we're ready

Finally, Halloween is here and the mini chocolate bars will no longer line our cupboards. I think we're onto our fifth bag! We needed this day to arrive. Badly. Have a great Halloween! Next year we'll have a mini pumpkin joining our crew.

my new vegan purse

Have you heard of Matt & Nat?  I love their company's brand - vegan friendly accessories lined with incredibly durable fabric that is created 100% from recycled plastic bottles. Animal friendly, environmentally friendly and stylish? I'm a fan. Here's some background info on the company. A local store in Vancouver (Obsessions) had a sale on Matt & Nat purses this weekend, so I splurged as a late birthday gift to myself. Inside the purse was a little quote tucked inside: Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself. Love this company.

Illuminate your weekend

a new life

I got to visit my friend's beautiful new daughter Elle yesterday. She is such a sweet little soul. I just know she's going to learn so many amazing qualities from her moms and in return their hearts will never be the same. It won't be long before baby Elle realizes just how lucky she is to be born into the family she now has. I already feel like the world is a better place with this little girl in it. Holding her, while sitting in the rocking chair, just made me overwhelmingly ready to meet our baby. I can't wait. Just the idea of knowing that soon I'll be able to look into my child's eyes makes me giddy.

Boo!

Here are a few festive homes in our area. I'm always amazed that some people really do go all out for Halloween. In the bottom photo, the family has set up a Christmas tree in their living room decked out in Halloween lights. Do you like Halloween? Have you ever walked through a haunted house? Check out these photos of people being scared out of their wits: Niagara Falls Fear Factory photos. I'm so curious as to what happens there because it is only approx. 15 minutes to walk through and yet over 100,000 people have chickened out part way, too frightened to continue. We walked through a creepy tomb with live actors once at Universal Studios in California and needless to say, I'm pretty happy that photos weren't snapped back then and plastered on Facebook.  I swear all of the colour drained out of me (which isn't easy because I'm about as pale as they come), and there's a very good chance my hair was standing completely on end. Actors literally jump out at you down dark passageways or sneak up and tap your back. I remember jumping into my hubby's arms and screaming like a crazed little girl when an actor, dressed as a mummy, grabbed my shoulder. It is possible that I screamed so loudly, I frightened the actor. Do you like watching scary movies on Halloween? If I can cling to someone, I can watch them, but solo? Forget about it. Movies that completely scared me were The Ring  and Paranormal Activity where it's more about what you don't see than what you do.

Changes

Are you a person that thrives on change or are you happiest when you are surrounded by familiarity?

I'm definitely a person who loves change - for me it keeps me on my toes and feeds my curiosity. I'm happiest when travelling to a new place, camera in hand, discovering things for the first time. I think that's why every year I make myself a list of places I want to see, things I want to try, accomplishments I hope to achieve. That's why I love new destinations, new restaurants, mixing with different people, taking classes, devouring books, trying new recipes - it keeps everything feeling fresh, invigorated - gives me a sense of renewal. Do you categorize yourself as someone who loves change or do you feel happiest with more of a routine? Does it scare you to try new things? If there's one certainty in life, it's that you cannot stop change. Try to do something that is out of your comfort zone - it's the quickest way to grow as a person. 

The Great Pumpkin Patch Caper

This weekend we headed to the Country Pumpkin Patch in Richmond to get our pumpkin fix on. It was a lot of fun seeing the animals, taking wagon rides to the pumpkin patch (each wagon is equipped with knee slappin singers), mucking our way through the corn maze and combing the fields for the best carve-worthy pumpkins we could get our cotton pickin' hands on. Word to the wise: remember to pack your rubber boots and a change of shoes for afterwords. I actually saw a woman attempting to climb through the mud in a pair of ballet flats (I guess common sense really is a gift).  If we hadn't fuelled up for a delicious brunch at Brown's Social House first, I would have been ALL OVER the pumpkin patch's mini donut stand. It was so much fun spending the afternoon watching our friend's little bambino react to everything. I can't wait to show our little baby days like these. I hope you had a great weekend!