Blogtember Day 4: Passion

What are you passionate about?  It's a question some people struggle with for the entire life. I on the other hand sometimes struggle to choose just one (although if I had to pick #1 would be camp). All of my passions are intertwined though, together they build to guide and direct me through life. 

Camp is my ultimate passion in life. I love the atmosphere, the community, the tradition. I truly believe that there are two kinds of people in the world: Camp People and Non-Camp People. It shaped me in unfathomable ways into the person I am today and the person I will be 10 years from now. 

Disability Awareness/Inclusion. I have had the privilege of meeting and befriending so many smart, funny, happy and kind people who identify as having a disability. And it frustrates me that so many people in this world are overlooked because others don't take the time to communicate with them. There's a perception that people with disabilities need a lot of help. The reality is we all need a lot of help and just because someone uses a wheelchair or needs extra time to complete a task doesn't mean they need your sympathy. People are people and the world would be a much better place if everyone would treat each other with more kindness, respect and understanding. 

3E Love

Food. It breaks my heart that there are so many people have no idea where there next meal is coming from. And that the options they have are pre-packaged and almost void of nutritional value. Food education should be more of a focus in school and people shouldn't have to choose between buying 10 bags of chips or 1 bunch of carrots. On a more personal level I love cooking and baking and being able to provide healthy and tasty foods for the people around me. 

Children/Youth. It sounds lame but in all seriousness children/youth are the future. If they grow up surrounded by loving and supportive people and have their basic needs met (nutritious food, safe home etc.) then the world will become a better place. If children/youth don't have access to those things then bad things happen. I love camp and other extra-curriculour activities because it provides children/youth with so many opportunities to explore and grow in a safe, supportive environment.

Faith. I'm not sure how to expand on this or put it into words. My faith and trust in Good is crucial to my life and impacts my choices and interests.

Honourable mentions go to photography, writing, memory keeping, family and friends.

Camp Friday Favourites

{one}

Camp Sunsets.

I can almost guarantee camp sunsets will make an appearance on every single Friday Favourites/Friday Five List I make this summer. No further explanation required. 

{two}

J. stopped into camp for a quick visit on his way home from his sister's graduation Thursday. Long enough for me to give him a quick tour of camp, enjoy a meal at the diner close to camp and spend a few minutes reconnecting in person opposed to via technology. Plus he brought me Reese's Peanut Cups and our diner lunch involved Chicken Strips. I was a very happy girlfriend.

{three}

I've become very aware of the fact grocery shopping is my happy place. Being in the kitchen cooking makes me feel calm and relaxed and I love a trip to the grocery store. My big activity for the afternoon is going to be browsing the flyer, making a grocery list and slowly wandering through the aisles. My meals at camp are technically all taken care of by our camp cooks. But there are some times I don't like what's being served. (Shepherd's Pie is the devil as far as I'm concerned.) I like to have some individual freezer meals stashed away for those times and also for times when I just don't feel like eating grilled cheese for the hundredth time this summer. 

{four}

Speaking of food at camp...Clif Bars are going to be a saving grace this summer. I try to avoid the standard pre-packaged quaker type granola bars because it's basically like eating a chocolate bar. I realize the Clif Bars aren't super fantastic amazing food. I feel a little better about eating one of them though opposed to something else. Plus they taste amazing. I'm a big fan of the Chocolate Almond Fudge and Crunchy Peanut Butter. I can't see myself getting on board with Oatmeal Raisin Walnut or Blueberry Crisp. 

{five}

I'm not sure why I'm struggling to come up with a fifth favourite thing this week. There's certainly been lots of good moments. I'm looking forward to the summer. I feel like things are under control, the chaos is organized and the pieces are all falling in to place.

 

Five Friday Favourites

{one}

I've never watched a single second of any show that beings with the words "Real Housewives". And I've also never watched more than 5 minutes of any given Bachelor/Bachelorette season. I love reality TV but that particular brand of reality TV just doesn't interest me.

Except that I started watching Hockey Wives and those ladies are a combination of hot messes, entitled brats and really down to earth moms who are trying their best to raise their kids admit a lot of job uncertainty and constant moving. It's got me hooked and I'm not saying is high quality educational TV, but I think it's worth a watch. 

{two}
Tuesday I was a mess. I was not having a good day and was feeling totally overwhelmed. The city decided somewhat last minute that they were closing the streets for parking so they could do snow clearing, which meant that in the middle of work I had to scramble to find a parking spot, which makes me feel ridiculous anxious and stressed. The last thing I needed that day was to get my car towed. In the end J. saved the day and moved my car to a safe location. He also earned some major boyfriend points when I went out to my car after work I discovered he left a slice of pizza on the seat of my car. I'm not promoting eating ones feelings, but sometimes a girl just needs a slice of pizza after a long day. Definitely a favourite moment of the week.

{three}
Yesterday, it rained. I'm talking full on water droplets falling from the sky making puddles rain. This made me happy for two reasons the most obvious just being that I love rainy days. The second is that rain means the temperature was above 0 for the first time in months. It was warm enough for water to fall from the sky without freezing! Rumour has it we might see +5 degrees this weekend! Which at this point is tropical. Spring might actually be on it's way!

{four}

Watermelon Lemonade candles from Bath & Body works make me feel like summer is a little closer. Around here we don't have much of a spring, odds are good there will still be snow on the ground in May. It's way too early to open all the windows and enjoy a spring breeze so I'm settling for lighting this candle and imaging summer. 

{five}

Writing. One of my March Goals was to write more often, flexing my creative muscle if you will. I've discovered it's about finding opportunities to be creative. Doodling and embellishing my to do lists, or when I'm on the phone. I've also had the chance to really sit down and write and I'm still not exactly where I want to be but it's a goal I'm going to continue working on because writing is my favourite!

                             

                                  

Totally Awesome

We got another 10 cm of snow last night and are forecasted to get another 10-15 cm tomorrow night. It's time to forget about the cold and celebrate some awesome things happening right now. Join Rebekah  and Anne and share what's awesome in your life!

{one}

Salted Carmel. I don't know who I have to thank for this trend but they are an awesome person. I recently discovered Lindt Sea Salt & Carmel Dark chocolate bars and no other chocolate bar will ever be the same. And Tim Horton's has Salted Carmel donuts right now, so yummy. Rumour has it they have salted carmel Timbits too, but I haven't tried those yet. I've always been a salty over sweet type of gal and this salt trend is right up my alley. I hope it continues for a very long time.

{two}

J. is not the inventor of salted carmel (in fact he thinks the concept is weird and not at all delicious), but he is still a seriously awesome person. He gives me butterflies and makes me feel the best combination of feelings. I'm so excited to go on our first vacation together! Only 45 days until sunshine, sand and adventure!

{three}

These Julia Child quotes/philosophies on life & cooking. Someday when I have my own kitchen I want these quotes displayed somewhere where they are always in my eye sight.

Pinterest

(What would be even more awesome is if I could find the original source and get my hands on these. I think they might have been a limited edition print though and are long out of stock.) 

{four}

Sundays. Specifically Sunday evenings. Lately my Sundays have involved planning for the week ahead, enjoying supper with the family and cuddling with J. while we watch Friends. It's the most awesome way to start the week.

{five}

Coffee. This needs no further explanation. Coffee is awesome. Always. 

{six}

Spring rain is on it's way! I hate snow but I love rain. I can't wait for spring rain to wash away the snow and give me a reason to wear my rain boots!

{seven}

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been feeling sort of run down lately, tired and overwhelmed a little more anxious than usual. Spring is just around the corner though. A new season, new camp year, time to step back and evaluate some long term goals. Knowing all that is on the horizon is an awesome feeling.

{eight}

I've recently become borderline obsessed looking at home decor for mudrooms/porches and kitchens. I'm not sure why this interest has developed, but I have an ever growing love for browsing Pinterest searching for ways to make kitchens feel warm, welcoming and homing. And how to organize mudrooms and still keep them functional. 

{nine}

Having time to cook. I love cooking and with my crazy work schedule I don't have time to cook and prepare food the way I used to. My cooking is limited to prep work on the weekend and quick meals during the week. I can't wait to get back to making real suppers and cooking the family!

{ten}

The number ten spot is reserved for all of the awesomeness that is hoodies, jogging pants, comfort, relaxation, reflection and blogging.

Happy Tuesday Friends! What's awesome in your life today?

Show & Tell Tuesday {Love Story}

Sticking with the spirit of Valentine's Day I'm linking up with Momfessionals today for Show & Tell Tuesday to share my love story. I'll preface this post by saying J. and I have been "official" for a little over than 3 months. We went on a few dates prior to being in a relationship which brings us up to about 4.5 months and we've been working together since October. All that to say our love story is still in the beginning chapters. I think it's still worth documenting though, we've still got a lot of dating ahead of us before any sort of engagement or wedding chapter is written but I thought I'd share the story of how we started dating, especially since it was during a blogging break.

Via

When I started the job at my current office my expectation was I would have a steady job until spring and the contract would allow me to return to camp in the summer. I wasn't interested in making friends other than what I would describe as 'work aquaintences', my priority was to do my job and once the contract ended move on. Within the first few weeks the guy whose desk was diagonally across from mine would make casual conversation with me during our breaks. We discovered we had some mutual friends and we had actually gone to the same high school but neither of us remembered the other. That may not sound like a big deal, but our high school had about 900 students from grade 10-12, even if you didn't know everyone you at least recognized them. J. was in the grade ahead of me so we were in the same school for two years, but neither one of us have any recognition of the other during high school. 

He was very consistent with making conversation with me when he had the chance but I really wasn't interested in a relationship. There was nothing about him that really stood out to me, sure he was nice and seemed like he could be interested in me but again, I wasn't looking for a relationship. And if I was looking for a relationship it would be one that had long term potential. J. didn't necessarily strike me as someone who thought about long term relationships.

That changed when one day we were chatting during break, he asked about my favourite movies and the conversation progressed in a direction that lead to me asking him if he had a favourite Disney movie. His response will go down in history as "the moment I knew". He told me that he didn't really have one (my first thought = deal breaker) because he doesn't remember them very well. At which point I must have made a disapproving face because he elaborated. He refuses to re-watch the classic Disney movies from childhood because he was waiting until he had kids of his own. He wanted to be able to watch those movies with his kids because it (re-)watching for the first time would be more special and something to share opposed to showing a future child a movie he'd already watched a million times. 

I could have melted. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard someone say and of course I loved that he clearly thought about the future in a meaningful way. It wasn't until a week later that he asked for my number. We texted for another week or two continuing to get to know each other, as it turned out we had quite a few similar interests, beliefs and long term goals. He finally asked me on a date mid-Novemeber. Originally we had planned on going out to eat but the day didn't go quite as planned and we ended up hanging out at his place and watching 'Cops'. The next two weekends we went on "real dates". We had previously agreed that we enjoyed hanging out with each other but didn't want to start a relationship while we were stilly working together, luckily his contract ended in December and shortly after that he asked me to be his girlfriend. 

Maybe not the most romantic or extravagant meeting that's ever happened but its ours, and I'm kind of partial to it. Now head on over to Momfessionals and link up your own love story so I can read them while I sip my coffee on this cold winter day!

A Blogmopolitan Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day blog friends! I hope your day is filled with a little extra love & a little extra chocolate. I'm linking up with Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel for this round of the Blogmopolitan Quiz. And then I'm off to watch some Netflix and enjoy my heart shaped Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Stop by on Monday to read about my official Valentine's Day date and maybe just to make sure I survive the enormous amount of snow that is headed my way on Sunday?

Solo

This week alone I saw two engagements and one pregnancy announcement pop up on my Facebook feed. All from girls the same age (or a year younger) than me. I am really happy for those people and I wish them nothing but the best, that doesn't mean I don't feel a twinge of hurt/jealousy whenever another announcement comes rolling in.

Once upon a time I met a boy who was a few check marks short of perfect…except for one glaring problem, he wasn't ready to be in a relationship. Which I calmly accepted and let myself hope (and pray) that at some point the timing would be right and we could be together. Then he met someone else, who he was ready to be in a relationship with and I spent a month  far longer than I would like to admit bursting into tears when I saw photos of their adventures and listening to Taylor Swift while I tried to process my feelings towards the whole thing. Things are better now, I'm a little less emotionally fragile and when I step back and take myself out of the equation I really do want him to be happy. 

I get discouraged pretty easily when it feels like everyone else in the world is in a serious relationship, two steps away from marriage but I know that I would rather be single than be with someone just for the sake of being with someone. 

It's hard to be confident and okay with this whole season of singleness thing when I have such a strong desire to be married and have a family. I trust that there is a reason God's current plan for me doesn't involve being in a relationship. I have don't have much of an idea why that is, but if I let myself believe that it's something I'm doing wrong I get angry and bitter. And nobody likes the angry bitter single girl. Including myself.

If you want to read more about my thoughts on being single check out this post.

Linking up with Bailey Jean for Blog-Tember! 

Friday Favourites : Summer Camp Edition

Heidi Ho Blog Readers! (I have no idea why I felt the overwhelming need to start this post with that greeting but I'm embracing it, and you should too.) In celebration of being at camp for the summer I've gathered up a few of my favourite summer camp related lists and pins and songs and quotes that make me grin from ear to ear every time I read them. 

63 Signs You Were A Summer Camp Counsellor  is top of my list. You can tell that the person who wrote it gets camp. And it makes me extra excited that although I'm somewhat removed from the world of being a counsellor, there are a lot of things on that list that still apply to me as a "camp professional" with the added bonus that many of things on that list don't fall into the nostalgic folders of my mind but in the things that are still part of my job category. And for that I am forever grateful. 

Pinterest

Ah yes…the post-camp clean up. And no matter how well you think the campers' helped sweep their cabin and triple checked that there were no socks under the bed it wasn't well enough. Same goes for counsellors…you might assume post arts & crafts the counsellors will get a cloth and wipe the paint off the tables but that assumption would be incorrect. 

Pinterest

I adore this photo. I found it on Pinterest and I can't seem to find the original source…just a rabbit hole of pins and Tumblrs. Campfires are one of my absolute favourite things about camp and I've been snapping lots of fire pictures every chance I get. One of my goals for the summer is to get the perfect one.

Via

Speaking of Tumblrs Camp Confessions is one of my favourites. They are spot on, especially this one. Camp Fashion is the best fashion. The other day I went into town wearing leggings (stained with bright red paint from the tractor), a tie-dye tank top, a navy blue staff hoodie from 2008 splattered with bleach stains and a camouflage ball cap. I rounded out the look with my bright pink rain boots.

Linking up here! :)

(Some of) The Best Things Ever

After my little rant fest and minor tantrum on Friday I think I should really join in with this week's Sunday Social and blog about of few of the best things!

1. What was your best birthday?

I have the worst birthdays. (This is really not off to a good start!) 

That being said this past summer I had a wonderful Half Birthday Celebration at camp! There were cards and decorations and people sang "Happy Half Birthday". It was super ridiculous but also the best.

2. What was your best vacation?

I haven't been on a lot of vacations recently. In a lot of ways my entire summer is one big vacation (only without the relaxing parts)!

3. What is the best date you've ever been on?

Maybe I should have read the questions before I started answering them…I've never been on what most people would consider a proper date. So again, don't have a lot of experience to pick a best from. 

4. What is the best movie(quality) you've seen?

Schindler's List wins this hands down. Everything about it from the story to the acting, the way it was filmed. Best movie. Everyone needs to go watch. 

5. What is the best TV show ending of all time?

I was really satisfied with the way Dawson's Creek ended. I'm not sure that it was the best ending that has ever been, but as far a teen dramas go it was good. A little death, a little love, a dash of the unexpected. The characters didn't necessarily get the happy ever after ending but I think they all got pretty great ending to their stories. 

Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy

I love lists. I love things. It only makes sense that lists of things I love make me extraordinarily happy! So I'm obviously joining in with Erin  and Sarah to list 32 things that make me happy!

1. Dinosaurs
2. ooVoo dates with H. & R.
3. Office Supplies
4. Inspirational Quotes
5. Luke Bryan
6. Frogs
7. Puns
8. Jumping in puddles
9. Vanilla Coke
10. New Crayons/Colouirng Books
11. Driving Country Roads
12. Converse High Top Sneakers
13. Comfy pants
14. Curly hair
15. Cuddling
16. Camp
17. Camouflage
18. Country Music
19. Things that start with the letter 'C'
20. Veggie Tales
21. Cooking
22. Handwritten notes/cards.
23. Iced Coffee
24. Homemade mac & cheese
25. Sunshine
26. Thunder & Lightning Storms
27. Batman
28. Reading
29. Reality TV
30. Writing
31. Poetry
32. Blogging! 

Just making that list made me smile! And now I'm off to enjoy a delicious supper followed by one of my most favourite/happiest things an ooVoo date with H. & R. ! 

Happy Thursday! 

Day of Acceptance

Today is being promoted as the International Day of Acceptance by an amazing grassroots company called 3E Love. So today I'm joining people around the world to embrace diversity, educate people about disabilities and empower each other.

Over the past few years I've gotten to meet so many wonderful people (mostly through camp) who have a range of disabilities. I've always known that people were more than their disabilities and not at all defined by the way in which they move or speak but I'm still learning. Each summer I get to interact with more and more campers who are continuously showing me new ways to do things and shattering any lingering stereotypes. 

To today I'm spreading the love and acceptance. Please take the time to get to know the people around you regardless of what they look like, how they speak, how they move (or don't move). Some of the funniest people I know are unable to communicate through speaking. They use spelling boards and their eyes to interact with the world around me, and trust me they interact. But you would probably never know that if you just passed them on the street. 

I don't think I've ever given blog homework before but this is a topic near and dear to my heart so I'm doing it anyway! In honour of International Day of Acceptance I'm going to encourage you all to take a few short minutes out of your day to read about Wheelchair Etiquette. Maybe you're already familiar with some of these things but maybe you'll learn something new. And a little common courtesy goes a long way towards inclusion, acceptance and making the world a better place! 

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!

Show Love

Long before I started blogging myself I read blogs so I know that this time of year it's pretty common for bloggers to choose a word for the upcoming year. Focus on that word and make it a theme for the 12 months ahead. I knew it was something I wanted to do in 2014 and I've been thinking about which word to choose for over a month now. I narrowed it down to five and carefully considered each one before making a decision. 

Humility 

Grace

Joy

Love

Peace

Humility. For awhile this was the word I was stuck on, but then I also wanted to be more confident. That led me down a very confusing train of thought about balancing being confident and being humble. For a few days I thought that I'd made a decision and in 2014 I would spend time discerning how to improve my humility and also improve my confidence. Then I thought about it some more and decided that challenge may be a little advanced so I moved on to the next option.

Grace. It's part of my blog name, it's one of my favourite words, I would totally use it as a name for if it wasn't for every third kid being named Grace/Gracie. It seemed like a good choice, until it seemed too easy. Not challenging enough. Still one of my favourite words and concepts but I wasn't sure how to really make it into a theme for the whole year.

Joy. Focus on finding joy in the little things, being joyful in all situations and circumstances. It's pretty straight forward. I wasn't feeling it though, it seemed like a word I had to consider because it "make sense" but when I really thought about it I couldn't get myself excited about making it my word.

Love. There aren't many things in this world that are better than love. God's love, romantic love, love between friends, family, loving the little things. Lots of options for love. But again, it just didn't feel right. Somehow declaring that my word of the year would be Love felt flat and boring. 

Peace. I'm a worrier by nature. Anxiety is something I am extremely familiar with. I could use some more peace in my life. I couldn't sell myself on it though, like love, it felt like a word I was only considering because it I should be, so I moved on.

Which left me with all the words on my list crossed off for one reason or another. So I looked at all the words I had originally written down and tried to find a commonality between everything. After a few minutes something jumped out at me and I knew almost instantly without having to spend days mulling it over that my 'word' for 2014 would be a (short) phrase.

What I like about this phrase is that it's short enough to be easily remembered, vague enough that it can apply to all situations and yet specific enough that there's no questions about the focus. Show Love. I think it does a good job of encompassing a lot of the aspects I was trying to focus on with each of the words I was originally considering. I can show love by bringing joy to others, by being gracious, by being peaceful, praising God, by being humble, there are so many ways to show love. To myself, God, friends, strangers, the planet. I'm really looking forward to challenging myself to showing love over the next twelve months. 

How will you 'Show Love' in 2014? I'd love to know what word you chose for this year!

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! 

Faith, Fun & Food on Friday

{one}

I blogged back here about how much I love words of affirmation, usually I get all my word lovin' during the summer months at camp where writing "warm fuzzies" is a widely accepted & enjoyed activity. During the fall/winter/spring I rely on reading through old warm fuzzies, random messages from friends and of course your sweet blog comments! This week however I got the best surprise in my mailbox. A letter from a girl who was in the youth group I helped lead during university. We hadn't really kept in touch over the past year and although I think of her fondly I wouldn't say we were overly close during my time with the group. I never would have guessed I made any sort of impact on her life. I won't share the contents of the letter but it made me tear up and reminded me that even when we don't know we're making a difference it someone's life, we are. 

{two}

Speaking of youth and making a difference, yesterday I did something brave. I e-mailed a Christian camp in Texas to inquire about employment opportunities they have from September-April. It may not sound like a big leap of faith, but I've always said I'd love to experience living in the south and that I'd love to travel and work at larger Christian camp while I'm young. I've never taken any steps to make this happen though, because it's scary. Yesterday though I was browsing camps, (which is a pretty common activity for me) and I came across this particular camp and I just got this feeling. I can't explain it really, but it was just a huge push to send an e-mail. Even if nothing comes from the e-mail it's a step.

{three}

I've been re-watching Dawson's Creek lately, hands down one of my all time favourite shows since I first started watching in jr.high. I think it speaks volumes about how much I've changed/grown as a person that once upon a time I was a die-hard Dawson & Joey fan. There was just no other option. And now at the ripe old age of 23 (almost 24), I get it. Team Pacey & Joey all the way. I am embarrassed that I was ever 'attracted' to the whiney, dramatic and all together annoying Dawson Leery. 

{four}

Psalm 25 has been on my mind & heart a lot lately. I'm not exactly sure why but it started with a thought about footprints, steps and paths which lead to me read the entire Psalm and as I read with my Bible on my lap, highlighter in hand I couldn't decide what part to highlight, it all just feels so relevant right now. 

Especially verse 5 as it's written in The Message:  

Take me by the hand;Lead me down the path of truth.You are my Savior, aren’t you?Psalm 25:5 (The Message)

I am little to no idea what my plans are for 2014. It's incredibly scary, stressful and worrisome but it's also kind of exhilarating. Even if I don't know what my plans are, God does.

{five}

Ending things on a lighter note, it's officially Candy Cane Hot Chocolate here in Canada. And during last weekend's road trip to the City I discovered the amazingness that is the Gingerbread Donut. As depressing as it is not to have unlimited access to Vanilla Coke, cheap clothes and Trader Joe's Tim Horton's kind of makes up for what's lacking. If I could figure out a way to stock up on gingerbread donuts and keep them all year round I would be a happy person. And on a related note, putting egg nog in coffee is also one of the tastiest treats of the season! If you haven't tried it yet, make it happen. I usually just drink coffee with sugar and no milk/cream but once egg nog goes on the shelf I'm all over it. 

Linking up here! 

Meet Peyton

This is Peyton (Peyton Juliet if she's in trouble, which is often).

Peyton is extremely curious and gets into all kinds of trouble has all kinds of adventures! She loves people food and will eat just about anything if you give it  to her. And if you don't give it to her she will help herself. Her favourite human food is chocolate milk, she will go to great lengths to stick her head in a glass of chocolate milk and as soon as she hears the fridge door open she is there to check out what you're eating. 

She loves to be up high, she was around 6 months old when she figured out how to jump up on the kitchen table and then to the top of the fridge. (That's also where we used to keep the cat treats, but more on that later.) Recently she's decided she likes to hang out on the banister at the bottom of the stairs. She reminds me of one of those gargoyles you see on old buildings when she hangs out here.

She has a ridiculous amount of toys. I do mean ridiculous, she has a full toy box in the living room, not to mention she got her very own cast-iron cat bed last year for Christmas. Crazy? Yes. Absolutely Adorable? 100% Yes. She carries her toys all over the house and has a few favourites that she more or less takes everywhere with her. I snapped this picture last spring when I was packing for camp. I had gotten out my suitcase but hadn't put anything it in yet, I heard her coming up the stairs with a toy and she jumped in my suitcase with it and gave me this look. My heart seriously melted. The worst part about camp is being away from her! 

Peyton is seriously smart, she plays fetch and has figured out how to open cupboards to get the bag of treats. She prefers to drink out of the faucet rather than her dish and if she decides in the middle of the night she's thirsty she takes a toy into the bathroom and meows and meows until I get out of bed and turn the water on for her. She may be a bit of a spoiled brat. 

One of my favourite things about her is what I call her "Disney Princess eyes", they are so expressive and too big for her face, but I think it's adorable. She such a huge personality and even though she is an active cat and will play for hours she sleeps with me every night and purrs like crazy. 

Internet Happiness

Last weekend H. & R. were together in the city and they spent some of their time together hanging out in H.'s hot tub and drinking wine. Earlier in the day I was Skyping with them and of course we started talking about camp and next summer, which lead to H. & R. making all sorts of ridiculous demands (they're both head counsellors). I (jokingly) told them that in order to consider their requests a formal presentation must be made, the topic changed and I assumed they had forgotten. Not so, post wine & hot tub they got to work and the director & I found this in our e-mails Monday evening. A full length 20+ slide PowerPoint presentation. I honestly laughed until I was near tears as I read through their "wish list", which was followed by the "10 Reasons H. & R. Should Be Hired Back In Spite of This Presentation". I can't decide if my favourite item on their wish list is a hot tub or that they want to hire the Hemsworth brothers as male counsellors. Both have about the same likelihood of happening. 

By far the best thing to show up in my inbox! (Except for all your lovely comments of course!)


There were a lot of great things on the internet this week, at various points over the past few days I've checked my phone to find these links sent to me from friends.

These 12 Life Lessons Learned From Your Cat is spot on. Cats truly are wonderful creatures.

A friend also sent me an article on "Seasonal Romance"  that definitely hit close to home. The only difference is I'm not quite ready to stuff all those memories in a folder and move on quite yet. The time might come when that has to happen but for now I'm in a good place with my "seasonal romance".

And BuzzFeed is always a reliable source for some internet happiness. Facts to Get Through the Week and some perspective that you might be having a bad day but at least You're Not These People.

What happy things did you find on the internet this week?

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.

Friday Five

 

{one}

I am super excited for this weekend! I'm the one doing the traveling but it is well worth ever second of the drive to spend the weekend with one of my best camp friends!

{two}

The only thing I love more than a good love story is a love story that invovles camp. Which is probably why this story in the NY Times this week made me smile so much. 

 {three}

I seriously love Luke Bryan's new album. I've been cycling through which song is my favourite, currently it's this one.

{four}

Still no word on grant money to make my job full-time...I was really hoping there would be some news by the end of this week but no such luck! I am doing my very best to have patience and trust in God's timing.

{five} 
I've been thinking a lot about this quote recently. I don't necessarily agree with it 100% but it reminds me of someone and there's just something in my head that keeps coming back to it.
 

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

 {one} Comfort is a warm shower after splashing in puddles on a rainy summer afternoon. Changing into jogging pants (bonus points if they happen to be fresh out of the dryer) and spending the evening snuggling under the covers. It's feeling safe and warm and happy from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes.

{two} I've been listening to this song all summer and I still listen to it every time I'm in the car. I think it's earned a spot on my "All-Time Favourite Songs" playlist.

{three} My little corner of the world is getting a Target, and in that Target there's going to be a Starbucks! I am so excited, I'm not a Starbucks Addict (that's kind of impossible when the nearest one is 5 hours away) but I enjoy the occasional  Starbucks treat! 

{four} I have a giant pile of books on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I planned to get back into reading but then I started watching Breaking Bad...and catching up with that became a priority. I finished watching the most recent episode last (CRAZY!) so maybe now I will pick up a book again. Although a friend is begging me to watch New Girl...

{five} I haven't updated to iOS7 yet, because I like the way iOS6 looks and I don't understand people's dedication to spending five hours waiting for it to download! So now I'm just going to be stubborn and avoid it until Apple forces me to update...or I get annoyed looking at the notification button. 

If you're dropping by from the "Let's Be Friends" Blog Hop be sure to leave me a comment so I can drop by your blog!