Candy, Coke & Criminals

Today's Thankful Thursday is brought to you by three of my current favourite things: Candy, Coke and Criminals. 

Swedish Berries & Sour Patch Kids are at the top of my favourite Halloween candy. I've already eaten way too many of the 'fun-sized' packages of both. My only complaint is that they are usually accompanied by the fun-sized packages of Fuzzy Peaches and I have no use for those things. 

I'm thankful for an improving attitude towards food that let's me enjoy eating some candy and not feel ashamed. There's nothing wrong with a few treats as long as I eat plenty of veggies and good stuff the other 90% of the time. 

 

I already mentioned friends brought me back a case of Vanilla Coke from their trip to states, but last night I cracked open the first can. It is just as delicious as I remember. It's probably a good thing I don't have constant access to it all the time because I would have a hard time not drinking gallons of it a day. Last night Mom and I were putting together treat bags for the Trick-or-Treaters and Peyton promptly made herself at home in an empty Coke box. 

I'm thankful for the adorable Peyton, thoughtful friends and Vanilla Coke.

Is anyone else as obsessed with Criminal Minds as I am? I am such a huge scardy cat when it comes to spooky stories and blood & guts type things but I can not get enough of this show. I want to be best friends with Dr.Spencer Reid. And J.J.. 

I'm thankful for TV shows that remind me despite all the bad in the world there are a lot of good people too. And that I might be having a bad day, but at least I'm not being kidnapped by a crazy serial killer. 

Someday (Soon)...

I will find myself working at my dream job (probably in the city) and being the best roommates ever with R.

I will be in a relationship with the guy I'll marry. 

I will follow a tutorial and finish making a button for my blog.

I will write in my prayer/gratitude journal for a month straight without missing a day.

I will clean my car. And my room. And my closet. 

I will finish reading Game of Thrones.

I will stop lying to myself and accept the fact I will never finish reading Game of Thrones.

I will travel outside Canada.

I will start Christmas shopping.

I will reorganize my iTunes.

I will reconnect with old friends.

I will get my MacBook fixed so I can stop relying on my giant desktop computer for all my blogging needs.

I will take a leap of faith and order a pair of glasses from one of those websites with cheap glasses.

I will stop overanalyzing.

I will stop biting my nails. 

I will be incredibly thankful and overwhelmed at just how perfectly all of the details in life have come together.

Pros & Cons

Pro: The friends I was apartment sitting for came back from the states and brought me a case of Vanilla Coke!! I am seriously excited and am still figuring out how I'm going to ration the deliciousness. Seriously those of you who have easy access to Vanilla Coke I am forever jealous. 

Con: After a wonderful week of having my own place, seeing friends and having a social life today my house and apartment sitting duties ended so I packed up an drove home. I was an hour outside the City when I realized my make-up bag and bag of shower stuff was still sitting on the bathroom counter. Fail.

Pro: Yesterday I treated myself to a delicious Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks. 

Con: Longing for another fancy coffee fix and knowing it will be awhile before I get the chance again I decided to try the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Tim Horton's towards the end of my drive home. It did not taste good. 

Pro: Bought a new package of my favourite lip chap while I was away, it comes in packages of two and I'm seriously loving the honeydew flavour.

Con: I have already lost/misplaced one tube. 

Pro: Since starting this blog I have been diligent about replying to every comment because that's what all the "big bloggers" say to do to build a reader base. Plus, I think it's just good manners, especially when I average one or two a day.

Con: Today I learned I have spent the past 8 months improperly replying to comments. I always just pressed the reply button under the original comment on the blog post. Apparently other bloggers don't get notified when you do this and proper comment-replying is replying to the e-mail notification you get...yeah...blogging is hard. Also, if you ever comment and think I'm a jerk for not replying I'm offering up my apologies. I promise I'm not a jerk, just stunned when it comes to blogging apparently.

Pro: It is time to crawl into bed, read a chapter or two of a book and go to sleep. There is no con to bedtime. 

City Weekend

I had the best weekend! It was so great pictures couldn't even begin to do it justice so I didn't take any. (What I'm really saying is I'm a terrible blogger who carried a camera everywhere this weekend and failed to take any pictures.) 

I've been in the City since Tuesday so there were lots of options when it came to weekend shenanigans! It started off on Friday afternoon when I hung out with my friend Q. we spent the afternoon catching up, went for a walk around his university campus and got coffee. Friday night H. came over and we spent the whole time engaging in some good old fashion girl talk while snacking on Halloween candy. I'm so thankful for phones and computers that make it possible for us to communicate on a daily basis but it's just not the same as being in the same room. I took advantage of every opportunity I had this weekend to see friends and spent time together even if we didn't have elaborate plans.

Saturday H. and I had plans again but first she spent the morning and afternoon working on her thesis while I hung out with the cats. The main reason for my stay in the city was to cat sit these three adorable creatures while friends of mine were in New York.

Saturday evening H. & I went out to supper and then did some shopping. She scored three super cute dresses to wear with leggings at Target and I got an awesome pair of boots and a plaid button up shirt at Old Navy. We had some time to kill before our next activity so we went to Chapters and spent an hour browsing the Humour and Self-Help sections. It's amazing what people can write a book about and get published! Next up was the highlight of our plans: Cosmic Bingo.

That's right. You've probably heard of Cosmic Bowling, but here in Atlantic Canada, there's also Cosmic Bingo. We were pretty surprised to see that the crowd was mostly made up of people around our own age with only a handful of seniors. Neither of us won anything but we fully intend on going again, and the next time we go we're going to bring along more camp friends. We play a lot of Bingo with our adult campers so playing glow-in-the-dark Bingo in the off season really helped cure some of the campsickness. 

Sunday I tidied up the apartment, watched entirely too many true life crime shows on CNN and recovering from all of Friday & Saturday's fun. 

My cat & apartment sitting duties end tonight and I'll be heading home tomorrow morning. But I'm heading home fully recharged and happy after a weekend full of friends & adventures. This afternoon I want to hit up the Gap & Roots outlet stores and treat myself to a delicious over-priced caffeinated beverage. 

Five!

{one}

I am so thankful for my friends H. & R.. We met at camp in 2012 and even though the three of us are spread far apart, one at each end of the province and the other in the next province over, we have made keeping in touch a priority. Even though it doesn't feel like I'm making any special effort to stay in touch, it just comes naturally. They're the ones I want to talk to when I'm having a bad day or a good day. Distance dictates all our communication is done through texting, Skype dates and group Facebook chats but it does the trick. A few weeks back I went to visit R. and this weekend while I'm in the city I get to spend some time with H.. 

{two}

Yesterday I made my very first trip to Target! We didn't have Target in Canada until a few weeks ago when the stores opened for the first time following Target buying out the Canadian Zellers stores. I  bought a candle that smells like campfire, a Halloween costume tutu for Peyton that was on clearance and another pair of wool socks that were also a lot cheaper than I've bought them for at other stores. I was disappointed in the clothing selection, I was hoping for more selection but the store only opened a few weeks ago so hopefully it will improve with time!

{three}

I started reading the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth and may or may not have read the entire first book in one day. I just couldn't put it down! (It probably also helped that I was having trouble connecting to the wifi in the house I'm housesitting and with no internet I turned to reliable books.) I started the second one this morning and am eagerly anticipating finishing the series. It's a little like The Hunger Games, but also has some similarities to WWII, even though its set in a dystopian/futuristic kind of society. 

{four}

I feel like I've been saying this forever but next week I should have the final word on the funding that will make my position at camp year-round/full-time. There have been so many hoops to jump through at each stage of the application process but the final stage has been submitted and the 10 business days we were told it would take for the application to be processed are nearing the end. Oddly enough I feel a lot of peace towards the situation. It is definitely a fork in the road situation and I feel as though whether this grant is a yes or a no it will dictate the start of a new stage in my life. Friends keep askign me if I'm nervous/anxious/stressed ect. about the decision, but I'm not. Whatever happens is meant to be and there's nothing I can do to change that. 

{five}

I am really excited to sleep tonight! I feel like I need a solid 8-9 hour sleep without any crazy dreams or randomly waking up in the middle of the night. Just 8-9 hours of uninterrupted deep sleep. And to wake up without an alarm feeling totally refreshed and energized. 

7 Deadly Sins

All you need to do is copy & paste this list, link-up, and have fun finding out others' guilty pleasures.  

seven great things in your life.

1. God.

2. Amazing Friends.

3. Peyton.

4. Love.

5. Hope.

6. Jogging pants.

7. Technology.

seven things you lack and covet.

1. Serious romantic relationship.

2. A close church community.

3. Friends who live nearby.

4. An engagement ring.

5. Wedding plans.

6. Wedding anniversary.
7. Babies. 

seven things that make you angry.

1. People who make uninformed decisions.

2. Use of the 'r' word as an insult.

3. Immaturity.

4. Selfishness.

5.  Not being able to fall asleep at night.

6. Getting home from the story and realizing you forgot something on your list.

7.  Disrespect.

seven things that you neglect to do.

1. Yoga.

2. Stay Calm.

3. Answer the phone if I don't recognize the number.

4. Wear real pants (even in public).

5. Eat 3 meals a day.

6. Check my voicemail.

7. Shave my legs on a regular basis once winter arrives. 

seven worldly material desires.

1. Fancy Camera.

2.  MacBook Pro.

3.  New iPhone case.

4. My own apartment.
5. Complete Disney DVD collection.
6. Unlimited money.

7. A hairstyle I love. 
*this one was really hard, I don't have a lot of 'wants'.

seven guilty pleasures.

1. Reality TV.

2. Young Adult/Teen Romance novels. 

3. Ice Cold Coke. 

4. Overpriced Caffeinated Beverages.

5. SnapChat.

6. Jonas Brothers & OneDirection.

7. Cosmo Magazine.

seven things you love about love.

1. Butterflies.

2. Stolen glances across a crowded room.

3. Kissing!

   4. Cuddling.

5. Holding Hands.

6. Comfortable silence.

7. Little romantic gestures. 

I Regret Nothing

I had a pretty low key weekend. So much so that when I looked at my blog calendar and say "Weekend Shenanigans Link Up" my first thought was 'what the heck did I even do this weekend'. And then I realized that the answer to that question is "Friends DVDs and Pinterest". 

I don't know if there will ever be a show as perfect as Friends. I've lost count of how many times I've seen every episode but they still make me laugh and cry. I can't even pick a favourite character because I love them all so much. I don't know if it's the writer in me or just a personality quirk but I think the key to any good TV show, movie or book is character development. And I think details and backstories are so important to character development, which Friends totally accomplishes.

Besides getting some good laughs in watching Friends I also came across some great Pinterest finds. Including these quotes. 

(via)

(via)

(via)

I have some exciting adventures planned for the next few days so I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging this week! For now I'm off to do some laundry, make supper and hopefully get everything crossed off my to do list in time to get a decent night's sleep.

I Believe

I believe...

The best stories come from the worst situations.

God can do anything. 

Naps have magical healing powers.

Camp is my calling.

A good caffeinated beverage can make any situation better. 

Prayer is powerful.

Everything happens for a reason. 

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they interact with kids & animals.

Small acts of kindness can lead to big changes.

Hot showers are therapeutic.

People are happiest when they do what they love.

Folding fitted sheets is a task created by the devil.

Rain is a good thing.

The Princess Bride is the perfect movie.

Pocahontas is the best Disney movie.

God has a sense of humour.

Forgiveness gets harder the longer you wait.

Stargazing is good for the soul.

Modern Family is overrated.

Meerkats are one of the most adorable creatures on earth.

Jogging pants are the best pants.

linking up here

Friday Five

{one}

This is a snippet of an e-mail I got yesterday afternoon. I'm house/pet sitting for a friend and it will potentially overlap with when I'm anticipating hearing about the grant. It's not a huge deal, but I am going to have to pack strategically and be prepared with office clothes and casual clothes. I had to laugh when I read it though because it's a perfect analogy of where I am in life right now. No idea what's next, but I know somethings next and I'm at peace with that. 

{two}

Wake Me Up - Avicii 

I am seriously obsessed with this song! I can't figure out exactly what it is I love about it so much but I am a big fan!

{three}

Ketchup Chips. Not a day goes by that I don't mourn the fact Vanilla Coke isn't available in Canada anymore. (Seriously, if you have access to this drink one for me and savour every drop.) The thing that softens the blow is my unlimited access to a wide variety of ketchup chips. And the store brands are always so much better than the big brand names. Better = coated with as much salty red stuff as possible. Bonus points for ruffled or baked varieties! 

{four}

I bought a Halloween dress for my cat this week. It's actually an extra-small dog dress but it fits Peyton just fine. I'm pretty sure putting my cat in a dress qualifies me for a new level of Crazy Cat Lady status but I'm okay with that. 

{five}

Dear Miley, put some clothes on. You are a seriously talented singer and songwriter. I get that you're a grown up now, no more Hannah Montana, that's great. But you know what grown ups do? They wear clothes!! Because in order to be respected as a grown up you have to respect yourself. And I find it hard to believe that somebody who is parading around in their underwear has a lot of self respect. End rant. 

Thankful

I'm thankful to be a part of the Bigs & Littles Network for this round! 

My assigned Big is Samantha over at Designer in Teal  and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her and learning from her blogging experience!

Along the same lines I am incredibly thankful for the new followers I've gained in the past week! 

I'm thankful for messages from friends that literally make me laugh out loud.

I'm thankful for hot cups of chai tea on damp days.

I'm thankful I have an idea for NaNoWriMo! I was going through old notebooks searching for an idea and I came across a character name that I had totally forgotten about. I can't start writing yet but I have spent some time thinking about it which should make things easier come November 1st!

I'm thankful for getting to start my day by spending some cuddle time with my cat.

I'm thankful for homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

I'm thankful for real progress being made with funding for a year-round position!! We've been stalking our application online and at last look it's still "processing" but has been assigned a case manager which is a really good sign!

I'm thankful for the feeling of totally have your life together when your bra & underwear happen to match.

I'm thankful for donuts. Specifically chocolate dip and vanilla dip with sprinkles.

25x25

I've been thinking about doing this for a while now even before I started blogging I thought I should come up with a list of things I wanted to do before I turn 25 but I kept putting it off and honestly wasn't sure I wanted to commit. But I was browsing the October Daily posts and noticed that the topic for today was sharing goals and dreams. I took it as the final kick in the pants that I needed and got started on making a list.

I decided to do 25 things by 25, which by my calculations (i.e. the app on my phone) that gives me 460 days to accomplish everything. Some of the things on my list are totally out of my control and I debated whether or not to include them because I am potentially setting myself up for failure. I decided to go for it anyway, call it "The Secret" or public prayers, I'm putting it out into the universe and we'll see what happens.

So without further explanation my 25 x 25 List!

1. Be in a committed relationship with someone I could potentially marry.
2. Host a dinner party.
3. Open an Etsy shop or sell something on eBay.
4. Read 150 books.
5. Become a regular volunteer with an organization.
6. Complete NaNoWriMo.
7. Complete at least a week of the 100 Mile Diet
8. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge.
9. Reach 100 blog followers.
10.Go on a mission trip.
11. Complete a 365 Day Photo Challenge.
12. Complete a Sims Legacy Challenge.
13. Plant a herb garden.
14. Send 25 Christmas cards via snail mail.
15. Be part of a church community with other young adults.
16. Try 10 new foods.
17. Watch a sunrise.
18. Answer 25 of the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
19. Keep a notebook of favourite quotes & verses.
20. Go TV Free for a week (including Netflix and YouTube)
21. Read the Bible cover to cover in chronological order.
22. Bake homemade gingerbread men.
23. Go camping with friends.
24. Compile a recipe book.
25. De-Clutter donating/throwing away at least 5 large bags of 'stuff'.

20-Something Check List

One of my favourite websites that I check daily (alright, hourly) is BuzzFeed. If you're not familiar with the site the best way to describe it is part news site, part humour, lots of lists and fun facts and overall a great way to pass some time. About a week ago they posted this article: 27 Things Every Girl in Her Twenties Should Really Have By Now. Being a 20-Something Girl I started reading through the list and then because I'm a 20-something blogger realized the list would make great inspiration for a post. So I decided to go through each of the items on the list and give myself a 'check' or an 'x' then tally my score and see how I'm doing (according to one internet article anyway).

1. The ability to feed yourself on a daily basis. Done & Done! I am an excellent cook and although sometimes I choose to eat gummy bears for breakfast that's a decision not a necessity.

2. At least one friend.  Check! They might not be close distance wise but I am incredibly lucky to have a number of friends to support and encourage me. And sometimes tell me it's okay that I ate gummy bears for breakfast because they had pie. 

3. An outfit that says "I'm a mature professional," and not "I have no idea what I'm doing with my life and I think I have popcorn lodged in my bra, sorry." Check! (and Check! but I think the first one is more important)

4. The ability to be woken up by an alarm. Check! To be honest, I've never had a problem with this, maybe I'm just a light sleeper but I've never slept through an alarm. 

5. A going-out dress in which you won't TOTALLY flash everybody around you. Hrm...I'm a little confused by this question, because I have dresses that say "I am a mature professional" but I wouldn't wear those dresses out with friends. I'm giving myself the points. 

6. A favourite book that isn't Fight Club. Check! I haven't even read Fight Club!

7. An emergency ice cream tub in the freezer. Nope. I do have an emergency bag of ketchup chips though...

8. A favourite move that isn't The Notebook. Check!

9. A well-reasoned attitude toward social media. Check. I don't spend a lot of time on Facebook and I certainly don't air my dirty laundry on there or feel the need to make obscure references to things that are just begging for attention. 

10. Romantic prospects of some kind. Ehhh...

11. An intimate knowledge of the Harry Potter series. I know enough to get by. I've read the books and love the movies but I don't think I'd classify myself as a huge Harry Potter nerd.

12. A dish that you can cook without having to look up the recipe. Check! I am pro at homemade pizza dough!

13. Transportation. Check! I've had my license since I was 17 and just bought a car last year.

14. At least one ex that you're still on good terms with. I really only have one 'ex' and we "dated" in jr.high so it wasn't all that serious. However he is one of my best friends and one of the very few people I stayed in close contact with after high school. 

15. Readymade playlists for all major emotions and activities. Check! My iTunes is truly a masterpiece highlights include "Boy Troubles", "Jesus Rock & Worship Jams", "Hayrides & Happiness", "Happy Endings" and "Pour Sours".

16. A passable knowledge of your country's political goings-on. Check! 

17. A signature dance move. Erm...not really, but I am perfectly okay with that.

18. An instinct to recycle. I'm not even sure what this means? But yes I recycle? Check? 

19. An internet crush. X. 

20. A make up routine. Check! It's nothing fancy and to be honest parts of it I learned from Jenna Marble's YouTube videos so, it could probably use some work. 

21. A presentable resume. Check! 

23. At least one iconic rap song memorized. Does "Baby Got Back" count? Because I've never been a rap fan and probably never will be. But I do appreciate 90's one hit wonders.

24. A healthy body image and legit self-respect. I'm halfway there. I think I've got an acceptable amount of self-respect but my body image could use some work. 

25. The ability to restrain yourself. Most of the time but sometimes you just need to eat the gummy bears for breakfast or splurge on Victoria Secret underwear.

26. A bank balance that is generally above $0. Check. I'm generally really careful with my money, I'm still paying off student loans but I'm not that hard up. 

27. Self-awareness. In Progress. I mean I know what I like and what I don't, what I'm good at and what I should avoid at all costs but I'm still learning and figuring it out. 

Total: 17.5/27 = 65%

Not exactly the confidence boost I was hoping for, but some of the things on that list are totally debatable. What do you think 20-somethings should have accomplished? 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Here in Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday in October, meaning this weekend was Thankgiving weekend! We do Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, which is actually pretty common around here. It just makes more sense to do a big turkey dinner after church on Sunday than on Monday. And Thanksgiving Monday is just an extra day off work! 

I actually don't like turkey, there's just something about the smell that turns me off. But I fully enjoyed my Thanksgiving dinner of stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy and BBQ chicken. And lemon pie for dessert. My grandma makes the best lemon pie. I'm not much of a pie person but her lemon pie is my all time favourite.  Mom brought home a pumpkin pie from the grocery store bakery that I've also been enjoying all weekend. Last night my aunt & uncle had a bonfire, which was really the perfect end to the day. 

Today I'm spending the day cleaning my room and getting to work on some Christmas cards for an upcoming church sale!

Fall Favourites

Is it just me or did this week go by super fast!? I don't even feel like I did anything overly productive or exciting but I still can't believe it's Friday already. The final paperwork for the funding that would make my job into a year round position was filed on Wednesday, which means there should be some final news on that in about two weeks time. 

I really enjoyed writing yesterdays post for #onebigtruth and Thankful Thursday, it came at the perfect time when I am waiting to hear about my job, which would mean a big move and a lot of uncertainty, but I'm confident God knows what He's doing. And I think it's so important to take time to think about the things you're thankful for. Today is actually the start of Thanksgiving Day Weekend here in Canada!

I decided to (sort of) keep with the theme of Thanksgiving with my "5 on Friday" today and list my favourite 5 things about fall. (Try saying that 10 times fast!) 

{Candles}

I fully admit I'm a bit of a pyromaniac. (All true camp people are) In the summer there's nothing I love more than staring into the flames of a campfire and contemplating life. In fall, there are candles. The flames aren't as exciting to watch but there's still something soothing about lighting a candle and reading a book or blogging as the whole room fills with delicious autumn scents. Or summer/winter scents because I may or may not stock up on "marshmallow" and "evergreen" scented candles when they're in season so I can create a permanent summer camp smell all year round. 

{Leaves}

Via

I'm from a part of the world that is seriously famous for; as the fancy tourist brochures call it "autumn foliage". What that really means is the leaves change colours and it is seriously beautiful. There are shades of red, orange and yellow as far as the eye can see with the odd evergreen thrown it for good measure. And in a few weeks time once all those leaves fall to the ground there's the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath your feet when  you walk anywhere. 

{November 1st}

I'm no longer a university student which means it's no longer social acceptable to come up with Halloween costumes that achieve the unique balance of wearing more than lingere, but not so far as to wear something that would be deemed acceptable any other the day of the year. I'm also not a Mom yet so I don't have adorable children to make even my adorable with creative costumes. Both those things means Halloween is pretty meaningless to me at this stage. November 1st however is a different story. November 1st is the day after Halloween, which means all that candy will be discounted and dirt cheap. And I am not above stocking up and indulging every once and awhile. 

{Hoodies}

I love wearing cute fall outfits with leggings and boots and cardigans, but if I'm being honest my favourite fall outfit is jeans and a hoodie. Even though I have a very unnecessary amount of hoodies already I always let myself get another one in the fall just to have that new hoodie feeling the first few times I wear it. This seasons new hoodie hasn't arrived yet. I got an email this week saying it had been shipped and as soon as it arrives I'm going to blog about it because it's from an amazing company that I love supporting. 

{Snuggie Season}

Judge all you want. I own a Snuggie. I got it for Christmas from my cat (ie my mom) a few Christmases ago and I wear it proudly. It's warm and it has sleeves. What more could you want in a product!? It is way too warm in the summer months to whip this out but on cool autumn evenings when immersing yourself in primetime TV you just want a blanket that can keep you warm and allows you to happily munch popcorn at the same time.