To all my fellow Canadians, I hope you’re enjoying your long weekend, and soaking up some summery weather wherever you are. This past weekend was spent at the beach (this time it was extremely foggy, but still beautiful and I somehow managed to get sunburnt?!), going on bike rides, dining al fresco, and taking my niece and nephew to the playground.
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Edam, the Netherlands, is one of the most picturesque towns in the entire country. Popular for its Wednesday morning cheese market, Edam is so much more than cheese. Quiet cafes, meandering canals, tiny drawbridges, and lush flowers make it one of my favourite stops in Holland. If you’re in the area, do stop by and take a peak into one of Holland’s many fairytale towns.
On the weekend, I visited a local beach with my parents, niece, and nephew. With 30 degree Celsius weather, it was unusually hot and humid, the perfect type of day to pack up the babies and head to the shore. I’ve never seen them happier than when they’re at the beach. Running freely along the open expanse of sand, playing in the water, making sand castles, and chasing seagulls. It’s so beautiful to watch them, so free and happy. Going to the beach makes me want to immediately pack up and move to a beach house, somewhere where I am constantly surrounded by my favourite soothing colours, sounds, and smells. It also reminds me of when I was younger, growing up in Kentucky, when we’d head down to Alabama or Florida for beach vacations. Oh how I wish it were warmer year-round in Canada so that we could enjoy the beach more!
The rest of the weekend was spent indoors, as the weather turned cold, Ugg boats resurfaced, and the rain hasn’t stopped for 4 days. Lovely. It just makes me all the more glad that we went to the beach when we could, and enjoyed a few hours of complete summer fun, even if it was a bit premature. Here’s to hoping that this summer is filled with many more beach days!
What did you do this weekend?
This weekend we’re planning on strolling through Niagara-on-the-Lake, visiting the beach, and planning our trip to Greece! Whatever your plans are, I hope that this weekend is a good one for you!
*photo of the beautiful flatiron building near the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto
This past week, it has finally (finally!) started to feel like spring here. It’s about time. While I still feel like I may jinx it, I’ve decided to pack away those winter coats and sweaters and bring out the sandals and summer brights. Hopefully mother nature has made up her mind, and spring is here to stay (well, until summer). I’ve been thinking about what a great opportunity the summer months are when you’re still in school. From May to August, you get this amazing break (even though I’m working, it’s still wonderful). I’ve vowed to make the most of these four months, since after this, it’s law school, and internships, and a career. So who knows, this may be my last summer of relative freedom! This spring, I’ve compiled a list of things I’ve been meaning to do, and now is as good a time as any!
- Ride one of these shared bicycles along the Toronto harbourfront
- Take an afternoon trip to The Beaches
- Spend a weekend in “the Hamptons of the North”
- Visit Boston with Gabriel (and throw in side-trips to Maine, Salem, and Eastern Canada)
- Try out this place
- Visit university friends in Montreal
- Take an unforgettable trip to a Greek island (p.s. travel advice still wanted!)
- Pack a picnic like this with goodies from the Saturday Farmer’s Market across from the St. Lawrence Market
- Take some spring winery tours in Niagara with the girls
- Walk to the Antique Market everysingleSunday
What are some things on your to-do list this spring?
Saturday night, I celebrated my best friend Courtney’s birthday! Throughout our 23 years of friendship, one thing has remained constant: her love of candy! So in honour of her 24th year, I threw her a “Courtney’s Candy Shoppe” themed surprise birthday party.
A few of Courtney’s closest friends gathered in our condo in downtown Toronto to surprise the birthday girl. She was so surprised when she walked through the doors, as groups of friends began popping out from behind the couch, and off of the patio. Naturally she loved the candy bar (I went crazy at Bulk Barn with all the candy!) and the tissue pom poms that I made, hanging from our light fixture. They were surprisingly easy to make, even though the tissue paper was super-thin and kept ripping (note: don’t buy cheap tissue at the Dollar Store to make these!) I decked out our “candy bar” with glass bowls and jars that we already owned, and filled them with various candies in the theme colours. Little makeshift flags (cardstock taped to candy sticks) let guests know the different candy flavours. I even had orange and pineapple pop from “The PoP Shoppe”, which guests could drink and use as mixers. After a nice dinner at Peter Pan Bistro, my all-time fave restaurant in Toronto, we went back to the condo for presents and cupcakes, and lemon-drop martinis.
Lemon Drop Martini Recipe:
Shake it up with ice, and garnish with a lemon candy or sugar-rimmed glass.
Happy birthday Court! Hope your night was a memorable one… (and enjoy all that leftover candy!)
This past weekend, one of my close friends from the MBA program got married! After being completely and utterly Royal Wedding-obsessed, going to a friend’s wedding the day after was so magical! I have to admit, after seeing William and Kate’s guests’ clothing and hats, I was really tempted to create a fascinator to wear (sadly, I did not). It was a beautiful day…a single sunny day in the midst of weeks of non-stop rain. Lucky bride and groom! This was the first wedding I attended for a friend (previously I’ve only been to family weddings), and it was at-once both amazing and a little scary! My friends are actually getting married?! When did this happen?!
The day following the wedding, my adorable little niece, Kendra, was in her first dance recital! She’s only three years old, and watching her ballet and tap routines was probably one of the high-lights of my life. That’s her, in the photo below, kicking her legs in the air while the rest of her class danced to the back of the stage. She was so adorable, and had the crowd erupt into laughter, that I just had to post some pictures. With her little glasses and cute tutu, she just melted my heart.
