Fantastical Creatures

I've been such a sucker for a good story lately. Tonight John & I took my sisters to go and see Maleficent which I loved so much! They modernized the story of Sleeping Beauty and I really respected the way it came together in the end. I won't ruin it though just in case you haven't seen it! Also, I really like the character of Maleficent because when I played the Kingdom Hearts games, she was a big character in those stories so it was nostalgic for me!

When the movie was over I was in the mood to watch something animated on my hot Saturday night during my date with the couch, so I put on Netflix and watched the movie Epic, which was also really, really good. I hadn't seen that movie yet and I'm not sure what I was waiting for but I enjoyed the story.

There's something about fantastical creatures and mystical worlds that have always gotten my attention. From Harry Potter to Kingdom Hearts to Dragon Age to the Hobbit, I just love fantasy and can't get enough of meeting new and exciting characters and getting a glimpse into their worlds.

P.S. I've started on my Summer Reading List and book #1 is An Abundance of Katherines which I'm really enjoying. I like the main character - he sort of reminds me of Sheldon Cooper.

Happy Friday

Taking summery flower photos with my new camera has to be my new favorite thing! I did a little test and took some of the same photos that I took with my old camera (the flowers above can be seen in a blog post from last year) and compared it with the pics from my new one and the difference is so extreme. I love, love, love it!! I can't find the post right now but if I do, I'll do a comparison shot.

Tomorrow I might try my hand at bird watching and see what types of species I can find & photograph. After finding out that in my previous post, the bird wasn't a Robin, it was a Bohemian Waxwing, I got really excited for some reason. I want to find more birds and take pretty pictures of them. They're so cute!

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Today marks day two of going to the gym & eating healthy. I'm trying to get my butt back into shape after severely falling off the wagon. I still don't feel motivated when I'm working out and am majorly just pushing myself through it telling myself "it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon!" but I know I'll find my spark again soon. I think I'm going to make my own workout plan on a customized calender which I think will help a lot. I need to do a combination of cardio, strength & yoga in order to feel sane. I haven't gone to yoga in a really long time and my mind is feeling exhausted. I need to clear my head! Ahh.

Have a great weekend!

Bohemian Waxwing

Since Winter, I've been dying to get out and go bird watching but it was way too cold to stand outside and wait for them to show up! Now that it's summer and there are bird feeders everywhere, it's so much easier to find the cuties flying around. I just found out that this is a Bohemian Waxwing and what a beautiful bird don't you think? She kept flying into this apple tree and hanging out with the bees. So cute and so pretty. I'm so glad I was able to have the opportunity to photograph her. So this is obviously an update from my original post when I called it a Robin.. haha. I guess I should do my research before I publicly post my opinions on birds. lol!

Today is my last day of work before I have a few days off and I already know my plans for the next few days. Exercise, exercise, exercise! I need to start taking better care of myself and the first stop, getting tons of veggies to munch on throughout the week! Have a great Wednesday!

Pretty Flowers & A Summer Reading List

The photos above were something I've been waiting for not so patiently. I was finally able to take out my camera and take some photos of pretty flowers!! It seems that they were taking forever to bloom here - probably because our winter was absolutely crazy and lasted forever :).

John & I went to camp (where the above were taken) and I was able to snap so many pretty nature photos and it really helped me climb out of the sour mood I've been in. There's something about that quiet feeling being away from everyday business just spending time reading a good book that is so therapeutic. I was able to read 2 books while out there (We Were Liars & Looking for Alaska - both really, really good!) and it inspired me to create a summer reading list!

Here are the books I'm going to read this summer:

• An Abundance of Katherines
• Orphan Train
• The Cuckoo's Calling
• If I Stay
• Midnight Crossroad
• Wild
• The Husband's Secret
• The Vacationers

I really hope I'm able to get through this whole list! I'm sort of obsessed with researching & finding new books that might peak my interest. If you have any recommendations, just let me know!!! I love finding out about new books :)

I Started a Garden..

It seems that Spring has finally begun in Thunder Bay and I could not be more excited. We've definitely had a late start but it's worth it. It seems as though we've been hit by a major heat wave and it's been scorching outside all week and I'm definitely not complaining. It seems as though this beautiful heat arrived just in time for me to have a few days off! I've been working a ton lately and honestly have been feeling a little bit burnt out so this is exactly what I needed.

In celebration of the beautiful weather, I decided to take advantage of my cute little garden beds that I have outside. There are already some existing perennials that I decided to keep but surrounding them I planted the easiest flower I could find which are Marigold's! I accidentally bought way too many not really knowing how it all worked. Oops! I also bought a tomato plant & a basil plant just to challenge myself. So far, nothing has died yet so I think I'm on the right track. However, I haven't gone outside today yet to check so who knows what could happen?

I hope you're getting nice weather wherever you are! Make sure you go outside and enjoy it :)

Feels like Fall

I know these photos don't scream "Autumn" but the way I feel totally does!!
Autumn is probably my favorite season and Summer comes in a close second. I'm from Northern Ontario so our Winters are long & grueling (see almost every blog post I've ever done in the Winter of me complaining about how cold and snowy it was). You can imagine how excited I get when the weather starts to warm up, the flowers start to bloom & trips to the lake become more and more frequent. I get giddy inside when it starts to warm up and summer is here.. it's like I'm living a different life. Sadly, all good things must come to an end but after Summer comes Fall-- my favorite season! There's something about fall that also makes me feel happy and warm inside. Maybe it's the fact that it's my birthday in October or that Thanksgiving and Halloween are in the same month? I love the colored leaves & the warm pumpkin spice lattes. Even the crisp feeling in the air makes me feel all too bubbly! So yes, even though summer must close, I welcome Fall with open arms and I'm happy with winter until after New Years (like most people). Then I just feel grumpy until late Spring. Lol!!

Today, in particular, feels like a true autumn day. I have homemade pasta sauce cooking on the stove for when my family comes over for dinner and the smell it's giving off is delicious. The air is a little chilly which requires an oversized comfy sweater, and my house is clean. I'm enjoying my time off today doing things that make me happy on this lovely (almost) fall day.

Hope your day is going well too! Thanks for reading.

Flowers & Creepy Bee

How creepy is that bee in the last photo? John & I had no idea what type of bee that was but there was no way I was getting any closer than my zoom would allow me! Ha.

Gosh, does it feel good to take pics again! I hope I keep this up. I have days off for once in my life coming up so I'm sure I'll be busting out the camera more often.

Tonight is such a perfect evening. I made a delish beef roast dinner with tons of veggies and now I'm having a glass of vino while editing some photos. Pretty soon, I'll play a bit of my new video game (nerd alert?!) and then probably watch Parenthood before bed. Can't complain!

Pink & White Flowers

These beautiful flowers came from John's family when we had them over for dinner last week! I finally got around to snapping some photos of them. They're so beautiful and have lasted a long time without dying! I love flowers like that :).

I have to work this evening but so far I've had the most relaxing day. I woke up and made some egg white omelettes for John & I and sipped on some coffee. Now we're headed out for a run. It seems that lately I've been working a lot of later shifts so I've just been sort of living the good life. Waking up when I want, drinking lots of coffee & indulging in plenty of exercise!

What are you up to this weekend?!

At the Cabin Part IV

Reading: Right now, I'm reading the book "Wave" by Sonali Deraniyagala. It's seriously heartbreaking, guys. I had to put the novel down a few times just to sit beside myself and cry for a minute. It's a true written story about a woman who lost her whole family in the 2004 Tsunami in the Thailand area. It's about how she copes with her grief during the darkest time of her life. I definitely recommend it...especially if you like a heavy read (and by heavy I mean heartbreaking).

Listening to: A lot of country music!! As I write this I have a country music station from Galaxy Music. That's whats on the TV about 90% of the time. During the summer months, there's no other music for me besides country. It just screams warm weather!

Feeling Thankful: For my health, I think. For some reason, I had to think about this for a while. I feel healthier than I've felt in a very long time. I don't always feel that I look my best but that's just stupid female insecurities. But I'm in decent shape, I eat pretty well, I always have a healthy breakfast every morning and (usually) a healthy dinner. I try to snack as much as possible throughout the day and I hit the gym often. I haven't had a cold all winter (I've had almost colds but that doesn't count) so my immune system is obviously killer now. I attribute that to my active and healthy lifestyle and I'm super proud of it and definitely thankful.

Thinking About: Photography, always. With new sprouting vegetation & amazing nature and views, I'm loving my camera lately. I just wish it didn't die so fast & that I had a DSLR. One day, I'm going to splurge and purchase a camera for myself with a kick-ass lens. However, right now my Nikon point & shoot on manual will have to do. It takes some awesome photos, it's just a little bit harder to capture the picture I want. But it's worth it and requires a lot of hard work on my end.

Eating: Lots of egg whites & candy. I know, weird combination. I've never been a huge fan of eggs, especially omelettes. However, lately I've discovered removing the yolks and I'm obsessed now! Egg whites are so delicious and don't create that weird mushy texture you get when scrambling with a yolk. The only time I like yolks is when it's a fried egg (over hard). I LOVE EGG WHITES! Who knew?! However, I've had an annoying obsession with candy lately. I can't stop eating it and finding myself buying little candies almost everyday. Gross, I know.

Watching: I just (finally) finished The Office - the final season. I cried so much on the very last episode. It just broke my heart that I've been following along for all these years and now it's just over. I always get like that with final episodes of my fave shows. Plus the last episode just pulled at my heart strings. I'm also watching the Bachelorette for the first time ever and I'm obsessed. I find myself so involved with a few of the guys on the show that I'd like to see win. I love Zak W. He's so funny and I never would have expected to like him as much as I do. I also love Bryden..talk about a sweetie! And I like the guy who gave Des the daisy. I hated that guy before but as soon as that scene came on, he seemed super funny and laid back and I liked that :).

Bummed Out On: The fact that I can't afford to jet off once a month on a vacation, haha! I love to travel and I haven't been to any of the places I've dreamed of going. We're hoping to do some sort of all inclusive this winter and we are also headed to Halifax in September (if I can get the time off). So those are some travels to look forward to... however I'd love to go to a million and one places but it's just not in the budget right now. We really need to save so that's number one priority right now.

Loving: Summer in general. I love heading out to the lake or going out camping with my family. Or just in general spending a lot of time outside, having barbecues non stop, and catching up on reading! :)

Thanks to Danielle for the Currently post ideas.

Copy your link in the comments if you do these posts also! Have a great day :)

At the Cabin Part III

This is probably my favorite batch of photos (especially the last one).
It reminds me of all things summer stands for: water, flowers, docks, boat launchers, "sun kissed" skin (however mine are still very pasty... I'm working on it).
To me, summer brings happiness! It's my all time favorite season. It's the time when I see family & friends the most and it's a time where I run for the outdoors rather than hide from it. However, summer is the season where I am the least active, eat a ton of food & drink like a fish. Good thing I've been hitting the gym a ton for the past few months. Still, I'm not seeing the results I'd like. I feel really healthy although my eating habits could really use an improvement. It's difficult though.. I love my pad thai & pizza. Oh well, can't win em all.

At the Cabin Part II

Another Tuesday, another day off.
I feel like lately I have so many days off I don't even know what to do with myself.
Today's agenda: Gym (I hope), catch up on Bachelorette, and finish up the last season of the Office!
I'm also trying to figure out an italian sausage dish to throw in the crock pot that doesn't have tomato sauce in it.. hard to find, people!
Hope you have a great day.