January 19, 2018

I’d love to start by venting about how my body is feeling at 36 weeks and 2 days. Everything hurts :(. But it might have been completely all my fault. Just before I hit 36 weeks, I was feeling like a million bucks. Minor aches and pains but nothing debilitating or disruptive to my overall mobility. My energy levels were fantastic and I felt beautiful!

But then of course I injured myself by reaching for something on the top shelf of my kitchen cupboards and overstretched a little too much. I heard a crackle, crackle, and when I landed back on my feet, I was in huge pain. My groins were throbbing and it radiated to my pelvis, which now feels like it’s carrying a bowling ball that’s trying to break out of my body.

Since then, I have not been able to walk normally and have been in a full and extremely slow waddle and hobble the past 3 days. Not to mention changing positions while sleeping at night is a near impossibility. I’ve never had to be so thoughtful about how I changed sleeping positions; it has become quite the strategic task.

The doctor checked me out and everything is fine and not dangerous. I’m simply stuck with this until the end. Essentially, my body was already preparing itself for birth, releasing the hormone relaxin to start loosening up the ligaments around my pelvis and by over-stretching myself, I exaggerated the loosening of those ligaments, driving my pain and discomfort up from a dull 4/10 to a painful 10/10. Sigh. I wish I could turn back time and be more careful. I wonder if I would’ve eventually gotten here and I’ve just accelerated it or if I could’ve completely avoided it by not injuring myself. Guess we’ll never know!! We’re here now! It hasn’t been fun hobbling around at a turtle’s pace and because it’s so stressful to walk, I’ve been extra tired by the end of the work day.

Having said that, I’m still loving being pregnant and having my little buddy with me everywhere I go. So I’m happy to grin and bear this until he comes and am in no rush for him to come out. Stay in there, little guy!

Now onto the fun stuff. General Mills threw me the most lovely surprise baby shower last week. It was a flawlessly executed surprise. I was completely shocked and overwhelmed. The company takes surprises very, very seriously and the decoy plans to execute a stellar surprise are just so good, it requires some serious acting talent.

They put together quite a gorgeous setup that took my breath away. Impeccable and Pinterest-worthy. Some very kind and thoughtful words were said, which really warmed my heart. Cakes and treats were no stranger to the shower and they were both picture perfect and so delicious. We also played a good ol’ game where you match baby pictures to adult pictures and it’s always a hilarious time. The team presented me with a collection of beautiful nursery books that are going to fit perfectly in this little peanut’s bookcase and ever-growing library. They also got me a gift card to Pottery Barn Kids and although one more shopping trip to that store would make Chris absolutely delirious, it would make me very happy :). Last and certainly not least, they brought in Chris himself (who brought a bouquet of stunning flowers), my favourite person in the world, which was the cherry on top. I so loved that he got to meet all the wonderful and brilliant people I have the privilege of working with every day. I am so proud to call General Mills my workplace and second home. This place truly has a rare and outstanding gem of a culture that conquers and surpasses all obstacles we face as a team and I hope to never take it for granted. I will miss working while on maternity leave, but I know I’ll also be head over heels about motherhood :). I’m planning to work until 38 weeks, which takes me to January 31st. It’ll be a weird day!

I’ll end this long post with this one of a kind Cheerios onesie because every first time mom at General Mills earns one of these and they’re just too cute for words! xoxo

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Posted By Charlene Precious @ 6:41 pm
December 28, 2017

I hope it was the best one yet :). It’s always a little sad when the best holiday of the year comes to an end! But as long as it was another memorable one in the books, then it’s okay.

I am absolutely in love with snow and the cold weather right now while being pregnant in the third trimester at 33 weeks. Can’t get enough of it. So much better than being super pregnant in the summer when it’s scorching hot! I also find because my body temperature is much higher, I can withstand the cold like never before and I quite like it :).

Speaking of snow, I thought I’d share a photo of the great wilderness taken in Iceland since I have not posted a new print in a while. (Been focused on baby stuff — my brain is ALL baby right now if you can’t already tell based on the past few posts.)

Anyhow, I plan to blog before the new year to reflect on 2017 but in case I flop on that one, I want to wish you all an incredible, happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. 2018 is going to be a game changer! xo

iceland, wilderness fine art, wilderness photography

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 6:34 pm
January 15, 2015

I’m not doing well keeping up with the blog but I sure am trying. I might as well be proactive in making an honest announcement that the next 3 months is going to be EXTREMELY busy with a million things on the go, especially with preparing for the One of a Kind Spring Show. And so I will be able to update the blog once every two weeks at best right now, maybe longer! Forgive me!

I know it’s early, but if you’d like to join the fun at the show, do come visit! You can get discounted tickets through me right here. I would LOVE nothing more than to see/meet you. <3

Here is a new picture though. Newly listed at my Etsy shop. :)

Be back again soon.

01.15.15

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 12:56 pm
January 3, 2015

I’m a few days late but happy new year!!! I hope you all celebrated in an awesome way. :)

There is just no rest for the wicked. The next 4 months is going to be extremely, extremely busy.

We are officially kicking off Project Booth next Saturday. Project Booth is.. well.. my booth for the One of a Kind Spring Show. My amazing hubby along with his wonderful brother and step brother are all helping me put my vision together. I am so grateful to have such helpful handymen in my life. Chris and I have spent long hours planning the construction – I’ve never spent so much time on the Home Depot website. I’ve gone from knowing nothing about home hardware to suddenly knowing quite a bit in a matter of days! This is a completely daunting project and I hope it all comes together at some point! If it scares you, it’s usually a good thing, so… we’re alright!

There are also a few other big projects simultaneously on the go and then of course, my last and heaviest semester of the MBA program commences in a week. Always a busy bee.

Last but not least, a huge shoutout to the extremely talented Studio95 for putting together this beautiful wedding video. They nailed their first wedding video project ever and we are so grateful for their work. They’ve captured the tone and emotions so perfectly. A heartfelt thank you to Studio95.

Here’s a little bit of London for ya. Be back again soon. <3

01.03.14

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 9:00 pm
December 24, 2014

Been very busy and have not been posting as often as I should, but at least I made it back just in time for Christmas. :) It doesn’t look like there will be snow on Christmas day, so we’ll just have to use our imaginations! Merry Christmas (Eve) to you and yours.

12.24.14b

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 4:26 pm
December 5, 2014

Christmas has lost its lustre over the years. I heard that it can happen during limbo, between the time you’re a kid and a parent, which is exactly where I am. It’s supposed to all come back when you have your own kids, but kids are so far out of the picture for me that Christmas will be lacklustre for a little while I suppose (lol). I’m going to sound like the grinch in about one second but I can’t get over the amount of money we are forced to spend during the holidays. The abundant gift of love, time, togetherness, and the presence of friends and loved ones is all it takes to celebrate Christmas in an awesome way. This to me is what makes this season special – love and togetherness. Spending thousands on material gifts is wasteful and unnecessary. I’m saving every penny for a house, so I’m opting out this year, sorry! :)

12.05.14e

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 10:07 pm
December 1, 2014

Happy December! I disappeared for a week, shame on me! It’s a busy time right now with a million projects wrapping up in preparation for the end of the term. Almost there though – this is the last chaotic week. :) I’ve enrolled in potential courses for next term, too! Have I ever mentioned that I love the process of picking courses? I find it fun. So far we have: New Products, Consumer Insights, and Retail Analytics, all of which will be particularly useful for my future role at General Mills and then I also tentatively enrolled in a Venture Capital & Private Equity course to feed my addiction to Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank!

On another note, I’m really not a fan of winter, so I’ll keep living in the summer through photos. :)

12.01.14b

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 10:56 pm
November 22, 2014

I’m so excited to announce that I’ve been accepted as an exhibitor at the One of a Kind Spring Show 2015 in March!!! I’m completely ecstatic and can hardly wait. It’s going to be a large undertaking and I have a lot to figure out between now and then but will keep the details coming as things unfold. <3 School has been a whirlwind these last couple of weeks and will continue to be for the next two weeks, but I'm hanging tight. It'll all be over soon. And then I simply can't believe I have only one more semester left of the MBA program - it felt like just yesterday I was studying for the GMAT exam. And now I've applied for graduation in June 2015. Very exciting times. I'm also partaking in the US' Black Friday event this year for the first time ever, so a bunch of us are heading to Michigan on Thursday. Here's to hoping for a successful first experience. This is yet another re-edit of a previous subpar edit. Happy Saturday!

11.18.14

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 8:56 pm