On the Eve before New Years Eve...

I'm gonna reflect on 2010 and regroup for 2011.

In 2010, I...

Lived. Laughed. Learned.

Navigated tumultuous career waters and emerged with an unquenchable desire to do great work and an unbridled passion for what I have chosen to do.

Re-learned how to do the splits.

Fell in love again and again with my family, my friends and myself.

Learned the difference between a best friend, a friend, an acquaintance and a stranger.

Graduated from OPI to Essie.

In 2011, if I don't have anything nice to say, I'm not gonna say anything at all!

Oh, and I'm going to conquer the dreaded handstand, fulfill mission roomie 2010, celebrate more champagne occasions and turn moments into memories, every single day of the year.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Feeling Feelings...

This time of year makes us feel feelings.

Some of them are real, some of them maybe not so real.

We feel strong feelings of Love towards the Canadian Tenors when we listen to this in the morning.

We feel strong feelings of Love for our family each time we see a twinkle of Christmas spirit (not to say we don't feel this year round...!).

We occasionally even feel inappropriate feelings that feel alot like Love for a lot of inappropriate people to Love throughout the holiday season.

Probably just because we have a lot of Love to give.

We're brimming with Love!

Exploding with Love!!

We love Love!!!

We hear so many people complaining about how Christmas makes them feel lonely.

Well we say, stop it.

Sure Christmas may make us feel feelings.

But maybe try to start embracing the Love and throw out the hate or the sadness or the loneliness or any sheep dressed in depressing clothing.

Open up to the Love and you can't go wrong!

So Cheers to family and friends and lots and lots of Love.

That's our Christmas gift to you.

x's & o's,

Leslie

I love Love.

"That's because May wanted the video to reach her organically—through tweets, links passed between friends, and blog posts. He wanted to show his girl that they "can feel close without having to be close every day," and that their relationship can remain strong even though they'll be thousands of miles apart over the next two years."

Full Story Here.

Stolen Words...

Cinnamon...

Fave!

And not just because it's a *super* food... It's also deeeeeelicious!

And it goes with so many different meals...

French toast, pancakes, fruits, coffee, tea, yogurt, muffins, ice cream, etc.

And cinnamon toast takes me back to both early childhood days and hot summer nights.

Bon appétite!

x's & o's,

Leslie

Thankful: Part II

While we love the thought of Movember and we're all for helping a good cause...

We're thankful that in T minus 6 days the creepy mo's in meetings, bars and on the streets will *be gone*.

(Also thankful that we may be able to stop putting our foot in our mouth... "dad, these moustaches everywhere are really creeping us out... Yes, I mean we know you have a moustache, but you've had yours forever, it's the new moustaches that are creepy!")

However, in the next 6 days... Please support our fave mo bros and mo sistas. All of them. Pretty please?

MojanOne

Integrated Duster Activations

Candy's Mo

x's & o's,

Leslie

ps. Daddy, we really do love your moustache. For reals.

Thankful..

Yesterday, HBD told us we should be writing a list of the things we are thankful for. Now, we know the inspiration for this is American Thanksgiving. And we know we're not American. But we think it's altogether a necessary exercise to sit back every once in a while and think about how lovely our life is becoming, so now is as good a time as any...

1. We're thankful that we have the best parents ever.
2. We're thankful that the rest of our family is pretty amazing as well.
3. We're thankful that we have wicked friends. Whether we see them every day or every once in a while, even if they have killed the fish named after us, or left us to live in new cities or travel to new lands, we have the best friends.
4. We're thankful for muffin tops. Actual muffins. Not what happens if we give up yoga.
5. We're thankful we renewed our motivation for yoga. We're especially thankful that 889 is so beautiful, inspiring and stocks up on great tea, which makes us wanna go every single day. See Self-Challenge here.
6. We're thankful for our apartment. It's so pretty, we hardly ever want to leave, ever. Especially in the cold cold winter days. Ever need a real estate agent, here's your guy.
7. We're thankful we have great hair.
8. We're thankful that we don't have a job. We have a career. Well to be literal, we do have a "job". Just not "just a job". We have a career where we learn every day, can trust the people we work with and an office full of toys doesn't hurt either! I guess being able to pay our bills helps as well.
9. We're thankful our parents spent a ton of money on our teeth when we were younger so that they could be pearly white and straight now!
10. We're thankful for our health. We remember the days of bronchitosaurus. And still, if that's the worst it gets, we can deal!
11. We're thankful, every single morning, for the Canadian Tenors.
12. We're thankful that our ex-boyfriend brought to life the "it's called a breakup because it's broken" concept. We won't make that mistake again. Though, if you're out there, we're ready for our own new cute boyfriend.
13. We're thankful that we learned proper spelling, grammar and formatting. We're thankful we're a perfectionist.
14. We're thankful for Diet Coke, Starbucks coffee and David's Tea.
15. We're thankful that you're still reading this.

x's & o's,

Leslie

R.I.P...

Leslie (the fish) has died.

Sad face.

(Well the real story is that, accidental or not, Mark Cheney killed her).

Moment of silence, s'il vous plait.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Canada...

Fave!

Even for years where we don't host the Olympics.

(Mittens. Also a fave!)

x's & o's,

Leslie

Only Boring People get Bored...

We like this.

We're trying to live this.

But it ain't easy. After 25+ years of "bored" being our go-to answer for "comment ça va?" (except of course, when superseded by "tired").

But if only boring people get bored, what type of people complain?

We've been a master complainer for years.

A professional whiner, some may say.

But the buck stops now.

We're tired of complaining. We're tired of hearing complaints.

If you don't like something, we say, fix it yourself.

We promise, it's possible. We've been there.

x's & o's,

Leslie

November 18: Have Sex with a Moustache Day

...hilarious, no?

You’re watching Have Sex With a Guy With A Mustache Day. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

(sorry parents!)

Truth-Teller...

While reading the obits weeks ago, (no, we're not 75 years old, we just really adore and appreciate the writing in the Globe & Mail, to the point where we must devour absolutely every single section) we stumbled upon a noble woman who was described as a truth-teller.

And for some reason, this word stuck with us.

We'd love to be described as a truth-teller.

And in the big scheme of things, when it matters. We truly believe we are a truth-teller.

But sometimes, (just occasionally) we enjoy chewing off little white lies. Not the "no baby, of course we didn't cheat on you" type. More of the "of course we ate breakfast, and of course it was a banana" type of fib. We don't see it so much as a lie, as a stretch of the truth. It's a game. Call us on it. We dare you. Sometimes we say things, just to see how they sound out loud.

But back to the heart of the matter.

We pride ourselves on our desire to be upfront and honest.

To take accountability over our behaviour, our work, our choices.

Sometimes we mess up. And we always take accountability.

Do you?

x's & o's,

Leslie

Man Up...

If we could find a man who could make us this (look left).

And play guitar.

Standing six feet tall.

With shining blue eyes.

A man who could sail a boat.

And love us forever and a day.

Even on our worst days.

With an ascot in his drawer.

And the manners of a prince.

We'd have it all.

But don't worry about it.

Take your time.

Until we find you, we're gonna build a life.

A story.

An empire.

That we can share.

That we'll gladly share.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Love at First Sight...

And second sight.

Third sight.

Yep, fourth sight.

Definitely fifth sight.

Sixth... Seventh... Eighth... Ninth...

We think you get it.

FAVE!

x's & o's,

Leslie

Last Look - Vogue - Oct 2010 - Ralph Lauren - Amazing

Uninspired...

We're happy these days.

Really happy.

Like smile to ourselves happy.

Maybe even can't get to sleep because we don't want to miss a moment happy.

For serious.

But still, for some godforsaken reason, we're a tad writer blocked.

We're swimming through the depths of un-inspiration, gasping for a breath of creativity and aching to soak in some warm rays of ... right. We're all out of words.

We're so lacking in the language department, that we could not think of even three words to describe ourselves the other day.

And we all know how much we love to discuss ourselves.

It's a fave.

So we're excited to see our new bio in the break of next week. No pressure, writers. We dare you to inspire us out of this dead space.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Tip from a Loyal Reader and Friend...

If you ever do wife up and must make nice with the dreaded garlic...

Simply wash your hands with a spoon.

It's magic.

Thanks, (more domestic and mature) friend (than us!)!! You, lady, are being wifed for much more than the knowledge of this cooking magic, and we can't wait for the celebration. Too soon to count down?

x's & o's,

Leslie

All Girls are Crazy, All Boys are...

To be honest, when our girlfriends commented the other day that "all girls are crazy", we were a little, how shall we put it, peeved!!

Why buy into or give credit to the nasty stereotypes that crazy exboyfriends spread!?

And then we gave it some more thought.

(And, last night, we may have found ourselves speaking out loud to (yes) ourselves with a little "you ARE crazy" action. (Yep, we're unsure if the actions we were currently partaking in, or the talking to ourselves made us more crazy!).

We digress.

You could say that perhaps half the things we do half the time are crazy.

But that's just the way we choose to live and we wouldn't have it any other way.

So here's to all you ladies not afraid to live with your hearts on your sleeves.

We dig it.

...and we won't even begin to comment on the second part of their statement.

We shan't waste time commenting on the obvious!

x's & o's,

Leslie

ps. All of the above said, the c-word is still up there with the r-word for us. and if you don't know what the r word is, you clearly don't know us at all!

Currently Listening...

Fave!

Thoughts?

Wife as a Verb...

Maybe we've watched too much Jersey Shore lately (moment of silence for season end, please!)

But for some strange reason, we're liking the use of the word wife as a verb.

As in...

Wife up.

or

If I'm going to wife you...

However, in concept, we'll never be your typical housewife. We hate to cook. We tried it again this weekend, and all we can smell (after scrubbing with soap, lemon, moisturizer) is garlic on our fingers! Not ideal for an early morning yoga class. Puke.

Though if you ever do wife us. (Strong hint incoming) Our perfect ring is above.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Stolen Words...

I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.

- Marilyn Monroe

x's & o's,

Leslie

Uninspired, Unmotivated, Underwhelmed...

And we hope zombies aren't contagious.

x's & o's,

Leslie

We Think You're Lovely.

It's called a compliment.

Now pay it forward.

x's & o's,

Leslie

DKNY Cozy..

All time fave!

We've wanted one for so long and so we finally took the plunge.

Absolute perfection.

And of course there's an app for that.

We could live in a dkny cozy, yoga jeans (could swear this denim delight had graced our fave's previously but cannot find for our life - next post, coming up soon!) and our fave sky high heels.

Heart!!! We want it in black and purple and pink and green... Christmas isn't so far, no?

x's & o's,

Leslie

ps. our faves are number #4 + #5 but we hear the boys fancy #3.

Use it or Lose it?

We can't lie. More often than not, these days we find ourself sitting back to thank our lucky stars for how amazing our life has been. Has become. Is becoming. Perhaps even awesome.

Whether it's while we cuddle up with a glass of Malbec, in our pj's and Uggs at the cottage, hanging out with les parents, waiting for a delicious steak + potato dinner.

Or the times where we settle down after a long day at work, in our beautiful apartment, with a glass of Shiraz.

And definitely the girls nights with our besties, either one-on-one or group events (and yes, lately our girls nights usually involve a boy - weird trend - another post for another day!) cheers-ing to good times with a glass of Pinot Noir.

(...okay, we sense another trend here - rhymes with fine... line... mine... and again, another post for another day!)

But back to our original train of thought, before tonight's crrent glass of wine derailed us, lately we've had a pretty great life.

We're thankful.

But we're thinking maybe it's not just enough to be thankful.

Are we supposed to use this thanks?

Pay it forward? Backwards? Side to side?

And if we don't, do we lose it?

How do you use it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

x's & o's,

Leslie

Breaking up is Hard to Do...

Y'all put up with multiple break up posts from us last year - this is a bit different. And it will only last one post. Promise.

We've been trying to break up with Extreme Fitness for a while. While we love the atmosphere at the Delisle (especially the sauna!). And they get bonus points for Sunday aft power yoga with Lori K. (though we hear rumours of a cancelled class). We have a gym in our condo. And many thoughts on how better to use our $80 per month.

We also have an on and off relationship with 889 Yonge. And it's looking like that one's made to last!

So, today we dragged ourself to the place where it all began, to cancel our membership. To break up with Extreme.

We'd put this off a while, as we'd imagined all of the push back we'd get on cancelling. If there's one thing we dislike. It's sales guys. Pushy, sleazy sales guys. Strong dislike.

But we were surprised in a good way.

We didn't get bullied, coerced or fall victim to any other aggressive tactics to keep us as members.

We got a compliment and a sheet to sign.

So Extreme Fitness, we have to give it to you for staying classy.

It's not that we didn't love you. It's just that we don't need you.

x's & o's,

Leslie

ps. Yes, kids. We do realize that it should be what you love and not what you need in real life relationships. However, a gym membership is entirely a different ball game!

pps. This is our 200th blog post - whoo hoo!!!

Well Suited...

No longer a fave?

We've been thinking over the past few weeks, that we're a little tired of the suits.

Not the working suits.

The pick up artists in suits.

The ones with lines like "you better not have a hot boyfriend." (lame).

And even worse are the ones that ask your boy friends if you have a boyfriend, pre-approach. (lamer).

While we will always appreciate a well put together gentleman - perhaps it's time to use your vacation time (wisely?) and investigate these day time boys?

x's & o's,

Leslie

Sharing is Caring...

Even though it's Saturday night...

And even though I'm on vacation...

See Jane Work.

Fave!

Whoever and wherever Pierre Belvédère is. Sir, I wanna marry you.

x's & o's,

Leslie

Currently Listening: Still on my Kellie Pickler kick...

Lucky girl. She got the diamond but I got the world. It's my oyster and it's full of pearls. So honey tell me who's the lucky girl. Lucky boy. Did you tell her she's your second choice? 'Cause I wouldn't be your little toy. Ain't no man inside her lucky boy.

Lucky Girl - Kelly Pickler

Ad Space...

We can't lie. We read magazines for the ads, just as much as for the articles. And we could never forget the pretty pictures.

We're très susceptible to les annonces. Hence the Lincoln Park After Dark on our nails and the nouvelle DKNY leather jacket in our closet.

But we especially heart the ads with copy that speak directly to our soul.

Top three for October Vogue?

3. Let's try harder than t-shirts. (piperlime.com)

2. She had a cocktail in hand and confetti in her hair. (kate spade - twirl)

1. You could live without it. If you call that living. (chevrolet camaro - surprising, yes!)

You win!

x's & o's,

Leslie