A Day In HER Life - Lydia Yeung

Hello friends! I'm Lydia, and I blog (with delinquent and embarrassing frequency) at Chin-Ups and Buttercups. I live in Toronto in a little semi-detached house that we are currently renovating. By we I mean my husband, Sam, and our little puggy, Moose!

Photo by: Celine Kim

Both Sam and I work in full-time Christian ministry and so our days are a little all-over-the-place. It feels like no day is the same! Thus, writing this post is a little tricky for me. Four out of five days a week, I work as the art director for our organization, and I spend one day a week at Ryerson University, working with the women's ministry there. I pretty much love my job!

As I write this, I'm a little bit sad, because in January, I will be headed on a four week sabbatical, followed by a year long maternity leave. Yep, the husband and I are expecting in February. So, I'm sure my days are going to change a lot, very soon! I'm definitely going to miss my job, the people, and my usual routine.

Most days, I wake up around 8:30am. I'm definitely a shower-in-the-morning kind of person, but I rarely, if ever, wear makeup, so it only takes me around 30 minutes to get ready each morning. I always make sure to start each morning with breakfast! Almost two years ago, we had a miscarriage, and it was a bit of a wake-up call. I wasn't living a healthy life, had gained about 40-50 pounds in our first few years of marriage and felt pretty much terrible all the time. God really used the miscarriage to show me that I wasn't taking care of myself and, most of all, wasn't glorifying him in that area of my life (you can read more about that on my blog!).

All this to say, I start every morning with breakfast. I always have protein, and sometimes, as a treat, I'll have a piece of toast to go with it. Guys, seriously, I know many of you are busy moms/working women, etc. But if you currently don't do breakfast, DO IT. It'll change your life. I'm so much less hangry and my workouts during the day are a million times better.

After breakfast, it's around 9am, and most days, I try to start off my day reading the Bible and spending time with Jesus. Sometimes I fail miserably, but lately I am on a hot streak and loving reading God's Word before work each morning. Right now, I'm in Ezekiel and oh gosh, it's SO good. I'm especially loving the Gospel Transformation Bible's commentary on Ezekiel. If you haven't read the commentary for this book from the Gospel Transformation Bible, go do that. RIGHT. NOW. It's just SO good.

I start work by 9:30am. This usually means I'm booting up my computer and checking in with my team. I design stuff from 9:30-5:30pm, or I'm on campus meeting with my girls. Now that I'm pregnant, I only manage to exercise 3-4 times a week (it's usually around 5x/week, but my recovery time is a lot slower lately). On days when I'm not planning on exercising, I bring my computer to a cafe to work for the day. It gets me out of the house and into the sunshine.

some stuff I'm currently designing

I try to turn off my computer as soon as 5:30pm hits! Today is a Wednesday, so it's date night for Sam and I! We have date night once a week. We usually keep it low-key, but sometimes we gussy ourselves up for a fancy time. This week, we went to the new standalone McCafe that just opened and tested some tasty treats! 

Some of my favourite date nights have been the cheapest! We went to a Walmart once, took their stuffed Angry Birds in the bedding section and played a live version of Angry Birds by throwing stuffies at each other! Another time, we went to a Shoppers Drug Mart and had a little competition to see who had the best blood pressure levels, using their blood pressure cuff machine. I won! Ha! 

Mondays, (sometimes Tuesdays) and Thursdays, I take an advanced adult ballet class at the National Ballet School. I love it. I've been doing ballet since I was four, and it's just so relaxing and such a great workout. I feel really privileged to live in a city with world class facilities! It's also been an amazing opportunity to make new friends and discuss my life and faith with them!

this pic is from a few weeks ago...sporting a 22 week preggo bump

On Fridays, I hit up the gym, and I'm still going for it at 32 weeks! I'm hoping to continue going until the very end. I always have a few concerned voices saying, "Are you sure you should be doing this??" Yep. I've cleared it with my OB, and I figure, most people tell me that labour is one of the most physical things they have ever done in their life. If you'd train for a marathon, why wouldn't I train and get myself ready for labour?

I meet with a trainer, and I know I keep saying that everything I do is life changing, but ladies, if you're unsure of the gym and don't really know what you're doing... meet with a trainer. I'm so much more confident now that I know that I'm squatting and dead lifting correctly. She pushes me super hard, and I love it. We talk about life, faith...everything! I just love my trainer to pieces! It's a great way for me to live out my faith with the people God has placed in my life. She's even invited Sam and I to spend Christmas Day with her family!

To cap off every night, Sam and I will read some sort of devotional material together. Lately, it has been Tim and Kathy Keller's The Songs of Jesus. It's a great way to finish off the day! I'm in bed by about 9:30 or 10pm these days. 

And that's pretty much my life in a nutshell! Sometimes, it's super mundane, but when I look at all the things God has allowed me to do and the lives He's enabled me to impact, I feel really grateful. 

Thank you, Lydia!

Instagram -  @lowonthego

Twitter -  @lowonthego

Blog -  chinupsandbuttercups.blogspot.com