“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.”

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My goal for the year was to read 30 books.  Last year I didn’t quite make it.  This year, I am at 27 so far.

What I’ve been reading lately:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (series):

I read the first and second book of this series, in preparation of the Netflix film (which I obviously made David watch with me).  The books, I think, were far superior to the film but I loved the adaptation nonetheless.   Noah Centinio and Lana Condor were both stunning in this movie.  Would highly recommend both books and Netflix for this one.

The latest book I’ve read was: Circe by Madeline Miller.  To use a descriptor from another rater, this book was ultimately “spellbinding”.

This past month I’ve started the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter. I blasted though the firs two books so quickly.   Solid characters. Solid storyline. I was satisfied reading the first two books and can’t wait to read the next.

Birthday Wishlist

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A just-for-fun birthday wishlist. As content as I am in life, especially as I am nearing the end of my twenties, nothing truly makes me happier than my family.

Since I’ve never not made a birthday wishlist, I have compiled a Luxury Birthday Wishlist below:

1.
Chloe Susanna Boots

2.
Valentino Rockstud Pumps

3.
Chanel Espadrilles

4.
Gucci Marmont bag

5.
Chanel Urban Spirit Backpack

 

As beautiful as all these items are, absolutely nothing makes me happier than my family (and cat).

In Which I Attend my First Barre Class

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I did it.  I went to my very first barre class. My very first exercise class, in general.  The verdict?

 

 

 

 

Why did I not do this sooner?

 

I used to always work out alone. I mean, shutting-the-door-because-God-forbid-my-husband-walk-down-the-hall-and-see-me alone. (This excludes the point in my life where I went to a personal trainer with my Mom.)  At one point last year, I was working out 4-5 days a week – which was great! Except, I did it alone. There was no one to correct me if my form wasn’t right, and almost as importantly, there was a lack of motivation (aside from whatever motivation I could muster up for myself).

Barre is different. Yes, the room is filled with mirrors. And People. But the fast-paced, loud music, wholly positive environment makes it so you don’t even focus on being self-conscious. There is just too. much. going. on.   That is what makes it great.  It helps to have great instructors, of course, who are motivational and not judgemental. Which has been my experience thus far!

Major shout-out to my co-worker who brought me to my first class, and continues to accompany to class.  Thank you for helping me do hard things.  Here we are after our first barre class in 2018 (my third class overall):

IMG_4340

Banff/Lake Louise/Calgary 2017

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Processed with VSCO with f3 preset“Floating over your rocky spine, the glaciers made you and now you’re mine”
♥

First weekend trip of the year: complete.  I have lived in western Canada for almost 3 (!) years now, and still had not been much further west than Moose Jaw. And I really wanted to see some mountains. David had a few days off,  so we took the opportunity to head west for the weekend. We spent a lot of time just driving around, as I happily snapped photos from the car. I was most excited to see Lake Louise. Experiencing it in the winter, and being able to walk across the lake and admire the ice sculptures, was amazing. I look forward to some day (hopefully!) returning during another season.

Being around the mountains reminded me so much of one of my favourite songs as a teenager – Your Rocky Spine by Great Lake Swimmers. I’m not sure I can really pinpoint why, aside from the imagery.  I’ve posted the song belong, for your auditory pleasure.

This was such a great trip, and I can’t wait for the next one.

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First Impression | Lancôme Juicy Shaker

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firstimpression-feb17

I purchased the Lancôme Juicy Shaker on a whim after spotting it in the beauty section in Shoppers Drug Mart. I had initially heard of this product through the YouTube beauty community, and was intrigued, so despite the $28 price tag, I decided to try it out.

Described as a ‘lip oil’, I expected this product to be more of a lip gloss than anything, but was pleasantly surprised by the hydrating formula,  lack of tacky/sticky texture, and the overall lip balm feel. It gives the lips a gloss-like shine, but feels like a lip balm, which is neat. When first purchased you can see the separation of the oil in the tube, and it is oddly satisfying to, as it is so aptly named, shake it to mix it up.

Continue reading “First Impression | Lancôme Juicy Shaker” →

32/52

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This weekend I made summer rolls for the first time.  I have always been hesitant to attempt these because they look difficult to make, but I was feeling especially determined on Saturday. I used a recipe from one of my favourite blogs, Sally’s Baking Addiction.  Also, shout out to David’s mom for the fresh vegetables! These summer rolls are great because you can essentially put whatever you want in them. I strayed quite a bit from the recipe I followed, since I had some spinach and kale in the fridge that needed to be used up. The hardest part of this recipe is all the prep that is required. Specifically, making sure the vegetables are julienned (disclaimer: I am not very handy with a knife, so, ymmv.)  I thought the rice papers would be more difficult to deal with due to how thin they are, but they came together fine (once I realized that I literally stuffed the first two rolls I made – less was more in this case, at least until I get the hang of it!).