Beautiful Bloggers

This is a bit of a different post for me but wanted to say that I've been having so much fun connecting with so many different people with similar interests in food, nutrition and health. I've learned so much and enjoy reading all your blogs and tweets!
A few days ago, I received the Beautiful Blogger Award from Kristen, from the beautiful blog Swanky Nutrition. Thanks Kristen!
So... I'm supposed to share 7 things about me, and pass this award on to 7 beautiful bloggers. So... here we go!


1. I'm from Montreal- I completed my degree in dietetics there. We're lucky, we have an integrated internship program. Many of you dietitians had to apply to get an internship and, from what I've heard, it's very competitive, and you usually have to re-locate. For us, it was simply part of our 3.5 year program.... I'm not sure why more schools don't have this...

2. After graduating, I worked in Ottawa (the capital of Canada) for 7 years- most of this time on a study called the Thin Gene Study. We were interested in why people can eat whatever they want and still stay thin. If we could identify the "thin gene", maybe it could give us more information on the genetics of obesity. I recruited over 1000 thin people- it was fun! The data is still being analyzed...

3. I just recently moved to Toronto to go back to school- a master's in Nutrition Communication. It's been pretty challenging to go back to school after about 8 years! It's kind of like riding a bike though, you just get back into it. Maybe like riding a bike uphill... school's tough!

4. My dad and two of his brothers are runners- good runners. I'm not a good runner, but picked it up when I was in University, and have run a few half-marathons and two marathons. I love running and get out most days, even in -20 degree (Celcius) weather!

5. My dad is French Canadian and my mom is East Indian (was born in E. Africa). She moved to Montreal (after completing her nursing school in England) and had to take French classes.... he was her teacher!

6. I have a twin sister, Vanessa. We're not identical, but people can easily tell we're twins. We do have the exact same voice though. Once, I left myself a message on my answering machine to remind myself of something... when I got home later that day and listened to my messages, I thought my sister had called me! Oops!
(Here's a very old picture of me (right), Vanessa (left), and our cute younger sister, Ingrid, in the middle)

7. Because my mom was learning French when we were born, both my parents spoke to us only in French. We didn't know a word of English until the age of 4. There are some tapes of us speaking English then, and we have a very thick French accent- it's cute! Now, my sisters, my mom, and I speak English to each other, but we all speak French to my dad.

The 7 Beautiful Blogs I nominate (It was tough only picking 7 but I searched your blogs and tried to nominate blogs I didn't think had been nominated!)

My beautiful sister, Ingrid- I's Love
Kati- Around the Plate
Christine- Fresh Local and Best
Alanna- The Vegan Dietitian
Rebecca- Chow and Chatter
Sheryl- E2 Eating and Exercise for Optimal Fitness
Jaime- Embracing Balance

Speaking of Jaime- she's giving away a pair of Olympic mittens!! Visit her blog for more info.
The mittens sold out in most places before the holidays... and I wasn't able to find a pair. I'm very excited about this contest... thanks Jaime! :)

Hope you're having a great Sunday!