Doubt

Stop letting those clouds of doubt stand in your way.

Life Lately Through Instagram

Here's a little peek at what's been going on around my world lately through some Instagram photos.

Frozen yogurt twins with a girlfriend.

Festive cupcakes for my parents' Christmas party this past weekend.

Walking by the river downtown on a frosty morning.

Video shoot by the river.

What little moments have you captured lately?

Why Not

People keep asking me, "Why not?" when I tell them what I would like to do.

So really... Why not?

Changed for Good

What  is that feeling when you see someone who has had (and always will have) an important impact on your life?  When you come to and leave your encounters with them knowing that things will never be the same, but that you're okay with that.
The more people I encounter that change my life in this way, the more I realize how easily our paths can change, how one event, seemingly small at first, can catapult you into a world that you might not have ever known had it not been for this person.

Book Review: Single Girl's To-Do List

Image via indigo.ca.

I recently completed The Single Girl's To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk and, I have to tell you, I enjoyed it SO much!!  I picked it up a pretty long time ago (I actually can't even place it in my memory), and it sat untouched on my bookshelf for far too long.  This was partly because of my hectic life the final semester of university and partly because I was somewhat worried that I had let the title and cover create something so exciting in my head for the book that it wouldn't be able to compare.  I am happy to report that this book definitely beat out any expectations I had created for it.

The Single Girl's To-Do List follows Rachel, a makeup artist in England, as she navigates her newly single life with her two best friends.  Out of their post-breakup bonding comes a list of things Rachel needs to do as a single girl, every single one of them completely for her.  

This book was exciting to read and it inspired me to really think about the goals I have in my life, recent and long term.  The list in this book is definitely on the fun, not so serious side, and it helped me to remember that while looking at my own goals.  Some of my items are the same as Rachel's, while some are very different; maybe sometime soon I'll share my list with you!

Have you read The Single Girl's To-Do List? What did you think? Have you read any of Lindsey Kelk's other books? Do you have a similar list? What would go on your list?

I would love to hear your comments and any similar book recommendations!

Solitary Travel

As I sit here at LAX waiting to board my flight back home I'm feeling a strong desire to do this more often.  Not just travel, but travel alone.  I've found myself on flights and excursions alone, but not entirely.  I want to visit new cities on my extended weekends, I want to travel to Europe and not know a soul.  Is that weird? I don't really think so.  I want to do this so that I meet people, great people.  Always being with someone limits your opportunities to reach out. 

So, where should I go first? 

Grandma's Secret

Today my father and I made pickles the way his mother did (and sometimes still does). In case you don't already know, I have a major obsession with dill pickles. They're actually my favorite food. These ones top any others that I have ever tried, they're our simple family secret.

Limits

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

-- T.S. Eliot

What is it to Learn?

"I decided that adventure was the best way to learn..."

--Lloyd Alexander

Linked In: Christian Dating

While there should never be a black and white understanding of dating and relationships, there are certain conventions that make life easier for those involved and make the whole situation a lot more appropriate.  This blog post is pretty entertaining while getting across some really basic ideas, check it out!

http://seraphicsinglescummings.blogspot.ca/2012/04/what-i-would-tell-men-if-they-asked.html

Find Your Adventure

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within."

-- George Eliot

Humility

"Hiding the gifts God has given you is not humility"

-- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Sunrise Sights

Meet me at the harbour, let's catch the sun.

Last weekend some girlfriends and I got up super early on Saturday and headed down to the harbour to take some photos and watch the sun rise.  The Tall Ships Festival was in town so we wanted to get some good pictures without a bunch of people around.  They had all braved the crowds earlier in the festival but, because of my busy schedule and a lack of desire to be pushed and shoved in a sweaty mess, this was my first visit to the ships. 

There's just something so calming about the early morning sun.  The water was like glass and the air seemed to stand still.  I think this was the first time since I arrived here in Halifax where I didn't feel like I was constantly moving.

I have made some of the most wonderful friends this summer.  I keep finding myself in amazing situations with even more amazing people.  I don't know where I'm headed after this summer, but I do know I will be carrying these experiences and friendships wherever that may be.

 I don't want to leave Halifax, but the time is coming much too soon.  In less than two weeks I will be living in Saskatoon again.  I'm so excited to see friends and family, to teach ballet, to walk along the river, and to head to my usual coffee spots, along with the new ones that popped up over the summer.  Even though I know I will love my time back home, I just feel like my heart needs something different.

Perhaps far off adventures are sooner than I think.

I Heart Bikes

Down along the Halifax Harbour there is a little business called I Heart Bikes that rents out many different kinds of bikes including beach riders, tandem bikes, and bikes for the little ones. I've known about it since I arrived here in May, but I actually only came upon the location a couple weeks ago when I finally ventured to the other side of the boardwalk.  With how quickly I was thrown into life here in Halifax I didn't really have much of a chance to tour around and get familiar with my surroundings, so I've only been branching out recently - at least I still have a month left!

If you are in the Halifax area and want to check out what I Heart Bikes is all about here's the website: http://www.iheartbikeshfx.com/, enjoy!

Hear it in a New Way

Holiness is an adventure in God's Love.

Make This House a Home

I have gone from already pretty much starting a countdown
to when I don't have to live in this house anymore
to loving the girls that are living here with me
and the work that we're putting into our living situation to make it much more suitable.  

Even the nastiest of places can be fixed up with lots of work and,
I hate to be corny and say it,
love. 

Hi From Halifax

Today is the first day that we have had internet in our house, this is actually the first hour that we've had it, so I am taking advantage.

I have been in Halifax since May 2 and I have been in my house since May 3.  This past week has been a whirlwind with orientation, getting to know everyone, trying to make our somewhat suitable house a little more homey and clean, learning our parish teams, and heading to our parishes on Sunday.  On top of everything I have had a pretty bad cold that involved me losing my voice on the 2nd, the day before I met the other 56 fellow missionaries - it was hard not being able to talk much!  My voice is pretty much back and I am only a little bit sick now, it should be gone soon :).

The morning that I left for Halifax was a lot more stressful than I had been anticipating.  I had stayed up the whole night but was rushing to finish packing.  Then when we were leaving for the airport my bag ripped and I had five minutes to switch into a smaller one, so I was just grabbing things and shoving them in.  Needless to say, I was missing quite a few items when I got here.  I have been doing fine but mom and dad are going through what I had packed and sending me some more clothing and some books as well.  I got a cute care package from them yesterday with a few things I had really wanted fast like my portable hard drive, socks (yeah, I didn't have ANY), some typical headache and cold fixes, and they also included some lemon pepper and canned chicken.  I giggled when I saw those.  It was super lucky timing too because we had been provided groceries for the week before we started getting the gift cards and doing our own shopping and we had run out of pretty much all the food.  So I turned my lovely cans of chicken into some chicken salad sandwiches for our lunch today.  Since we had nothing else Marie and I headed to the store later last night after the Commissioning Mass to get a few essentials like milk and bread and we had to grab some tuna since the chicken was not enough to go around and there is also someone in our house who is a vegetarian.

As I said, our house is only somewhat suitable.  There are nine of us living in a five bedroom house that at first we could not get into the basement because of wood that was throughout the stairs with the look of supporting the walls from caving in.  We couldn't find any laundry machines for the first few days, but then we were informed that they were in the basement, which was blocked off.  Then a day later we were told there is an outside entrance.  After getting the code we went in as a group and found the laundry machines, two of which work, two of which do not, but all of them requiring $1.75 to work at all.  Then we kept going through the basement and found a toilet with some friendly roommates we didn't know about (I'll leave you in the dark about that one, it adds some mystery).  I really do not plan on going down there ever again, I will probably just go to one of the four other girls houses to do my laundry.  All of the rooms have codes on the doors and at first we were not told what our codes were, so we were accidentally locked out of the living room from the first night and had to be SUPER careful not to close our bedroom doors if no one was in the room.

We've made our house a pretty decent place now by cleaning excessively and continually, and the basement staircase has been un-barricaded and we have been provided with all of the codes.  As I get to know and love the girls that will be my family for the summer I am starting to realize that certain comforts are not necessary, especially when you have many other things to be thankful for.

We are now in the job-hunting stage of the mission and I have to admit that I have not been doing too much in this sense.  I have been trying to get things in order after having a rocky start to the mission with the stress of my day of travel.  Also, I just wanted to e-mail my mom when we finally had some free time instead of run all over the (VERY) rainy city of Halifax to drop off resumes right after at least ten other people on mission had been in the store, is that so bad?

This week has gone by so fast but it has been amazing.  I'll post more about the specifics of the week later, but it had been such a changing experience for me, and I love it.

Chapters Change

After a whirlwind month this April I am off to Halifax to begin yet another whirlwind, and I mean that in the most exciting way possible.  I cannot wait to see what this summer has in store for me, and what I have in store for this summer.  I have just a few more things I need to accomplish today before I fly out tomorrow and then I am free to experience everything that life has ready for me.  

I know that this concept is totally over-used, but this is definitely the turning of a page and the beginning of a new chapter.

Loose lips sink ships.

Finished

I am done.
I wrote my last final yesterday morning.
Not just my last final, but my last final.
As in the last of my degree.
It seems so surreal to me.
Just yesterday I was driving out to my first year.
It's crazy to think about that whole first year at St. Pete's
And then the following three in the city.
I feel like I am not ready to actually be done university
But then at the exact same time I feel like I am totally ready.
Ready for the next great thing.

Time for Me

I want to fill my days with walks, fresh air, park benches, journals, music, people-watching, bike-riding, travelling, meeting new people, reading, writing, smiling, and learning.

Keep Trekkin'

Gotta keep going
But every morning it's the same thing:
My bed is so warm and comfy and safe and squishy
And the world outside of it is
Scary and noisy and stressful and hard.

Eighteen more days then it's on to something new.

No Fear

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."

-- Proverbs 31:25

Go

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.  

I travel for travel's sake.  

The great affair is to move."

-- Robert Louis Stevenson

Mind Over Matter

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Good Friday

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:34

Thirty-Three

A new adventure awaits me
Starting the moment that airplane takes off
I like not knowing when it will end.

Right now I have a vague idea of what I will be doing until about the middle of August.
Then, after that, I haven't a clue.
And I love it.

Linked In: Making it Modest

I always see dresses that I would definitely enjoy having in my closet, but they seem to always fall a little short.  Every now and then I will purchase one with the intent of layering, wearing tights, and not wearing heels.  But it gets boring!  I want to be able to wear them however I decide.  Sarah over at the gOOd life shared how she "modestified" her dresses that were a little too short in this post.  I think I'm going to have to try this out with some of the dresses hanging in my closet.  I remember in high school we did something similar to our cheerleading uniforms to make the skirts longer and to stop our tops from showing our midriffs. 

What do you think of lengthening dresses?  Would you try this out, or would you prefer to just buy longer dresses?  Or, are you totally fine with shorter dresses?  Let me know!

Mad Girl's Love Song

"I should have loved a thunderbird instead; 

At least when spring comes they roar back again. 

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. 

(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

-- Sylvia Plath, Mad Girl's Love Song

Countdown

It's hard to imagine that in a little over a month I will be finished my university degree, finished my job, and moving across the country. With these changes definitely comes some fear, but the good kind. I am looking forward to what my life has to bring, and the freedom that comes with not knowing.

This journey hasn't even begun and I already feel that it is a part of me.

Now you're just somebody that I used to know

If you haven't already watched this video it's a must.  

Five people, one guitar.  

And amazing voices at that.

Roma

I am still in Rome and I cannot believe that I have to leave in about two days.  My heart is almost breaking as I write this.  I will be back though, I know I will.

This trip has been adventure after adventure, and one growth experience after the next.  I have come to know people that I never would have known if I hadn't come on this trip, including parts of myself.  It's amazing to be able to see and feel the strength and power behind what I already knew and felt to be true.

Because my internet access includes walking seven blocks and paying precious euros for minutes I will limit myself here, but be assured that I am having the experience of a lifetime.

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."

-- Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Kind of Like Belle

My dream is to have a library in my house.  Not one that consists of a couple bookcases in the corner of a room with a chair and a lamp nearby, but an actual room devoted to housing my wonderful collection (that I will most certainly have) of the most interesting of books, ranging from the classics that stir your thoughts to the mindless reads that you take on vacation for poolside page turning in Mexico.  It will be my retreat - scratch the huge bathtub that has technology so it never gets cold, I want a room full of books, a comfy chair, and maybe a fireplace too (this can be negotiated).

If this room were set up as a gift/surprise?  Even better.

I Will See You Later

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you can meet again.
And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

Tale As Old As Time

My favourite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast.
So, when my mother found out that there would be a performance of Beauty and the Beast in Saskatoon she bought me tickets for my birthday.
I know some of the reasons why I love it:
-Belle loves books, I love books
-Belle loves the person and looks past the looks
-The songs are fantastic
-Who wouldn't want to live in a magical castle? Really. Tell me their name.

But tonight I realized another thing that ties me to this classic story even more.
Belle wants so much more than her town can offer, she seeks adventure, she cannot wait to get away and she would go, if it weren't for her father.
I always have a feeling of needing to be somewhere else, to experience new things, and to be able to find that adventure that I seek. I would go, if it weren't for a couple things holding me back.

But, unlike Belle, I am still in that state. I still want to go and experience adventure.  At least Belle makes the realization that she is exactly where she wants to be, that she experienced a change in herself.

I'm still waiting for that change I suppose.

Alone is O.K.

Take yourself out dancing

Eat dinner alone

Go to an unfamiliar city

Sit alone on benches

Lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless

And lonely is healing if you make it

Update August 2013: Original video link comes up unconnected, this should work.

Back At It

I am home from Vancouver and am feeling back on track just in time to get back to work and classes tomorrow.  I kind of feel like I didn't have a break at all, but I really don't mind - my trip to Vancouver was amazing and so was the conference.  I am so excited to see the wonderful things that will start to show as a result of the conference in the coming months.

I am also super excited to get back to classes, I really really love school, sometimes it is a little bit excessive.  I have to take six classes this semester to be able to convocate on time this spring, but it should be fine.  There's just a LOT of reading to come - below is a picture of the textbooks I have so far, but I still need to purchase five more for my English class.  

Are you excited to get back to class and start a new semester?  Let me know!