BEST MOMENTS FROM 2014

BEST MOMENTS FROM 2014

In 2014 I was definitely tested, challenged, and faced hardships. However, it was also a year full of love and magic, so I think that when it is all said and done it balanced itself out nicely. I already wrote about my new years resolutions here, but I thought I would round up the best moments of the year in pictures since I am always found with some sort of camera in my hand. 


2014 started out with me making the decision to go back to school! It has been the hardest and most rewarding experiences this year. I am so in love with the program, and a year later I am about to enter into my last semester!


Spent the first day of 2014 at the stone house we love to photograph at.


January also meant that my older cousin Carl tied the knot with his wife Chantal. It was an amazing night and it was so nice to see my family and how happy Carl was.


We dove into planning our Stag and Doe, which in my opinion felt more stressful than the actual wedding!


Spent some time with old friends, I miss them all so much!


Some of my bridesmaids and I travelled to Mississauga and found their dresses to wear on the big day!


Bentley wished everyone a Hoppy Easter!


I said goodbye to my gall-bladder during the May long weekend. 


... and then a week later attended my first Bridal shower at my mother in laws house.



All our hard work and the help of our amazing wedding party paid off in June as we held our stag and doe. Still speechless at the turnout and all the help and donations we received. 


I went to my cottage for a weekend to celebrate my bachelorette party with friends and family.


That same weekend, I met my cousin Lindsay's baby boy Elliott for the first time <3 


Our nephew Weston turned one July 4!


The bridal showers continued and I got together with my father in laws side of the family.


Kyle jumped on the DIY band wagon and helped with wedding crafts.



I went back up north and had my last bridal shower with my side of the family.


A dear old friend of mine passed away during the long weekend in August. Rest in peace Tiffany <3 


With less than a month before our wedding, we were the proud owners of a marriage licence. 



FINALLY! After over a year of planning, I married the love of my life.


Spent Thanksgiving weekend with my family!


Celebrated 4 years with Kyle.

Met some amazing girls at my placement!

Kyle and I decided that instead of going on a honeymoon, we should purchase a more reliable vehicle instead.


We sat down for our yearly Christmas photo with the three of us! 

PHEW! That was a lot more than I originally thought. 2014 was a year to remember that's for sure, and I can't wait to see all the amazing opportunities that are ahead for my family in 2015!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS


Merry Christmas, from our family to you!
Wishing everyone a safe & happy holiday
xo

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FRIDAY, FINALLY

FRIDAY, FINALLY


Hello friends! Another week has flown by before my eyes. I thought that it would drag because I am on Christmas holidays, and when I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off time seems to drag along! This week I did training for my upcoming placement, and made about 5 separate trips to the post office that is 30 minutes away (it's the most wonderful time of the year?!) With that being said, we have ALL our shopping done, wrapped, and ready to go! I have done a tone of DIY's but because they are gifts, I can't post them until after Christmas. 

I have also added a little something up top of my blog, and the photos will change out every once and a while. In the next few months I would like to change up the layout, I spent about 3 hours on it today with no luck. So I am hoping to find something more user friendly! 

Since this is the last weekend before Christmas, there are a few things on my to do list this weekend:

01. Grocery Shop: I am hosting my very first Christmas dinner! Which is both exciting and frightening. My family is visiting us this weekend so it is up to me to cook the dinner. This means I have to take a trip to the grocery store and make sure I have everything we need for the weekend. 

02. Capture Moments: This is kind of an untraditional Christmas for us, since my family is coming to us. I want to make sure all the cameras are charged and ready to go to capture some lovely memories.

03. Organize: we have a cluster of gifts under our tree, so my objective is to separate all of them. Put Kyle's side in a box to take to their house, set aside my families, and keep ours under the tree. 

04. Music: I want to add some more Christmas music to my playlist so we can have some music playing in the background while we open gifts, make dinner, and eat!

05. Plan: I want to have a list of posts to do in the upcoming weeks while I am off from school. I want to make it more of a habit to write a bit more and have more structured posts.

Have a happy weekend and enjoy the last weekend before Christmas!

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DIY VS. STORE BOUGHT GIFTS

DIY VS. STORE BOUGHT GIFTS



Up until this year, DIY's were not something I even ventured into. I never thought that I was even very good at it, and most of the time if I did try I butchered everything I tried. Then, we decided to get married, and our budget was small so I knew there was going to be a lot of things that needed to be done myself. After that, a DIYer was born! Now I try and do something once a week, I love making things that we can use around the house, or something to spice up the wall or room in our home. 

With that being said, I tried to do a DIY for every gift we bought this year. I am so proud of all the DIY's I did, and I hope the people receiving them love them just as much as I do. Today I wanted to talk about my thoughts on DIY gifts vs. store bought ones! 

DIY: I recommend this path if your budget is not very big. There is no shame in stalking Pinterest and then hitting up a craft store or Wal-Mart to make a gift. Me personally, I think DIY gifts are so much more valuable than a store bought gift. I know that when I get a DIY gift the person worked really hard on it and I think it just adds a uniqueness to any space you put it in! Pinterest has the best ideas, and you can find pretty much anything you are looking for if you put it in the search bar. Every single DIY I made as a gift I found there, and I pinned some of my favourites for the future!

STORE BOUGHT: If you find yourself short on time and want to just pick something up then store bought is the way to go. I think that if you want a guarantee that the person will like something, grab it from their list. However, with that being said, there is also not much of a surprise to it Christmas day. For example, I pretty much know that Kyle goes right off my list, so anything I put on it I know I will be getting for Christmas. Where as I like to think outside the box, get him things he would not expect. It is a gamble, but I think it is just so much more fun to do it that way. 

If I had to choose, DIY would be the way to go. The possibilities are endless, and it really is so much fun to see the end product. Next year, I would love to do a DIY gift exchange with someone because I think that everyone has different levels of creativity, and it would be lovely to see what everyone comes up with.

Happy Holidays!

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RESOLUTIONS

RESOLUTIONS


It’s the time of year that we all use to reflect; I am posting this a little earlier than usual, but as the year comes to an end I can’t help but smile and be a little sad that this year is over. It was such an amazing year, good and bad. I spent a lot of the year preparing for my wedding, had my gallbladder removed, continued to be a full time student, got married, and had our first Christmas as a married couple. I decided to share some of my resolutions for this year:

01. Graduate with honours: this is important to me, I have worked hard to be on the Dean’s list, and I hope to be able to graduate in April with honours which means I will have to be on the Dean’s list every semester. I love my program, and I can’t wait to finish in April!

02. Find a job: Whether it is volunteering or starting a career, I really hope to find something that I truly love doing once I’m done school. I have worked so hard to get to this point in my life, and can’t wait to start a new chapter hopefully by the spring.

03. Start a family: I would love to start a family near the end of the year, not many people know this, but on November 2 Kyle and I found out we were pregnant. We were so happy, a little overwhelmed, and surprised it happened so fast, we were 4 weeks pregnant when we found out. About three weeks after, I started having complications and when we went for our first ultrasound at 8 weeks we found out that we lost the baby. It was really hard and something that took a long time to accept. Not knowing why we lost it and why it was taken away from us so soon was something that was really hard. It is still hard; there are good days and bad days. It is something Kyle and I are still working through as a couple, and I can't stress enough how thankful we both are to have the supportive people who have been there to help with our grief. With that being said, I hope that near the end of the year we are ready to try again.

04. Be more organized: I like to think I am a pretty organized person to begin with, but being more organized never hurt anyone. I want to continue using an agenda even after I am done school. I feel so much better seeing my week laid out in front of me.

05. Health, Health, Health: This is something that is a pretty cliché resolution, but it is so important for myself having PCOS to make sure my health is the best it can be. So I want to get back to a protein based diet, and cut out all those bad snacking tendencies!

06. Make time: I get SO caught up with my busy schedule that I forget about my friends and family. I want to make sure that I take the time to see my family and my friends and not have such long gaps in between.

07. Do more photography: We have our photography business that gets so much love and we are so grateful for that. I want to do more for fun, and really perfect my skill and get better at ISO and all those settings.  

For right now, I think that’s all! I try and keep it manageable so it doesn’t get out of control. The end of this year has not been the best, but I am hopeful for 2015! May you all have a safe and happy new year!

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DON'T BE AFRAID

DON'T BE AFRAID


This post is heavily inspired for my sister-in-law Brianna. She mentioned that she wanted to read about college and university things, and seeing as I have been educating myself since 2007, I think I bring a lot of knowledge to the table. So every once and a while I will write about my university/college experience. My first year of university has been the best year of my life to date, I gained SO much throughout the entire experience, good and bad. I learned to stand on my own, rely on myself, make friends from scratch (something I had not done in years since I had my friends since I was young), and try things I have never done before. 

First off, I can't stress enough to not be afraid, don't be afraid if you go for one thing and think you want to switch. I started out in teacher's college, as did a ton of my friends, did we all end up as certified teachers? Nope, not even a little bit. But that's ok! You learn so much about yourself when you go to college or university, you are on your own for the first time and this is both exciting and terrifying. This is your journey and you make it what you want it to be. I really went outside my comfort zone because I moved 18 hours away, I think when I was applying I really didn't realize how far away from home it was, when we left to go to residence, I realized it would not be possible to come home on weekends! :P


Don't be afraid to say no, something I did not do as much as I should have. When you are a first year, you want to attend every party and have the best time, however I wish sometimes I had put my studies first and said no to the odd party. With partying being said, you also come to realize how creative some people are. I think I attended the craziest theme parties, and did the weirdest challenges in my first year of university (Gin challenge will always stick out to me.. and I have not been able to drink it since). 

The experience in itself was amazing, I can't believe it has been almost 8 years since I made this huge life change. It is scary and exciting, but so worth it. I recommend staying in residence your first year to anyone, you meet tons of friends, are close to campus, and really get a feel for where you fit socially (whether that is clubs or sports). Looking back, I probably would have stayed on campus the whole time, it is just so much more convenient, and even though you pay a little more up front I think it is worth it in the long run. 

I think going into it you just need to have an open mind, before going to university I thought I knew who I was. I figured I knew what I liked, the person I was, and what I was meant to do. Looking back I realize I had no idea at all, and that life was really just starting. Unfortunately the downside of that is the friends you leave behind are not always the friends you keep. I lost touch with some of my closest friends, friends that I thought would be around forever, and I only have a small number of friends from high school I still talk to. This does not always happen, but even if it does it is something that you come to accept as being part of life. 


The girl in this picture is completely different from the girl that is sitting here writing this. I was so young and naive when that photo was taken, I thought I had it all figured out. The best thing you can do for yourself is to relax and enjoy the process, no matter what happens. Whether you change majors a few times, lose friends, make friends, spend all your money after a month of being at school (I do not recommend this, this happened to me my second year and it was horrible), don't be afraid to call home and vent or take chances. If I worried about the outcome of everything, I think I would still be in Thunder Bay. 

I hoped this helped get things started Bri, or anyone that is getting ready to start a new chapter in their lives :)





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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS


As much as I tend to rant about how much I hate the snow, one of my favourite times of the year is during the month of December. I am such a sucker for anything sentimental, so the holidays is a great time for me to soak it up. I thought I would kick off the month of December by sharing my top 3 favourites during the holiday season! 

Top 3 Christmas Songs
01. All I Want For Christmas is You: Mariah Carrey 
It isn't officially the holiday season until you've heard this song let's be serious. It is played from the beginning of December until the end, and it is still on elf my favourite songs for the holidays!

02. Christmas in America: Kenny Rogers
I realize that I am Canadian and not American, but Kenny Roger's Christmas album was always played in our house growing up. Every time I hear this song I think of my childhood and how excited this time of year made me. Total nostalgia. 

03. Maybe This Christmas: Ron Sexsmith
This is more of a low key song, anyone who is a fan of The Oc will know this song (season 1!). I have loved this Christmas song since I first heard it, and it is a nice change from all of the upbeat songs I tend to blast throughout the house.

Top 3 Christmas Movies
01. Four Christmases
This movie was on tv a few weeks ago and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. I love Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, so the two of them together is perfection. This movie is hilarious, and pretty much captures the craziness that is Christmas with our families.

02. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
This will always be on the list, my dad always cracks up at the part with the tree and the squirrel. It reminds me of my family on Christmas and the chaos that always seems to follow. This is the definition of an oldie but a goodie. 

03. The Grinch
The cartoon, not the one with Jim Carrey. It is always on tv on Christmas eve, and it always relaxes me when I watch it. It is short but sweet and always captures the true meaning of Christmas! :)

Top 3 Christmas Recipes
(click on the title to be taken to the recipe!)

01. Chicken Coleslaw
This is a regular occurrence at our house, not this specific recipe, but one close to it. I think this would be a great addition to any dinner you are making or attending, and it super easy to make!

02. Reese Cookies
Anything with Reese's cups is OK in my books! If I could only have one thing forever it would be Reese's cups, it is a guilty pleasure. This recipe can be applied to pretty much anything, if you have a cookie recipe you love, you could slap a Reese's in the middle and call it a day!

03. Snowmen on a Stick
This is a very simple thing I want to try for Christmas morning. It is mine and Kyle's first Christmas as a married couple and I want to make it special. One of the ways I want to do this is by making a huge breakfast for him (and probably his dad too). I think this would not only be cute, but nice to snack on throughout the day or while we open presents. 

Top 3 Things to Do
01. Bake Bake Bake
This is a given during the holidays, and this year I have a lot of recipes I want to try this year! Baking has been something that has recently made me happy. I have been loving looking over Pinterest and finding new things to try, and it inspired me to add my 3 favourite recipes list! There is a reason why most of our resolutions is to eat better, because the holidays never fail to tempt us!

02. Watch the VS Fashion Show
I am guilty of always PVRing the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, every year it never fails to entertain and I find myself wanting literally everything they have. 

03. Be with Family
Totally a given, one of the reasons why I love this time of year is because I get the opportunity to see my family. It is one of the rare times we are all together under one roof and are able to catch up and spend some time together before we go back to our crazy lives!

Top 3 Holiday DIYs
(click the title to be taken to the DIY!)

01. Christmas Cards
I LOVE how cute this Christmas card idea is! I am hoping once school is done I can try it out and give it out to close family.

02. Card Wreath
We don't normally get many Christmas cards, but for anyone who does, this would be such a cute and fast DIY to help display the cards and avoid clutter!

03. Christmas Bulbs
I wrote about doing these last month, I have about 6 Christmas bulbs that I made hanging on my tree and I love them all. This is an easy and quick DIY to help personalize your tree and the possibilities are endless!

I hope everyone has an amazing holiday season, and that you are all safe and spend the time with those you love this holiday season!



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