The Animals Came By Twosies, Twosies, Twosies...

When I last blogged on Friday I had visions of a Monday post full of Thanksgiving weekend adventures...I spent the night at my grandparents, went for a hike with my mom and grandmother, picked cranberries for cranberry sauce. We had Thanksgiving dinner and I ate lots of pie...it was all very blogworthy. 

And then it started to rain.

And it rained some more.

And before too long the quaint little brook that runs behind my house looked like this:

And then it continued to rain.

And rain.

And rain some more. And roads started to look like this (the photo on the left was actually taken yesterday after it had finally stopped raining):

And as much as I love rain the novelty starts to wear off a little when you have a lake in your backyard and your great-aunts freezer is floating in her basement. When it finally stopped raining we got over 250 mm (that's almost 10 inches) in just under 24 hours...and it got windy. And around here when it gets windy we lose our power. Which normally isn't a big deal because we have a generator that powers the essentials (and some creature comforts i.e. television) except that in the midst of all the rain we loaned our generator to my uncle so he could continue to power the pump that was keeping his basement from being transformed into a pool. 

Late Tuesday night it stopped raining and the wind had died down enough that we got our generator back and our power came back for good shortly after supper time last night (Wednesday). So things are starting to get back to normal. We were actually really lucky, the water that came in our basement was a small puddle, there's a lot of people who have entire bottom floors full of water and lost a lot of stuff due to water damage. 

Needless to say all that blogging I was planning to do this week went out the window. On the bright side I finished two books, did some NaNoWriMo planning, and I spent lots of time using my camera. 

Linking up with Stuff & Things.

Adventures in the Big City

Last Wednesday I finished work at the office job, headed home for a quick nap and then hopped on a plane to Ontario to visit H.. When we first started planning this trip we were hoping for a week long adventure but in the end our schedules only allowed for a quick Thursday - Monday visit. We crammed all the tourist highlights, lots of good food, hours of life chats, multiple glasses of wine and sangria and it was the perfect little getaway to transition from office life into part-time vacation mode before camp. 

I landed in Toronto at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning and after a quick pitstop at H.'s to change out of airplane clothes we headed for Niagra Falls. We didn't stay long because the weather was cold, rainy and foggy. We hung out long enough to be impressed by both the falls and the amount of selfie sticks. So.many.selfiesticks. 

We called it a night early on Thursday because Friday we had big plans to hit up the Toronto Zoo and visit the twin panda cubs that were born a few months ago! It ended up being an awesome day at the zoo because it wasn't at all crowded and even though it was a little chilly it was perfect weather for walking and getting to enjoy everything opposed to thinking about how uncomfortably warm it was. In addition to the baby pandas we saw their parents and I think I could have spent all day just at the panda exhibit. I wish I looked that cute laying around all day eating. I could also spend all day watching meerkats, back in university I binge watched Meerkat Manor and ever since then I have been fascinated with those little critters. We also got to see the gorillas, which I've recently become more interested in after watching a lot of documentaries about the gorilla conservation efforts. 

Saturday we were up bright and early to spend the whole day in Toronto. We purchased City Passes, which gave us admission to almost all of the main tourist attractions in the area, we saved a lot of money and at a few places we got to skip the lines because we had already purchased our tickets! We headed to the Royal Ontario Museum and prioritized what we wanted to see, we easily could have spent the whole day there but we were kind of on a tight schedule. We checked out the dinosaurs, the Canadian history section, Chinese Architecture, Ancient Egypt, quick tours of the mammal displays and a few smaller exhibits. It was the first time I had seen dinosaur displays in person so that was really cool and the history geek in me was overly excited about all of the Canadian History stuff. 

From the ROM we headed back through the city with a pitstop for Poutine and another in front of the Toronto sign so we could take a selfie for National Wear Your Camp T-Shirt Day. Did I mention we spent the entire day roaming the streets of Toronto and all of the attractions wearing matching shirts so we could have photo ops? Because we totally did. And that's why we're besties. 

We went to the top of the CN Tower where I confirmed my theory that I did not want to ever live in a big city and then headed next door to the aquarium. The aquarium was a little bit of a hilarious experience for this east coast girl who grew up on the ocean. When we first walked in there was a big crowd around one particular tank so I got really excited thinking it was something really exotic....turns out it was a tank of halibut. I laughed a lot and then took a discrete photo of the hoard of people admiring fish that I have seen my entire life. It's the little things in life you never really think about being different from place to place. There were lots of other cool marine life, we were able to spot a turtle in the biggest display of fish, and turtles are always a highlight. They had several tanks full of jellyfish that were completely hypnotic. I kind of felt like sitting right there and spending hours watching them float around. 

By the time we got back to the apartment each day were were more or less exhausted and didn't have any interest in changing clothes and heading back out to supper. Which was just fine but us and it meant we got to spend time cooking and eat supper with H.'s boyfriend while telling him all about our days adventures. He only judged us a little bit for our matching outfits. We did eat out a few times  including amazing sweet potato pizza that sounds weird but was delicious. 

It was hard to say goodbye Monday evening, but hopefully it won't be too much longer until we see each other again.

Mountains, Sky, Seals & Goals

My first weekend back in the real world was surprisingly busy. I thought I'd spend most of it watching Netflix and snacking but I ended up venturing out into the world! Friday night I went for a walk and then came home and watched a few episodes of Mind of a Chef. I know I've mentioned it here before but I feel the need to mention it again (the third season is on Netflix) it's so interesting to see how chefs interpret ingredients and how intertwined food is with culture.

Saturday evening J. and I went to an exhibition hockey game and then out to eat. I continued my quest for delicious chicken tacos and was pretty satisfied with the ones at Boston Pizza.

Sunday J. and I were tourists at home and went for a drive. I was hoping to take lots of great photos but it turned out to be sort of a hazy, foggy day meaning the views weren't overly spectacular. 

We were lucky enough to spot some seals playing in the waves at one look off. It was definitely the highlight of my day! It was hard to snap a photo because the waves were a pretty decent size and they were pretty far away. My lens is good, but it's not that good! 

Sunday night I had a Skype date with H. & R. and was in bed by 10:30. The weekend really consisted of a lot of driving which is why there's not many photos. What I do have is September Goals! I took a break from setting goals this summer because I had enough to do without worrying about reading five books or anything above and beyond getting my work done and taking a few minutes for me every now and then. 

Now that September is here and camp is over I'm ready to set some goals and get some things done!

I'm going to participate in Blogtember  this month but I know that I probably won't write everyday or follow all the prompts. I'm aiming to participate in 20 out of the 30 days. That gives me enough flexibility not to feel guilty if I miss a few days but also enough of a challenge to get all 20 posts published.

I've been reading a lot more lately and I want to maintain that. I have quite a few books on hold at the library and a few more that are just hanging out on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

I need to get prints of all the photos I took this summer. Very self-explanatory, it'll probably take the better part of an afternoon to sort through all the photos and decide which ones to order but it's something that needs to happen!

J.'s sister is studying in Ireland so I want to add her to my usual list of snail mail recipients! I'll also send some thanksgiving mail to H. & R. since neither of them are coming home for Thanksgiving. If I get them mailed out by the end of September they should arrive on time for Canadian Thanksgiving in October.

I'm working on getting involved with Girl Guides again but if for some reason that doesn't work out I'd like to find another community organizations to get involved with a few times a week. 

Tomorrow is the beginning Blogtember so I'll be jumping in with that first thing tomorrow!

Today, I'm linking up here and here! 

What I Did This Summer

I had nobel plans of blogging on a regular basis this summer but the reality of blogging without a reliable internet connection is a few posts a month. The Blogging Elite is hosting an August Adventures link up today, which is the perfect chance for me to share a sort of summer recap. 

What I read this summer...

I didn't read as many books as I would have liked, it averages out to a book a month, which is pretty disappointing. Especially considering Grace's Guide was a really easy read and I skipped one or two of the chapters because they really didn't appeal to me or apply to my lifestyle.  The Poisonwood Bible was a re-read. It's one of my favourite books and I like to re-read it every few years because there's always new details I pick up on and as I age I find myself relating differently to the characters. I finally got to read Wonder and came away with a lot of mixed feelings. There were parts of it that were wonderfully written and other parts that really made me cringe. Similarly, Say What You Will (not pictured) which I was totally in love with for 80% of the book but didn't care much for the eventual plot twist. The best book I read this summer was Call the Midwife I am eager to get my hands on the other two books in the trilogy after reading the first one. I loved that it was really easy to read a chapter or two at a time and the stories were a great mix of joyful and sad.

What I ate this summer...

I've never been a big breakfast person but this summer some of my favourite memories revolve around shared breakfasts. N. and I spent a lot of time at her cottage during break and cooking breakfast each morning while we watched Canada AM and got caught up on the outside world became a ritual. Breakfast always involved bacon, hash browns and coffee. When we didn't make our own breakfast we ventured into town and ate at the local breakfast/lunch spot. When we were in the city one break I had the most delicious Pink Lemonade drink on a patio. I love how many new restaurants I tried this summer! And when there's no restaurant in sight pizza and pop at the picnic table can make for a delightful dining experience. 

What I saw this summer...

I saw countless amazing sunsets and blue skies. I spent days sitting in the sand and being surrounded by water. I hung out with adorable duckings at the near by park and watched a guinea pig family at the zoo. I watched campfire flames and roasted marshmallows with friends. 

How I felt this summer...

This summer ran the full gauntlet of human emotions. I was challenged by difficult situations and felt scared, worried, frustrated, angry, sad, relieved and happy. Taking a step back from it all I am grateful. The challenges taught me a lot about how to deal with professional/work related issues and improved my problem solving speed. I got to spend two months with my best friends. I worked with some fantastic human beings. I won't say I loved every minute of my summer but I can say that I found something to appreciate during every moment of the chaos. 

Friday's Here!

I had a really solid week. I'm 98% recovered from being sick and I'm pretty much back into my normal routine. And it feels so great. I'm linking up with Oh Hey, Friday to share five things about my week. A couple of favourites, a comical predicament and some inspiration. 

{one}

Gold. I've never been a lover of gold. I have always preferred silver jewellery and was of the mindset gold stuff made things look tacky not classy. Except I bought a t-shirt at Target a few weeks ago that had some gold in it and I saw a blanket at Winners and some canvas prints with gold writing. I have to admit gold is growing on me.

{two}

Pinterest

Donuts. I have a specific craving for a vanilla dipped sprinkle donut like the one pictured above. Except that every time I go into Tim Horton's to get one they don't have what I'm looking for. Sure there are sprinkle donuts but the past two weeks they've been heart sprinkles or the rectangle type of sprinkles. And by golly I want round rainbow sprinkles on my donut. I would also like a good cup of black tea along with my sprinkle donut to balance out the sweetness.

{three}

I'm waiting on some prints I ordered from Etsy and I was just matched with my Galentine's Day swap partner from the Blogging Elite. Which means I've got so much fun mail to receive and send in the next few weeks! It makes me so excited. Mail makes me so very happy!

{four}

Pinterest

This quote. It speaks to me in a big way. I'm a pack rat, a borderline hoarder and have a lot of difficulty getting rid of anything that has any sort of emotional attachment. Whenever I attempt to declutter I always justify keeping things by saying one of two things: "I might need this someday" or "I can't get rid of that because...*insert random memory*". Which, for some things is crazy, I am definitely going to make it a goal to be more intentional and serious about decluttering in the coming months. 

{five}

Thursday we had a potluck at work. I made honey garlic chicken and was pleased with the outcome and nervous about I was going to transport the chicken to work. I put the chicken laying flat on the floor of the passenger side of my car and it made it safely into town without problem. Parking at work is a bit of a nightmare. It's all on street parking and with the snowbanks piled as high as they are it takes some manoeuvring to get close to the curb (snowbank) so that you don't get a mirror taken off by a passing car and also not so close that you get stuck in a snowbank. So I parked...and then I realized I had to get the chicken out.  I was optimistic at first and thought maybe I could squeeze between the snow bank enough to open the passenger door but upon further inspection there was no way that was happening. I knew what I had to do. Somehow I needed to get the chicken across the seats without tipping the foil pan and spilling sauce all over my seats. I think we all know where this story is going...made it safely over the passenger seat...did not make it over the drivers seat. Honey Garlic sauce puddle right in the middle of the driver's seat. Of course I didn't have time to clean it because I was standing on the side of the street and I had to go to work. Eight hours later I drove home sitting on a grocery bag but turned my heated seats on out of habit. 

If anyone has any advice on getting honey garlic sauce out of upholstery and/or get the smell of garlic out of my car I am all ears.  

Two Thousand and Thirteen

I'm linking up with Shane & Whitney to share my 2013 Year in Review!

 I didn't start blogging until February of 2013, and I didn't really "get serious" about it until the fall.  I don't have any links to past posts in my look back on 2013, because for the most part they aren't things I blogged about! Hopefully this time next year my 2014 review will be full of photos and posts, but for for this year I chose a photo for each month and a sentence or two about life way back then. 

January// I celebrated my 23rd birthday by going to the city for a camp reunion with some of my favourite people. We drank lots of wine, laughed until our sides hurt and began the process of creeping the potential new staff on various social media accounts. 

February// I finally got a passport! I still haven't actually used my passport to go anywhere but I think 2014 will be the year I venture out of the country. 

March// I officially signed my contract to return to camp. There was never any real doubt it was just made official in March. I spent lots of time working on Staff Training, coming up with ways to recruit new counsellors and pinning up a storm of arts & crafts projects and games to try. 

April// I spent a lot of April watching the Big Brother Canada live feeds. I'm almost too embarrassed to even admit to my addiction, but it was ridiculous. At one point my best friend suggested I need an intervention and I don't think they were joking. Emmett & Jillian have more or less replaced Boston Rob & Amber as my favourite Realty TV Love Story. 

May// I bought my first car! I also went camping with a bunch of Girl Guides and spent a lot of time packing for camp, preparing materials for staff training and then heading to camp for the summer!

June// I celebrated the end of the first two weeks of camp (both training weeks) by going to a concert with H. & R. and discussing all the new recruits over some fancy drinks. June seems like a blur of teaching, learning and figuring out how all the personalities of the counsellors would work together.

July// Camp was in full swing which means that in the office I drank a lot of caffeine while dealing with the craziness of the job and outside the office I tie-dyed a lot of things and enjoyed being at camp!

August// I spent a lot of time under the moon and stars with someone who will always have a special place in my heart. And that's all I'll say about that. 

September// I moved home from camp and recovered from the post-camp hangover while trying to navigate all the paper work to make my job into something full time. Was ridiculously optimistic that things would happen pretty quickly and I would find myself moving to the City before the end of October.

October// I went on an autumn adventure to visit R. where we went for long strolls with seasonally flavoured lattes and spent the afternoon at an apple orchard. I also spent a week apartment & cat sitting in the City which involved hanging out with some of my favourite people. 

November// I bought my first DSLR camera and really discovered how much I love blogging and being part of this community! Over the past few weeks I've participated in my first swap, sponsored my first blog and tomorrow I will be doing my first guest post! 

Looking back I have mixed feelings about 2013. I was incredibly blessed to meet some amazing people who I hope will be in my life for a long time to come. There were also some things I didn't accomplish that I am disappointed about. December still has a few more days left but and 2014 is still a few days away but I have a feeling that things are starting to happen. I mentioned a little bit about Texas back here and I don't want to go into details yet but things are kind of starting to happen there (much faster than I ever would have anticipated!) so if you wouldn't mind praying for that opportunity. I have no idea if it's the right thing yet, or even if things will align to really make it happen. I just know that I feel like I'm being led there for some reason or another.

Also linking up here!