February 21, 2016

catching up

Hello friends! I hope you've been well. This space has been terribly neglected and I have missed writing here. Because of the delays between posts on my blog, I've decided not to use this blog to play catch up on my photo-a-day project. If you'd like to follow along on my 366, please look me up: kellyalexwilliams on Instagram. For those of you who don't use Instagram, you can create an account without ever posting photos. Personally, I love Instagram way more than Facebook, so much so that I hardly ever look at Facebook anymore. I love perusing people's amazing photos and reading their creative captions. I hope you'll try checking it out if you haven't.
For the past week, my hubby and I have been doing a cleanse: no alcohol, dairy, wheat, or sugar for two weeks. Sounds fun right? Honestly, I haven't felt this good in so long. It makes me realize that something in my diet was making me feel terribly sluggish. I haven't felt that afternoon crash in energy since we started eating this way and my clothes are feeling looser around the waist. Surprisingly, it isn't too hard to eat with these restrictions. We've been varying our breakfasts between oatmeal and eggs, have been eating a lot of salads for lunch and dinners have consisted of grilled chicken or fish and veggies, sushi, chilli, things along those lines.  On this plan, you're allowed to have coffee, but no dairy, so I've been putting soy milk in it. I think I just heard you shudder. The first day I thought the soy/coffee combo tasted like ass, but because I cannot forgo my java, I've grown used to the flavour and don't mind it now. Unfortunately, there's no black tea on this plan, since it contains yeast, so my hubby, who is a giant tea drinker, has had to switch to herbal tea. I'm pretty sure I saw a tear fall into his first mug of herbal tea. He said by far it has been his biggest adjustment on this plan. We have definitely found this to be a great experiment and it has shown us where there was room for improvement in our diet before. Have you ever tried to re-vamp your diet? What did you discover? I definitely have discovered that snacking on cheese is a lot more fun than brown rice cakes, and that beer is more delicious on a Friday than shouting cheers over a pair of ice waters with lemon slices, but we are definitely feeling a lot better.
Here are a few of my favourite shots from the week. I promise to write more often and hope that you all had a fantastic weekend!





xo


February 8, 2016

the week in photos....

 2.2.16 You had me at lemon square.
 2.3.16 I sometimes think only children are given a bad rap about being "spoiled". I haven't met one yet who falls into that stereotype. Most of my daughter's friends are only children and my mom was too, and let me tell you, they are the warmest souls whose friendships go the extra mile. They adopt their own people to be the siblings of their dreams.
 2.4.16 This is what happens when it is 11 pm and I haven't taken my photo of the day yet. This is my little inspiration corner of the office where I rotate photos from our travels and books that inspire me.
 2.5.16 We had a wonderful date night in the city. Craig's company held a 10 course Chinese dinner in celebration of the New Year. It was a surreal experience from start to finish at the restaurant, watching one woman grab the microphone, and start singing original songs, and to see the reaction of others videotaping her and snapping photos like she was a rock legend. We snuck out to Portland Craft and before we knew it, 10 of the funniest people from our dinner joined us - it was an awesome night.

 2.6.16 We were out celebrating my friend Janet's birthday. I have known her since I was a baby and she is everything you could hope for in a friend. I would happily celebrate her any day.
2.7.16 I snapped this after a beautiful day spent in Fort Langley. I found this quote which seems to sum up perfectly how I feel after time spent in the great outdoors: "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees."
2.8.16 Family Day. It was a gorgeous day from the get go. We spent the morning exploring one of our favourite parks, brought Craig's mom some flowers for receiving great news from her doctor and I had some time for myself, to sit in the sun on mom's grave, and to thank her for her extraordinary love that was so tangible in all the years we shared. This day was such a gift. My family means everything to me - I'd honestly follow my big loves anywhere. xo

February 1, 2016

for the love of....




I can honestly tell you, that today was one of those great days. I'm so eternally grateful that my happiness stems from simplicity, because not only is it affordable (I don't have to be standing on the Eiffel tower for this magnitude of bliss), but it is also plentiful. Today I got to watch my nephew read a book to us, slowly sounding out some words, but always piecing it together on his own. I got to share giggles over waffles at a delicious local favourite spot with my dad and his grandchildren. We went on a crisp, sunny walk around the bay, pointing out Eagles and picking up sticks. Then after our visit, my daughter and I took my friend's dog for a walk to help her out, and had our own mini adventure exploring trail after beautiful trail with no set timelines. On our way home, we saw a soccer ball sitting on a local field, and pulled over to play a mini pick up game, then left it there for the next kids. Dinner with my loves was followed by another fun dance class, and movement combined with great music almost (almost) makes me forget I'm exercising. Everyone is different, and for that I am truly grateful, but I can't help but try, and try, and try again, to let you in on a secret, that simplicity is the key to happiness. Don't pack your days with so many things that you schedule away your happiness. Also, don't try to buy into someone else's idea of what you should be doing to be happy. Don't forget to try and inject some small thing into each day that brings you true joy. Pay attention. What is really lifting your spirit? What makes you feel so alive in the moment that you forget time is passing by? Today somehow the simple combination of: running outside, time with family, sharing coffee with my dad, taking photos, feeling the sun on my face, kicking a soccer ball, listening to my niece and nephew animatedly relay tiny details of their lives, recapping the day with my love over tea - somehow was the right combination to make this day feel remarkable.
xoxo