Sunday, May 31, 2015

Life Lately: May Flowers!

April Showers brought May Flowers
But now it has all come to an end. 
June is near so let's all give a cheer 
for Summer to begin! 


I can't believe that today marks the end of the month of May! On days when I was missing my Tom, it felt like May would never end. But now that it has come to a close, I have no idea where the time went so I'm popping in to share a quick recap of my Month.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Steam Whistle!

One of the best ways to drink in a new city is to drink their local brews (see what I did there?). We had lots of delicious local beers while in Toronto thanks to breweries like The Mill Street Brew Pub and Great Lakes Brewery. One locale that is the epitomy of Toronto was the Steam Whistle Brewery. It's a place full of amazing people, delicious beer, and an interesting history. As the Steam Whistle Brewery was just across the street from our favorite Toronto activity, we decided to take a brewery tour. 

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

May Budget

Between paying for helicopter rides and sky-edge walking during last month's trip and my oh so overboard spending on clothes in April, I was really looking for May to be a no-buy month. Every year, I have at least one no-buy month where I'm not allowed to spend any money on clothes. It's always really good for me because it gives me a chance to reign things in while forcing myself to really take a look at my closet. That is exactly what happened this month as I rediscovered this old favorite. Thankfully, it's still available and I would definitely recommend it.  And does anyone else have clothes with price-tags still on just sitting in their closet? I'm totally guilty of that and not buying any clothes during May gave me the opportunity to remedy that by wearing some cute summer fashions here and here



May Total: $0 
Yearly Total $1500-$50 [January]-$160 [February]-$75 [March]-$317[April]-$0[May]=
$898 remaining for the year 

Linking up with BudgetingBloggers

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Walking the Edge of CN Tower

Most days Tom and I get so caught up in the seriousness of earning our doctorate degrees that we forget to truly appreciate what a wonderful adventure this life can be. I love that we are both making moves to pursue our dreams and better ourselves, but in the process we sacrifice a lot. I feel like we are constantly teetering on the edge between wanting to a be carefree twenty-somethings vs. making valuable decisions for our future. So whenever we get a chance to step away from some of the seriousness, we take it. 
And when there aren't any opportunities to do so, we create them! 
Life afforded us 4 blissful days in Canada and we took complete advantage it. When we arrived in Canada's capital city of Toronto, our first stop was the CN Tower. It's one of tallest structures in the world and so it can be seen dominating the skyline throughout the city. 
It's a must see if you're ever in Toronto because of the spectacular 360 degree views. You can see the entire city and beyond. It's pretty astounding to be in a building this tall and look down on skyscrapers that you have to crane your neck to see fully from the ground below. 
While we enjoyed the views from the SkyPod, we wanted a little more adventure so we decided to participate in the EdgeWalk. And I think it's fair to say it's one of the more adventurous things that we've done. 
After signing a death waiver, suiting up, and having our harnesses checked a couple dozen times, it was time to take the elevator to the top. 
I know that it should have been reassuring that the staff repeatedly checked that our harnesses were secure, but instead it freaked me out. Every time my harness was checked, it reminded me how much my safety absolutely depended on a strip of fabric and a few metal buckles. 
Once the doors opened to the outside, everything in me wanted to stop. Ahead of me, I could see nothing but sky and we could see through the thin grate beneath our feet. The wind up there literally pushes you inwards as you fight to walk out onto the platform. I've never claimed to be brave. Even as a kid when everyone else was jumping off swings and swinging on monkey-bars, I was very aware of the potential dangers. But if I don't conquer my fears by being a little reckless now (while I'm in my twenties) then when will I? 
I think that Tom described it best when he called in unnatural. It was unnatural to go against my instincts, but boy was it worth it! 
I wish that I were a better writer just so that I could describe how amazing this adventure really was, but for now I'm hoping that these photos help do the trick. 
Don't you just love that the only thing we're attached to is this pulley system?

If you are like me and you have a bucket list full of adventures, add this one to your list. It was definitely one of our best adventures yet. Being able to lean over Toronto's skyline was the best way to experience this city. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Toronto Stole our Hearts!

Although most of our time in Toronto was overcast, the clouds did not mar our view
 of this amazing city.
In fact, Toronto is one of my favorite cities that I've visited yet! 
I wasn't all that impressed with Paris. And I've yet to be seduced by New York. 
But Toronto....
Well Toronto stole our Hearts! 
 Toronto is filled with so much diversity that it feels like it could burst, but there is a mutual respect here for all. The city has seamlessly blended the best of so many worlds and that's why we love it so much. From Downtown to The Distillery District to Graffiti Alley to the Toronto Islands---we explored it all. 



I spy with my little eye...a guy in yellow. 
There are three things that need to be apart of every great trip
(1) a little shopping...
(2) a fun travel partner...
AND
(3) lots of sweet treats...
Beautiful Buildings Reminiscent of Europe!
and Graffiti Alley was one of our favorites 
Plus Toronto offered us the best Mexican that I've ever tasted! 
Toronto is a city that entices all the senses 

Toronto tastes like macarons and lots of authentic cuisine

Toronto sounds like one of the most diverse cities in the world with many different languages mingling into one 

Toronto smells like the freshly brewed Maple Syrup Beer that fills the local breweries

Toronto looks like the perfect blend of old and new...thanks to Golden skyscrapers sitting alongside classical Victorians

but most importantly 

Toronto feels like the best place to be for adventures and exploration. 
And that's our kind of city. 

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Navy Stripes & Dots

I was playing dress up in my closet the other day, while talking on the phone with Husband. I mentioned to him that I've been adding a lot of Navy to my closet lately. "It's one of my new favorite colors" I told him. Then Tom very politely pointed out that they are all my favorite colors. Well there's no denying that. But in the past, I'd always thought of navy as a neutral rather than a color. And I'm sure you guys have noticed that don't wear a whole lot of neutrals, I prefer to keep things colorful around here. But lately I've been viewing Navy as a color so I have been adding it to my closet more and more. It's deep and vibrant and bold. And I love it even more when it's incorporated into my favorite patterns of stripes and polka dots. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Snapshots [05-15-15]

Lately it seems that every week is bursting with things that need my attention...to-do lists to complete, errands to run, patients to treat. Every Monday, I feel a little overwhelmed wondering how everything is going to get done because the days are flying by way too fast. How are we already halfway through May? With all this chaos, it's more important than ever to remember to pause and acknowledge all the little things. And Friday seems like the perfect time to do so....on that note, here are a few Snippets from my week. 


Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Playing Favorites

One of the best (and worst) parts about being a fashion blogger is that I have a detailed account of everything that I wear. A big perk of chronicling my wardrobe, is that it's easy to ensure that I'm rotating the pieces in my closet and not repeating outfits, but every once in a while I decide that I don't care. Sometimes, I just want to reach for a piece that I know works for me. Today is one of those days...I'm playing favorites.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

JumpSuits and Sun Hats

Happy Saturday!
This past week was pretty great for me. I ended up with two days off of school. I spent that time studying, which meant there was less work for me to do this weekend. I don't get a whole lot of "me" time so this is a big deal. This weekend will be my last "free" weekend for a while so I'm enjoying it to the fullest. I spent the day in the city, including lunch with an old friend and I'm on my way home to spend Mother's Day with my family.