by Tish MacWebber | Jan 13, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
A part of my New Healthy Lifestyle that I have been working towards for more than two years now has been adding physical activity into my routine. At my current job, there was a team for the local Relay for Life Charity event, and I joined. I have gone to a few Relay Events in the last five years, and that is where I found the Zumba Crew. The group size ranges from year to year, and class to class. The core group has remained, for the most part, the same. It is a private group, not that we don’t accept new members, but that it is not based out of a gym. We meet twice a week, and I have been working at it and getting better all the time.
The featured picture above was from Relay For Life 2016. This is just a few of us. The photo bomber Storm Troopers in the background looking like they want to be a part of the Zumba Crew really were there. They were in another group for Relay, and they gathered a lot of attention. But if you look past the Zumba Crew, you can see it. They want to join in. That happens around our Zumba Crew. We have a lot of fun!
As you can see, one of the Storm Troopers joined in for Zumba at Relay 2016. It was really fun! I have come a long way in my healthier lifestyle goals. I have always finished class. Not always doing the same thing as everyone else, or keeping the same pace, but I am there until the end. The first time I did Zumba at Relay, I had two; not one but TWO charlie horses in my calves. I wanted to quit. But I thought about where I was, and what I was participating in. Thought about how it was to raise money to cure cancer, and if you have cancer, and need to go through treatments, you can’t just quit in the middle if you want to beat it. So I toughed it out.
Since then, I have never had an experience quite like it. I am grateful for that. I have had health issues in the past year that forced me to take a break from Zumba. I am happy to report that I am back, and getting stronger again. I am keeping pace better, and trying harder at doing the same moves as everyone else. I have to do my own thing, sometimes, because I still have a long journey ahead of me to becoming a healthier version of myself. Something I want people to take away from reading this is that it doesn’t have to be Zumba, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. But if you pick something you enjoy doing and work at it on a regular basis, you will improve, and you will be a better person for it.
So go out there and try something new. Or get involved in something you used to like doing. Make friends. Have fun. It might be the best thing you can do for yourself! Trust me, the best part of my Mondays and Wednesdays is rushing out of work to go join my friends at Zumba Class. Find your Zumba, and start becoming the best version of you that you can be!
by Tish MacWebber | Jan 9, 2017 | Tish-ism
A Margarita is a cocktail made of tequila, lemon or lime juice, and triple sec typically served in a salt-rimmed glass. margarita. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9th, 2017, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/margarita
Are you ready for another Tish-ism? It is hilarious, breathtaking and involves tears; all at the same time.
When I had my first margarita several years ago, I was with friends. We were out for supper, and then we were going to a social event. We had plans to view anime at a local venue, with more friends. So we had our meal, with a margarita. If I remember correctly, we had the meal at a Mexican restaurant, hence the margarita with the meal.
About an hour later, we were in the lobby outside the theatre where the anime was being viewed. A few of us were taking a break to socialize, as there were different episodes of different anime shows being played throughout the evening, so it was not uncommon for small groups of people to hang out in the lobby and chit chat while waiting for the next one to start.
There is no recollection of the exact thing that started what I was going to term my first margarita moment. Something struck me funny. Really funny. I started laughing uncontrollably. Then came the tears. Hilarity ensued, as I continued the laughing fit and nobody else got the joke. Which made me laugh even harder, to the point where I had to force myself to breathe because the laughing and crying had caused me to lose my breath. Literally.
So the next time that happens to you, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Margarita moments can happen to anyone, at any time. Plot twist: margaritas are optional.
by Tish MacWebber | Nov 22, 2016 | Weather Stories
Webster’s Encyclopedia of Dictionaries defines accumulation as a collection; a mass; a pile. It is also the word that my sister used to describe winter in Fredericton, usually with a colourful expletive or two in front of it, depending on who she was talking to. When I got the assignment of writing a story around the topic of Winter In Fredericton, this word naturally came to mind. I think a fitting title for this category is weather stories, as the accumulation of snow is something that is talked about all winter long in Canada. So I am going to try to apply all three meanings to it.
A pile of snow last year has quickly grown into a much bigger pile this year. If there haven’t been records for snowfall, then we must be at least acknowledging that we have been pummeled with winter storm after winter storm, along the whole East Coast, if not the whole country this year. So yes, the word pile does accurately describe winter in Fredericton, at least this year. I don’t remember having snow here like this, at least not since moving here.I am now shorter than most snow banks. It is intimidating to think about it, and one does wonder where it will all go in the spring. Hopefully not into my basement.
Which brings me to my second thought on the definition, a mass. There is a whole mass of ice under all of that snow out there, that makes it treacherous to walk or drive anywhere in this town. Not using salt on the roads is better for the bodies of the cars we drive, but I am not so sure that it is the safest thing to do this year. The mass amounts of ice on the trees since the storm we had on Sunday night is nice to observe, but not so nice to the trees. Some are bending under the sheer mass of the ice on their limbs, and some of them will not be alive in the spring. This being said, there was also a mass of water that came down in the last storm, to make new ice on the trees. It also caused temporary flooding in the city. I drive a Neon when I drive. I didn’t know that when I was driving to work, and came up to Lake Dundonald, that it was part motorboat as well. The water went in every direction, and the poor car stalled after that particular ordeal, but I made it to work, although I was a little bit late. The Neon is tougher than it looks.
Finally, the description of a collection. This is the good side of Winter in Fredericton, which came to a rather high point last weekend when Fredericton was the host of this year’s ECMAs. There were performances in every bar in town, from Thursday right through Sunday. It was an event I was proud to participate in, as a fan of music. The amount of talent may have varied in style, but nonetheless, it was a collection to be noticed. This weekend, as winter in Fredericton continues, we get ready for Winterfest. It is a different venue for Frederictonians to revel in the wonders of sledding, a snow maze, and to take part in other winter-themed activities.
So, winter in Fredericton is definitely an accumulation of all sorts. I guess my sister was right.
Note: This story was written in 2011. As the first snow of the season is starting to fly, the accumulation will begin for another winter. It brought this story to my mind, and I thought I would share it here. The Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a bad winter this year, so there will be more snow to come.
The assignment was from when I was in a creative writing group called Freddy Words, that I was a part of at that time. I did name the group, and it seems to have busy moments, and lulls. It has been in the lull mode for several years. I hope to stir it back to life again, someday.
There is no “Lake Dundonald.” The water had accumulated to flood the street. It was a short-lived flood that I thankfully did not get stuck in.
I attended one of the performances of the ECMA weekend. I chose the Nova Scotia venue, being from Cape Breton. I had a wonderful time and discovered The Tom Fun Orchestra for the first time. I enjoyed the show.
Now I will go to my window one more time before I go to bed, to look out into the night, and watch the snowflakes fall from the sky for the first time this year. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. But not too much, as the accumulation leads to a lot of shovelling.
