WHOA lansi

francophile, oenophile, logophile, turophile

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Currently


Thinking about how quickly time passes. Just last year we took these engagement photos & were looking into details for our wedding. Now we’re married, back from our honeymoon, & looking to the next step (no, not babies. Stahp) – a house. I knew our wedding day would fly by (everyone says it does, so we heard it a million times), but it’s still kind of surreal. I’m halfway through the process of officially changing my name & we’ve been talking to banks & brokers & it’s still kind of like whoa. Hold up. We got married, guys.

& then we had an epic honeymoon. I’d like to stay with 2014 for a little while longer, but I know in no time we’ll be into 2015. I’m excited for everything that’s coming, but I’m also still really happy about our present & trying to live in it a little bit longer. I’m trying to hang on I guess. The older I get, the quicker time seems to pass. My twenties have been great & I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to them.

Drinking red wine, lately. We spent the weekend cooking a couple of nice meals & I always find a good bottle of wine makes dinner feel a little bit more special.

Doing a lot of things I never thought I’d do. I was thinking about that this morning as my early morning spin class was wrapping up. Our awesome motivator, Alex, was talking about how we were all game changers for choosing to come to spin & choosing to wake up at 5 am to do it. Both of those are things many people would never consider.

Honestly, spin was not something I ever thought I’d enjoy so I was surprised when I found myself looking forward to these classes (& willing to wake up before the crack of dawn to participate). This isn’t the first time this has happened to me either. There was a time when I thought running more than 5 kms would kill me. I vowed I would never be a runner. My five half marathons are evidence that I was quite wrong.

There are so many examples of this in my life & I think it just goes to show that you’re capable of so many things you never thought possible. Sometimes you just have to give something a chance & see where it takes you. You never know what might become a staple if you step outside your comfort zone.

Loving trying out new recipes. As much as I love summer, the cooler seasons are my favourite in terms of cooking. Cold weather cooking is totally my jam – roasting, braising, slow cooking, it’s all so delicious. & we have some fancy new wedding gifts to help in this department.

Watching so many episodes of Suits. It’s kind of ridiculous, but mostly awesome. Have you watched this show? It’s smart & hilarious & great. I want to be friends with so many of the characters. We’re almost caught up sadly, so I’m not sure what we’ll do with all our free time once it’s done. Blog more perhaps?

Thanks to Megan from Freckled Italian for the post inspiration.

New Year

I’ve been kind of putting this post off. Last year, I had it out in December. I was all prepared for 2013. I had my shit together last year, guys. This year, though. This year kind of snuck up on me. One minute, my wonderful boyfriend was down on one knee, asking me to marry him, & the next I swear it was New Years Eve. I swear that’s exactly how it happened.

I’ve said before that I believe in setting goals when you realize they need to be set instead of waiting for something like the New Year to take action. & I still believe that if I need to change something, that change should happen as soon as I realize it. That’s definitely something I try to live by, but like I said last year, it’s nice to look back on last year & decide what to do better this one.

Last year, I attempted to:

I can’t say I was entirely successful with any of these except maybe number three. We really don’t eat grains very often anymore. I’d say we’re usually 80% grain-free, 20% eat whatever we want. It’s a good balance, if you ask me, & something I’d like to continue. I’m still often very hard on myself when we do slip up, but I want to put it in writing: we did well, friends.

I wasn’t entirely unsuccessful with the other goals. There were months where I really did follow our budget better. & overall I think I’ve cut my shopping spending a lot. There were also times when we opted to have friends over instead of going out. I think we made an overall improvement there too. & there were times when I chose to be more appreciative & tolerant. That one is probably the biggest one I need to work on though. I promise to try, N. I promise.

With that in mind, here are my 2014 New Years Resolutions. (drum roll, please).



I think these are four challenging, but very achievable goals for me this year.

I generally try to be more specific with goals, but I made an exception with the first one. I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on our health (of course, as I write this I’m a bit sniffly). We weren’t sick often this year & when I was I could usually pinpoint why. Fitness Friday is still going strong & I’ve been making workouts, in & out of the gym, a priority. I’m not going to a CrossFit box like I would like to be, but I’m still making strides when it comes to my Fitness goals & that’s a good place to be. (I will master a handstand this year. It’s coming!)

This second goal probably seems odd to those who know me or follow my instagram. I do take a lot of photos. But I want to be more conscious of the photos I’m taking & make a better effort to use my DSLR. I’m trying to shoot primarily with my 35 mm lens. I like it so much better than my kit lens. I want to try to take more photos with it & not fall back on my zoom lens just because it’s easier. It’s time to challenge myself a bit with photography.

I’ve blogged way more this year than any other year & I couldn’t be happier about that, but I haven’t been actually, physically writing. Whenever I’ve lived abroad or travelled, I’ve kept a journal & writing in it – the physical act of writing things down – has always been very therapeutic for me. I’d like to get back to that. (& I’m starting today – my journal is currently in my purse!). Instead of mindlessly checking Facebook or Twitter in my downtime, I’d like to get back to writing.

This last one is a big one for me, & I think it’s a good one for this year. Too often I get pessimistic & over dramatic & let things bother me. I forget that this is a choice I make & that I can choose happiness instead. I’ve let myself forget to choose to be happy too often. I’ve let myself get carried away by the negative what-ifs & that’s not the person I want to be. As much as I’d like to be able to control every little aspect of my life, I can’t. There is so much that I cannot control. But, I can control how I react to things. & I can choose to be happy. This is largely inspired by the fact that we’re planning a wedding & wedding planning is notoriously stressful. This essay was another huge inspiration (thank you for that, Natalie. I don’t even know you for real, but thank you). I’m going to make this one happen.

So let’s go, 2014. Bring it on. I’m so ready for all the wonderful things you have in store for me.

Photo by 3haus Photographics

December in Instagram

It’s been a bit of a slower month for blog posts, but I think overall I’ve been more consistent than ever before. It wasn’t a real resolution to post more, but I did mention that it was a goal for this year and I think I can successfully check that one off. My other resolutions were a little more hit or mess, but I’ll talk about that more when I make this years’.

Like all years, this one has its ups and downs. When I think back though, there were so many great moments. It’s hard to trump our engagement, but we also made some great memories in the states, spent lots of time out at the lake and in the mountains, and ate our way around the city. I can’t complain. Thanks, 2013. I think 2014 should be a pretty great year too. We’re off to Mexico at the end of January, we’re getting married this summer, and we’ve got plans for a pretty fantastic honeymoon. I hope you all can look back on 2013 with a smile and I wish you all the joy and happiness for this brand new year. Here’s a little recap of what December looked like for us.

1. N participated in Movember again this year. It was his best mustache showing to date, but he still looked like a bit of a creep at the end.
2. N’s family dog, Lucky, celebrated his 15th birthday. They let him lick the icing off a cupcake. When you’re 105, you get to do whatever you want.
3. KC & I at the hockey game. It was me & the boys that night. Things got rowdy, as all hockey games should.
4. Fitness at work continued. We did a squat challenge this month & sometimes these types of ridiculous outfits make an appearance. Always need to be prepared for squats.
5. My company Christmas party was a blast. We had the best time and took a lot of great photobooth photos.
6. The snow this December has been pretty great so far. We spent the weekend before Christmas in Banff- skiing, drinking, snowshoeing, and hitting the hot springs.
7. We stayed in Calgary for Christmas this year and spent the holidays with N’s family at their house. His mom’s fireplace is just adorable.
8. Skating on Christmas Day with family and friends.
9. We skied Panorama after Christmas and then headed out to spend some time with my family in the Columbia Valley. It was beautiful!

See you in 2014, blog friends! Happy New Year!

November in Instagram

November ended this weekend and took our beautiful chinook weather with it. A storm blew late Sunday night and half the city is stuck in snow drifts this morning. The wind has caused white-out on most highways surrounding our frozen city and we’re all bundled up like it’s the arctic. Welcome to Calgary. Welcome to winter.

December is always one of the busiest months and it’s no different for us this year. We’ve got something going on every weekend between family dinners, christmas parties, and trips to the mountains. It’s the best kind of busy though as we’ll get to see the majority of our friends and family at some point this month. Sadly, if we haven’t already made plans, we probably won’t have time until January now. I’m very busy and important, you know.

1. I posted this photo to Instagram and it was featured in a Women’s Health Fitness Friday roundup. I thought it was pretty cool: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/fitness-friday-november-1
2. My girlfriends and I volunteered at Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 event. It was great meeting all the recipients and we had a great time at the after party.
3. N and I hosted a Halloween party at our place. We dressed up as the Paleo Police.
4. We’ve been working on headstands and handstands as well as getting back into strength training this month. We’ve both improved a lot and plan to continue this month.
5. We celebrated H’s birthday with bowling, beer, and delicious food at National Bowl. Happy Birthday, H!
6. We bought an eighth of a cow from one of N’s coworkers. It’s all grass-fed beef. We were obviously very excited.
7. We got our engagement photos back and they are beautiful. I love every single one and am so happy we’ve booked 3Haus for our wedding as well.
8. Treated outselves to pizza at Famoso before seeign the Hunger Games. Their pizza is just delicious! We hadn’t seen a movie together in ages; this one was well worth hitting the theatre on a friday night.
9. Movember is over, which means this lovely stache is just a memory.

Happy December, everyone!

October in Instagram

We had a beautiful fall this year. It was amazing so I’m trying really hard not to complain now that the temperature has severely dropped and the snow has arrived. Here’s a little recap of what we got up to this month. 

1. Fall colours and light on one of my walks home. This season can be so gorgeous.
2. Coffee and wedding planning with my mom. Things are coming together quickly!
3. Fall lunch runs are my favourite. I hope we get a few more warm days before winter really sets in so I can do a few more outdoor runs.
4. We spent Thanksgiving out at the lake with my family. The in between season are so relaxing! Good food, good company, good drinks.
5. A friend helped me make some beautiful cards to ask my girls to be my bridesmaids. We got wine and chatted. It was lovely!
6. Med balls at Fitness Friday? Might as well have been Christmas. (My coworkers may have slightly disagreed!)
7. Me and my King of Hearts. Dressed up as Rosie the Riveter and the King of Hearts for Halloween.
8. I’m back at the Y twice a month. A little extra income and a gym membership is worth a couple long days a month.
9. Doing some CrossFit style workouts at the Y. The 24″ box is tough, but it’s pretty satisfying to stick with it for an entire workout.

September in Instagram

September was a crazy month – a crazy, awesome, incredible month. We started it off on vacation. I’ve written a little bit about that so far (there’s so much more to come! It was a fabulous trip.) and a little bit about N’s beautiful proposal (more on that later too), but here’s a little Instagram recap that includes a little more than just the beginning of the month. There was more to September than vacations and proposals (I think…I’m still living in those moments a bit!

1. Cannon Beach. I know I already blogged about it, but we just loved it so much.
2. Pok Pok’s famous wings. If you’re ever in Portland, eat the wings (but maybe not the green papaya salad. I loved it, but it kicked N in the mouth) and try a whiskey sour. Game changers.
3. Seattle and the famous Pike Place Market.
4. The recreation of N’s proposal, signs and all.
5. Checking out wineries on Lake Okanagan. Quail’s Gate is my favourite!
6. N heading to his first day of work, looking good!
7. Celebrating the marriage of two close friends (and taking awkward engagement photos cause we’re kind of awkward people).
8. Friday night drinks and toasts with both our families. Wonderful to all get together! It was a lovely weekend full of family.
9. We played tourist in our own city and went up the Calgary Tower for #doorsopenyyc. (It was my first time!) I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit scary standing on that glass bottomed floor and looking down for the first time!

Life is busy and wonderful. We’re getting into the swing of this whole planning a wedding thing (or at least I am…), Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and fall has officially arrived. Bring it on October!

the little things

I know it’s a cliche. & not even an uncommon one at that. But sometimes it really is the little things that make all the difference in the world.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in life: work, the gym, meal plans, cooking, cleaning, sleeping… & repeat. Sometimes I forget to stop for a second. I took a break for a second today and stepped back from all the craziness I’m creating for myself and was reminded of one of those little things that I love:

good coffee, in a nice space, with a book.

It doesn’t even really have to be a good book. It can be a mediocre book. It does have to be a good cup of coffee, however.

I needed a little break from the office today so I stepped over to one of my favourite restaurants for a coffee. They also happen to brew one of my favourites: Phil & Sebastian. As I admired their La Marzocco (I have an obsession) and stopped thinking about workweddingvenuesfitnessdinnercleaningsleeping for a minute, I remembered how important taking time out is to me.

I sat down for a few minutes with my cappuccino and read. It was a nice escape. I don’t know what it is about books in coffee shops for me, but I love it. Maybe it reminds me of being a student. Or maybe my love for frequenting coffee shops to read is why I have fond memories of being a student. Either way, it got me thinking about some of the other little things that make me smile. Here’s a little list for you on this lovely Thursday:

– dancing with N
– the first bite of a perfectly cooked piece of red meat
– well designed, aesthetically pleasing spaces
– random emoji-filled text messages
– dance parties with my girlfriends
– when a really great song comes on my iPod as I’m walking to work
– the first glimpse of Columbia Lake as you crest the top of the hill on highway 93
– photos of friends, food, travel (let’s be honest here: everything)
– the first day it’s warm enough to go bare legged after months of winter
– standing at the top of a mountain
– the few minutes before we get out of bed in the morning
– freshly washed and waxed Rula (my subarula!)
– a perfectly cut piece of salmon sashimi
– dancing with puppies
– driving a winding road with no one in front of me
– flip flop tan lines

What are some of the things that make you smile?

June in Instagram

I have been seriously neglecting this blog lately. I’ve taken so many photos and planned so many posts, but it just hasn’t come together for me when it comes to actually sitting and blogging. I’m even a few days behind on my Instagram recap here! 
Calgary was recently hit with some major flooding. It was unbelievable. I never thought it was possible for so much of the city to end up underwater. Luckily, we live up a huge hill (as do most of our friends) so we were virtually unaffected. Instead we volunteered our time to the families who were and I’m so proud of our city for coming together in such awesome ways. 
I have some flood pictures so let’s move on to the recap. I’m sure we’ll be talking about the Alberta Flood for a long time, but there were so many other great things that happened in June so I’m going to focus on those for now. 

1. We kicked off the month by climbing Ha Ling Peak. It was great start to the hiking season and I really hope it continues. There are so many great hikes in the area and sometimes there’s really nothing better than standing on top of mountain.
2. Fiasco Gelato opened a pop-up in the Bridgeland Market near our place. They gave out free scoops, so of course we had to check it out.
3. N and I celebrated 4 years together this month. We had a fantastic dinner at Cucina. I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant or about this amazing guy I’m with. Happy Anniversary!
4. Stumptown Coffee has opened up at Luke’s Drug Mart. It’s a stone’s throw from our house so it’s quickly becoming a Saturday ritual to stop in for some coffee and a treat.
5. The burpee challenge went on throughout June. I don’t love burpees. No one loves burpees. I hope I at least inspired some people to move a little bit more.
6. The flood. The photos are unreal, the damage is heartbreaking, the way the city came together is so inspiring. #CalgaryStrong.
7. I’ve been hanging out at Mission Fitness once a week, doing CrossFit. We did rope climbs last week and I loved it. (Obviously!)
8. Flood party with my Liver. She’s pretty freaking awesome. We played an #calgaryflooddrinkinggame cuz we’re…terrible people.
9. We spent the long weekend out at the lake with my parents. Lots of sun, boating, and wake boarding. I can’t get enough of it and am definitely disappointed to be back.

Alright, summer. Let’s do this. I’m more than ready for July, Stampede, my birthday, and all the awesome that comes with my favourite month!

Summer To-Do List

Columbia Lake
Considering yesterday Calgary and its surrounding communities and cities declared a state of emergency due to flooding from heavy rainfall, it’s hard to believe summer has arrived today. Inspired by a couple other bloggers and the first day of one of my favourite seasons (who am I kidding, I love them all!), I put together a little summer to-do list of some of the things I’d like to do. 
1. Enjoy cocktails with friends. I want to host a cocktail party but I envision this being outside and that’s not an option for us due to our lack of outdoor space. Elsie of A Beautiful Mess has been posting a ton of amazing sounding cocktail recipes that I am dying to try! 
2. Take advantage of the mountains. Go hiking and backpacking. The rockies are too close not to take advantage of!
3. Experience more Calgary events. Street Festivals, Food Truck Events, Fun Runs…Take advantage of some of the fun local things happening around Calgary. Play tourist at home a little bit. 
4. Take a road trip. I can’t wait for our trip to Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and Kelowna. I love a good road trip and I love visiting new cities. 
5. Attend an outdoor concert. I bought tickets for Folk Fest. I’ve heard great things about it so it’s about time I did a full day at Prince’s Island. 
6. Nail a handstand. I’ve been practicing and I’m determined to nail a decent handstand. The summer I was nine, I had a similar goal, but with cartwheels. What I’m saying is that I’m an nine-year-old at heart.
7. Get away with the girls. Boys will be boys, so let’s leave them at home and have our own fun. I’m thinking some lake time is in order. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone and make up some cocktails too!
8. Rock a flip flop tan and some freckles. Nothing says summer to me better than sunkissed skin and tan lines from my havaianas. Come on Calgary, bring on the sunshine!
9. Bike to work as much as possible! We live in the perfect neighbourhood to take advantage of biking to work. It’s such a great way to start the day. 
10. Spend time outside daily. Summer always flies by. I’ll save my hermitting for winter, when darkness sets in before I leave work and the ground is frozen for months. 

Enjoy the first day of summer! What do you plan to do this season?
Nashville North
Wedding Shower
Wakeboarding

March in Instagram

Spring seems to finally arrived in Calgary and I couldn’t be more excited. Of course, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow, but until then I will enjoy every last ounce of sunshine that I can! H & I went for a gorgeous run at lunch and N and I plan on meeting up at the delicious Village Ice Cream after work.

April is here and I hope she doesn’t have many showers for us! March was filled with CrossFit Open Work Outs (I bet you didn’t see that one coming), delicious Big Taste meals, fun nights with friends, and lots of Fitness! I’m trying out a different way of sharing this month’s photos, so we’ll see how I like this. Here’s what we got up to in March.

Follow me on Instagram @whoalansi

1. We started off the month with a pretty big snowstorm. Luckily it was on a Sunday so it didn’t bring the city to a grinding halt and I went out frolicking thanks to my AWD! 
2. Fitness Fridays have continued. We’ve recruited a few more and have been keeping things interesting every week. I love seeing new faces come out!
3. D and I at Wurst for Z’s birthday. As always, it was a great time. Who doesn’t like 1L beers and beer hall style tables. 
4. Big Taste is one of the best weeks for dining in Calgary. $35 set menu at 70 different restaurants in Calgary? Mom, Dad, N, and I went to Charcut this year. By far one of my favourite restaurants!
5. The girls at CrossFit Airdrie talked me into doing the Open and I’m so glad that they did. It’s been such a great experience. I’ve seen such improvement in my lifts and confidence and am so humbled by the amazing CrossFit athletes all around the world. 
6. H, N, and I headed out to Lake Louise for once last day of skiing this season. Gorgeous snow and great company! 
7. Saturday Coffee Dates are just the best! 
8. It’s been warm enough for bare legs lately. I’ve been busting out the dresses and booties at every opportunity. I’m so ready for Spring!
9. Stars put on another great show last weekend. I’ve seen them four times and this was by far my favourite show. Thanks for the amazing night, Stars!
Tomorrow they announce the last CrossFit Open WOD. I’m both excited and sad for these weekly workouts to end. N very kindly came out to Airdrie with me on Sunday to take some photos, so I’ll hopefully be posting those soon. I make some pretty awesome faces when I work out! 
We’re planning on cutting back on a few things this month, so cross your fingers for beautiful weather so we can spend out time outside and maintain some type of social life! 
What did you get up to this month? Anything exciting planned for April? 

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