2012

So this has been a pretty big year for me...

When it began I was in Spain working as an au-pair and trying to learn Spanish.

 

In April I got hit by a car and had to come home early with what the doctors there thought were just some minor neck and knee sprains.

But then I found out that while they were right about my neck, my knee was a whole different story (an honest mistake...  with the amount of damage it would have been hard to tell at the beginning).

So I spent the whole summer in limbo trying to figure out what was the matter and how to fix it (also trying to come to terms with the fact that my life had changed forever).

In the middle of all this crazy, I started university (because I didn't already have enough on my plate).

and yes, I have a picture ;)

We went to see a few different doctors and finally found one of the three in Canada that have the ability to fix damage as extensive as mine... So over reading week I had surgery.

pre-surgery

And them I went back to school where I just barely finished the semester in one piece.  I can sincerely say that I never want to go through anything like that ever again.

But now it is winter/Christmas break and I am off crutches and weight bearing and so incredibly happy to be alive and with my family.

Happy New Year everyone!  

My it be filled with love and laughter and may God bless you and your family.

what I am listening to right now...

So I guess this is a lot of 'I can do this' type music but that is so definitely what I need right now because I so often feel like I can't do it and that I am going to fail or fall.  The surgery is over now but I am scared that I won't be able to make it through the next year of recovery that I have in front of me... Sometimes it just gets overwhelming.  I have already been dealing with this for a year and I have another year to go before I will feel normal again.   So I close my eyes and listen to this music.

Christmas nails

This Christmas I decided to keep it simple and just painted my nails red and highlighted my ring finger with some silver 'snow'.  I am afraid they are a bit chipped by now but I think that they held up pretty well :)

Boots

Are these boots not some of the most beautiful things you have ever seen!  Well obviously I think that they are :)  Head over to ModCloth to see more of the Fact and Confection boots.

original image via

original image via

deep red

 While the lighting in these pictures does not even begin to do this colour justice (the one on top is actually closer) it has long been one of my favourites... even before berry hues became the 'it' nail polish colours for this fall/winter ;)

Revlon, Exotica

 

And although this time they turned out a bit less than perfect, I am just way too excited that I have time (and energy) to paint my nails again to even care :)

Look for a long post coming soon to explain the lack of time/energy/no blogging for a month! (I am just waiting for school to end... which I guess is on its own a big factor ;))

Audrey

just one of those moments

Have you ever had one of those days?  Or one of those moments? (Because really they rarely last all day)  I did today.  And no, it didn't last all day (thank goodness) but it was hard...  You do know what I am talking about though, don't you?  One of those moments when all of a sudden you just can't handle it any more and you feel like you are going to cry when you don't really have one specific reason, it is just everything.
So anyway, that was me this afternoon.  Admittedly I do have full license to be stressed right now... I had three midterms last week, my pre-op yesterday which meant a one day down one day back trip to Toronto, two midterms coming up this week, and then my surgery.  So yes, my life is crazy, but usually I can handle it... I just keep moving forward and I seem to eventually get through.  But today, this afternoon, I just all of a sudden couldn't handle it.  Part of it is that I just really, really need a break... (Nothing long, I would be happy with a day!)  But, that is not going to happen for a while, probably not until Christmas.
But Emily, I hear you say, what about after surgery?  Well all I have to say is have you ever recovered from surgery?  Well neither have I, but I can imagine that it is not really that restful. So that doesn't count.
And maybe you think I am being whiny when I say that right now my life is really hard and maybe compared to some, my life is easy, but right now for me it is hard.

But, I am really enjoying school (when it is not trying to kill me); I am so happy that my surgery is finally happening, and that I can begin to heal; my family is amazing, and loves me so much (even when I freak out :P); the fall colours are so beautiful where I am right now; and I know that God is always looking out for me, even when I feel overwhelmed.

I just need to remember to take one day at a time, and not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow is a new day.  Maybe that sounds a little too trite but it is just so true :)

I am hoping that tomorrow looks something like this :)

Sunday Social - September 23

I am so excited that I am on the ball enough to link up with Sunday Social this weekend :)

1. What is something you have wanted to do but are afraid of?

Cut my hair short :)  I know that it is just hair and it will grow out, but I think that I would either love it or hate it...

(Something like this if you are at all interested ;))

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Well, right now I am just focusing on getting through the next four in one piece.  :)

3. What are you looking forward to before the end of 2012?

Getting my knee fixed!

4. What are your hopes for your blog?

That it will continue to be a place where I can just be myself.

5. Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city?

No.  But you never know :)

6. What is your morning routine?

Wake up at 6:30, get dressed, do my hair/makeup, eat, throw my lunch into my bag, grab my travel mug, leave for school.  And that is pretty much it...  (I usually end up doing my makeup in the car though :)) 


Have a great week everyone!

Hi :)

Hey everyone :)  So it looks like my 'short hiatus' turned into a long one... 
My appointment with the surgeon went well (He is going to try to fix me!) and I have a tentative surgery date for October.  
We ended up staying in the Toronto area for the whole week getting some other stuff figured out which meant that by the time we got home I had four days to get all the final stuff together for my first year of university. (eep!) 
Needless to say I have been pretty focused on that ever since, and while I have tried to do a post or two since then my brain has just been too tired. But, I am going to try to get a post out at least once a week from now on (no promises though!).... 
I know that there are bloggers who can juggle the full time job/school thing and blog like every day, and I think that is absolutely amazing, but that is just so not me right now ;) 

In other news, I managed in all that in between time to get completely addicted to Dr. Who and Roswell...find some pants that fit over my brace...and do crazy amounts of studying :)

So, anyway, I hope you stick around through this journey of mine,  while it may be a bit intermittent it is sure to be amazing :)

a short hiatus

In the north of Spain

Hi everyone!  I am going to see another surgeon this week about my knee (fingers crossed!) and I will probably not be blogging while I am away...  But, I am going to leave you with some awesome links from all over the place to keep you busy :)


- This list of the 100 top YA novels is pretty good... I don't agree with all of it (hello 'Twilight'?) but it is still pretty cool :)

- I found these dresses the other day and I love both of them...  Which do you like best?   The blue or the red?

- This is one of my new favorite websites.  The captions are the best :)

- These Caramel Shortbread Bars look way too good!

- I really hope that my bedroom will look something like this when I am done whitewashing it.

- This is the most amazing men's dress shirt refashion I have seen yet!

- I really want to try making this nail polish.

-This song makes me want to dance :)

- My Milk Toof is so cute!

- This article about writing better than you normally do is super funny and maybe even true ;)

-I found this post on beauty is really powerful.

(Heads up, some of these links may have mildly offensive language)


Have a great Sunday!

silver and teal

It's Friday!  And, I am linking up with The Nail Files again :)

I have to say that I absolutely loved my nails this week :)  I wish I had been more on the ball and taken some pictures right away instead of after a few days of wear and tear though... 

Once again I have no idea what this is called or where I got it...  I have a  lot of people that just give me their old polish which I love but I have to admit makes posting about it a bit tricky ;)

Don't forget to go see what everyone else did with their nails this week :)

Happy Friday!

a quote for the day

Sunday Social - August 19

Linking up for the Sunday Social again!

This week you all get to relive middle school/high school with me ;)

1. What were you like in Middle School/HS?(pictures)

I kind of went through phases... The one where I was awkward and didn't know it, the one where I was awkward and knew it but didn't care, and the one where I was awkward but thought I wasn't. ;) 

I have only been out of high school for a year and a half, so I don't know that these pictures are particularly horrifying but here you go :)  

Grade 9/10

grade 10/11

Grade 12

and for some comparison: this summer :)

2.  What were your favorite pastimes?

Well in high school especially I spent a lot of my time dancing... Modern, ballet and a little bit of jazz :) I didn't have time for much else.

3. What songs were you obsessed with?(Backstreet Boys anyone?)

I hardly knew anything about popular music during high school... all I cared about was if I could choreograph to it :) I have always loved The Beatles though. 

4. What fashion statement do you look back on and cringe?

I don't know that there was anything particularly awful...  Or maybe it was so bad that I don't want to share it on the internet...  ;)

5. Who was your celeb crush?

Brad Pitt in Oceans Eleven. (But only Oceans Eleven)

via

6. What were your favorite tv shows/movies?

Well I obviously liked Oceans Eleven ;)  I think that my other favourites were the first Pirates movie, The Incredibles, and Sky High.  As far as tv shows go I liked Star Trek and Gilmore Girls.

Don't forget to go and see what everyone else has to say!

Have an amazing Sunday!

Pink and Sparkly

Linking up with The Nail Files again!

This week my nails ended up being pink and sparkly :)  Those of you who know me know that I am not a particularly pink or sparkly person but this week it just... worked.

Once again I have no idea where I got this nail polish or what brand it is... :P  That seems to be a recurring theme eh ;) 

Don't forget to go see what everyone else did with their nails this week :)

p.s. 

Sorry for the pictures....it has been cloudy here all week so I just had to work with what I had :)

the concept of sexy

“I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.” 

Emma Watson

via

I discovered this quote the other day and I have to say that I have quite a bit of respect for Emma Watson now.  Not that I didn't before, it was more that I didn't even pay attention... (for that matter I don't know that I am going to necessarily start hanging on her every word now or anything :))  I think that in a world that is currently idealizing 'sexy' something like this becomes harder to say. (Especially in an environment like the movie industry.)   I think that part of the reason I like it so much is because she not only talks about how weird the idea of sexy is on its own, she talks about the fact that it is often way 'sexier' when you aren't in everyone's face about it.  

What are your thoughts on sexy? 

Sunday Social - August 12

I know I am a bit late but I am linking up again with Neely and Ashley for Sunday Social week ten :)

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I really don't know.  The problem with this question is that no matter how much I like a food I know that if I had to eat only that for the rest of my life I would soon start to hate it.  So... no idea :) 

What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

I don't have one ...  Although if I have to choose one probably some kind of chips...

What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?

Well I did eat some tripe in Spain... I did not particularly enjoy it but the Spanish people I was with were super impressed ;)  

What foods do you avoid at all costs?

I am not a very picky eater... but I do try to avoid brussel sprouts and raw onion... I am not a huge fan of  cooked tomato and pepper either.  I love raw tomato and pepper though.

What meal reminds you of your childhood?

A dutch dish called Zuurkool Sofiya... It is totally awesome :)

Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

Mason Jar Brownies

Layer in 1 quart mason jar:

-1/2 c and 2 tbsp flour

-3/4 tsp salt

-1/3 c cocoa

-1/2 c flour

-2/3 c brown sugar

-2/3 c white sugar

-1/2 c chocolate chips

-1/2 c vanilla chips

When ready to bake, blend jar ingredients in a large bowl.

Stir in:

-1 tsp vanilla 

-2/3 c oil

-3 eggs

Bake in a greased 9x9 pan at 350 for 20- 30 min. 

These are the best brownies ever!  I make them all the time and I love that they are quick and easy to whip up :)  (They also make a great gift... Just give the jar with the dry ingredients and a tag with the rest of the instructions.)

They don't have much of a story that I know of... My mom has been making for as long as I can remember :)


I hope you all had a great Sunday! Did anyone else watch the Closing Ceremonies?  I loved the dancing at the end right before the extinguishing of the flame :) 

A quote to remember

Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see. 

-Corrie ten Boom

A short but serious post

Here's the thing.  I started this blog so that I would have a place to just talk about whatever I wanted to. To vent if I had a bad day or, I don't know, talk about eyeshadow and the financial state of the world at the same time if I wanted to.  But then something weird happened:  People started reading my blog!  So I kind of freaked out and was all like: 'Wow, now I need to be a real blogger and make sense and post all the time'.  And that of course led to posting hardly at all and finally not posting at all for a week.  Which makes no sense whatsoever because I started this blog so that I would have an outlet and cutting myself off from that just because of some sort of weird restriction that I am placing on myself about what is a real blog and what is not.  So, I am going to try really hard to just write normally...  Which will not be everyday and will not be great all the time but I will be writing for myself and enjoying it :)  And who knows it may just end up being fabulous after all ;)

P.S.
Please don't read this and think that in any way I am saying that I don't like people reading my blog because that is not what I am trying to say at all.  It is just a bit overwhelming :)

Sunday Social - August 5

Linking up with Sunday Social again! 

1. What is your favorite Fall activity?

Anything to do with leaves... I even like raking them ;)

2. Do you follow a football team? If so which one and why?

I don't follow football.  But if I were to watch then I guess any of the Canadian teams would work.

3. What is something fun about Fall in your area?

I don't know that we have anything that is particularly special... But I personally think that the leaves on my part of the world are some of the best :)

4. Fav Fall outfit staples?

Tall brown boots, blazers, scarves, jeans ... 

5. Thing you are looking forward to most about this coming Fall season?

Well, I really hope that I will starting university and I am pretty excited about that :)  

6. Favorite Fall holiday? Traditions?

Thanksgiving.  Turkey and pumpkin pie with mounds of whipped cream :)

And that is it for now :)  Next week is all about food and I may be just a bit too excited about it ;)  
I am going to watch the men's 100m final now... 
Have a great Sunday! :)

Sunday Social - July 29

Linking up for week 8 of Sunday Social! :)

1. What is your dream job?
One that I am excited to do everyday.

2. If you had just won the lottery and didn't need to work for money, what would you do with your time?
Travel!  And volunteer.  Probably somewhere with kids. :)

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Depends how young you are talking ;)  At different times I wanted to be a princess, a dancer, or a director :)

4. What piece of career advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?
Currently my 'field' is student so I think that I will pass on this one ;) 

5. Biggest Pet Peeves either in life or in blogging or at work?
Hypocrisy, posers, when people don't take the time to notice other people, when people wear clothing that doesn't fit.

6. Biggest Fears
Losing my family.  Never being able to walk again.


Have a great Sunday everyone! 

Summer colours

LInking up with The Nail Files again! :)

I decided to do a fun summer nail this week and I am totally loving it :)

I used:  an N.Y.C.orange, Sally Hansen Seashell, and a light blue that I have had for so long I don't even know what it is called :)

I am going to watch the  rest of the Opening Ceremonies now :) Is anyone else watching the Olympics this week?

A to Z

I saw this over at Mode Moods and thought that it looked fun :)


A. Age: 19

B. Bed size: Queen.  But that is not set in stone or anything :)

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the kitchen sink.  Only the kitchen sink though... I don't have a problem anywhere else... Strange, eh :) 

D. Dogs: Love them, have never (yet!) owned one.

E. Essential start to your day: Ten minutes to myself to wake up.

F. Favorite color: I actually do not have one... I think there are too many colours to choose just one :) (or two, or three :))

G. Gold or Silver: Silver!  

H. Height:  Just shy of 5' 4" 

I. Instruments you play: I used to play piano and I am learning/teaching myself how to play the guitar which I am loving.

J. Job title: Currently my job title is something along the lines of 'sit in bed until my knee gets better' :P

K. Kids: I love them :)  

L. Live:  Ontario, Canada

M. Mother’s name: Christine

N. Nicknames: Em and Bean.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Once.  After I got hit by the car. There could be more in my future... NOT something I am looking forward too :P

P. Pet peeves: Hypocrisy, posers, when people don't take the time to notice other people, when people wear clothing that doesn't fit.

Q. Quote from a movie: Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy. AND: Also, I can kill you with my brain.  I know that the second on is not really from a movie but I am going to go with it :)  


R. Right or left handed: Right. 

S. Siblings: Two younger brothers! :)


T. Time you wake up:  Currently anytime between 8 and 10...  Usually, 8/8:30.  But I love to sleep in :) 

U. Underwear:  Yes.

V. Vegetable you hate: I try to avoid brussel sprouts.  And raw onion.

W. What makes you run late: Thinking I have more time than I really do. 

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Both my feet multiple times for dance related stuff, my neck and back after the whole getting hit by a car debacle.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Pretty much anything baked but I think that the brownies are probably what I am known for... And, I tried to make a list of the other stuff but it got too long... I love cooking and baking :) Cooking for other people and baking for me ;)


Z. Zoo animal: I have always been partial to zebras.


And there you go!  My life from A to Z :)  


Have a great weekend everyone!  I am getting pumped for the Olympics tomorrow! :)

Random and disjointed ramblings...

Right now I am sitting in my bed looking out the window at the bits of trees and sunshine that are within my view, and listening to my mom, dad and aunt give a 'space lift' to our back hall (otherwise known as the black hole :)).

I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon in a week and even though I have been waiting three months for this I am nervous.  Is that strange?

I have been watching the Gilmore Girls lately and entirely enjoying it :)  They talk so fast and drink so much coffee :)

Maybe I am on a 'girly but not pink' kick because I have also been reading a lot of Ally Carter and Sarah Dessen...

Speaking of reading I just read the Percy Jackson series and I totally loved it :) It was modern but they didn't mess with the myths which is very important.

Because, I really, really hate it when they mess with stuff that was perfectly fine to begin with.

Last night I spoke only Spanish for like half an hour which would have been great except that no one in my family had any idea what I was saying ;)  I am starting to lose it though and I am sad about that...  There are some words that I reach for but can't quite remember.

We have family over, and this morning for no reason at all my cousins came over and gave me hugs...  best thing ever :)

Even though it is Thursday I feel like it is still Wednesday... It is like the sleep in the middle never happened... Maybe that is why I am so dozy today ;)

I feel a bit weird about putting this out there but it makes me feel better to write it...

I will be happy beyond belief when I can wear something other than leggings to exit the house.

I feel like I have kind of been dancing around the fact that I am injured and I feel like I should explain it but I don't even know where to start...

I found the most amazing earrings a few weeks ago and they are still making me happy :)

Now that I have started this stream of consciousness thing I have no idea how to end it...

But I feel like it is getting a bit long so I am going to say goodbye now...

...Bye :)

p.s. If you actually read all of that randomness then I am amazed. :)

Sunday Social - July 15

Another Sunday, another link up!  This week's Sunday Social is all about one of my favorite things, traveling :)  


Best trip you've ever been on?


I recently got back from a nine month trip to Africa and Spain.  It was pretty amazing :)

Conakry, Guinea

Madrid, Spain

Best idea for a girls weekend trip?


Road trip!  Or a week/weekend at a cottage somewhere.  Or better yet a road trip to a cottage somewhere :)

Best idea for a couples trip?


Mmm.. Anywhere with a beach :)

Santander, Spain

Best vacation on the cheap?


Camping!  My family and I have been camping since I was young and some of my favorite memories are from camping together :)  

Killbear provincial park

Place you most want to visit?

Oh, I have so many!  My top ten are probably PEI, Italy, Australia, Greece, the UK, France, India, Hawaii, Egypt and more of Spain.  I have also recently have a yen to see the west coast of the States... Maybe California?

Vacation/Travel necessities?

A trench coat, a versatile dress, jeans, a big hat, sunglasses, a water bottle, my Kindle, my journal, my sketch pad, a brush, some sort of shampoo/conditioner combo, Blistex, sunscreen, some neutral makeup, at least one bottle of nail polish and my laptop....  There is more but that is what springs to mind at the moment :)


Don't forget to head over to Neely's blog to check out the link up!


Have a great Sunday! :)

The Nail Files - July 13

Linking up with The Nail Files again!  I love the new button :)

This week I actually managed to paint my fingers and toes the same colour at the same time!  In my world that is pretty exciting ;)   

The nail polish is just a generic drugstore brand that I picked up in Spain :)

Backyard vacation

This afternoon I decided that I was going to take a little vacation.  In my backyard.  Seeing as there is no way I can go to the beach or the pool this year with my knee the way it is, much less go jet setting off on some amazing summer vacation... I thought that I would make the most of what I have.  I have done this before, but this time I thought I would take some pictures and share with you what I consider the perfect elements for a relaxing backyard vacation :) 

1. A big floppy hat, sunglasses and a good book.

2. A vacation spot.  A lounge chair, a hammock, or even a blanket on the grass... Whatever works for you!

3. Music!  Make sure to wear headphones though or keep the volume down...  I have had some neighbours who thought that the whole neighbourhood would like to listen to their music as well... all day. Not cool.  

4.Happy face! If you don't act like you are on vacation you won't feel like you are on vacation ;) 

Other randomness:

-Don't forget to wear sunscreen!

-This can be improved upon by food and drink... I suggest lemon water, sangria, frozen fruit, Pringles, popsicles...whatever your heart desires.  Remember, you're on vacation ;)  (for those of you that are wondering, I just had bottled water and gum today... not the most exciting but I went outside between lunch and supper so I wasn't that hungry :))

-Ignore your phone!  Treat it like a real vacation otherwise it doesn't work.

And, that's how I do a backyard vacation :)  Have a great night everyone!