good advice

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. (and sent by my mom through email this morning) "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Sara Ciantar

This evening a small group of us (B, B, K, C, H, R and Me) went to support my cousin Sara Ciantar and listen to her band play at Cameron House! Sara is part of our west influence on the Bryce side (lives in BC)...and throughout the years I have always referred Sara as my cousin who is musically gifted! (super gifted) It always amazing me the talent she has (and the lack of music talent i have...besides singing in the car...I'm quite good there! ha!)...and tonight she was nothing short of excellent! She definitely played my kind of tunes! Just a little bit about her: Some refer to it as "small town": it's not urban folk and it's not country, but maybe somewhere in between with a little bit of everything in it. Sara's music is drawn from her myriad of influences: from learning classical piano while living on a hippie farm and listening to her parents' 70’s folk records; to studying world music at UBC (where she learned to play the accordion, the pipe organ, a Chinese lap-harp kinda thing, Balinese xylophone, and she even sang a little jazz among other things); to being lulled to sleep by the sound of Mexican wedding music in the slums of Tijuana; to the beauty of church and choral traditions; to her humble guitar's yearnings while living in her camper van for her formative years. She has sang and played accordion with the likes of Ari Neufeld, Barnaby McRae of Cowboys and Indians, and James Lamb of Wicker Robot, and is having fun singing rootsy traditionals in a girly trio (that has yet to be named). In the end she's got a story to tell with her ever-changing mood and voice.
check out www.saraciantar.com for more information and to listen to some of her tracks! 2 of my favs are: South America and Highway 5
ps. so proud of you Sara! you're amazing...miss ya! xo
pps. my bed is screaming my name! night night!

Twenty Divine!

On Thursday I celebrated my 29th birthday with some of my closest girlfriends! holley molley! We celebrated in my kind of fashion; drinking wine and eating sushi at Mye Japanese Restaurant. I'm not going to get all sappy as they all just received an email from me....but I'm so happy to have such amazing women in my life who cheer me on and stand by my side (especially when I need them the most). Anywho instead of reflecting on the year passed as I did the previous year, I thought why not jump into my last year in my 20's (sniff) with my head held high and ready for anything! Here's to dreams coming true! Peace out! xo

ps. photos taken from the night weren't so hot so thought I would collaborate some stylin' pics of you all!

And the winners are...

Shawn and Mark! I called it! Though Melissa and Giles were both amazing, Shawn proved to show she is perfection on the dance floor. The Cha Cha was the deciding factor for me...those not in tune here is my all time fav dance that I could watch over and over! Oh to know how to dance...sigh!

Wine Review #2

Well this weekend I had my fair share of vino....so I thought I would share another wine fav of mine..and this time it's organic. Introducing Bonterra. I haven't narrowed down my favourite red from Bonterra, but I do enjoy the Merlot: Raised on vines in a valley that absorbs the full brilliance of a Mendocino County day, this nuanced wine blends a focused Merlot character with an evident heritage of Bordeaux. Aromas of cranberry, chocolate and cola spice add to the old-world style. Our Merlot is wonderfully dry, with compelling fruit and touches of herbs and light oak.
I would love to say that I am an organic connoisseur however, due to budget and convenience I can't say organic can be my first choice. However drinking Bonterra makes me feel I am making a healthier choice for my casual glass....especially since a couple days later I was reading a health magazine and they outlined the benefits of organic wines...so my ears were open and I paid attention. Here is a little tid bit for those who are interested: Organic wines contain less sulfites then traditional wines. Sulfites are a salts or sulfurous acids that occur naturally in many wines. It is vary rare to find a wine that does not have sulfites. Added sulfites are generally used for preservation of wines. 100% Organic wines are made with no added sulfites. The less sulfites a wine contains, the healthier it will be for your body. Drinking wine in moderation is beneficial to your overall health. Many studies have shown that drinking one glass of wine a day can decrease your chances of heart disease (holla!). Whether you are celebrating a special occasion with that perfect glass of wine, or just sitting down and enjoying a glass of wine at your next meal, it is important to choose the best wine for your health. Organic wine provides you with all of the benefits that a traditional wine would give, without harmful pesticides. (Sounds good to me!) Anywho the Bonterra lineup of reds is delish...and can be found at your local LCBO for a price point of under $20. http://www.bonterra.com/
ps. reminder: red wine is an antioxidant ;) - all in moderation of course

I DID IT!

Yesterday, Sunday May 10th, at 7:30 am the gun sounded for the start of the 2009 Mississauga Marathon (42.2kms). My third marathon in the past year..and this marathon was going to be the race that was going to take me to Boston. I started off super strong with Sam and eventually Merv by my side and we were running an under 5 minute/km pace. We saw smiling faces and supporters along the way and I felt stronger than ever! I knew this race was going to be MY race! The race that would also help me turn the page. However, once I hit the 30k-ish mark and was running through Jack Darling park, my mind was becoming stronger than my body, and I was doubting the idea that I could finish. Sam rooted me on and told me I could do it, so I constantly rallied back. Then at the 35km mark I told Sam to keep her goal alive and go on without me, as I was passed off to Jodie who was waiting by at the 35k mark to take me to the finish line. Just thinking about it all again is making me want to cry. At 37km Steph also joined the challenge in keeping me going. I can't even begin to explain the emotional and physical battle I was facing and knew it was going to be a struggle till the finish line was crossed. I complained, I walked, I sobbed, and gave up, I ran, I jogged and tried to smile but the last 7kms kicked me to the curb in every way. However, somehow my body that has been training for forever kept me going and my will (with my support team) to survive and do the race in under 3:40 was accomplished....I have officially qualified for the BOSTON MARATHON with a time of 3:38:45! God what a feeling!! Seeing the finish line and knowing I did it was so overwhelming, I think I sobbed for 20 minutes straight once I saw my mom and dad realizing I did it and throughout the rest of the day I just couldn't hold back the tears! I'm so proud of myself and to all those around me who accomplished their goal. Done and done - check!now here is hoping I will eventually be able to walk normally again! (picture of Jodie and Steph bringing me to the finish - I couldn't have done it without them! Thank you! xo)
"What matters is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Stats:Erin Bryce: Bib #186
Time: 3:39:27
Chip: 3:38:44
Category Place (F25-29): 10/80
Gender Place: 51/607
Split @ 8km: 38:59, @ 21.1km: 1:43:28, @ 25km: 2:04:50

Onwards

weather for the weekend

So it's officially a couple days to go before my big day - actually getting more nervous than I thought. I think it's because of the pressure of accomplishing a goal of mine - qualify for boston. argh! however, when receiving an email from a fellow runner in regards to the weather I almost died! 475km/h winds! dear lord! ha! nice prank. It is however going to be rainy with 35km/h winds that I am bummed out about it. Me and wind don't mix...I would take any other weather. Wind just plays with my head and blows me all over the show. Anywho so here's hoping the weather gods are asleep on Sunday! To all other runners! Good luck...and bring it on!

Mike Fanelli, club coach- "I tell runners to divide a race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."

If i were a scarf

...this is the scarf I would want to be. Ran across this on laineygossip and fell in love with it. Looks to be the perfect weight, length, colour, size and to top it off...it's Chanel. Fab in every way. One day?!?!
ps. Heading out for Steph's birthday celebrations tonight...Kevin and Dave have planned quite the outing. Though Jodie and I can only make the pre-drink at the King Edward...I'm excited to be raising a glass to celebrate her day. (side note: Jodie and I will be running 10kms down Yonge street tmrw with Mitchell in a running stroller. Sporting Life 10k here we come)
pps. April showers...brings May flowers