christmas in the blossom park pad

I'm so beyond late posting these photos, but our first Christmas in The Blossom Park Pad deserves a post of it's own, so here it is! One of the best parts of having my own home now is decking it out for each holiday or special occasion.

Neither me or Madi spent Christmas at home this year, so we didn't get a big tree like we had originally planned. We did, however, decorate our little baby tree with lights and ornaments, and I think it turned out pretty dang cute. 

The day these decorations had to come down was a very sad day indeed. 

a year in review {two thousand sixteen}

This post is so late now that I really considered not even posting it. But 2016 was a big year and I love having these "year in review" posts to look back on, so here I am, in February, summarizing all that 2016 was to me.

Where do I even begin?

2016 was one hell of a crazy year. More hell than crazy, to be honest, but wasn't it like that for everyone? 

The year started out pretty rough. I've already touched on this in a post, so I won't go into too much detail here, but depression kicked my butt for the first few months of 2016, and it's taken almost the entire year to recover. 

Once March came around, and I had started to come out of the fog, I had made the decision to ditch Nanaimo once and for all. I needed a fresh start and I needed my best friend, so I decided to move to Victoria. Madi and I were well on our way to moving out into our own place by April. We house hunted for a couple of weeks, then moved into The Blossom Park Pad on May 1st. We lucked out with the sweetest little basement suite. We have the best landlords and it's in such a great area. I love our little home so much and couldn't imagine a better first place of my own. 

2016 was the year I started, and dropped out of, college. On May 2nd, a day after moving into our new house, I started the Spring semester at Camosun. I spent most of May and June studying chemistry equations and drinking coffee by the gallon. I nannied the sweetest little boy in the mornings before I went to school, and I had a good little routine going for me.

The semester was over by the time July rolled around. I started nannying another little boy for a different family and started working at Shoppers Drug Mart on evenings and weekends. Most of my summer days nannying were spent in coffee shops, at parks, or at the beach, and it was really nice to have a job that took me outside every day.

August brought with it an amazing trip to California where I visited my sister for the first time in almost three years. It was a much anticipated trip and I was so happy to be out travelling again.

School started back up in September, and by October I was drowning in algebra equations. My classes were going really well despite the heavy work load. By November, something snapped though, and I had an epic mental breakdown. I ended up dropping out two weeks before finals, which seems a little nuts to me now, but it just goes to show how messed up my mental state was in those days.

I have absolutely zero regrets of dropping out. The second I stopped going to classes, I felt infinitely better and more at peace. School just wasn't right for me yet, and that's ok.

We also got a cat in November. We rescued a 6 month old tabby from a local animal shelter, and named her Olive. She's the best little cat in the whole world and we love her so much. I can't even remember what our home was like before she was in it.

In December, I quit my job at Shoppers and spent a week over Christmas with my family in Vancouver. I haven't spent that much time with my mom since I lived with her when I was seventeen, and it was so nice to have so much quality time together.

And that's 2016 for ya! It was a complicated year with lots of issues, but it also held lots of exciting new things, and a lot of good memories. I'm happy to put the year behind me, and hopeful for a better year in 2017. So far, 2017 is off to a much better start.

summer in socal

Way back in February, in the midst of cold weather and funky feelings, I hopped online and booked a summer trip to California for just over $200.

By the time August rolled around, it had been nearly three years since I'd visited my sister, and after working crazy amounts of hours all summer, I was in desperate need of a vacation.

I packed my bag, hopped on the ferry, and started my adventure to the golden state. The feeling of peace I felt on the ferry right over to Vancouver was unforgettable. I stayed outside on the upper deck, warm wind blowing in my face, and enjoyed the sunset as the ferry moved out of the bay and out into the open sea. It was so calm and quiet, and I was beyond excited to finally be out travelling again after a year of staying put.

The majority of this trip was spent exploring new parts of California that I had never been before. We stayed in Big Bear Lake and ventured down to Lake Arrowsmith for a day, and my goodness, that part of the state is so gorgeous in the summer. We rode gondolas up the mountains for remarkable views of the lakes, and whipped down the mountainside on bobsleds. We rented a boat to cruise around Big Bear Lake on my last morning there, and took turns driving around and purposely crashing into waves, wanting to get sprayed to cool off from the warm summer heat. 

Before we headed to the airport for my evening flight, we stopped at Venice Beach for a walk on the boardwalk and to hit up our favourite hole-in-the-wall pizza joint for a slice. We walked down to the water to dip our toes in, but it was so beautiful and inviting that me and my sister ended up crashing around in the waves in our clothes. 

As I was waiting to board my flight in LAX, I was sandy, sun-kissed, and sad to be leaving my sister and this glorious trip behind. 

I think that's the best way I've ever left California- sandy and sun-kissed.

I can't wait to visit again soon. Summer in SoCal is way up there on my list of favourite things. 

summer's end

It rained this weekend for the first time in what felt like months. The heat of the summer lifted as the clouds gathered in the sky, and they opened up with the sweet release of cool raindrops.

I honestly don't think anything makes me happier than the feeling of cozy contentment that a rainy day brings.

Life gets slower and calmer, and everything is more peaceful.

I know a lot of people don't share the love of rain like I do, but growing up in the pacific northwest, or the "wet coast" as we jokingly call it, rain just feels like home to me.

School is starting soon. I can't decide whether or not I'm excited for it yet. I'm looking forward to getting back into a more steady routine, but I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for the brain burnout that is bound to ensue after only a two month break.

But with school comes less time at work, and after a summer full of 50-70 hour weeks, that'll be a big old breath of fresh air. 

Despite the crazy long work weeks, this summer has been a pretty good one.

It was filled with lake days with Madi, nights out with friends, a trip to California (which I'll post about soon!), a quick trip back home to catch up with old friends, and a couple of trips to Vancouver to visit my mom.

Not to mention all those hours I got to spend out in the sun while nannying.

Although I'm a little sad to see it go, I'm also really excited for the new season in store for us and the excitement that a new semester brings.

Watching the sunset from Mount Tolmie, I felt really, really alive in this moment

 

Drinks with Madi and Jessie at the PI

 

It's been such a sweet first summer living with my best friend

 

Girls night with Madi, Jessie, and Laura

 

Roomie selfies on our way out the door one evening

 

A spontaneous dip in the sea before I left town

 

Watching a farmer bail his hay at sunset before blackberry picking

 

Early birthday lunch with Grandma and Kasey at Milestones

Farewell, summer 2016, thanks for the memories.