Liebster Award

I am excited to announce that I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by Lori at Writing My Story!

I've seen this award before, but I didn't know much about it, so in case you're in a similar boat, here are the rules:

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you, then create your own set for the people you are nominating.

3. Choose 11 people (that have under 200 followers) to nominate and link them to your post.

4. Let the people you nominated know they've been tagged. No tag backs!

11 Facts About Me:

1. I have danced since the age of two and I still take some classes and perform every now and then as well as teach a couple nights a week.

2. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada.

3. I absolutely love old movies, and my favourite is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. (Strange, I know.)

4. I am a natural redhead.

5. My younger brother has Autism. (If you'd like to learn about Autism, you could start by checking out Autism Services Saskatoon, they have lots of information and are a good starting-off point).

6. I love to travel.

7. I really enjoy organization and planning/scheduling.

8. I really like makeup and I do makeup for weddings and events as a hobby on the side. I wouldn't be opposed to doing it more professionally, but it's just not where I'm at right now.

9. I love books and reading, but I always have too many sitting around waiting for me to read - I have a terrible habit of buying books when I still haven't read others at home.

10. I have a degree in psychology.

11. I love learning and I really want to go back to school (and I still might!) - I wish I could be a university student forever.

11 Questions from Lori:

1. What are your top five favourite songs?

- Bloom - The Paper Kites, Rocket Girl - Doc Walker, Drops of Jupiter - Train, Be Okay - Oh Honey, The City - Patrick Wolfe

2. What is one thing you couldn't live without?

- Prayer. Faith wasn't always important to me, but something so simple as prayer has the power to do extraordinary things.

3. What are your favourite kind of posts to write?

- Adventure posts! Anything from a visit to a cafe to traveling through Europe. I love sharing about going.

4. What kind of camera do you use?
- I usually just use my iPhone 4S, but I also have a red Canon PowerShot ELPH300 HS (which I managed to purchase for about $40 CAD because I had saved up a crazy amount of Shoppers Optimum Points - yay Canada!).

5. Where do you find your inspiration?
- Through everyday life; the words I hear, the things I see, the thoughts I have... I love taking time to notice and appreciate the beauty in the simple things and moments around me.

6. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
- I love that, by the simple act of putting my thoughts into words through my blog, I can connect with people all over the world who share similar ideas, passions, and thoughts.

7. What is your favourite book?
- Oh, this is a tough one! As a child, I loved Abel's Island by William Steig and my enduring favourite would have to be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It took me so long to decide on an answer for this question, I am clearly going to have to write a post about my favourite books!

8. Which blogs do you check daily?
- The College Prepster
- A Beautiful Mess
- I have a whole bunch in my blogger and bloglovin' accounts that I click on pretty regularly, but those two are the ones I will check even without the convenience of clicking a link (Type in the url? What?!). I also really enjoy finding blog posts that I like and seeing the other bloggers that commented on them and checking out their blogs.

9. What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
- Never be afraid to be the person that loves the most.

10. Do you prefer heels or flats?
- I'd have to say I prefer heels, but well-constructed ones. I'm not sure if this is my actual preference, though, because I cannot wear heels to work and it might just be a novelty to me at the moment.

11. What is your funniest memory?
- I actually can't think of anything specific, but all that comes to mind is time spent with my cousin, Kathleen. We always end up laughing so hard our faces and stomachs hurt. Quite often it's after having had a silly fight (#likesisters) or about a ridiculous inside joke. Together we can find absolutely anything hilarious.

My Questions for My Nominees:
1. If you could travel anywhere, no limitations, where would you go?
2. What are three of your passions?
3. As you're laying in bed before falling asleep, what do you like to think about?
4. In terms of fashion, what particular style, item, cut, or colour is totally "you?" (For example: bow headbands for Blair Waldorf in the beginning of Gossip Girl, the slouchy bohemian style of the Olsen Twins, and Audrey Hepburn's little black dresses and large sunglasses).
5. What are your top ten favourite songs?
6. What is your favourite movie?
7. What are your top five favourite books?
8. What is your dream career?
9. What is your favourite quote?
10. Who is your biggest role model?
11. What inspired you to start your blog?


My 11 Nominees:
(I hope I didn't nominate someone who has already been nominated, I am sorry if I did! I just wanted to nominate blogs that I actually follow.)
Jacintha at Tea With Jacintha
Andrea at Andrea Everyday
Marshall at This Blonde Story
Kristen at Life and Laughter
Cheyenne at Wanderful Ways
Samantha at Morning Lux
Mallory at New England Lane
Raquel and Rose at The Preppy Sisters
Kiersten at Prep By The Sea
Lauren at Petite in Pearls
A Little Seersucker Sass


Thanks so much to Lori for nominating me!

Borden Bridge, SK

In June we were heading back from a wedding at Redberry Lake, SK and decided to stop off at the Borden Bridge on our drive back to Saskatoon. There is an old bridge next to the one in use now, but it is still standing so we explored a little. We had actually stopped to look for a geocache, which we found, but we continued to explore the area - isn't the bridge beautiful?!

I have driven by this bridge a few times now, I actually don't head out that way too often, but every time that I have driven on this highway I have thought about stopping to check out the bridge - I am glad that I finally did!

Have you seen any interesting bridges lately? I would love to see photos! Also, does anyone reading this do geocaching? I only recently learned about it and we have been trying to look for at least one during our road trips this summer, it's pretty fun!

When Organized Is Too Organized

I love good organization. Give me lists, bins, and labels any day. I could spend hours making to-do lists or organizing a closet and it would only feel like minutes. But sometimes I let my love for organization get the best of me.

There is a point where planning can go too far. In this post I recently wrote about how goals are only goals until you do something and the same is true about planning and to-do lists. This is a form of goal-setting, and you cannot forget about the “do” in “to-do.”

It’s not just over-planning that can be a problem, but over-organizing can be too. It’s not enough to work out an intricate system of baskets, bins, shelves, and labels – if the system doesn’t work for you, you are essentially unorganized anyway.  Organization is meant to make your life easier and more livable.  If the systems you have in place add more time to your tasks and make life more difficult, then you need to make a change.

As with almost everything, planning and organizing can cross into that “too much of a good thing” territory, we just need to keep it in check. Also, something that works great for someone else could be absolutely terrible for you; you need to fit things and systems into your lifestyle – not the other way around.

Have you ever over-planned or over-organized you life? What systems work for you? Which ones don’t? I would love to hear!