And We're Off

[My new old hatbox]

Bye bye Toronto. I'll miss you. All packed. Hats are in my new vintage hat box. What a lovely weekend. Tying up loose ends. Yummy brunches. Dinner with the best of girls. Warm hugs from roomie. Packing into the night. Waking up at dawn. Puppy cuddles and toasted bagels and comfy sweaters and the final dissipation of the knot that has been firmly woven in my stomach for the last week. See you tonight, New York City.

Running Errands

[Talula Babaton Blazer, thrifted halter, Levi's boyfriend jeans, vintage belt, Minnetonka moccasins, C'est Moi bag, ring from San Francisco, homemade bracelet]

T-Minus 20 hours! Should I be ready, and stuff? A to-d0 list still brimming with notes. A bedroom and a suitcase in need of some major organization. A tummy in need of yummy brunch and a soul thirsty for more time with friends who will be missed. I've been experiencing knots in my stomach for the last few days. Knots that I know will dissipate once I stop contemplating silly details and just hit the road and deal with what comes. I find myself worrying about things that are silly. Do I have all that I need? Will travel buddy and I get along? What if X Y and Z go wrong? Time to stop worrying. Time to have brunch.

27

A year gone by in the blink of an eye.

Shocking, how it all flies by and you're still exactly the same and you're so different. A moment of contemplation. Who have you been and who do you want to be. Are you happy. Are you proud. Feeling humbled by love.

One year ago I wrote:

I’m running away from my problems. Or, rather, flying away. I’m currently sitting on a flight from Toronto to Winnipeg. The seatbelt sign just turned off, giving me permission—much to the chagrin of the gentleman seated next to me—to awkwardly pull my MacBook from it’s confinement under the seat in front of me. Did I mention, I’m that girl on the plane. Yes, that girl. The girl who boarded, tear-stained cheeks, dewy eyelashes, and shuffled to her seat avoiding the stares of other passengers. Death in the family or romance gone awry, they wondered, no doubt. Warm smiles from the flight attendants. Tissues brought to my seat.

Leaving the city feels so different this year. This year, I feel sadness only for the things I'll miss here over the next couple of months. Last year, I only wanted to get away. Far far away.

26 was a good one. A year of holding myself accountable for negative patterns in my life and for changing them. A year dedicated to being single. A year dedicated to friendship. To spiritual growth. A year dedicated to me. One of the best of my life, easily. What will 27 be? More of the good, I hope. Better than the last but not better than the next. A year of acceptance. A year of letting go. A year of opening up to potential.

May it always keep getting better. May the new lines be only from laughter and joy. May I look back one day, old and wrinkled, and be pleased with this year as I relive it in my mind. May I have lots and lots of courage.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Roomie and I had takeout burritos and watched I Love You, Man on the couch the other night. Post burritos and partway into the movie, I needed a chocolate fix. I threw together the fastest chocolate batter (whole wheat pastry flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of salt, cocoa, applesauce, vegan margarine, and cut in some peanut butter, leaving thick strands of peanut butter baking in the cake. Umm, yummy.

Making Dresses

[American Apparel bodysuit, American Apparel shorts, Vintage skirt-dress, Vintage belt, signature lotus necklace from Santa Cruz]

A while back, I expressed my need for a long, flowy, belted, sheer summer dress. I found it! For $12, no less. A vintage floor length skirt doubles as a strapless dress. Layered over a bodysuit and hot shorts and cinched with a woven belt, it was a wicked warm-weather look. Bonus points for the fact that, riding my bike around the city all day, the flowyness of the dress looked crazy wicked trailing behind me in the breeze. Something tells me this one is going to get a lot of wear this summer!

T-Minus 6 Days: Making Lists

FML, I'm leaving in 6 days?! So much to do. Let's get organized, shall we?

To-Do:

-Take the pup to the groomer.
-Buy the pup enough food to last two months at my parent's place.
-Organize my room in a way that will be comfortable and convenient for roomie's friend who will be subletting it.
-Get haircut.
-Continue learning to drive stick, as this is the state of the car I'll be driving across the continent. Not stalling quite so much would be nice.
-Order contact lenses.
-Get travelers cheques.
-Get eyebrows threaded.
-Load iPod with as much sweet music as possible.
-Pack two months worth of clothes, accessories, shoes, and beauty supplies into one (yes, just one!) suitcase! I may be driving there, but I need to be able to fly home with ease!
-Borrow GPS system from the parents. I'd really like to try and navigate old-school. Like, maps, man! But a backup GPS will probably be nice.

To Buy:
-Backpack.
-Sweet new moccasins.
-Toothbrush and paste.
-iPod dock for sweet music listenings at campgrounds.
-More of my favorite skin care trio.
-Baby wipes.
-Sunscreen.
-Sweet notebook.

To Think:
-Two months goes by in the blink of an eye. Relish each moment.
-Be kind to everyone you meet.
-Be kind to your travel buddy, you're going to be spending a lot of time together. Compromise.
-Stop imagining all of the cool things that you want to experience, and simply experience. Forcing experiences rarely works out well.
-Don't forget to write.
-Protect your skin.
-Don't overload on purchases. You're never going to be far from a big city and anything that you might need.
-Stretch every day. Even if it's on the side of the road.
-Meditate every day, even if it's on the side of the road.
-Smile. Laugh. Cry.
-Take pictures.
-Weave in the past. Dream about the future. Enjoy the present.

Homemade Vegan Oreos

Lazy Sunday = best day of the week. Sleeping late. Reading in bed all afternoon. Peeling yourself out of bed very late in the PM. Bike rides. Park hangs. Grocery shopping and baking. A house filled with friends and laughter and a good movie accompanied by yummy snacks. Life is good. Followed this recipe, swapping out the usual ingredients for vegan/organic/whole grain ones. Had my local vegan-friendly market been open, I probably would have swapped the shortening cream recipe for a vegan cream cheese frosting because, well, shortening is nasty. But alas, it was not to be and shortening won.

Latest Loves: Hair Edition

All of the things that currently touch my hair, ever. The entire SAMY Big Hair, 0 Calories collection, more or less (shampoo, conditioner, thickening serum, hairspray). It's rare (read: never happens) that I use an entire collection of a brand, and even more rare that I am faithful to a brand time and time again. I really do love the Fat Hair collection, though. It smells great, it does what it says it will, it's sulphate and paraben free, and it's 100% vegan. All pretty awesome things, really. I'm also addicted to Biosilk Silk Therapy Cure (contains silk, but not tested on animals). It keeps my ends looking soft and free from frays (which they often are not!). Lastly, my hairbrush. It's from Sephora and is a natural Boar bristle brush. And I love it. I've had it for years and years and years (I bought it in Texas in 2003, actually), and so I continue to use it. When its time runs out, I will probably switch to something like this, which is of comparable quality without using Boar. Now that summer is here and I'm venturing out on a road trip, my hair will probably spend more and more time pinned back. Heat, sweat, and hair on my face and neck are three things that I just can't bear in combination!

Beyond the Teenage Years

I still want this. Well, maybe not the typo, but the rest of it.

Image courtesy of pictureshaykyloves.wordpress.com

Pocket Pie

Roomie abandoned me for a few days. She and her squeeze have snuck off to his cottage. I suppose I'm not allowed to complain, seeing as how I will be sneaking off for two whole months! Still, it's lonely here without her! I decided to send them off with a warm pocket pie to share in the car. I had some dough left over from my homemade pop tarts, and so all I did was braise apples and strawberries in a combination of water, cane sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup to create a tasty filling. I used roomie's trusty mini-apple pie mold and within a short half hour, there was a delicious homemade pocket pie cooling on the counter waiting to be enjoyed. A nice little send-off, I think.

Sunny Days & Silk Dresses

[Club Monaco dress, Burberry bag, Frye boots, vintage belt, flower ring from Thailand, cocktail ring from South Africa, wood bracelet from Columbia]

My favourite thing in life might be finding an outfit that is equal parts cute, sexy, and comfy. This one is quickly becoming a summertime go-t0 (don't tell, but I've worn it three times in eight days - shh). The silk dress is unbearably soft and comfortable, but when belted and worn over tights it becomes quite short and leggy. This was the perfect outfit for meeting a friend for patio teas and chatter on a sunny afternoon.

In case you haven't noticed, most of my jewelry comes from travel-shopping. Jewelry is my favourite souvenir to buy on my travels. I love that each piece becomes so imbued with memories and stories. Each time I put on a piece I'm reminded of a trip, a day, a person, and a place.

Words to Live By

Image courtesy of mangeorge.com

Homemade Vegan Pop Tarts

Emily made these last week, and I found myself thinking about them, my mouth watering, for days after. I decided to give them a whole-grain, vegan go. I used the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which is the one Emily used as well. All I did was trade out the flour for whole grain pastry flour, the egg for applesauce, the butter for vegan margarine, the refined sugar for organic cane sugar, and the milk for soy milk! I didn't melt the chocolate before stuffing the pop tarts, I simply let the oven do that job! Also, the recipe calls for a second egg to brush onto the pastry before baking. I replaced this with some melted vegan margarine. Worked like a charm. They came out flaky, gooey, and beyond delicious. Paired with a bottle of Malbec before a Sunday night out with a girlfriend, they were the perfect sinful little treat!

Courage to Fly

I flew an airplane over the city! From terrifying take-off to lopsided landing. I almost wet myself with fear. Barely breathing. Ears popping. All of the things that we tell ourselves we cannot do, seem so small and silly when we just jump up and do them. Do something you're afraid of today!

[Words to live by]