Sunday, July 31, 2011

west coast beaches part 1.

an early morning on brady's beach...






an equally early morning sample collection at scott's bay..



and a glorious friday afternoon, saturday and sunday afternoon at pachena bay. saturday wasn't so nice but I had my fabulous friends that distracted me from the rain.  




it has been an all around crazy weekend! insanely busy here at the station- we had lab work to do yesterday but then we realized that the water pipe had broken that circulates fresh sea water to all the animals in our lab.  huge problem! we had to haul up buckets of water from the shore to keep our creatures cool and happy.  after multiple trips, the pipe was finally fixed.  BUT then the internet was down.  all seems to be good now! I managed to squeeze in a short yoga practice yesterday morning before the water crisis.  then I spent time doing lab work and my friendsies came to the station to pick me up for an afternoon/evening at their campsite.  so glorious to spend some time with them- i love my friends!

off to do laundry and a little yoga!
missin' everyone at home- hope you are all well, thinking about each and every one of you!
--m

Friday, July 29, 2011

creatures and critters volume 1.

the last two mornings were early ones.. in order to explore two different intertidal areas we had to rise and shine at 4.45(!) in order to catch the low tide.  in return, we saw some awesome creatures.  I seem to never photograph the seriously awesome ones because I am just staring in awe at how cool they are. here are a few shots from the first two field trips... many more to come!!

crab!!

one of a bazillion anemones.

sea stars and tunicates!


ginormous mussels 

kelp

sea star feeding.

anemones and purple encrusted sponge.
stay tuned for "the beaches of the westcoast volume 1"
off to bed. it has been such a long week.
--m

ps.  I miss all of you- sorry, this 14 hour long school day thing is taking a toll on me.  I will message you all when I have the chance.  even better, message me first :) hugs.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

my new yoga sanctuary.




nice view, eh? I'm totally diggin' it.  I did a 40 minute ukee summer flow by eoin finn and it rocked.  hope I can still manage to squeeze in time for yoga once school gets crazy! today was definitely information overload so I need to review a bit before going to bed!

can't wait to see my lovelies this weekend!
--m

Monday, July 25, 2011

my new home.

yesterday, I arrived at my new home for the next 6 weeks.  after unpacking all my stuff and meeting the majority of the other students, I felt relief and my nerves passed.  I am really excited to be here- such a gorgeous place! yesterday there wasn't anything on the agenda so we all just hung out, went for a few walks and chatted away.  the other students are pretty awesome.  

we had orientation today, getting to know the station, the safety aspects and our way around the campus.

here are a couple photos from a quick visit to the whale lab...

grey whale skeleton(and some others)

gumboot chiton.
it is definitely going to be nice to not have to cook dinner every night- having food all prepared for you is really convenient especially when the course really picks up.  I can say that I will miss baking and when I'm home I will be anxious to get back in the kitchen!

I'm also looking forward to exploring some of the area(a few girls have cars that we can bum rides from)- there are some gorgeous beaches that I can't wait to check out.  there are boats that we can sign out as well so we can do a lot of exploring.  I think we have 3 snorkelling expeditions planned on the surrounding islands, which I am so so SO excited about.  I will try to keep everyone updated as best I can but things are going to get crazy.  

miss everyone already!! love you all.
--m

Friday, July 22, 2011

busy day.

last night D and I made a delicious dinner- we grilled up some veggies(sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and peppers), corn on the cob and some non-medicated chicken sausages.  this was SO simple and came together in a flash.  I like BBQ'ing because that is always D's job!  after dinner, we decided to head out in the sunshine for a nice walk- we ended up walking for about 45 minutes.  it was really nice to just enjoy each others company, I'm going to seriously miss him while I'm gone.



here is little photo update of my lilies- they are a bloomin'!



today I had a wonderful breakfast date with my parents, ange, darc and abby.  we wandered through the farmers market after breakfast.  then I ran some errands and picked up some super cute jeans a cute tee at the gap.

after a busy morning, I laced up my runners and went for a jog which looked like this:
*5 minutes walking for warm up
*run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes.  repeat 7 times
*10 minutes walking for cool down.

I returned home and did a "running cool down" yoga podcast from eoin finn.  short and sweet but it ensures that you stretch all the necessary muscles after a run.  it was perfect! check out his podcasts- I downloaded several of them on itunes and am totally loving them! he has a "yoga for short attention spans".. sounds like he knows me perfectly! can't wait to try that one out.

off to continue packing.
--m

Thursday, July 21, 2011

spoiled.

my last day of work yesterday was wonderful.  I got some really good feedback about the work that I did while I was there and left feeling accomplished and optimistic that I can hopefully work there again sometime in the near(ish) future.  I learned so much during that short 3 months.  derek brought me these home to congratulate me on my last day..



he is the best.  we love having lilies around the house- they last long, smell wonderful and are just plain beautiful. I love receiving flowers and he always picks the best days! things have been pretty crazy around here lately as I'm getting organized to leave so sometimes it's nice to just forget about all the "to-do's" and enjoy time with friends and family.  D and I have a date tonight because it's our last day that we have a chance to spend with each other being that the weekend is filled with a birthday party friday night and a wedding on saturday!

this morning, in celebration of not having to go to work this morning, I enjoyed a non-traditional weekday breakfast.  normally, its overnight oats but this morning I had blueberry eggo's with peanut butter, a little syrup, frozen berries and a banana! delicious! it is a nice treat to switch it up sometimes.


after breakfast, errands(including getting my passport photo taken and going to the passport office), I met my mom and dad for a coffee date! mom brought me these two little treasures home from her trip.  this tea towel is the jam!! it says:

I am not a chef
I did not attend 
le cordon bleu 
I don't wear 
a puffy hat
I cook
for my family
my friends
myself
I am not a chef
I am a cook



I absolutely love it! I'm not sure if I am a very good "cook" just yet, but I really am trying! and this bowl is awesome- I already have a plate and another bowl that are the same brand.  they are made out of recycled material, which is right up my alley and they are super funky.  I need to pick up a couple more so I can make a whole set!

anyways, it has been a wonderful week.  lots of socializing- including megs 30th birthday- shout out to her!! I managed to squeeze in a fab yoga for athletes yoga class on monday and a vinyasa flow on tuesday.  today I'm headed to the studio for my last class until I return in September- how sad!! I hope to squeeze in a run tomorrow and possibly zumba on saturday.

just wanted to touch quickly on what my plan is in terms of blogging while I'm away.  I will try my best to post a few times a week, but I don't get my schedule until I start class on monday.  I am going to be extremely busy out there but I will make time for the blog whenever I can.  be patient and I will do my best!

--m

thursday thought.

meg shared this quote with me a few weeks back and I thought it was perfect to share with all of you as well!


*in order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first. --adora svitak

so true.  my esthetician that works from her home once showed me her "vision board".  she made a huge collage years ago of all of things she wanted in this life- and now, those things have all come together for her.  she shares with me her little secrets to her success and happiness and she really believes that things will always work out of if you are optimistic and believe in yourself.  an extremely valuable lesson! sometimes you have to let things happen as they happen and you may surprise yourself!

happy thursday friends! I hope to be back later today with a post about my week and blog details for when I'm away.
--m

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

daily inspiration.

joy the baker podcast has taught me many things and provided me with many laughs.  they discussed some of their favourite blogs one day and I finally got a chance to check them out.  fabulous, fabulous sites...

creature comforts and design love fest are both just fantastic!! I definitely recommend checking them out.

here are a few tidbits from creature comforts:

source

source



source



source

source

happy web-browsing friends. 
--m

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

confessions of a yogi.

a yogi- a person who is proficient in yoga (sounds fancy :) I like it!)

*I consider myself no expert when it comes to yoga, but I consider myself a "yogi" in the sense that I am totally all about the philosophy and practice of yoga and have no idea where I would be in this life without it!  so here it goes.. confessions of a yogi!

-I absolutely love the variation yoga has to offer- the broad spectrum of styles of yoga totally floats my boat.  on any given day there is often a style of yoga perfectly appropriate for your mood.  power yoga, vinyasa flow, yin or even simple meditation.  the mat is your oyster!

- being that I have tried several studios(in several cities), I have to say I love that you can join any studio and feel part of the community.  the yoga community is really special in that way- you instantly feel welcome. practicing with such great people often gives me an extra boost of energy just when I need it.  my current studio that I attend very frequently has the BEST community.  they are always hosting events and workshops, which is something I think is crucial for building strong relationships with the surrounding community as well as between yogis.

-some days, the last thing I feel like doing is going to yoga practice.  but somehow, I end up at the studio and by the time my practice is over I feel just fantastic.

- there is such a thing as a "yoga high" similar to a "runners high".  at least in my opinion.

-in most athletic hobbies or team sports there is always this urge to work harder, run faster, score more and win.  yoga is the complete opposite.  there is always an opportunity to further your practice and find your edge but if you aren't feeling it that day, then often you are encouraged to take it down a notch, modify your poses and simply focus on takin' it easy.  I love that I can make every practice my own by deciding where my energy level is at that day and how my body is feeling.  I think it is an important lesson to learn that you shouldn't assume that what everybody else in the class is doing is what is right for you.  yoga and ego don't get along- I would suggest leaving your ego at the door if you have one.

- yoga teachers are seriously amazing role models.  they are so inspiring and I hope I can provide this inspiration for my own class of yogis one day!

that is that.  i'm sure I will come up with confessions of a yogi part 2 in the near future.

happy tuesday! my last day of work tomorrow!
--m

Sunday, July 17, 2011

weekend.

this weekend was a busy one- after a friday night celebration with friends and a wedding on saturday we opted for a semi-relaxing sunday.  I spent the morning catching up with my dad, who just returned from saskatchewan and the evening having dinner with D's parents.  so lovely! I just love socializing.  in between the socializing we managed to be seriously productive around the house.  I got groceries and some last minute things for my trip while derek cleaned like crazy.  without me even asking he offered to do the majority of the cleaning- who could refuse that offer? he said he would do it if I got groceries.  perfect deal for me as I love grocery shopping!

I was going to post some fun pictures from the wedding we attended this weekend but as soon as I took my camera out to start snapping photos at the reception.. my battery died!! ugh, so I'm waiting to receive a few from friends so I will post them when they come in!

in other news, I completed a run today that looked like the run I was supposed to complete yesterday before I got stuck in the rain.  I always get such a boost in energy after I squeeze in some exercise.  back to yoga tomorrow and my last week at work! and a short week at that- wednesday is my last day! I can't believe how fast it has gone.

one week till bamfield...



hope everyone had a lovely weekend.
--m

Saturday, July 16, 2011

a rainy run.

phew, what a busy week.  I managed to cross off the majority of my to-do list which has been a serious relief.  I went into work early every morning this week in order to leave early and get errands done before yoga or dinner.  I feel very accomplished although, the list goes on and this week won't be any less hectic.  in addition to my to-do list, I also have a to-see list which is a list of people I really want to see before I head out for 6 weeks.  I managed to do that the past week or two and had the chance to catch up with some school friends, family and my group of closest friends.  last night, court planned a little going away party for me as well as a celebration of her hubby's new job.  we had such a blast- I honestly can't say enough about my amazing friends and family.

today started off with a lovely sleep in and then a productive morning! I ran some errands first thing in the morning and then came home to get ready for katies wedding ceremony! 

pre-ceremony fuel...


eggs and a cheese on a toasted multigrain sandwich thin and blackberries on the side! hit the spot.

after the ceremony- pics to come soon(I only took a few because I didn't have the greatest view), I came home to rest with D but decided I was feeling motivated enough to complete a run.  so, I laced up my runners, grabbed my iPod and hit the trail for my 2nd run of my 10k training.  unfortunately, it started to REALLY rain about half way through so I opted to run more and walk less because I wanted to make it home asap.  I was pretty much soaked, as seen below.


I still really enjoyed expending all my energy and now I'm amped for the wedding reception tonight(I had to deal with my soaked rats nest of hair first)

my run was SUPPOSED to look like this:

*walk for 5 minutes for warm up.
*run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes.  repeat 6 times
*walk for 5 minutes to cool down.

but it ended being all over the place since I just needed to get home but in total it equaled about 30 minutes.

off to the wedding!
--m

Thursday, July 14, 2011

thursday thought.


love this photo steff took at rhys' first birthday party.

*breathe. let go. and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.
--oprah

this quote really speaks to me this week because my mom passed on some devastating news to me a few days ago.  she was visiting her friends in saskatchewan and was informed about a not extremely close friend, but a friend none the less, that got into a cycling accident and has been in a coma for two weeks.  these stories just get to me- I went to school with the kids and I just feel their pain.  I only wish I could do something to help.  so, I have done all that I can with what I have and sent all my energy their way.  I dedicated my yoga practices this week to their family in hopes for a recovery for their dad.  if anyone has some extra love or energy to spare please send it their way.

live life to the fullest, friends.
--m

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

learn to run.

girls night was a few weekends back and 4 of us decided we were going to run a 10k together next may! I am SO excited for this.  I just want a real reason to train and even though it's a long way away I decided to get a head start on my training now.  I hope that when I'm back in september and anthem is back from calgary that we can all get together for runs as often as possible! just another excuse to get together with my fab friends :)  

training run #1- check!


I am using the 10k training program that brooke posted. my first run looked like this:
warm up- walk 5 minutes(I walked a tad longer because I was trying to get to the trail before I started running)
run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes and repeat 9 times (the program says 8 but I had some extra juice left at the end of 8)
cool down- walk 5 minutes
total: approximately 40 minutes

this walk/run didn't feel like a huge challenge but when I got home I felt satisfied with completing this little dose of cardio.  I want to stick with the program and not rush into the running part in hopes that it actually works and I will be able to do the 10k no problem!

can't wait to have my running buddies with me soon..



the rain ruined my run #2 which was supposed to be today.. oh well. I enjoyed a night in with D and homemade veggie pizza.  also, my quads and hamstrings are fairly sore from my vinyasa flow yoga class last night and 2 walks! with working on my feet all day I can definitely feel the difference in my legs- they tire much quicker! back to yoga tomorrow and then maybe squeeze in my run on friday morning before a fun filled weekend!

night friends.
--m

Monday, July 11, 2011

i heart sundays.

this sunday started just splendid.  we had D's fam over for morning coffee and muffins- I am scrambling to see everyone before I leave for 6 weeks.  we enjoyed a really nice visit with G & B, meg, tye and rhys. gotta love these cuties.. 


I baked dark chocolate blueberry muffins which turned out okay.. I think I over mixed the batter so they weren't as light and fluffy as they usually are.  still a highly recommended recipe- I snagged it from how sweet it is.  whenever I make muffins including some sort of fruit, I always add a little extra to the top of each muffin before baking.  gives it a nice touch! in this case, I placed an extra few blueberries on top of each muffin before I popped them in the oven(and maybe a little extra chocolate too..)


following our coffee company and a few sunday errands I headed downtown to hang out with ange, darc and abby.  the dragonboat festivities were going on and it was seriously hoppin' down at the waterfront.  I think I would love to join a dragonboat team some day.. it looks like fun!

after such a nice afternoon I was starting to stress about my crazy long to-do list I have to complete before I leave.. I really just want to spend my time with my friends and family before I go but there is so much to do! I am overwhelmed with everything I have to get done- between getting organized for my course in bamfield, getting organized for my fall semester at school and trying to find a job for the fall when I'm in school.  needless to say, I was a bit of a basket case(temporarily).  I was trying to be productive by filling out my passport forms(another thing on my list) which turned into more work because I filled something out wrong and had to print out another copy and start all over! sigh..
D knew I was stressing out so he brought home a delicious chocolate treat.. YUM!


yes.. that is chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and whip cream in layers with cream puffs and chocolate drizzle on top.  OH MY! this was delicious.. and thank goodness he was prepared with chocolate because my evening was a frustrating one!
I tried to let my worries go in regards to my long to do list and just enjoy my evening with D.  BUT we were sitting down to our sunday night dinner and I knocked over my glass which spilt over the entire table, on my laptop and my iPod that I was updating.  I almost lost it.  and then, oh it gets better, I leave my warm dinner to clean up the sticky mess and just as I finish cleaning table, chair and floor I put the cloth down.. and knock it over AGAIN! wow.. I guess I need to work on my motor skills or something. I cried a little.. obviously.  then got it together and ate my dinner only because I wanted some chocolate.  D offered to duck tape my hand to my glass after that second spill.  oh well, such is life!

all in all, a wonderful weekend and another busy week ahead!
--m

Sunday, July 10, 2011

a day at the beach.

first a few pics from one of our favourite spots for evening walks..


i just love him.

soakin' up the sun.

earlier in the week, we designated saturday as beach day and beach day it was!! we are practicing for hawaii :) 


love the pup on the front.




we had an awesome time with our delicious picnic lunch, good books and a gorgeous day.  we walked along the beach, played frisbee(with a pug), and simply relaxed.  I think we both needed some time to just veg out and soak up some rays.

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
-m

Saturday, July 9, 2011

menu planning.

menu planning is sometimes a struggle in our house.  neither of us normally feel like planning out specific meals for each day but we also don't like running into the problem of getting caught without important ingredients for a recipe. so we normally discuss some options for the week(but don't designate certain days for them) and then buy all the groceries accordingly.  that way we know we have lots of options but we can wait until that evening to decide what we feel like and then whip it up.  so here were my meals from the week..

*3 cheese tortellini with rose pasta sauce, prawns and asparagus
*coconut prawns, wild rice and corn
*bbq chicken on a green salad
*pennys palapa- halibut tacos and palapa salad!
*bbq chicken for D, asparagus, yorkshires, and sweet potatoes(I'm aware of how very random this is- but we like to use up all the groceries left over from the week)



for lunches-
*green salad and a fruit salad
*amy's organic bean and cheese burrito (umm hello.. these things are delicious!) with celery and carrots on the side
*leftover coconut prawns and rice with celery and carrots
*heaping serving of peas and carrots I picked up at the farmers market, fruit salad, and a cookie!
*pb & j sandwich and fruit salad

this is my view at lunch.. the beautiful location of my workplace is a serious bonus.




we see seals every lunch hour.. I just love it!


do you plan a menu for the week? what are your go-to dinner ideas when you haven't planned anything and don't want to go pick up any groceries?

happy weekend!
--m

Friday, July 8, 2011

inspiration.

the real simple magazine is seriously my favourite- since the postal strike, I have been having withdrawls because my new issue hasn't arrived yet.  so I got my fill on the website..

I am loving this combination of green and white..




so beachy and cozy, right?

I daydream quite regularly about having a garden.  I think my life would be complete if I could grow a garden similar to these ones..

garden sanctuary


lovin' these colours.


so pretty!

unfortunately, I don't think I have much of a green thumb. I also can't wait to have a veggie garden too- I would plant lettuce, peas, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes! and some raspberries and strawberries wouldn't hurt too! one day...

wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! 
--m