My Favourite Things About Fall.

The Fall season has absolutely, 100% arrived here in Maryland.

Do I like that the weather is getting colder? No.
Do I enjoy having to wear layers upon layers of clothing in my own home? No.
Do I look forward to having to wake up at 5:45 AM only to open my eyes to nothing but total darkness? No!
Am I attracted to all of this insanely-tacky-redneck-backyard-Halloween decor? Uhh, no.
Do I love the colour orange? NO. Absolutely not.

Reading what I've just written, I can totally understand if you assume that I'm some kind of Autumn "Scrooge". Haha! Trust me, I'm not! Every season has its own set of pros and cons, and those just happen to be my "cons". So, to redeem my pessimistic tendencies, I decided to make a list of my top favourite things about the season of Fall. Some are cliche and others are just a bit out of the ordinary. Enjoy! ;)

1. Let us begin with the most obvious of them all, shall we? PUMPKIN SPICED LATTES FROM STARBUCKS. I love this $5.00 drink to bits and pieces. The only good thing about this drink coming to its seasonal end is that Starbuck's Caramel Brulee Latte makes its big reveal! Eeee!!

2. One of my most favourite things about Fall is that October and November are the months when Taylor Swift has released every single one of her albums. When the leaves start to change and the air gets a little crisper, Taylor Swift is all I ever play. Of course she releases albums every few years, so in years such as this one when no new album is being released, I listen to ALL of her music on repeat. Hopelessly, fall will always remind me of Taylor Swift.

3. This one is yet another obvious one, but I love the vibrant colours of the leaves. I really don't think that someone could ever appreciate autumn leaves as much as the girl who moved from the Canadian prairies to the eastern coast of the USA. (I'm talking about me, here!) My childhood autumns consisted of one week of beautiful, fluffy, colorful trees. Before I'd know it, the wind would circle around once and the trees would reveal themselves....totally naked. Depressing, I know! Whereas in Maryland, autumn lasts SOOOO long! It's amazing! And every day on my drive home from work my eyes are just taken captive by the trees, and I somehow put my body on "auto-pilot" when driving. I am such a good multitasker...

4. September will always bring back good memories for me because it's the start of the academic school year. All the way until high school I couldn't sleep the night before the very first day because I'd be so excited! My new back-to-school outfit was always laid out on the floor, and my backpack full of new binders and clean notepaper was right there next to it. And after graduation, every September I'd wake up in a different place...British Columbia, Germany, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and now for the second autumn in a row: Maryland. New beginnings and fresh starts have always been my thing.

5. Thanksgiving with family. A date marked on the calendar for the whole family to be together around a table full of delicious food?! A holiday dedicated entirely on FOOD and FAMILY? Yes please.

6. The only, only, only positive outcome of the weather getting colder is that my desire for scorching hot food increases. Yes, I'm talking soup! Soup is one of my favourite things to cook, and in the past three days I have cooked three different soups. Creamy Broccoli soup (at work), Vegetarian Vegetable soup (at work), and my personal favourite which I made at home: Farmer Sausage Potato Bacon Corn Chowder. It is as a mouthful to say as it is a mouthful to eat.

7. Hockey season begins! Watching the Winnipeg Jets are one of mine and Jarryd's most favourite things to do! (Unfortunately, they lost last night 4-1... :'( But, we shall prevail!) It is so much fun cozying up on the couch with Cokes, Beers, and oodles & toodles of junk food and cheering our Jets on. (And how lucky am I that my husband's favourite team is my very own hometown team?! Whaaat?!) Together we have been to two Jets games, and this winter we are planning to change that to a whopping three!

Because I simply cannot think of anymore...The End! I hope you feel inspired to go out and invest your hard earned cash into a $5.00+ drink from Starbucks. <3 ;)

Home Decor.

Our apartment is coming together quite nicely, and this picture of a corner in our living room pretty much sums up my interior decor style;

Mirrors, gold, plants/greenery, world maps, New York City, wooden accents, and sheer white curtains welcoming in the natural light.

The only thing missing is something über feminine like frilly pink peonies. ;)

Back in the U.S. of A!

Well, I'm back!

My very first trip to Canada as merely a "visitor" has come and gone. Eleven days sure fly by. Eleven amazing days, actually. ;)

While in Canada, I was really excited to get back to the US. I was missing Jarryd, my apartment, and my routine; but I was more excited to get back with new goals in mind and to start things afresh here.

I'm currently on my third day back here in Maryland, and I have already been flummoxed in whirlwind of emotions. I was so happy to see Jarryd, but sad at the thought of no longer being able to call up my best friends and hang out at their house or invite them over. I was sad I couldn't see my parents on a weekly basis, or anyone in my family for that matter.

Without a doubt the biggest sacrifice of moving to a new country have been my family and friends. Nothing could ever top that. I love Canada, and my family and friends are what Canada is to me.

I'm happy, I'm sad, and I'm also fearful.

I'm scared that nothing is going to change. I'm scared that I'll be living in this restless state of mind forever, working at a job that isn't my dream job, and longing for a depth in relationship with family and friends that I may never achieve here.

Take it one day at a time, I suppose.

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:22-26

P.S.- A blog post about my Canada trip is in the works! Stay tuned! :)

Layover in the Twin Cities.

Ahh airports, I have always loved airports.

Ok that is a total lie.

Clearly I have been repressing my childhood memories of getting overactive butterflies in my stomach any time I would even step foot into an airport. Not to mention the extreme nausea inside of an airplane.

Nonetheless, that was then and this is now. My fear of airline terminals has long subsided and now when I step into an airport I feel nothing but excitement.

It is quarter to seven (PM) and I'm sitting in the Minneapolis International Airport, in Minnesota.

I'm drinking my liquid version of my saving grace, Starbucks, and reading my shiny brand new book, Why Not Me? to fulfill my craving for comedic and raw literature. Obviously I ripped the jacket off of the book because we can all agree that book jackets are insufferably irritating, yes?

Just the fact that I am presently in the state of Minnesota is just so grand! Firstly, I love this state. I've been to it many times! I have the fondest of memories road tripping to Valley Fair with my siblings, and camping with my cousins in their camper. And let's not forget how great the Minnesota Wild is!

But most of all, this moment is so crazy because I am literally a six hour drive from my hometown. SIX HOURS! I haven't been this close to my Canadian home in a year and four months. It's both and amazing yet surreal feeling. It hasn't quite hit me yet that in just a few days I will be back there, seeing all of my friends and family once again.

And it  hasn't quite hit me that in less than four hours I will be hugging my second oldest sister and brotherinlaw. How amazing will that be?!

I have missed my Canadian home so so much. A part of me is scared I'm never gonna want to come back to my Maryland home. Haha! But don't worry, I left my hubby behind and I could never leave him for longer than I already am, I honestly miss him already! *blush*

This may just be the best Thanksgiving yet! :)

See you on the almost-frozen Canadian soil!

Canadian Thanksgiving!

Strawberry blonde hair, don't care! ;)

This girl is off to the Canadian prairies. First stop, Thanksgiving in cowboy land. Second stop, roadtrip to German-town.

Yippeeee!! I couldn't be more happy!