give thanks

 

 lettering by me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends & readers! I hope you find time this weekend to spend with your loved ones - both human & furry.

Things I'm thankful for today...

D's family and all they do for us. I can't even count all the drives they've given us.

My parents willingness to come down to Halifax to visit, so we don't have to drive up. 3 kids here does outnumber 2 parents up in New Brunswick though and they have a car... but still. 

Having the afternoon off work. My manager is super-accommodating and I'm so grateful for that.

Creativity and the joy it brings.

Friends and connections I've made through volunteering with Happily Ever Active. Building community.

Stuffing. Who can argue with that one?

Wishing you a great weekend!

xx Janelle

 

weekend recap | Sackville adventure

Want to come with me to get a tattoo tomorrow? Not usually the first thing a friend says to you when you arrive to stay the weekend. 

Last weekend, I went to stay with my good friend L in Sackville, New Brunswick, our former university town. In a moment of bravery, or maybe impulsivity, she booked a tattoo appointment for Saturday morning. After hitting up the Sackville market for some Indian comfort food, we headed to Moncton.

She decided on a simple black anchor on her wrist. And before she could change her mind, we found ourselves in a small room at the back of the shop.

The tattoo took all of 3 minutes to complete and before we knew it we were back on the road. We did a little store-hopping to find some storage baskets for her new place. By the time we finally made it back to town, we were starving and had to just sit for a bit. An episode of Orange is the New Black and stir-fried noodles is the perfect wind-down activity. Oh, and cheesecake.

Do you like our creative laptop stand?

On my last day we decided to head down to the waterfowl park. On our way there we spotted a really pretty courtyard with old doors by the mealhall. There are big round metal tables with fixed chairs and lots of greenery.

The least awkward of all the photos. Trust me.

It wouldn't be Sackville without the wind. Oh, the wind. Don't be deceived. My hair is not in a ponytail in the photo below.

The waterfowl park is such a peaceful place. It's set back from the university and the main roads, so most days it's calm and quiet. 

We walked along the boardwalk through the marsh and sat on a small bench and watched the ducks dive. We played a little sketching game and talked about the different definitions people hold of a successful work life. We talked about getting our shit together and about what that really means. We talked about settling down and how comforting it can be to have a homebase from which to explore the world on mini-vacations and trips.

L has a great perspective on building adventure into everyday. Travel is non-negotiable for her and I love that. 

All in all, we both had a soul filling weekend.

I hope all of you have a great day.
xx Janelle

merry christmas & a virtual hug

 

I hope Santa found you and that you're all enjoying time with family and loved ones today. We hosted our annual Christmas Eve celebration and are hosting Christmas dinner in about an hour or so. I'm hoping my man and Abby-dog will be able to come up for the weekend, but a storm is brewing. Northern NB always gets hit hard with snow around this time of year, and 30cm is nothing to laugh at. We're trying to work something out so that we can keep our plans to celebrate New Year's Eve in Moncton with some of our closest friends.

Speaking of friends, a big congratulations to my "sucia" Em & her new fiance (!!) on their engagement yesterday. To quote my favorite Christmas movie, love really is all around.

real mail (from Japan!)

*Computer is functional now thanks to my aunt Louise! I'm going to try to keep up the post volume to make up for lost time....

I know I'm not the only one who loves getting real mail. A letter, a postcard anything aside from polite yet impersonal letters demanding all your money... Ahem. Student Loans. Ahem. In an age of 2-second texting & emails, it's nice to know that a friend took the time to put together some treats & made a trip to the post office just to send them. It makes me feel warm & fuzzy inside. Plus, often times it even costs more to send the package than it does to buy/make the gifts. Anyone who sends a parcel like that must really think you're special!

So imagine my delight when I arrived home from Christmas vacation to see a parcel from my former university roommate from Japan sitting on my bed. Upon opening the box I may or may not have squealed like an 8 year old.

But look at how adorable everything is:

She sent me headphones (heart-shaped), some decorative tape things that roll on like whiteout (pies, hearts, flowers and snowflakes) & some pretty notecards with hearts (my favorite!). Just in case you couldn't tell... her favorite colour is pink!

All of this stuff reminds me of her and really makes me want to visit Japan. Lack of funds have me grounded at the moment. But as soon as I'm able to, I'll be on a jet plane to Osaka. We got along so, SO well as roommates but we find it hard to keep in touch with the time difference. Someday we'll see each other again, but for now our little email/parcel exchanges will keep us connected. I've got her Valentine's package almost all ready to go. Nanase, keep your eye out for a package in February!

 

FACT: everything is cuter in Japan. Even the salad dressings have cutesy mascots.

December 31st is for dancing.

We're hosting a New Year's Eve party tonight. Things could get messy...

This was last year:

We got ready at the apartment, headed to a hotel party and then out to dance it up. 

This year we're hosting a party at the apartment then we're going to the same club as last year. They do a countdown of the best songs of the year so it's guaranteed good music! And for a girl who loves to dance it's a guaranteed good time.

What are you doing for New Years? Partying or having a relaxing night in? Having fondue? Haha.

If you are going out, please be safe!

See you in the new year,

Weekend Recap: the one with all the first times

weekend shopping list.

 

I'm back from my 4-day whirlwind tour of Toronto that I mentioned here and it was a blast! It was my second time in Toronto, but it was my first time meeting a drag queen, getting a manicure and eating at PickleBarrel (not picklebottom, as I kept saying). I won't bore you with all the details (that's what my mom, nanny & D are for), but I'll give you the abbreviated version. Gather 'round!

*Come back tomorrow for some juicy food photos of where and what we ate, if you`re interested.

Friday

Arrived in TO around 12:30 and made my way via shuttle & subway to the hotel. It definitely looks nicer in the photos but it was huge, clean and bedbug free. What more can you ask for? Val shows up not long after I arrive and we decide to walk around the Eaton centre for a bit before hitting up Golden Thai for supper. Best. Meal. Ever. We were laughing so hard. I think the waiter thought we were lushes after only 2 drinks, but our 'charm' scored us a free dessert. Awww yeah.

Val really liked that statue in the back. Especially his loincloth.

Later on that night we got an invite to meet some of Val's friends at a bar on Church, so off we went. Turns out it was a drag bar. Awesome! Val's friends were sweet and we even got to dance for a bit. Most of the drag ladies were pretty funny and one had nicer lingerie than I did, so the next day I bought 2 bras. Not joking.

Saturday

We met up with our friend L at the market, but only got to spend a couple hours together before she had to head out. We also picked up Sarah from the bus station! We spent the day drinking Starbucks, shopping and eating. 2 out of 3 of us cried accidentally while sitting on a mall couch. It happens.

When we finally got back to the hotel it was already 10pm. If we wanted to get in to the club for free we had to motor. So we got all dressed up, put some music on and had a couple drinks. I plopped down on the bed just to have a little rest and that was it. My lazy butt was in for the night. So we snuggled and chatted, all dressed up in our party outfits. In my defense, we had been walking around for 12 hours....

We are like 80 yr olds, without the wrinkles. For realz.

Sunday

Brunch! With 5 girls from Mount Allison. It was so nice to see some familiar faces and find out what everyone is up to now. We said bye to Sarah, shopped some more & then Val and I broke off to go get a manicure (my first one!). I'm really happy with how it turned out. 

Turquoise & Caicos OR Mint Candy Apple by Essie.

That night Val & I did a little of this:

And then we watched Taken on tele and wandered around to find food. Nice little night.

Monday

Val & I woke up early-ish, checked out, grabbed breakfast & commuted to her apartment. She had class so I just hung out in the student centre reading a book. I got to meet some of her friends and then flew out an hour late. I finally landed in Halifax at 11:20 and arrived home a bit before midnight. 

Today at work I was pretty exhausted but it was definitely worth it. It's nice to escape to the big city every once in a while. And, since I took a vacation day yesterday... today is another short week!

Also, I know it sounds like all we did is shop and trust me we did a lot. But, I only bought a few things. A handmade beret from the market, some earrings on sale, 2 bras and an unmentionable. See? I was good.

miss you, you crazy!

Anyway, time to cuddle up with D & Abby to watch the new Dexter. Thanks for reading about my adventure!

Did you have any adventures lately?

42B & friends

Want to meet 2 of the sweetest, most genuine, and downright 'funnest' girls I know?

No? Scroll down a couple posts for some juicy meatball photos.
Yes? Look below for a shot of me & my bff at 18. 5 years ago.

This is Val.

val & i, 2007 (!!)

Val & I were initially matched as roommates for freshman year. However, I had already agreed to room with a girl from my high school whom I know call Sono. Val had called my house to get to know me a bit, so I had to return her call and break the news. I awkwardly mumbled something about forms being mixed up and that was that. Fast forward a few months to Fall semester... Val & I met and were pretty much instant friends. We lived next to each other in residence the following year and together in 'the brothel' (aka. 42B King St.) for 2 years after that. We have a very similar sense of humour & love a lot of the same things. We laugh, dance, eat and vent together. Basically, we're besties.

And this is Sarah.

sarah & I, 2008

Sarah was one of our RAs in first year. I remember her as being the Queen of sweat pants and the cool RA who everyone respected. But I didn't know a lot about her. When we were moving off campus in 3rd year (junior yr), Sarah was looking to move off-campus as well. We needed an extra roommate to get the place we wanted and she seemed relaxed and fun. Done. It turns out that this lady is legit. She keeps a running list of all the books she reads. She makes terribly inappropriate jokes. She's also smart, self-less, smokin' hot AND she's been through some hard shit and came out on top. Basically, she's awesome.

Are you following?

So, we all moved in together in 2008: Sarah, Val, Me & Sono and a boy named Nolan. It was one of the craziest, busiest, most hilariously unpredictable years of my life. I just can't help but think that if we all moved back in together, it would be the exact same.

We would have study                     break dance parties.

We'd keep a large quote board and take it down when parents came to visit. 

There would always be something delicious in the kitchen. And fruitflies.

We would steal and subsequently light a pumpkin on fire.

We'd watch ANTM for 3 hours on Cosmo.
We'd sit on the freezer and have chats.
etc. etc. etc.

please don't kill me for this photo val.

S, SE, me, N

This coming weekend I get to see these two ladies! I'm flying to Toronto, staying with Val for the weekend and Sarah is coming up on Saturday. I'm not really excited yet because I do still have 4 days of work ahead of me, but I am seriously looking forward to seeing them again. I haven't seen Val since August and Sarah since she graduated in 2009 and moved to Australia (whaaa?). This visit is so long overdue. It's going to be a weekend full of shopping, laughs, dancing & a little bit of booze. I'm ready and maybe a little excited...

Thankful

I try to remember, not just this weekend but every day, how lucky I am. Given the theme of this weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) I figured I would show you what I'm grateful for. In no particular order.

This guy.

 This family.

This puppy-dog.

These friends & others.

And this beautiful country.

But in this moment? I'm thankful for this.

My burrito from El Gallo @ the Farmer's Market.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all get to spend time with loved ones. Enjoy.

**Pssssst: Check out my friend Val's blog for some recipes/shopping fun!

Steppin Out: my surprisingly not-lazy Sunday

Hi, friends. I hope you are all having a beautiful day. After yesterday's post I was sure that we had seen our last summer day, the kind of day when just sitting leaves sweat on the back of your knees. Instead, I woke up this morning to a hot, humid day with sunshine streaming through my windows. I immediately knew I wanted to do something productive instead of lazing around in my usual Sunday slump.

The couch was in desperate need of a vacuum, as were the floors, so I got right to work. While I was at it I figured I would mop the living area, too. After my Molly Maid possession (seriously, I hate cleaning), I met up with my friend M and we took Abby-dog down to the waterfront. We walked along the boardwalk for a bit and ran into some friends. We eventually decided to head back up towards home and sit outside the Smiling Goat coffee shop in the shade. I usually only go there when I'm grabbing a coffee to go, but there was plenty of seating outside. Plus, I love that they leave out a big bowl of water for the dogs. I had a delicious Arthur's smoothie with ice and M had a coffee. Abby had some ice cubes and a few licks of my smoothie. So spoiled...

Here's what I wore on our lovely Fall adventure with Summer weather:

Abby will work her way into any photo

I was sold when I found it buttoned up the back.

Tank: "Mine", thrifted from Crimson & Clover (new store!)
Jean Shorts: Garage jeans, cut-off into shorts
Shoes w/ heart cut-outs: Forever 21
Bracelet: from Turkey, international market
Belt: H&M

 


This turned into the best day. I can't stop smiling. I hope you have a good night! Come back on Tuesday for a soup recipe.

 Love & sunshine,

Janelle

Steppin Out Friday, I mean, Saturday!

Guys, I had a hot date this weekend. We went to Il Mercato, ate the most delicious food & talked about nothing and everything. After we left we went to pick up almond milk, ginger ale (for D) and the latest Real Simple magazine. I only thought to take photos after we got back and because I hate using flash, these photos are dark and fuzzy. Woops. I think my photographer did a good job with what he had.... Here's what I wore:

Dress: Thrifted, no label, probably hand-made ($10!!)

Belt: H&M ($17)
Sandals: Aldo ($20, including shipping)

Don't you love cheap outfits?

--------------

On Saturday morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the bus to Sackville, NB (where I went to university) to see 3 of my closest girlfriends. We went on a random adventure to an old fort, went out for supper, spent an hour choosing a movie at the store and then didn't watch it. We met some special friends for brunch and then laid out on the deck and chatted. It was so nice to see these girls again. We talked about some things we shouldn't have, talked about some things we had to and then talked some more. That's what girls do, right? :) We reminisced about our time at MTA & felt pangs of nostalgia. We were staying on the other side of the duplex where I spent my last 2 years of university and it took everything I had not to knock on the door and go take a peek at my old room... Anyway, I think we all had a good time. There's something about the friends that you meet in university...

we're all wearing a bit of pink!

Miss you already!

xo Janelle