weekend.

this past weekend was filled with the perfect things- sunshine, good food, long walks, endless time with friends and family, chocolate, yoga, two movie nights on the couch, bike rides, nature, bellinis and lots of laughs.. all which went undocumented.  sometimes you just have to live in the moment

this week holds some serious challenges.  long days of studying and late nights working.  also starting an elimination diet- more on that soon.

good thing I'm armed with this playlist and these cherry date-nut balls.  this is gonna be interesting people.  weeks without chocolate might cause a little crazy-ness up in here. wish me luck...

thursday thought + adventure day part 2.

a little inspiration for your long weekend...

now onto adventure day part 2.  after our lovely little walk around the trestle we poked around the town of shawnigan lake before finding a spot for lunch.  we found a great restaurant that had awesome food and nice west coast feel.  both of our meals were amazing and they had an extremely reasonable lunch special.  I had corn and shrimp fritters to start and then this salad which was AMAZING. oh my goodness- greens, goat cheese, candied pecans, strawberries and a creamy but at the same time light dressing. to die for



then we headed out to the next stop.. merridale cidery.  we walked around the property, took ourselves on a self-guided tour of the cidery and then explored the shop that had lots of delicious things.  of course we didn't leave without having a tasting.  all in all an absolutely awesome spot to check out- highly recommend it and the staff were SO lovely.

sorry for dark photos!

they had a beautiful pond out back with an awesome view and little yurts where spa services are available.  gorgeous place.  now I must day dream about the next adventure day while I study for exams.. sigh. happy long weekend!

adventure day part 1- from the iphone.

adventure day! sunday we had a leisurely sleep in, made a pancake breakfast and loaded in the truck.  we drove down to shawnigan lake to find the kinsol trestle.. and find it we did.  the weather was crazy- beautiful sunshine, overcast then some rain and back to beautiful sunshine.  didn't phase us, we had a great time exploring the trails and taking in the sweet site.

westy and d-rock.. happy campers.

kinsol trestle

trestle- so awesome.

lovin the forest.

buddha man on the side of the road-so random and awesome.

the drive through shawnigan lake was beautiful and we both loved exploring a new part of the island we hadn't seen before.  we spent about an hour exploring the trestle and surrounding trails.  highly recommend this spot.  I can cross that one off the 12 in 2012 list.  I will be back later this week with a recap of the rest of the lovely day including the good eats :)  happy tuesday friends!

lately.

lately..

I have been enjoying long walks in the evening with D, beautiful fresh flowers, cooking some good eats, and hanging out with the little ones...

abby doing her yoga pose at gymnastics-
sometimes we get mixed up with all the fun things we do :)

homemade delicious veggie pizza- built by morgs and court.

rhys on the run!

looking out at newcastle island from protection island.

recipe here- check it. so simple yet satisfying.

beautiful flowers.

and of course a thursday thought...

sometimes real life happens...

.. and blogging does not happen.  sorry for being extremely MIA these past few weeks.  I have been spending time with those closest to me while trying to keep up with my school work, job, yoga and running.  this past month was nothing we ever expected and has thrown us on a crazy roller coaster ride.  if I'm not around the bloggy blog you can expect that i'm providing support and comfort to my best friend...

going through this at any age is challenging but D(and you too M) are too young.  I don't think anything ever prepares you for it.

I hope to be back from time to time with some updates on adventures, playing in the sunshine and all the amazing things april holds.

rest easy papa norm.  thinking about you always.

the little things.

these cookies

source

this face...

enchiladas- the best of the best comfort food.  our favourite go-to meal.


and an entire sunday spent with these girls. (more than a little thing)

this week was definitely an exhausting one.  it seemed to go on forever and it didn't leave me feeling very energized for my weekend.  thursdays power yoga class was my first all week and provided me with a little positive zip to continue on through the rest of my week.  today I'm attending a moksha yoga class to live music led by the co-founder of moksha yoga in order to raise cashola for the emergency room at our local hospital.  great cause and I can't wait to participate.  tomorrow I have a long run on my agenda and I can't wait to get back on my bike next week.  all good things!

I hope to cook some delicious food this weekend and next week since I have been spending my days in the library lately. stay tuned for some new recipe ideas!

westcoast part 2 + thursday thought.

I can't believe it is thursday already.  this week has been absolutely insane.  so busy with work and school but finally midterms are over.  here are a few last photos from our trip last week... 

stormy lookout.

new awesome trail!

and a thought for you...

hope to be back sometime soon with some recipes! I'm off to a much needed yoga class and possibly a run in this beautiful sunshine!