2014

I sit here in disbelief that we have come to the close of another full year. The further I get from the regular routines of my high school and university days, the faster it all seems to go and the more unique my years seem to become.

Brave changes happened in this particular year.

I left my adopted family on the Disney Wonder to work on their newer ship, the Disney Fantasy. Sure, that might sound like a simple switch but it really wasn't. I knew my job responsibilities but was suddenly living in an alternate universe. I missed my friends and the closeness of my smaller ship, but I got into the swing of things and I'm thankful for the new friendships that formed and the confirmations I received there.

I went on my first solo road trip for my birthday. I may have already been travelling like it was my job (I've made that joke before) but I'd never ever planned an itinerary out on my own like that before. I was able to visit a handful of important friends from different parts of my life and it helped me reconcile pieces of my past. Quality time with good and longtime friends is the perfect cure. Getting to spend a few days each in Disney World, North Carolina, Nashville and New York in the process was unreal.

I made the bold move to give up my life at sea. You always know you've got to get back to a normal existence some day, it's just a question of when. Tis a strange transition to go from being in a different city or country every day for months on end to remaining completely still; to be reminded of who you used to be and merge it with the person you've become. I felt like I had lost a big part of myself. But I relished in free time with my family and friends. I relearned how to cook, remembered how to hold a paintbrush, and rediscovered a few settings on my camera. The period of stillness and personal projects was something I didn't know I needed.

I've enjoyed 2014, even if these few paragraphs fail to bring it justice. There have been many moments of doubt and yet many moments of pure joy. I look back with a heart full of gratitude for where I've been and the hearts I shared it all with. It's funny how much our plans change from the year's beginning to its end. I'm thankful that there's someone Else with bigger and better plans than mine, who helps turn even the seemingly worst events and failures into the stepping stones towards a beautiful life.

Here's to 2015 and all the twists and turns it has in store.

all that sparkle

Christmas is the most magical time of the year. I love having all the sisters home together and I love that everything is extra sparkly because of all of the lights.

We decided to take a nice walk to see said lights. Except that these lights are on our boats in the harbour. I can see all of them from my house but you can't beat the experience of seeing them up close, hearing water splash against the boats with everything a-glowing.

This marks our sixteenth year of having the entire harbour lit up like this. We have a special Boat Lighting Ceremony early in December where we sing carols, drink hot chocolate, and have an early visit from Santa for the kiddos. It's a wonderful event that brings families from all around to our cozy,  little place in the world.

christmas 2014

I always look forward to our annual Christmas gathering with my mom's side of the family.
At some point in the evening we usually take a few pictures by the tree. Here are a few of 'em!

#throwbackthursday

Does anyone remember back in the days of MSN messenger when group emails and those super long questionnaire surveys were ALL the rage? This was what we did before the existence of Instagram, Snapchat and Vine, dear children.

I remember getting so many from different people and even multiple ones from the same people but I never really bothered doing them myself. Ain't nobody got time for that! Err...apparently everyone else had time besides me, who deliberates far too long over the perfect answer and worries how someone could interpret it. I mean, how can you even pick your favourite song when choosing between top hits like, Hollaback Girl, Drop It Like It's Hot, and Beautiful Soul back in 2005?

But there was one evening that I finally sat down and spent ages hemming and hawing trying to fill one out. I triumphantly hit "send" only to have a big internet fail, which deleted the last hour of my life. I didn't try again. That was a life lesson right there, somewhere.

I have since come to believe that spending time thinking about and discovering what you like is not a waste of time at all and it's fun seeing how your interests change. Thinking about all of this came about because I was browsing through my neglected hotmail account and came across some old ones from Janessa and Sarah, smiling to myself reading their old answers and seeing how those answers have changed; feelings on tattoos, clothing styles, and favourite foods. I kinda wished I had given the list driven time capsule another shot!

In the spirit of Throwback Thursday, I decided to fill one out and share it here, with some minor additions and alterations. I figure in a decade or so, in a fit of nostalgia I'll come back and enjoy these delightful answers.

Click below to check out the survey.

getting in the spirit

...with some painting! Trying to work on a few homemade cards this year. I have made it my goal to send more notes and letters to friends. Christmas is one of the best (and last) chances to make good on it. Tell me yer addresses by's!

listen to | broods

Broods | Taking You There

Robyn is more or less my own personal music guru (and mixed CD queen IMHO) and more often than not, when she tells me about a song or a band, I instantly fall in love. Over the years of friendship, we have found our tastes to be quite similar. She told me about this duo from New Zealand a little while ago but it wasn't until more recently that I gave them a regular listen.

Tonight, I have this one on repeat.

If scars are for the living
Then I could be forgiven
And everything you need
I could give you

we found pumpkins

 So, my sister and her husband are kind of adorable. 

At the beginning of the month we went on a little adventure to document the Autumnal goodness and their love. 

I wanted to share a few of those moments with you here.

[Grandpa Goat]

We went to Lester's Farm first. 

Pumpkins and scarecrows were everywhere. 

Elizabeth fed the animals and we all tried out the Corn Maze!

It was my very first time going through one so I was pretty 

pumped about the whole idea.

(Oops, I think those pumpkins look radioactive, too late to fix it now!)

[just a candid]

Next, we stopped by Bowring Park. I was a little disappointed to find that the trees weren't yet as colourful as I'd experienced a number of years ago. But joy was found in chasing the pigeons!

[I had to hop in there, the river was pretty!]

[Can you handle the cuteness?!]

We drove around downtown and took a little wander in Bannerman Park, but it was the same deal--not as colourful as we'd hoped. Nonetheless it was a pleasant day and good company.

I leave you with a few pictures taken during the trip on my iPhone: 

[Sometimes I like how they turn out even more!]

This picture with Elizabeth makes me super happy. [SO MANY PUMPKINS!]

As does this one with Shane in Bannerman Park!

I hope you find time to explore some of the fun things 

this season has to offer!

Listening to:

"Bloom" by The Paper Kites

thankful

for moments like these where you forget that you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and are able to enjoy nature with some precious souls. Shane drove Elizabeth, Catherine and I to Cataracts Provincial Park today. It was a small area but that doesn't diminish the grandeur of the gorge. The waterfalls are something worth visiting and we happened to have it all to ourselves. It's a new place to love!

We also continued the drive to Placentia hoping to visit Castle Hill, neglecting to check if it was open before going. It wasn't, but we enjoyed the trip, listening to random 90s and early 00s selections, looking at the incredible Autumn colours, or simply dozing in the back, haha. We ate at Monty's on the way back and also fit in a little run in Shane's big truck before dark. Another first.

I'm glad to have Catherine home for the long Thanksgiving weekend. We've been catching up on lots of Once Upon a Time this time around. Binge TV watching is the best.

Happy Thanksgiving!

and eat it, too

I was given the task of cake decorating on Sunday. And instead of leaving the icing white, I turned it into an ombré coral coloured confection. Cake painting, how much fun!

What a terrible idea. 

I think the fact that it was so pretty to me, is what disintegrated my remaining will power to refrain from eating a ton of it. My taste buds were happy, my belly not so much. 

It's been that kind of Tuesday. I just want cake.

fleurs

I've always had an appreciation for flowers. And I can't pinpoint when it happened but lately my adoration has quickly become an obsession in full bloom.

I'm sorrynotsorry to whoever follows my Pinterest board "fleur" because I've been blowing it up with endless pictures of gorgeous bouquets. Just looking at the colour combinations make me so happy inside and super inspired.

I also came to an incredibly liberating realization a month or two ago: I can buy my own flowers. I don't have to wait for a special occasion or for someone special to give them to me.

Treat yo'self!!!

listen to | lights

Lights | Muscle Memory

I am so into Lights' new album, Little Machines that came out last week.
Major girl crush.

bring on all the fall things

This week when I saw that they had pumpkins on display at the grocery store I had to have one. 

Right then and there. 

I don't think I've touched a real live pumpkin in about four years so I graciously  gave in to my excited impulse. 

It came home with me and after looking at it for a couple of days I decided to roast and purée it. I can always buy another later to carve! (Which I totally plan on doing--I'm doing ALL the Fall things, people!! "So excite!") 

Anyway, I've been cooking with it ever since. I made pumpkin spice muffins, and pumpkin pie oatmeal, while my dad made marmalade. I've never made a pie before so I might attempt that next. 

Let's get pumpkin crazy!

Above: Cranky kitty approves of pumpkins too.

listen to | caty shaw

Caty Shaw | Human Contact

How fun is this?

chasing promises on the horizon

So, I actually gave up my job on the ocean. 

The reasons that I loved it weren't enough for me to want to stay anymore. 

Living on a cruise ship is one big package: work, friends, food, sleep, travel, 

but not always in the proportions that you need them.

I desperately needed a break. 

My heart knew it was time for change.

It's been a very strange month. 

I was completely burned out. I've been allowing myself to remain in "vacation mode" as though I'm simply at home in-between my contracts and you know what? 

That's okay. 

Because for the last three years I've been working every single day

doing four month straight intervals until I got to that holy six week vacation. 

I'm thankful to be able to take refuge at home.

I'm still not used to having this much time to myself to think about well, everything. 

It's good, but I'm starting to feel the gentle tug of the need for familiarity 
of routine and schedules to keep myself productive. 
I will get there. 
It's not that I've been completely wasting my time. 
I've had an online course to keep me somewhat busy, 
with a dash of cooking, attempts at exercise, and mini art projects on the side. 

(And maybe too much youtube/netflix.) 

The last eight months have held some of the most unreal moments and memories of my life. More stretching, growth, change, new places and friends, even a little bit of heart ache. I feel kind of disappointed that I didn't document them here. I've been debating for ages now on whether or not to give this little blog a face lift or start a new fresh one altogether.

I just need name inspiration. 

And I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is that I want to say to the world.

listening to Chelsea Lankes. 

new music love.

photo found on pinterest

reconnecting

I'm overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of friends this week. Especially friends that have only been in my life within the last few years yet they have come to meet me half way, or opened their homes and let me share a little bit of life with them.

I'm thankful for my vacation in Disney World with my old ship roomie, Ivonne! We rented a car, stayed at Pop Century resort and also spent a day at Universal. We lived our Harry Potter dreams for a few hours. And then we also got to hang out at DW again with Kirsty, Alex, and Oliver, too. I got to check out Animal Kingdom for the first time with them. Such a happy few days!

I don't think I can tell you how good it is for my heart to be back in North Carolina again. I fell in love with this place back when I worked at a summer camp for a few years starting in 2007. I've been wanting to make the journey back for ages to make some new memories. It's been such a tease to have visited as close as Florida with my cruise ship yet still be too far! Until now, that is.

Finally with swapping ships I've been able to request to stay in the United States and travel a bit. Two and a half weeks! I felt very fortunate to stay with Melissa and Tyler and have met the new addition to their family, 4 month old baby Martin. So precious.That first night we all went to the Diamond to have some of their delicious fried pickles, then to Krazy Fish for some tacos. The next day while Tyler was at work, Melissa showed me a few of her favourite spots in Charlotte, new places for me to love as well. Amelie's French Bakery for macarons and pastries, Imaginon, the children's library, and 7th Street Market for lunch. Each place had a really cool vibe.

Now I'm in Statesville for a few days with Karen and her husband, Matthew and I've been so happy to meet little Mackenzie at 7 months. We gave her a bath tonight, but I think she was the one giving us a bath with all of her adorable splashing.

Next up after this is NASHVILLE! With the legendary Nina Borum. and then (holy freakin' cow) my birthday in NEW YORK/BROOKLYN with Sarah and Brandon, longtime friends from home. No matter what I do, to be in these places with these people? Its gonna be fantastic.

I've never been more excited.

what I've been reading lately

I'm not feeling overly eloquent with words but here are a few blog posts and internet things that either made me laugh or feel inspired this week.

I love lists:

5 Lies About Your Body
We are so much more than what our superficial society tells us. Remind yourself with these short and sweet truths that you are good from the inside out.

5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying
We have some well meaning, cliché phrases that we say all the time that are actually quite messed up. Jason Johnson has some good thoughts on them.

7 Ways to be Insufferable on Facebook
This one just made me laugh a lot because we are all guilty of these at some point or another. Brilliant.

23 Things To Do Instead Of Getting Engaged Before You're 23 
Speaking of insufferable things on Facebook, I'm glad to know it was not just my own newsfeed that blew up with an unnecessary amount of engagement announcements this holiday season. Barf. The girl who wrote this (who happens to be teaching English is China) has got some better ideas goin' on.



>> I also really enjoyed this blog post from Emily, a girl I worked with at the Music Resource Centre during my last university semester. She talks about meeting a classy and beautiful older lady with an inspiring love story. It was a love built through commitment and letter writing over long distance. The post is a commentary on how our generation is constantly looking for the next best thing rather than not giving up on what they've got. It's a good read.

>> How many times do we think, "If only this would happen for me like it did for them" or "If only I could be more like __ and then I would be happy". The Times and Seasons series from Steven Furtick of Elevation Church really got me thinking on the joys of living in our own season, rather than wishing to have someone else's. 

Lines that stood out from part one were that "there's a struggle in every season" and "getting a blessing before its time makes it a burden". Let that sink in for a minute! I think if everyone watched this they would start the New Year off in the best way ever.


Emily

quotes on tumblr

“You realize you are not alone, right? No one in their twenties has life figured out. It’s okay to be a mess. You’re living.”

H a p p y  2 0 1 4!

Here's to living.