Blogmopolitan

I'm sure most of you are familiar with The Blogmopolitan Quiz started by Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel. The first was all over blog land a few weeks back but I never got around to participating. This time when Erin announced she was doing another Blogmopolian Quiz I knew I had to join in the fun!

Check out my answers then head over to Erin's blog and fill out your own quiz! 

Let's Do Lunch

I've never been one of those people who had an immediate response when posed the question "If you could have dinner with any five people living or dead who would you pick?" It just isn't something I think about. Plus, I don't like eating in front of strangers so the whole concept doesn't sound enjoyable to me to begin with!

But in the spirit of the link up I'll play along and answer the question: 

If you could have lunch with any blogger, celebrity or public figure who would it be and why?

If I could pick a blogger to have lunch with I think my top choice would be Kelly from Kelly's Korner. Now, I am pretty confident Kelly has no idea who I am, but I've been reading her blog forever and she just seems so sweet. I would love to chat with her over a diet coke and some good guacamole! 

As for a celebrity/public figure this lady right here is who I would love to spend some time with.

Ellen DeGeneres is pretty much the perfect person. She is kind and hilarious. She loves others and voices her opinions in such a respectful way. She isn't afraid to be true to herself. I love Ellen. 

I don't even know what I would say to her, I'd just want to hug her and thank her for being such an amazing human being. 

This is getting out of control and I'm going to be flagged as a crazy stalker if I don't quit gushing. 

Back to Blogging & Ready to Mingle!

This week is week #4 of the new job in the city. And with week #4 comes a certain level of routine and familiarity. In other words I'm ready to recommit to the blogging world and my first order of business is to link up with Meg @ Life of Meg for Mingle Monday. 

Friday Roomie #1 left for the weekend to judge a figure skating competition and Roomie #2 was off to a Girls' Night with her classmates so I had the place to myself. I celebrated by taking a long, hot shower , getting into my PJs and being asleep by 11. 

Saturday I slept in until 9 and then had a productive morning of laundry & grocery shopping. Saturday was "100 Days Until Camp Day!"So H. and I decided to mark the occasion Saturday night. We made three different kinds of s'mores and watched Camp Takota .

I highly recommend s'mores made with Dairy Milk Sweet & Salty Peanut Bars. They were extra delicious!

I have pretty high standards when it comes to camp movies. They usually fall into one of two categories: Totally Over The Top And Ridiculous (Wet Hot American Summer) or Questionable But Sweet (Camp Nowhere). Camp Takota struck a really good balance of capturing the uniqueness and sacredness of camp friendships but also including some silly moments and a few plot holes noticeable to those of us in full time camping. 

I've never had allergies before but the last few days and especially Saturday & Sunday I have been so sneezy and stuffed up, I don't feel the slightest bit sick, it's the weirdest thing. I ventured out Sunday to get some sinus medication but that doesn't seem to be helping in any great way. I have no idea what could be causing it since I haven't changed any soaps or detergents, there aren't any pets around, February is certainly not a season for pollen, the apartment isn't dusty...seriously the strangest thing. 

The rest of my Sunday was spent reading Why We Broke Up. It's been a long time since I finished a book and knew immediately I'd read it again and it would remain a permanent addition on my bookshelf. I love sad books and this one made my heart hurt in all the best ways. It's definitely not for everyone though, it's written in a very poetic-prose type way that would drive some people crazy. 

I have another busy week of work this week but I have some posts planned out in my drafts that just need a few finishing touches and they'll be ready to go!

Sunday Social #90

Linking up with Ashley & Neely for Sunday Social #90!

Favorite breakfast food?

Breakfast is my least favourite meal of the day and even though I know it's terrible I rarely consume the first meal of the day. If I do partake in eating first thing in the a.m. it's usually some yogurt or a muffin. 

My favourite breakfast is a bagel with bacon & cheese or an english muffin with sausage & cheese. But there's no way I could eat that every morning so it's reserved for occasional weekends and supper time. 

Best way to spend a free day

Wake up without an alarm, read in bed for half an hour or so, get up to make a cup of coffee/tea and then return to reading. Eventually shower and put on some comfy clothes (the best free days happen in summer so we'll define comfy clothes as a bathing suit & sun dress). Spend the afternoon with friends lounging in the sun/swimming then in the evening go out for supper somewhere. End the day with a few drinks around a campfire or returning to a spot near the water for more lounging.

Can you tell I'm tired of winter??

Airline ticket to anywhere in the world….where would you go and why?

I really want to visit Stonehenge so England would be a good choice. At the same time I have friends in other provinces that I miss and would really like to see so I might just choose one of those.

You can only leave the house with one thing…what is it?

For practicality sake I'm going to say my purse which contains my keys, wallet and iPhone. If this is a "house is on fire and you can only take one thing" scenario then I would pick something more sentimental.

How do you take your coffee?

In a pretty mug! Also, black with 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar depending on how strong the coffee is! 

February Friday Five!

{one}

For a girl who doesn't have anything resembling a boyfriend, gentlemen caller, friend with benefits, "it's complicated" type relationship I sure did get a lot of Valentine's! My parents sent a box of fancy cookies to me at work and there was lots of candy and adorable notes from H. & R. 

Close up of the Valentine's H. made. I'd seen them on Pinterest but they are even cuter in person, she did such a great job. There was even a little note on the back expressing her love for our friendship!

{two}

This week at work was so bizarre. There was a lot happening so my regular 9-5 hours were totally out the window. Tuesday I worked 7:45-4:15, Wednesday I was 9:00-4:30 and then yesterday I was in from 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Next week is probably going to be very similar since Tuesday we're making the 2.5 hour drive to camp to pick up some things we need in the office and take up some equipment that was donated but has been sitting in our offices. I suspect it will only get crazier from here until May. 

{three}

Last night after work I went out with H. and some other girls who worked at camp last summer. We went to this amazing local place were you pay $5 and play boardgames! They have tons of games and you can stay as long as you want and play the boardgames. They also have coffee and beer and you can order chips & salsa, bowls of candy and other snacks food. We were there for a solid 3 hours and can't wait to go back! I also didn't get home until 11:30 which is officially the latest I've been out since starting work. I needed some extra coffee this morning. 

{four}

I'm making brochette for supper tonight and my excitement is far too high. There are probably 100 different things I could be doing as a hip 20-something in the city. I'm choosing to watch Criminal Minds and eat Bruchetta. Things may get wild if I treat myself to a glass of pop. 

{five}

I've been doing so well sleeping & eating lately! I've been meal planning pretty consistently and getting 8 hours of sleep every night (usually more). I'm going to post more about meal planning next week (at least I'm planning too, we'll see what happens), but the summarized version is it's making such a big difference. 

Linking up this week with the lovely Five on Friday ladies! 

I'm The Kind of Girl Who...

... Has the best Valentine's Day weekend with friends and keeps neglecting to blog about it.
... Chooses butter over margarine every time.
... Wears leggings as pants.
... Is more comfortable in yoga pants & hoodies.
... Owns a closet full of sundresses.
... Insists on have ice in whatever I'm drinking.
... Always chooses chips over chocolate.
... Isn't interested in fad diets.
... Analyzes situations far too much.
... Is addicted to reality TV.
... Operates under the philosophy "a penny saved is a penny earned".
... Struggles with anxiety.
... Doesn't understand how people can use God to justify their discrimination.
... Enjoys a good cup of tea.
... Anticipates the return of McDonald's $1 Ice Coffee as soon as it goes away.
... Wishes it was socially acceptable to wear tie-dye to the office.
... Worries about everything.
... Appreciates life's little details.
... Fears the unknown.
... Listens to the same song on repeat for days at a time.
... Prays continuously.
... Is a sucker for boys who play guitar.

Sunday Social #89

Linking up with Ashley & Neely

What are your favorite things to do on a lazy day?

Sleep in a little bit, wake up, drink a cup of coffee while catching up on blogs and watching the news or a talk show. If it's a true lazy day I will probably spend the afternoon watching  a movie or a TV show marathon. Odds are I'll have something super simple for lunch (like bread & dip) and then make an elaborate supper. In the evening Skype Dates are always a favourite and maybe some reading or more TV.

What is your tv guilty pleasure?

Teen Mom! There's something comforting about watching the train wreck that is Teen Mom 2. My life may not be going exactly as I planned but I'm not addicted to hard drugs. I may be single, but I don't have a dead beat boyfriend/baby daddy. Clearly I made some good life choices along the way. I will say though that watching Corey's denial about Ali's diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy is extremely heartbreaking and there are moments of good parenting and decision making. 

What is your favorite road trip music?

With a group of friends it's One Direction, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, songs everyone knows the words to for optimal sing alongs. By myself I have a bizarre playlist that includes Jonas Brothers, Luke Bryan, Steven Wilson, Something Corporate and Taylor Swift. 

What are your favorite magazines of books to read by the pool or laying around?

Cosmo seems like the obvious answer here! I'll pick up just about anything to read. 

What is your favorite snack?

I like dips. Tortilla chips & guacamole, pita bread & taziki, naan & spinach dip. Dips are my love language when it comes to snacking!

Week Two

It's been almost two weeks since I became a bad blogger started work. Most days I work 9-5, get home around 5:20, cook supper, eat supper while watching Ellen from the day before, shower, get ready for bed, browse BuzzFeed, watch a show, read a few chapters of a book and am in bed by 10 and asleep by 11:30. 

Sometimes I get a few blogs read but more often than not I look at all the unread blogs on BlogLovin', read one or two and then feel guilty about neglecting my own little corner of the internet. I am hoping that as I continue to get settled, get into a routine and feel more at home here I'll be able to plan posts ahead and take time in the evenings to keep up to date with my bloggy pals!

I have a weekend jam packed with Valentine's Day festivities including supper, chocolate & wine with H. & R. tomorrow night. Saturday morning the plan is to get up and go to the Farmer's Market, then skating in the afternoon followed by an evening of hot tubbing and more wine with some other friends. Sunday will be a day of rest and prepping for the week ahead. Last Sunday I took the time to plan out and get a head start on all my meals for the week and it made such a difference! I really hope it's something I can keep up!

On that note I am off to tidy up the kitchen and my room before H. & R. arrive tomorrow night and then snuggle into bed with some tea and a good book! 

Liebster Love!

The lovely Nina over at The Grand Adventures of Me nominated me for a Liebster Award! Nina is one of the funniest and kindest bloggers I've ever "met". If you're not reading her blog you need to stop whatever it is your doing right now (ok, maybe wait and finish reading my post first) and go check her out. 

Nina's Questions:

If you could only celebrate one holiday a year, which would it be?
My half birthday! I don't care much for my "real" birthday since it's in January and it's always cold and snowy. My half birthday however falls in July, when I am usually at camp and I can force people to make a big deal out of it and give me attention. #noshame

Which is better: the morning or the night?
I am a night owl.

Although mornings do come with coffee so they're not entirely bad.


If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want to be stranded with and what is the one item you would want to have?
I would have a hard time choosing which friend to bring. It would probably be H. or R. but a male friend who is up for cuddles would also be a good choice. I'd want to have some sort of food /water supply. I'd enjoy the experience a lot more if I wasn't worried about dying. 

Were you more interested in the Superbowl or the Bruno Mars half time show Sunday night? If you didn't watch either, what did you spend your Sunday evening doing?

I didn't watch either. Sunday I got ready for my first day of my grown up job! 

If you are a religious person, how does religion affect your life?

I am constantly praying about something. Knowing that I don't have to stress about things or find words or actions to express how thankful I am but instead turing it over to God is a huge comfort to me. I struggle with anxiety but my faith is really something that helps me through that, I can't image how much worse I would be if I didn't have God to lean on. 

The last thing you bought was . . .

Groceries! And not even exciting groceries just chicken, veggies, bread and tortilla chips. 

 Do you have any embarrassing stories you're willing to share with the internet world?

I try and block embarrassing moments from my mind as soon as they happen so I don't dwell on them. But earlier this week I had a guy in my building ask if I was lost as I aimlessly drove my car around the underground parking trying to find my spot. 

What is your number one pet peeve?

Food touching other foods. 

What do you prefer: movies, books, or the interwebz?

Can't I have them all!? I enjoy watching movies while browsing the interwebz, but I love reading and books. But the internet is just flat out amazing. 

What is your favorite season?

SUMMER! This isn't even up for debate.

Why do you blog?

It started off as just something to do. Now it's developed into a place I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts or rants and documenting what's happening in my life. 

I was also nominated by Caitlyn over at Enigmatic Ambiance (doesn't she have the coolest blog name ever!?) We share a common love for dinosaurs, so you need to go check her out too.

Caitlyn's Questions:

What is your dream job?
I'm an assistant camp director so I'm pretty darn close to what I would consider my dream job. Someday I hope to be director of a Christian Summer Camp & Conference Centre but I am pretty happy where I am working with people with disabilities. 

Tell me about your first kiss.  
I'm pretty sure my first kiss was with the boy who lived next door when we were both around 4 or 5. My first real kiss was when I was 16 or 17 and it was my first summer as a full time counsellor.

Do you have a favorite song?  What is it?
Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls will always and forever be my all-time favourite song. It's been my favourite song for years and I can't imagine ever loving a song more than I love that one.

What is at the top of your bucket list? 
Get married (at camp) & have children.

I'm obsessed with dinosaurs.  What are you obsessed with? 
I too love dinosaurs. I also love tie-dye and anything camp related.

When is the last time you took a bubble bath?
Um, when I was 9 or 10? I have no idea, I don't get the whole bath thing. I get bored just sitting there. 

Would you rather live without TV or music? 
I'm going to say music, because there are lots of music channels on TV I could still watch.

Where is your favorite place to shop?  Can be an actual store or online. 
Old Navy is probably my 'go to'. Lately I've been liking a lot of stuff from American Eagle.

Who is your bloggy crush? 
I've never thought about it! 

What is your favorite Mean Girls quote? 
"And none for Gretchen Weiners." 
I can't explain why it's my favourite, it just seems to be the one I can use most often in real life. 

Are you excited about anything?

Summer! And in the more near future H. & R. are coming to the city this weekend for a Galintines Day Weekend! 

I was nominated for the Liebster Award a few weeks back by some other awesome bloggers you can check out that post here. 

Sunday Social #88

When I saw that the theme of this week's Sunday Social with Ashley & Neely was related to TV watching I knew immediately I had to join in! It's no secret I'm around these parts I love TV! I don't consider myself to be a couch potato but I just always have a show on for background noise. I've even been known to read while watching TV, which I never thought was odd until somebody called me out on it. 

1. What is your favorite thing to watch on a girls night?

Via

Our go-to is definitely Friends DVDs! 

2. What is your favorite thing to watch on your day off?

I either catch up with shows I missed during the week or I watch re-runs of Criminal Minds. I really like documentaries too so I often spend entire days watching those. I like it when my TV/Movie watching is educational! 

3. What is your favorite thing to watch when you're sick?

Disney or Harry Potter! Pocahontas & Beauty and the Beast are my go to Disney movies and I love the 4th Harry Potter movie! 

4. What is the last movie you saw in the theater?

I think it was Silver Linings Playbook. I don't really like going to the movies, it's ridiculously expensive and I'd rather spend the money on something more tangible. 

5. What are your top three favorite movies or tv shows?

This is so hard! I have a clear top two for each but the third one tends to fluctuate...

Via

Movies: The Princess Bride, Pocahontas, Wet Hot American Summer

TV Shows: Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy, Corner Gas

Life Lately

When I wrote my last real update about the moving situation everything was still very much a giant question mark. Friday night I did find a place to live though (sort of). One of my friends is studying Occupational Therapy and part of her program is doing work placements in various OT work places. The past two months her placement has been in a different provinces so her apartment in the city has been empty. I knew it was empty all along and was an option, the only glitch is that she isn't sure where her next placement will be...it could be just about anywhere in Canada and it could also be back in the city. If it turns out that her next placement is back in the city then I'll be apartment hunting again the end of the month. I am really hoping it's not in the city because I am pretty happy where I'm at and absolutely hate the thought of moving. Again. We'll see what happens though, fingers crossed!

Since I'm not entirely sure how long I'll be living in this spot for and because the apartment is fully furnished I packed pretty light. Clothes, toiletries and a few other essential items. Peyton did not come with. As much as I would have loved to find a pet friendly place and take her with me I know she can't come to camp and would have to go back with my parents during the summer anyway. Moving her for 4 months and then moving her back just seemed mean. 

H. offered to come help me unpack Saturday (even though there wasn't much to unpack) and she brought me a little apartment-warming gift. I'm always saying how I just want to be one of those people who has dinner parties all the time. So she brought me super cute paper plates, napkins and paper straws for my first dinner party! She made me oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too but those didn't make it long enough to get photographed. 

Work has been both super busy and super fun. So far this week I've gotten a March Break Day Camp up and running, started forming a Camp Alumni group, researched policies and procedures on camp rentals and started inputting data for this summers campers! I also was tasked with the job of coming up with songs for one of our counsellors to learn how to play on guitar that everyone knows the words to. I am in love with my job. 

The only downside to this week is that I keep expecting something bad to happen. I haven't gotten to the point where I'm lying awake at night coming up with crazy scenarios that will put an end to all this greatness but it's constantly nagging at me in the back of my mind. It all just seems so good to be true. I hate that I'm thinking about all the potential bad things that could happen instead of fully focusing and enjoying the good things. I've been praying about it a lot and forcing myself to focus on being thankful for the now and not praying that "nothing bad happens" because that's just not going to work. If something bad is going to happen, it'll happen and I'll deal with it accordingly. 

Overall I feel like I'm on the right track and things are coming together. Plus now that the initial anxiety is diminished I'm sure my second week will be even better than the first! 

Workin' for the Weekend

I promise I'll take time this weekend to write a proper update about my first full week of my grown up job but for right now a quick 5 on Friday update will have to do!

{one}
At one point or another the following thoughts have crossed my mind: "I need a slow cooker so I can just come home and have supper be made!", "Only one more day until casual Friday!", "I can't wait until the flyers come out so I can meal plan for next week!". I am pretty sure all of these thoughts have solidified my "grown up" status.

{two}
My iTunes in composed of 65% country, 25% indie/alternative/pop and 10% Christian. But lately I've been listening to Pink Floyd while I cook supper. I'm a lady with many quirks.

{three}
I am so excited to sleep in tomorrow! I don't think I'll actually be able to sleep in, but not waking up to an alarm and being able to hang out in bed even for just half an hour will be glorious!

{four}
I started writing this 3 hours ago and then ended up on Skype with R. It was lovely to catch up on our weeks! She and H. will both be in the city next weekend and I am so excited to celebrate Valentine's Day with two of my favourite people! None of us have any sort of romantic relationships or potential romantic relationships so we're planning to spend the weekend eating delicious food, enjoying wine in the hot tub and being together.

{five}
I had no idea how much time I spent blogging before this week. But working all day has really made me realize that it was a lot. I haven't had any solid chunk of time to dedicate to writing posts, reading other blogs, leaving comments or planning posts. I am planning on taking time at some point this weekend to figure out what kind of blogging & working balance I want to achieve. I know that it is pretty unlikely I will be able to go back to posting 5-6 times a week and I don't want to limit myself to once or twice a week.

One Day Down

I'm writing this post sitting in my new room, in my new apartment, drinking tea, eating 'welcome to the city cookies' after successfully making it through my first day of my big girl job!

I wasn't nervous about starting work, but the whole driving in the city component of the job definitely causes some anxiety. I keep reminding myself it will get easier but for now it's the worst part of the day. Especially the going home part when it's dark out and rush hour traffic is happening!

I've been snapping photos and screenshots of all the amazing messages friends have been sending me over the past few days in anticipation of being an awesome blogger but right now I have no motivation to be a "good blogger".

Eventually I will take the time to document my first few days in the city. But for now I'm going to enjoy being in jogging pants, sipping tea and catching up with friends who are eagerly awaiting to Skype so they can hear about my first day!