changing direction

This month has been heavily based in photography, so I thought I'd take a moment to write a little more in depth. Is there something that holds you back from living your life to the fullest? I have seen some friends tackle their issues with tremendous success (through books, courses or counselling) and some friends who just accept their anxieties as a part of who they are and let them dictate/ruin their lives to some extent by living a much smaller life than they deserve. Becoming a new parent, I want to show my daughter how important it is to live her biggest life. I have been burdened with social anxiety, which is really challenging because I love being around people. I am painfully shy and yet feel most alive when I am connecting with others. I push through it a lot of the time by accepting most social invitations because I know the payoff is worth it, but there are days when I become a bit of a hermit rather than put myself out there. I know my shyness stems from low self confidence, which I am working hard at building. With confidence comes the ability to make decisions with ease, to trust your instincts and not allow fear to dictate any direction in your life. It's funny because there are some things I've done that others would be afraid of, like fly to Louisiana on my own to help build houses after Hurricane Katrina hit, when I knew no one. I made a speech at my friend's wedding without being nervous at all. And yet, I am paralyzed with fear to work the room at a cocktail party. Perhaps I am airing all my secrets, but I want to let people know that we all have our own issues. Some choose to work on them diligently and some people tend to put their issues on the back burner. I don't want my issues to impact the lives of those I love. I want to be an inspiration to my daughter, to show her that we can do/be whatever we put our mind to and not let our anxiety dictate our path. So, over the next while (months? years? lifetime?) I will work hard on my issues so that I live life to the fullest and can help instill confidence in my daughter. I promise to pass along any epiphanies to you, in case I can help one person. Okay, a little heavy handed right before a long weekend, but I just wanted to speak from the heart. xo

not stirred

august 26th photo challenge prompt: Dream
I saw the light reflected on my wall and tried to create a dreamy silhouette. In hindsight, it's pretty funny that my dream is to have a martini.

shop local

August 25th photo challenge prompt: Fresh
Straight from the farm to the table. Love it.

the path of least resistance

August 24th photo challenge prompt: path
Walking through the park is part of our daily routine which seems to give us all a good boost.

whistler - a mountain of fun

Hi friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We ventured up to Whistler and had the. best. time. We finally have figured out how to travel with a baby - rent a condo. It was worlds easier (and half the price) of hotel rooms. We shared a two bedroom/two bathroom condo with our friends and it worked like a charm. We booked a place that had a swimming pool and was across the street from the village's playground. It was the perfect spot because we could come and go depending on their sleep schedules. And at night, once the kids were tucked in bed (sweet victory!) we could make a delicious dinner and stay up late visiting. The men and women traded off taking care of the babes so that we could take advantage of some downhill biking. I've done the ziptrekking and ATV rides at Whistler, but you get the most bang for your buck doing the downhill riding. You get to see Whistler's amazing scenery from the chair lifts and then get an adrenaline boost as you speed down the hillside on your bike. I rented a bike, the armour and got a three lift pass for $110. Each run down takes approx. half an hour. And, just like skiing, you can make it as easy or challenging as you'd like - the rides are based on your skill level (green - beginner, blue - intermediate and black diamond runs for the technical wizards/batshit crazy). There is something empowering about being geared up in body armour, letting go of the brakes and feeling yourself pick up speed (and then quickly grabbing the brakes, of course). At one point, I found myself shouting out, "this is so much fun!" You're only as old as you feel right? (Don't get the crow's feet fool you!) I hope you had a rad weekend and continue to push yourself out of your comfort zone because great things can happen.
xo

these shoes weren't made for walkin

August 23rd photo challenge prompt: pair
Black slingback heels I bought for a friend's wedding. Some people call heels "come f' me shoes...."....I like to call them "f me these hurt" shoes.

home is wherever i'm with you

August 22 photo challenge prompt: Home
For me home is a feeling instead of a place. There are some precious souls who make me feel at home, wherever we are. This little sidekick of mine always makes me feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

ice ice baby

Sorry for the delay in publishing photos this week, life has been very busy - which I secretly love.
August 21 photo challenge prompt: cool
I didn't have the Fonz available to photograph, so this was the next thing that came to mind for cool.

pretty in pink

Day 20 photo challenge prompt: Today

I didn't think anything too noteworthy would happen yesterday because it was a typical errands/dog walking/park visiting kind of day. In the morning I had to go to the passport office in Richmond to expedite my passport renewal for a friend's upcoming wedding. While waiting (and waiting) for my number to be called, one of the Real Housewives of Vancouver (Reiko), or as I like to call her, the normal one, sat down next to me. It was a pretty funny dynamic. If you could put a split screen between us, you'd see me juggling a squirming/fussy baby shaking my car keys with crazed fervour while her nanny tended to her daughter as she sat calmly texting on her phone. She was sporting a stylish Louis Vuitton satchel and I had baby bottles sticking out of my vegan purse made from recycled materials. I'm not a materialistic person (which you have noticed by now) but I have never been so aware of how mismatched my outfit was and how un-manicured my toes were, sticking out of my flip flops like gnarled tater tots, as I was in that moment. Of course we loaded up our vehicles at the same time and as luck would have it my dirty (lived in?) truck was parked alongside her sparkling range rover, but the real question one asks is, is she happy? She appeared to be, and fit, and relaxed. But hey, I've got laugh lines and lines to show I've lived, and a waist to show I enjoy food...and.....

holy roller

august 19th photo challenge prompt: hole
This is a photo of my cheese grater held outside with our green grass peeking through.
I like how the pattern looks like olives.

giddy up

august 18th photo challenge prompt: inside
It is ironic that saturday's photo challenge was "inside" since I spent the entire day outside - here's a quick self portrait on our way out the door.
On a personal note, I'm so happy on the inside these days, I hope it shows on the outside.

Happy Friday!

Have a relaxing weekend! What is on your agenda? Our friends are hosting a party at the beach - swimming, paddleboarding and grilling sound just fiiiiine by me on this beautiful sunny weekend. I won't be sporting any itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka dot bikini, I tend to lean towards the long board shorts and tank top until I get this bod back (It's in there somewhere!). This photo was taken from my friend's patio at Pender Island. Don't you feel like stretching out on that sailboat like you're starring in Duran Duran's Rio video? (Yes, that's right, I'm full of fresh references). Whatever you get up to this weekend, I hope it is full of belly laughs and high fives (because that implies that you or someone in your vicinity have said something so clever that it simply can't be left hanging without hands clapping in the air). Enjoy!

say cheese!

Day 17 photo challenge prompt: faces

This little gal sports my favourite face in all the land. (ps. don't judge me for using a tea towel as her bib).

and they ate cake

Day 16 photo challenge prompt: Food.
Last night I had a delicious dinner with a wonderful cast of characters. Beautifully prepared food is an art form all of its own. Food has quickly become one of my favourite subjects to photograph (and inhale).

All systems ready

Day 15 photo challenge prompt: Ready
Once the little one goes down for her first nap, I get my station ready: Breakfast, coffee (mandatory!), a book and my Ipad (I know some people actually skip a step and read books on Ipads, but I still haven't been able to let go of holding a book in my hands yet).

cupid's real arrow is aero

Day 14 photo challenge prompt: arrow.
Okay, so I went with a variation on the spelling - but since my archery set is non existent, I went with the next best thing - Aero - bubbly deliciousness. The knife and fork are a nod to Seinfeld.

ahoy!

Day 13 photo challenge prompt: simple
Sailing itself isn't simple, but I thought my friend's mantle had such a clean, simple look

could I have some more please?

August 12th photo challenge: spoon
I hope you had an amazing weekend! We ventured out to see the Canadians play this afternoon, but it was sold out when we got there - note to self - always pre-order tickets online. But, we picked up some paninis, spread out a blanket and had a lovely Plan B at Queen Elizabeth Park. I missed having a veggie dog and brew in the sun, but it ended up being a great afternoon. We steered clear of the geese in the park, after my new aversion. I'm taking the little bean away for a few days on our first solo travel experience tomorrow, fingers crossed we have no whammies! I'll update the blog on our return. xo

the bees knees

August 11th photo challenge prompt: purple

put a ring on it

Day 10 photo challenge prompt: Ring
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have an amazing weekend lined up for yourselves! I'm looking forward to my first haircut in three months - a small hedge looks better than my head right about now. We're going to take little miss to her first baseball game - I'm wondering if it'll just put her to sleep like it does when she watches it on TV with dad.
xo

Messy

Day 9 photo challenge prompt: Messy
There were SOOO many options for this topic, but when Stella found my magazine and ripped it to shreds, it was perfect timing. It's funny, the first page she ripped was a photo of our Premiere. Just sayin'.

Whistler 2012

This was our first trip to Whistler with a baby in tow. It was an awesome getaway and yet completely different from our past trips. For example, this time round, we traded in ziplining for playground time, traded in late night pubs for late night in room drinks/movies, and swapped up downhill biking for hiking. We were able to catch a free Spirit of the West concert in Olympic Park, which was an unexpected surprise (they used to be huge in my university days). They put on a great show. It was such an amazing setting to hear them play with the gorgeous mountains serving as a beautiful backdrop. It really felt like a full circle moment to share a band I enjoyed when I was young with my little girl.

Travelling with a baby takes getting used to because you are challenged by planning your day around their schedule and trying to adapt them to a new environment. The hotel provided a crib, but it was this white cast iron number that looked like something out of a hospital. It was funny, she had a little plastic cup that she was running along the bars like a prisoner in a jail cell. Needless to say, she refused to sleep in it and wound up between us. We would trade off time with one another if we wanted to check out shops/workout and sometimes had to eat in shifts. Life becomes a bit of a balancing act. But it is important to us that we continue to travel.  This was our sixth getaway as a family and it gets noticeably smoother (although I still haven't found a way to streamline her luggage situation, sweet mother these babies don't travel light!). We shared one bag to her four (clothes/toys/food/diapers).  Taking her swimming and watching her giggle and splash about was definitely the highlight for me. As she evolves, so do we.

ice ice baby

Day 8 photo challenge prompt: glasses

lucky 13

Day 7 photo challenge prompt: 8 o'clock.
On August 7th at 8 o'clock we were sitting down to dinner to celebrate our 13th anniversary. We noshed on Chinese takeout and listened to the crazy thunderstorm outside. Craig is the funniest and kindest man I know, which is an amazing combination. I lucked out that he is also an incredible dad, completely enthusiastic and involved, which is damn sexy in my books.

is the writing on the wall?

Day 6 photo challenge prompt: writing

Is writing going to eventually become a lost art? It is so strange how the only writing I encountered on Monday (except for my grocery list) was on my Starbucks cup. 

I remember when my friends and I used to write (and mail) letters to each other. How old am I? 

no thanks

Day 5 photo challenge prompt: Logo

This was my water cup at the restaurant. I can't say I'm a pop drinker. Remember their slogan, I'd like to buy the world a coke? How rich would that person have to be, and is that really the best use of their money?

rest stop

Day 4 Photo challenge prompt: somewhere you sat

We took a break in Squamish on our way to Whistler so that the little one could crawl around to her heart's content. Translation: We really wanted her to get sleepy.

Happy Friday!

I woke up to four of these little bandits playing in the tree by our fence. The middle photo cracks me up because it's like they are saying, "So, what's our game plan? Should we keep playing or completely attack the bejesus out of this woman?" I hope you have an amazing weekend! We're celebrating my hubby's birthday, Whistler style!

I'll check back in with you in a few days. I hope your weekend is an awesome mix of play and rest, like this guy: the dude was seriously lounged out on my fence. 

spare change

Day 3 photo challenge prompt: coin

I wasn't very inspired by the word coin, as you may have noticed. Do you have one of these bowls in your house that you keep topping up with loose change piling it strategically so that you never have to roll it?

I'll just take one....

Day 2 photo challenge prompt: one
I love these roadside signs. I can't help but picture someone sitting at a roadside stand with one little blueberry on the table for sale.

August photo a day

Happy August lovely people! I'm going to do Fatmumslim's August photo challenge because it's a fun and creative way to keep up with photography.
Day 1 photo prompt: outside