Hi Friends,

GUESS WHAT?! The Pepsi Refresh Project has chosen Roadtrip with Reason to participate in their next round of the contest. YAHOO! We are up against around 50 other (awesome) ideas that are all seeking $5,000 to support their project and it's all based on VOTES. The top 4 will each be given a $5,000 grant from Pepsi which is a-ma-zing!

IT WOULD BE THE BEST GIFT EVER IN THE WHOLE WORLD IF YOU WOULD VOTE FOR ME AND HELP MAKE THE ROADTRIP WITH REASON SO MUCH BIGGER AND BETTER!!! In fact, if you're one of those people who lovingly gives me a birthday present every year then you can consider your daily vote worth every gift that you would give me for the rest of my life (minus the milestone birthday's, of course...hehe)...

Voting takes place from March 1st until April 30th and you can vote EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Yep, EVERY SINGLE DAY until April 30th! Don't worry, I will remind you over and over and over again..... (please don't hate me)! To sign up for voting go to www.refresheverything.ca - sign up - vote - vote - vote - vote....

We were SO CLOSE in the last contest considering we were the only individual in our round who wasn't part of a major organization/school/team - and yet somehow (you!!!!) we came in 25th place (out of about 400) with over 900 votes. SO GREAT!

Your support is SO appreciated. I promise I wouldn't be asking if this truly didn't mean so much to me. Thank you!

Don't forget that you can find me on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube too...and be sure to spread the word any way you know how and keep on spreading it!!

Much LOVE!
-- Becky :)

P.S. You have 10 votes / day, but can only vote for Roadtrip with Reason ONCE per day. Be sure to check out the other projects in the $10,000, $25,000 & $100,000 categories and find some projects that you want to vote for too! Every one is so deserving of votes.

Just a little inspirational quote to start off the weekend right...

Thanks to ALL of my amazing followers and friends who support me.
Dream big!!!

LOTS of love,
-- Becky xo

Hi Friends!
It's time for another list of awesome road trip tunes! This week I decided to throw together a mish-mash of songs. As always, I welcome any suggestions for my master list of tunes for the road! Feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy!!

1) First Aid Kit - Tiger Peasant Mountain Song (Cover of Fleet Foxes)
Note: My pal Vicky led me to this cover of this amazing Fleet Foxes song. Listen to the echo in the forest when they sing. It's the best!

2) Shad - Rose Garden

3) Rural Alberta Advantage -- The Ballad of the RAA

4) The Get Up Kids -- Campfire Kansas

5) Florence and the Machine -- Drumming Song

As promised, today is the day that I embarrass myself and my best friend Ana by posting this hilarious BIRTHDAY RAP that we created last year. Deniz was living in Nova Scotia  at the time and we wanted to send her something special for her 23rd birthday....so the OBVIOUS thing to do was to write/create/film a birthday rap just for her. Tooooo funny.

One year later and it's time to celebrate....
HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY DENI!
Love you oh-so-much. xo

please note: we know that neither of us can rap OR sing. please don't make fun. haha!

Last night after returning home from my first ever spin class (intense) I decided to stretch out and watch some television. Lately I have been trying to use my r&r time in a productive way, so I decided to head to CBC.ca to catch an episode of The Passionate Eye. As I was scrolling through the list of options a familiar picture caught my eye with an attached title of 65_redroses.

It just so happens that my brothers girlfriend Serena recently completed her reign as the National Chair Person for the Shinerama campaign. Shinerama, as many of you will fondly remember, is Canada's largest post-secondary fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. Not too long ago she sent me a request to "Like" a page on Facebook regarding Eva's story and Oprah. I read about it, liked the page and then got entangled in my own life....

Fast forward to last night. I watched the 42 minute special on Eva: a spunky twenty-something who is fighting with CF while awaiting new lungs. It is a truly beautiful story, one that is full of love, hope, struggle, support and honesty.

After the documentary was over I checked out the website which then led me to Eva's blog. It turns out that she had recorded her struggle (from 2006 to 2010) with CF on a livejournal account - every difficult moment, every fear and every celebration - I began reading. Obviously I wasn't able to read ALL of her posts, but by the end of the night I had laughed out loud, shed many tears and felt like Eva Markvoort had changed me a little bit on the inside.

I am 23 year-old who is healthy - I have an amazing support system - I have big dreams for the future - I have never tragically lost a friend. This incredible life of mine makes it very difficult for me to imagine living with a fatal disease where I struggle with every single breath...or the heartbreak and frusturation of receiving a second chance only to have it fail...or watching a close friend or loved one deteriorate from such an awful disease.

I sat in my bed last night desperately trying to sleep, but I just couldn't get over the intense feelings that were overtaking my mind -utterly grateful, driven, full of love, and luck.

Life is so precious and beautiful. Eva's amazing spirit and story has reminded me to just love, love, love and love fiercely.

I urge you to watch the documentary, check out the website, LIKE the facebook page, become an organ donor and spread your love...

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xoxo

Hi Friends!
I wanted to quickly inform you of an awesome event that is taking place on March 19th in Toronto!! I was tweeting away a couple weeks ago when I saw a mention of a @timeraiser event. My interest was sparked so I did my research and discovered something so cooool. Thank you twitter!

The concept of a Timeraiser is very similar to a fundraiser except instead of raising money, the goal is to raise volunteer hours (time)! They say the event is "part volunteer fair, part silent art auction and part night on the town." ... uhhhhhh, yes please!!

The way it works is the Timeraiser team invites various organizations (29 in Toronto) to take part in the event. Throughout the evening, attendees are given an opportunity to chat with representatives from all the organizations that are searching for quality volunteers. If you find an organization that strikes your fancy, you are able to pledge however many hours you can/want to volunteer in the next 12 months. Once you register those hours, you are able to use them in the silent art auction that is taking place that same night.

So say you have pledged to volunteer 75 hours in the next 12 months with Evergreen, and you see a piece of art (created by a local artist) that you want - you can bid your 75 hours on that piece of art. At the end of the night if no one has bid higher than 75, that piece of art will be yours as long as you complete your hours within the specified time. HOW FUN! 

They have found such a creative way for people to find meaningful volunteer opportunities in their communities and for organizations to find quality volunteers. It is such a win-win scenario! I am soo excited to announce that not only will I be attending the event but I have also been given the go-ahead to cover the event!

This is going to be such a blast!

Tickets are now on sale for the Toronto Timeraiser that is taking place on Saturday March 19th at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District! Tickets are $20 - event doors open at 7:00 p.m. - CBC's Garvia Bailey is hosting (!!) - appetizers will be served - Franklin's Fault will be performing - and I WILL BE THERE!

Need more convincing? Watch this video:

You can go HERE for all the additional details & tickets!
FYI there are also TimeRaisers coming up in London, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Hamilton and Ottawa..

Don't miss out! Spread the word! Hope to see ya there!

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo 

Bonjour!

Welcome to Week 4 of Tune-eee Tuesday. This is my weekly blog post where I add awesome tunes of every genre to the master list of music that I am creating in preparation for my 'Roadtrip with Reason'. I am hoping to hear about YOUR favourite travel (or regular) songs - so leave me a comment below and I will be sure to add it to my list!

This week I have decided to focus on the Arcade Fire. Some of you may have heard that they just won a Grammy for Album of the Year and people are furious!! Barbara Streisand was the award presenter and announced "the winner is....the....suburbs?....arcade fire?...." - too funny! Just to clear up some serious confusion - The Suburbs is the name of the winning album and Arcade Fire is the band. There has been quite a backlash since the win including the website "Who is Arcade Fire" ... hilarious.

I quite enjoy The Arcade Fire and am happy that this deserving Canadian band (hailing from Montreal, QC) just hit a homerun in the big leagues! In celebration of their win, I am adding my Top 5 favourite Arcade Fire songs to my list...

1) Arcade Fire -- Rebellion (Lies)

2) Arcade Fire -- Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)

3) Arcade Fire -- Keep the Car Running

4) Arcade Fire -- Modern Man

5) Arcade Fire -- Intervention

Thanks for listening!! See ya next week...

Happy trails & travels,
-- Becky xo

Hello Lovebirds,

Today, as I am sure you are aware, is Valentine's Day. I realize it it a pretty silly day - corporate scam bla bla bla - but I personally think it's nice to have a day devoted to LOVE. There is so many sad/terrible things in this world that we hear/see/talk about on a daily basis....consumerism aside, isn't it nice to have a day where everyone is talking about/thinking about/celebrating love? I don't even have a special valentine this year and I am not bothered by it one bit (pinky promise). The Valentine's Day focus should not only be about a significant other (or lack there of), it should be about celebrating ALL of the things that make your heart happy.

So in honour of this special day I have decided to compile a random list of 14 THINGS that I LOVEEEEEEEEE:

1) Papa C & Mama Lu
My incredible, supportive, silly, loving, and fun parents. I wouldn't really know what love is without them. Plus, they are grade-school sweethearts and a super cute pair.

2) Campfires
I am a major fan of campfires. I would seriously love to bottle the smell and spray everything/everyone I know with it. Growing up, I spent many summers camping with the folks and my brother (James) in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My happiest place would probably be described as sitting in front of a campfire - enjoying the company, roasting marshmallows, looking at the stars and feeling totally relaxed.

3) This photo
This might seem like a strange choice but I seriously love this photo of my pal Jordan. It was taken on New Years day a couple years ago and this was his face after being "banished" from the rest of us (I can't remember why though). It always cracks me up and fills my head with fond memories of the 'old' days.

4) Bronte Creek Project
When I was in Grade 12 I spent my first semester with a program called the Bronte Creek Project. It was by far one of the best (if not the best) choices I have ever made. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to take part in such a life changing educational experience. Love!

5) Powerpuffers
These two amazing girls have been mentioned in my last two posts so I don't think much more needs to be said. Deniz & Ana are such special best friends and I love them with my whole heart.

6) Taking Leaps
Sometimes it can be really, really terrifying to take a leap. Whether it is quitting a job you hate, moving on from an unhealthy relationship, speaking your mind or jumping out of a plane.....these things are scary. I made the decision to take as many leaps as necessary this year and to not let fear of ANYTHING hold me back from achieving my dreams. The Roadtrip with Reason is going to be one heck of a leap for me but I am so up for the challenge!

7) My Grandparents
They are another special pair that I have been lucky enough to havearound  my entire life. 86 years and counting! I couldn't be more grateful for the overwhelming amount of love they showered me with.

8) Enjoying the view
Autumn is my absolute favourite season. The colourful leaves and crisp air always leave me feeling so joyful. In general I just love recognizing the smells/sights of my surroundings. There is something so special in taking a moment for yourself to just soak it all up and appreciate the beauty of wherever you are. I think I learned how to really do this back in my Bronte Creek Days when we were given time to spend in our magic spot (mine was on a rock in the middle of the creek) and reflect on our day.

9) This Girl
Katryna! Treens! Cobs! Tonks! She is my other best friend and full of laughs. Her and I are more like sisters than friends. We have WAY too many inside jokes to count and I wouldn't have it any other way. Someone told us once that we are like two 12 year-old girls when we hang out and it is so very true. FULL of giggles, always. All I have to say is "What's wrong with your feet?"...

10) Opportunity
I LOVE the fact that there are so many opportunities out there for me (& everyone else). I feel like life is one big open road and I get excited by the idea that you just never know what kind of gem you are going to come across! I am so grateful to have the kind of life where the opportunities are endless...

11) Traditions
I am a huge fan of traditions - whether it's christmas morning, our competitive easter egg hunt or yearly events that I attend with friends - they are something that is very important to me. One of my favourite traditions is going to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival with my oldest friend Danielle & our moms. We have been doing this since early childhood and it is something that I look forward to every single year.

12) Live Performance
I love attending concerts, plays, musicals and dance performances SO MUCH. The arts have played a major role in my life and I find so much joy sitting in the audience (or backstage) and watching people put their heart & souls into their pieces. I studied Theatre Production in University which has given me a greater understanding of how intense these crafts are. I respect performers so much and am always amazed by their skill!

13) Social Media
I admit that sometimes social media frusturates me. I wish that people would put down their phones, quit updating their statuses and enjoy living in the moment for once BUT I am also amazed by the community of people out there. Twitter has been so helpful with the planning process for the Roadtrip with Reason. It has connected me to strangers, organizations and places AND has inspired me. There are so many amazing people out there doing amazing things that I never would've known about if it wasn't for social media. For that very reason I love, love, love it!

14) Silliness
Who doesn't LOVE being silly? (Lots of people, actually) but I am not one of those people at all. Being silly means that I am not taking life too seriously. I love laughing and I love making people laugh. I figure if I am only going to be on this earth for 100 years (+/-) then I do not see the point in being too serious. Life is about having fun and doing what makes you happy and accomplishing your goals and dreams. I am going to do all of those things while being as silly as possible.

Phew! There you have it - 14 things that make my heart happy! I could keep adding to this list but my late lunchtime is over and it's back to the 'real world' for me.

SPREAD THE LOVE! Big hugs!

-- Becky xo

I had a spectacular Saturday because the Powerpuffers came for a visit! We chit chatted for hours, dranks lots of tea, enjoyed a delicious dinner out (homemade garlic salad dressing included...vampires beware), terrorized the town on our stroll home (hah!) and indulged in adorable birthday cupcakes! 

I went to bed with a big smile on my face and slept like an angel until my neighbour decided to start doing some kind of construction this morning. Usually this infuriates me (yes, this happens often) but this morning I just got out of bed and got right to work. Today I am feeling absolutely invigorated by this project. The more I read (/hear/see), the more inspired I become by the passionate people who are doing COOL things in this country. It really warms my heart.

I AM JUST SO EXCITED!!! What a splendid Sunday!!

Anyway, I KNOW I missed Tune-eee Tuesday this week (fail.fail.fail.) so I wanted to quickly share with you my current musical obsession. The Gertrudes from Kingston, Ontario. Enjoy!!

Hi Friends,

I have failed!! It has been over a week since my last post. Not that this is really an excuse, but I have had a particularly nutty week at work & in life in general. It is finally Saturday (did anyone else find that this week was a longgg one?) and I am up bright & early preparing because 2 of my very best friends are on their way up to Muskoka for a visit!!

Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

There are not many things that I love more than spending time with the "Powerpuffers". I should probably explain what the whole Powerpuff Girls thing is about, eh? I guess it all started in Grade 7 and either we were obsessed with the cartoon or just thought it was cool....the details are a little fuzzy. Regardless, we have been referring to eachother as the Powerpuffers ever since.

The premise of the show is that Professor Utonium attempts to create the perfect little girl (using sugar, spice and everything nice)....he screws up and creates three girls who each have one of the elements.

Deniz is Bubbles -- sugar & the joy and laughter

Ana is Buttercup --  spice & the toughest fighter

I am Blossom -- everything nice & the leader and commander
 
It's a pretty silly nickname and totally makes it sound like we are part of some kind of smoking club (haha) but it's an important part of our friendship history! I have a feeling we will be explaining to our kids who the Powerpuffers are one day...

Anyway, I better get moving! It's Deni's 24th bday next week so we are going to do a little mini celebration here with cupcakes from the lovely Sweet Aroma Bakery...assuming they have some available! Eeek!

On Sunday I am hoping to park my caboose in front of this laptop and just focus on the road trip! Less than 168 days and I am starting to feel the pressure. Soooooo much to do, so little time! However I do have some cool road trip related updates to share

Have BEAUTIFUL weekends. You will be hearing from me soon.
Pinky promise!

-- Becky xo