Thanksgiving

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving (Canada) was incredible :)

Mine was spent out at the Lake eating lots of turkey and taking crisp & beautiful Autumn walks...

followed by making turkey dinner at our new apartment! My only complaint is that the Turkey could have been cooked about 20 minutes longer than it would've been perfect.

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for:

• Being able to afford food & shelter (seriously.)
• Our little Minni.
• The lucky love I have in my life. By no means are John & I perfect, but we're definitely perfect for each other. 
• Our families who take incredibly good care of us and "let" us raid their cupboards (hehe).
• Pretty Little Liars. LOL!

What are you thankful for?

October 1st!

October is by far my favorite month of the whole year!
I always feel like a giddy little girl when October 1st arrives as throughout my life, it's been the best month for me.

Amazing things that have happened in October:

1. My birthday :)
2. Thanksgiving
3. Halloween
4. Beautiful Scenery
5. Chill, amazing temperatures
6. Delicious Autumn Drinks (Pumpkin Spice Latte obv)
7. Fantastic Seasonal treats (I think I'm going to make a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread tonight!)

and last but not least...

8. October was the month me and John had our first few dates! The past 2 years that Fall has arrived, I've gotten incredibly nostalgic about our relationship. Ha! I'm such a loser :)

Anyway, hope you love October as much as I do! Now go enjoy yourself a delish latte!

Where I Am Happiest

I actually took this pic myself, can you believe it? I got a really nice camera for Christmas but I gave up on learning how to use it because I found it too difficult. So last night when me and John went out to the lake, I practiced using my camera while he was cooking dinner and I actually managed to learn a few things!
I know it's such a small accomplishment, but I'm really proud of this photo. I think it's so pretty and I even edited it a bit.

So last night while John and I were out at his camp, I couldn't stop saying how happy I was to be there. I mean, I ALWAYS say that but this time I really meant it.

Things are so peaceful out there and it's as if all your worries just go away. Last weekend was a little crappy and things have felt sort of off ever since, but last night it was like I got to hit a refresh button and now things feel normal again and I couldn't be happier. We went swimming in the lake, hopped in the sauna, ate a delicious dinner and had lots of delicious drinks and oh my gosh, we are so happy while out there.

I told John when it comes the time for us to buy a house together, we should seriously considering getting one on the lake that's close to town. I honestly think that getting to see the beautiful image of the lake every night and every morning could ever get old. I really don't.

Where are you happiest?

Anxious.

I went home for lunch today and decided to enjoy the sunshine before I had to go back to my desk job. I basically just sat there and thought about all the things that are going to be happening in my life sooner than later!

My last day as a Creative Writer is on June 15th and I'm starting to get really anxious for all the big changes coming up in my life. I start my serving job on June 18th and will hopefully be working there a lot to prepare for our big move on August 1st which is a whole other change in itself.

It feels like it's still so far away before we take the next big step in our relationship but I know it's going to be here before we know it!

The past week we had to house sit his Mom's while she was out of town and it's been so nice, just the two of us... doing what we both want to do whether it's together or seperate. It's nice to have that comfort of knowing that we're both just in the other room... there's no waiting to hang out, waiting for him to pick me up to go out, etc. We're both just there and there's something so comforting about it.

I seriously can't wait.

Huge, Massive Changes

My life has managed to spin in a completely different direction that I ever dreamed possible.
The biggest thing is that I quit my full time Creative Writing job to be a server at Swiss Chalet.
Let me explain.
My contract in writing is up come August and there were no opportunities here for me when it's over. So after 2 years, I decided to look for work elsewhere in preperation for going back to school in September! ANOTHER huge change. I'll be taking the Child & Youth Care program which I believe will make me happier in the long run anyway then working in media. At the end of the day, I'll be able to say that I helped people and that means a lot to me. I'll still be working as a part time Weather Anchor at the station for the extra experience & money. Basically, come September, I'll be SUPER busy as I'll be studying, working and trying to pay for everything I have to pay for. I'm getting tired just thinking about it! But I'm 100% sure I can do this as I am one determined cookie. And when you're determined, you can do anything!

The pictures above are from last night when John & I went out to the lake!!! I was telling him last night that I'm the happiest when we're out there in the quiet. Everytime we go, we just have such a blast. It's always the same thing.. BBQing a delicious dinner, having some drinks, sauna's, and talking until we get tired. I wish we could live out there but alas...

Have a great weekend!

The Next Step: Me & John

These pics are taken from a couple weeks back.. I felt I need to say that considering my city is going through a flood right now so the weather is definitely not this nice. Puttin' Thunder Bay back on that map! Anyone? Anyone? lol

Anyway, I mentioned a while ago about an exciting opportunity for me & John I couldn't talk about it at the time because it wasn't official. Well, folks! It is now!

August 1st, John and I are FINALLY moving in together!!!

Woohoo!!! I'm seriously so excited and I can't wait to embark on this new journey together!!!!! We practically live together now but in the most annoying, inconvenient way possible.

As much as I love my family, I'm excited to be able to come home from a long day and just be able to relax on my living room couch while having a glass of wine and making dinner whenever I feel like it without getting in anyone's way. I also have two younger sisters, so my house right now is SUPER loud.. It'll be nice to not have to listen to that all the time and just be able to enjoy peace and serenity! When I do crave the noise, I'll just go to my Dad's or Mom's house to visit or invite the kids over for the day and it'll balance out!

And with our very own home, do you know what means?

LOTS and LOTS (and I mean, lots!) of new recipes and home decor photos!!!!

I'm so excited to share it with all ya'll! :)

Quiet & Still

This morning I woke up in the most peaceful state I've been in in a long time.
It was around 6:30 in the morning and I hadn't woken up once throughout the night. Not once, which is a rarity for me.
The sun was shining through the window and everything was quiet and still.
I was lying on my back and so was John, his arm wrapped underneath my neck and me sort of huddled into his "nook". It was just really peaceful.
I then remembered, I really needed to go to the bathroom but I didn't want to ruin this precious moment. A moment that has been replaced most nights with the feeling of just trying to get comfy and getting away from the snoring. It was a moment of pure love and beauty.

Why am I telling you this?
I have a lot of issues I need to work through.
Insecurities, jealousy, and sometimes a good case of the grumpies.
But I'm working on it. Really hard.
Right now, I know me and John have so much love in our relationship but that doesn't mean we don't need to work on certain aspects of it either.
It's too easy to get caught up in the little loving moments of relaxation and peace and then forget those moments when something the other one does pisses us off.
Keep working and keep loving. Never stop forgetting those moments, even in the hard times.  And stop to appreciate those times even when you do have to pee.
:)

Great Week

It's such a nice feeling...
When you feel as though you are a part of the family.
When you are always welcomed and it's just assumed that you will be at all the important family events.

I like that feeling.

Me and John?

I don't know why...but this picture reminds me so much of John and myself.

Maybe it's because I'm such a cling-on/koala bear and he's sort of a...rebel (compared to me, anyway).

I don't know... I just love this picture. Along with many other old Hollywood pictures.

p.s. what's with the random on the left?

pic found from http://www.busybeelauren.com/

A Night of Love: Erica and Kurtis' Wedding

This weekend I went to witness 2 of my friends exchange their vows and lock themselves together for life!

A big congratulations go out to Kurtis and Erica Mason.

Such a lovely wedding.

Erica, you looked so unbelievable and Kurtis you were so sweet and you are a very lucky man!

So beautiful! Such a beautiful night.

How cute are the newlyweds? So romantic.
I wish you both a long and happy life together xoxo <3

I Could Have Kissed You

Location, Location, Location


I could have kissed you

under cherry blossoms,

pale petals drifting down

like the trees wanted to

pretend they could be

snowclouds.



I could have kissed you

in the rain, drenched to

our bones and not even

caring that the skies

opened up above us

and tried to wash us out.



I could have kissed you

in a clearing in the most

secluded woods, with

just the sound of wind

rustling through the leaves

and a few voyeuristic

finches peeping at us.



Instead, I kissed you

in the parking lot of a

Waffle House, just shy

of 2 a.m. in the middle

of a hectic week, with

our waitress grinning

at us from the other

side of the window,

because, honestly,

how could I not?



This poem © Gabriel Gadfly.

Love.

Isn't that what we all live for?

Isn't that what life means?

It's funny. The word "love".

You can love so many people and in so many different ways.

Love.

Such an exciting word. Scary, even.

Love. The biggest emotion in the world. The biggest feeling in the universe.

There's nothing stronger than the feeling of Love.

Country Strong Quote

“I’ve been thinking of some things I want to tell you… Don’t ever wear satin on stage ‘cause it wrinkles like anything and your sweat will show right through it. I don’t care how pretty the dress is. Always travel with your costumes and if anything ever needs mending send it to Artoureau in Beverly Hills. He’s the best. Don’t take laxatives. Ever. See, they never work the way you want them to. Don’t drink anything carbonated on a show day, okay. It’ll make you bloat. Wear high heels everywhere you go. And when it comes to writing your own songs don’t get to concerned about it. Your motto should always be the best song wins.
And don’t be afraid to fall in love. It’s the only thing that matters in life. The only thing. Do you understand what I’m telling you?… You just fall in love with as many things as possible.”



” — Kelly Canter (Paltrow)- Country Strong (2010)

Tumblr Image-Amazing!

Oh my gosh. I absolutely love everything about this photo. <3

I'll Be There. Even When You Hate My Face. I'll Be There. Always.

Times can be tough.
But don't forget, I am here. Always.
Please don't forget...
Even when, at the moment, my voice is like a nail scratching a chalkboard, I'll sit with you in silence.
Even when you don't want to laugh, I'll cry with you and let you use my shoulder.
Even when you want to grab the whole world and give it a good shake, I will hang on. To you.
And hopefully make you happy.
Somehow.
Someway.
I'll do that.
Because to me, you are perfect.
I'll do anything.
To see you smile.

“…I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and … I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me.”



—Melvin (Jack Nicholson) to Carol (Helen Hunt) in As Good as it Gets

John's Birthday Present

So recently, it was my Johnnycakes birthday.

Now let me tell you, my John is impossible to shop for...

he doesn't tell you anything he wants!

So, I had to get creative...along with some small gifts, I also got him this:

Unfortunately, we wanted to bring the cake around to show our families and it ended up breaking. This was his expression afterwards (let's just say he was NOT in a good mood):

Look at poor R2D2 and his slit right in the middle :(.

Hope everyones days are great!!!!!!

The Animals in my Life

Meet Cujo and Walter...the funniest pair on planet Earth:

He's a taco!!!!!!!!!!!! How cute right?

Ready to fight crime...

Just moochin' like there's no tomorrow.

Meet Bella and Nova...my more hyperactive Love's:

My Mom and Nova cuddling on the couch. This isn't a rare occurence.. it's actually extremely normal.

My bella Bella!

Tina Fey: Bossypants

"First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Bea......uty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.


Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.


What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.


May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.


Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.


O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.


And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.


And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.


“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes."

-Tina Fey's Prayer, BossyPants




This sort of made me tear up...but just a bit.

Shift in my Emotions

In the process of reconstructing my blog, I went through every single one of my posts and labelled them. In doing this, I read some of my past posts and I noticed something really upsetting: I was really sad. You could tell through my writing that I was almost sort of...lifeless and I wanted so desperately to feel emotion again...to feel happiness. From when I started my blog in April all the way up until maybe the beginning of October, I was trying so hard to remind myself of reasons to be happy and sometimes even saying that I was happy but I was lying to myself.

I remember saying to myself sometime near the end of September that I was going to focus mainly on myself and not all the other stuff that was happening in my life (which was a LOT... I was definitely losing control) and you know what? That is when I truly found myself again along with happiness and yep, you guessed it, love!

And it definitely shows in my blog posts.

If you look at  this post (happy)

Compared to me pretending I'm happy in this post

and then look at this post and this one (sad)

Do you see how much happiness I have gained from one point where I was admitting I was so depressed and then saying I was happy because I was just trying to feel that way and then lastly to a point where I truly was/am happy?

It's really amazing.

Since the end of September when I tried to find balance in my life and focus purely on my own self contentment, that is when I found everything I ever wanted. And you know what else? I can honestly say that I have never been happier than where I am with my life right now.

I have an amazing boyfriend. I'm not lying when I say I didn't know that feelings like this could exist for another human being. It took me a long time to find my perfect guy, but I finally did and I couldn't be more grateful!


For the first time since early highschool, I feel amazing about my body. I feel so healthy because I'm eating decent (although I do eat junk food from time to time...hey, you gotta live your life, right?!) and I've been exercising regularly since January and I feel so great about my body and definitely heart happy! Do you know that I can actually run for an extended period of time now whereas before I couldn't even run for a minute without losing my stamina? I've definitely built that up and it feels great!

I'm close with my family and I think they are accepting of the fact that I am getting older and not home as often as I used to be. But when I am, we have a great time and we catch up. It's really nice.

I see my friends as often as I can and I can promise them that I'm not going anywhere. We all lead very busy lives but I miss them when I don't see them! I strive on girls nights and spending time with them in any way I can. I love them!

So in saying this, I guess it really does show you that you need to love yourself and be happy with yourself before you can love and be loved. And I'm so glad I found this happiness with myself because then I wouldn't have John... and John is just the best. :)

Amazing, isn't it?