$$$ MAY MONEY MONEY MAY MONEY MONEY MONEY $$$

SHOW ME DA MONEYYYYYY :)

May is all about Money for me. Not so much watching my money, or limiting my spending, because I'm pretty good at not being a huge impulse buyer anyways, but understand WHERE my money goes. Kirby helped me out in letting me on her trade secrets from her money month. I'm going to keep all my receipts from the month, as well as track (via my blackberry note pad) all the little things that you don't even think about---random coffees, grabbing a banana from sunterra market, a morning smoothie...etc.) And add everything up at the end of the month. With the assistance of my Royal bank funds tracker....I can put everything in a pie graph so I can also visually see the amount of my income that goes towards random crap.
In an effort to be more wealth conscious, I am going to attempt to bring ALL my snacks to work so if I do have to buy something it will only be my main lunch meal which, for me, always consists of a sandwich or salad. I find it hard to make lunches because I get VERY sick of homemade sandwiches (they're SO blah) and I don't like eating what I had for dinner the night before.
For the longest time I was buying a Protein Plate from Starbucks almost every day. These are not cheap. So this week I took the effort to make my OWN protein plates. My darling friend Amy found Justin's all natural, organic peanut butter online, so she gave me a jar (it's the peanut butter found in set protein plate a la starbuckles) which was a huge first step. I also hard boiled 5 eggs on Sunday night so I could put 1 in my protein plate each morning. I bought the pitas that they put in there too....added some sharp old cheddar cheese and BOOM a make shift Protein Plate for SOOO much less money. I feel like a coupon clipper already.
Other than that I'm reading some monetarily educational books such as "SPIN Selling" and "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". From these readings I hope to be able to open up my mind to my future. I really want to raise my kids in a very "a dollar is hard earned" kind of way. I JUST learned what an RRSP is....actually I still don't even know what the acronym is. I just know that money IN to them equals not owing the government money at tax time. Hahah that's pathetic. I only got through my Finance and Accounting classes in University through 100% memorization....I understood hardly any of it.
Anyways, being smarter and more aware is m ultimate goal. Kirby told me that once she realized where her funds were going she was much more aware of random purchases. Also, only purchasing these small things with CASH makes a big difference. In the age of blind digital money...it's easy to not care when you don't see it actually leaving your wallet.

I'm excited about Money month. Maybe at the end i'll treat myself to something lovely for a job well done :)

MONEY MONEY MONEYYYY MONAAAAYY (Donald Trump theme song).

MI$$Y OUT.

SPRING FORWARD, Be Aware!

A little late getting to my April Mindfulness blog. I went to Mexico and was there for the beginning of the month, then when I got back I caught some sort of ridiculous Mexican flu which left me absolutely dead for 4 days. I can't remember the last time I was that sick, ALAS, i'm alive and ready to BLOG IT OUT.

Kirby and I happen to have picked the same thing this month so it should be interesting to see how we go about the same thing a different way.
For me, mindfulness is being aware of what makes my mind think differently than others. What do I believe in? What makes me aware? What do I pick up on? What affects me? I find myself leaning towards spirituality in this section. I've decided that for Mindfulness i'm going to amp up my yoga sessions. I feel most at inner peace and calm when i'm a practicing yogi. I'm also going to give going to Catholic Church a go (again) with my friend Karlee. I grew up very Catholic and found the rules and not doing things "because the Bible says so" really pissed me off. I was a rebellion as it was, and this was something I could easily turn my back on. I get apprehensive and fidgety in Church, but I'm going to go with Karlee and see if God and Catholicism is something that makes me feel good. My Mom and Sister tell me that when they leave Church they just feel GOOD inside. Perhaps if I give Church a legit try and see what happens, i'll enjoy it to. I've also god the Dali Lama on CD. I don't have a CD player other than in my car so this task may prove difficult, but I want to see what he has to say.
I'm also committing to meditating before bed. This is to help with my anxiety disorder, that has been recently diagnosed. Turns out i'm a bit paranoid and this is supposed to help me relieve the tensions of the day, let it all go. I'm also going to finish the book my mother gave me on finding inner peace and keeping a sense of calm about out. This should also help with the anxiety, which i'm happy to report is actually going really well lately!

I'm excited for the exploring this month will bring. I feel like i'll get some more guidance as to what I believe in. I know there's gotta be something bigger than us.....i'm just not sure if it's a bearded spirit who is will return to judge the living and the dead...? We shall see! AMEN!

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!

A friend is someone we turn to
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure
as our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives
with beauty, joy and grace.
And makes the whole world we live in
a better and happier place.

Friendship month has been awesome. I've accomplished many of my tasks. I met a new friend, his name is Tom. We went to dinner last night and I realized that we have SO much in common. He's a great guy. I also sent all my facebook "thank yous" to people that wished me a happy birthday. I got SUCH an amazing response! Now my task will be to continue on some of these conversations and write people back!
I also sent the snail mail thank yous to people that came to my birthday party. Again the response so was nice. A lot of people said it made their day, or that it was so thoughtful. EVERY person told me they loved me. YAY!
I planned dinner with my cousin D, so we're doing that tomorrow. I've been chatting more with my uncle. I reached out to one of my cousins that I missed in the "family" month update email. And I sent Sarah (one of the 804 girls) an update email. I feel great!!! I need to reach out to my male friends a little more too now. So that will be my focus heading into the second half of March. I will also be off to Cancun, Mexico at the end of the month so I'm sure i'll make some new friends there ;)
I reached out to Mike as well, so we can get together for dinner during my one day stay over in Toronto en route to Mexico. SO all in all, I think i'm being a good friend.

It's important to note that my good friend Stephanie and I went through a really rough patch in our friendship over the holidays. We questioned our loyalty and depth. We had a lot of talks about it and how to get back to being the best of friends, like we used to. Stephanie has been doing SO well at working on the things I suggested that I needed from her. I've really seen her be so supportive and patient and really working on things. I let her know how much I appreciate her and all her efforts, and I'm happy to report that our love and friendship is stronger than ever. :)

I have Kirby a hard time about quitting her "Fun" month. Kirby is very important to me and she's such an amazing person all I want is for her to be happy. Kirby is SO fun and I feel like Flash and I are the only ones that REALLY see that side of her because she's got slight hermit crab syndrome. But if being alone and staying in makes Kirby happy, who am I to say otherwise. So I'm laying off her and letting her just explore on her own, that's the whole point of our project.

In the spirit of Friendship, I am now signing off to spend some quality time with my friends down on the JERSEY SHORE. Happy Jersday y'all. FIST PUMP!

Yours in friendship, Mel

Friends Forever!

MARCH- FRIENDSHIP

I chose to put my "Friendship Focus" month right after Love month in the hopes that I would have fallen in love and have to work this month on the OH SO tricky task of managing your friends when you're in a new relationship. Haha kidding.
To be more honest, I put Friendship month after because I think I'm a pretty kick ass friend and after struggling through Love month, wanted something kind of easy.

My goals for friendship month are the following:
1. Keep in better contact with my best long distance friends (Lizzy T, Ashes, Fergie, Hunter)
2. Try to do things with my male friends (Teddy, Gord, Byron, Broc)
3. Send a personal thank you not to everyone who took the time to wish me a Happy Birthday on February 27th.
4. Send personal thank you cards (via snail mail) to everyone who came to my birthday party and/or got me a birthday present.
5. Call my Nani
6. Send the 804 girls an update email (Tasha, Wilbur, Lori, Britaney)
7. Do something special for my BEST friends (Karlee, Stephanie, Kirby, Angela) to let them know how much I appreciate them.
8. Help Kirby with her "FUN" month because, let's be honest, I'm the most fun ever.
9. Reach out and make one new friend.

I am already off to an incredible start on Friendship month. On my FIRST day I took care of sending personal thank you notes to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on facebook. 83 messages! You know what though, it was COMPLETELY worth it. I got so many messages back and got conversations going with a lot of people I probably wouldn't have spoken to otherwise. Also, while I was writing set messages on facebook, I had two old guy friends (Mike Alexander and Jon Webber) IM me during, and had good update conversations with them! BOOM.
I also crossed off a task that I missed in "Family" month which was to get together with my cousin Deanne for dinner. We are doing that next weekend :)

I have also agreed to go to my male friend Byron's open house for his new business he opened. A VIP Salon for men. It's a great idea and I think Calgary has the market for it. I want to support him and his amazing entrepreneurial spirit, something I really love and envy in Byron. I normally hate going to events during the week, especially ones outside the downtown core, but this is important to him and I want to be supportive.
I have also made plans to make a new friend. I have a client I work with through my job. She is my age but at a very different place, a husband and two kids. She probably doesn't get to do the types of things I do very often so she asked me if I wanted to get together for some wine and she would give me a facial, as she has recently embarked on a new Mary Kay venture. Again normally, this is not something I would be in to, I really dislike make-up and face parties (Mary Kay, Arbonne, Avon, etc.) BUT Kristy is a doll and I really like her and I didn't go to her Christmas Party this year even though she invited me. She was so happy when I agreed and even said she didn't get to do things that wasn't related to her kids very often so she was really excited. That makes me happy, I like making other people happy :)

Hunter and I had an hour long phone call the other evening and it was so great to catch up with him. We realized it had been about a year since we had spoken (oh my god) and since he came to visit me last September. Terrible. Hunter was a big rock for me during University, I want him to be in my life forever. Do better with Hunter. 100%.
I also let another friend, Mike, in on my Happiness Blog. This is scary for me as not a lot of friends really know about it. And I realized after I had told him about the blog that I talk about the time when I first met him and what a big crush I had etc. IN the blog. I'm not sure if I had ever told him that before. Ah well. We've known each other a long time, no point getting shy now. Mike's amazing and after everything we've been through I'm very happy to have him in my life, we've come a long way.

All in all, I'm not worried about Friendship month. I think I give my friends a lot of time, respect and love. I guess I will be more focused on letting them know that, re-connecting with some lost friends and being happy myself so that people are happier around me!

YAAAAAY TO ALL MY F's and BFF's and PIC's and VIP's. Love y'all :)

Winter Lovin'

So love month has come to an end....FINALLY!
I'm not going to lie, this month was stressful, but freeing.

I went on a few dates, met some cute boys and so recently as my birthday party this past weekend a cute boy asked for my number. Things are going well. Since letting go of some old grudges and being more open and friendly (and new found sobriety is amazing too! So much clarity---for the record I wasn't an alcoholic, but haven't had ANY drinks at all for 27 days) I have really discovered the amazing conversations you can have with people, and more importantly this month, boys.

I found that with this new found "c'est la vie" attitude, I haven't been AS disappointed when things didn't work out the way I had hoped. There was a guy, we'll call him Marky Mark, that I was hoping would come to my birthday party and not only did he not show, he didn't even wish me a Happy Birthday! Normally I would have been pretty bummed out but I was like "Oh well!" Also, my ex boyfriend Ryan, also didn't acknowledge my birthday, after I was very nice to him on his just 2 short weeks ago. Again, it's disappointing that someone who used to be such an important part of your life can't even take the time to wish you a happy next year of your life. But there were a lot of reasons Ryan and I ended. His inability to be there for others was a big one. This comes as no surprise and I'm not that upset because I was surrounded by the most amazing people on my birthday. 13 of my closest friends that are like family, all celebrating me. I was spoiled, and I am very blessed.

Now we return to E, the boy I like that lives in Regina, SK. Soo....Kirby told me that if I was going to continue to talk with E in the hopes that something would happen between us, I had to grow a pair and be more honest with E. So I did! I brought up the possibility of him coming here for the summer, instead of traveling or staying in Regina, as was two of his original plans. He was very receptive and seemed interested in the idea. However, E is a.....flight risk. This isn't the first time we've made plans like this. I don't know if he bails because he's nervous, or worried about what MAY happen...or if he's just not that into me? I've given E several opportunities to let things just fizzle away between us, but he always seems to come back and re-kindle the so called flame. I am really in to him but will need to see some sort of commitment before I call off my search for the perfect lova. :) Perhaps E is as "I wonder what she thinks?" as I am about him. So i'm going to try and be really open over the next few weeks and tell him how I feel.
Girl- I LIKE YOU
Boy- I LIKE YOU TOO
Girl- We should be together!
Boy- I agree. mwah mwah mwah (kissing)

That's how it goes in my mind........

.....stay tuned!

Love Me? Love me Not?

Soooo LOVE.....4 letters. But one loaded little word.

I started off Love month totally kicking ass. I dropped my somewhat bad boy habits of getting all the attention I needed from the opposite sex from my super cool random guy friends (think coffee "dates" or dinner "dates"...but completely platonic) as well as my pseudo long distance 'boyfriend' -I use this term loosely as there's really no commitment on either of our parts but I don't doubt if we lived in the same city we would be together- E, who I also got my flirting and cute boy (skype) fix from. E was tough because we were used to speaking almost daily and was someone that I got excited to video chat with but after our several attempts to visit one another failed, I decided this was probably going nowhere and needed to move on.

Then came DATING. So I was semi-set up with a friend of a friend and we went on a date which was great. Nice evening of drinks which turned in to great conversation about life, goals, ambitions, past experiences, all in all, a GREAT first date. Then I found out that set person, after we had agreed to keeps things mums the word for the mean time due to conflict of interest and mutual friends, had gone and told people anyways. I don't think his intention was bad, but I was bothered that something I wanted to be private was now general knowledge. After that my guard flew up. I tried, and Kirby tried hard haha, to see past it and still view this as a potential for more dates but I just couldn't view this person the same anymore! A psychologist would probably say that trust was violated and because i've had issues with this in the past, I completely turned myself off and shut down. I just felt like things were moving too fast too soon and I wanted Love month to be more fun and friendly and flirty. The reality is, to me, dating is not fun, nor friendly, nor flirty! It often involved me getting anxious for a date, awkward on the date, and then dwelling on it afterward to see how I can now end this new relationship! Terrible, I know.
I think back to University when I had two long-term boyfriends, each with a 2 year tenure and I think about how we met...how I was pursued, how we started dating. With Mike it was an instant attraction. I remember the day I was sitting in my friend Tyler's dorm room and this hottie with long hair, who was all tan came to his door to ask for, funny enough, papers, and it took all my strength not to drool on the floor. Who was this gorgeous boy?! Why have I not met him yet?! I immediately asked Tyler and Joel (our mutual friends) who he was and how I could make him mine! Joel put the bug in Mike's ear that I thought he was yummy....that night at the bar we chatted and maybe had some RBM action (random bar makeout) and we chatted all summer and started dating exclusively the moment September 1st hit and we were reunited!
With Ryan, I remember the day I saw him running towards my dorm room the day I was moving in one hot September morning. He had no shirt on, and he was glistening like some sort of Greek God. He asked me to hold the door for him (his girlfriend lived there....ew) and I was immediately in lust. With Ryan again there was movie nights, OC (remember that show??) nights, again more RBM nights at the Pub and BOOM, he was my boyfriend. Why aren't things like this anymore? I liked it better when I find a boy hot, and decided he would be mine haha.

I think this theory may be why I've been so into E for such a long time. It worked in a very similar fashion. I was at a party at a club, I saw him across the way and was instantly fixated on his face, so cute. Made it my mission to invite him and his friends over to where me and my friends were, and instantly connected. Phone numbers were exchanged and we've been, slowly, getting to know each other ever since. If this was University, we would have gone to get pizza, added each other to msn/facebook, had a movie date night and we would have been happily celebrating our 1 year anniversary this past November (granting no unforeseen circumstances).

Dating as an adult is daunting and hard. Where are all the men? Seriously? If you don't meet people through work or mutual friends where are they hiding? I'm lucky I'm really active and have had minor interests through my soccer and baseball teams but now those people have all slipped into the friend/brother relationship zone. CRAP.

I got scared about signing up for an online dating sight because most of my colleagues are on there and I didn't want anyone seeing me on there. I know that if they see ME on there, it obviously means THEY are on there. I guess just more so word of mouth "Guess who I saw on plenty of fish the other day....." and I don't want to seem desperate. I don't think people on dating sites are desperate, I envy their, for lack of better term, balls. I just feel like I'm 25 and should still be giving this a shot the good old fashion way. Correction, 26, I am 26.....in 5 days.

Turning 26 is a whole other subject matter. My birthday is in 5 days. Work wise, friendship wise, life ambitions wise, I feel very good about "where I am" for being 26. Relationship wise, I'm not even that bothered that I'm single, I have a very full life. I do wish that I was with someone that I felt could be the "one" with no commitments of engagement or children. I guess after my breakup with Ryan I said I wasn't going through this again, and I wasn't going to become someone's "girl friend" unless I felt that deep down, I could actually really BE with this person.

All in all, I feel open to love, working on my commitment issues and hoping to feel the love soon. Kirby was right about one thing, when it rains it pours. Since going on my date last week, I have had boys coming out of the wood works and randomly messaging me which only secures Carrie Bradshaw's theory that all you need to get a date, is another date! Bring it!!!

All you need is love!!

So this is my "Love" month in the Happiness Project....the month I have been dreading since the start....hence it being in February, the shortest month of the year :) I may be lacking in the love department, but I make up for it in strategic planning, muhahaha.

So love month is all about opening myself up to the possibility of love. I don't expect to find my soul mate in 28 days, but I do hope to open myself to the possibility of finding someone to share my life with in the near future. My last serious relationship was, give or take, 3 years ago, and it wasn't the BEST of relationships. I was definitely beat down and left wondering if I could ever go through that again! For the longest time the answer was no, no no no NO I never want to go through a break up again. So I told myself I wouldn't get serious with anyone unless I had that feeling, the urge, that sense inside you when everything about your body is going "he will be mine." Alas, 3 years later, I am yet to experience that haha. I've dated, gone on dates and gotten semi-interested in someone. BUT in true Melissa fashion, pushed them away the second it was turning the corner into a relationship.
What I have managed to do over the past year is fall for someone who is completely unattainable. He lives miles and miles away, is younger than me, has a very different lifestyle and goals for the future (months of travel, etc. something i wouldn't consider doing at this stage in my life, somewhat cringes at the reality that all his friends are married and/or in serious relationships and settled down). So defense mechanism? Or terrible timing?? Have I strategically chosen someone that doesn't really match what I want moving forward with a male because it keeps me occupied, and he certainly is cute to look at, or do I actually really want to be with this person and unfortunately geographics have kept us from exploring what could be? I honestly don't know. And not that "don't know" where you know you're lying to yourself...I really don't.
So....since me and Mr.Miles-Away can't seem to get things together and actually take steps towards something that resembles togetherness, I have decided if I ever want to BE with someone, i'm going to have to get back on that damn horse, metaphorically speaking, for now Haha.

To be open to love I am going to do the following things:
1. I have stopped drinking for 30 days. Drunk at a bar is no way to make Mr.Right decisions.
2. I am creating a profile on an online dating site. This is not something i've ever really been in to, but honestly in this day and age, don't we somewhat creep/date people via Facebook anyways?? Also, this will at least just get me conversing with some men that I probably would never have before
3. Be open to new people. I....am judgmental. I critique males to the max. I need to be open to someone that isn't necessarily my "type" right off the bat. They could totally win me over with their personality, as these days I am quite in to humour, compassion, intelligence and sports interest. I also appreciate people that have at least read the news headlines of the day. It really makes first time awkward convo easier. I don't read the NY Times either people, skim the headlines, know what's going on in the world, then skip to the Entertainment section, like I do :)
4. Go on a date. Plain and simple. Get asked, ask someone, let someone set you up....just take that step.

These goals may seem easy for some, but I can assure you, for someone that doesn't really like paying much attention to this stuff, this is going to be huge.

BUT....I love love....I love people in love. I have a lot of love to give. Melissa Nadeau....now open, for love!

Reaching Out...touching me....touching you!

Family month is coming along nicely.
I had another call with my Dad last night. We discussed the Superbowl whilst watching the Steelers/Jets game. I'm a Steelers girl myself so I was really excited about their lead! Of course Steelers made me think of the Penguins and we discussed Sidney's concussion and how worried we both are that he's been out for a month, and has opted out of the All-Star game! We need him to return, as the Pens have now dropped out of their number 1 spot, AND Malkin is injured. UGH. We also talked about work and the big appointments we both have this week, and my trip to Whistler commencing this weekend. Chatted about our weekend, all in all a great little convo! This conversation felt less forced than the last one, which leads me to believe the "dad only" phone calls are an amazing idea and should absolutely keep going not just throughout the Happiness Project but for the rest of life! I told my Dad about next month (the dreaded love month)...I don't think he was AS interested in that topic as he was NFL, NHL and work haha.

I have not received any "reach out" responses back yet, but that's okay. Not everyone is as avid with emails/facebooking as my family is. Chatting more often with my cousin Ashlie has been good. She's fun, and by the sounds of it coudl definitely keep up with the Lemieux/Nadeau way of partying!

No word from my sister this weekend but she was on a bbm chat a little bit so that was fun! I'll try calling her before I go to Whistler on Friday!
My nagging tasks list has not moved.....at all. Kirby did force me to tackle the suitcases/boxes in the storage closet to make room for Flash to move in. He is part of my family now and so far, so good! I really enjoy having Flash around. I find him absolutely hilarious so i'm laughing A LOT these days which is nice because my work days are usually very busy and stressful. We have a lot in common and can watch everything from NFL Sunday, to Pens games, to The Bachelor! haha. Kirby made a comment yesterday that we very much act like brother and sister and I think it's very true. I never had a brother, and I think Flash is definitely in brother territory. I love him so. He is messy haha, but something that I think will start to be corrected as he is emmersed more into Kirby and I's lifestyles. At least he's stopped leaving lights on (my biggest pet peeve ever) and he's been closing cupboards too! I think it will take some slow grooming. I'm letting Kirby mostly take the reins on that, the last thing I want is Flash to feel like he has ANOTHER girl friend he has to please haha.

Feeling good about my family, our connections, my love for them and all things happiness!!!

I sincerely hope I can keep up this optimism in 8 days when I start working on my Male Relationships. Hate hate hate hate hate.

MEL

HEY OH DADDIO

I am killing my 'Family' month for the Happiness Project. Last Sunday I called my dad. The process of getting my Dad on the phone was hilarious.

Mom- "Hello Melissa!"
Me- "Hi Mum, can I talk to Dad?"
Mom- "You don't want to talk to me? Ohhhh is this Dad's phone call?!"
Me- "Yes."
Mom- "Do you have something to say to him?"
Me- "Yes I do! I have exciting news actually i'm excited to talk to him!"
Mom- "Well what's the news? I want to know!"
Me- "Well it's DAD'S news Mom, he can tell you after I get off the phone!"
Mom- "Well is it something I would want to know!?"
Me- "No not really, it will be so-so interesting to you, but very interesting to him."
Mom- "Ooookay! haha"
(Internal thought- gatekeeper much? haha Just kidding Mom you're hilar)

My mom is the information hub of the family, I knew it must have been secretly killing her that Dad was about to find something before her. Alas, my Dad had already picked up the phone and was awaiting his phone time.
*For everyone beyond curious about what the news was, it was that via my slightly hungover Sunday of watching nothing but '24/7: Capitals Penguins Road to the Winter Classic on HBO, I realized that a friend of mine from high school, who once crashed at my house after a party, and dated my best friend Laura, now plays for the Washington Capitals. GO GORDO!!!!

Anyways, my Dad and I had a great chat, spanning about 12 minutes in length. I ran by him something that happened at work that week and he gave me really good advice that I will absolutely take forward and learn from. The thing I always forget, or I guess just don't really pay attention to, about Moe Moe (short for Morley) is that he is a very successful business man! He has a lot of knowledge and experience to share and these kinds of things are so good to bounce of him. Of course we also chatted hockey, and our shared love for Sidney Crosby, as that is something we can ALWAYS fall back on :)
Anyone who tries to claim that OVI is a better hockey player does not stand a chance against us...so don't even try. SID THE KID FOR LIFE!

Also in compliance with my Happiness Project, I send my first "reach out" email to a family member I wanted to re-connect with. I started off with Tracy Harriman, probably because I have seen Tracy a bit over the years and felt like it was a good warm opening and would probably be received well. I am most nervous to reach out to Ches, mostly because I don't want to end up looking/sounding like an idiot. But I'm really excited too!

I don't know how to chat with my sister more, as she is electronically retarded and doesn't answer bbm (BlackBerry messenger) and is always at Turbokick and therefore also doesn't answer the phone. Arg. I will keep trying :)

All in all, I feel great. New Year. New Goals. New Gym gear (thanks Jenn!) and feeling good about mind, body and spirit. I am absolutely DREADING "love" month at this point. I've managed to wiggle myself into a weird place with boys---but we will chat about that next month! Muahaha. No dirt for now!
Do you think Kirby will let me substitute "love" month for my "nagging tasks" month (I absolutely suck at to-do lists, Kirby drools at the thought of them). Nahhh,I guess it is important that I start working on attracting the right people, stop dating assholes, and eventually procreate (wayyyyyy down the line Mom, relax). My genes are just too good not to ;) <---My confidence level has not been affected in the making of this Happiness Project.

Another successful mid-month update. Yay!!!

Missy-Bear

JANUARY- An Ode to my Family

As ALL of you can see, I took December off from the Happiness Project, from a blogging perspective. It was supposed to be my "Body" focus month, but with year end at work, and the holidays, the only focus I had was attempting to get everything done in the run of 24 hours.

Alas, it is a new year, and am back on track. This month is being dedicated to my one and only FAMILY. My mom always used to say something to me, "at the end of the day, you're family is all you have, friends come and go." I always hated when she said this, because my friends are SO important to me...but as the years have gone on, she was right. I am barely in contact with those friends that I would have picked to hang out with over my family, and Jen, Mom and Dad are by far the 3 most important people to me in my life. Since I talk, on the phone, with my Mom about once a week, I have noticed that all my family information comes from her. So I have decided that this month, I am going to make a solid effort to call my DAD at least once a week. It doesn't have to be long conversations, but just to hear his voice, say hello, see what he's up to.

The Lemieux clan (my Mom's side) is a HUGE family, my mother is one of 14 children. My Dad also has a big family, he is one of 5 boys. With that comes SOOO many cousins I can't even describe the depth behind them. So many stories, so many family chains, and I barely know any of them. I have picked 4 family members, of distant relations, that I would like to get back in touch with. I have picked the following:

Ches Nadeau- CEO, Total Logistics
Ches is my Dad's cousin and he is a very successful business man. I feel like Ches is a great example of someone who is a bit of a rags to riches story. I could learn a lot from him, and I want to surround myself with people like that.

Tracy & Kevin Harriman- Cousins of my Dad
Tracey and Kevin were two of the cousins I looked up to the most when growing up. They were just so COOL to me. Kevin had the coolest room with dark walls and stars and planets that would glow in the dark everywhere. He was also such an amazing soccer player and I loved watching his games. I play soccer to this day, I think he would be impressed.
Tracey was so smart, and beautiful and she rowed crew which was SO cool and something I never did and I was so wishing that that had been something I had gotten in to. Their house in Hamilton, Ontario was so beautiful, this huge old brick home on such an old gorgeous street. We had the best Nadeau family parties there. Kevin and Tracey are both all grown up now, with families of their own, and I miss the connection to them. I think I could still learn a lot from them and grow.

Ashlie McCullough- My 2nd cousin, through my Mom's brother's daughter.
Ashlie is a few years younger than me, she is currently in her last year of University so we are fairly close in stages in our lives. Ashlie has tried to reach out to me several times throughout the past decade and i've always just kind of pushed it to the size. I think I could really help mentor Ashlie, and hopefully guide her through some of the wrong paths i've gone down. I am 100% someone who learns things the hard way. Always wants to make the wrong choice, opposite of what everyone told me, so that I would know I made the right choice when I finally went the OTHER way. Anyways...I think I could hopefully be someone that Ashlie bounces ideas off, and instead of telling her WHAT to do, try to guide her through my experiences.

Last but not least, my cousin Deanne (of Deanne and Leanne) here in Calgary!
I have this extended family right here in Calgary and I never spend any time with them! When my parents were here to visit they were nice enough to come to my birthday dinner, and bring me a bottle of wine, and I never really visit them. I just need to put in more effort there....because it's just not right.

So this is my month, dedicated to being nicer to my family, being in better contact, and showing my appreciation for them more. :) Because I really am blessed to have one of the most supportive, understanding, and best families in the ENTIRE world...and they need to know that above and beyond everything else, the are the most important thing to me on this planet.

Melissa, a very proud, Nadeau

KIRBY vs. MEL

Soooo after the quarter point on our happiness journey I have gone back and read every entry that Kirby and I have made since day 1. I am starting to really notice how incredibly different we are! Me and Kirby's Happiness Projects couldn't be any different really and I think it's such a clear indication of the differences we have, and how together, those differences make our Happiness Blog perfect. We come from two totally different perspectives, with totally different goals, totally different ways of tracking, even the way we blog is opposite.

Although our Happiness Project is a perfect example of how opposites attract (and make awesome roommates) I would like to take a minute to list a few things Kirby and I have in common so that y'all know why we have mad love:

1. Our shared love for "Glee" and knowing that the show wouldn't be the same without Becky the Cheerio
2. Our love for Mexican food (Our first roommate dinner was at Julio's Barrio)
3. Our hate for stuck up biatches (we both know who this is, in particular)
4. Our appreciation for a clean kitchen
5. The things we know are just that way, but were never discussed, like why do I have the left side of the fridge, and she has the right? If individual items linger over to the other side, one of us returns them to their rightful space. The top shelf is for shared items like margarine, salsa and ketchup.
6. Our ability to know exactly when the other doesn't want to be spoken to, for at least an hour
7. Our love for comments about the interesting folk that live in our building
8. Our love for movies....we .....love.....movies.

In compliance with showing proofs of love, here are a few things that I adore about Kirby:

1. How she always keeps a can of Chef Boyardi mini Ravioli in her cupboard for the Sundays that i'm too hungover to move or make myself anything
2. How she hates leftovers, and therefore I usually have an already made meal in the fridge once a week
3. Her love for cheese....we always have cheese (right now? fresh parm and her fav, cheese whiz)
   
4. Her love for breakfast foods
5. When I catch her dancing
6. The way she laughs out loud when something is REALLY funny
7. Her cleaning ethic. This girl puts Danny Tanner to shame (she steam cleans....fact)
8. The fact that she taught me to drive a standard in 2 hours, in the snow
9. Her patience...
10. Her perseverance. This chick is strong :)
    
    
    I'm happy to be on this journey.

End of 'Work' Month....still a work in Progress

Working on Work has been good. I've been really in tune with bad habits and the process of being successful and working towards my goal. The oh so lovely Kelly Cutrone once said "Getting good at something requires consistency and repetition. Show up, do the work, do it hard, win the prize." When I broke things down, it was quite simple. I know how to do my job well, I just have to show up every day with a positive attitude and give it all i've got.
My boss, Special K, once told me that sales isn't very difficult. When you walk into that office, it's your curtain call, but the face on and before you know it those 8 hours have passed and you've done a good job, something you can be proud of. When you walk out of that door, you take off everything and leave it on stage. Don't bring your work home with you. THIS is something i've mastered. Between the gym and my oh-so packed social calendar, I hardly worry about work when i'm not there, I hardly ever bring it home with me, and I very rarely go to the office on the weekend.

There is one aspect of the WORK goals that I failed at: getting to know my co-workers. I really wanted to but...everyone is busy. I have done a good job at making an effort to talk to more people, just small comments here and there, and I feel good about that! I've also solidified the people I think I relate best with, and tried to be more open minded to those that dance to a different tune! I appreciate that all the people in my office are different and we are all very good at what we do. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better!

At the end of the day, I love my job and am looking forward to continually working to get better. Not every day can be the best day, but there's a piece of everyday that I can be my best.

On on to the next on on to the next (thanks Jay Z)

Mmmmmmelissa the Mmmmmarketing Mmmmmmmaster

Working on Your Work is Hard Work

So...I mean this. Working on doing better at work is hard work. I...AM...EXHAUSTED. My job is quite demanding, and trying to do what I already think I do pretty well, even better, is difficult. I guess when I went in to this I wanted a couple things to improve:
-my self motivation
-daily productivity
-accountability
-friendliness

For the most part, i've been doing well. I really wanted to focus on staying positive, when it comes down to it, there's no "i" in OfficeTeam...well, there is...in "office" but the word TEAM is bigger and it really takes all 3 legs of our tri-pod to do what we do. We have a great team and I want to be contributing to that everyday.
Today...was a rough day for me. I've been feeling under the weather and I've barely been sleeping this week and it's FREAKING COLD...like -40 everyday for the past 7 days....and I got super cranky today, and I let it get me. Towards my team I tried to keep my light hearted demeanor and humorous attitude, but to some of my support staff and other co-workers I was kind of rude. Not through words, but through just straight up ignoring. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all right?!....right? haha. I just wanted to be left alone. It's year end and the pressure is really on to put up big numbers, and everyone is feeling it. Even more reason for me to keep a calm head, and try to let things slide. Tomorrow is Thursday (the new Friday, whoop whoop!) so i'm going to breathe, stretch, shake and let it go. Tomorrow is a new day, tomorrow is a great day, and I love my job ---and not like Emily Blunt circa Devil Wears Prada "i love my job, i love my job." ---I actually really do!!!!
I am blessed. In the spirit of American Thanksgiving, let me give thanks to all the things that I have, and all that is in my future.

Same 'ole Mel, but smiling more!

P.S. I am doing SO much better at drinking water and herbal teas! But I will never give up my morning grande pike with room. AND a new study says coffee helps with brain cancer. TAKE THAT, REWIND IT BACK.
P.P.S. I love my family....they are lovely people. The texts I wake up to from J-Bear are precious....just precious.

A Work In Progress!

Today I was 50/50 on my Happiness Project. I came into work so rested and ready to work and had a smile on my face, even after a certain company called me at 7:10am to report an order that they needed by 8am. “No Big Deal!” I thought, taking the call with a smile. To be honest, I somewhat enjoy getting calls on my blackberry, while on the train in the morning. I secretly enjoy the thought of people knowing how busy I am. I literally start work some days at 6:30am, whenever that call comes through!

ANYWAYS, off topic. Today was going really great. I even wanetd my productivity to be so high that I moved into a “call pod” away from everyone else so I could focus and not be distracted! That went really well, and I had a great morning!......then Noon hit.Where my little “Call Pod” is located, everyone leaving the back office has to walk past my desk, and the computer I’m working on. During my much earned lunch hour (I never take lunch…I’ll eat at my desk, while working) I decided to look at some of this season’s Stella & Dot pieces online. I think I’ve earned a new piece of jewellry. Three people that walked past my desk (on their way to lunch, no doubt) made comments like “Working hard or hardly working?” or “Get back to work!”…..it was all in good fun, but I found myself growing annoyed. I kept it in check, and just laughed it off. Why did this bother me? I guess I don’t like the thought of people ever thinking I’m slacking! With the complete lack of privacy in our office as is I felt like saying “What the hell are you doing looking at what I’m doing anyways?!?” but I’m sure it was just a way to make small talk, soooo…DEEP BREATH, let it go. Done.
Slight mis-step today but I’m back on track. Also, a shout out to my Sask friend who I shall refer to as E, who sent me a lovely little “Have a good Day” text. Being single forrrrr….2 years(ish) now, I forgot how nice those random little messages are. I receive them from Stephanie sometimes but they're more like "FYI, Coach is having a sale, let's go!!!". Although thoughtful, there's something about knowing someone from the opposite sex is thinking about you that just puts a smile on your face. I will make more of an effort for random “proofs of affection”. You know what’s not a proof of affection? Getting dinged an extra $10 to get something with silk in it dry cleaned! WTF. The boy working at the Dry Cleaners was super cute though. I smiled through the $10 charge with a playful "whaaaaat??". Normally I would try to negotiate my way out of it. Today I didn't, I accepted that such is life.

Heading into an extra long weekend, and feeling HAPPY!

Melissa ‘Smiley’ Nadeau

NOVEMBER: Work, Work, Play, Work....

November.
I have decided to dedicate November to my job. My friends and family are probably thinking "holy crap child don't you spend all your time working as is?" and the answer is YES....but am I working "smart" as opposed to working "hard"? That's what i'm looking to focus on. Also, I want to create better work relationships. My business has several different division's that we call LOB's and in the nature of our office lay out, we don't really get to comunicate with each other THAT much throughout the day, we're all very busy. I'm going to devote some time this month to get to know each and every person in my office (about 20 that I haven't spoken to that much or know their story). I want to know how they came to be here, what made them chose this industry, what was their biggest success, what is their one piece of advice for the office baby (yes i'm the youngest Sales Rep). I want to be able to learn from all the talent around me and apply it. My goals for work are as follows:

- be nicer to everyone, smile more
- get to know everyone more personally
- hit my weekly targets set by my Team Lead
- don't leave until I feel accomplished that day
- be more patient with candidates
- NO MORE fake gun-to-the-head....body language is important
- when frustrated take a deep breath, count to 5...is this worth a freak-out attack
- re-read "SPIN Selling" (the sales bible)

I'm looking for that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. I love my job, and i'm starting to get pretty good at it. I just want to keep growing, keep evolving and continue to learn from the successful people and pick up tips of the trade.
A lot of my "attitude adjustment" month goals should assist with this month which is whyI decided to put it right after. I want to be a happier employee and a good co-worker to all!!!

Ready. Set. SELL.

ATTITUDE....is EVERYTHING....and it's OVER! :)

Attitude month is DUNZO.
I'm not going to lie, i'm happy. I am growing quite tired of my co-workers whispering "HAPPINESS HAPPINESS HAPPINESS!" in my ears when I'm frustrated and annoyed with something. I am tired of not being able to make a sarcastic comment about the brides on "Say Yes to the Dress" who I SWEAR are choosing their wedding dresses in the dark. I quite enjoyed the resultion to swear less and have done an exceptional job. I don't know WHY when I try to put my keys ont he key holder and I miss and drop them on the floor it aggrivates me beyond belief and I usually accompany this frustration with "FUCKKKK YOUUUUU!!!!" I'm sure my keys didn't mean it (or my impatience to hand/eye coordinate the placement better). My patience levels have gotten slightly better. I am still SO incredibly bad at facially expression my impatience. I clench my teeth, roll my eyes, and often put my fingers to my temples and pull the imaginary trigger (when on the phone!!). I need to not let my frustrations show. When I performing reference checks and ask people "How did Mr. Candidate handle themselves in stressful situations, did they remain calm, cool and collected?" I ALWAYS think about how badly I would fail that questions---> "Melissa loses her s**t and freaks out when people don't live up to her expectations. She often flares her nostrils in anger and slams the phone when something doesn't go as planned." Ewwwww. I'll do better :)

Anyways, I'm definitely going to continue curbing my trucker mouth adn I also quiet like being more aware of my facial expressions and trying to smile more....even to randoms on the street! The other day a man on the train bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6am said "Good Morning Beautiful!" which would normally cause me to roll my eyes and cringe, (who hates that compliment? I mean, I know he says it to EVERY woman, but still? Is this the worst thing that could happen?) but instead I paused, smiled back, and said "Good Morning." I have no right to try and crap all over this man's beautiful morning just because I think no one should speak to each other before 9am...and a grande pike place roast with room for creme and 2 Splenda packets!
I've also been doing a much better job at being more friendly towards my co-workers in the morning. When I arrive into work my co-worker Jason (who almost needs a Negativity Project, he is just THAT optimistic and happy, I envy him daily) always greets me with a lovely "Good Morning!" and I say it back, as bright and cheery as I possibly can. I like it from Jason because I know he means it. People who speak just to hear their own voice really bothers me! But in compliance with "not letting thigns I cannot control bother me" this is a free country and people are allowed to verbal diarrhea all over the place :) Sarcasm? Yes!

On that note...I am sarcastic. This is who I am. I will continue to make sarcastic comments because they make me happy and I think they're funny. Other people find it funny too. I was talking to my boss about being sarcastic and she mentioned that that's something she really likes about me. I think if it's done in a humourous manner and doesn't hurt other's feelings that sarcasm is perfectly acceptable. Done!

All in all, trying to be happy all the time and spewing optimism is just not my thing and makes me tired. I will try to be more friendly, and keep the swearing on the minimum, but that's pretty much the only thing I want to carry over from October. That and smiling....because it's true that when you're smiling...the whole world smiles with you!

MID-OCTOBER....never ending!

Okayyyy. Mid October and....I am struggling. There are few points on my Attitude Adjustment that I am doing really well with!!! I have absolutely cut my swearing in half. I save my F BOMBS for reallllly good circumstances...like when I stub my knee or toe on Slone's doggie fence that blocks her from my room. ARG.

I am also doing a great job I think at being nicer TO people. When people drop things, I grab it for them. I've been smiling more to strangers and trying to smile at my co-workers when I walk past them at work. My teammates at work were really helping me out be repeating "happiness happiness happiness!!!" when they saw me getting frustrated. So AT work....attitude adjustments were made and I think I was all around more positive, most notably in the mornings. :)

So....the problems started when I got home- Kirby beats me- haha JUST KIDDING. I had no idea how much I bottled up throughout my day and completely unloaded on either Kirby, Karlee, Lindsey or Stephanie (my serious partners in crime). I would complain about something that happened at work, something someone did on the way home (For example...today I was walking home from work during rush hour, decked out in a Coach purse, a cute skirt suit and a burberry scarf, and a semi homeless man yelled at me "THIS CHICK'S POOR!" and pointed in my face, in the middle of the street......yah.) I lie on the coach when I get home, and complain about how tired I am. I really need to stop....everyone's tired!!! I need to stop using Kirby as a dumping ground.
Okay next...boys. I've been dating....and they're driving me NUTS! I feel like there's this bizarre game, and i didn't get my copy of the rules or something!? So i've been seeking much friend advice. OH that's another thing....i've managed to turn losing my shit...into "seeking advice". I've managed to trick myself into being able to gossip freely.

SOOO I stand here in front of y'all and vow. I will STOP swearing, I will continue to smile, I will stop dumping, I will stop VENTING, and for the time being and until I get to "romance" month....I will stop dating. My patience levels aren't up high enough yet.

I sign off with the following: Attitude is everything. Misery Loves Company. I can't wait until November. I may be a bit of a bitch...but I am damn cute.

Mmmmmmelissa!

LOSE THE 'TUDE, MEL

I....have a serious attitude problem. It's "Attitude Adjustment" month for Kirby and I....and I am 5 days in and already struggling.

My Attitude month started off quite differently than my dear Kirbster. October 1st was a Friday, my favourite day of the week. I came into work that morning revitalized and ready to take on this new project!!! I was positive throughout the day and when my co-workers made negative or sarcastic comments I would try to counter it with SOMETHING (i.e. WELL...at least she called us back eventually and didn't end up on the 'island of lost candidates'-people who never, ever, return your call-) That evening I went to my girl friend Karlee's house and watched the Football game and we had good- GOSSIP FREE- conversations and chatted about life and it was really nice.

....with that being said....I have been really struggling with my attitude since. Work gets stressful and I freak out at least once a day. Today I caught myself swearing SO much. I am a big swearer. And mostly because I'm embarrassed to sound like a trailer park trucker most of the time, I really want to change this. Also, I can't imagine boys find it attractive that I can pair most normal words with fuck, fucker, fucking christ or mother fucking. In all fairness to me, it's a very versatile word....right? Ugh. I've been trying my best recently but today I definitely lost it. I swore a lot, I was impatient, I complained about how tired I was, I was sarcastic, I even vented to my poor Regina friend Eric, who was none the wiser being an enabler because he had no idea about my Happiness Project. Then I came home and complained to Kirby, complained to my manicurist, and didn't go to the gym. BLAH.

SO....from this day forward I will be making myself more accountable. I told Kirby's boyfriend about my goals, I FINALLY grew some balls and told Eric about my Project (he didn't think I was a weirdo...plus one!) so he can remind me too. Andddd i'm going to state my October goals on my blog here so that I put it out in the open FOR all to see.

October...let's go ATTITUDE!
- no swearing
- be MORE patient
- be less judgmental- you don't know other people's stories
- be less pessimistic
- be more understanding
- counter others' negative comments with positive ones
- smile when you walk into a room
- don't sigh...your life is good
- deep breaths

There we go...now you are all aware and can stare at me blankly when I'm failing.

-Mel....the tude-tard

P.S. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Kirby for negatively affecting her Happiness Project by falling asleep on the couch and not helping her bring her groceries up. In compliance with people not being able to read her mind, I suggest she tell us before she go to the store that she will need help later and to keep our phones on "loud". :) haha LOVE YOU KIRBY

END OF SEPTEMBER!!!

OKAY ENERGY HEY!!!!
So it's the end of the first month- boost energy- I think I did a pretty good job! The truth is, this was kind of my fly away month. I have a really good energy level already and I think that my main goal was going to bed earlier and I am VERY proud to report that during the work week I only went to bed past 10:30pm 4 times! This is huge for me!! I am a night owl and being in bed and ready to sleep at that hour used to be completely insane. I found it did make a difference, I had more energy during the day.
Drinking water----H2O....I don't like you. I have come to the realization that I really hate water. It's just SO BORING! And when it gets warm it tastes like minerals and metal. Gross. I attempted adding crystal light packs...nope...it barely dissolves and also, when warm, tastes like shit. So it's something that is forced, and I will continue to not let myself leave work until an entire 600mL bottle of water is gone. Tonight I had soccer, so I drank a lot of working, but you're burning a lot too so I don't really think it counts.
Vitamins....I have done a terrible job at taking a multi vitamin. And to be honest, I don't really know why I put this in my happiness project. I have never had a deficiency, and never been told I need B6 or Vitamin C, so why change it up now!? So I'm cutting this out. I don't feel like it would really benefit me.
Yoga. Due to the fact that i'm so active with sports, I have been away for a couple Sunday Yoga classes, but I do have my Biggest Loser yoga video that I have subbed in a couple times so I definitely did yoga at least 4 times this month (or once a week) which was my goal. I am always going to want yoga in my life and will continue to try and do it once a week. Plus my yoga instructor, Dawson, is super hot so it's really just a bonus. :)

I am getting apprehensive going into October. I think "Attitude Adjustment" month is going to be VERY testing for both Kirby and I. We feed off each others sarcasm, we enjoy gossiping together, we both allow the other to be in a pissy mood if we feel like it...so that fact that we're both trying to be happy and less judgmental should prove to be VERY interesting. I'm very much looking forward to hopefully not....well being such a ....ummm...bitch? haha. I guess I can sometimes be a bitch. A co-worker of mine once told me that when I walked into the room where she was it looked like I had a huge sign on my forehead that says "GO AWAY!"......it is the worst thing anyone has ever said to me. The LAST thing in the world I want to be is unapproachable?! Gross. What a terrible trait. So i'm looking forward to "smiling when I walk into a room" to hopefully say "Hello! I am glad to be here!" Not "F**K OFF I HATE YOU!" haha which is never really what i'm thinking....well....sometimes :)

So far Happy and getting Happier by the day,
MEL

P.S. My nagging task this month is 100% to get a damn battery for my camera so I can take pictures and add them to my my posts so Kirby stops making me feel inferior :) KIDDING. I love your pictorials Kirb-a-licious

Happiness Project Begins!

Sooo I'm day 2 into my Happiness Project and so far so good! My first month is also dedicated to "Boosting Energy" but because i've spent my life being a pretty active with sports and hitting the gym, I decided to focus more on good health and emotional energy. For this I decided to start off with some attainable goals that would push me to feel very successful during my first month of Happiness, to give me that catapult to get through the more trying months (ahem...working on my "attitude" haha). So my 5 goals for this month are:
- take a multivitamin weekly
-drink at least 600mL of water a day AT work
-be in bed by 10:30pm on week nights
-go to yoga once a week at least (internal peace of mind)
-gym 5 days a week (softball doesn't count)

I'm very excited for my boosting energy month! I think this is a step in the right direction of having a very healthy lifestyle...during the week at least...I'm going to work on the weekends later!
Also, Kirby and I both compiled lists of things, nagging tasks, we want to get through. I plan to keep an ongoing list and try to tackle at least one nagging task a month. I'm happy to report that day 2 into my happiness project, I tacked "go to the eye doctor" which I haven't done in.....ever? I felt like I needed glasses....the doctor told me that I have 20/20 vision and don't need glasses!!!! Have I always not needed glasses or has the magic of the happiness project enhanced my vision???...like CARROTS! Just one of those unsolved mysteries I guess.

-Melissa...happy as a clam!