December in a sentence a day

Greetings! I enjoyed a very festive December without stress as we stayed with the five simple pleasures that I listed here. On Christmas Eve, we had significant snowfall overnight and the next day got a beautiful white Christmas which seemed to make the holiday lights brighter and the family gathering cozier. We've also had an extreme cold alert since Christmas Day. This means bundling up when we go outside and not staying too long outside in the cold either (no frostbite please). It's a perfect time to enjoy the warm comfort of home, reading, writing, listening to music, travel planning, baking, drinking hot chocolate or coffee, talking to family and friends on the phone, and blogging.

I’m writing my December in a sentence a day on the last day of 2017 just because I have time to do it while waiting for the New Year to arrive. I'll link up with several fellow bloggers on January 4, 2018. Be sure to visit the linked up blogs next week for more inspiration.
 
December in a sentence a day:
 
1. Happy Friday with yoga at home and made a donation to our local community centre.
 
2. Swam 45 minutes in the morning, did light reading during the day, attended the Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol event in the evening, and made cash donation to the Out of the Cold program.

3. A fun Sunday with a 5K run and guest blogging on Donna’s Retirement Reflections blog about me living a car-free lifestyle.
 

4. Enjoyed a beautiful evening and my 5K walk to view the holiday light displays in the city centre.

5. A great Tuesday with gym time and family time.
 
6. Stayed indoor on this cold Wednesday to do yoga, blogging, and writing holiday cards.
 
7. A great Thursday with gym time and family time.
 
8. Happy Friday with yoga and a fun evening at the Holiday Fair in the Square.

9. Enjoyed my Saturday morning swim, mailed our holiday cards, did grocery shopping, laundry, and booked our family trip to Ottawa in January.
 
10. Ran 5K in the morning then relaxed at home for the rest of the day.
 
11. I loved the winter scenery after our first significant snow fall of the season.

12. One hour in the gym inspired me to suggest a new Wellness link-up in 2018 to my blogger friends (suggestion accepted!).
 
13. Enjoyed yoga, lunch with two girlfriends, a therapeutic massage, and my thanks to Karen at Profound Journey blog for including my blog on her list of favourite blogs and channels of 2017.
 
14. Extreme cold alert Thursday! Exercised in the gym before heading out in my winter gear to meet my friends for coffee because a date is a date.

15. A snowy Friday made indoor yoga and travel reading perfect activities for me.
 
16. Enjoyed my Saturday morning swim, did grocery shopping, laundry, and light reading.
 
17. Reviewed and booked a hotel for our family out-of-town stay in February while my husband baked cookies.
 
18. Happy Monday after an hour in the gym, and writing to my friends.
 
19. A relaxing Tuesday with 3K walk, yoga, travel reading, and writing.
 
20. Worked out in the gym with my friend, and wrote my Winter fun list.
 
21. A fun-filled Thursday with yoga at home before heading out to view the window displays at the Bay (a department store), attended Christmas Concert at City Hall,  browsed at the Toronto Christmas Market, and watched Home Again movie before bed time.

Christmas Concert at Toronto City Hall

22. Walked 3K in winter wonderland, exercised one hour in the gym, read Chile travel information, listened to holiday music, and sent holiday greetings to my friends and relatives overseas.
 
23. Enjoyed my Saturday morning swim, did grocery shopping, and read more on Chile travel.
 
24. Ran 5K in the morning, then relaxed at home to write my Best of 2017, while my husband baked shortbread cookies.
 

25. We’ve got a white Christmas with significant snowfall overnight and an extreme cold alert! 

26. Celebrated Boxing day with yoga at home in the morning, and the rest of the day at my extended family's gathering with delicious food, good wine, and great catching up with everyone.

27. Exercised in the gym, did housework, and scored a few good discounts for my trip to Chile in March.
 
28. The extreme cold alert continued so other than a short walk outdoors, I practiced yoga at home, and drafted my upcoming blog posts.
 
29. Exercised in the gym, relaxed at home with my family, and did more travel planning.
 
30. Felt great after my Saturday swim, did grocery shopping, and had a lovely chat on the phone with one of my close friends from grade six.
 
31. Marked this New Year's Eve with my usual Sunday 5K run, watched Star Wars The Last Jedi movie in the theatre, and enjoyed dinner at home with my family.

  
Happy New Year 2018 to you and your loved ones!

An InLinkz Link-up

November in a sentence a day

Greetings! I chose my picture of a red maple tree as the header picture for this post as it looked like a beautiful, vibrant, and giant bouquet that mother nature handed to me during one of my morning walks. This alone made me love life.

November, for me, is usually a quieter month sandwiched between our Thanksgiving in October and the Christmas holidays in December. This year it became a memorable month thanks to a fantastic trip to Central Europe with my sister. I plan to write more detailed posts on my visits to Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague because they are really four great cities.

Today I'm sharing my November in a sentence a day, and linking up with several fabulous bloggers. Please be sure to visit the linked up blogs and find out what they've been up to as well.

For those who are new to my blog, I've been capturing my months in a sentence a day since April 2017. You can search using the key words "sentence a day" to see them all. When I re-read my previous monthly reviews, my posts and pictures reflect how much fun I've been having throughout this year. I'm thankful for what I have.

November in a sentence a day:

1. Welcomed November with an hour in the gym, and completed house chores that made me feel good by the time I went to bed.

2. Yoga and blogging at home kept me dry and warm while it rained outside.

3. Felt happy this Friday after one hour in the gym, fun coffee time with a friend, and an amazing one-hour recital by Jordan Klapman (piano) and John McMurchy (reeds).

J. Klapman and J. McMurchy

4. It's a feel-good Saturday when I got in some fitness (45-minute swim in the morning), some family activities (stocking up our fridge with fresh groceries, finishing laundry), and remembering my dear friend at the Day of the Dead festival which I wrote about here.

5. Relaxed at home with my family after my morning 5K run, and adjusted our clocks as our daylight saving ended today.

6. Monday is great after one hour in the gym and a lunch date with two of my girlfriends to share our "what's good".

7. Buying Hungarian forint and Czech koruna means I'm getting close to my departure date.

Hungarian forint (HUF)

Czech koruna (CZK)

8. One hour in the gym and coffee time with another friend made a wonderful Wednesday.

9. Stayed warm with indoor yoga and felt excited to pack for my trip while we got a winter blast of cold temperatures outside.

10. Felt happy this Friday with one hour in the gym, and an uplifting piano recital by Agnes Wan who expertly played music composed by Domenico Scarlatti, Joseph Haydn, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann and Sergei Prokofiev.

Agnes Wan

11. Enjoyed every minute of my morning swim as I knew the pool will be closed for maintenance for two weeks and I'll be flying with my sister to Budapest tonight (i.e. sitting upright in small space for several hours)!

12. Arrived safely in Budapest, settled in our hotel room, took a nap, and kicked off our new adventure in Central Europe with champagne and a delicious three-course Hungarian dinner.

13. Had a great breakfast to start our day, visited the beautiful landmarks in Budapest in the morning, lunched and shopped at the Great Market in the afternoon, and soaked in the thermal baths at Gellert in the evening before savouring Hungarian wine, goulash soup, and an entree.

Hungarian Parliament

14. A wonderful day with breakfast in Budapest, a comfortable coach ride to Vienna, a walking break, a guided visit to Schonbrunn Summer Palace, and a delicious Viennese dinner with wine.

Schonbrunn Summer Palace in Vienna

15. A perfect sunny day exploring the historic sites in Bratislava and Vienna, tasting local snacks, taking a break at a traditional coffee house, and savouring another delicious Viennese dinner with wine.

Bratislava Castle, Slovakia

16. An amazing day with breakfast in Vienna, arriving in beautiful Prague to explore the Old Town on foot, using the tram, enjoying dinner, and sleeping well in our comfortable beds in the hotel.

Prague Castle Hill, Czechia

17. Explored the historic sites in Prague, loved so many discoveries throughout the day, and wrapped up our tour with a farewell Czech dinner, live music, and wine.

18. Left Prague for our flights back to Toronto, watched 3 or 4 in-flight movies, and arrived home safely tonight with treats for my family.

19. Happy Sunday with my usual 5K run, post-trip unpacking, laundry, and catching up.

20. Worked out in the gym for an hour in the morning and admired unique, hand made items at a local art exhibition in the afternoon.

21. Reached two simple goals today: Yoga and making dinner that was devoured in minutes.

22. Enjoyed Wednesday with one hour in the gym, seeing the first snow flurries of the season during my walk, and a Mexican lunch with a friend (her treat!).

23. Reached three simple goals of the day: Yoga, making soup from our vegetable odds and ends, and sending in my second guest post.

24. Felt fantastic after spending one hour at the gym, and attending an amazing piano and violin recital by Mai Tategami (violin) and Jean-Luc Therrien (piano), so young yet so accomplished musicians.

M. Tategami and J-L. Therrien

25. Ran 5K this morning as the pool is still closed, did grocery shopping, and got a nice haircut before my hairdresser goes on vacation.

26. It's a great Sunday when I got in some fitness (one hour in the gym in the morning), some family activities (finishing laundry, preparing dinner), and some fun at the Swedish Christmas Fair which I wrote about here.

Handicraft at Swedish Christmas Fair

27. Made it a relaxing day with walking, yoga, and leisure reading.

28. Gym time was quite fun with my fitness friend.

29. Rinse and repeat day #27 because I loved it.

30. Wrapped up November with gratitude and looking forward to December.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fall fun list update #2

Greetings! I just returned home from a fantastic trip to Central Europe with my sister. Today I’m writing to provide Update #2 to my Fall fun list of twenty items, and linking up with several fabulous bloggers who also provide their updates. Thanks, Leslie, for organizing the link-up.

In my Fall fun list update #1, I reported that items #5 to 10, and #13 to 15 have been completed so let’s see what further progress I’ve made with my list since then.

My Fall fun list update #2:

1. Exercise in the gym 3x per week, one hour each time. In progress. I definitely achieve this goal when I’m at home. When I traveled, and didn’t have access to a gym, I modified my workouts.

2. Yoga 2x per week, up to one hour each time. In progress. This is do-able both at home and abroad.

3. Swim 1x per week, up to one hour. In progress. I achieve this goal when I have pool access at home. I didn't swim when I was in Ireland and Central Europe. The pool is currently closed for maintenance for two weeks in November.

4. Run short distance 1x per week, up to 5K. In progress. I’ve been running 5K every Sunday.

5. Celebrate Thanksgiving and my blog's 1st anniversary with a pumpkin pie. Yes! It was yummy.

6. Enjoy a therapeutic massage. Yes! It was a very nice self-care treat.

7. Travel to Ireland in October. Yes! I had a wonderful time exploring Ireland.

8. Visit Dublin, capital city of Ireland. Yes! I explored Dublin on foot and enjoyed the city very much.

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

9. Explore the landscapes along Ireland's wild Atlantic side. Yes! Ireland's natural landscapes along the Wild Atlantic Way were amazing. I'd love to return for more exploring.

10. Write my first guest post on another blog. Yes! My first guest post appeared on Donna’s blog as part of her Sunday Guest Post Series on Sunday, October 29.

11. Email my friends who live overseas. Yes! It was very nice to catch up with my friends’ news.

12. Meet my local friends for coffee. Yes! So far three coffee dates and two lunch dates. This is a success considering we lead busy lives, I traveled abroad in October and November, and the holidays are coming.

13. Watch a new-to-me movie. Yes! In addition to watching Wonder Woman and Spiderman: Homecoming in Toronto, I saw a few movies while flying to and from Europe: Logan starring Hugh Jackman, The Mummy starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, and Maudie starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke.

14. Attend a concert. Yes! In addition to attending the Red Slam concert in September, I also attended three amazing piano recitals in October and early November.

15. View a new art exhibition. Yes! I viewed several art exhibitions as mentioned in my September wrap-up and October wrap-up.

16. Take a trip to Central Europe in November with my sister. Yes, it was a fabulous holiday! I wrote about our itinerary here. Details to follow in another post.

17. Explore Budapest, capital city of Hungary. Yes! We toured beautiful Budapest, visited several landmarks, enjoyed local foods, wine, and the thermal baths.

Parliament Building, Budapest

18. Visit Bratislava, capital city of Slovakia. Yes! It was a perfectly sunny day to view Bratislava Castle, take a break in a traditional coffee house, and wander around the charming historic town centre.

Bratislava Castle

19. Re-visit Vienna, capital city of Austria. Yes! Vienna is as grand as I remembered her. Highlights include a visit to Schonbrunn Summer Palace, lots of walking in the city centre, climbing 342 steps up the South Tower of Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral to get panoramic views of Vienna, and enjoying local foods and music.

Schonbrunn Summer Palace

20. Explore Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic. Yes! To me exploring Prague is like viewing a beautifully illustrated storybook where every page is unique and full of amazing visuals and stories. I’d love to return to Prague for more and more wanderings.

Prague

I’m pleased to have completed sixteen out of twenty items on my Fall fun list. The fitness items #1 to #4 are ongoing forever, LOL. I look forward to creating a list for the winter season which officially starts on December 21.

Now your turn to share what you've been up to this autumn.

An InLinkz Link-up

October in a sentence a day

Greetings! Today I’m writing my month of October in a sentence a day, and linking up with several fabulous bloggers who also share their October in sentences. I had an outstanding October with many fit and fun activities, two blog-related milestones, and a trip to Ireland. I'm loving life and would like to share the following highlights with you.

October in a sentence a day:

1. Happy Sunday with a 5K morning run and family time the rest of the day.

2. Exercised in the gym and had a fun lunch with a friend.

3. Enjoyed yoga time and a visit to the Magic of Latin America art exhibits where I learned about the Olmec civilization.

4. Exercised in the gym and started packing for my trip to Ireland.

5. Practiced yoga and stretched during the day before flying overnight to Dublin.

6. Happy Friday with a smooth arrival in Dublin, some rest, and walking around to explore the city.

Trinity College, Dublin

7. A lovely day starting with a fun 2.5-hour Dublin waking tour, followed by lunch at Books Upstairs with a new friend, a leisure visit to the National Gallery of Ireland, and ending with a yummy dinner.

Dublin Castle

8. Took a relaxing morning train ride from Dublin to Cork, had lunch break, and walked around to explore Cork city centre in the afternoon.

St. Patrick's Bridge, Cork

9. A full sightseeing day, starting with a reflective view of St Patrick’s bridge in Cork, green scenery along the way, dense fog at the Cliffs of Moher, delicious seafood lunch in Doolin, and ending with a visit at the Bunratty Castle.

Bunratty Castle, Ireland

10. Happy 1st blog year! Took another relaxing and scenic train ride from Cork to Killarney in the morning and spent the rest of the day exploring the lovely Killarney National Park with a 5K hike, a tour of Ross Castle, Killarney House and Gardens, and seeing red deer up close.

Killarney National Park

A lovely baby deer

11. Experienced a full day of amazing scenery at the Dingle peninsula and various towns that are part of the Ring of Kerry.

12. Traveled by train from Killarney to Dublin in the morning, had lunch break, spent the afternoon strolling in St Stephen’s Green, shopping for gifts on Grafton Street, and a fun evening Irish pub crawl with live music and drinks.

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

13. Happy Friday with a smooth flight home.

14. Unpacked, laundry, and general post-trip catch up.

15. Ran 5K in the morning and relaxed with my family for the rest of the day.

16. Exercised in the gym, organized my trip pictures, and shared a pumpkin pie treat.

17. Enjoyed yoga and writing a post about my exploring Ireland.

18. Exercised in the gym and contacted my friends to schedule our meet-ups.

19. Practiced yoga and re-organized our second bedroom.

20. Exercised in the gym and stayed outdoors to soak in this gorgeous sunny Friday.

21. Swam 45 minutes in the morning, and chatted with my sister about our upcoming trip.

22. Cheered on my family members who ran the half-marathon and 5K at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in the morning, ran 5K myself (not in the race), and enjoyed happy family time the rest of the day.

23. A fun Monday exercising in the gym with a friend in the morning, and having a coffee date with another friend in the afternoon.

24. Practiced yoga, and went out to see the World Press Photo Exhibition 2017.

25. Spiced up my time in the gym with some new exercises.

26. An amazing day starting with yoga, then meeting Mr. Robert Bateman, the extraordinary Canadian painter, at his Travel exhibit, and ending with a delicious Thai dinner with my family at Pai.

A close-up of Robert Bateman's painting

27. Exercised in the gym before attending a piano and cello recital by two talented musicians Benjamin Smith (piano), and Dongso Julia Kim (cello).

28. Felt good this Saturday after swimming laps for 45 minutes, stocking up our fridge with fresh groceries, laundry, and home cleaning.

29. Ran 5K in the morning and enjoyed interacting with readers of my first guest post on Donna's blog the rest of the day.

30. Exercised in the gym and read about multiple new travel destinations.

31. Wrapped up an outstanding October with yoga and writing e-letters to my friends who live overseas.

I look forward to taking a trip to Central Europe with my sister, and making more progress on my Fall fun list of 20 activities in November.

What fun activities did you enjoy in October? Please share below.

An InLinkz Link-up