Hello friends. For those of you who remember me after this long hiatus and many lack luster attempts at posting which only resulted in failure, I am back, and I’m going to start by stating the obvious.

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?!

I feel like I went to sleep one night and woke up the next day in November, or Movember for all the moustache sporting good-cause-supporting afficionados.

I know it’s been a long time, but I am feeling very inspired lately, which in turn brings a renewed sense of excitement to share every little detail of my life with you (almost). Perhaps it’s the change of weather which in turn can spark change in our own lives, or maybe it’s the excitement of almost being Friday, who knows, either way, inspired is good. But I wanted to share a couple of key things that happened this summer, since I apparently took an unexpected vacation from my blog while working on far too many things at once. oh, so that’s where the summer went.. to work!? Oh yeah.

So here’s what happened when I wasn’t working, and NO THIS IS NOT MY BABY! Keep scrolling…

In June I made time to go back to Ontario for a long overdue visit with family and also to meet my adorable niece Lilith (above). I will post more pics soon, a little late yes but my sister’s been bugging me for them since I left, and I’ve been doing what I’m good at. Procrastinating. Sorry sis.

We managed to get in lots of hiking this summer which is something we didn’t do far enough of last year. Two of my favourites, and I mean drop-dead-I-would-go-live-in-the-woods-for-this-despite-the-grizzly-bears gorgeous, were the Kokanee Glacier in Nelson, BC where you have to wrap chicken wire around your car at the base for fear of porcupines, yes, porcupines, gnawing the rubber off your tires and leaving you totally you-know-what, and the Spineback trail at Island Lake Lodge in Fernie where we got ENGAGED! You can read more of that story HERE, I’m still on cloud nine when I think about it.

Okay so when I said I had lots to share thats mostly it. Mark’s mum came to visit and we went on many adventures, one being the trip to Nelson followed by Montana then home, and other than that there were lots of new projects which I will be sharing with you in the near future. Okay so not as exciting as I bigged it up to be, but awesome none the less. Stay tuned for more posts soon, for reals this time!

Hello July. You beautiful, bright, sexy thing you. I think that this has to be the best weather we’ve had all year. Blue, neverending sky, golden fields, smiling faces, and, of course, IKEA. This weekend was full of productive tasks that have been sitting on our to-do list for far too long. And since we are in full swing for my parents to come visit, it all started with one massive shopping trip to Calgary. I still don’t know how we managed to fit a full size dining room table, four chairs, a coffee table, side table, rug and other (smaller) items in the back of our two door sports car, but, we did. That was Friday. We spent most of Saturday building our new found furniture, and then most of Sunday accenting it and cleaning the house. Pictures will follow. Promise.

I am now finishing off my weekend by ordering pizza online, having a glass of Italian red, and downloading wallpapers for this month from Smashing Magazine. What’s on tap for this week? Launch this site of course! Every weekend I feel renewed to do better than the week before, and I hit the ground running bright and early every Monday morning. I’m stoked. A happy fourth of July to all my American friends – may your long weekend be as awesome as ours was. Cheers!

there’s nothing special about any normal day. and by special i mean any given thing that would really set it apart from the next “normal” day to come. unless of course you have a special event or occasion to attend. regardless, this day was in essence, normal. a busy, unorganized, normal sunny day in southern alberta.

little did i know that i would be witness to something that would make me believe that even on these ordinary days you can always find things to appreciate. things that make you smile and be thankful for all that you have and have been given. things that i will continue to share in hopes that everyone who reads this can see them too. things that will impact my being for the better, and hopefully yours. and i’m not saying it’s a one time thing. it’s all around us – it’s just a matter of who sees it and who doesn’t. and if you do, consider yourself blessed.

if you don’t.. well, keep looking.

this day was busy with running errands, which started at liquidation world looking for some good ol’ fashion bargains. the reality is, that this is some people’s store of choice, and i can definitely see why. it has just about everything you may be looking for. clothing, furniture, books, dvd’s, and even some middle aged, rough looking individuals who have now made canada their new home. (not for sale, of course)

from my experience abroad, i learned that there are nice people, and some not so nice people. i am sad to say that at first, i thought this specific group of people were of the latter. but as we were leaving, that changed drastically.

towards the end of our shopping visit, i had noticed a blue hat in the clothing section. it had an embossed paralympic games logo on it, complete with the olympic rings from twenty-ten on the side. it was a very nice hat, and as we lined up to pay for our goods, i noticed that one of these individuals, a man, had picked up that very hat and was standing behind us waiting to purchase it. sadly though, he changed his mind and went to put it back.

but then, as we were about to drive away, i saw him leave the store with a look on his face that words cannot describe. this was a look of pure joy. delight. this man was on cloud nine as if he had just won the lottery, and as he walked past the car he could not take his eyes off of whatever he was holding in his hands. we drove past him in his dirt covered jeans and his backpack, only to see that he was glowing. what was he holding i thought. what was he so fixated on? but then, just as we passed him walking along the side of the road, he took his new blue hat in his right hand and placed it proudly on his head, continuing to walk with his head held high. there was nothing that could stop him. in this moment, he was truly happy. and so was i.

a woman walks past you. you notice that one of the flowers from the bouquet she is carrying has just fallen out and onto the ground. a man’s standing in line reading the paper when his americano is ready and is being duelly announced, as is the nature of a barista just looking for a weekly paycheque. do you tell him his drink is ready, or do you wait for the barista to damage her vocal chords by yelling louder and louder until he hears it for himself? do you pick up the flower and run after the lady?

it is the action, or inaction in these situations that can be truly powerful. i find that in these situations we become afraid. but when i think about it, what reason do we have to be scared, especially of someone we don’t even know? if you’ve ever heard of the phrase ‘treat people how you like to be treated’ (and i’m sure you have), then why doesn’t it stand true? why do we crawl back into our shell pretending to not notice the marigold in the middle of the mall floor or the americano that is getting cold? it has always puzzled me, which is why we should take more control and speak up when we see something that’s not right. and that can go even deeper than i’m intending, but i’m not going to indulge in the more serious of discussions right now.

this is simply to acknowledge the young man that came knocking on my door this evening to let me know that my interior car lights were on. not everyone would have done what he did. that took courage. it’s one thing to stop someone in their path to let them know of their mistake, or an accident that maybe they weren’t aware of. it’s another thing to knock on someone’s front door in fear of disturbing them, or fear of who the person behind the door really is. not to mention the fear of  ’maybe they’ll think i’m a solicitor trying to sell them the latest vacuum attachment that they may already own.’

no. this took balls. and everyone benefits. he benefits by facing the fear of approaching a stranger, which ended up resulting in a heightened state of confidence as well as the true satisfaction that stems from helping others. and i benefit by not having my battery run dry just as i’m leaving for work in the morning already running late. if everyone did this whenever they spotted something that may not be as it should, then what would happen? perhaps people’s days would be that much brighter, and you would feel that much prouder for being such a good citizen. or perhaps we will shy away, which is more common in embarrassing situations and i can see why. but if it were me leaving the restroom with lipstick smeared up my cheek then i would definitely want to know, and as embarrassing as it may seem that someone noticed, it’s a hell of a lot better than the whole population noticing.

all i’m trying to say is that we should stick to the saying we know best as i previously stated in this post, and just put yourself in anothers shoes when you’re unsure of what to do. i finish this with a quote that could not be more true:

too often we are scared, scared of what we might not be able to do, scared of what people might think if we tried, we let our fears stand in the way of our hopes. why? there’s really no time to be afraid. you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

so true.

you may be wondering why on earth is she writing about a grape. well well well my friends let me tell you. this is not just any grape. it’s a concord grape. and for those who have tried them then perhaps you will know why they happen to be special enough to warrant space on my blog, not to mention my time and effort in writing about these squishy small purply gems from the earth.

picture a blueberry. now picture one of those big juicy blueberries that always seem to be the best ones. that’s about the size of a concord grape. now change the colour to deep purple and adjust it’s firmness to a nine and you’re almost there. just like the new television ads for quattron technology (a system in which yellow is introduced into the standard red green and blue colour system used for tv), you will not actually get to experience the full sensation that is a concord grape. not unless you are raiding my fridge right now in which case bring me a beer.

i am going to do my best in describing the taste of a concord grape, but i suggest that if you can find one then eat it. but don’t go eating just any berries you find growing outside, because it might not be as good as you hoped.

if you’ve ever seen the old welch’s grape juice commercials, i do believe it is made from concord grapes. and if you’re anything like me you would get annoyed at the picture perfect cute little girl who always had grape juice all over her face. get a paper towel and wipe it off already. or that typical little boy with glasses and suspenders. again, it’s called laser eye surgery and a belt.

back to the grape. the concord grape. the easiest way to explain this wonderful, heavenly taste, is if you can imagine what it would taste like to eat a big fruity red wine. shiraz would be the closest, or perhaps a malbec. either way, it’s like eating red wine.. yeah.

so if you’re one of those unfortunate folk who don’t care for a nice glass of red now and then, then i’m sorry for you. perhaps you will enjoy the non-alcoholic chewable version though, which i highly reccomend. so move over green grape and cute little grape juice drinking children, the concord is here.

there is something so magical about the time of day when the sun has begun its noticeable descent. it really makes you remember how beautiful this land is when you are staring at the orange blanketed sky and that’s all you can see for miles - a monochromatic symphony of colour.

it’s like everything just stops. and all around you the buildings, cars, and other reflective things are glowing a brilliant shade of mhmm.

we used to get sunsets of many shapes and sizes across from the house i grew up in. a normal blue sky would be decorated with bright reds, oranges and yellows just in time for dinner. in those days i would feel free as a bird while watching this magnificent display, and i would dream of the world. the unknown world. what’s out there? ..where will i go? ..what will i be? ..who will i be?

twenty years later, i still stop and smile. when i get the chance to see the sun go down, i take it, and i let it envelope me in its warmth as i feel the events of the day slip away to a distant place that is not right now. and as you watch this stunning show, it’s like you are recharged. recharged with an energy so vital to your own health and happiness, that even long after the orchestra has stopped playing, you can still smile and know that whatever you want in life, it’s out there, and you can be truly happy. and if for some reason the affect wears off, then there’s always tomorrow. seven pm. see you there.

six thirty am. the insanely horrid sound of continuous beeping in my ears. snooze. six forty am. BEEEEP BEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. smash. ahh.. lights. running tap. bzzz bzzzzzz bzz of the razor. go to work already. kiss. door slams loudly. get up. turn off bright lights. fall back into featherly heaven. ahhh. another thud. it’s sitting on me. roll over. bury face in pillow. zzZzzzz. seven thirty. sunshine. blast nation.. roll over again. tail. wagging. so much wagging. robe. toothbrush. hair goes up into it’s morning nest. downstairs. no. no frisbee. no. no cookie. not before breakfast. down more stairs. outside. cool crisp morning air. brrr. streeeeeeetch. ahh. yaaaawn. sigh. upstairs. one. two.. three…    ugh. last one. fridge. mhmm toast. or yogurt. definitely toast. but i had toast yesterday. yogurt it is then. but i feel like peanut butter. fine. toast it is. again. yum.

bodem. rinse. fridge. coffeeee. mhmmm nice coffee smells. rich. lively. deep. bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzz bzzzzz bzzzzzzz. and one last one for good measure. bz. there. ground. bubble bubble bubble kettle click. pour. sniff. ahhh.

upstairs. only five this time. clothes. everywhere. on floor. in other room. which ones which ones.. these ones. no. THESE ones. yes. comfy. sweater. cozy. there. ready.

downstairs. plunge. why hello there – my rich black sensuous smooth morning drug. mug. big one. no. medium. i never finish a big one. christmas mug. smile. pour. smile.

back downstairs. computer. sip. smile. ahhhh. ready. steady. go. sip. email. typing. sip sip mhmm. typing faster. i am SO READY for today. sip. music on. sip sip sip. louder. faster. MORE EMAIL YES!.. sip.. LET’S DO THIS! facebook YEAH! message message message poke poke poke SIP tag SIP tag now WORK! type typ ee fast etrr  typing  faster and fastser and faster anad afater and faaaaastreeerrrrrrr hmmm i like this colour. or maybe this one. no. let’s try a gradient. yeah. that’s good.

sip.

empty.

back upstairs. two at a time. repeat from paragraph five.

as another hockey season is upon us, i can feel the patriotism in me emerging from its deep summer hibernation. i guess i could go as far as saying that hockey might just be the religion of the true north. we live it. we play it. we breathe it. it takes over our lives seven months a year, which is more than half a year and ultimately more than half a life. we. are. hockey.

now i cannot speak for everyone since there are many canadians who don’t enjoy the sport of our nation. we will boo them like we boo alfredsson. but maybe the act of watching men skate around slapping sticks and punching eachother just doesn’t do it for them. well, too bad. it does it for me. the adrenaline rush of a breakaway pass, the excitement of a two on one, the thrill we experience when it deflects off the pole, the awesomeness we are when we score. not to mention that one instance when we won this little thing called olympic gold. i think it was last winter?

it’s in our blood. and i never really understood it when growing up and watching it with my dad. i more or less just enjoyed the act of watching the leafs with him and simply spending quality time together. but now, now i can say i’m a hockey fan. i’m canadian. and who can blame me, eh?

now i’m going to admit to pretending to cheer for another team at one point in my life, and that was when i thought i was a canuck, so that i could have an excuse to go to the pub, drink beer and cheer alongside my best friend. but there’s no mistaking it, i’m a leafs fan at heart. unless we suck. in which case i’ll cheer for another canadian team or simply just stop watching all together. but when we win, and when we win big, and you can hear everyone in the stands cheering, it truly is uplifting. an amazing, heart warming experience in which canadians from all walks of life come together in one huge celebration. and in those moments, all is forgotten. grudges are put aside. phone calls and emails are put on hold.

..time. just. freezes….

and as we cheer as loud as our lungs will possibly allow us, that is when we are the unstoppable force you call canada. and i. am. canadian.

what is thanksgiving, really? is it a marathon of cooking and cleaning until we exhaust ourselves just in time for dinner? is a day full of dread with all the errands and tasks you have to complete before the in laws arrive? or perhaps, it’s just another day. waking up to thanksgiving is, for me, like waking up on christmas morning. in fact, i almost prefer it because this is a season not ridden with materialistic ideals - but the principle stays the same.

it is a time for gathering with family and friends, and simply enjoying all the great gifts that we have been given. from the gifts of nature, to the gift of love and happiness, thanksgiving shouldn’t revolve around that poor turkey, no matter how tasty it may be. instead, it should revolve around the act of getting together with friends and family. this is a time made for catching up, laughing, and simply enjoying the moment. which is something that none of us do enough.

we shouldn’t need a holiday to tell us it’s time to get together. it should be something we do on our own accord, and more often. and i’m not saying you have to plan a huge dinner or event. why not just cherish the moments when we are together, and look at each one as an event in itself? instead of just ‘another visit’, make it a time spent truly enjoying the moments we share.

i know that as we grow up there may be times when we think we are too cool for family, (thankfully, mine understood), but it makes me happy to say that it doesn’t last forever. no matter where you go or what you do, your family remains the same. they are always there for you, and even after we fly the nest, to do whatever it is we do, they are and always will be your family.

and that is what i am thankful for on this special day, and on every other day. i am thankful for the people who raised me right. the people who taught me what love is and how to give it. the people who taught me about life and all its triumphs and sorrows. the people who taught me how to be me. my parents. lee and john, who are the true heroes in my life. thank you.