Tooting My Own Horn

I am terrible at bragging.  I'm just not one to talk much about my achievements.  I think it's mostly because I legitimately don't like all of the attention to be on me as it makes me uncomfortable.  But I was at this accounting conference this weekend and part of it was about building your brand, and talking about yourself and how we should be proud of our designations.  And I realized that maybe I do need to take a bit more pride in my achievements.  It doesn't mean I need to constantly remind others of what I've done or brag constantly, but I can be proud of myself once in awhile!

I'm smart. I have a university degree and an accounting designation.  I worked hard for them. 

I have a good job which is actually a career, so much more than a job.  

I have a fantastic family.  (This is really nothing I've done, I just lucked into it.)

I'm nice.  I may not come across as overly friendly, but for the people who know me I think I'm a pretty nice person.

I am driven.  I have goals and I want to achieve them, and often in my life I have. 

I'm a hard worker.  (Well when it comes to things besides cleaning my house....but at least I can admit that.)

My house is lovely.  We created a home and I love that.

I'm talented.  I can skate, I can play the violin, I may not become famous for either of them but I practiced a lot when I was younger and that alone is a win.

That's enough tooting for today!  I still struggled with this post even after I decided to do it.  But we should be proud of ourselves and our good qualities and accomplishments.  So try it out, what do you want to toot your horn about?

Who Am I?

The other day my sister and I were discussing what defines us.  We know people who define themselves by the school they go to, the job that they have or the sport that they play.  And maybe that is normal, but to me it seems like those things aren't really important in the long run.

I read an obituary once that went into full detail about everywhere that the woman had worked in her lifetime.  She had two children, and yet only their names were mentioned, not their achievements or the impact that they had on her life.  All we read about was her jobs.  And I thought when I read it, I hope that is never me.

My sister recently started a blog and her tagline is "Kindergarten teaching nutrition pushing sales stylist."  It perfectly describes her.  Sure being a kindergarten teacher has a huge impact on her life, but there is more to her than that. We are more than what we do.  It's about what we care about, what we are passionate about and how we affect other people.

But who am I?  I guess maybe I often do define myself as an Accountant or a Brock University graduate. And I'm proud of those things.  Brock shaped me into the person I am, but I chose to be an accountant based on certain qualities.  I use the term accountant to define my personality, not to just let people know what my career is.  Because at the end of the day, it's about what you come home to, not what you do for work.

I'm "thrifty".  Some may call me cheap.  But I just like to be careful with my money.  I like to have more money than I need.  I'm saving it for a rainy day I guess.  I constantly say I have no money.  That's a lie.  I have lots.  It just happens to be in a savings account and recorded on a spreadsheet where it is allocated to something special.  

I'm an animal lover.  Talking to people?  Not my favourite.  Talking to animals, I could do it all day.  Maybe that makes me crazy.  But my cat doesn't think I'm crazy.

I'm an introvert.  I am so very much an introvert.

I have a strange sense of humour.  I get it from my father.

I love my family.  I could spend way more time with them than I should.  Not that it's a bad thing, it's just I wouldn't get much else done.  

I'm a planner.  You know what they say: We plan, God laughs.  Story of my life.  But I will keep planning anyways.

So basically, I may not have a tagline defining who I am, and some days I really don't think that I have a clue who I am, but I'm working on it.



 

This is Me

Who doesn't love learning some random facts about a person?  Maybe some of these are more quirks than facts. 

• I can't whistle
• I have a red birthmark on my back
• We call my mom Momma Bouchka sometimes- This came from a vacation where we were watching the Oksana Baiul story and apparently it's a thing in the Ukraine to call people Bouchka
• I almost always sneeze at least twice - Ryan (and myself as well to be honest) is shocked if I sneeze just once
• I get injured in the most random ways: for example by tripping over a curb or falling getting off a bus, those are probably both stories for another time
• I have a major sweet tooth
• Bathtubs gross me out.  I can't have a bath unless I clean the tub first and when I watch house hunting shows and people get into the bathtub I just cringe
• I wanted to be a teacher when I was little, I kind of still want to be one
• I fully embrace being a ginger, if you can't laugh at yourself life wouldn't be much fun
• I don't know if I have ever hit the snooze button on my alarm clock
• I can rarely wait out the last 5 seconds on the microwave
• My kraft dinner needs a hot dog.  And I don't trust that the hot dog is cooked until it is exploding

Who I Am and Where I'm From

Once again, Story of My Life is doing a blog challenge.  And because I'm always up for a challenge, I'm choosing to participate.  I'm going to try to take part in as many days as possible.  Partially to give myself something to write about, to force myself to write, and to let everyone know a bit more about me.

Today's prompt is: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

I'm from a small town.

I believe that there are city people and country people.  I'm a country/small town girl.  I'm used to driving in small towns, knowing everyone and trusting everyone.  Our house has a sign out front with our names on it, to city people this is dangerous.  To us small town folk, this is something that you do.

I have a close family.

Not only emotionally but physically.  I grew up within 15 minutes of most of my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins.  And I loved it.  We are there for each other.  When I needed a quick home inspection, my uncles were there.  When we want to see our cousins, we just stop in and see them.  We grew up with our cousins, they are some of my best friends and I wouldn't want it any other way.  Family is always there for you.

Recreating a picture taken exactly 20 years ago at the cottage - plus 2 new cousins



I grew up learning to be involved.

I grew up participating in sports and music lessons.  Some things I wasn't good at, but I was provided with the opportunity.  And we were taught not to quit.  When you start something you finish it.  If you don't want to go to skating practice, you go anyways because you made a commitment that has to be fulfilled.

A business mind was fostered.

I come from a family of entrepreneurs.  Business is something that my family clearly excels at.  Most of my family members have their own businesses.  I didn't go to business school because I felt that I had to, I went because that's where my interests lie and I am naturally good at it and drawn to it.  It was instilled in us to never give up, and to work hard.  I have had an understanding of what makes a business work and what makes it fail.  It's something that I'm proud of myself for and proud of my family for.

Things You Should Know

I have seen this on a bunch of blogs, but I am specifically taking it from Kisses & Croissants.  It's always a good idea to let people know a bit more about myself.

1. Which blog are you in love with that you only found out about recently?

This is funny because it's actually Patricia's blog, Kisses & Croissants!  I just find all of her posts really interesting, none of the fluff posts (that I am guilty of).  She always has an interesting topic to write about.  Plus I just love hearing about France.

2. Why did you start blogging?

Originally I started blogging because we bought a new house and had to renovate the whole thing.  It was supposed to be a DIY blog!  I wanted everyone to be able to see our progress.  Then I realized that some things progressed to quickly and I couldn't keep up and then things progressed too slowly and I didn't have anything to write about.  Plus I just wanted to write whatever I felt like sometimes.  So it turned into more of a lifestyle blog.

3. One goal you would like to achieve before 2014

My final CGA course is coming up in September.  If I pass this, then I'm done school forever.  (Haha I will probably never be done).  But this will be a huge accomplishment so I'm really looking forward to that.

4. What is your biggest struggle in life?

Being content.  I think this is something that a lot of people can relate to.  I'm actually fairly content right now.  It seems that so often you are just waiting for that next phase in life instead of really enjoying the moment that you are in.

{via}

5. What hobby would you love to pick up?

I would like to improve my photography.  I'm already interested in it, but I'm just not that good most of the time.  So that's something that I would like to find more time for.

6. Tell us something we may not know about you

I registered for a donkey when I got married.  As a joke!  Eventually I had to take it off because I was seriously afraid that my uncle was going to get me one.

And if anyone else wants to play along, here are some questions for you.  If you don't have a blog, or just want to answer one question, answer in the comments!  (This means you all of my secret family and friend readers).

 

1. If you could be an animal, which animal would you be?

2. If you could quit your job and move anywhere in the world, where would you go?

3. Who do you look up to in life?

4. What's your guilty pleasure?

5. What is your dream job?

6. What's your favourite blog and why?

7. What is something that scares you?

8. What is your favourite book of all time?

If You Really Knew Me....

This seems to be the blogging trend.  Every time I read one I think, I can't do that.  But I'm going to try to dig deep and come up with some really interesting points.

If you really knew me....

You'd know that I live for food and coffee.  I think about my next meal constantly.


At my finest

 You'd know that I could live the rest of my life with just my husband and maybe two close friends.  I don't feel the need to surround myself with people and would rather be really close to only a few.

You'd know that I live down the street from my parents, stop in frequently, and usually stay for two hours.

You'd know that I have actually grown to love Ryan's Wednesday nights with the guys.  Because I can have me time and do whatever I want.

You'd know that I complain.  A lot.  I'm working on it.

You'd know that I hate ironing my clothes, but my steamer is my best friend.

You'd know that I love me some wine, but I'm really not a big drinker.  It's something I could do without easily.



You'd know that I would love to open my own business, if only I could figure out what I want that business to be.

You'd know that I watch way too much reality TV.  Real Housewives, Big Brother, Amazing Race, Survivor, anything involving the Real World.  I can't help it, it's an addiction.

So there is a little bit more about me.