September FAVOURITES!

Good morning, friends!

I hope you are all having a great morning so far. It is officially FALL now - anyone else rejoicing? - and it is time for another favourites round up. I will be recapping some of my favourite things, moments, recipes, etc for the month of September, and I would love to hear what YOU guys are loving in the comments below!

So, without any further chatter, let's get into the favourites : )

The Kelowna Wine Country half marathon that took place September long weekend in beautiful Kelowna, BC. It was the first time in so long (I'm talking like ten years) since I had been to Kelowna, so the trip was much over due and it was great to run the race with my aunt and enjoy race weekend with Ryan and the pup.

Yup, still obsessed with this Mexican black bean salad. It is packed with veggies and the flavours are so fresh. No fancy sauces or spices needed. Plus it lasts well in the fridge (in an airtight container of course), so makes great lunches throughout the week.

The SPCA Paws for Cause walk was a great event we attended with my family and the pups. I look forward to bringing Nala again next year!

Fresh salads and veggies all day, every day. I have been experimenting with more fall-inspired recipes, and this salad with maple tahini dressing did not disappoint. Tahini is such a versatile ingredient, especially in salad dressings as it adds a bit of thickness, so I look forward to bringing more of those recipes to the blog. You can't go wrong with a big salad!

And because this is so relevant to me right now. I am the type of person who complains about how hot it is in the summer and immediately looks forward to fall. There is something about the crisp air and changing of the seasons that I just love. On that note, I am also that person who is bundled up in 101 layers come fall/winter because I am so freezing. Yep, there is no in between for me!

During the middle of this month we started a training program with Nala. It is all postive-reinforcement and clicker training based. She is super smart (proud parent over here), and it is fun to see her catch onto things so quickly and respond to the clicker. Soon enough we will be phasing out the clicker as training progresses, so fingers crossed it is an easy transition! So far, so good though.

Last but not least, this shirt. It is my go-to for strength training work outs, looks cute, but does not make you feel restricted. Lululemon, back at it again with the best workout tops!

Pumpkin spice oats topped with a swirl of unsweetened applesauce and a spoonful of almond butter. If this doesn't scream fall, I don't know what does. Maybe if I ate it out of a real pumpkin.

Yep, I bet you saw this coming considering I have been making my way through all the Harry Potter books again these last few months. I am determined to finish by Christmas!

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What are YOU loving this month!?

Photo Diary: Kelowna Getaway 2016

Because when your dog is asleep, you must take advantage of this time and place the poop emoji in the appropriate place, right?

I wanted to share some of the photos I took during our trip to Kelowna over the Labour Day long weekend. It had been about ten years since I last went to Kelowna, so I'd say it was long overdue!

Needless to say, it is absolutely beautiful there. Of course, we only toured a limited area of Kelowna, but I am sure the rest of the area is equally as pretty.

Nala loved walking along the waterfront and meeting all kinds of people and other dog friends!

I am a water girl at heart. I mean, I practically grew up in my family's pool playing mermaids and practicing my somersaults in the water. Plus, I have always lived near the ocean, so being near the water in Kelowna felt like home to me. There is something about being by the water that is so peaceful and serene. In my dream world, I would live either ocean front or lake front and have my morning coffee out on the deck every day! One day : )

Plus, the amount of wineries in the area are endless. Next time I come back, I'd love to tour around the vineyards and learn more about the wine culture in the Okanagan. 

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There we have it! Short and sweet. A little bonus post for ya! : )

5 Things Friday - Summer Vacation Edition

Good morning, friends!

I am back with another edition of Five Things Friday. If you have been reading the blog the last two weeks (or so), you will know that I had a week off of work this month. It was probably the BEST week I have had yet, since I was able to complete a lot of stuff around the house and fit in tons of fun stuff in there, too. Additionally, Ryan had the same week off so we spent a lot of quality time together and got to hang with the family as well.

So, let's get started with my 5 Favourites!

Seawheeze weekend: This was an amazing weekend filled with sunshine, yoga, running, and the best sunset festival party. Nothing beats jumping around on your yoga mat after running 21.1km to live music.

Day-trippin' to Tofino: This was such a fun day to just relax on the beach. Watching Nala dig around in the sand and bravely test the waters just made my heart sing. Is that weird? I feel like it's something a crazy dog mom would say. That's probably how people feel about their human children. Nevertheless, watching her have so much fun made ME have fun. I look forward to going back to Tofino very, very soon!

Doing anything and everything with Nala: She comes everywhere with me; the only exception being the bathroom. Aaaand even that is debatable, heh! Nala enjoys car rides (for the most part), so it makes it easy to take her along on our adventures. Plus, she is a great snuggle buddy once she is tired after a full day of playing. This is probably one of the best parts! : )

Spa days with my sister: We spent most of Wednesday afternoon at La Spa Sereine in Victoria. If you are in the area, or even visiting, I highly recommend coming here for a little pampering. They have a beautiful ladies' lounge area (above) with local organic tea, snacks like trail mix and yogurt, and the most comfortable chairs ever. It is fun to put your feet up (literally) and relax before heading back to the real world. During our visit we got a full body massage - much needed after the Seawheeze run - and a pedicure. Hello, heaven!

I am starting to add to my essential oil collection, and this grapefruit essential oil is the newest to my rotation. It is so uplifting and bright. You can't stay in a bad mood after a whiff of this! Similarly, I picked up a new hand lotion that is a blend of jasmine and sandalwood. This combination is such a pretty smell. It is feminine without being sickly sweet, and floral without making you smell like your grandma's powder room. Winning!

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Although my vacation has come to an end, I am looking forward to another getaway September long weekend!

For those essential oil lovers: what is your go-to scent? Any combinations I should try?

A Day at the Beach & Nala's First Road Trip

Good morning!

I have been enjoying my time off to the fullest extent this week. One of my favourite things we did this week was take Nala on her first road trip.

Oh, yes. The fun continues!

Tuesday night, after having dinner with Ryan's family, we got to work in the kitchen preparing some snacks to take with us on the road. Both of us were in the mood to relax on the beach, so on Wednesday morning we packed the cooler and headed off to Tofino! We packed things like rice chips, a big container of fruit, trail mix, and we also packed fixings to make wraps once we got to our destination. It was important to me to pack relatively healthy things, especially since we would be outside and would need some good fuel to keep us going!

We made a few stops to admire the scenery along the way. The picture up top is Cameron Lake, and we stopped at a place called "Beauford Picnic Stop." It is super pretty and such a beautiful day for a drive!

Before we got to Tofino we stopped at Sproat Lake and picked up some more coffee for the road. I wasn't driving, but I knew that being in the car for 3+ hours would make me want to fall asleep. And yes, I did doze off a little bit before we got there. In my defense it was warm and sunny and how could one not doze off? At Sproat Lake they had two of these huge camp chairs, so naturally me and Nala had to snap a picture!

So, after our coffee stop we hit the road. Nala slept a good chunk of the way and we would have to wake her up to stop and go hurry up. Hurry up is her phrase to go to the bathroom! Our ultimate destination in Tofino was Chesterman Beach, and Nala loved running around on the beach and digging in the sand.

Just LOOK at that squishy and cute little face! I die. We laid out a blanket and just relaxed, made some turkey wraps and walked along the water. It was super foggy so you couldn't see anything but what was right in front of you, but the fog cleared a little bit and we were able to snap some pictures. Have you been to Tofino before? Surprisingly, Ryan and I had never been, despite living on the island for all of our lives. Actually, I think I went when I was a kid, but it's not something I vividly remember. Nevertheless, it was an amazing day and we are hoping to come back in a few weeks to check out Long Beach!

I hope you all have a great weekend & I will talk to you on Monday! : )