joliepixie

[joliepixie]

Christmas 2021

Small and quiet with my loved ones. My dad took me and my two siblings for an amazing dinner at a really fancy restaurant. Turns out I’m a fan of truffle oil.

[joliepixie]

Some Fall time memories ~ 2021

1) Went on a camping trip with a newer friend of mine! had a blast. It rained the first day and we were really roughing it but it was calming and a great experience. Camping a lot of fun when you’re with others that enjoy the experience!

2) Spent a lot of time with Book Club. Which in honestly is good and bad. Love my friends but I burnt myself out emotionally and mentally more on that later. This night was a bit of a difficult night I had fun celebrating my friend Katie’s birthday but it was a lot of effort to pull myself out of my apartment to socialize. The bonfire was nice cause there was no pressure I could just sit and watch the flames.

3) one of my high school besties came down with her husband (I was her maid of honour!) to stay with me for a weekend! Pulled them into a 20k hike with me as I slowly progress on the Bruce trail! It was extreme winds and got dark so it was a bit of a scary hike! But we hit a portion that made you feel like you were in BC so totally worth it! They were incredibly proud of themselves for completing a 20k although they did say a limit of 15k next time.

4) Part of pulling myself out of my burnout I’ve been going back and doing things I love for example walking to the beach and just enjoying the cooler weather and I am so glad I went out this day! I witnessed a beautiful sunset and a storm passing over the lake. Went from blue to orange to pink to blue!

5) Went to Toronto to see the Gustav Klimt art exhibit and made a weekend out of it. Me and my two best friends spent the weekend at the one girls apartment had dinner walked the city and experienced the distillery district as it set up for the Christmas market. Unfortunately this was probably around my lowest point.. my highs were high but at the end of the weekend I just had hit my lowest and was completely burned out.

6) Montreal! my first time in Quebec and my first time travelling with friends. It was such a great experience and I fell so in love with the city! Spent 4.5 days there and took the train up. With Covid I haven’t been able to do a lot of the things I want to do so being able to get away for a few days with friends was amazing and practice for Paris when I go.

7) I got new glasses! Stepped out of my comfort zone a bit with the colour but that isn’t the exciting part! for the first time in my entire life I bought (well my mom did for a early Christmas present) prescription sunglasses! I’m in love with them and they are a god send.

8) like I’ve mentioned a couple times this fall my seasonal depression hit me hard. I burnt myself out. I didn’t stop all season constantly making plans never home always running around. I stopped taking care of myself. With my mother’s illness it’s always in the back of my mind that I could one day wake up and not have usage of my legs. Something could happen to me physically like a accident or I could get sick. So with that thought sitting there I just kept going and not stopping I burnt myself out. I wasn’t happy with plans I was going to cause I was so tired but I didn’t want to miss out incase you know. I wasn’t eating properly or sleeping properly I was just going. This picture is my turning point. I stopped myself and slowed down starting with cooking myself a really good meal and having a quiet night. Just getting back into a healthy routine.

9) Part of my Toronto weekend was also for book club! We just finished pride and prejudice and had a day based off the book starting with ordering Starbucks with a character name.

10) I didn’t get to enjoy my favourite time of year do to my burnout but I still got to do a couple of seasonal activities. Feeling a bit better I joined my friends to carve pumpkins and dress up. We got really serious carving when my friends husband pulled out the power tools for carving. What can I say we take Halloween seriously.

[joliepixie]

I’ve slowly been going through the Bruce trail. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a trail in Canada that is 900km long. Finishing it have been called End to End.

My dad recently finished it this summer which has given me the motivation and inspiration to attempt my own go at it.

I have a special place in my heart for this trail as I have many memories on it with my family and friends. My dad use to take us out every weekend for a Bruce trail hike hoping to one day finish it. I regret that I was so whiny when ever my dad said hike time. Even though it was a rough start me and my brother always had fun during the hikes. As a adult I have a much greater appreciation for those times and luckily nothing was to soured as I have shared many hikes with my dad and brother as an adult.

I would like to make a go at completing the End to End. I’m about 80km in and knocked off 40km this weekend. Looking forward to more hikes and more memories.

[joliepixie]

Coming to the realization how important photos are to me. I always explain to people that my Instagram is like a photo diary mainly because I was forced to feel like I needed to make excuses for my post out of embarrassment after people commented on how much I post. The thing is though that now that I’m free of expectation and judgement from people who’s opinions I don’t care about I’m realizing that my Instagram is a photo diary (tumblr is my thoughts written down for me.) of my life and my adventures. It’s therapeutic and I love looking about at my post and the things I’ve done with the people I love. And now it’s gotten even bigger then social media with my photo albums on my phone. I love looking at my photos remembering the good times and looking forward to the next adventure!

[joliepixie]

Another weekend in Toronto!

Went to see Gustav Klimt immersive art gallery with my two best friends. Once again really enjoyed the exhibit.

[joliepixie]

“You can’t control another person. It doesn’t matter how much you love them. You can’t love someone back to health and you can’t hate someone back to health.”

- Daisy Jones and The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid

#daisy jones and the six #taylor jenkins reid

[joliepixie]

Montreal 2021 ~

Took a vacation to Montreal for the week. Went with some of my college friends. I was so excited and happy to be able to finally get out and experience life again after the past two years of sitting still.

1) Had an amazing (and expensive) lunch at Duc de Lorraine after hiking Mount Royal.

2) First little coffee shop we stopped at. The exterior made us stop and want to peek in. Loved this place and ended up back at it multiple times.

3) First touristy thing we did. 25$ for 4 times around. Gave us a good look at Montreal and was a good starting point for our trip.

4) Took the stairs to the top of Mount Royal. We had beautiful weather and enjoyed the view of the sky line.

5) Explored the city and all it had to offer. Some art work and a preview of what we get to expect from the Fine Arts museum.

6) Didn’t get to go into the Norte-Dame Basilica but got to enjoy it every time we walked to old Montreal. The square was always filled with music.

7) Two parts of the Fine Arts museum was closed but we got to explore the main building that offered a ton of amazing pieces.

8) Went to the Biosphere. Thought it was a giant indoor greenhouse… I was wrong. None the least still a experience and informative.

9) My friend recommended this place (Maison Bagatelle) because of the creme brulee gelato. Totally worth it. But I have to say my favourite flavour was passion fruit.

10) The Barbie Expo was a enjoyable and free experience. Very neat to see all the designs and different Barbies.

[joliepixie]

Pinery Park Camping Trip ~ 2021

Took a trip with a friend of mine. We both love the outdoors so opted to rough it for the weekend. What a experience. We had a eventful first night when our tent started flooding due to all the rain and had to quickly move our tent up a incline and re jig our tarp to keep the rain off us. Finally got to enjoy some sun the next day which led to a full day of canoeing, hiking and enjoying the beach known for its sunsets.

[joliepixie]

Good things…

This morning I was really craving a Starbucks hot chocolate. I spent the morning trying to talk myself out of it. It wasn’t in the budget and I really shouldn’t be getting such a expensive drink and muffin. I ended up going and to my surprise when I pulled up to the window I was informed that my order had been paid for by the lady in front. I nearly cried from the simple act of kindness this stranger showed me.

While on my lunch at work one of my associates approached me to tell me she would be leaving the company this October. I gave her my best wishes and told her she would be missed and best of luck on her new adventure. She told me that she wanted to let me know that she will always be grateful for all the help I’ve given her and that I was always there for her. She wanted to let me know that she’s learned so much from me and that if she’s ever asked what time of manger/leader she wants to be she’s going to say like me. I’m the type of leader she wants to be. For the second time today I almost cried.

These two good things came at such a good moment. I’ve been down the last few days but this little act of kindness from a stranger and some kind words from my associate have really brought my mood up. It’s the little things I’m life that matter most.

[joliepixie]

Lions Head ~ September 2021

A mini vacation with my dad.

[joliepixie]

Memories from summer 2021 ~

1) Spent a lot of time at my friends pool this summer. We started a book club and would having meeting were we basically had sangrias, swam, order dinner and bubble team and read a minimum of 35 pages to complete book club.

2) Finally made it to level 40 on Pokémon Go! The shiny Mew was a huge motivator!

3) Started my garden. I rent but I wanted to take up gardening it’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and I figured I could split the plants if and when I move. Gave myself a small garden budget and picked out a few plants I love.

4) Hiked Lions Head with my dad. Was about 20k and a tough hike but with some really spectacular views! Stopped for dinner in lions head then continued on our hike!

5) Part of the lions head trip my dad rented us a cabin for the night to continue our hiking the next day. I told him all I wanted to go camping for the bonfire experience which he delivered on. It was a perfect night for a bonfire with clear skies right by the lake!

6) Rearranged my apartment. Started feeling uneasy with the layout and kept feeling like it wasn’t working. Swapped some colours and items around and I now feel cozier in my home.

7) Went to a Truth and Reconciliation Concert celebrating Indigenous People and there traditions. It was eye opening and educational and the music was fantastic. My friends boyfriend was in one of the bands performing and we stuck around at the end to help with clean up.

8) Celebrated my mom’s birthday last month! She doesn’t get out much but really wanted to go to high tea. So I packed her up and took her out. It was a lovely experience and a good one to share.

9) Had a “book club” adventure in the big city! Basically my three best friends and I had a mini vacation with one of the rules being we had to try some new food. Japanese pancakes was the new food experience! Fun weekend!

10) Part of my mini weekend in the big city vacation with my three best friends. This was the main motivation for the trip. To see the new Monet exhibition! It was utterly amazing and I’m very excited to book tickets for the Gustav Klimt one! I’m a sucker for art!

[joliepixie]

But I'm a sunflower, a little funny

If I was a rose, maybe you'd want me

If I could, I'd change overnight

And turn into something you'd like

- Shannon Purser, Sunflower

#sunflower #shannon purser

[joliepixie]

Let’s go! Left to right!

1) Ok first off Peter Swanson is quickly becoming my favourite thriller writer! He’s just so good at coming up with original plots that I think are going one way then go the complete opposite way. He hasn’t failed to write anything less then a 5 star read for me so far! This book was amazing I thought it was going to be your typical is she crazy or is she not crazy type of thriller and thank good I was wrong. Right off the bat something huge is revealed and your left wondering well where is this book going now?? I like that Peter took the typical plot of a most thriller books of a woman having some sort of mental Illness and not solely relying on that to be your plot twist. He always does such a good job at keeping you guess and I’ve literally downloaded all his other books to to binge them.

2) Crazy Rich Asians was my choice for my book club’s next read. I will admit that I had read this book back in December but I loved it so much and wanted to share it that I didn’t mind re reading it along with friends. I find Kevin Kwan creates likeable and fun characters that really hold my attention and make me laugh. I’m excited to get into his other books later this year or next!

3,4,5) Once again a reread! So I’ve recently created a new shelf on Goodreads for my physical shelf. All my owned books. Now when you add something to a shelf it becomes a want to read book. I read this series last year but I don’t have the dates and I’m crazy like that that I am now re reading a lot of book that I’ve read last year so I can add them to my goodreads shelf as read with dates… Rereading Anne of Green Gables is no chore for me. This book has a very special place in my heart. It’s helped me through some really tough/stressful times in my life. I turn to these books for comfort. I will always be Anne obsessed and consume any media or written work regarding Anne.

6) Just like Peter Swanson, Ruth ware is one of my other favourite thriller writers and someone I will buy anything she writes. I went into the book completely blind. Didn’t read the back summary and solely picked it up on the bases of it being written but Ruth Ware. She did not disappoint. However I think that I will not be reading books blindly anymore.. I like having something to go off of especially thriller that was I can act as a detective and see if I can put clues together. With this book though because I went in blindly a lot of the times I was lost not sure what was going on or not knowing if I was reading a thriller or a ghost story.. regardless still a enjoyable read and excited to binge the rest of her books.

7) Book club book number two! I really wanted to like this one but I had a really hard time getting through it. I found it very slow and very dry. I’m use to my more face paced thriller with something crazy happening each chapter. I did like that part two was a chapter for each suspect to tell there story so you could slowly start putting clues together! The movie was really good and I’m probably going to be reading “Death on the Nile” with my book club when the movie comes out and we can plan a movie night!

#crazy rich asians #kevin kwan #anne of green gables #l.m. montgomery #ruth ware #peter swanson #agatha christie #murder on the orient express #anne of avonlea #anne of the island

[joliepixie]

I’ve wanted to try my hand at gardening for a long time, however, I’ve always rented and didn’t see the point of putting in time, money, and effort on something I don’t own. I’ve been in my apartment for two years and I’ve fallen more and more in love with the area and my home and I figured I’d be here for even more years to come so why not try gardening here? I can use this experience for practice and do it on a budget. I can try a new hobby and help my my home beautiful on the outside as well as the inside!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

EXTRA:

#gardening #journal #garden #flowers

[joliepixie]

Let’s go! Pictures left to right!

1) This was a five star read for me and probably one of my top five of the year. I was really hesitant not only to read this book but to also buy it. I’d seen it jump up on TikTok more then once but every time I picked it up it just didn’t catch my interest. The only read it so soon after I purchased it was because I let my friend pick out of three books what I should read next! I’m so happy she picked this one. I flew through it in one day and loved everything about this book . I honestly can’t think of one thing I didn’t like about this book. I fell in love with Kya and her marsh. It was a beautifully written story. I went into this book expecting it to be very much like a thriller novel like “Woman in Cabin 10” or something like that. It was nothing like that and I was perfectly fine with that. At first I was a little unsure about the ending but the more I thought about it the more I was satisfied with it. It was definitely not the happiest of reads but it’s a read that will stick with me for awhile.

2) This was my book club’s second pick. This book was meh. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t particularly like it. I found the character to be lacking which I find funny considering they are based on real people. I will say the descriptions of Egypt though were amazing and really brought a lot of life into the story. I found myself getting very angry at our main character and had to sit back and think why? All she did was hope and dream but I found myself getting annoyed at her for that. I think it was her naivety I was getting annoyed at. When she was pregnant and thinking of how life will be when her baby is born I was so frustrated because as the reader you could clearly see that Sally’s (the main character) lady would never accept her pregnancy. Lady Duff Gordon may have been comfortable in Egyptian clothing but she was comfortable with the Egyptian view of a husband taking two wives as well as a baby before marriage. I did like Sally’s independence and how she worked for herself and child rather then reconciling with her husband. I though the independence was something to be admired.

3) I was very excited for this book and very disappointed by it. I found this book was filled with well a lot of filler that didn’t contribute to the plot. You didn’t meet love interest two until page 200 something and the first half of the book made me feel like women have a expiration date and being almost 30 myself is was kind of a punch to the gut. I did find myself laughing at loud at somethings but it wasn’t enough to win it’s self back into my good graces. I found the majority of the characters to be over the top and the other half to be unlikable. The romance was lacking and I didn’t really care what happened at the end with our two love birds. Anyways this book is not sitting in the donate pile.

4) Emily Henry steals my heart again with another cute light read. I absolutely loved this story and love the trope of best friends loving each other but never saying they do. This book was my vacation through Covid. Since I can’t travel might as well read about travelling. Having a tough time deciding if I loved this one more or beach read! Either way I will pick up anything Emily Henry writes now.

5) This is my second Christina Lauren book and probably my favourite so far. Once again another trope I love enemy’s to lovers. I wasn’t sure how this book was going to work and I wasn’t expecting the sister and the brother in law playing such huge roles. I enjoyed there parts in the story even if they made me angry and sad. I thought it added good conflict to our main characters story and gave them a solid reason for disliking each other.

6) I don’t know what it was about this book but I found it extremely relaxing. I thought the story was boring and slow but for some reason it just made me feel peaceful. I think what I found most interesting about this novel is the different ways that art can move people and how it can be interpreted so differently from person to person. I found this novel to be a collection of short stories that connect rather then a actual novel which I think made it so easy to read. If you like art this is probably something you’ll enjoy one way or another.

7) I have never read Percy Jackson before until this moment. I can get the hype. I had major Harry Potter vibes while reading this and even recommended it to a friend because of this. I’d seen the movies ages ago and really liked them so I’ve always been interested in reading the series just never got around. I recently watched the movie again after reading the first book and I can understand the hatred toward the movie now. They did not follow the book at all other then keeping the character’s names the same. I will definitely be continuing with the series and excited to meet some of the other characters I’ve seen fan art for!

#where the crawdads sing #delia owens #the mistress of nothing #christina lauren #the unhoneymooners #people we meet on vacation #emily henry #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #rick riordan #book #books

[joliepixie]

“There, at the end, when Peter Pan sits on a rock, the memory of Wendy Darling sliding from his mind, and it is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten.”

-V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

#v.e. schwab #the invisible life of addie larue #quote #book

[joliepixie]

Wont you play a haunting theme again to me

While I eat my scones and drink my cup of tea

The sun is warm but its a lonely afternoon 🎶

- David Bowie, Rubber Band