Here we go again..

I love how I come back here every once in a while to catch up. It's like that friend from high school who you never see but each time you meet up it feels as if nothing has changed. I'm in a much different place now than I was a year ago. New place, new volunteer experiences, new way of living. I couldn't be happier.

The Place
I am officially a resident of the coolest neighborhood in Winnipeg. I suppose that's not saying much. I moved in with a girl from school at the beginning of the month and I love it. Everything is so close, the place is so nice (and clean), and the kitchen is actually use-able! (see below in the food section)

The Job(s)
I'm stupid busy all the time, which isn't really new. I enjoy the challenge of taking on new roles and responsibilities and I enjoy being a leader. I also enjoy a discount on clothes, but that's another story.

The Volunteering
 Lots of new things going on here. Applying for new positions, applying for practicum positions - not really volunteering but whatever, and coming into my own in the positions I have already.I foresee a really fun (last) school year ahead of me!

The Food
In the last year I've really started to support the local food movement. I think it's really great to know where your food comes from. I've already been to Crampton's twice this year and picked up some delicious food, and I hope to visit many more times this summer. St. Norbert opens June 1!!

I've also tried my hand at making a number of things from scratch. Anthony and I have almost perfected our pizza dough recipe. I'm not sure why anyone buys pizza, home made is amazing! I also recently made my first real whole wheat yeast bread. Again, not sure why anyone buys bread? I cannot wait to experiment with this recipe by adding seeds and herbs!

The Fitness
I'm not going to lie, but I've been going to the gym. I never would have imagined actually wanting to go there. On top of that, I'm running in the relay this year, at the friggen marathon.Who am I? Someone who likes exercise, that's who.

The Friendships
Another year of school has flown by and it as a busy one, albeit fun. Lots of bonding time with the 'best school friends' made the days a lot better. I'm so lucky to have these girls in my life, they keep me together on the days I just want to fall apart. My CPL has been doing some amazing things and I am so proud of her everyday. We don't see each other as much as I would like but we make a point of catching up as often as we can.

The Love
I've been waiting to write this one but I don't even know where to start, I'm just so happy. I'm in love with my best friend and he's amazing. He's been working so hard this year and I'm proud of everything he's accomplished. Spending time with him is what I look forward to most and I can't wait to see what shenanigans we'll get into next.

The Future
As an aspiring medical student my summer looks chalked full of physics, chemistry, and other exciting things like that. Sometimes I get very discouraged, but I try to remind myself of what I'm working towards. I have a lot of support from my family and friends which is also very encouraging.

Thursday night fun.

Last night Anthony and I had one of our special athletic-type dates. After we made dinner together (actually this time it was more he made dinner then I brought some kale to cook too) we hit the driving range.

Now, I haven't actually golfed since the summer before I got into a pretty bad car accident on the highway. My clubs were in the trunk and the driver ended up breaking. Unfortunately for me golfing does not come naturally and my long hiatus from golf caused last night to be a bit of a struggle. I still need a lot more practice, but it was nice to use my clubs again (I've probably only used them twice since I got them). It was gorgeous out though which still made it very enjoyable!

Birthday Dinner at Prairie Ink

Last night Cleo and I went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. She chose Prairie Ink which was awesome because I've never been there! It's located inside McNally Robinson Bookstore in Grant Park Mall. The atmosphere was really cool, the restaurant section is open to the second floor which made the space feel huge. They feature artwork on the wall by different artists all the time, and Cleo also told me they have live music sometimes!

We started off with a Chilean Merlot and an Antipasto platter which was filled with bread, cheese, assorted meats, olives, and oil and vinegar for dipping. It was absolutely delicious and paired well with the wine.

Our meal consisted of sharing the crab cakes entree (which was AMAZING) as well as their weekly special grilled cheese which had brie, avocado, bacon, and tomatoes among other things.

We finished things off with a piece of Toblerone Torte which was also amazing!

http://www.prairieinkrestaurant.ca/

22

I'm officially 22 years old, man time flies. I wanted to spend this years birthday surrounded by my friends in an atmosphere where we could talk and actually be able to hear each other! I chose Boa Lounge and we ended up staying there for a little while, but after a few people showed up, we decided to change venues to a place with some food and a place to sit down, Johnny G's! Over all it was a lovely evening (I was VERY well behaved).

 

David Bowie is behind us, no big deal. 

Garage Sale!

Over the weekend was a huge community garage sale in the town I grew up in. My step mom and I woke up really early and hit the pavement for some good deals around town.

I was looking specifically for shelving units and Tupperware for the new place, but I didn't really find either. I did find a cute little table for our front entry way that we're going to use as a place for our keys, mail, and phone books. This way we can clear off some of the clutter from the kitchen table. I also grabbed up a great new lunch kit, a colorful mat for my bedroom or the kitchen (I haven't decided), and a book about Jackie O.

Now that I have some furniture I should really get working on unpacking the remaining boxes I have left and doing some organizing and purging!

My next move-in tasks that I need to accomplish are:

• Bring up new furniture piece from the basement to put my TV on
• Incorporate some books into the new shelf
• Empty 3 boxes from the hall, 1 box in the kitchen, and 1 box in my room
• Reorganize the book shelf in my room
• Move the small table near my dresser for my blow dryer and hair straightener

Pretty Treats

So, because I like to indulge myself in gifts on a regular occasion, I figured I should document them here!

Yesterday I found some fabulous House of Harlow 1960 jewelry on www.gilt.com. The necklace I reaaaallly wanted sold out. It was devastating, I even put myself on the wait list!

I ended up purchasing this lovely ring:

 

As well as these stud earings:

 

I was very happy with my purchases from guilt.com, however the shipping to Canada was ridiculous and it might not come until the beginning of July! I really hope they are as beautiful as I imagine them to be when they arrive!

My next purchases were from Beyond the Rack, they were having a great Mat and Nat event! I sniped up a great Hendrix Ikat bag:

 

As well as a cute black wallet for an AMAZING price.

*House of Harlow 1960 images from Gilt.com and Mat and Nat pictures from polyvore.com