weekly (un)wind: goodbye, summer

(a beautiful august wedding)

I know I sound like someone that should be quoted on shit girls say, but this summer has gone by so quickly.

Summer has always been my favorite season. My worst nightmare is bulky clothing and itchy sweaters. I should really move somewhere that's hot year round. I was hoping for an Indian summer that lasted until late September, but the weather lately has been the complete opposite!

I'll always remember this summer as a season that stretched me to my limits, work-wise. Even though I can place a lot of pressure and be very hard on myself, I love to see my personal growth. 
                  

(date nights w/ jeff, boat rides & a brand new book from my favorite bloggers) 

 

Outside of work, I am so happy I had the opportunity this summer to take a getaway to Toronto, see a couple amazing concerts, spend the day at a cottage with some of my closest friends, and have endless valencia oranges at Starbucks with Jeff.

 

(beach reads)

A perfect summer wedding, decorating my place in bright pops of colour, eating my weight (and maybe more..) in sushi, reading a few great (and not-so-great) books, "blurred lines", and my new tattoo will always remind me of summer 2013.

Jeff loves fall, and I have to say that I'm excited to have nice hair again - ugh, humidity. Ever since I've been out of school, I still see the start of September as a time for getting back to routine.

                        (project life - my new scrapbook! having fun remembering the details from the last few months.)

One of my best friends was talking about her personal goals now that she's finished university. I place a lot of focus on my work, and I would like to find a better work/life balance and achieve some of my personal goals. Some are silly, and some are things that have been on my list for a long time. Maybe one day I'll share them here!

Coming from someone that has never been able to keep a personal agenda for more then a month, I really want a way to keep myself motivated. This seems easy enough - make a concrete list, cross it off when something gets done. We'll see how I do!

What's on your list of "goals" this fall? 

Sam

(un)Informed: Where do we get our knowledge from?

Recently, I had a talk with Jeff about my general "knowledge" about the world (hint, taking geography in french during high school was NOT of benefit to me long-term...)

I told him I felt frustrated because I didn't "understand" some of the issues that were taking place globally. I felt left out during conversations because I wasn't informed. I blamed it on the fact that I wasn't in school, that I'd skipped out on a good, well rounded, university education.

While I was having this pity party for myself, Jeff gave me some fantastic advice. Teach yourself.

Jeff has been out of university for years, yet is always up to date on the latest news. From celeb gossip to political issues, he knows all the details. I tell everyone Jeff is "the smartest person I know", that it comes naturally. 

Then I started watching him more closely. Jeff wakes up every morning at the same time. He doesn't hit snooze. He has a shower and ACTUALLY leaves himself enough time before work to have a coffee and read the news on his computer. We'll be watching a TV show, and while I'm absolutely consumed in the drama, every once in awhile I'll catch Jeff glancing down reading an article (news, sports, you write it and he reads it). He subscribes to national geographic. Jeff has been self-educating himself for years and it has nothing to do with the fact that he has a university degree.

I've come to realize lately that a lot of the things that I believed were just my character flaws - things I believed were too late for me to learn, things that I had settled for and made excuses for - are things that I can pro-actively change. And it was that simple - teach yourself. We have the knowledge at our fingertips.

I'm so guilty for checking my phone every time I get a break - instagram, twitter, facebook, vine, pinterest - I'm social media addicted. In the amount of time I refresh the pages and absorb useless information about what my acquaintance had for lunch, I could have learned a language and read a bookshelf of novels. 

I'm someone that believes in balance (like I'm going to give up my social media altogether though - funny joke!), so instead I agreed that I would try to check it all at once - in the morning or at night. The same information will be there and it will consume less of my time.

I resolved to study up on things I'm interested in. I've started with just basic 'wiki' knowledge, and I usually get lost from there. The hours I'd spend looking at cute puppies and hairstyles on Pinterest is fun, but I'm really loving being "in the know". I like reading both sides of the issue at hand and being able to form my own opinion.

I've subscribed to "The Skimm", an e-mail which comes to my inbox every morning that simplifies the headlines, puts the news in simple terms, and covers an array of subjects. It has easily become one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. I've found myself able to reference and talk about what I've read with my customers, colleagues, family and friends nearly every day since I started subscribing.

Maybe this is just a revelation to me, but I know that I'm not the only one that uses the internet strictly to look at these Micheal Kors Oxfords and re-watch Miley Cyrus on repeat from the VMA's. I've really learned to love the time that I've taken to open up my eyes and see what the internet can really be used for. The information and tools at our fingertips is pretty amazing if you just go looking for it.

Sam

weekly (un)wind: Canada Day Festivities!

 

Growing up I was on the shy and more introverted side, which is why it surprises me that as I've gotten older I've come to be quite sociable! In fact, in the last year I've realized I just can't say no to any sort of social gathering. I love doing dinner, drinks, movies, coffee, planning (and attending) small and large parties alike and especially any event that revolves around dancing and getting silly! 

 

Red and White Wine Sangria

Living in Ottawa, Canada Day has always been a huge celebration for Jeff and I. His parents have a big and beautiful backyard (equipped with pool and tiki bar), where we invite all of our family and friends for an all-day party, ending the night with fireworks and sparklers.

It's a great way to kick off the summer months, and has become a fun tradition that's created lots of memories!

Parliament Hill on Canada Day! Celebrating in the nation's capital.

  

 "And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."

The Great Gatsby

It's always sad going back to work after a long weekend, but I'm looking forward to an exciting and action-packed July!

(let's talk): Books to Read in 2013

I'm grateful to have grown up in a household where I was always surrounded by books. Every night before bed we would read instead of watch TV. When I hit middle school, my best friend and I would have sleepovers that would completely revolve around books. We would take old books and trade them in for new ones at our local bookstore, try to collect full series (hello, babysitters club!), and when we got older, subscribed to "Teen People" and all those other pop magazines (hey, reading is reading right?).

Now that I can appreciate a good story (not to put down Ann M. Martin, of course), I love to read all types of novels. As I've mentioned in previous posts, my mom and aunt are book fanatics. They collect, trade, blog, review and talk books all day long. I am so lucky to have endless stacks of novels to choose from, not to mention, have someone else weed out all the not-so-great ones! So much to read, so little time.

So, I thought when I had finished reading an extremely stellar book, or one that I thought someone else may relate to, I would post a little blurb on here as a new feature, (let's talk): Books to Read in 2013.

Dominique Browning was the editor and chief of House and Garden magazine. Recently I've read two of her novels: "Around the House and In the Garden: A Memoir of Heartbreak, Healing and Home Improvement" and "Slow Love: How I Lost my Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness".

I always tend to dramatize and imagine an editors life to be glamorous: full of parties, meetings, and deadlines. What I soon learned, is that even the most glamourous of lives from the outside sometimes don't feel so good on the inside. I started with Around the House and in the Garden, which came about 10 years prior to Slow Love. It was a perfect novel for me at the time, seeing as I was moving into a new home, feeling a bit unsure and stepping into new waters. Reading the book gave me reassurance, and taught me to let my life design my house; how to infuse my home with a real sense of self, and make it something that felt warm and comforting to me, not just something that looked pretty for visitors. 

I praise Dominique for having no shame in putting her bathtub right by her window so she could peer outside at her big tree as the seasons changed, and putting her comfiest couch in the kitchen instead of the living room.

Slow Love came years later when the magazine folded and Dominique found herself without a job, and a whole lot of (unwelcomed) free time on her hands. I felt like the universe conspired to give me this book at this specific time in my life (not only because of the tagline, "How I Lost my Job, Put on my Pajamas, and Found Happiness", which is amazing in itself), but more so as it deals with taking a deep breath and living life more slowly.

It reminds you to take the time to figure out who you are apart from all of the life noise. Quite often, I find all my days meshing together: meeting to social gathering, dinner date, coffee date, sleep, work and do it all over again. Slow Love reminded me to take some me time and how important it is to get to know and love yourself first. 

"Someone once explained to me the difference between an introvert and an extrovert: both can enjoy going to a party, but the extrovert is engergized by society, whereas the introvert has to recover from it. My batteries get drained easily these days, and need recharging in silence. Alone, I am willingly, cheerfully, thrown upon myself"

Slow Love/Dominique Browning

I love the consistency in her writing. In both novels, each chapter becomes it's own short story with it's own simple life lesson. For me, it was enough to just pick it up and take even just ten minutes out of the day to read one of her silly, elegantly written anecdotes. 

If you think we may have similar tastes in books, check out my Goodreads page and add me as a friend here!