family and Elda is that they each hold a slightly different view on religion. They have many things in common, such a Jesus being the son of God, God the creator of this world, and the Bible as the book of answers. Of course, between all of us, we hold a different view on how this world was created. Please note, I'm not a creationist and I don't believe this world was created in 2011 years ago. Nope.

Being surrounded by them questioned my own views because I wanted to make sure that what I was believing was, in my view, correct. And to me, what I view is correct! I don't expect somebody else to come along and believe exactly in what I believe nor do I expect to believe in what they believe. I do, however, believe that we believe in many different things which seems correct to us. And I think that's the beauty of Christianity - we are all right and we are all wrong. But what matters is how we live our lives and how we respond to God when that time comes.

I can sit here today and say that 90% of the time I lead my life the way God wants me to. The other 10% I'm battling with (ex, expected to go to church every Sunday.) But my faith allows to me know that if I don't go to church every Sunday, I'm not going to be condemned; rather, I acknowledge God as much as I can every day and thank Him for my blessings. I don't need church to remind me of why I'm here, why God is here, and how I should live my life.

With all of that being said, I respect everyone's beliefs and everyone's faith. I know that conflict will always exist because of religion, but I find it ironic that God tells us to love one another, and yet we fight and kill over God. I will never fight and never kill because of God; instead I will love you and I will respect you because of God, and even if you don't believe in Him, He believes in you and loves you more because of it.

L.S.

#54 - Go a Week Without Wearing Make Up

Wearing make up is like wearing underwear: an essential. To go out to town without mascara or eyeliner takes a lot of courage, and not because I feel hideous without make up, but because I know I look better with it on, so why the hell would I leave the house knowing that I could look better?

I live by MAC. Plush Lash, Studio Fix, Mineralize Skinfinish - I have it all because it's amazing. So to put it aside for one week and go natural seemed impossible. Alas, I accomplished #54.

Let me explain how #54 was accomplished. Plain and simple, really: I got Bell's Palsy. For those that don't know, Bell's palsy temporarily paralyzes one or both sides of your face. In my case, it was my left side. It was discouraging to go out because I was self-conscious of how I appeared to other people. In all honesty, I didn't want people thinking that I had a permanently paralyzed face. As such, I avoided going out and opted to stay inside instead. Besides, I couldn't really drive because my eye couldn't blink, therefore causing my left eye to become very dry and me having to close my eyes for a period of time. This doesn't work to well on the road! So, since I had nowhere to go and nowhere to be, I stayed home and was make-up free for a week.

Now, for the gals that may be reading this, please note that going a week without mascara does wonders for your eyelashes. Mine were full and long and amaaaazing!

Now that the Bell's palsy is almost gone, I'm back to wearing make up because I'm back to going out. Would I do it again? Probably, since I liked how my skin felt and looked. But I hope that the next time I go without make up it's because I don't have Bell's palsy.

Love,
Lady S.

#19 - Read Five Books

I have *finally* accomplished #19 (which, in all honestly, I thought would take me forever to do because I was rebelling against reading after finishing school.) On the road trip, "Thin, Rich, Pretty" by Barb Harbison provided that entertainment that both myself and my friend needed.

I'll be completely honest - this book is definitely a chick book, and while it was entertaining and an easy read, it actually touched on issues that girls and women go through every day. The novel is centered on three girls: Lexi, Holly and Nicola. Lexi represents the "rich", coming from a wealthy background, but lacking the love from her family. Holly represents the "thin", battling her weight issues and depriving herself from food because of her boyfriend. Nicola represents "pretty", altering her face to fit into the Hollywood image. The book follows their lives and their struggles to feel like "normal" women and throughout the process learn invaluable lessons about themselves.

Wow - didn't that just sounds like an awesome synopsis?! Ha ha ha. Anyway, it's a good book and if you're looking for an easy read, this is definitely it!

Loves,
Lady S.

#3 Move to Toronto

It's official. On October 6, 2010, I arrived in Toronto with my 4 x 8 Uhaul trailer, my 2 cats and my friend Tara. After being on the road for 4 days, it was both nice yet surreal to have arrived.

The four days were .... long and boring and scary and long and fun and tiring and whatever else is involved in a four-day road trip. We drove through Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Each state has it's own unique (sometimes boring) scenery (with the exception of Indiana, because I truly don't remember driving through that state.) Chicago was, in a nutshell, the SCARIEST place to drive. Like, holy crap I wanted to poop my pants the entire time. We weren't even driving through rush hour and it was *still* scary. But, aside from Chicago, the trip was pretty chill. The cats, on the other hand.... well let's just say that at one point I wished that animal cruelty was okay (I know, that sounds bad, but YOU try being stuck in a car with 2 cats for four days and not want to ditch them at the side of the highway!)

It was weird driving up my bff's driveway and realizing that, indeed, I was finally in Toronto. I had always vocalized my desire to move to Toronto and my intentions to do so. But, I never thought that that day would arrive. And now, here I am, sitting in my bff's bro's living room in downtown Toronto writing this blog.

I still miss home. I think I always will. Victoria was... the worst and yet the best thing that ever happened in my life and I don't think that any other city will compare to Victoria. I'm happy to be in downtown, but I miss the simplicity that was Victoria. I miss my friends; I miss my best friend; I miss the ocean; I miss my roads; I miss my social life; I miss my home. I don't know if Toronto will feel like home, but I only pray that one day it will.

With all that being said, I hope and pray that this move is everything I need/want/expect from life. I hope a job is placed in my path, I hope that I meet amazing people and I hope that I continue to be happy.

Much love,
Lady S.

#57 - Limited Carbs

Well, I can't take full credit for this one, but at least I accomplished it. I'm not going to go into details on how I limited myself to carbs, but for those of you that do know what I'm doing in regards to my health, then you may understand how I have limited my daily carb intake.

This one should have been crossed off many weeks ago as this is a continuous project. When I'm done, then you shall all know what I did. Until then, this is going to remain a mystery ;)

Love,
L.S.

#9 - Move Away from Victoria

August 1, 2010 marked the day of my move away from Victoria back to Calgary. Two years ago I would have been completely content with this decision. But, after meeting some amazing people in Vic, I made it my home. Unfortunately, things come to end and now I'm counting down the days until I head out east to Toronto.

And really, that's all I'm going to say before I start getting all sappy on you and bringing out the waterworks!

Here's to new beginnings!
Lady S.

It's Quite Bittersweet

After 4 very wonderful (and sometimes very challenging) years in Victoria, my time has come to an end. In 2 weeks, I move back to Calgary for a couple of months before making my way out to Toronto. This post is dedicated to those very special friends that I met while living here. Without you, life in Victoria would have been completely dull.

Stephanita: Well, what can I say other than I love you a ton and some more! I'm so glad we crossed paths and become not only great friends, but roommates. The fact that you and I went through so many similar situations in life made me realize that you would be so vital in helping me move on. And so, I thank you: thank you for being such an amazing friend, for being there whenever I needed somebody, for laughing at my stupid moments, for poetry I didn't understand, for essay editing, for making me love Halo and Rainbow 6, for the countless hours spent on the couches, for nights outs, for indie songs, for songs that made us cry, for staying awake watching too many movies, for The Unit, for being my roommate, for being my best friend, and for being you. Not only will I miss you immensely, but I'll miss the simple moments we had together that made me so happy. I love you tons girl!

Trev: Aside from the fact that you like Satan too much, I'll still miss you! Thanks for keeping it real and for your not-so-girly advice when I needed it. You're such a great guy and I wish you all the best, whether you decide to stay in Victoria or move to Vancouver (ooooor.... Toronto???) I'll miss you greatly my dear. Thanks for being such an amazing friend.

Sterling: Well, don't you and I just have some interesting history together? Remember cat sitting one particular December?! I always will! But with that aside, thank you so much for the endless amount of rides to the airport, for taking care of my kitties and for house sitting. But most importantly, thanks for your friendship! I still distinctly remember the time I met you in Italian, when I said to myself "I'm going to talk to that girl and she's going to be my friend!" And voila - here we are today =) I'll miss you greatly Miss Travers! You're truly a wonderful friend and I'm so glad we went through all the adventures we did.

Sara: Sara, my dear, I just love you! I have to say that the best decision you took in your life was to sit beside me in Poli 317. Can you imagine if you didn't? We may not even be here as awesome friends! So, thank you. You truly are such a vibrant person and I'm going to miss your quirky and loving attitude. What will I do without you, Sara? Thank you for listening to my rants and for my late night study sessions. Thank you for being a true friend; you definitely are one of a kind and I'm more than certain that I'll never find someone just like you. And as such, you will always hold a special place in my heart (besides, who else do I know that shares a fondness for crushing on our professors?!) I love you girl and I *will* be back to visit you!

To everybody else: Rachelle, Nick, Sean, Nico, Shari, Rocco, Leah R, Maria.
I have had so much fun with you guys individually and collectively. I may not be as close to some of you like I used to be, but regardless I am so thankful you guys came along. Thanks for the fun times and for being such great friends. I'll miss you all dearly.

To those who no longer live here: Tara, Leah and Alyshia.
The three of you just effin rock! Seriously. You guys were so amazing while you lived here and you continue to be amazing. Thanks for the help, for the advice, for letting me come over when I didn't want to be home, and for everything else you guys have done. I love you guys a ton and have been missing you since you guys left. Tara and Lysh, I'll be seeing you soon :) And Leah, I'll be making multiple excuses to visit you in Vancouver.

Thanks for the 4 years guys! I love you all and I'll continue to do so.

Cheers to our friendship,
Celenia

#96 - Be a tourist in my own city (Victoria)

May long weekend came and went with one of my favorite friends visiting me from Calgary: Miss L (I shall not disclose her name for privacy reasons.) Miss L had previously lived in Victoria for six years, but relocated to Calgary. However, who can resist this *beautiful* city and everything it has to offer? So, she returned for a much-deserved visit and as her "tour" guide, I was able to explore my city like a tourist!

We ventured to Government House to see the pretty flowers and dream of what life would be like living in a beautiful mansion! See the gates in the picture? Let's just pretend that's my driveway ;) I had been to G.H. once before for the pumpkin carving show they held there, but I never had the chance to go during the day time to explore the grounds. Well, the grounds are amazing *and* I got the chance to see one of the magnificent chandeliers inside the house. So pretty =)

The breakwater was another destination, and who wouldn't enjoy walking along a cement barricade high enough to cause damage if you accidentally fell?! Thankfully, luck was on my side and nature did not attack me! You can't beat being out in the middle-ish of the ocean, enjoying that fresh smell of salt water!

Sax Point and Hatley Park made the list of places to visit, but on the last day Miss L was here, I had to visit the one place that makes me too happy: Mount Doug. Words can't really describe how gorgeous the view of Victoria is from Mount D, nor how relaxing it is after a stressful day.

#96 was one of the more important items on the list because I needed to remind myself of why Victoria isn't always such a bad city. Yes, I love cities like Toronto and Montreal because they're so vibrant and fast-paced and filled with culture. However, sometimes you can't beat the sense of community one gets when they live in a place like Victoria and neither Toronto nor Montreal have the beautiful scenery that we have here. I've managed to take it for granted, but thankfully that weekend made me realize how lucky I am to live here.

All in all, I highly recommend to take a day off and explore your city like a full-on tourist would!

Much love,
Lady S.

#38 - Finish my B.A. in Poli Sci

Four years ago I moved to Victoria because I needed to escape Calgary. Why I escaped is something only a select few people know, but nevertheless I needed to move and start over again. I had already been in school for 3 years, taking random courses because I had no idea what I wanted to do nor did I have the motivation to figure it out.

When I arrived in Victoria, I went to Camosun for a year because I didn't know what to do with myself. The 2006-2007 year was horrible in terms of school and trying to meet new people. With the exception of one person in my French class, I hadn't met anybody else. By 2007, I was at UVic, determined to figure out what I wanted to take in school. I was stuck between wanting to do languages and doing Poli Sci (as I had always mentioned to my parents.) Before the summer of 2007, my parents asked the dreaded question - "when are you going to graduate?" Unable to answer it, I just picked a year - "oh, I should be graduating by 2010." WTF, I thought, you have no idea if that's when you're graduating. But the pressure from my parents finally made me choose: Poli Sci would be my degree.

I had 2 years to fit in as many courses as I could to graduate on time: 5 courses for the Fall 08 semester, 4 for Winter 09, 2 for Summer 09, 5 for Fall 09, and just recently 5 for Winter 10. 22 classes in 18 months = stressed out like fuck! However, regardless of the amount of stress I had to endure, they were the best 18 months ever. I discovered my love for political economy and international development, I met an incredible group of people who I adore and appreciate, and I had some of the most amazing poli sci classes (with the greatest profs.) Yesterday (the 24th) was my last final and walking out knowing that I was finished was so surreal. Today, I'm sitting here with a huge smile on my face because I'm finally done! In 2003, I never would have thought that I would be in Victoria finishing my degree because I was such a lost little girl. Thankfully, that's over now.

And now, for the challenging part. After 4 years of being in Victoria, of becoming a different (for the better) person and realizing my potential, it will all come to an end soon when I move. My exact moving day is still unclear, but I may be gone for sure by August 1st. It's bittersweet knowing that I have to move soon - I love everyone I know, but I'm ready for a new experience.

With that, I tell all of my friends "thank you"! Thank you for being there, for your support, for the fun times, for the stupid, crazy times, and whatever else! I love you all dearly. And cheers to what is going to be an amazing summer!

Much love,
Celenia.

#46 - Buy something from 5 different stores that I didn't know existed in Victoria or Calgary

Yesterday (Sunday, April 18, 2010) was absolutely gorgeous outside. I mean, I could have stayed downtown the entire day, sitting at a patio and taking in the sun. Sadly, that did not happen. However, the roomie and I had planned to go downtown to Russell books to see if I could find some poli sci related books.

Before I tell the story that relates to #46, I actually did find two books at Russell's. First, Globalization and its Discontents by Stiglitz and A Theory of Global Capitalism by Robinson. Dork, I know, but they're books on my wish list and I *had* to get them.

Anyway, enough about that. Since we were in downtown we decided to walk around and check into a bunch of stores. For those that live in Victoria, please go to Oscar & Libby's - I have been there multiple times and I love it. One of the stores we walked into is called "The Papery". I had never seen it before nor heard of it, so what better way to work my way through 46 than by buying something from there.

Mother's Day is approaching and I wanted to get my mom a card that wasn't a Hallmark card or a card that didn't take me forever to make. So, if you look at the picture, that's the card I purchased from the store. It's a really cute place - lots of cards, stuff for scrapbooking, and much more. Go check it out!

Loves,
Lady S.

#40 - Spend $200 on only one item as a splurge

The fact that I even have this item on my list only encourages me to buy something of that amount so I can cross it off my list. However, when I bought my item, I had no idea that I was about to cross #40 off.

#40 is related to #7, as I bought the Coach bag at the outlet mall in Tulalip. This Coach bag, however, has quite the peculiar story to it!

I'm in the Coach store determined to walk out with something. Everything looks so pretty, so to walk out without anything in hand would be such a sin! I'm walking around the store, eying every purse that I want, when I come across a nice, big, beautiful purse. Then, a lady approaches me and asks me if I need help.

"Well, I would really love to get a purse that can be used for school, but that's also great for travel because I fly too much and I need a reliable bag."

"Well, the bag you're looking at is *perfect* for your needs!"

So, she grabs the bag and opens it up and wooooow - it's SO big! I'm automatically in love it with. She's letting me know that there are tons of pockets and compartments - even a laptop compartment too! Well, I'm sold and I walk out with my Coach bag.

I get home and I'm just stoked to stuff this beauty with my stuff. And then I think, "oh! I should try to fit my computer in the compartment!" Well, the compartment comes out of the bag.

"Strange," I think, "this compartment seems way too little. And why is it folded into three? Shouldn't there be a zipper around here?"

This can't be right, I think. So I grab my computer and right I was - my computer didn't fit in it! So what the hell was this 3-folded, rectangular, padded mat for?? I look inside the bag and see elasticized compartments and think "wow - definitely can hold a lot of drinks!" And then BAM - it hits me!

"This isn't a travel bag - it's a MATERNITY BAG!!!"

Stupid me spent $200 on a maternity bag! Let's talk about how embarrassed I was when I realized what I had purchased! Not only did I not pay attention to the bag itself because I was so caught up with how pretty it look, but the lady actually lied to me about it being a school/travel bag! Yeah, not impressed!

Anyway, I'm stuck with the bag because I can't return it. Granted, it makes for a good school bag, but how embarrassing!

Lady S.

Note: the picture of the Coach purse isn't the exact one that I have. It's similar, except my has a white stripe instead of a brown one and it's a bit bigger.

#7 - Take a mini road trip

This road trip is pretty effin mini! I mean, to the point that we did it in one day! Nonetheless, it's a road trip.

The roomie and I decided that we had to go to Van for the Olympics and partake in the festivities. I mean, it was happening next door - why *wouldn't* we go? We hopped onto the ferry and enjoyed out Thursday in downtown Van. Feb 19/10 rolls around and at 8:30am, we make the journey to Tulalip, were some hardcore shopping is ensued.

It's a ritual of mine since I moved to Victoria to head to the US and do some major outlet shopping. When I say major, I mean it's rare to walk away with less than $300 in goods. I know, pretty bad, but whatever!! It's only once a year =)

We only had time to spend the afternoon in Tulalip, with a stopover in Bellingham because I wanted to do more shopping!

And that was the road trip! Sorry to disappoint, but nothing extravagant happened during that time!

L.S.

#46 - Buy something from 5 different stores that I didn't know existed in Victoria or Calgary

Okay, so this part is split into two sections, as I have purchased two things in two stores I didn't know existed.

To start : Calgary!
Now, if my memory serves correct, this occurred during Christmas break 2009 (I know.. many months later, and I'm finally posting on this!) I was with my girl friend T in downtown Toronto and we had just finished eating some pretty amazing hot dogs at Tubby dog (if you like hot dogs, you'll love this place!) Of course, eating a fattening hot dog just didn't cut it for us - we needed dessert! We stood outside of the establishment and looked across the street to see a cute cake shop called "Crave". Now, for those that know me, I love love love love cupcakes and it was only suiting that I try out the cupcakes at this place.

Well.... wow! By far, the best cupcakes I have ever tried are at Ooh La La in Victoria. These cupcakes *almost* matched that amazing quality at Ooh La La. So for those that live in Calgary and need a sweet fix, try Crave - it's amazing!

Second : Victoria
Because I love Ooh La La so much, I avoid driving by there because not only is each cupcake loaded with calories, I can't stop myself at just one! However, on a particular day, I took my friend Lysh to try out these amazing cupcakes. The cupcakes, though, is not the different store. Beside Ooh La La is a beauty salon/tanning salon/we-sell-purses-and-jewelry-and-clothes salon! So we decide to enter when I see Coach bags hanging on the windows. Naturally, I can't resist walking away from purses, so I had to buy myself a Coach clutch. Was it necessary?! Well no, but nothing is necessary in life other than food, water, and air!

And there you have it! 3 more stores and #46 is done!

Lady Sovereign <3

#80 - Help a homeless person at least once

I think this is something that everybody should do in their lifetime, not as a project or out of random sympathy, but because as human beings, we always need help. I'm sure there are those that will disagree with me, and you're entitled to your opinion. But I would like to believe that humanity is more compassionate and more caring than that.

This took place a few weeks ago (actually, many weeks ago) and it isn't until now that I write about it.

I was driving to pick up roommate after my violin lesson. It was a perfect lesson - everything had gone well and I was in such an incredible mood. At the lights on Blanshard by the mall, there was a girl, around my age, asking for anything - money, food, etc. She was right beside me, and while I couldn't stop smiling because of my lesson, she didn't smile at all. And between the moment that I saw her and the moment that I helped her, I couldn't stop thinking about how fortunate I am.

Everyday I realize how lucky I am to have the parents that I have, to have the life circumstance that I have, the support, the encouragement, etc. And while I always realize that I'm lucky, I don't think I ever fully understand *how* lucky I am until I see girls my age asking for help. To me, that's so unfair. What did I ever do in life to deserve this middle class status? To have my entire education paid for? To wake up in my *own* condo? To walk out to my own car? To never have to worry fully about money problems? I didn't work for it! But how did I get that circumstance and she didn't?

That question will never be answered. I can only hope that she'll get on her feet and find hope in something or somebody.

That day I gave her what I had - my $5 bill that was going to by my Starbucks drink and the change in my change purse. Starbucks, I thought, can wait for its profit.

Lady S.