because it's beautiful.

{image via}

universal words.

i'm not sure why, but i have been gravitating (pun intended) towards quotes involving the stars, 
planets and the universe in general lately -- there's something infinitely (pun intended) romantic about them.

{images found here, here, here & here}

the lumineers: flowers in your hair.

the perfect weekend song.
ps-that redwood. mercy.

happy fuckin' friday!

30 by 30 progress: getting shit done & learning shit too.

a good amount of time has passed since i set out  to complete my 30 by 30 list, and i'm stoked to say i have crossed over a third of the items off that baby! writing with the intention to accomplish, as well as having it written out and documented, is the best way for me to achieve the things i chose as important. getting to cross off each item as i go, and have the photos and posts to look back on makes the process even more rewarding, apparently this is the way i get shit done, and i'm more than ok with that. if you are the same kind of person, i would encourage you to sit down and make your own list. it's incredible to see what a little creativity and a lot of dreamin' can do.

having the list in the back of my mind keeps me motivated and focused. it has also brought me closer to my family and friends, and has helped me to create some special memories -- it's moments like making sugo and meatballs in my nonna's kitchen with her, spending a day with my dad doing something that makes him happiest and taking advantage of a perfect summer day with a very good friend. even the simple things like getting out of my comfort zone and becoming more organized have changed me in some way. throughout the process of sharing the list (and myself) as an online journal/keepsake, i have learned more than i expected to: about myself, about growing up, but maybe most of all, about the perceptions of those who read along -- mostly good, occasionally bad, and sometimes somewhere in between. 

i have come to know that i am a head-in-the-clouds, happy in my own little world kind of girl. i don't assume the negative in most anything and am ignorant of it even when it's right in front of me. basically, unless someone is being blatantly mean, i probably wouldn't notice it. learning this of myself was kind of surprising -- it's me transitioning from my youth to adulthood and accepting that life is not always sunshine and lollipops shining out of everyone's asses. does this mean i am going to stop being the girl i am? not a fucking chance. but i am trying to develop a tougher skin, and am learning to become less emotional about things that aren't in my control -- things people say, the way someone feels, and the fact that i have no control over any of it. not everyone feels the way i do, and that's ok.

for the very few times things haven't been peachy, there are plenty of times they have been overwhelming warm. i have formed friendships with girls across the planet, from as far west as the canadian prairies, to the east coast of the united states over to africa and all the way to australia -- these are good people who share a common interest and the same love of documenting life and the beauty in it. they are people i never would have had the joy of knowing, had i not stepped into this world and put myself out there. that alone has been worth the journey.

but maybe most of all, i have come to appreciate the beauty of having a positive, creative outlet. a place and space outside my 9-5, where i can be me. where i can learn, be inspired, share and grow. where i can express my thoughts and feelings without having to worry about opinions or judgment -- and for the times when that is the case, choosing to learn from it and moving forward. this is the place i come to share my happy life, without feeling guilty for having that, where i get to celebrate that i am blessed to have what i do and am choosing to live it out the best way i can. regardless of how that's perceived.

this fall and winter i plan to cross off a few of the cozier items on the list: learn to crochet, make a photobook of our honeymoon, read the 'the great gatsby' and have my mom teach me her homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. oh, and not get pregnant. 
canadian winters can get reaaaal cold. 

my special little birthday girl.

"my sunshine doesn't come from the skies, it comes from the love in my dog's eyes."

today is a very exciting day in our home.

today is india's 5th birthday.

it's hard to believe just how much time has passed since we brought home our 2.2 pound tiniest tiny, and today i am so thankful to celebrate the 5 amazing years we have had this little ball of pure, unwavering joy. it's actually overwhelming to think of how much light she brings to my life -- the sweetest part of my day, she is my constant reminder to be caring, positive and kind. it's the way her tail wags so fast her whole bum shakes from side to side when you come home, or how she is just as happy to be cuddled in our laps taking a nap (while snoring like she's an 85 pound bulldog) as she is running through the leaves while we hike for hours.

a part of my selfish heart breaks that she is getting older right before my eyes, 

but to have her here with us now, a very special part of our everyday, means everything to me.