We had some extra time at LAX and so I wanted to send this out to our friends and family before we get to Sydney!! Christmas is fast approaching and I cannot believe it is even December! This year has gone by soooo fast and i am actually very grateful for this as it has been a very difficult one. This is the time of year that we come to appreciate all of the blessing our lives and for this i am so thankful! This year was filled with a lot of work for both clayton and I, and unfortunately little play. I am so looking forward to this changing! Dad is active again in the business and sales are doing well he even has come to Calgary with me for two day trips and this is a huge relief for all of us! His progress is continuing but is very slow, we all have faith that this coming year will be the best yet! I want to thank each and every family member, and friend for all of the support, guidance and love through this last year, my family could not have gotten through this year without you. This time of year allows us to look back on the year, the ups/downs, good and bad and this is one of my favorite times of year because of that. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and lots of health, love and happiness in the New Year! Love Sarah Clayton & Cali
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Turning Over A New Mat
This train keeps on trucking! Work and life is as crazy and busy as ever and slowly i am learning to enjoy the ciaos!
I am so proud of my husband, who was offered his own truck and is trying to of quit smoking!! Call it a revelation or miracle but we have both come to the agreement that we want to live a healthier lifestyle, we want to be more active and we want to look and feel amazing not only for ourselves but for each other! With each others support i know we will be successful and our goal is Australia, only 65 Days away!!!
After going through everything with Dad it is so evident how lucky i am. I am so fortunate that i have never had any injuries or pain impeding on my ability to work out and become healthy, it simply comes down to to time management and laziness. Now is the time to stop making excuses, take time for myself (which has been the most difficult for me) and be the best i know i can be. I have so much to look forward to in the coming years, traveling, buying/building a house, starting a family, being successful in my career and sharing it all with Clayton and i want to do all of this feeling healthy and confident in how I feel!
This begins my yoga experience! I started Moksha yoga about 6 weeks ago and I am absolutely loving it! I am not gonna lie at first i thought it was kinda hokey, and of course its the new “fad” right now but truly i have never done any sort of activity where i am this calm and relaxed. There is something about the breathing, relaxing and poses that has this overwhelming calmness to it. I have decided that I can take two hours out of my week and attend two classes as well as going to the gym/swimming etc! That way i am not complaining about being tired in the morning and struggling to get out of bed or that it takes away from time with my husband in the evening, its a perfect fit! Clayton has noticed a huge difference in my attitude, energy and that my overall stress levels have decreased significantly, the next step is convincing him to come with me:)
I go to the Moksha yoga on the south side and have had several different instructors, all amazing! I actually look forward to the sweat and hard work but also how re-energized i feel after, it makes the afternoon go by so much quicker! I am also inspired by all of the participants, men and women, young and old, all walks of life that find this practice as a necessary part of their day! The breathing techniques have also helped me outside of the studio as well, when i am feeling stressed or overwhelmed, taking a couple calm deep breathes allows me to settle and refocus on the task at hand! Moksha yoga has a 90min session recorded on cd that i have now bought and this has become a perfect solution for when i am on the road and cannot get into the studio!
Overall i am so excited for what this practice holds for me and what it has already given me! I would recommend this to anyone and everyone especially because life can be so stressful with unnecessary drama. It may not be your thing but you owe it to yourself to try it at least once!
Namaste:)
What Really Matters
A lot has changed since my last blog. On February 29, my dad suffered a spinal cord injury leaving him with little to no movement throughout his entire body. The progress he has made in the last 10 weeks has been amazing but he still has such a long road ahead of him. Throughout all of this he has kept smiling and is so dedicated to his recovery, he is my inspiration and i am SO proud to be his daughter. I often wake up and still cant believe that this is happening.
This whole event has truly made my outlook on life change, a life altering moment.. this was it for me. If my dad can continue to put a smile on his face after all that he has been through, how can i complain, be negative or feel sorry for myself??? I am healthy, i have an amazing support system of family and friends, i have a great job, life is pretty damn good. This has also made me realize what is truly important in my life and what really matters, my family and close friends, love and passion for the things that i love to do and my words meaning more than just words. So my advice would be to stop talking about what you are going to do and for god sakes just do it. I have talked about volunteering for an animal rescue for years and was always just “too busy” to ever get around to it, well now i am doing it and loving every minute of it:). Life really is too short not to do the things you love to do, big or small they are important and shape the person you are. Sooooo many people talk about what they are “going” to do and most of them never end up doing it, not me, not anymore. If I say I am going to do something, i am going to do it and anyone in my way is not worth having in my life.
Another ripple effect of this whole event has been that my work load has increased ten fold as i am now running my dads business. This has been an overwhelming task but really a blessing in disguise. I am taking risks, making mistake and struggling everyday but i am learning, growing and developing the knowledge and contacts that i need to be and stay in this industry for years to come and this is very exciting for me. With the guidance from my dad, i know there is greater success to come:)
Between juggling work, my family and my dad, my priorities have changed significantly. Because my time is so limited, I no longer have time for people who are constantly negative or are unhappy about their lives because of the decisions they have made, if you can walk, and talk, you have no excuses, so change it and move on, your life is really not that bad. I wish more people would walk through the Childrens Hospital, where children, babies, are fighting for their lives or at the Glenrose Rehabilitation hospital where a young boy is learning to live life as a quadrapeligic, then come talk to me about their problems, which most of the time are petty and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. This has not only has given me a sense of relief but also freedom, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I will not be held back and/or down by negative people or complainers and this is truly liberating.
Although my dads accident has been by far the WORST experience of my life, he is still here, still alive and still kicking:) A lot of positive things have stemmed from it and i am thankful and greatful for everything. So i am choosing to be positive, i am choosing to be greatful for every little thing that i have and i am choosing to live my life because crying, being negative and pouting is just too easy and a Sloan does not do easy:)
Love you dad<3
Sarah
Multi Tasking
When we were first married i struggled with the concept of what it meant to be a “wife”. I LOVE being a wife, even just hearing it i get warm and fuzzy! But i have struggled with managing the duties of being a wife and also a career women and i dont even have kids yet!!! Being that Clayton works such long hours, and sometimes 10 days straight, by the time he gets home all he wants is to shower, eat and sleep, therefore it is my responsibility to manage the house, our fur baby, cleaning, cooking, groceries, arraigns etc not to mention trying to be active, and managing my own career! I give huggge credit to the working moms/dads out there that work all day, manage to get a healthy meal on the table and then off they go to a take their kids to hockey practice (multiple kids/multiple directions)!!
My parents were these parents and i will always be thankful for the sacrifices they made for my brother and I. Because of them, i have always valued being active in some way, shape or form and i truly believe our society is becoming too lazy and/or success driven to invest time in the health of their children, video games are not babysitters people!!! I LOVE my job, it is my dream career but i never want my career to come before my family. It is important for me to invest the time in my family, my relationship with my husband and in my children and i never want to sacrifice them for a faulty sense of success!
It is a struggle i have enjoyed overcoming as it has really challenged me to budget my time, get myself into a routine, and make lists if i need to. I lovvve structure!!
Soo in closing i have attached some realllllly easy recipes that are quick and healthy for those of you that are also multi taskers! Enjoy!!
Meals
Measuring Glass Egg Omlette
I have to pay homage to my dad for this one! I use our glass measuring cup, pour 3 egg whites (you can use regular eggs your preference) into the glass cup, add milk (i use almond milk for a splash of flavor) and add whatever veggies your little heart desires and/or your favorite meat (my dads favorite is salmon, but ham etc is great), i use my handy slap chop and add diced peppers, spinach, a little onion with some cheese on top, put it in the microwave for 3 minutes and youve got a easy, healthy and most importantly quick meal!!
Quinoa & Cranberries
This has become my new favorite food. Most Quinoa recipes are for lunch or dinner (VERY tasty and so good for you) but i found a recipe on pinterest and curved it to my own liking! I boiled a big pot of quinoa and rolled oats (soak quinoa overnight before boiling) for 25 minutes, drain water and add whatever toping i choose (the rest (roughly 10 meals)goes in a ziploc for the next meal) my favorites being yogurt and dried cranberries!! Delicious!!
Drinks
Italian Sodas
My favorite (healthy) drink of choice hasss to be Italian Sodas, buy the cheap litre bottles at your grocery store (schweppes is worth the extra $.30 as the fizz lasts forever, thanks Chantal!) Use your favorite juice, boathouse juice is delicious with it, or you can buy the sugar free syrup at second cup, my favorite is raspberry and lime mixed together!!!
Green Smoothie
These are fabulous for being on the go, especially after the gym in the morning! I use Visalus protein powder, whatever boathouse juice i have in the fridge (my favorite is mango & strawberry and banana), i put a handful of spinach (you can use any green leafed veggie, i love spinach because its tasteless!), a spoonful or two of yogurt and then whatever fruit (frozen or not) you’d like! (We buy the bulk bags at costco/save on in the frozen food section), mix it in my magic bullet and im off!
Sarah xo
A New Journey
Hello!
This is my first blog EVER and i am pretty excited about it! I have never been much of a writer but i guess its never to late to start. At first i wasnt sure if i wanted to share it or use it for personal use but i figure life is about taking risks, doing things that make you uncomfortable and learning from them, I want this blog to be a release for me, talk about things bothering me, things i love, things that anger me and things that i have learned through my experiences, though few there are definitely some! Sooooo let the new journey begin!!
I figured i might as well start when my life that i am living now, began! For me this was after graduating university, after four years of going to class, countless hours of reading, researching, papers, exam and practicums, to say the least when i finalllyyyyy graduated (which felt a lot longer than 4yrs), it was a RELIEF!!
Although i really enjoyed teaching, the aftermath and the disappointing reality that there were no jobs unless i was willing to relocate was extremely frustrating!!! Sooo i had no choice but to look elsewhere and this is how i stumbled into Medical Sales, a job that has given me the freedom, flexibility and excitement that i have always wanted out of a career (career post will follow)!
Six months after starting my career, Clayton and I got married (a wedding post will follow as well!) This was the best and the most stressful point of my life thus far! The excitement of planning my dream wedding down to the very smallest of details definitely outweighed the stress of putting it all together and trying to start a new career at the same time but it was a lot non the less!! We have officially been married more than 6mths now and our relationship is better than ever!! We definitely have our ups and downs like every couple but knowing i have someone to share my life with gives me a sense of security, excitement and happiness that is truly euphoric!
Of course i have to introduce our fur baby in all of this! Cali (aka Mini), our (almost) two year old basset hound was to this date one of the best decisions Clayton and I have ever made together (well initially me but Clayton quickly follow)!! She has been such a big part of our lives, our relationship and of our family, its hard not to smile when i think about all of the things she has taught us, the patience she has given us and most of all the continuous laughter and happinness she gives us on a daily basis<3
I look forward to the continuing this new journey, bye for now and thanks for reading!!
xo Sarah
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