I Jumped for Joy This Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful celebration filled with love, laughter, and lots of good food! ;)


Since it was the first Christmas as husband & wife for us, I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Because we are usually busy with every day life, we haven't had time to explore the city and actually go places like we used to when we were just in the early days of dating! We decided to do something Christmas'y and went to Queen Elizabeth Park's conservatory to see their lights display. (see pics below)

It was peaceful and quiet that night (Christmas Eve), not a lot of people out exploring like us, so it was perfect for my jumping photos... uninterrupted and without an audience! :P

walking on water
Did you do anything out of the ordinary this Christmas? 

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To Be Honest... I'm Scared.

I've written a lot about happy milestones in my personal life, successes in my business, but rarely have i spoken about the not so pleasant side of being an entrepreneur.

The frustrations, the anxiety, the stresses, the sleepless nights, the tears, and the questions. 

Shortly after I started my own business, I took the plunge and quit my well paying full-time job so I could work part time and dedicate more to growing my business. It's been a real blessing to see where God has taken me in the last 2.5 years but now i'm at that awkward and frustrating stage where I ask... What's next? and When/How do I get there? My next goal is to be able to quit my part time job so I can fully concentrate on running the business but to be honest...

It scares the socks out of me.

Quitting my part time job would mean getting rid of my "safety net", not having the security of knowing a paycheck will arrive at the end of each month. It would probably mean cutting down on entertainment and eating out and buying people presents. I feel like it would be unfair to my husband to quit my job at this stage and put the pressure of paying bills on his shoulders. Then there is that part of me that says...

What if?

What if quitting my job is what it will take for me to take my business to the next level? This would allow me more time to dedicate to perfecting details, meeting more people, coming up with new ideas, etc. I've read many articles where people tell their story and encourage others to take the plunge, not to be scared, that things will fall into place, that the risk will be worth it. But then again... What if i fail?

 Taken at the edge of the Westin Grand Hotel, Downtown Vancouver. Photo by Charles de Jesus.  

I'm truly thankful for a supportive husband who's always there to listen to my frustrations and lift me up. Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if I continued to work at my full-time job and ignored the tugging in my heart to start my own business. We'd be able to afford going on more vacations, up to date on the latest gadgets, in the know with the trendiest restaurants... but then again, i think about how much closer this experience has brought us...I think back to the "thank you" messages I've gotten from others who were encouraged by my story...I think about the amazing people I have met because of my business and I think about the reward at the end of the sacrifice... and i wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Like the saying goes...

"If your dream doesn't scare you, you're not dreaming big enough."

Do you have a dream so big it scares you?
tweet, tweet // i design clothing: www.herrohachi.com and post videos about it on my YouTube page

Eat Like a Lady.

...which is probably the exact opposite of how I eat. I don't know about you, but i grew up with an older brother and i had to eat fast and get lots in advance if i wanted to eat at all! That's why it's nice to change things up a bit from time to time and enjoy a nice girly afternoon having afternoon tea.

chicken salad in a waffle cone - it doesn't look too appetizing but it was actually pretty good!
My girlfriends and I caught up with each other at the Urban Tea Merchant in Downtown Vancouver a few weeks ago. This was my second time ever having afternoon tea and I quite enjoyed it! It was a different experience from my first time at the Fairmont Pacific Rim as this was a little less "fancy" which meant it was more affordable, they had a bigger and more creative tea selection (mango flower black tea...amazing), annnnd best part of all - you get your own tower. I liked this better because I didn't have to think about the speed at which i took things off the tower and ate them, whether or not i should wait for the other person to get their share of chocolate dipped strawberry before i get mine, etc, etc. :P The food was much simpler though, you can tell just from the photos (in comparison to my tea experience here).

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DAY 12 - A Photo of the Town You Live In.

I absolutely love my city. Sure, it rains 70% of the year, but there's just something about it that you can't help falling in love with! The two pictures at the top are of my neighbourhood during sunset. It's a very relaxing place full of young families, couples walking their dogs, and people going for an evening run. In the summer, it's full of tourists taking pictures left, right, and centre and people (young and old) enjoying ice cream or gelato by the water. The dock is full of boaters coming back from their day of fishing - they park at the dock and sell their fresh seafood to tourists and locals. 
The two pictures on the bottom are from a city near by - that is where my fiancee proposed two weeks ago! Gorgeous place, right? :) 
What do you love most about your city?