Back To Blogging: Unpublished Posts

I have 41 posts saved in my draft folder. A few of them are posts for later this week and a few are posts that are essentially idea dumps that I should go ahead and delete, but most are posts that I started writing and either never finished or never felt confident enough to push publish.

Ten Things I've Never Done (And Probably Never Will)

I don't always relate well to people in my age bracket because there are just some activities that do not appeal to me. And sometimes I have unpopular opinions when it comes to what constitutes a good time. I haven't published this one because I worry it makes me sound super judgemental even though that's not the intention. 

Work Boots

You can tell a lot about a person by what kind of shoes a person wears. I've always known this but I kind of forgot it for awhile and now that I've been reminded it's an observation worth sharing. 

Ten Things I Won't Give You Advice About

I definitely have a lot of opinions on a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I expect everyone to have the same opinions. People should do what works for them and just because something works for me doesn't make me qualified to tell other people that's the way they should do things. (Refer to next  unpublished post.)

Experts & Extremists

This started off as a post about the onslaught of so called 'experts' in the world these days and the opinion that if you're not extreme about your opinions it's not valid. Again, it took on more of judgey tone than I intended so I never went back and finished writing or editing it to make it less harsh.

Mac & Cheese Recipe

I didn't even know this was buried in there. There was a time when I planned on blogging a lot more about food and recipes but I feel intimidated by all the Pinterest perfect meal posts so I never did take photos and finish this post. Maybe the next time I make mac & cheese I'll snap some photos and hit the publish. 

Bloom Where You're Planted

This post isn't super relevant anymore, I wrote it last spring when I was having some serious doubts about doing another year at camp. I never published it because it felt a little too personal but I should really print it and stick it into my notebook journal.

Weird Things People Have Asked About My Career Path

This was inspired after someone asked if I had ever considered applying to work at the bank. I'm not even sure where I was going with this, it's an entertaining idea but needs a lot of work before it sees the light of the internet. 

It's Alright To Be Itty Bitty

Everyone wants to be an expert or to run the show and that's not something I'm interested in. I don't need (or want) to live in a big city or be CEO or have the best and newest of everything. I actually really like this post and would like to figure out a way to finish it because right now it's a lot of rambling and the point gets lots. 

On Waiting

Sometimes I feel like all I do is wait and have patience and while I try to be a really patient person sometimes waiting is exhausting. Especially when it's a matter of waiting on other people. Writing this post just made me feel defeated so I abandoned it and forgot about it's existence. 

Project Life Updates

There are about six of these posts where I intended to share my Project Life spreads and write about what I've learned in the process. 

Linking up with Alyssa for the Back to Blogging Challenge!

Peace Like A River

I don't usually blog on Saturdays but before the storm I had planned to participate in the Back to Blogging Challenge and I didn't get to do that because we didn't have power. I think it all worked out for the best though because it's been a long week and starting the weekend with some positive reflection is a good way to go so I'm starting off with What Makes You Feel Peaceful?

I've mentioned before that my grandparents live in a teeny-tiny fishing village and my grandfather's warf/boat are my favourite places in the world. Being there is the best kind of peaceful because it's not necessarily calm & quiet but it's comfortable in the routine of hard work, community and contentment. It gets extra peaceful points watching the sunrise over the ocean. 

I love being in the kitchen, turning ingredients into food is calming and there's something extra satisfying about making something delicious. Photography is a fairly recent hobby, but something I've come to love a whole lot the world seems a little kinder when viewed through a camera lens. Campfires are flat-out magical. Some of my best memories are sitting around a campfire with friends either in silence as we all watch the flames or in joyful conversation.

Camp is the opposite of peaceful in a lot of ways, but there are small windows of time when it feels like a pretty peaceful place. My favourite time used to be in the morning for about half an hour before everyone was up and about for the day, sitting in the office sipping hot coffee and getting to check in with the counsellors as they went by getting ready for the day. And another window of time at the end of the day when mostly everyone was headed to bed sneaking away for a few minutes to watch the sunset. And at the end of a session eating the first non-camp food meal of the week (often Subway, pizza or chicken strips & fries) and watching episodes of Friends or How I Met Your Mother. 

The similarities of my peacefulness are pretty obvious. I like nature and the outdoors, food and documenting it all for the future. 

Thankful Things on Thursday

The week was off to a strong start. Sunday was the perfect start to the week and Monday & Tuesday were solid days. Yesterday I hit a wall and the grumpiness returned in full force, I'm happy to report that today I'm feeling a little less crazy and a little more rational. I've also decided I need to have chicken strips & fries for lunch so that's probably also contributing to my inner peace. 

I've been joining the Stuff & Things link up with Joey and Kristin for a long time now so when I found out that the link up was going into retirement after today I knew I needed to link up one more time. And since I've been feeling more grumpy than not lately I decided it would be a good idea to dedicate the last Stuff & Things to stuff and things I'm thankful for amid the current chaos of my life. 

Last year before camp started I jumped on The Fringe Hours  by Jessica Turned bandwagon and had a genuine mind shift. I always thought that I needed large chunks of time to do things that I loved. And as a consequence of that thinking I rarely got to do those things. The whole point of the Fringe Hours is to find little pockets of time and use them. And now I've discovered that by being productive when I need to be, most days I can create a full hour that I can use to work on Project Life before work. I still prefer a full afternoon of scrapbooking but I am thankful for The Fringe Hours!

Even though there's snow in the forecast, it's still starting to feel like spring around here. Blue skies, trees that are starting to think about coming back to life, temperatures that don't involve a minus sign and sunshine are all things I've been feeling thankful for this week.

Best friends, group chats and Skype dates are all things I'm feeling overwhelmingly thankful for lately. 

In this moment I'm also pretty thankful it's Thursday and that there is a whole weekend ahead followed by the last full week on work before the end of my office contract and a little break between office life and camp life.  

Also linking up here for Thankful Thursday. 

SUYL: About You

When I first started blogging one of my weekly rituals was to look through the Show Us Your Life posts on Kelly's Korner. I linked up a few times but for the post part the link up felt too big and intimidating for a tiny little blog like mine. The link up has been on hiatus for a while but earlier this week Kelly announced she would be brining it back and I decided this time I would join in on a more regular basis.

Today's topic is tell us about yourself and I had I have known I probably wouldn't have written Tuesday's post about 10 Things You Might Not  Know About Me, but oh well this will be more of a formal introduction.

My name is Donna, I'm in my mid-twenties and in a tiny town on the East Coast of Canada. I spend part of the year working at a rather unremarkable office job and part of the year working at a camp for children, youth and adults with disabilities. Someday I hope to spend the whole year working at camp but until then I'll take what I can get. I describe myself as a Girl Guide leader, Project Lifer, amateur photographer, reader/writer and overall crafty person. Spending an hour (or two) browsing the aisles of Michael's is my idea of a good time. 

I'm an introvert through and through and thrive from spending time strolling through the woods with my camera or cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Food is my love language. 

Grace & Galoshes is a mix of posts about my daily life, occasional adventures, reflections on my faith and just about anything else I feel like writing down.

You can also check out my About Me page.

You Probably Don't Know...

I've been filling my little corner of blog land with lists, stories and photos for almost three and a half years now. I've shared a lot over the years and there's still so much more about me and my life that hasn't been mentioned. I also love a good list (you probably already knew that though) I'm joining Helene's link up today to tell the world some things you probably don't know about me (yet).

... The primary reason I am organized and prepared is because I hate feeling rushed. I don't like to keep other people waiting and I think being constantly late is flat out impolite.

... I love spicy foods. It has to be a flavourful spicy though, not just throwing a cup of Siracha on everything for the sake of spice.

... I've always loved the idea of having a koi pond in the backyard. I have no idea where this desire came from, but it's always been there.

... I recently discovered a new favourite afternoon snack, cucumber slices with a sprinkle of sea salt. So delicious and so simple.

... I have a really, really good memory for people. I remember names and interests and other things various associations with people without really having to try. Sometimes it's awkward because someone mentions once and then four months later I bring it up in conversation and make myself look like a crazy stalker.

... The second session of camp ended today and then I drove home for the break. My head is consumed with thoughts of bedtime and a sturdy and reliable internet connection.

...I'll be back tomorrow with some of my favourite things from this past week. (You probably could have guessed that.)

The excitement I feel about being able to sleep for a full 9 hours and do so in my own bed is indescribable in this moment.

It's A Fine, Fine Life {3}

This week's edition of It's A Fine, Fine Life is brought to you by the letters A-Z.

Words.

Most of us have favourite words. 

Symmetry. Laundry. Grace. Butter. Rain. Summer. Prayer. Nap. Camp. Lime. A few of my personal favourites. 

I'm thankful for words that allow us to express our thoughts and opinions. Our dislikes and our desires. To share our feelings with others and to give encouragement when needed. As someone who is perpetually finding myself far away from my best friends, from family and in a short time from my boyfriend I rely on words a little more than your average person. 

The words I type in text messages, iMessages, e-mails and blog posts. The words I speak over FaceTime and telephone conversations. The words I write on scraps of paper, the margins of my Bible and the crisp pages of my journal. Some are chosen more carefully and some are hastily scribbled because it was the first thing that came to mind. I'm thankful for them all though and each one serves a purpose.

Next week during staff training words will be a central topic in many of our sessions. With our head counsellors we'll talk about choosing words how to teach new counsellors and correct them by using their words and not belittling them. With all the counsellors we'll discuss how to re-direct homesick campers using words that ensures they know their fears are heard and legitimate while not dwelling on those moments of homesickness. We'll talk about using respectful language including a lot of information on the 'r' word. Words are powerful.

So today, I'm taking a minute to celebrate all the words that surround us in this fine life. 

It's A Fine, Fine Life {2}

I am so excited to be joining Allie again this week to celebrate some of life's finest things. 

There were many moments this winter when I looked outside and burst into tears because there was 5 feet of snow on the ground, it was snowing, it was cold and there was nothing but snow and cold in the forecast. The four days I've woken up to sunshine. SUNSHINE! I have my windows open, there are birds chirping outside. Spring has arrived!

I could go off into some sort of deep theology moment here about how long the winter was and how frustrated, tired and hopeless I felt the snow would ever start to melt. Now that the snow is melting and the sky is blue I feel such a relief and overwhelming gratitude that spring is here. I'm sure there's a parallel there about waiting and having hope and remembering that everything has a season.

I'm thankful for seasons in all aspects of life. Weather, relationships, interests, struggles, work, family. Everything has a season, some are definitely better than others but I there is a reason for each of them. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Favourite Florida Photos

It's going to be a post of few words around these parts today. Yesterday I wrote about my Florida vacation and today I just wanted to share five of my favourite photos from the trip. I didn't take an abundance of photos. Partly because we did a lot of relaxing and I didn't feel compelled to document me reading a book by the pool and partly because I really tried to focus on enjoying the experience and not getting the best shot. I've recently realized I absolutely love wildlife/animal photography. Busch Gardens was the highlight of my trip and a contributing factor to that is certainly because that's where I got to take the most photos. 

{one}

This meerkat was bopping around with a flower on it's head. I'm choosing to believe that it was on purpose. A little flower tucked behind her ear as a little pick me up because who doesn't feel extra fabulous with a flower (or bow) in their hair!? I love meerkats regardless of their accessories and this one was just the best. I could have happily stayed next to the meerkat display for the entire 8 hours we were at the park!

{two}

Apes and Monkeys are high on my favourite animal list but this Mama and Baby Gorilla kind of stole my heart. It was so sweet to watch them interact and to watch the little one explore its surroundings.

{three}

I don't share a lot of photos of me on the blog and as a rule I avoid posting photos of others without their permission but I'm sharing this one because it makes me happy. Without getting into a super mushy aside about blown away I am that I found myself on vacation with a fabulous boyfriend I'll just say that this guy makes me happy. I'm so thankful our paths crossed (in the most unexpected of ways)!

{four}

I'm not sure why I like this photo so much. Tigers aren't top of my favourite animal list and there's nothing particularly extraordinary about this photo but I really like it so I'm going with the flow. 

{five}

I really like turtles. One of my favourite parts about Florida was that there are turtles everywhere! I didn't go a single day without seeing multiple turtles. I thought this guy was hilarious. After a very long winter I sort of felt the same way as this fellow when I reached the Florida sun. Stretched out as much as possible to soak up maximum sunshine!

I'm a little bit stunned over the fact April is gone! I swear I blinked and now it's May, which means my pre-camp to do list needs to be tackled. I'm excited about by May goals though (check back early next week) and I'm going to continue to enjoy this mini-vacation until camp is in full swing! 

It's A Fine, Fine Life

Allie from Reckless is hosting a brand new link up focused on sharing what we've been liking about life lately. And the timing could not be better. Last week was rough. I'll be the first to admit I was not a nice person to be around. Without any real reason I was tired and cranky and just couldn't shake the grumpiness.

Thankfully, this is a new week.

And It's a Fine, Fine Life.

I live in an amazing country. Sometimes I wish I had easier access to Vanilla Coke, Chick-Fil-A and the mythical Cookie Butter I can't disagree with the majority of things on this list. Canada isn't perfect but I am sure am happy to live here.

I can walk into a grocery store and have thousands of food options right at my finger tips. Coffee, broccoli, chicken, bacon, spices from all over the world. And if you really stop and think about it for more than a few seconds that fact alone is absolutely incredible.

I have two amazingly phenomenal best friends. No matter how major or minor a crisis is I know I can count on them to talk me through it or give me a dose of perspective. We haven't been friends forever but they are certainly my forever friends.

I've got a wonderful boyfriend who doesn't always understand my thought processes but tries his best. Who always says good morning & good night and who goes out of his way to ease my anxious thoughts. Plus he makes me laugh, which is equally as important.

It's easy to get caught up in the anxiety. The pressure to be successful in other people's eyes and to always have answers about "what comes next" can be overwhelming. At the end of the day though I have a whole lot to be thankful about in this life. 

What's Up Wednesday

I've been playing with monthly Currently posts and while I like the idea of documenting things like that I'm not sure the monthly format is something that going to stick long term. So this week I'm joining the 'What's Up Wednesday' weekly linkup to make my currently a little more current.

What I loved about the past week// Four day weekend!! Time with my family, time with J.'s family, time by myself, time to get some camp work done. Lots of delicious food. All perfection in my book!

What I'm looking forward to// Vacation! Only 10 days until my current contract ends and I'm on a plane bound for a much warmer climate. And when I get back I'll still have two full weeks before I need to move to camp for the summer. I am really excited to have some actual time off and a genuine vacation!

What my latest obsession is// Bruchetta. I've been buying pre-made bruchetta mix from my local grocery store, piling it on fresh ciabatta bread, adding parmesan cheese shavings and sticking it under the broiler for 5 minutes or so. Totally delicious. 

What I've been daydreaming about// Sunshine and summertime. Plain and simple. Sometimes I get really carried away and think about sitting outside in the sunshine first thing in the morning before campers are all awake for the day. Sipping my coffee in silence, watching the camp groundhogs frolic in the field. Inevitably my daydreams get a dose of reality when I imagine running any sort of program with four feet of snow still on the ground. 

What I'm watching// I'm behind on every single TV show I used to watch religiously. The only exception is Hockey Wives, but that's only been on for four episodes so far. 

What I'm listening to// It has been ages since I updated my iPod or iTunes. I always have the country radio station on when I'm in the car. Now and then when I'm getting ready for work I'll turn on a country 8tracks playlist. 

What I'm craving// Sunshine, green grass, any indication that winter is going to end. You might assume the photos below were taken in December or January but both of them were taken this past weekend. There's still close to 3 feet of snow on the ground in most places and the water at the beach looks anything but welcoming. And Subway. I really want some Subway. With an iced coffee for dessert. 

What I'm doing this weekend// This is the last weekend before my trip! I've crossed the major stuff off my to do list (credit card, travel insurance, tickets) but I need to make a trip to the mall to pick up a new pair of TOMS and potentially another pair of shorts. I finish work on Friday and fly out on Saturday so I'll be spending some time next weekend packing so I'm not scrambling to do it at the last minute. 

What else is new//I'm working on a new blog series focused on camp, which I am super excited about. I can't believe my trip is coming up in a little more than a week. I've been reading up on the Bullet Journalling  system and think I'm going to give it a try. My current planner is one I purchased from Michael's and while I love it for somethings I still find myself keeping lists everywhere and looking for lists that aren't inside the planner. Stay tuned for a planner post in the near future!

Snacks & Snow Storms

Lately it seems like my weekends revolve around snacking and storms. This one was no different.

J. invested in new pots and pans so I throughly enjoyed showing on my domestic skills Saturday evening and Sunday morning while christening a few of his new pots. Saturday night I made us chicken parmesan. Which was pretty tasty, but would have been tastier with regular pasta noodles opposed to the whole wheat/whole grain ones that J. had bought. There's no photographic evidence of this meal because neither of had eaten all day so by the time supper was ready there was no time for pictures just eating. Sunday morning we woke up to what appeared to be a meteorological miracle, only 5-10 cm of snow had fallen opposed to the 30-45 cm that was predicted.

We were mistaken. By the time I made pancakes (side note: does anyone else struggle to make perfect pancakes that are cooked all the way through and not burned??) & bacon for a late breakfast it was clear what we had witnessed earlier was just the beginning of the storm. It didn't look so bad outside so J. determined it was safe enough to drive me home. I live "out in the country" about half an hour away...let's just say that there was a lot more blowing snow and drifting near my house than there was near his and I was really glad when he texted to tell me he made it back to his house. It was also a good thing he took me home when he did because the storm really did keep getting worse and the high winds lasted all night so there's no way I would have gotten home if we hadn't of left when we did.

I spent the afternoon watching the storm outside and making one of my favourite meals. I am definitely not a big sandwich person, but I discovered a delicious combination of things a while back and it's so tasty that it doesn't even matter that it's very sandwich-y. Chicken breast with cajun seasoning, red onion, cheddar cheese, some mixed greens and spicy chipotle dipping sauce all on a ciabatta roll. My mouth might be watering just thinking/typing about it. I made a small portion of homemade fries to go along side it and it was a very satisfying snow day supper.

The snow was still coming down steadily and the wind picked up again making for a very messy Sunday evening. I've reached the point where not only am I tired of all the snow and cold, I'm also tired of complaining about the weather. I just want to see some dirt/pavement in my life rather than snow and ice. 

The bight side of it all is I made a blogger leap and installed Disqus! I'm hoping that I did it correctly and it's fully functional. I was getting really frustrated with no-reply bloggers and glitches resulting in people's comments being erased once they press publish. I was also able to plan out some posts for this week so check back tomorrow to see what's on my reading list!

I'm linking up here to share my weekend!

Stuff & Things

I didn't have anything worth writing an entire post about today. It's been a weird week. I am definitely feeling the effects of a winter slump. In an attempt to connect all of the random thoughts in my head I'm linking up with Joey and Kristin. 

- I haven't done a lot of travelling (or any compared to some people) but J. really wants to plan a trip so I'm trying to squash my over abundance of travel anxieties so that when the time comes to do less talking and more actual planning I'll be prepared. Luckily, there won't be any trips until fall at the earliest because camp life is not conductive to summer holidays. 

- I am so excited to be partnered with Elizabeth from This Savy Life for the first Blogging Elite swap. I picked up a few things to send yesterday while I was browsing through Target. I can't wait to put it all together and send it off. I love sending (and receiving mail). I miss the days of pen pals! 

- 98% of the time I keep my phone on silent. I'm not entirely sure how I got into that habit but I did and I don't see anything wrong with it. Sure it means I might not answer messages 30 seconds after I receive them but I do check my phone and if I'm having a conversation with someone via text I carry on that conversation. I just don't want to be that person whose phone is constantly dinging or vibrating or being a distraction. 

- I'm way behind on TV shows. I made the effort to watch Book of Negroes as it was airing but it's been over a month since I've caught up on any of my favourites. When I do have time to watch TV I've just been rewatching Friends, How I Met Your Mother and What Not to Wear. 

- Most mornings I watch Live with Kelly & Michael while I drink my coffee and scroll though blog posts. I am almost embarrassed to admit how often I have to Google the guests to figure out who the guests are and why I'm supposed to know who they are. Celebrities don't interest me, I can't be the only one who has no concept of celebrity culture? Does this mean I'm getting old? 

A Blogmopolitan Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day blog friends! I hope your day is filled with a little extra love & a little extra chocolate. I'm linking up with Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel for this round of the Blogmopolitan Quiz. And then I'm off to watch some Netflix and enjoy my heart shaped Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Stop by on Monday to read about my official Valentine's Day date and maybe just to make sure I survive the enormous amount of snow that is headed my way on Sunday?

An Airing of Grievances

This is the first cold/flu season since I was a teenager that I haven't been around little kids. My work schedule doesn't allow me to volunteer in the evenings with Girl Guides and my job has nothing to do with children. The logical assumption would be that I would be in tip top health. That assumption is incorrect. The combination of central air system, carpeting and dusty files has resulted in me being a steady stream of sick this winter.

A sick me, is a cranky me which means I've got lots of complaining confessing to do this week.

I usually avoid taking medicine for common colds but I have a brutal cough so I've been taking cough medicine steady so as to not drive my co-workers crazy with the cough. Because I'm on a short term contract, I don't have any sick days so I'm forced to fill myself with cold meds and cough drops and anything else that might help me get through my shift.

At one point last week my purse resembled a small illegal pharmacy. Cold medication, sinus medication, cough syrup, cough drops, throat lozenges, regular Tylenol, Aleve...Don't worry, I wasn't taking it all at once, just enough to get me through work. 

Why can't the powers that be make a cough medicine that doesn't taste absolutely disgusting? Cough drops come in all sorts of nice flavours but cough medicine comes in orange and cherry. Neither of which taste anything like oranges or cherries.

I am done with winter. It's cold and snowy and every time the sun comes out and I can start to see grass it storms again.

I would like to do yoga, go for long walks, drink tons of water and eat veggies and balanced meals. Except that it's cold outside so all I feel motivated to do is watch Netflix and eat #stormchips.

Last night I decided to have "Snacks for Supper". Instead of eating my usual chicken, rice & veggies I was feeling too sick to do any real food prep so I ate a banana, yogurt, granola bar, fruit snacks and crackers. It was a poor choice and I need to accept the fact I am someone who needs to eat actual meals.

Sometimes I feel like the only female between the ages of 20-40 who has never watched an episode of Girls and (based on the handful of interviews I've seen) finds Lena Dunham incredibly annoying.

This past weekend in the midst of being sick and feeling miserable J. made a comment about missing him and I then proceeded to burst into tears because it made me think about how much I miss. H. & R.. It was not a proud moment in my life or my relationship, but I haven't seen either of them since the end of August. As steady as our group iMessage is updated and as frequent as our Skype dates are, it's still hard to be apart. Especially when we experience exciting stuff or sad stuff or stuff in general. I miss my friends. 

The last two mornings I've been forced out of bed to answer the phone only to have a call centre/scam artist greet me on the other end. This morning was my favourite after informing the person on the other end of the phone that I did not own any Windows operating systems, I use Apple products she hung up on me.

I didn't set any January goals or February goals. I don't plan to, the goal is to make it through winter.

In this moment making it through winter means drinking some coffee, eating some lunch, preparing something for supper and doing my very best not to cough up a lung. 

Linking up with Melissa for Humpday Confessions!

Snow, Snow, Snow

Since I started dating J. about a month a go my weekends have gotten a little more exciting. We certainly spend our fair share of time hanging out on his couch watching documentaries (such exciting 20-somethings) but we've also ventured out to hockey games and restaurants and other date like things. J. is gone on vacation with his family for two weeks so this weekend the introvert in me celebrated in style. (Style implying I spend the whole time in jogging pants & a hoodie.)

Friday my weekend started with a brutal drive home from work. They let us go 45 minutes early because the roads were so bad. It typically takes me about 25-30 minutes to get home from work but Friday it was close to an hour. Earlier in the day it had snowed, then warmed up so things started to melt, then the temperature dropped again so all the melted stuff froze, then it started to snow again. Making the roads a mess of snow covered ice. Not a good time.

Saturday I slept in way later than usual, but I didn't feel too guilty clearly my body was trying to tell me it needed some rest. So keeping with the restful theme I lounged around the house until mid afternoon when Mom & I made a quick trip to the mall to look for a birthday gift for my aunt and then had supper at Swiss Chalet. On our way home we stopped at Target where I got an awesome winter jacket on sale for half price, I wore it to work yesterday and it's my new favourite.

I can't seem to find a photo online but the new coat is black which is great because the new winter coat I got last year is white. And I don't know what I was thinking when I decided that a white winter coat was a good idea, but it was not. It constantly has bronzer all over the collar from it rubbing up against my face, the other day I spilled coffee on it while trying to get into my car plus what could be more impractical than dressing in white in the middle of a snow storm? When I first brought it home my mother half joking half serious asked if I had gotten a neon hat to go with it so they'd be able to find me in a storm.

Sunday I had the first official camp meeting of the season. Official invitations went out yesterday to last years staff who are invited back this summer. While on Skype I also devoured almost an entire bag of my newest food obsession: Chicago Mix Popcorn.

You might think that carmel popcorn & cheddar flavoured popcorn all mixed together in the same bag would be gross, but you would be wrong. It's delicious. I'm obsessed.

Yesterday I had another slippery drive home from work. I realize it's only January and there's still at minimum 3 more months of winter ahead, but I am done. Now, excuse me while I go stalk the weather report and highway cams in a feeble attempt to determine if tonight's drive to and from work will be as stressful as the last few nights.

Linking up here for Tuesday Talks!

So Long, Sunday Social

It took me a long time to come up with a blog name that I really loved and could see myself using for a long time. I remember making a big list of words I liked, my interests and topics I thought I'd end up blogging about. Eventually I settled on Grace & Galoshes. Grace because I wanted to incorporate something related to Christianity since I assumed it would be a topic I'd blog about regularly and once I chose 'Grace' I wanted the rest of the title to reflect another aspect of my life. I love camp, being outdoors and rainy days are my favourite and the word 'galoshes' came to mind. The next step was deciding that "Grace & Galoshes" sounded like a good blog name and the rest is history!

My favourite thing about blogging is interacting with other bloggers. It's cliche and it's the truth!

I can't say I've become devoted to Erin Condren or obsessed with Starbucks but I do think blogging has influenced my interest in photography. It's something I've always enjoyed and it goes hand and hand with scrapbooking & crafting but blogging gave me the extra push to invest in a DSLR. Plus there are so many fun photography link ups and posts that it's a great way to make connections with other bloggers. 

I've been really intentional about detaching myself from Facebook over the last few weeks. I still check it once or twice a day but I deleted the app off my phone and don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I fell out of the habit of tweeting, I still scroll through my feed a few times a day but again when I forget I don't think I'm missing out on anything. If I had to choose a favourite social media account I'd choose Instagram.

I don't follow celebrities but I do think it would be cool to have some celebrity bloggers read my blog, especially The Pioneer Woman!

Something I'd like people to know about my blog is that it will probably never be exceptionally organized, famous or on a strict schedule. I blog because I want to, because I love meeting others and connecting with people not because I'm trying to become 'blog famous'. 

Linking up with the last Sunday Social

Picture Practice {Eagles & Gulls}

The theme for today's Picture Practice with Kelli is "Birds" and it just so happens I was recently out in the boat with my grandfather and took a whole bunch of photos of birds. Including two eagles who were fishing next to us. I can't say I consider birds to be a favourite animal of mine but some of them are pretty interesting to watch!

This guy was soaring over head for a long time. I that he's against the blue of the sky instead of the white clouds so his bald head stands out in the photo.

Then they started coming down to the water and grabbing at fish. If I had a different lens on my camera I think I could have gotten some really awesome photos but I think this is still a cool moment. They were flying and coming down so fast that I was just clicking away and hoping that there would be at least one good shot in there.

And finally I really appreciated the way these sea gulls seem to form a zig-zagged line in the water and were content to just bop around in the waves.

Sunday Social & Blog-Tember Five

5 Things About Me

• I'm an extraordinarily sentimental person and have a really hard time letting go of clothes/mementos/random souvenirs etc. 
• I love candles, but I'm so cheap that I hate spending money on something I'm literally just going to burn.
• I'm a planner by nature and not knowing how the next year of my life is going to play out is scary.
• I have major anxiety about turning 25 in January. 
• I love my job as an assistant camp director, but my real dream job is to be a stay at home mom (but still involved in camp).

5 Favourite Things About Blogging

• Having an outlet to write and share photos.
• Interacting with other bloggers.
• Finding inspiration reading other people's blogs
• Learning new things
• Participating in swaps! 

5 Things I'm Doing Before The Year is Over

• Redecorating my bedroom
• Organizing all of my scrapbooking supplies
• Downsizing my wardrobe
• Learn a new recipe
• Finishing some scrapbooking projects that have been 'in progress' for years. 

5 Favourite Fall Fashions

• Leggings
• Boots
• Scarfs
• Hoodies
• Flannel 

5 Favourite Beauty Products
I don't have a whole lot of brand loyalty when it comes to make up so in general terms by must have products are…

• Mascara
• Eye Liner
• Concealer
• BB Cream
• Lip Chap

5 Favourite Books

• Stargirl - Jerry Spinilli 
• The Princess Bride - William Gold
• Campingly Yours - Thomas C. Adler
• The Perks of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky 
• Little House on the Prairie Series - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Linking up with Ashley & Neely for Sunday Social and Bailey Jean for Blog-Tember!

Right This Second

Linking up with the blog-tember challenge to share what I'm up to at the moment! 

…reading Sleepaway: Writings on Summer Camp by Eric Simonoff

…watching Re-watching Grey's Anatomy  I'm on the second season and Denny just arrived at the hospital, I'm preparing myself for the heartbreak that's ahead!

…trying to figure out how to go about unpacking my bags post-camp.

…eating I just finished eating pepperoni pizza for supper. Now I'm looking ahead to chips & dip as a snack later when ooVoo-ing with H. & R.!

…pinning Scrapbooking inspiration and gallery walls.

…tweeting not much of anything! 

...going to spend the day with a few friends from Seattle! What a treat!

…loving I got a Project Life "Dear Lizzy" Core Kit on clearance for $14 today at Michael's! 

…discovering it's hard to figure out when you need to stay loyal and stick it out or let it go and start a new chapter of your life. 

…enjoying a cold glass of pop!

...thinking "Is 6:00 p.m. too early to put on P.J's?"

…feeling excited, optimistic, hopeful and determined that things are going to fall into place. 

…listening The opening credits to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network

…thanking technology for making it possible to spend Saturday night with H. & R. even though we're in three different provinces and three different time zones. 

...starting to 

Favourite Apps!

Today's topic is favourite apps. It's been a long time since I discovered a new app that I was really excited to use. I stick to the basic social media ones and every now and then I'll download a game only to delete in after a few weeks because I get bored.

Sleep Cycle

This app is the best 99 cents I've ever spent. The app store describes it as a "bio-alarm clock". You set the alarm before you go to sleep and it tracks your sleep patterns during the night. In the morning it wakes you during a half hour window when you're in your lightest sleep phase, which is supposed to help you feel better rested. I don't know how much real scientific value this app has but I'm hooked. It seems to be fairly accurate and I do notice a difference when I use it vs when I just set a regular alarm!

Instagram

I remember way back when I still had my BlackBerry and everyone else had made the switch to iPhones I couldn't for the life of me understand the point of Instagram. And then one day I was bored and installed it more so to creep on what other people were doing than to use it myself, but I got hooked. I refresh my feed probably every 15 minutes and I love just scrolling through people's photos. And sharing snapshots of my day. It's definitely my most used social media app and if you're not following me on Insta you should, I promise lots of photos of camp and cats! 

Snapchat gets an honourable mention, because it's fun but I still haven't figured out the actual point of it. If anyone has any insight please enlighten me.

Linking up with Faith, Allie & Juliette!