#findthebee

Check out the website for my new “travel” section. Just added stories and photos from our weekend in Hong Kong! Link in bio. #travel #hongkong #disneyland #beelove #beehappy #findthebee

Is there anything better than playing hockey and eating pizza for charity? Read my interesting and insightful thoughts on charity and the etymology of the word “fundraiser” in my most recent post. Link in bio. #charity #fundraiser #hockey #love #happy #beehappy #beelove #findthebee

One day there was a flower who said, “I don’t want to be a flower, I want to be a tree.” So it grew and it grew and it grew. And finally it was a tree. #dreamit #achieveit #makeithappen #beelove #beehappy #findthebee

I was doing a guided reading lesson with my kids this week and I was teaching them about strategies to improve their reading comprehension. The strategy we were working on this week was looking at what is happening in the book and thinking about a time in your life when you were doing the same thing. Then asking yourself how you felt when it was happening, and what you did at the time. In this way, we can make connections with the characters in the story to gain a deeper understanding of what we are reading. Walking home from school I thought about how this elementary reading lesson could easily be applied to adults. In school, we talk all the time about reading comprehension. I think as adults we should practice our life comprehension. By that I mean we should work on comprehending the world around us. Behaviours of other people say a lot. Whether it is a family member, friend or co-worker, if someone is having a hard time, a bad day or a bad week, they usually say it without saying it. In moods, behaviors, actions or re-actions, the signs are there if we are paying attention. If you notice someone acting strangely, make the connection to your own life and ask yourself what they might be going through. Think about times when you have acted the same way and think about what you were going through at the time. Then ask yourself, "what could someone have done that would have really meant a lot to me?" THEN DO THAT FOR THEM!!! Genius idea if you ask me. Pay attention to the people around you, the smallest gesture can make the biggest difference. It's the little things that can improve a person's day. It's the little things that can change the world. Be love and be happy. #genius#life#comprehension#idea#love#happy#beelove#beehappy#findthebee (at Anyang, Kyonggi-Do, Korea)

Since January 1st I have made a post every Sunday and Wednesday without fail. Until last Sunday, when I did not make a post. The public outrage was enormous and I felt a wrath of anger and disappointment as my phone was lit up by furious messages like “hey dude, what’s new?”, and “can you pick up some milk on the way home?” It was brutal. So I thought I should take a chance to explain myself. The last couple weeks we had family visiting Seoul and we took every opportunity we had to spend time with them. We explored Seoul, took day trips, ate lots of incredible food and enjoyed lots of quality time together. It was a so fun showing Canadians around our new home and showing off all the wonders that Korea has to offer (Like going to the top of the Lotte Tower, the 5th tallest building in the world. Now there’s a glass floor that makes your legs wobbly). On Sunday we got home around 9 pm and I sat down to write my blog post and I just said to myself, “let’s take the night off”. I gave myself a small vacation from all responsibilities and personal goals in order to simply relax. I think it’s important to remember it’s okay to give yourself a break sometimes. If only to remind yourself that you are not trapped by your life, you are in control of it. Your goals, routines, appointments are fantastic but they should never feel like handcuffs. Enjoy an occasional cheat day or a night off! Your mental health needs to be taken care of too! Take care of your whole self, 🐝 love and 🐝 happy! #rest#relaxation#travel#goals#selfcare#vacation#family#korea#lottetower#heights#adventures#love#happy#beehappy #beelove #findthebee

So I already mentioned that last Thursday night was Megan’s 23rd and final day of princess treatment, but it’s time I shared the whole story. After school I dropped her off at a spa to get a massage, telling her that I wanted her out of the house while I prepared a really special dinner for her. When she got home, she walked into a candle lit apartment with hand cut hearts scattered all around. Written on each heart was a special memory from our relationship so far. They were incredibly easy to write. The ideas poured out of me. I actually ran out of paper before I ran out of amazing moments. What I didn’t expect is that Megan would want to read them all. So I had to wait, heart pounding in my chest, and once I finally got her attention back, I asked her to marry me. I then told her that I had reservations at a nice restaurant in a hotel in Seoul. What she didn’t know is that we would not be celebrating in Korea alone. When we walked into the hotel, her parents, aunt, uncle and cousin were all there waiting for her with open arms and tear-filled eyes, ready to celebrate our engagement. It was an incredible night, made even more special by sharing it with family. We have been so blessed in our relationship so far, with so many incredible opportunities and experiences. Now we are taking the next step and we couldn’t be happier to start this next chapter in our life together. Thanks for reading along and sharing in our love story. We hope you have a wonderful day. 🐝 love and 🐝 happy! #shesaidyes #proposal#relationships #family#surprise #love#happy#joy #beelove #beehappy #findthebee

I guess I should explain the whole 🐝 thing. I wanted to create a title for my blog that would be somehow memorable and catchy but it's more than that. I also wanted to create a tagline that could be a simple, positive reminder for people to smile and 🐝 happy, but its more than that too. First of all, I am obsessed with bees. It is a fairly new obsession, which only started in 2014 while I was living in France, just down the street from my sister and her fiancé (at the time). Camille and I were playing on the same volleyball team and as athletes, we had a lot of free time on our hands. I got into watching documentaries, who knew movies could be both entertaining AND informative! My sister recommended a bee documentary called "More Than Honey". I thought, sounds sweet.... get it? 😂 The movie blew my mind. This was the beginning of my obsession, I needed to learn more. I watched documentaries, videos, read books, I couldn't get enough. My sister and I would spend our afternoons drinking coffee and raving about the new and exciting bee info that we had picked up on any given day. We nerded out hardcore and discussed our plans to take bee keeping lessons and start a hive of our own. This is the main reason that bees are so special to me. My relationship with bees is very much interwoven with my relationship with my sister. My sister and I are both Gemini's, and the symbol of the twins perfectly describes us. She is my twin soul and the symbol of the bee is something that reflects to me one of our many shared quirky characteristics and passions. My sister is as important to me as bees are to the world. Bees pollinate 70 of the 100ish crops that feed 90% of the world, so in case you didn't know, that's pretty important. Choosing the 🐝 to be a symbol for my blog just fit. Bees allow crops and flowers all around the world to flourish and bloom. In the same way, love empowers people and allows them to flourish and grow. Bees can fly high up in the sky, love gives us wings. A life full of love is a life full of happiness. So let’s 🐝 love, let’s 🐝 happy 🙂 #beelove #beehappy #love #happy #joy #twinsoul #siblings #beesrule #findthebee

Gathering for the winter. It is going to be a rough one. #findthebee #bumblebee #monarchbutterfly #citylife #lunch (at Holmesburg, Philadelphia)