Confession Session

I consider myself to be a 'soda snob' if I'm going to drink an unhealthy carbonated beverage it needs to be Coke or Pepsi. I won't waste the indulgence/calories on no name store band pop. On the flip side of that I think store brand potato chips are far superior to any of the big brand names.

If I see a preview for a blog post and I can tell that the post is about trying to sell me something, a lengthy list of things I'm doing wrong as a blogger or a bunch of photos of someone posing in the same outfit without any context I don't bother to read. 

When clothes get a little hole in them or a stain I don't throw them out, I save them to wear at camp. Because camp clothes need to be clothes that you don't mind getting dirty/possibly ruined. One day last week I was getting ready for work, grabbed a pair of leggings to wear and neglected to notice/remember they were 'camp leggings'. I spent the whole day at work trying to bunch the leggings/have my sweater dress down far enough so that nobody noticed the hole in my pants. Lesson learned.

The other day I bought a new bathing suit for my trip and then I proceeded to go to A&W and eat a Teen Burger for lunch. I have no shame, or any real regrets. 

I've been rewatching Full House on Netflix and I was blown away when I discovered Jesse was only 25/26 in the first few seasons of that show. He always seemed like such a grown up! But I'm 25 and I do not feel like a grown up 75% of the time.

My co-workers have started listening to the radio at work. It's the most pop music I've listened to in years and it's slowly killing my soul. 

I'm so excited for my trip that I want to start packing like now. Except that it's still 37 days away and it seems a little too soon. 

That's all I've got for today. I'm linking up my confessions with Melissa and so should you!

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.

Snow, Snow, Snow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Linking up here for Tuesday Talks!

The Week That Was

I'm not sure if it was the time change or the weather transitioning from "crisp fall days" to "winter blah days" but this week was LONG. There were some bright spots among the daily routine (most of which  are related to yesterday's trip to Target).

{One}

Via Target

I bought this sweater yesterday at Target and I can't wait to wear it to work with leggings & boots. Our office is generally about a million degrees though, so I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to wear the sweater without sub coming to heat stroke but I will make it happen. 

{Two}

Via

I am late to party on this one but I was pretty loyal to Soft Lips lip balm so I never did get around to trying EOS. It happened to be on sale yesterday at Target and I've only used it a handful of times but I am hooked. I bought the Honeydew and it so wonderful. My lips have been brutally dry lately, I am constantly applying lip balm and using pure vaseline on them at night hopefully this will be the solution I've been looking for.

{Three}

I cannot stop singing this song! In the car, getting ready for work, at work. I think it's the shout out to Train/Drops of Jupiter that really seals the deal for me. I have a deep love for songs that mention other songs. Plus it's catchy and happy.

{Four}

I've been reading The Kitchen House and at first I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and was totally enthralled with the characters and their story. I'm almost at the end now though and I've gotten a little less interested in the whole thing. I'm a few chapters away from the end and I'm sad that I don't love the characters the same way I loved them in the beginning. I'm leaning towards the thought it would have been a better story if the author had of turned the story into a series and not rushed through seasons and jumped ahead five years all over the place. 

{Five} 

My last though is entirely devoted to how excited I am for bedtime to crawl around. 

Snow Storms & Bravery

{one}

In my efforts to Be Brave in 2014 I took another step in the blogging world yesterday and made a Twitter Account! I decided to make a new account that is more anonymous, I'm just not ready for the "real world" to know about my blogging. I might be someday, but today isn't the day. So if you're into the Twitter scene and are just dying to read my Tweets about how cold it is around here these days and whatever else strikes my fancy, follow along!

{two}

My anxiety has been way out of control the past few days. The grant situation still hasn't come to a conclusion but it needs too. The reality of the situation that is as much as I want to return to that camp and appreciate the effort that has been done to complete the application process, I can't wait any longer. This was a job that was supposed to start on October 28th. It's January 3rd and I'm still unemployed sitting on my parents couch.

{three}

I know it's only Day 3 of the 2014 but so far I've journaled everyday, read my Bible and am on my third book that I'm reading for pleasure! It's all about keeping momentum and making everything into a habit! It seems like the popular opinion is reading the Bible and reflecting should be done first thing in the morning but I've never been able to get into that habit. I prefer to end my day with Bible, blank paper and a handful of markers and felt tip pens. Maybe someday I'll join the ranks of sunrise Bible readers but it probably won't be this year. 

{four}

To my lovely blog readers who reside in the South (or anywhere where the temperature is above 0) enjoy your ability to venture outside without 10000 layers. It's cold here. Really cold. And it just won't stop snowing. 

{five}

If you follow me on Instagram you've already seen this photo but I had to blog about too, because it's ridiculous. I cleaned out my sock drawer after Christmas and was left with this. There are FOUR purple/black socks and none of them match. Same goes for the two pink/black, blue/black, and the three beige coloured ones with three different coloured heels/toes. So frustrating. I haven't thrown them out yet because I'm trying to convince myself that I can make "pairs" out of them,  but my OCD just won't have it. Back in jr. high I refused to wear matching socks and now I can't even wear two socks that are nearly identical but not. A phycologist would probably have a lot to say about that. 

I'm linking up with the lovely ladies for Five on Friday!

'Twas The Day After Christmas

I had such a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. God is good. 

Christmas Eve we had supper at my aunt & uncle's before church then we went to church where my cousin's baby was baptized. Afterwards we all went back to my aunt & uncle's and just enjoyed each other's company. Watching the excitement of my three year old cousin A. was the absolute best. We had given baby M. a present for her baptism and didn't want A. to feel left out so we brought a little something for her too. (And by little something I mean a single Christmas ornament that we found at Wal-Mart for under $5.) When she found out she was allowed to open it then she carefully but enthusiastically tore off the pink paper and squealed with delight and yelled "A decoration!" then she ran around the room to show everyone her new "decornation" and simultaneously offering up a "sank you". I also loved watching her in church as she proudly stood up on the pew, hymn book in hand and sang her heart out. I am so thankful for her and pray with every fibre of my being someday it's my little girl keeping everyone entertained Christmas.

Christmas Day we opened presents and I was seriously blessed. My biggest surprise present was a Magic Bullet Deluxe set with a bunch of different blades and attachments for the cups! I haven't gotten a change to try it out yet but I see A LOT of smoothies in my future. And homemade salsa. And iced coffee. I may even attempt to recreate Second Cup's Frozen Hot Chocolate! 

Image

I also got an amazing gift from my friend who I met through church back when I was in university. We send each other a Christmas package and I was so excited when I opened this on Christmas morning. At this point you all know how much I love words of affirmation and I love how much thought went into this gift. I'm using a lot of willpower not to read all those little notes right away but I really do want to save them and read one each day in 2014. I've also been thinking about how I need to get back into journalling with a real pen & paper. The next time I'm in town I'm going to pick up a notebook and for each day of 2014 I will glue in the quote I pick from the jar each day and scribble down a few words about the day, draw a few doodles, and by the end of the year I'll have an amazing scrapbook. I think I even have a blank Smash* Book that might be perfect for this project. That's a post for another time though...back to Christmas!

I got some great new clothes including this hoodie that has been on my wish list for months! 

Image

I also got some new make up, a supply of body washes & lotions to last well into the new year and a few gift cards to spend once things quiet down a little. 

And of course the kitties got some new toys too. 

We enjoyed Christmas dinner with my Dad's side of the family and then spent the evening with my mom's side. I can't put into words how thankful I am to have so many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. And that family really is a priority. I can't imagine growing up without cousins and aunts and grandparents, but I know that for so many it's hard to imagine growing up with that kind of extended family. Mine certainly isn't perfect and there was the usual arguments about how many chairs we need and the uncles probably had one too many glasses of homemade wine but that's life. 

I'm off to spend the rest of the day enjoying the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives marathon on the Food Network making homemade pizzas for supper and visiting with a family friend this evening. I hope everyone is enjoying time with family & friends! 

Different

This is the first post as I work my way through 25 of the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind as part of my 25x25 list!

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Dress however I wanted and not worry about where I'm going and who is going to see me. 

You might assume what I'm getting at is a desire to just wear jogging pants all the time, and while I would definitely make some trips to Wal-Mart wearing my favourite jogging pants I would also grocery shop in my prom dress. I hate worrying about being over dressed or under dressed and if we all just wore whatever we wanted to when we wanted to with the understanding that sometimes you need to dress up and other times putting on real pants is just too much to ask. 

I get a taste of this during the summer. After a week of wearing neon Nike running shorts, baggy t-shirts, jogging pants and hoodies you just want to wear some real clothes. I have made more trips to the Camp Town Wal-Mart wearing cute sundresses, perfect make up and hair than I can count. And I've never made the trip alone, Wal-Mart and Subway have seen some of the best summer outfits from the female camp staff. 

On the flip side as AD sometimes I will have to go into town to run an errand during the middle of the session. I once wore leggings, knee socks, pink rubber boots, tie-dye, a winter hat, no make up and my hair in two braids into Sobey's. I got some great looks. Although they could have been because I was buying 20L of olive oil, birthday candles and a bag of Twizzlers for the drive back to camp. 

Back in the real world though people are excepted to dress a certain way to go certain places. And if nobody was going to judge me then I'd wear whatever I want where ever I wanted to wear it! 

What would you do in a judge-less society? 

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.