Hottie Police Officer

I had always been intrigued with the idea of becoming a police officer.  Not only did I like the idea of contributing to make my city a safer and better place to live, but I was fascinated with the occupation as a whole and could see it being a great fit for me.  However, the years ended up taking a different course, and I devoted my life to raising my children, and worked a regular (and safer) day job.  I finally decided to look into it more seriously a few years ago, however, when I realized that it was not too late to try to pursue this potential career path, as deep down, I always felt it had been a bit of an unrequited dream.

I submitted my application to the police department, wrote the written examinations and started training seriously for the physical tests.  I even went for two ride-alongs with the police, which were basically two full 12-hour shifts on which I accompanied two police officers, while wearing a police jacket, and got to truly experience “a day in the life” of a police officer.  There were so many exciting things that took place during those shifts, including a call for “gun shots fired”, a domestic violence call, a break and entry call, an arrest of a violent and hostile offender involving pepper spray, and even a high speed car chase that required police helicopter assistance.  I learned that, as a police officer, you just never know what your day at work is going to involve; you just know you have to be ready for anything.  I do believe I gained a better perspective on all that the police do, every day, to keep our city safe.

Although I ended up deciding that the career path of a police officer was not the right one for me, I am so grateful for the experiences I gained and all that I learned in my pursuit of exploring this as a potential career change.  It’s never too late to try to explore making changes, whether big or small, in your life.  Try and explore something new that you have always been interested in, but have just “never gotten around to”.  You may be surprised not only with what you will learn, but more importantly, what you will learn about yourself.

Bikini Photo Shoot = Sexy You

Years ago, a close girlfriend of mine and I decided to spend a fun evening together and we staged our very own “photo shoot”.  We had a lot of fun getting ready, doing our hair and makeup and picking out different outfits for our “wardrobe changes”.  We then opened up a bottle of wine, and took turns playing model and photographer, posing and then taking pictures for each other.  In those days, the pictures were not digital, and we had to take them in to get them developed.  I still remember the huge smile on the guy’s face at the store when we showed up to pick up our pictures!

You don’t need to know or hire a professional photographer.  Instead, get together with a friend, and enjoy the time together preparing for your “photo shoot” and take pictures for each other!  Enjoy the process of beautifying yourself, dressing in something sexy, and doing your hair and makeup.  The benefits of doing pictures with a friend, is that your friend truly knows you, and knows you how to make you smile.  Your friend knows your personality, and will easily figure out how to bring out your inner beauty and capture it in the photos.  Smile big, breathe deep, relax, and get in touch with your “inner sexy” and let it show.  But most importantly, have fun!

Of course, it’s up to you whether you want to keep the pictures just for you, or use them for some other purpose.  You could post them on Facebook or other social media.  Or you could give them to someone special in your life, who I am sure would really appreciate those photos of you.  And if you are single, you could use them for your online dating profile, or even just hang onto them for now and share them with Mr. Wonderful when you meet him.  I think having a sexy photo shoot with a friend is a great way to boost your self-esteem, and to see your inner beauty shine through and be captured in pictures to celebrate you.

Shake That Booty...Tasty Protein Shake!

I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it should definitely not be skipped.  In fact, the sooner you eat breakfast after waking up, the better.  Your body has gone without food the entire night, and you need to fuel up, hence “break”ing the “fast”.  Your body needs “energy in” in order to be able to put “energy out”.  Having a healthy breakfast consisting of the appropriate portions of protein, carbohydrates and fat can make a major difference in how your body feels and performs for the rest of the day.  An unhealthy breakfast can be like “sludge” in your system and weigh you down, whereas a healthy breakfast can be a high-octane kick-start to fuelling your body right so you can handle anything that comes your way that day!

Check out this great recipe I put together for a quick and easy protein shake you can make at home, which makes for a quick and easy healthy breakfast.  This recipe makes 2 shakes, so you can always put one in the fridge for later on in the day or for tomorrow.

Bridget’s Protein Shake (Makes 2 Shakes)

1 cup yogurt (fat free, low fat or probiotic)

1 banana, diced

1 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries, but a variety of berries is great)

1/4 - 1/2 cup 100% pure fruit juice (no sugar added)

2 tbsp flax seed oil

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (approx. 35 g protein)

Mix in blender until smooth, and enjoy!

Winnipeg Jets v. Calgary Flames...Hometown Girl

I grew up in Winnipeg, and I was a huge fan of hockey and the Winnipeg Jets.  I remember hearing the news years ago that the Jets were leaving Winnipeg and had been bought by Phoenix.  I was so sad to see our city lose our NHL franchise.  Winnipeg had so much team spirit, I know there were many disappointed fans and many broken hearts about losing the Jets.  It had always been so much fun to go and see a game, and cheer on the home town team.  I ended up moving to Calgary shortly after this, and I was so happy to have a hockey team to cheer for again.  I became a Flames fan, and bought a Flames Jersey, as I no longer had a “home town team” to cheer for.

This last year, I was so excited when I heard that the Jets were coming back to Winnipeg!  But of course, this created a dilemna for me:  who do I cheer for?  Am I the home town girl, or the new town girl?  I think I will just make it easy, and cheer for both teams, and that will solve this problem for now.  However, not sure what I will do if they end up going head to head in the play-offs!  I guess the good thing about this would be that no matter which team would win, I would be happy either way.  Why not show some team spirit, and check out a local sporting event in your city?  It’s a great place to meet people and makes for a great night out!  Go Jets/Flames Go!   

Hawaii & Drinks With The Secret Service Agent

Travelling alone shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing at all.   Being by yourself in a foreign city or country can open up so many unique opportunities and situations that would likely never present themselves if you were on vacation with another person or a group of people.  Most importantly, you should not be missing out on traveling, and staying home, thinking that you can’t take a trip because you “have no one to go with”.  You have yourself!  If you are letting time pass by and not traveling because you want to wait until you have “someone to travel with”, you will be missing out on seeing the world and experiencing some great adventures until that happens.  And one of the biggest bonuses of traveling by yourself, is that all the memories from the trip will be of you and the things that you experienced, and those memories won’t be associated with anyone else.

I think that traveling is one of the best ways to learn not only more about the world and other cultures, but also to learn more about yourself.  I believe it truly gives you a better perspective of who you are, and about your place in the universe.  I have had so many pivotal moments of self-reflection on vacation, and have always come back home rejuvenated and inspired.  I have traveled a lot by myself, and always seem to meet the nicest and most fascinating people, many of whom I am still in touch with today.  On a recent trip to Hawaii, I ended up meeting a United States Government Secret Service Agent who was there protecting President Barrack Obama and The First Family!  The stories he shared with me about his job, working at the White House, and traveling around the world with the President were so intriguing!  I would have missed out on so many great experiences like this if I stayed home and didn’t travel because I “had no one to go with”.  Don’t delay, start traveling (even if you are alone) today!  You never know who you will meet or what will happen!

Acting Dreams Can Come True...Just Add A Little "Class"

My First Time...Acting In A Scene From A Play

Acting Dreams Can Come True...Just Add A Little "Class"

I recently took an acting class from a local theatre school called “Essentials of Acting – Scene Study”.  This course covered a wide variety of topics, including improvisation, scene analysis, and character development.  It also provided a great overview of what you can do as an actor to make your performance a memorable and inspiring one.  I had a lot of fun developing my character and watching the scene I worked on evolve and grow.  I learned so much from the “cold reads” on the first day, to the final performance on the last day of class.  It was fun seeing it all come together at the end, complete with the set and wardrobe adding its part to bring it all to life.

Not only did I learn a lot, I also had a lot of fun.  I was able to “pretend”, something I think we all loved to do when we were little, but don’t get the opportunity to do very often as “grown-ups”.  I remember thinking that if someone was outside and looking in on the improvisational warm-up activities we did at the beginning of class, they would no doubt get a good laugh, wondering what on earth we were doing.   Even if you are not interested in seriously pursuing acting, I think a class like this not only helps you discover new things about yourself, but also is a great way to develop self-confidence in a group setting.  There is no judgment here, so it is the perfect place to help you come out of your shell.  I laughed so much, learned a lot about myself, and met some amazing people.

My First Time...As An Extra (Heartland)

When I was young, I remember watching TV and wondering what it would be like to be an actress.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when I recently got the opportunity to be an extra on the TV show, “Heartland”.

It was a lot of fun, waking up early, getting dressed up in Western wear, and heading out before sunrise to the film set in the picturesque Alberta countryside.  The two days were being shot on the same set where many other productions have been filmed, including “September Dawn” with Jon Voight, and ABC’s recent mini-series remake of “Little House On The Prairie”.  Not only was it interesting to watch the director, film crew and actors hard at work, I also truly gained a proper perspective of how much work and effort goes in to producing just a few moments of television and into getting everything just right.  I met so many wonderful and talented people those two days I spent on set, and also had some great laughs.  The cast and crew were so easy going and friendly, they made the experience one I won’t soon forget.  

The episode of Heartland I was fortunate enough to be a very small part will be airing on Sunday, March 4, 2012 on CBC, and I will be watching and remembering this great and unique experience.  Thank you, Heartland, for the opportunity to make yet another “to-do one day” dream come true for me.