Hashtag EDM

Like most people I spend a lot of time listening to music.

I listen while I'm driving to work, I listen while I'm at work, I listen as I drive home, I listen at home.

Essentially, music is always around me.

Most of my evenings from 8pm-10pm are spent at the gym, where of course I have music blaring into my ears from my workout playlist.

The music playing over the sound system at the gym is always the latest mainstream hits where Beyoncé is battling it out with Rihanna and Lady Gaga is going toe-to-toe with Justin Bieber. Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Kanye West and then Bon Jovi. Don't get me wrong, all of these artists are great and I can rock out to their songs with the best of them but I'm not a mainstream type of girl and I can't stand listening to this music while I'm working out because it's so mundane.

I need music that hits hard, has a mass amount of bass, motivates me, keeps my spirits up and makes me smile while I'm sweating my tush off. There is nothing better than going full out on an elliptical feeling like you want to jump off and dance because the music you are listening to is so good!

Recently I have had a few people ask me what my favourite workout music is, so here you have it - All 58 songs on my current workout playlist, in no particular order :)

1. Internet Friends - Knife Party
2. Antidote - Swedish House Mafia & Knife Party
3. Apollo - Hardwell & Amba Shepherd
4. Bangarang - Skrillex & Sirah
5. Better Run (Afrojack Remix) - Tocadisco & Nadia Ali
6. Cry - Bingo Players
7. Rattle - Bingo Players
8. Breaking Up - Chuckie & Amanda Wilson
9. Can't Control Myself - Krewella
10. Can't Stop Me (Tiesto Remix) - Afrojack & Shermanology
11. Cascade - Tommy Trash
12. Tik Tok - Chuckie & R3hab - Bob Sinclar feat. Sean Paul
13. Breaking Up Quasar - Mike Ramirez Mashup
14. City of Dreams - Dirty South & Alesso
15. Concrete Angel - Gareth Emery & Christina Novelli
16. Datsun Tropicalia - Torro Torro & 2 Edit
17. Dear New York - Firebeatz & Schella
18. Deviance - Excision & Datsik
19. Devil's Work - Miike Snow
20. Easy - Mat Zo & Porter Robinson
21. Electro Dude - Chuckie & Glowinthedark
22. Eyes - Kaskade & Mindy Gledhill
23. Fall Into the Sky - Zedd & Lucky Date feat. Ellie Goulding
24. Feed the Dada - Dada Life
25. Follow You - Deniz Koyu &Wynter Gordon
26. Generation 303 - Nicky Romero
27. Greyhound - Swedish House Mafia
28. Hands High - Afrojack Remix
29. Hell Yeah! - Tiesto & Showtek
30. Holdin' On (Skrillex & Nero Remix) - Monsta
31. I Could Be the One - Nicy Romero & Avicii
32. Iron - Calvin Harris & Nicky Romero
33. Hook - Joachim Garraud
34. Kill The Noise vs. Tristam and Zealot - It's Rocket Science Mix
35. L'Amour - Bingo Players
36. Tomorrow (Luis Canela Bookleg) Laidback Luke vs. Dimitri Vegas
37. Like Home - Nicky Romero & Nervo
38. Nuke - Wolfgang Gartner
39. Oh What a Night (Lil Jon feat. Claude Kelly) - Chuckie Remix
40. Oh My (Dirty Dancer) - Alvin Risk Remix
41. Pair of Dice - Tiesto & Allure
42. Breakn' a Sweat (The Doors & Skrillex) - Zedd Remix
43. Toulouse - Nicky Romero
44. Who is Ready to Jump - Chuckie
45. Ladi Dadi (Steve Aoki feat. Wynter Gordon) - Tommy Trash Remix
46. Rock n Roll (Porcelain Black & Lil Wayne) - R3hab Remix
47. Mek Money - Chuckie, MRK1 & Doctor
48. Let the Detroit Bounce - Chuckie
49. So Far So Good - M.F. Mike
50. We Run the Night - Jeremy Gygi Bootleg
51. WTF!? - Nicky Romero & ZROQ
52. Sleaze - Knife Party
53. Years - Alesso
54. Slam the Door - Zedd

55. Mush Mush - Bassjackers
56. King  of My Castle (Wamdue Project) - Chuckie Mutfakta Edit

And last but not least, my two favourite mashup's mixed by my very own in house DJ <3

57. Sweet Sweaty Saga ( Avicii, Cazzette, Zedd, Skrillex & Gareth Emery) - VictorVee Mashup
58. So Far So Hooked on Ladi Dadi (Mikey Enriquez, Joachim Garraud, Steve Aoki & Tommy Trash) -VictorVee Mashup

So there you have it, my favourite DJ's and songs that keep me moving!!

And now I'm off to the gym...

Tawns xoxo

"I want you to see what you should have seen all along. What others see. More importantly what those who love and know you best see. The girl. The woman. Her beauty and her singularity" ~ One Black Dress

I wear many titles.

I am a daughter, I am a granddaughter, I am a niece, I am a cousin, I am a sister and I am an aunt. 

Although I love my family, unfortunately there are times that I'm not the best title bearer. I admit that I'm not exactly the best daughter and granddaughter - I should call and visit more. I'm not the best niece and cousin - I should text and chat more. I could use some work on being a good sister and aunt - I should be with my siblings and my nieces more. Sometimes life gets so busy that you put some of your titles on the back burner and let them simmer; we all do this.

One title that I bear was a title that I chose - My largest title of all. 

With this title, there is only room for improvement. Although I am well aware that no one is perfect, I do not feel that this title allows for failure. With this title I must be sympathetic, empathetic, trusting and honest. I must provide guidance as a leader, never being a follower. I must teach and listen. I must be understanding, open and engaged. I must be unselfish and giving. I must be comforting, forgiving, patient, kind and loving. 

I am a mother.

I became a mother on March 14th, 2004, I was still a baby myself - Young, afraid and uncertain. It took everything I had some days to stay strong and smile but I did it. I did it because I wanted to teach my daughter the beauty of life. I wanted her to grow up well-rounded enough to understand that even though I may not ever be the perfect mom, I will always be sympathetic, empathetic, trusting and honest. I wanted her to know that I will always guide her, I will never let her stray. I will forever teach her what I feel is right from wrong and she will know that if she doesn't agree I will listen to what she wants to bring to the table. She will know that I will understand her, I will be open to her feelings and thoughts and I will always be engaged in what she has to say. She will understand the importance of living an unselfish life because I will teach her to give and share her gifts. She will know that I will comfort and forgive her, I will be patient, always kind and I will love her unconditionally. 

From a tiny seed she will be cultivated into a strong and beautiful woman. This is my promise to her.

As we all know, so many girls and women these days lack self-esteem. I see posts all over the Internet and media about how we feel as though we are not good enough. We are too skinny, we bear too much weight. Our hair isn't long enough, it's the wrong colour. Our nails are too long and not manicured just so. The clothing we wear isn't as fashionable or expensive as it should be. We shouldn't wear so much make-up and our skin has too many flaws. Sometimes our bottoms are too big, sometimes too small. Our breasts aren't the best, we should have them reduced or enlarged. The bridge on our noses are too long, our eye lashes not long enough, our fingers aren't elegant and our toes look misaligned. We are too short and sometimes too tall. We have acne and scars and too much hair on our legs. All of the negative things that imprint fallacies into our daughters minds. It is my duty as a mother to ensure that my daughter doesn't just grow up hearing that she is beautiful but that she believes and knows that she is. 

Fortunately life never takes a break and is steadily teaching and preparing me for lessons that I must share with my daughter. One of the most beautiful lessons of all was gifted to Angelina and I.

Through a mutual friend I had heard of Leanna Dawn and the One Black Dress campaign that she had launched. Intrigued by her photography work I dug a little deeper to fully understand what her campaign was all about. I found that it was a campaign for women of all creeds, ethnicity's and ages - Strong, gorgeous, powerful women. A campaign to show the world that no matter who we are, no matter what we do, we are women; standing united in a world that is only as negative as we make it - Wearing the same, One Black Dress.

I had contacted Dawn regarding a photo session but funny enough, I planned to put it off because I wanted to lose some more weight before I did it. How contradictory is that, right?

Out of no where one afternoon my fiancé told Angelina and I that we had to get ready to go shopping. He didn't tell us where we were going and neither of us bothered asking - It didn't seem like anything abnormal. 

We drove about 15 minutes away from our house, all the while I was under the impression that he was taking us to a new shopping centre in our area. We pulled up a little side street, we stopped and he put the car into park asking us to get out. At this point I had no idea what we were doing. He appeared excited as he and Angelina got out of their side of the car and then came around to meet me at my side. I reluctantly started asking him where we were. "Whose house is this? What are we doing? What is going on?" I kept saying. Between all of my questions, giving nothing back but a smile he ushered us up the walkway to the front door and rang the bell.  

At the door stood one of the sweetest and warmest women I have had the opportunity to lay my eyes on. 

"Tawny" she said, "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Dawn". 

Still I had no idea what what going on, who this precious woman was, what I was doing, why my fiancé was so excited, Angelina was even puzzled. 

"You know who I am" Dawn said. "You know who she is" my fiancé sounded in. 

"No, I'm sorry, I don't know you" I chimed in. "What is this about?" I continued as we went inside and closed the door behind us. 

"You are here because your fiancé wanted you to do a One Black Dress session. He loves you so much!"

 

Dawn continued to share with me that my fiancé had contacted her privately to set up a photo shoot. He told her a bit about me, shared how much he loved me and set up our surprise date. 

We went into Dawn's prep area to  have my make-up and hair done. My hair was curled and she added a bit of foundation to my face, some lip gloss and some mascara. Nothing more because she had strict instructions from my fiancé to make sure that I was as au naturel as possible. He wanted to show me the beauty that he sees when he looks at me and he wanted Angelina and I to both understand how gorgeous we are. Awww, I know - He's so sweet! 

Once my hair and make-up was done I was taken to meet the infamous Black Dress. There she was on a display stand in one of Dawn's dressing rooms. A simple black dress, nothing fancy, as plain as plain can be. 

As I got dressed I stood in the mirror thinking that I needed my eye liner. No one ever sees me without my eye liner! I hardly had any make-up on! I hadn't lost the weight that I wanted to lose! Is this dress going to fit properly? I don't want to do this! It was unbelievable, I was almost panicking!

As the dress fit every other woman that had put it on, it fit me like a glove too. It was magical!

I opened the door of the dressing room and there stood my fiancé. He had the biggest smile on his face and told me how beautiful I was. He calmed me and I knew I was ready.

Our session was approximately an hour long, maybe a bit longer. It too was simple. The only lighting we used was natural sun light. No special tricks, no special props. It was me, Dawn, her camera and One Black Dress.  

When I was done, Angelina came into the shoot. My fiancé had gone out and purchased a black dress for her so that she was able to share a part in the campaign of beauty. Although Angelina was slightly nervous at first she owned the camera and loved every minute of it. 

Through my fiancé's vision, my daughter and I were taught that we didn't have to be afraid to show the world our flaws that day. We all  have them and we are all beautiful. This is our world and in our world we not only have the choice but the right to feel empowered, self-confident and beautiful in our skin. 

We have the right to flip our sexy hair whether it be long or short and click our perfectly trimmed nails on tables. We have the right to flash our crooked smiles and bat our short eyelashes. We have the right to embrace the beauty of our bodies and dress however we like even if we purchase our clothing at a second hand store. We have the right to cross our long legs and curl our imperfect toes. We have the right to be proud of our skin and each scar that we bear. 

We have the right to be perfectly flawed.

As my daughter nears her 10th birthday in only five days I look back reminiscing on each lesson I have taught her as well as those she has taught me. This lesson by far was one of the most important she and I have learned together and for that I sit here with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face thanking my fiancé, Dawn and her beautiful black dress.

XO Tawny

If you are in the Ottawa area, please reach out and book a One Black Dress session for yourself. There is nothing more empowering than expressing yourself, opening up and capturing your beauty in stills.

Men too are entitled to feel gorgeous and in changing the world one person at a time, One Black Tie will be launched Spring, 2014 for all of the wonderful men in our lives. Leanna Dawn is currently looking for men to take part and will be taking submissions until mid March for the inaugural shoot that will be done in April. You can message Dawn on Facebook here, ladies!

Photos © Copyright, Leanna Dawn Photography, 2013

It's Nice to be Back!

I have wanted to get back into my blog for so long! So many exciting things have happened in my life over the past while, I really should have stayed consistent with my blog. Everyone knows how much I love reviews and I have lacked on sharing so many things lately.

Over the past few months I have been very lucky to have travelled down through the U.S. to Florida and across Canada to Alberta. Travelling to all of these places and experiencing so many things makes me one lucky girl!

I have stayed at some amazing hotels, experienced some of the best music shows and I have eaten at some of the greatest restaurants. I have also had the opportunity to do some really fun things like stand up in a wedding, model for the One Black Dress campaign and I was super lucky to have received an invitation to dine in a private dining room for a Christmas gathering on Parliament Hill. While I was there I signed Nelson Mandela's memorial book that Canada sent to South Africa. I was crazy and went white water rafting and also had the opportunity to take a trip on a gondola up to one of the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains! On top of all of the above I have found some really great new make-up and beauty products too :)

See! All very exciting things that I could have shared with you!

Maybe I will pick up from here and entertain myself by blogging while I wait the rest of this rotten winter out. I have said it before and I will say it again - I am 100% Canadian. You will NEVER hear me complain about our Canadian weather but this winter is taking a toll on me. The cold never breaks and the snow never stops. So for the first time in my life I have complained that I want the winter to end. This year I kick the winter nonsense.

While we wait for all of this gross snow to melt I thought I would share a few pictures of some of the fun times I have had lately. 

BabyGirl and I modeling for the One Black Dress campaign - http://www.1blackdress.com. I didn't realize this until tonight but you will find Angelina and I on the "Why One Black Dress" page. Very cool!



Photo cred's to the ever so lovely Leanna Dawn at www.leannadawn.com

Here I am hanging out at the very top of the Rocky Mountains :)

The view I had from the top of the mountain. Breathtaking. 

I drank a Chai Latte at the highest Starbucks in Canada.

Getting silly with the ice sculptures at Lake Louise in Banff, Alberta.


The stunning Ice Castle in the middle of the lake. For this one moment in time it was just Lake Louise and I.


Watching Duck Dynasty (my favourite show) on my flight to Calgary, Alberta. 

Me and my bear hat from Calgary - We are too cute!


Nelson Mandela's memorial at Parliament Hill the night that I dined there.


The lights outside of Parliament are always beautiful during the Christmas season!


The inside is beautiful as well!


Here I am sticking my tongue in my beautiful cousin's ear during her wedding photo sesh.


Lunching with BabyGirl at Antipasto Restaurant in Mont Tremblant when the weather was warmer!!!!


BabyGirl and I at Universal Studios in Florida.


Cry-laughing at Dane Cook's Just For Laugh's show in Montreal.


An AMAZING show at New City Gas in Montreal.


Ohhh! We also got a puppy! This is our little toy poodle, Ninja :)


Fun pics, right?! I know! Some of those were taken towards the end of 2013 but so far 2014 has been amazing! Hopefully life doesn't get so busy that I can't keep up to my blog again. It's nice to be back :)

XO Tawns

Photos © Copyright, Tawny Gelinas, 2014
One Black Dress Photo Credits and © Copyright Leanna Dawn Photography, 2013