l a k e . s i d e

This past weekend, I was fortunate to spend some time in St. Catherines; Josh and I snuck away and went for a quick walk along the shore, and while it wasn't technically a sea, it was lovely being by the water. It was a gorgeous day, all blazing sunshine and soft breeze and in a perfect, quiet moment,  I felt a million times removed from ordinary life.

s p l a s h

Well, it took all summer but I finally made it to the beach! (Albeit, it was only for a fifteen minute post-work walk). 

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Water water water.

My favourite movie growing up was The Little Mermaid; I lived in the bathtub, played, read and even ate meals in the warm water (with bubbles); I wanted to grow my hair down past my bum like a mermaid princess; I spent summers in the pool with my cousins, playing elaborte role-playing games.

I look into the glittering depths and wonder after the mysteries contained beneath: a swirling and secret realm of shadows and scintillating sunbeams, of floating freedom. The dichotomy of water is endless: the Waves hold the potential for life and for death, for both tranquility and violence, for calm or chaos.

a u g u s t

This, I really can't believe. It's August already; I'm hot, sweaty and tired and the summer's been a blur. Have I accomplished my seasonal goals yet? Kinda, sorta, a little bit. I haven't been to the beach, but it's on the horizon! I haven't really "read" any new books yet, although I did reactivate my Audible account and listened to Sophie Kinsella's new book, Wedding Night (that almost counts, right?).

One thing that I have managed to stick with is my healthiness regime (more or less). I'm ecstatic to admit that I've managed to lose almost 20lbs since April, which I must say, feels excellent! I've also been keeping up on challenging myself to "dare to bare" more skin these past summer months; a few weekends ago, I wore a pair of shorts for the first time in forever, and I've actually felt fairly comfortable wearing sleeveless dresses (for a girl whose year-round uniform includes tights and a cardigan, this is a pretty big deal).

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Hope that your August is filled with adventures and accomplishments!
Here are a few of my favourite posts from the past month:

s p i n

s u m m e r . t i m e

I have a love hate relationship with summer time.

On one hand, I love the beach and lovely fresh produce; on the other, I hate getting sunburnt, being chased by bees, sweating profusely, thunder and lightning... (Anecdote: when I was about five years old and living out in the country, I once played outside for hours during a heatwave wearing my snow suit because "the bugs were bugging me").

But June also happens to be my birthday month, which always makes it feel a little bit extra special to me; this year I'm going to try and harness that positive energy so that I can carry myself through the heat with a smile on.

So far this summer I've gone camping hit up a couple of garage sales (one of my all-time favourite things to do!). Here are a couple more of the things that I'm gunning to do this summer:

 I love making lists and I can't wait to start ticking items off of this one!

And I'm curious to know, what fun things do you have planned this month?

i f . o n l y . h o m e . w a s . a w a y

Weekend on the beach: cold and cloudy outside, cozy and kitschy inside.