Arriving in Nova Scotia

I. love. Canadaaaaaa!!!! 

But I haven't always been this way.

I never really appreciated the mother land until I spent some time abroad one summer, and heard people's reactions when I told them where I was from. 

Ohhhh Canada is so beautiful! I've always wanted to go!

Or, you have no idea how lucky you are!

Yawwwn. I wanna party in Spain, and take artsy pictures of myself in front of the Eiffel Tower! Yaaaaa!

...But ya know, they were right. Canada is BEAUTIFUL, and not enough Canadians ever really get to experience it. Flights to London, England can be cheaper than flights to Vancouver, BC, which doesn't really encourage Canadians to get out there and discover their own country. My dad has travelled all of Europe, but has never been to the East or West Coasts of Canada.

It seems like all of my classmates are travelling South East Asia right now. Instead, I decided to visit my friend, Hannah, in her home province of Nova Scotia, on the East Coast of Canada.

I arrived in Sydney, Nova Scotia just before dinner time. Pretty lil Hannah picked me up at the airport, then we were off to dinner at her favourite restaurant in Sydney, Flavor. 

We met her BFF, Victoria (Who looks like a Kardashian!! Look at that hair!!!! #jelly.)

Sometimes I get weirded out about meeting friends of my friends. What if I hate them?! Like how do you even deal with situations like that?! But she was fantastic, and shared my love of taking unnecessary necessary photos. 

I'm kind of new to seafood. My parents are steak/chicken and potato people, and that fishy smell (you know the one I'm talking about) makes me nauseous. But since fishing is a major industry in Nova Scotia, I decided that during this trip I was going to go balls to the walls with seafood. Just try all of it. Seafood would probably never get any fresher than this, so I had to #YOLO and feast. I decided to go with the bacon wrapped scallop skewer, with a balsamic spinach salad. 

Hannah had the pan seared panko crusted haddock with fresh mango salsa. 

Verdict: I think I liked it. 

And then it was time for dessert. We each decided to order one, and split 3 ways. Sharesies!! I have a small (LARGE) peanut butter obsession, so I ordered the peanut butter tart. 

Hannah ordered the blueberry cheesecake. 

Victoria got the brownie with ice cream. 

Yup, this happened. 

If you're ever in Sydney, definitely give Flavor a go. We all really enjoyed our meals, maybe even a little too much. Next up, was a bit of sightseeing around the town. 

The girls told me that one thing we had to see was the giant fiddle. Wait....... what???? Apparently Sydney is home to the world's largest fiddle. LOL. Why not. 

Hannah and I said goodbye to Victoria, and hit the road. We headed to Cape George, where Hannah's family has some cottages.

I'm glad we left while it was still light out. Check out dem views!

By the time we got to the cottage, it was dark out. A glass of wine, some nachos, and it was time for bed. I think I love it here already! 

Lean In

On a recent trip to NYC, my bestie Heather told me about a book she had been reading, called Lean In. It's written by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, on women in the workplace, and how we should "lean in" to our careers. 

It described the feelings of self doubt I had been having at school and at work, and provided strategies on how to negotiate and manage your career.   

Without being preachy, it motivated me to get out there and do WERK. A definite must read for all the bad bitches out there. 

g2g take over the world now. Tootles!  

Water Babies

I've basically grown up on the water. 

Back in the day at my parents' cottage, we would be out on the raft, in the middle of the lake for HOURS. I don't think you could have paid me to take off my bathing suit, and put actual clothes on. No way hosé!!! 

Not much has changed since then. 

Since it was the first nice day we have had in a while (summer, where you beeeeen girlfriend?!), my dad, sister and I headed out on the boat for some fun in the sunz.

It just so happens that some friends of my parents own an island (yes... a whole island of their own... what you don't have one?!), so we decided to stop by and show my sister around, since she's never been.  

The main cottage is a beaut. State of the art everythangg. I think it was built in the early 1900s, but since then has been completely renovated. Wanting to get out of the wind, we headed to the other side of the island for a few drinks at the guest cabin. 

And then decided to take a gander around the rest of the property. (Anyone know how I can get my own island like this??!! But actually.)

And then I had a little poop. 

... just kidding! We were taking photos of us jumping. Obviously.

All of the jumping tired us out, so we headed to the main cottage and ate the rest of the lunch we had packed. After a little nap, it was time to header home. 

Laterr, paradise!

Mr. Birdie

Our family poodle, Bailey (a.k.a. Lil Bails, that's her rapper name) tends to go missing. Sometimes for hours. She'll find a squirrel, and chase it endlessly around the neighbourhood, until someone finally finds her and brings her home. 

This time, Allison found her at the neighbour's house, fixated and drooling on this poor lil guy: 

He wasn't hurt thankfully! Just a little scared. Poor thing fell out of his mommy's nest. So Allison scooped him up, and brought him home. 

We looked him up online, and found out that he's a Cedar Waxwing baby (or so we think). We wanted to bring him back to his momma, but decided to feed him a bit first just in case. 

*Not sure if "he's" actually a boy, Allison was just going off her motherly instincts...lolz*

We crushed up some cherries and mixed it with dog food for protein. He luved it! Gobbled it all up. Nom nom nom. 

Bailey was hungry too, but not for her dog food. Bad girl. 

Finally it was time to say goodbye, so Allison put him back outside in a tree close to where she found him. 

She checked on him a couple hours later, and he was gone :( 
Hopefully his momma found him. 
Aurevoir little dude! 

Welcome home, Allison!

My sister, Allison, came back home to visit for the long weekend. 

We celebrated with a nice reserved, quiet night in. 

...NAWT. We had a party! 

And then things got a little hazy. 

YOLO. 

40 Days of Dating

Two friends, one a hopeless romantic, the other afraid of commitment, decide to date for 40 days. Each answers a questionnaire that is posted daily. HILARIOUS READ. I'm addicted, and I'm taking you down with meh!!!! 

CHECK. IT. OUT.

They're currently on day 25. Read the Rules and About pages before getting started. ENJOY :)