Elle's Life September

Maui was amazing. Looking at this picture I remember how peaceful and relaxed I felt. It is hard to believe it was only a few weeks ago. 

I didn't put much footage into the Maui video of the scenery but Mark got some amazing shots.  Aren't these little guys adorable!

We had so many amazing meals in Maui but this Chicken dish at Pineapple Grill was stunning!

Pineapple Grill has the BEST dessert on Maui with their decadent Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream and an amazing caramel rum sauce

I am surprised I didn't eat more fish but, this rainbow roll was really good:

I can't wait to go back next year!

A Bit More on Olivia

I am going to include an update on Olivia in my favorites video tomorrow but, I just couldn't capture everything so I wanted to do this post to give more details on two things.

In tomorrow's video, I explain about Olivia drawing this on her wall but I don't go into the details of the meaning behind it which I would like to do now.  

Not only is her drawing amazingly artistic and beautiful but, the circular pattern is known as a Mandala which symbolizes many things that Olivia wasn't aware of. 

A Mandala represents  that life is never ending. wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds.  There is a lot more behind Mandala's so if you are interested, I will link a page for further reading.


The other thing I wanted to share was more about the "Beer & Burger" fundraiser that she went to. These men and woman are RCMP, Military, and City Police that ride 1000 miles around Vancouver Island to raise money for Children's Cancer. 

At the Beer & Burger's event, there is dinner, a silent auction and speakers. Each rider sat and ate at a different table. At the table that Olivia and the rest of my family were at, they had a military officer, who had been to Afghanistan 5 times. 

 Olivia got up to the podium in front of approximately 250 people, and brought people to tears, inspiring them. Her talk was 8 minutes long, and she covered her journey and thanked the riders for helping her and on behalf of other children with cancer. At the end of her speech, a number of the police hugged her, and she walked to her seat with a standing ovation. The military Afghanistan vet at her table had tears. 

She is so inspiring to people and a real natural speaker. My Mum told her to follow that dream, and continue to inspire. She said " that is what I like to do".  I could not be more proud. 

 Love you Liv!

Sunday Chat: Control

Sunday Chat: Play The Hand You Are Dealt

Sunday Chat: Dealing with Life Not Being Where You Want It

Sunday Chat: The Cost of Things

Aloha!

We are in Paradise and I wanted to share a few snippets with you. Here is the view from our bedroom and where I spend a great deal of my time sitting, reading and relaxing (you can see my toes on the ottoman at the beginning!) So peaceful.

Here is a bit of Mark's snorkeling adventures:

I am reading a lot and am almost finished with this book (look for updates on my book blog)

It is so amazing to unplug and relax in such a beautiful place.  I hope everyone is well!  Aloha!

A Post from My Sister

December 17th, 2013, we knew very little about Childhood Cancer, the next day….we were forced to learn. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Tomorrow, we will be at Nanaimo hospital. Olivia will be accessed. A nurse wearing a gown, gloves and a shield across her face will come into the room and hang a 2 ml bag of vincristine on an IV pole and she will push the button to start the drip. 4 weeks later we will be at BCCH. Olivia will be sedated and chemotherapy will be put into her spine. 

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. It's sad. 

Our love, respect and hugs to all kids with cancer, to all those that we have personally come to know on our journey and to those that have lost their lives…xoxo

Elle's Life August

This has been a very hectic month at work combined with my taking a week off and also prepping to take 10 days off for Maui makes it particularly intense. I must be a masochist but, I am loving it as there is so many fabulous challenges! 




I am packing for Maui.  Anticipation is half the fun! The very first things I packed were my swimsuits lol! I also have my kindle loaded with hundreds of library books. At least I have my priorities straight.


I absolutely LOVE going in the pool at night when the pool and the air temp are really close together. It is like a sensory deprivation tank - BLISS!

With traveling so much this month, we ate out a LOT.  It is always a challenge to eat healthy at restaurants and you will see I am not always successful.

Cheesecake Factory has HUGE portions so these are great options for lighter eating:

Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls :

Ahi Tuna Tartar:

These were the most unique tacos I have ever had.  The 'shells' were slices of jicama!  It had amazing crunch and flavors and I wasn't overly full afterwards. I would definitely reorder.

If you have a White Chocolate Grill near you, this Miami Beach Shrimp Salad was amazing!

Mark always likes to go to the same restaurants and I get bored lol! I was thrilled to discover this very spicy Thai Seafood Soup on the menu at a restaurant we have been going to forever

We don't get dessert often but this this chocolate lava cake was worth every calorie!












We spent a fabulous long weekend in San Diego...I will be posting an OOTD/Vlog soon.

I hope everyone had a fabulous August!