I’ve sneezed like 18 times today, what the heck is up with that?! Better not be a sign of a summer cold or flu, I definitely do not have time for that! This month has been busy enough as it is. Adam and I are back today from a last minute few days in the Okanagan. I cannot even WAIT to start putting our Naramata Bench travel guide together. Can’t believe I’d never been to our wine country region! All you do there is eat delicious food, drink wine, and enjoy the glorious hot weather. It’s holiday perfection and only a 4 hours drive from the city! Anyway, more about that later this week.
My best investment so far this season, which I know will carry on well into the fall, is this fresh pair of white sneakers. I am so happy I found these Vans that are somehow more flattering for my shape than some of the other go-to sneaker styles out there. I love how easily they pair with my pretty summer dresses and they’re definitely easier on the feet than most of my footwear. A perfect go-to work look for my super casual studio office. My days often require a bit of running around, so comfort is key!
Oh, also, you should definitely check out this fun little interview I did with Kelsey of Jorssen Marketing! We talk about what this blogging life is really like and some hot button topics like how I feel about buying followers. She’s a real gem, if you’re in need of someone for contract social media consulting or management, she’s probably your gal!
The other night, I asked Adam what I should write about in honour of one year wedding anniversary. He stared back at me and kind of shrugged. I revealed that I was thinking of writing about the highs and lows of marriage thus far and he seemed a bit surprised by the sentiment. “Think about it,” I urged him, “We honestly couldn’t have squeezed in any more life changes in the last 365 days if we’d tried!”
There was all the notable moments for our friends. Tons of our close friends and family got married. Two of my besties had babies and more of my close pals announced they have little babes on the way. We experienced a big loss when my Uncle Daryl passed away. There was a perfect amount of travel involved the last 365 days. Together, we spent 3 weeks in Italy for our honeymoon, went to Palm Springs for Melissa’s wedding, enjoyed a week in Playa del Carmen with Adam’s company, had a delightful Easter weekend in the Dominican Republic with Adam’s family, explored Toronto for a few days en route back, made our way to Austin, Texas for the first time, and then to Cancun for Kate and Andy’s wedding. I also spent a week with my friend in Hamilton, Ontario, a few weeks in London and Ireland with Alex, and a lovely trip to San Francisco with a Saschie and Kate. In terms of travel, we certainly went for it this year! There was the fact that for the second time in a year, our apartment was flooded and we were forced to move out for over a month and go through a renovation…again. Personally, we went through some things as a couple. I changed career paths and opted to blog full time. Perhaps inspired, Adam actually recently just gave notice at the company he’s been with for 8 years and is now in the midst of a big career change as well. There’s a few other big things, but some events for us and close friends aren’t really to be shared online, as I’m sure you can understand. Even without the other points, it’s obvious that this year has been a heck of a lot.
It seems that we just happened to wed within that time in life where everyone is going through massive change. Marriage and babies and death and new jobs and being lost and finding yourself again. It’s a bit crazy, but it definitely made us realize the ‘work’ portion of marriage that everyone advertises actually exists. When we’re shaken out of familiarity and the comfort of our mundane everyday and thrown these curve balls. That’s when you’re put to the test.
Amongst the stressful chaos of the wedding, our go-to music was Beck’s latest album, Morning Phase. It was relatively calming and helped us keep our sanity the night before the wedding. We’ve listened to it since and are transported right back to our Pemberton suite the night before the wedding, frantically writing out seating charts and cards. This morning, on our impromptu anniversary trip to the Naramata Bench, we drove into town for breakfast. Sitting out on the patio, sipping our coffees, I suddenly heard the faint sound of Blue Moon playing in the background. Of all the songs to hear on the morning or our anniversary, it just happened to be one from the album that we so heavily associate with the wedding. Just felt like a bit of a sign, ya know?
In honour of our one year anniversary, here’s a little stroll down memory lane:
When we decided to make this summer more of a staycation, we made a list of all the fun events and activities to do around the city. One of the main things we wanted to check out was the Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver! It happens every Friday night and though the original plan was to go with a big group of friends, it was an awesome impulsive date night!
The event is FREE which is crazy because there’s so much to see and do. We really weren’t sure what to expect and were blown away by all the work and detail that must go into making this happen every week. It makes me really happy to see such a fun initiative in North Van, we already can’t wait to go back! Read on to find out why:
We had quite a tough time narrowing down our wedding guest list. It’s an impossibly frustrating process, because if we had an unlimited budget, then I’m sure we could have invited everyone we’ve ever met! We both have big families, Adam and I are very social, AND all our parents are all very social, so the invite possibilities were almost endless in the worst kind of way! For our farm ceremony and reception, we had to stay under 150 people. Once you went above that, the logistics became complicated, costs went up, and the look of panic on Adam’s face when he thought of a big wedding was much like Big’s in the SATC movie – eek! After immediate family and our wedding party, we were already at 100 people, which is crazy! The thing was, we really wanted to also include the extended family on my dad’s side, which also meant the world to him. Our compromise? We suggested doing a second dinner reception a few days after the wedding!
It was a BLAST! My parents planned the lovelies dinner at The Pink Pearl with great little details like custom made fortune cookies. It was so nice celebrating with more of my family and my parent’s friends. Unexpectedly, it was really fun giving Adam’s family and our close friends a glimpse of my Chinese heritage. Traditions like a drink and cheers with each table was really entertaining and if there’s one thing the Chinese can do, it’s eat! We had a real feast and since I’m a vegetarian, my dad even arranged for a separate table of veggie options. Yay for spicy tofu!
We feel so lucky to have so many people in our lives that wanted to be a part of our wedding and I’m just happy we were able to include as many as we did. The second dinner reception ended up being just as memorable and our wedding truly wouldn’t have been the same without it! A big thanks to my friend Bethany for capturing the evening, be sure to take a look at some of our favourite snaps below.
The best part? I LOVED my JS Collection dress from Champagne and Lace. It was a dream come true getting to execute two different bridal looks without breaking the bank! Shop my dress below, along with similar options. Thanks to the wonderful stretch in their design, the sizing is quite generous. There’s only a size 2 left (on SALE too!) in this exact style, but that could fit a size 4 or 6 as well:
Ever since I figured out that I have a severe sensitivity to eggs, brunch hasn’t been the same. My trade off for no stomach aches was to cut eggs benny out of my weekending and it has been quite the compromise. Alas, my new mission in life is to find exciting vegan-ish breakfast options! What I especially love about this recipe is that it’s quite hearty, which seems to satisfy both a sweet and savoury craving.
These banana pancakes are simple and delicious, thanks google! Originally found these on Hurry The Food Up, where they also provide some nutritional information. I made a couple adjustments myself (the chocolate, obviously) and mine of course didn’t turn out looking anything like theirs. I’ve never tried cooking them with a lid on top of the pan, but maybe I’ll give that a go this Saturday!
If you’re looking for a new breakfast idea, I cannot recommend these enough! This particular recipe makes plenty for 2 people, and we usually like to save a couple leftover pancakes to heat up the next day. When you put in the effort to make a breakfast, it’s a bonus being able to have leftovers as well! And, the only reason that I cannot classify this exact recipe as vegan, is that I’m a chocolate fiend and added chocolate chips AND some slivers of baking chocolate to the recipe. I mean, if you’re going for it, really go for it, right?! Hope you enjoy xo
I really never thought that I’d add racoons to a growing list of animals I greatly fear, but such is the case since our day at Lighthouse Park. Alex and I set off for West Van early in the morning a few Fridays ago, with our cameras and a few outfits in tow. The morning had been quite overcast and the sun broke through just as we reached the stunning rock formations at the water. It was my second time soaking in the views from the water at Lighthouse Park and I was, once again, blown away by its beauty. Feeling inspired by our surroundings, we began photographing our first looks on the large middle rock. Our things were stored in between two rock formations and dangerously close to the water’s edge. To our complete surprise, we had the beach to ourselves for the first few hours that day, with only some boaters and paddle boarders waving from the water. That was, until I changed out of this casual look into a much fancier floor length dress.
Shopping for swimwear used to be my worst nightmare. The only ‘local’ store that even semi catered to my body shape was one that my mom had stumbled upon and about 40 minutes from home. I remember being a teen, and feeling confused as to why I had to travel so far just to purchase a suit that could accommodate my bust. And thinking back, they didn’t even necessarily have the most flattering styles for me. It wasn’t until the high waist bikini bottom became a trend that I FINALLY felt comfortable in swimsuits. With my natural waistline being the smallest point, wearing bottoms that fit snug on my hips was your basic recipe for muffin top.
Once I started finding bikini tops that came in DD+ sizing, it was another challenge altogether sourcing anything unique! After years of frustration, I’ve finally found a couple go-to online stores that offer on-trend bathing suits at reasonable prices – thank goodness! My beach game has majorly stepped up and I feel more comfortable than ever by the water. Below is this exact suit from ASOS (I stalk their fuller bust bathing suit options daily), don’t you love the unique cut? The striped fabric is classic, but the cutout and underwire feature make it a real standout! Be sure to also scroll to the bottom of this post, where I’ve linked some of my favourite online swimwear styles!
I am currently knee deep in THE most exciting activity…organizing and backing up my files! I’m a real party animal. But seriously, I have been avoiding this activity for half the year and basically living my life at maximum storage. When I want to upload new things, I have to delete old photos/video files, which is no way to live, people! I’ve already organized and purged items in real life, now it’s time to do the same for my computer. I swear it helps clear space in my mind as well, it’s incredibly cleansing and though tedious and slightly boring, it really is satisfying.
As for this cute little outfit, I was feeling spendy and craving some good ol’ online shopping a while back (just kidding, I feel that way most days). Immediately drawn to the cut of this flared dress, I trusted the sizing information and ordered it a size up. As it goes for online shopping, the fit is perfect, but it somehow arrived without the fabric belt? It’s not necessarily a make or break, but it definitely would be even cuter if it had the matching belt to go with it! Otherwise, I’m quite happy with this frock, and it has proven to be a go-to for summer gatherings. Plus, it covered me up enough/has the right shape to make me comfortable wearing my hair up on those extra hot days!
Avocado? Love! Mango? Good! Salsa? The best! Which, is exactly why I went crazy for this Avocado Mango Salsa the first time I tried it. A recipe from my sister in law, Kat, this summer side is a crowd favourite served as an appetizer with some tortilla chips. It also pairs really well with grilled summer vegetables, or a main like tuna (I don’t eat meat or seafood, this is Kat’s recommendation). Prep time is minimal, and it can be served right away or chilled in the fridge for a short period of time. Hope you enjoy it!
