full.

And just like that...things can change rather quickly.

There are always going to be months where one is feasting, and others when you're fasting.

In some areas, business will be booming. Others, falling apart.

You start to do things you never thought you'd do, but ended up loving.

Change is coming and it's always for a reason.

I'm taking this full moon as a sign. Wait it out, take things as they come and look at each day as an opportunity to expand, try something new and reach for the stars.

Sunday thoughts.

PS - I'll be back to Toronto for a wee visit, my birthday and a wedding in October! You best know there'll be some dancing happening.

balance.

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! However, sometimes a gal just needs a break.

I find October has notoriously been one of the busiest months every year. Between work, dance, Thanksgiving, Halloween, freelance contracts and of course, my birthday, I pop my head up and realize the month is halfway over.

This year, instead of whining that it's almost gone (along with this stunning fall weather in Vancouver), I've decided to take it outside and offline.

A few weeks ago I wrote about being the "yes" girl. Tina Fey said the best tactics in life include saying "yes" and figuring things out later.

This strategy has had me out of the house, running around town and exploring this beautiful new city I get to call home.

Thus, I've not been near a computer in my off hours!

In the constant struggle we face for work-life balance, I think this seems appropriate. I'll be back and forth posting on here over the next few months, just a heads up.

And with that...I'm off again!

Have a fabulous weekend.

ok.

There's something really magical about coming home for the first time in awhile.

There so many obvious changes, but at the same time, nothing different. You fall back into those same routines, yet some things have staggeredly changed.

There are moments where I think "Why on earth did I leave all this?" and others where I think, "Thank goodness I left this".

Alas, this is the predicament of this life.

However, this holiday season, I'm so thankful to have the time to come back to my family, friends and some roots. Stepping back and seeing the world from this angle really solidifies what I'm doing now and how far I've come.

There's still a part of my heart here - and for that, Kelowna will always be one of my homes.

Just a thought.

PS I'm off teaching all over the Okanagan this week!

pausing.

Looking back at 2012, this has easily been one of the best years (so far) of my life.

Some incredible opportunities have come my way personally and professionally, and I'm happy to say that I feel like I've been able to take full advantage of as many as I could.

Although the tweets, photos and posts may seem like this year was smooth sailing, there were definitely some down moments. There were a couple of rough days (and weeks) where no one was calling me back about any job prospects, dance gigs or things to do.

Maria Shriver spoke at the University of South California earlier this year about the "Power of Pause". This video came across my path on one of my down days, and reset the tone for my approach to life.

Shriver spoke to the communication graduates about slowing down, and instead of jumping on the "fast forward" lane, to instead, pause.

"Pausing allows you to take a beat - to take a breath in your life. As everybody else if rushing around like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite," said Shriver. 

I can see where she is coming from, however, with the financial pressures of paying for your rent, utilities, and well, just trying to have a life, how can we pause?

That's when I put two and two together. Pausing doesn't mean having to run away on a vacation. Maybe pausing means still working, still trying to figure it all out and still giving everything a chance.

This philosophy helped me I take some risks this summer. I didn't marry myself to anything that would have kept me away from projects I wanted to pursue (like working the Olympics). My pause included working as much as I could, doing anything - writing, life guarding, choreographing - but with a goal in the future I wanted to reach.

Having the stability of the work and power to call the shots before the Games gave me a refreshed and clear mind heading into that period of time.

I thought I would have no work after London 2012, and still took a risk to stay in Toronto. Since then, I've had the chance to participate in so many interesting projects and gigs. Had I moved home or taken the "safe" path, I wouldn't have had any of those opportunities.

In so many ways, I think I'm going through another "pause". I know a heck of a lot more about what I want to do now, and 2013 will be my year to attack those goals head-on.

If you have 20 minutes, I highly recommend listening to Shriver's whole speech. Even if you're en route on your path of life, it still puts things into perspective.

deciding.

"Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future,

 stop figuring out how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want,

 and just see what happens." 

- Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City 

November and December have been full of a lot of interesting projects, work, events and moments for me. 

Sometimes it's good to sit back and take a moment to appreciate what has happened. In so many ways, this helps me see opportunities more clearly, and thus grab onto the next one comes by. 

I know December has just begun, but the next 10 days are full of work, dance, writing and packing before heading to Kelowna for 11 days. I'll be teaching a plethora of classes when I'm home - make sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates where they're taking place. 

platforms.

There are a couple of questions I get asked on both a weekly and/or daily basis. 

The first is usually, "when do you sleep?" (the answer, lots of naps)

The second has to do with social media. 

A lot of my peers involved in various realms of work, especially the arts, are always asking me, "I just don't know what to post. How can I use social media to help me?" 

It can be overwhelming - there are over a hundred different social media platforms available, and countless post-production programs for video, audio and photo projects for content (which then we want to share on the social platforms). 

It's frustrating to research how to use these programs and teach yourself. And at some point, you need to be tweeting more than photos of your lunch from our Instagram feed.

That's where I come in.  

Got questions about social media, editing, blogging or anything else techie? Let's chat. 

Feel free to email me anytime at plfavro@yahoo.com and tell me what you want to know. 

I'll create a custom and personalized plan to fit your needs and meet one-on-one (or with your team) to teach you how to put these technqiues in place and make sure you feel comfortable. 

Looking forward to this next chapter! 

word.

It's really true, sometimes when you are least expecting it, the thing you need the most pops up right in front of you. 

Looking at my calendar for the next few weeks, I'm very excited for the amount of interesting and fun activities, events and work gigs coming up. 

The other day, someone said to me, "I don't know how you do it. Can you really do all that well?"

That really struck a chord with me, and I haven't been able to shake that comment off.

Even more frustrating, I couldn't figure out why I was taking this one slightly negative comment so deeply to heart as opposed to the postitive ones. 

This morning, I was flipping through a newspaper and came across the horoscope section. 

Instead of skipping it over as I usually do, I read mine. It said: 

“You have worked hard to get to your present position and you are not about to give it up, no matter what others say you should do. 

Possession is nine-tenths of the law and you are simply not going to move.” 

Word. 

Hearing this from something completely removed from my life was refreshing. I'm not sure if I believe in the stars, but they had my back today. 

Not all signs are physical. Today proved they come in many different forms.  

I'm also going to think twice before I skip over the horoscopes from now on. 

gateaux

Happy Friday! Have a great last day of the week and enjoy the weekend!

spontaneity.

As much as I like the carefree and spontaneous nature of my life (and I have to be, I'm a journalist), there's a part of me that will always love routine, repetition and the comfort of what's coming next.

One small way I can maintain and have control over at least one aspect of my life is knowing where to go for certain things. The wonderful thing about living in a metropolitan city like Toronto is you can be out walking at any hour of the day or night, and the coffee shops are still full of people working, the bars are busy with young and old partiers, and you get ice cream at 10PM just because you feel like it.

One of my girlfriends and I have our religious date. Some may think it's boring, but for us, it's perfect. We have a token restaurant we both love (and I don't get to enough), and end up hours-long conversations about everything over soba noodles.

Our apartments are steady. In a time when I know I'll be moving out of what's been my home for the past few years, I can really see how this little place has grown up with me, and I think I'll miss these lime green walls.

On Monday, I'm starting the last half of my semester working at CTV's Canada AM as an intern. I tested the travel route today, and it's interested to see how this will now be my new constant. Right now, it's the eve again. The eve on the unknown.

Who knows what's going to happen? I'm willing to try. It's the spontaneity that keeps us alive.

inadvertently.

As I soak up the last few days of B.C. sun, friends and family, I'm finding myself reflecting on what kind of summer this was.

Every year, whether it be determined by calender, seasons, events, etc., I've learned something about myself or my world.

When I first came back to Kelowna this summer, I knew that it would most likely be my last year living at home, full-time, in a family unit. Through we had our struggles as three university siblings, two crazy dogs and parents trying to figure us out, I think we all learned how to be a family...again.

It's not the same family unit that we had during our (gasp) 18 years of living at home all together, but more mature, different and unique in its own way. We've become the family that we're going to be for the rest of our lives as my brothers, parents and I move across the world and country.

The actual home structure may not be here forever, but that's okay.

For my girlfriends and I, this summer changed the dynamic between many of our relationships.

As one of my best friends and I laid out on the beach the other day discussing the usual...fall fashion, men, last weekend, men, wine, school, family and men, I couldn't help but wonder what had changed for all of us this summer.

mystery.

Summer is lovely and one of my most favourite times of the year (Spring is my least, I despise allergies!) but the only thing is that whole work part. However, I love me job running kid's programs and day camps. There are always weeks with dramatic actors and crazy kids, but it's much more fun than folding tee-shirts (which I did for a few years). However, sometimes I find that I got frustrated with some of the kids actions, when people aren't listening and now I have lost most of my voice.

C'est la vie.

When I was dancing competitively and not auditioning my face off, I was extremely lucky to attend and perform at nationals in Las Vegas. Besides seeing performers from all over the country, hanging out with me mother and trying not to roast in the July heat, the shows I was able to attend so many years ago in Sin City still stand out from that trip.

The Cirque du Soleil show, Mystère, is all about the beauty and mystery of the child's mind. Within the show there was a giant bebe whom teased the audience, stole people from the crowd to join the show and performed unbelievable acrobatics. Almost six years later, I cannot get enough of this concept and the music from the show, which relates to my life so prominently right now. Children have such a wonder and fascination with life and things in the world, and can be content doing one thing for hours upon hours. Why is that? Why, why, why?

Although I'm teaching these kids ballet basics, they are teaching me how to be amazed. There is mystery as to how their minds work, and although I want to figure it out, where would the challenge be if we did not have a little bit of wonder?