Introducing us!
Introducing our family!
Ally's Parents (and Alfie!)
Ally's brothers, sister-in-law and nephew!
Jayanna
I am a 26-year old woman, wife, mother, friend and vegan! I have recently had a lot of firsts occur which have taught me to never-say-never! My husband Daniel and I planned to get married, attend med-school and then start a family...well we did things in a different order than originally planned! I found out that I was pregnant with our first child (surprise!) in December, 2008. Noah was born on August 5th, 2008, putting my studies on hold but we wouldn't have it any other way! We also postponed our wedding and decided to get married with our son and family in Mexico on February 18th, 2009! Dan is pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor and we are currently waiting to hear if he got accepted to med-school for September, 2010! I was fortunate enough to take a lot of time off to devote all of my energy into being a supportive mother and wife! I feel so blessed with the family that I have and becoming a mother has inspired me to reach my personal best!
I never would have thought that I could or would run a half-marathon but that's what I did in May, 2009...when Noah was only 9 months old! I completed my first half-marathon in 1 hour and 58 minutes! Not bad for my first time! I have since fallen in love with running and find it stress-relieving, energizing and spiritual! I also have a deep passion for surfing, working out at the gym and trying anything active and adventurous with my husband and Noah!
Another first came along recently when I decided to become a vegan. Never had the thought even entered my mind before I read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Dan bought it for me for Christmas because I love animals so much and he thought that I would enjoy it. Enjoy is an understatement and I often refer to this book several times a week! I just feel like Alicia and I are having a chill conversation and I love that! I used to eat chicken and fish and a year ago eliminated both but still ate eggs and yogurt. After reading The Kind Diet and looking at how we want to raise our son to be his personal best, I realized that I should practice what I preach and take steps towards being my personal best. This isn't a journey for all but it's my journey and this is the way I choose to live it! I am so passionate about animals and treating them in a humane manner and I also love the environment so much! I have been part of the Surfrider Foundation, cleaning up beaches along the island and I think that this was just one more step I could take to reducing my ecological footprint and maybe even inspiring one person to make changes for the better!
I currently work part-time at an Elementary School supporting students who have special needs and I am always humbled by my work and love the way my job constantly inspires and motivates me to be better and learn more. I am also finishing my Educational Assistant Course and then will take courses part-time while Dan is in med-school to work towards my dream of becoming either a teacher or a doctor! That being said, the most important job that I will ever do is to be a mother. Dan and I only hope to be the best parents we can be and educate our children to make the right decisions for them!
I have one sibling and his name is Nathaniel. He walked me down the aisle and I am very proud of the man he is becoming. My mom raised my brother and I as a single mom for many years and she is an incredibly strong woman!
Ally
First of all, I am a 22-year old recent university graduate. I got my Bachelor of Science from the University of Winnipeg (where I'm from!) in Biochemistry. I am trying to get into the University of Manitoba Medical School to become a medical doctor... following after both of my parents (my oldest brother, Dan, who is Jayanna's husband is also trying to attend medical school).
I was always a 'goodie two-shoes' and was much more interesting in books and school (and doing the right thing) than my social life. When I was much younger I was quite a tomboy and interested in a few sports, but that seemed to wear off with age as I became more focused with my studies. In the last few years of high school I became more interested in health as my closest friend, Dana, challenged me to join her in the gym (Shapes) for 2-3 early-morning (6 am) classes before school started. I am so happy I took the challenge (maybe not-so happy when my 5 am alarm went off). We would often do the Kick or Step classes and although they were way too early for me, I have never had so much fun!
My first year of university I moved away to Kingston, Ontario to attend Queen's University with my friend Dana. It was quite a challenge moving away from everything I was comfortable with and because of this I had a hard time focusing on a good diet and exercise. I felt overwhelmed trying to come into a new routine for all my different classes that I often only ate once or twice a day. When I did eat it often wouldn't be the healthiest of options because I was so hungry and tired. I decided to move home after my first year and attend the University of Winnipeg. I loved my time away, but I realized how close I was to my family and how much I wanted to be around if something was to happen, and even if something didn't.
Dana and I at Queen's.... maybe not doing as much studying as we should be... (we're at the library)
Since the next year was my first year at U of W, it was an adjustment all over. As the year went on I focused more and more on my health as I found a great group of friends to support me. In my final year at university my friends and I would regularly go to the gym at school and work out together. A friend of ours has been personal trained and has regularly exercised for a lot of her life and offered to help us out. She would make up programs for us to follow and encourage us along the way. It was hard work, but it was definitely a lot of fun, especially with her uplifting words!
As school was coming to a close I started getting personally trained at the gym my friend had attended and found a strength in myself I didn't know I had. I only did this for a few months as I wanted to be able to rely on myself for keeping fit. I have yet figure out a great routine, but I am trying to balance DVD workouts (the crazy Jillian!), running (I'm a newbie, but I've always wanted to try!) and strength training (often workouts I get from magazines).
