We've set a date!

And then all of a sudden everything became that much more real, and I couldn't be happier! 

JULY 12th 2014

I'll marry my high school sweetheart and the love of my life... CRAZY!

Being the Pinterest freak that I am I love the idea of save the date cards and can't wait to get an engagement shoot done so I can send some out!! I love the idea of a fall shoot but I don't know if I can wait that long... patience isn't really my thing.
I'm thinking something cozy and out in the country, having the dog involved is a must! Maybe some plaid? I'd love to wear my Hunters. Heck, I paid enough for them I might as well show them off a little!
Here's some of the ideas I like so far for a cute, cozy, country engagement shoot.. 

[Click on the pictures for the full shoot, if available] 

     

I love London, England.

I must say there is only one thing that I didn't like about my trip, I didn't have enough time there. Oh, and everyone thought we were American... at least they were happy when we told them, uh... no. 

The first thing everyone asks me about my trip is what was your favorite thing? My first answer was well, everything. Just the place itself is beautiful. Even the McDonald's there is housed in a historic and architectural building. But after some though I realized my favorite place was the Horse Hospital Antique market, the one place I don't have pictures of... what? Lauren not take pictures?! It happened. Basically it was a giant flea market, shoes, clothes, food, home decor, and everything is just so unique. I'm a sucker for flea markets pretty much anywhere, but this one was even more than I could have imagined. The floors were cobblestone, the walls made of aged brick, and around every corner was another statue of a horse or something to do with equine culture. Okay, you get the picture, it was gorgeous. 

The first day I was introduced to this lovely thing called jet lag. We took a red eye flight from detroit straight to London, and as soon as we got there we were on the go. I almost fell asleep on our first bus tour, and then again at supper, and while unpacking at the hotel, despite Jenna (my trip roomie and teaching partner) yelling at me not to. The first night in London we came to a terrible realization, pubs are only open until 11pm, WHAT?! Despite this, we still had a good time. The days there breezed by, as did the historic sites: Buckingham palace, the tower of London, trafalgar square, theatre royal, the globe theatre, tower bridge, abbey road, the Albert and Victoria memorial, Marble Arch, St Paul's Cathedral, the old Roman wall, and a bunch of other places whose names I don't know and/or remember... oops. As part of our trip we also got to see four plays, all of which we're really good! My favourite had to be Shakespeare's Twelfth Night that we say at the Lion and Unicorn theatre which happens to be above a bar which means we got to drink throughout! But then again all the theatres we went to had bars and offered ice cream that you could bring in the theatre, FOOD AND DRINKS IN THE THEATRE! The show was classic Shakespearean text with a modern twist, the audience was small, intimate and the actors got right up in your business... it was great.
Overall it was a trip that I'll never forget and I can't wait to go back some day!! 

... But it wasn't tea ;) 

The Marble Arch 

 

  

This crazy thing hapenned and we we on a hidden camera tv show! It was only the pilot, but how cool is that?! A busker asked some of our group if we could watch his stuff while he went to the loo, and of course they said yes. I heard music and then realized I KNOW THEM! It was my friends, so I grabbed a tambourine and Seth grabbed a guitar and we sang some Beatles for people walking by on the waterfront... one of the coolest things I've ever done! Soon enough the busker came back and some guy was telling us we were being filmed for a pilot for a show about Random Acts of Kindness! How cool?! The whole group was beaming for the next couple hours! Go do a random act of kindness, I promise you'll feel good about it. 

The tower of London 

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Went to Hogwarts...

Candle I lit in St. Paul's 

You, me & tea

I've had my name changed for a little while, but now I finally have the layout to go with it. So, why the change? Lately, I feel like I'm taking another step in my life. It's not only about moi anymore, it's about you (aka Jeff, my fiance) and me. Oh, and of course we both love tea. So stay tuned for my trip to England, wedding plans and always more tea. 

Moo no more.

Let's slap this on my forehead. 

Well for those of you that follow the catholic calendar, or who just follow events in general you'll know that today is mardi gras aka Fat Tuesday or Packzi day. This all means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and that lent has begun. It's always a challenge to find something to give up for lent, this year was no different and I know this year is going to be rough. So as I sit here with my last McFlurry, I'm going to make it official by writing it here that I'm going to give up dairy for 40 days. 
I mean I'm lactose intolerent anyway, so I'd be doing my body a favour!! But, I love cheese. Milk I can do without, but cheese is another story. I needed some help being convinced so I decided to gross myself out, after I was done my McFlurry of course. I started by re-reading the Dairy section of Skinny Bitch. Truth be told, I skipped it my first round through the book... I didn't want to taint my thoughts of my beloved cheese. I also just googled "reasons to give up dairy". Basically, milk is made fo baby cows, it's fulls of hormones  cow's are treated so well, they're given lots of antibiotics... and I'll stop boring you there. I should still be able to eat all my favorite foods, just a little differently. Such as using soy or almond milk instead of cow's milk, I already do this and it's not that bad. As well as my discovery of veggie cheese! Sounds disgusting, yes, BUT it's not that bad at all and comes in slices just like Kraft makes. I might need to find some other alternatives, but for now I'm going to eat all the cheese and ice cream I can. Let's all pray I don't vomit. 

Spending quality time with yourself.

There's something to be said about spending time alone, and using said time to really just be with yourself and figure out what's going on with.. well, yourself. I used to feel guilty spending time alone, like I was being rude by not getting out and being with people. But you know what? Sometimes, I really shouldn't be around people. It's good for both of us. Who ever really says what they mean when they're in a bad mood? Even if the truth is spoken; you could always word it better. Last night, I was admit-ably in an absolutely terrible mood. So what did I do? I hung out with myself and did things I like. The result? A great day today. 

So don't be ashamed to take some time off! If you've got good friends, they'll understand. Maybe they'll offer you their shoulder to lean on, and if you need to, by all means take it! Or take a minute and hangout with the one person you're guaranteed to be stuck with for the rest of your life. 

And while you're together why not.... 

Indulge a little and eat some of your favorite foods 

... Macaroni & Cheese and a cookies and cream chocolate bar

Watch a movie you love 

... Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, but any Harry Potter really

Do something that will get your mind off your troubles 

... Look at wedding dresses 

or when all else fails, there's this. 

Stressed? Yup.

If you feel like I do right now, follow these instructions: 

It's that time of year again. If you run into me and I look a little crazy, just laugh to yourself or maybe call me out on it. I can't guarantee your safety if you do the second. So how do I cope with stress?? Usually I make lists. As in tomorrow I will: Wake up early, go to the gym, shower, do homework, go to soccer at 3, drive back to Chatham, plan my saturday workshop, do some more homework... and  that's just Friday, but do you really care? Probably not, and I don't blame you. Another thing, note to self: STUDY YOUR FRENCH, freaking anglophone. 

Healthy Banana Blueberry Flax Muffins

Following a trip to my natural path, homeopathic doctor, whatever you'd like to call her, I found out that my body responds really well to flaxseed, so I should probably eat more! The best way to eat it she said? Bake with it. Now that was music to my ears! I went home to find 3 rotten bananas, score! And some blueberries that we're starting to get laugh lines, okay, wrinkles. I think that's about all the explanation I need for why I decided to toss this recipe together!

Although not as scrumptious as my Aunt Liz's muffin recipe, they're still delicious and you don't have to feel guilty about eating one.. or two.. or three, okay my max is 5 in one day. That was probably a little much.

Anyways, here's the recipe:

BANANA BLUEBERRY FLAX MUFFINS

Prep Time:

10-15 minutes

Baking Time:

15-20 minutes

Serves:

16 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup applesauce (sweetened) 

3/4 cup honey

1 tbsp vanilla 

2 egg whites

1/3 cup ground flax seed

1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries

3 bananas

Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 350 C
Mix Liquid Ingredients together
Slowly add dry Ingredients
Fill muffin liners 3/4 full
bake 15-20 minutes

I enjoyed my first muffin with a cup of Bohemian Raspberry tea that I got in Ottawa! It's a delicious green tea with a hint of raspberry flavour.