27 Wishes

I seem to have accidentally started a tradition of making lists on my birthday around these parts. When I turned 24 I created a list of 24 wishes, I hadn't read that post in years but I am happy to report that 4.5 of those wishes came true! And on my 25 birthday and 26 birthday I made lists of relevant 'fun facts'. The majority of the fun facts on those lists are still accurate and since I could use some wish magic in my life right now I'm going to go ahead and grant myself 27 wishes.

1. Full time, year round, permanent position that I love. Ideally with a camp or similar organization.
2. A kind, attractive, outdoorsy gentleman who is interested in long term commitment.
3. An all inclusive 10 day trip to Walt Disney World for myself and three friends. 
4. A fully stocked and fully functional craft room.
5. A sleepover with the Pioneer Woman. (That way she could make me supper, breakfast and multiple snacks.)
6. All you can eat mozzarella sticks once a month for the rest of the year.
7. The ability to teleport.
8. A talent for sewing.
9. A fully stocked and organized pantry. (Similar to Ree Drummond, I may have an obsession.)
10. A Starbucks date with Taylor Swift.
11. To wake up to fully cooked breakfast every morning. Not breakfast in bed, but I want to be motivated by the smell of bacon.
12. Power to pick & choose when I will be blessed with a good hair day.
13. Lunch with Becky Higgins, creator of Project Life.
14. A quirky animal sidekick. 
15. Happy mail on a regular basis. 
16. A boost of confidence. 
17. The opportunity to visit all of the Girl Guide/Scout World Centres.
18. A week long camping trip.
19. A super chic coffee bar set up.
20. Motivation to become someone who does yoga on a regular basis.
21. Consistently neat handwriting.
22. An avocado tree in the backyard so I could time my ripe avocados appropriately. 
23. A month long trip to Australia.
24. Pizza Party with Kate Middleton. 
25. Ice Cream cake.
26. Can I have two trips to Disney World?
27. A year full of good things & happiness. 

Twenty-Six

This morning I went searching through my photos to find one of birthday cake or candles or balloons but I didn't have one. So instead I put a party hat on a squirrel and I'm calling it a birthday win. And if anyone presents me with an actual squirrel wearing a party hat at any point today you will win some big bonus points. Last year I posted 25 things about me at 25 and I've decided to continue with the tradition.

1. Squirrels are my favourite animals, they have been for a long time and in the past few months it seems like they're becoming more "main stream". The woodland animal trend that's happening right now is great, my second favourite animal is the magically raccoon.
2. Speaking of raccoons, I got to 'meet' Meeko when I was at Disney and I could hardly contain my excitement. We danced, I got his autograph and J. took multiple photos. 
3. My maternal grandmother is my very favourite person. H. & R. are a close second and J. is also pretty great.
4. I don't like violence but I love Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU. I've determined it's because I like figuring out the mystery.
5. The older I get the more importance I place on wearing comfortable pants. 
6. I enjoy being somewhere new and exploring a different place, but I hate the act of travelling. If teleporting was a thing that would be great.
7. 75% of my bad habits are acquired during the summer while I'm at camp. 
8. I love photography and scrapbooking and anything that involves paper, scissors and adhesive.
9. Broccoli is my most favourite vegetable. 
10. I got new flannel sheets for Christmas and they are my favourite thing ever. I had forgotten how much I love flannel sheets. 
11. Cooking is my favourite. I think I would enjoy a career as a chef, except that I would be so stressed and anxious about feeding other people that it would over shadow the enjoyment.
12. I generally don't pay any attention to celebrity gossip but every now and then I can't help but read things about reality tv stars, mostly the teen moms and the Duggars.
13. I prefer my drinks to be ice cold, except for water. I like to drink water at room temperature.
14. My phone is always on silent. I don't even know what sounds it makes for alerts.
15. Supper is my favourite meal of the day. 
16. I think gummy bears are the best frozen yogurt mix in because they are the perfect texture when they are a little cold.
17. I thrive on organization and routine. Lists and detailed schedules are my favourites.
18. I would enjoy winter more if it didn't involve winter driving. 
19. Instagram is my preferred social media platform.
20. I prefer to eat multiple snacks between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. opposed to one big lunch meal.
21. I still bite my nails. 
22. I make my bed every morning and it really bugs me when beds aren't made.
23. This past year I've realized that 9 hours of sleep is the magic number for me and anything less than 7 leaves me feeling tired.
24. Lime green is my favourite colour.
25. I sort of wish I could play an instrument but I'm also very happy with the hobbies I currently have.
26. It's only halfway through the first month of the year but so far I am super happy with how well I've been keeping up with all the things I want to do in 2016!

Twenty Five

I turned 25 yesterday and I thought a lot about how to mark my 25th birthday here in blogland.  I  debated replacing my 25x25 list with a 30x30 list, and I might do that at some point just not right away. I thought about sharing 25 things I've learned, 25 things I haven't learned, 25 things I've accomplished. The number 25 really begs for a list to be made. Since I feel like 25 is somewhat of a turning point in life I decided to go with a list of 25 things about me in this moment. 

1. My favourite colour combination right now is orange & coral. 
2. My favourite comfy outfit is black leggings, warm socks & a hoodie.
3. I love photography, writing and scrapbooking. 
4. Summer is when I'm happiest.
5. I've been trying really hard to get into the habit of eating 3 meals a day (I always skip breakfast).
6. I have a long list of places I'd like to travel, travelling makes me anxious though so I haven't travelled far. 
7. I'm still afraid of being alone, and I'm growing increasingly fearful of 'losing control' and ruining plans.
8. I need 8 hours of sleep every night, but I really function the best when I get 9.5 hours.
9. I prefer dark roast coffee and like it with about half a teaspoon of sugar. Every so often I'll drink it with a splash of cream as well.
10. I enjoy interacting with other people, being active and having good conversations. I need my alone time though. At minimum 15-20 minutes each day to be alone with my thoughts, read a book, write, doodle, even watch a television show by myself. There is no doubt I am an introvert.
11. I love animals, squirrels, whales, cats and polar bears are my favourites.
12. I don't eat fast food very often but when I do Wendy's is usually my top choice. 
13. H. & R. are my best friends and I'm so thankful that they came into my life in the most unexpected of ways. Now I can't imagine doing life without them.
14. I watch a lot of legitimate documentaries but I also have a soft spot for terrible TLC 'reality shows'. (90 Day Fiancé, Sister Wives, 600 lb. Life, 19 Kids & Counting...)
15. I love cooking. Trying new recipes, experimenting with things to make them better.
16. Broccoli is my favourite vegetable.
17. I don't wear a lot of jewellery. I stick to earrings and a handful of necklaces, I don't see the appeal in owning tones of costume jewellery. I'd rather own a few really nice things than drawers of $10 necklaces.
18. History fascinates me, I love reading historical fiction books, autobiographies, random wikipedia articles I like learning about the past.
19. Sometimes I can accumulate clutter and drawers and closets might be chaotic but I like my surroundings to be tidy. Clear desk, nightstand, dresser is essential to my productivity.
20. I don't like calling people on the phone.
21. If I could change anything about my appearance I'd make myself 5 inches taller.
22. I can spend hours browsing/shopping at Michael's and Chapters.
23. Even though I'm an introvert I don't particularly like doing stuff alone. I would never eat at a restaurant or see a movie by myself. The one except is that I enjoy getting groceries alone and strolling through Target or the mall. 
24. Although I don't consider Friends to be my favourite show I have watched the entire series from start to finish more times than I can even begin to count and it still makes me laugh. 
25. I have a weird mix of emotions about the next 25 years. On one level I have no idea where I'll find myself a year from now, I have some thoughts about what I'd like to accomplish but I also feel very comfortable with having so many unknowns. 

Linking up with Tuesday Talk!

Shopping, Skype & Simplicity

Saturday afternoon I headed to the mall armed with gift cards I received for Christmas and hadn't spent yet. I ended up spending my gift cards (plus a little extra) on an apron, purse, scarf and shirt. When I got home and had my purchases spread out on my bed I realized I am nothing if not well rounded. Flowery apron, camouflage scarf, leather/lace purse...I meant to snap a photo of it all together. The dingey wintery days are making it hard to take photos, the lightning is constantly terrible and I don't give myself enough time to spend an hour manipulating the object/playing with camera settings.

After the mall we ran into Target in search of a birthday gift for my aunt.  I ended up buying the greatest piece of home decor ever. Mine is plain wood instead of red and I think it's the cutest thing ever. I have no idea what I'm going to do with a miniature canoe, suggestions so far have included using it to plant a herb garden, candles (which is how it's displayed on the Target website), chips & dip, the possibilities are really endless. It also reaffirmed my sadness that in 16-20 weeks Target will no longer be in my life.

Via

After my shopping trip I headed to my aunt's for birthday cake & tea and then home for a good ol' fashion marathon Skype session with H. & R. It had been awhile since our scheduled allowed the three of us to spend the entire evening talking, snacking and catching up on life.

Sunday I had big plans. I wanted to bake cinnamon rolls wearing my new apron, clear off everything from my old laptop so I can pass it on to my cousin, tidy my room, plan out blog posts for the week and write some drafts. Instead I got sucked into a marathon of The Curse of Oak Island and my biggest accomplishment of the day was pinning a bunch of things on Pinterest as I contemplated the astronomical sum of money these guys are spending looking for treasure.

Since I'm working today yesterday we had a mini-birthday celebration with pizza and birthday cake.  I'm not into crazy big birthday celebrations, I'm quite happy with pizza & birthday cake. I like the simple things in life.

Linking up here.

Birthday Eve Eve

Monday is my 25th birthday. 25 is one of those birthdays that feels like a big deal. You've lived a quarter of a century. You've survived your teens, your early twenties and now you're closer to 30 than 15 which is probably an indication you need to get your life together. 

Last year when I turned 24 I wrote a post where I made 24 wishes, one for each candle on my cake. (You can read it here.) I was reading through it this morning and found myself laughing out loud at the ways in which some of those wishes have been granted over the past year. And how some of things I wished for are no longer things I want. 

#3 A lovely committed boyfriend who loves camp and is okay with watching Disney movies J has never been to camp in his life. And he won't watch Disney movies because he wants to wait to watch them again with his kids. He is lovely & committed just the same and it doesn't matter that he isn't a camp person or a secret love of watching Disney movies.

#23 A MacBook Pro I bought one last week! It was time for an upgrade and I'm pleased with my purchase.

#5 Stack of Cash I did not open my mailbox one day to find a bunch of cash, but I do have a wonderful job and have been sticking to a budget and I have no complains about the state of my bank account at this time. 

#1 Grant Approval This happened in February and it was a great experience. It also confirmed my suspicion that I really don't want to live in the city. I loved my job, but I did not love living in the city and being far away from family.

#22 Being Paid to Browse Pinterest This didn't exactly happen the way I imagined, however at one point during the summer I was in the office at camp searching Pinterest for Staff Appreciation ideas and it occurred to me that I really was getting paid to browse Pinterest. 

#6 Red Hunter Rain boots I tried a pair of these on just before Christmas and as it turned out they were SO high on my short legs that they looked absolutely ridiculous. I haven't found a store around here that sells kids sizes so until I can figure out how to wear a pair and not look totally ridiculous. 

The Pioneer Woman has not moved next door and nobody follows me around playing guitar and singing about my life. I am still reliant on my glasses to see more than a foot in front of me and world peace has not been achieved but overall it's been a good year. I have a lot to be thankful for, a lot to celebrate and a lot to look forward to. I don't have any big plans for my birthday. I'll be working, J. is still on vacation (this family trip was booked long before we started dating), and H. & R. are provinces away. I'm very content with a quiet weekend and birthday though.

24 Candles, 24 Wishes

Pinterest

When R. turned 24 last month H. & I set off to the grocery store to get candles for her cake we made our purchase and reported back to her that "she was a whole box of candles old!". I'd be lying if I said I was thrilled about turning 24. Yes, I'm thankful for another day/year but that doesn't mean I'm excited about it. I'll compare it to being thankful that there are dirty dishes to wash because it means you have food and have eaten, it doesn't necessarily mean you're over the moon excited about washing that pile of dishes.

I'm going to go ahead and declare that with 24 candles on the cake means I get 24 wishes. I grew up with the saying "if you tell someone your wish, it won't come true", so I suppose that by sharing this list with blogland it guarantees none of these wishes will be granted, but I'm going to do it anyway. So without further ado I present my 24 wishes on my 24 birthday.

1. Grant approval.
2. Unlimited supply of gummy bears.
3. A lovely, committed boyfriend who likes camp and is ok with watching Disney movies.
4. Vanilla Coke to return to Canada.
5. A nice stack of cold hard cash.
6. Red Hunter rainboots.
7. A Beauty & The Beast library.
8. Someone to follow me around with a guitar and sing about my daily activities. 
9. Random choreographed dance numbers in my life on a weekly basis.
10. My Pinterest closet to magically appear in my actual closet.
11. Wake up and be 10 lbs lighter.
12. A farm.
13. The Pioneer Woman to live next door.
14. Perfect vision. Goodbye glasses & contacts! 
15. Ellen DeGeneres to arrive on my doorstep and visit.
16. A Complete Disney DVD collection.
17. A channel that airs only my favourite shows.
18. Luke Bryan.
19. A private concert by the Goo Goo Dolls.
20. A fully stocked craft room.
21. A bouquet of fresh flowers.
22. Someone to pay me to browse Pinterest for at least 3 hours a day.
23. Macbook Pro.
24. World Peace.

What would you use your wishes on? 

Cinq

{one}

I've rekindled my addiction with the Sims FreePlay app on my phone. I don't consider myself to be a "gamer" (although I am awesome at Super Mario Bros. and probably should have spent more time studying and less time playing Mario Party with friends in university), but I do love the Sims. I like to refer to it as Barbies for grown ups. 

{two}

I lost track of how many jobs I've applied to this week. There's still no definite 'no' with the grant, but there's also been no 'yes' and as much as I want to stay loyal to the camp I've been at for the past two years life is getting in the way. And by life I do mean student loans and car payments and the fact I don't want to live with my parents forever. If you happen to have some spare prayers I'd really appreciate a few directed that way. I need to have some sort of answer to the grant and also to find a part-time job between now and May so I can save some money and get my life together so to speak.

{three}

Sunday is my birthday and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreading it a little. I know every day is worth celebrating, you never know what tomorrow holds and for all I know this could be my last birthday. But I am so far away from where I thought  planned to be at 24 that it's hard not to feel a little sad, frustrated and grumpy. It's my birthday I'll mope if I want to. 

{four}

Lately whenever I need a pick me up I've been reading through Daily Odd Compliments. They make me so happy. They're all so sweet but also hilarious and honest...kind of what I look for in a future husband. 

{five}

It's no secret I love Reality TV. My favourites are the classics; Survivor, Amazing Race, Big Brother. And I have no shame admitting I watch Honey Boo Boo, Teen Mom, 19 Kids and Counting. But I do not see the appeal of anything that contains the word "Housewife", "Kardashian" or "Bachelor". And I don't get award shows either. Who are these people deciding who was the best actor!? Or the best show!? And why are people so concerned about what dress Jennifer Lawrence is wearing? The world is a strange, strange place. 

Linking up with Five on Friday  and High Five for Friday!

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! 

Winter Bucket List 2013-2014

Today I'm linking up with Erin & Brittany to share my Winter Bucket List!

2013 had a lot of great moments and experiences but I am ready to start the new year! My birthday is in January which although I hate because it's cold and gross I also love it because my age changes shortly after the calendar does which makes me feel like it really is a new start! I still need to get my Christmas cards out but I also want to sent Valentines this year. I've been thinking a lot about choosing a word or phrase for 2014 and I keep coming back to "Show Love"(more on that later) and I think everyone could use a little pick me up mid-Februray and a reminder that they are loved.

I also really want to bake cookies and make homemade hot chocolate to go along with them. Cookies I have made a thousand times but I've never made true hot chocolate, so that should be an adventure.

Now that I have my fancy camera I've been taking a lot of pictures of the tree lights (I totally have a new appreciation for all you expert level photographers, camera settings are HARD!). Next on my list is to take advantage of the 60+ cm of snow that has fallen over the last week and take some snowy, wintery photos. Of course if I don't get to it this week there's really no rush, we'll have snow until early May. #canadaprobs

I held off getting involved with any sort of volunteering in the fall because I was so sure the grant would come through and I'd be moving to the city. I even gave up my Brownie unit which was a huge disappointment, especially since there's still no word about whether or not our application has been approved or denied. I'm not going to put life on hold any more though and plan on finding an organization to volunteer with starting in the new year. I'd love to do something with the SPCA, but I know that is totally out of the question because I would just bring every animal home.

On that note I am off to address a stack of Christmas cards so they can get put in the mail tomorrow and maybe make it to their various destinations before January!