This January for my vacation, I headed up to Sioux Lookout for about a week to visit my folks. Its about a 5 hour drive north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was so on the fence about making the trek, as the wintery roads gives me quite a bit of travel anxiety. Anyone else struggle with this? I feel like moving to the West Coast has made it worse, excluding this year of course. We had plenty of snow.
I was super happy I decided to go. Its always amazing being in the house I grew up in, visiting family and friends, remembering a pace of life, good for the soul. The weather was unreal the entire time I was there. Sunny days, gorgeous sunsets, and even some fog, which I didn’t mind at all.
Its been a while since I’ve felt motivated to film anything, but I told myself after turning 30 this year, that I’ve done enough thinking and now its time to actually “do something”about all this time I’ve had to “THINK”.
I’ve decided that a huge problem for me in getting started, is trying to create the perfect start and getting caught up in the details a bit too much. Newsflash- there is no perfect start. Just start and we’ll figure it out along the way.
~THE OSMO MOBILE~
Josh was given an Osmo Mobile for Christmas, that he let me borrow. The Osmo is a stabilizer to make your footage smooth. This device is perfect for someone like me that currently only has an iphone7 to film with and was looking for a way to amp up my shots.
I was super happy with the results I got from taking this baby out snowshoeing. It was pretty easy to learn the basics, but I still need quite a bit more practice.
~BACK INTO EDITING~Â
Its been an interesting journey getting back into editing. This video took me a lot longer than I imagined it would. Every time I would reopen Adobe Premiere I was running into set backs. From not having enough space on my computer to transport the footage into Adobe to trying to remember how to fade out music and footage again. I’m lucky to have a bf who is on 24/7 tech support. I will say its amazing having a significant other who can help, however it can be a bit of a crutch. He asked me the other day “have you ever thought about googling some of these questions”, (in a nice way of course), haha okay yeah good point Josh. Lots to learn still.
Hope you enjoy le Video 🙂
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions.
Before blogging was a big deal at all I loved doing it. So what happened? Social media happened….and everyone and their mom were trying to make it in the blogging world.
Blogging seemed to be more about self promotion and using your social media platforms to elevate your posts. Suddenly blogging become something different to me and to be honest I didn’t want to be “just another person starting a blog.” The possibility of turning my thoughts and feelings into a career and the pressure that came with that were suddenly evident to me. And so I would never complete anything. Nothing was ever good enough.
Perhaps there are people out there that find it natural promoting their blogs and themselves, I am not one of those people.*Disclaimer* I don’t think there is anything wrong with self promotion, its just an area I am not comfortable with. How would I ever know my true intentions? What if writing stopped feeling natural and started to feel forced? I started to care way too much about the stats of my posts everyday seeing how many people were reading and I hated that suddenly I cared about these things. I hated that my ideas felt suddenly influenced by everyone else out there and my posts were more about the consumer than what I actually wanted to write or share about.
My own personal intentions for writing and sharing started to became blurry as you can tell.
Similarly to this, I used to love making videos just for the heck of it, but now since youtube has taken the world and again the pressures and possibilities surrounding that world I started to care what people would think, how good my videos were. It sucked the fun out of the process.
I have no idea if there are more people out there that have this struggle, they want to do things, but feel frozen in similar semantics. Please I would love to hear your thoughts and journey.
I’ve decided that what the heck, I’m going to start writing again because I enjoy it, it fulfills me and I enjoy sharing my thoughts and its as simple as that. I’m going to desperately try to drown out any other idea that gets in the way.
I’ve decided that for now to lesson the pressure, I won’t be using my social media platforms to elevate my blog until I can come to a place that I feel comfortable with it. #youdoyouright?
On September 10th, Josh and I embarked on an adventure to Victoria to celebrate two years of togetherness.
Wake up call 4:45am.
We sped to get to the ferry on time, after google maps decided to route us a round about way. I hit a poor little bunny that was crossing the road. Sorry little guy. And then to my horror I almost stepped on a bird that was fluttering around and on its last life.
A rough start but things quickly looked up and we had a grand old time. We did the usual couple-like activities, such as eating ice cream while holding hands (pfft….not), buying & smoking a cuban cigar, drinking fine wine and eating good food and of course taking a million pictures.
*please see below the wall of text for all the pics*Â
We went to Blue Fox for our one “splurge of a meal” which came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. I had this amazing house made champagne with guava juice topped off with a cinnamon sugary rim. Josh had some sort of Hazelnut Baileys iced coffee drink. Yummm! Our table was extremely close to these two ladies we were celebrating a birthday. It was so cute to hear them interacting, talking about their indifferences towards facebook. The one lady opened her birthday gift and the other lady was explaining why she bought everything for her. It was quite a special heart warming thing to witness.
We loved the overall feel of this friendly little city. We decided we would move there if we could, but we can’t, so I guess we actually wouldn’t…haha.
In a more serious note it was great to have some time to reflect on the past two years, our journey, what we’ve learned and be reminded of how thankful I am to have such a loving, patient and talented man in my life. Â A while back I had a coworker come up to me and say “you and your bf look so happy in all your pictures” and it made me LOL. Sure yes, its true, we are happy, but I presumed to tell him we were in the middle of an argument…
*Keeping things real for just a moment*
Relationships can seem so perfect from the photos that get posted, but what you don’t see in people’s photos is their story and how they got to where they are. I often find myself gazing at other couple photos and I compare the feeling I feel while looking at a photo to my current relationship. Josh frequently reminds me that we are in our own lane, and that has really stuck with me and helped me in my comparison tendencies.
 You know that girl that “just knew he was the one”. This for sure has not been my journey, (but thats for a different day). I just felt lead to highlight how important I think it is to maintain a sense of reality when it comes to relationships especially when we are constantly reminded of how imperfect our lives are in social media. We start developing these unrealistic expectations of what happiness looks and feels like, and when it doesn’t happen, we are greatly disappointed.
Its important to highlight and celebrate the good times for sure, but not stop talking and telling people about the hard times too. This is how we spread “realness”. So from me to you, even though we look extra happy in photos, we aren’t perfect and we still are and always will be a work in progress. And somehow thats an exciting, raw and beautiful thing.
Until next time ❤
Liz
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~Do you ever find yourself staring at a blank page? Feeling as if you’re at the cusp of something really good, but you can’t quite put a pen to it. Anything and everything seems to be stopping you from making your mark on that damn scary blank page.~
Oh that exciting feeling I get when I purchase a new journal filled with hundreds of blankpages, the possibilities feel endless. The design, the cover, the texture of the pages represent a new start, a new season, a new me.
As I take a look back, I recognize that creating and writing has played quite a significant role in my life. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve dabbled in quite a few different things. From writing plays with friends to perform for my parents when I was younger, to creating interpretive dances, plays, songs, blogs, movies, the list goes on, but I’ll stop before it gets too embarrassing.
As I grow older it becomes harder to write and create freely, I’m sure there are many out there that would share my feelings on this. Theres a lot of people to compare yourself to, a lot of people with opinions and a lot of challenging questions you ask yourself that turn into really good excuses for remaining stuck in blank.
I can’t tell you how many times I have carted that new journal with me, with good intentions, and just let it sit there. I do anything and everything to avoid those terrifying blankpages. Insert huge revelation had here ——> My blank page goes much further than a bad case of writers block and not knowing what to create. So what are they then?
 Perhaps I’m not aware of them all, but heres what I do know..
My blank page, is my ego, its worried about what others think and stops me from being free to express myself, to let go and to make things happen. The bad thing about this one is that if you find that you are a person that is held back, you will actually hold other people back in the process, definitely something to think about here.
My blank page is fear of what ‘starting’ means. You see when you start something, you’re possibly in one of the most vulnerable places you could be. Starting means putting yourself out there and thats guaranteed to have a lot of FAILURE AHEAD signs.  Josh shared this video with me called ‘Nobody Tells This To Beginners’. I encourage anyone to watch it who has ever tried to start anything or thinking about it. Keep going, keep doing, keep failing and get used to picking yourself up. That was me just talking to myself there.
My blank page is coming face to face with reality (aka face to face with myself).  When you write your thoughts out, things become a lot more clear, a lot more real. You’re no longer a vegetable watching hours of Netflix when you start putting words on a page. You’re a real person, with real feelings and although this is actually a good thing it proves to be equally scary.
My blank page means letting lose on my perfectionist side and “doing” more than I “think”. I hate this one a lot, because why would I share or do anything unless in my eyes its perfect? Well, in short, its because I wouldn’t actually complete anything at all, I would have a lot of unfinished projects and a lot of thoughts that stay locked up in my mind and they’re useless there.
My blank page is avoidance. Lets face it, its so easy to avoid whats actually going on inside our heads, inside our relationships, inside our worlds. Its so much easier to avoid these things that are hard to face. Its time to face the person people actually see, not the person you feel like you are. Its true what they, that the truth will set you free.  Its hard to go to those deep and dark places, to actually ask yourself the hard questions and figure out what you need to change. Trying means you will constantly be critiqued, and thats not for the faint of heart. Avoidance kills creativity, kills motivation and ultimately kills who you are.
My blankpage is being afraid of hard work. Hard work is the key to success, and that takes time and patience that I lack. I want instant results, and I want them NOW and the lack of seeing progress is bothersome. I have been working hard to live a more disciplined life to achieve balance and I’ll be real, its not been easy and I make mistakes almost daily. A thought I should probably become more acquainted with is that instant results will dissipate quickly, but the disciplines that are built over time will have a much more rewarding and lasting outcome. I guess that means no more fad diets or quick fixes for this girl. I’m getting used to this discipline and patience thing, learning to enjoy the journey and life is actually feeling more enjoyable.
Moving forward, its always a challenge not to look back and dwell about all the time wasted, but in grace I tell myself that this was part of my journey, part of my becoming and I’m no where near giving up. I’m resilient, I am strong and I’ll fight hard until the pages are anything but blank. #karatekick #dosomething #nevertoolate #letsmakesomethinghappen (that last # was for you Josh)
My first standby experience left me in tears at gate C31 at the Vancouver International Airport the minute I found out we didn’t get on the flight. I had no idea what to expect so I kept looking back at the gate agent waiting anxiously for her call our names and then I watched her shut the gate. It was sad, dramatic and it all happened in slow motion. Looking back I feel a bit silly now about the tears, but at the time it felt like getting home for Thanksgiving was just too good to be true.
When there’s a will there’s a way! We finally made it on a flight through Calgary the next morning and although my Friday evening dinner plans with friends turned into Saturday morning breakfast at McDonalds, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was perfect and so great to see so many of my loves and their loves too.
After breakfast we fuelled up with some Starbucks coffees and were ready for our 5 hour drive to Sioux Lookout. We drove down with my friend Kel who graciously waited around another day for us. (Thanks again, Kel!)
There is no place in the world quite like Sioux Lookout and if I could magically click my heels and go there more often I absolutely would! It is truly beautiful and peaceful. (Scroll to the end to see all the pics)
In Sioux Lookout, everyone knows everyone, there’s only one grocery store, our only theatre recently closed down, there’s no Starbucks, and life runs at a much slower pace than the big ol’ city.
My parents house is a place where everyone is welcome, the crib board is always out, the cupboards never run dry and pumpkin pies make themselves I swear. Needless to say, my Mom & Dad are amazing to have created such an environment in a home.  I hadn’t been home to visit in about a year and this time was definitely a bit tough. When I arrived, my Mom greeted us and we drove straight to the hospital to visit my Dad. A month prior he had had surgery, but was recently admitted back in the hospital because he wasn’t recovering well. Things were not looking too great for him being at home for Thanksgiving dinner.
I went home that evening feeling very heavy. It was weird not hearing my Dads voice around the house asking Josh questions about his life, showing us all his latest piece of driftwood art and then I was suddenly hit with millions of reality checks.
My mind was roaring, this magical place I called home that in my little girl fairy tale mind that was constant and never changed, actually will indeed change and has changed already.
Visits home always make my heart grow a size bigger, my head a little deeper and perhaps even a touch wiser. I contemplate and analyze my life now feeling extremely grateful for my upbringing and for all the people that have impacted my journey so far.
One of my favourite things about visiting home are the conversations that go “Look where we are now!”,  “Look at what we used to wear” and “I can’t believe we thought 18 was a good age to be married at”.  These conversations are a trip down memory lane and I love them, however the ones I value the most are the ones that go beyond the surface; the conversations where we ask the really hard questions about life, share our real feelings, ideas and beliefs in a place where there is absolutely no judgment or ulterior motive to sway each other.
After returning to the big city I’ve had some time to think, with the help of the above ^ kinds of conversations and through writing THIS reflective blog post, something I have come to realize about myself is that I haven’t exactly lived my life the most “prepared”. My life has been sort of like my first standby trip to Sioux Lookout. While I could have been relaxed, writing or gaining some knowledge by reading a book, I sat there anxiously, glaring at the gate agent for HOURS!
We all live lives that are on standby and are places we NEVER thought we would be, because lets face it we have no idea what our future holds even if we try our best to control it.
l’ve made my fair share of excuses and put off really living by saying “I’ll start that tomorrow”, or “I’ll face my reality tomorrow” far too many times. And although I don’t believe it’s possible to be prepared for all of what life throws at you, (things like death, birth, parenthood), I have come to believe its possible to live a productive life in this uncertainty.
The more I’ve prepared, the more relaxed and confident I’ll be and it will be much easier to roll with the punches, punch the people that need to be punched, face myself, get up when I fall and get back to accomplishing those big life long dreams.
Great news is that our prayers were answered and my Dad did make it home for Thanksgiving and through all my anxiousness I too made it home for Thanksgiving. I will continue on learning to live my life more prepared for the life I want and the life I get to live on standby and I’m excited for whats to come! Â
I’m so excited to finally start sharing my fall looks and inspiration with you! The past week has been a combination of busyness, laziness, planning and catching up on sleep, but I’m happy to say that with several coffees and trips to the gym–I’m BACK!!
I’m so inspired by the colours that are out this year and I loveeee that big hats are IN! I also love that the school girl look is EVERYWHERE, brings me back to the good ol’ days and the feeling of back to school shopping.
This look is all about playing with deep and bold colours all while keeping it comfy and casual, perfect for a September stroll around the town.
With this look, I was challenged to rework some oldies in my closet while adding a few new fun additions.
THE LIPS.
Lipsticks are one of my favourite things to play around with. I chose “MATTE fixed on drama” from Mac to compliment the hat. I applied it with a lip brush as it is quite an intense colour, which is beautiful, but I chose to apply sparingly. I also find that applying with a lip brush allows for better precision especially if you aren’t using a liner.
THE HAT
I had my radar out for a burgundy/wine coloured hat this year and I found this guy at ALDO in San Francisco for a measly $25.00. Hats are everywhere this year, so if you’re looking for one, I’m positive you’ll be successful. And if you don’t usually wear hats out, you should give it a go! I had to work myself up to trying it out and I love this one.
HEARTS.Â
I’m naturally drawn to all things with hearts and I found this top at Forever 21 for under $30. I love the school girl collar and that its a stretchy knit sweater.
PANTS + WHITE BELT.
Both the pants and belt are oldies from Forever 21 that I decided to rework for fall. I love the colour and comfort of these pants. I don’t usually tuck things in, but I’m venturing outside my comfort zone and tucked this sweater in with a white belt. I’m certain my mother would be very proud that I’m tucking things in.
THE FLATS.
I purchased these flats from H&M a few months ago and they were around $20. It took me forever to get into flats because I always found that they hurt my feet and gave me blisters. More recently I discovered the trick with flats was (took me forever I know) to purchase them a bit bigger– now they are one of my most comfortable go to’s!
I‘ve been itching and very excited to start planning for my fall wardrobe this year. I decided that this fall I was going to be extremely intentional by pushing my creative and innovative boundaries concerning my wardrobe and style. However there seemed to be a BIG obstacle that was standing in the way of my fabulous fall plans. The obstacle just happened to be my terribly messy ol’ closet. Every time I would sit down to plan and dream up outfits I  felt like it was glaring at me, preventing me from executing any sort of plan.
Enough was enough, so last week I gave in, made a trip to IKEA and decided to invest into a few items that would make my closet stop glaring!
(See closet before shots below–it gives me anxiety just looking at it!)Â
Let me first say that in my head I’m an extremely organized person, but in reality my things, especially my closet (as you can see) were not very organized at all. Isn’t it funny how we value certain things in life, but we don’t always act on them? The reason? Probably a lot of things, but the biggest one for me in this case was laziness and lack of a plan for action. So here it is my closet plan + my fall wardrobe plan!
The Closet Plan
♥ I decided to purchase 4 white wicker basket from IKEA for 14.95 each. I almost went for the cheaper option, but I figured these will last me much longer not to mention they look way better.
♥ I also purchased two cute white and pink striped boxes for pictures and misc. items for 4.99, much better then those old shoe boxes I had.
♥ I organized my clothing by colour and cleaned up the hangers.
♥ I have a pretty small closet, but I tried my best to make my clothes and shoes as visible as possible so that when I’m putting together outfits it will be much easier to see what I have to work with.
♥ I ironed my clothes to that they’re ready to wear and hung up dress pants instead of having them tucked away wrinkly in my dresser.
♥ Closer to the end of summer I will put out of season clothes out of sight and in my dresser.
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🙂 Easy Peasey and quite an improvement from what it was wouldn’t you say? And now I feel ready to start planning for my fall wardrobe! Over the next couple months I will be sharing my fall looks and what inspired them as well as how I executed The Fall Wardrobe Plan.
What are your favourite closet organizing tips and whats inspiring you for your wardrobe this fall?
I’ve been wanting to come up with a personal credo for sometime now. Something that I can look over each day and when I need to be reminded of these things the most. I’m certain this list will grow and change as time goes on, but heres what I got for now.  ♡
I have been wearing Viva la Juicy by Juicy Couture for years now (and I mean years!) and although I still love it I’ve decided its time for a change. I’ve been on the hunt for quite some time now, below are some yummy scents I discovered and loved on my “sniffing spree”. (Fragrances are in no particular order)
 Click here & turn your speakers on if you’d like to enhance your reading experience.
-The Plan-
We kicked off Josh’s 25th birthday with some beer and cupcakes at midnight. The cupcakes are from the cupcakes store and I chose a yummy popular summer beer known as Shock Tip. This was my attempt to make cupcakes more “manly”. haha.
 
How About Lizzie 