Happy Birthday, Sebastian!

There just may be about a million things I love about you. Maybe even more. And if this love was something that you could physically see and hold, you'd be able to stretch it out like a canvas over the whole universe. It's infinite. And just like the universe, it's magic.

To list all the things that I love about you, would take days, weeks even. And heck - it would make for one lengthy post. Like the way you can make me laugh in the middle of an argument, how you go out of your way to make me happy, and even how you cleaned the countertops. (Yes - I noticed!) You motivate me just when I need it, know what to say to make my heart melt, listen to all my crazy ideas, and push me out of my comfort zone.

For that, and so, so much more I'm grateful. I'm so grateful that I am lucky enough to spend this lifetime with you. That I get to be by your side as we go through this journey called life.

Life is all about growing and evolving. It's probably the only thing consistent about it - that it's all going to change. As we live our everydays together, I see you becoming the man you're going to be. Ambitious. Adventurous. Full of life. Passionate. Caring. Handsome. Protective. Funny. (Remembering to refill the Brita water jug;) All the things that are already within you but are expanding exponentially by the day.

Whether those days are full of mundane routine, or spent talking for hours about life, or packed full of adventure, we will continue to grow and evolve - together. While we may not know all the answers, one thing is for sure - each and every day, I fall even more in love with you.

Happy 26th Birthday, Sebastian! I can't wait to be your wife.

Photography by The Last Forty Percent

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On Inspiration

As the days get shorter, I try to hang on tight to any hint of motivation and inspiration that was once there. This new season we’re getting ourselves into is always a little bittersweet. It’s one of the happiest times of the year, but I have to fight against the apathy that tries to set itself firmly in my mind. Soon the time will set in where grey skies will take their place and it could be days before seeing the sunlight again.

And so I’ve been searching. Looking high and low for anything to spark a creative thought. Something to jolt my mind awake and really get things moving and shaking. But if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about inspiration, it’s that you can’t force it. With this, I’m learning to accept that sometimes, yes, I will feel unmotivated. Yes, I will feel uninspired. And yes, sometimes I just won’t know what my next move is.

Then, when you least expect it, a spark will ignite.

"What matters most are the simple pleasures so abundant that we can all enjoy them...
Happiness doesn't lie in the objects we gather around us.
To find it, all we need to do is
open our eyes."

-The Little Prince

 

Have a wonderful weekend. (And remember to keep those eyes peeled:)

Unplugged

In a world where we're connected to each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it's so important to just get away from it all and unplug every once in a while. You'll quickly find that there is a world out there if you just look away from the computer and put down your phone.

A world full of extra snuggles in the mornings, engaging conversation, and sunshine that will beat down on your face and fill you up with happiness. The past few days have been good for the soul, I tell you. Not only did I cleanse my body (more on that later), but I gave my mind a chance to wander. I even - prepare to be surprised - went for a walk and left everything behind - no purse, no phone, no camera, nothing.

Now I'm full of new ideas and plans for the future and even though I'm a little bit nervous about it all - I'm excited. But with anything that's new and wonderful, there's bound to be some nerves, right?

When's the last time you unplugged?

A Day In My Life

Good Morning, friends! And a happy Saturday to you! 

I have a special treat in store for you today... I'm showing you what a day in my life would be like over at The Tape Diaries! From what time I decide to roll on out of bed on the weekends, exploring this wonderful city I live in, and even a peek into the party animals Sebastian and I turn into on Saturday nights. ;) 

Enjoy! And be sure to check back for more "Day In The Life" posts. All I can say is that Nicole will have some pretty wonderful people making an appearance over the next couple of weeks. xo

From The Fair

Spending time at the fair always reminds me of when I was a kid. Running around full of excitement, eyes wide taking in all the sights, salivating as you pass by the food stands that are so bad for you, but oh-so-good. It's the kind of excitement that can hardly be contained.

Growing up, we had our own town fair, and we'd go every. single. year. I always looked forward to that time of year. It meant a day spent with some of your most favourite people, going from ride-to-ride (multiple times), and tummy aches from overwhelming amounts of cotton candy.

And this time was no different. Except for the fact that we were in Toronto, and that small town fair was now bigger than anything I'd imagined. It was my first time going so I didn't know what to expect. I hummed and hawed over the decision on whether or not we should even go, and I'm so glad we did.

Because I immediately went back to that time, and I was a kid again. We stuffed our bellies full of corn dogs, and pizza, and snow cones, and itty bitty doughnuts. We went on the swings, that spun around and around, and Sebastian realized that he's not as young as he once was. (I've been nominated to go on all the rides with our future children while he looks on from a distance:)

We hopped on a lift that stretched over the whole length of the fair, getting the perfect bird's eye view of our surroundings, and we danced. And people laughed. And we kept dancing.

As the night crept up on us, our eyes were full of flashing lights as far as we could see. And, of course, the experience wasn't complete without a sunset Ferris Wheel ride, and the ultimate adrenaline rush after the Mega Drop, where my stomach most definitely flew up into my throat.

We biked home with our bellies stuffed, and our hearts full. It was just another Tuesday night. :)

What are some of your favourite memories as a kid?

P.S. I hope you all have an incredible long weekend! I can't believe it's already here!

Needle in the Sky

Some of the best adventures are the most spontaneous ones. It's probably been a good fifteen years since I've made the journey up the CN Tower. And now, fast forward to all these years later and it's the first thing I see when I wake up. When I first moved to Toronto, it helped me get oriented with the city. Hell, it still does. That tower is my symbol for home.

So as we walked past that same spot, like we have countless times before, we decided to go up. And up we went - traveling at 22km/hr, shooting up past 340m in two minutes. Literally, two minutes.

The CN Tower is one of the most recognized structures in the world, so to say it's a tourist hot spot is a ridiculous understatement. But still - with all the hustle and bustle up there, there was something calming about looking down at the entire city. Seeing our home and how insignificant it is. We imagined ourselves back on the ground, like little specks that could hardly be seen from way up there.

And so we did what everyone does when they visit the top of the tower. We stared in awe at the incredible view. We ventured out onto the observation deck only to be nearly blown away by the wind - we walked the full 360 then hurried back inside because let's be honest, my goosebumps were outta control. Then, of course, we made our way to the glass floor. And sprawled out on it. Scratch that - I sprawled out. Sebastian can easily jump out of an airplane by himself but getting him to stand on that damn glass floor was like pulling teeth. But he got on the beam, and that's close enough. :)

Check out our photos, if you'd like...

(A view of the game!)

(I'm incredibly short...)

Are you a fan of getting out and enjoying tourist attractions in your own city?

The Creek

I remember the first time I went there. We walked along the trails and through the forest searching for it. We felt so close, and stopped by the creek to just stare at how beautiful it was, anxious to get where we wanted to go. As we walked along the small pathways, we heard splashing, and people yelling from a distance.

“That has to be it! It’s just over this way!”

We made our way down until the path widened. We could see the clearing up ahead. The sun was beating down on us, without a cloud in the sky, and the water was so tempting. Until at last, we made it. To Sharon’s Creek. The hidden gem tucked away in the forest.

I had lived a short car ride from the creek all my life, never knowing it existed. And upon first discovering it, my first impulse was to tell everyone about how beautiful it is. How they needed to go. And how exhilarating it is. And then my second impulse was to keep it a secret. Because when you’re there, it feels like it’s yours and nobody else’s.

Before we know it, summer will come to an end. It always seems to go by in a flash and all of a sudden, we’re spending our days reminiscing about our favourite summer memories – hanging out at the beach, the warm winds hitting your face during bike rides, campfires at the cottage, summer songs – and we knew that we wanted to remember Sharon’s Creek. And so we did. We made our way down those pathways, trying to remember how to get there. It had been nearly two years, after all. 

And when we stumbled upon that little clearing, and looked down at that water, it felt like ours all over again. We stood there for a moment, looking up at the rope that hung high up in the tree, and knew there was only one way into the water. Only one way to feel refreshed from the summer heat. I carefully made my way down to the platform, noticing how much the land had eroded with time, grabbed onto the rope as if my life depended on it. Because, let’s be honest here, it really did. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach, and swung my body into the water.

And then I did again, and again.



Twenty Five

Today is my birthday! And the funny thing about birthdays is... you wake up feeling just like you did the day before. So far anyway - this morning I woke up to my alarm, looked out the window, brushed my teeth, took a long hard stare in the mirror, and I don't feel any older.

But this year is different. This year I thought I'd make a list of goals for the next year. It's something I can update as I accomplish each item, look back on, and more importantly - hold me accountable. The year ahead is going to be action-packed and I am so stoked to see how it all unfolds.

So here it is...

Twenty Five Things To Do While I'm Twenty Five.

(gosh - that was a mouthful, wasn't it?)

1. Plan our wedding and get married >>> As of right now, we're in the process of getting everything finalized. So cross your fingers for me!

2. Start writing in a daily notebook. >>> I love the idea of having something to look back on to remember every day. It could be writing down a paragraph, or something as simple as a sentence.

3. Get fit

4. Yoga. Get on it. >>> I've yet to find a yoga studio in Toronto to go to, and I've been itching to find one so I can start going regularly.

5. Create organized meal plans with easy/healthy options >>> Classifying me as a cook is pretty much like saying snails are fast. What's even worse is that I'm horrible at looking at what we have in our fridge and throwing together an amazing meal. (Sebastian is incredible at this sort of thing) Having meal plans will help not only our waistlines but my cooking abilities.

6. Overcome my fear of open water. Go scuba diving or snorkeling. >>> This terrifies me more than you will ever understand.

7. Finish my certificate program through the university

8. Work on my photography; take a course >>> A passion that has always been pushed to the side. It's time to get serious!

9. Set aside date nights with Sebastian. >>> Especially once you start living together, it's important to take time to just date each other. Surprise each other. Make things special. Go that extra mile.

10. Read a book a month >>> At least.

11. Explore 5 new places in Toronto >>> I've lived in Toronto for over a year and there's still so much left to explore, and so many things that I don't know about. It's time to get out and discover more of what the city has to offer. (And you know, work on how directionally challenged I am:) [ONE]

12. Make an album of our wedding photos >>> For us and for our parents

13. Skydive >>> Something that Sebastian and I have been talking about since we started dating. We already bungee jumped so now it's time to take it up a notch.

14. Complete the first part of Rosetta Stone for learning Polish

15. Cook/bake something new each month. [AUG] 

16. Make a habit of going outside, enjoying the light, seeing friends, and forgetting the internet.

17. Stop being so passive >>> My friends tell me that I can be too nice. I didn't really know that was possible, but it's time to speak my mind, and not let things float on by to avoid confrontation.

18. Learn to say ‘no’ — to myself >>> It's time to stop putting so much pressure on myself to do everything and to do it all perfectly. It's okay to say no. It's okay to do something just for yourself.

19. Revisit the place where I grew up.

20. Read ‘How To Purge Your Closet’, get to work, and give what I don’t need to charity [POST]

21. Pick up my old dusty guitar. Dig up those old music books. Play.

22. Pay off my car loan >>> Follow this up by jumping up and down for joy.

23. Buy our first home together >>> Since we moved to Toronto, we've been renting a one bedroom apartment. It goes without saying that we're both really looking forward to having more space and being able to call it our own.

24. Add more artwork into our home. Especially locals artists, or artists who aren’t as well-known.

25. Remember the moments. Don’t take the little things for granted.

I'll be updating this list as time goes on, so check back to see my progress!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day!!! I'll be spending it with Sebastian who has something secretive in store for me. xo

We're Engaged!

Sebastian and I are happy to announce that we're engaged! On June 18th, he proposed in the city he was born in as we walked along the longest wooden boardwalk in Europe, which extends over 500 meters into the Baltic Sea.

The weather in Poland wasn't completely ideal while we were there, most days we needed sweaters, and even umbrellas... but this day, the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky. We walked hand-in-hand right down to the water, where he got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. I was completely taken by surprise and couldn't imagine a more perfect proposal. We are over-the-moon with excitement!

Our Euro trip was absolutely amazing and without a doubt, exceeded any expectations I had. I can't wait to let you all in on the details! (I only have ohhh... 1500 photos to sort through, so please bear with me:)

Cottage Life

It's official! The first day of summer has come at last. Cheers to a gorgeous summer filled with sunshine, patios, sangria, swimming, laughter, and sand, where sand should never be.

To start off the season right I thought I'd share a little home video with you today!

This was taken last summer at our friend's cottage. It's full of sweet views, hilarious tubing crashes, and me laughing hysterically.

Enjoy. xo

P.S. I can't wait to tell you all about our trip!!! We arrive home tomorrow! 

Try Something New: Take a Picture Everyday

At the beginning of the month, I challenged myself to try something new. (You can read the original post here.) 

To be a part of the "Try Something New Challenge" all you have to do is: for 30 days, try something new and keep up with it each day. Simple as that. There's no link-ups, no invitation, or special rules, you just do it. For you. Some of you told me you were going to write something each day, or ignore that dreaded snooze button and wake up. For me, I wanted to take a picture. As a sort of visual record of what went on during the month that I'd be able to look back on.

Here's some of my favourites...

Me acting like a tourist; The TD Financial Tower & A random street band.

Home Sweet Home & The crazy things that can happen here. 


Girls Night Out.



My Dad and brother make Sebastian smoke cigars and drink scotch.

&

Mother's Day hangouts with Seb's Mom (And George, the goose)


Richard Avedon & Dates to see The Avengers



When we have friends over, this is what we feed them.

&

Cute kittens in store windows that give us kisses.


Walks with my nephew & This guy likes to hang out while I get ready in the mornings.



Our Hotel in Rome! & Sebastian started a checklist for Europe. He knows me so well.


***
The whole purpose of this challenge is to shake up your regular routine, and add something new and fufilling to your life. Something you've always thought about doing, but for whatever reason, just never gotten around to.

As for what I've learned? Well...

1. I feel very aware of my surroundings. When it's your goal to take a photo Every Single Day, you want it to be good. Because let's be honest, nobody really cares to see a picture of my cats each day. I actually really enjoy this new perspective. I'm always on the search for something unique and different. Something I would have normally walked past and thought nothing of, I look at in a new light. Now I have the photos to look back on and remind me of that time, instead of simply forgetting it.

2. My life isn't nearly exciting enough to have photographic evidence of it each day. For the most part, I did a pretty good job keeping up with it, but there were days when I would go to bed and think "Crap!" (The snapshot I took of the Richard Avedon photos were a result of this very thing. We have them hung in our bedroom and I'm not going to lie, I took the picture while I was laying in bed.)

Photography has always been a passion of mine, and in the past I've made it a goal to take more photos in my everyday life but never did. So for me, this was a great kick start and definitely something I'll be keeping up with as time goes on. That's what I love about the Try Something New Challenge - these are things that as the month goes on, you're developing habits and you don't have to suddenly drop it when the 30 days is up, you just learn to incorporate these new things into your life.

What's next? For the month of June, my new challenge is to write down something about each day. Whether it's one line or pages worth about the adventures I'll be going on.

Will you be trying something new? It's so easy and you can do whatever your heart desires! I urge each and every one of you to join in!

Exploring the City

Over the weekend, Sebastian and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, hop on our bikes, and explore the city! We didn’t have a plan in mind, just peddled off and went wherever we happened to end up.

While biking east on Lakeshore, we came across the new waterfront park. Toronto has had plans to redevelop the waterfront for a while now, since it looked horrible and industrialized. I had no idea that they already completed some of it! It was such a wonderful surprise. I’m so excited to see the rest of it when it’s all done! Being near the water is such a luxury and it’s pretty sad that it’s not being utilized the way it should be right now.

We admired the pretty tiny waterfalls, the new splash pad, and splashed around in the cold water.

… Then went on to take photos of our footprints. Because apparently, we’re cute like that.

We biked around some more and ended up in St. James Park. I actually had never been to before, which kind of seems ridiculous since I’ve been living in the city for over a year now. (I’ve officially decided that we’re coming back here for a picnic just because it’s so beautiful.)

One thing that I’ve truly come to love about living here is that there are so many hidden gems everywhere. That awesome burrito place, that hole-in-the-wall café that makes their own lemonade, and the parks that make you feel like you’ve left the city even though you’re smack in the middle of it.

…Then we found this tree branch that was perfectly parallel with the ground! It looked so crazy that I instantly wanted to climb it.

…Then I came to the realization that a) I am incredibly short and b) I am far too weak. Unlike Sebastian, who is a giant in comparison.

The AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) currently has a Picasso Exhibit running until sometime in August, and I’ve been wanting to see it ever since it first started – so when Sebastian suggested we go there, I pounced on the idea! (We did the audio tour, and I snuck this picture of Sebastian without him knowing:)

“I paint the way some people write an autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages from my diary.”—Pablo Picasso

We saw paintings like this 1925’s Le Baiser, or The Kiss, from his Surrealist period.

And this moving piece, entitled “Massacre in Korea”, which is seen as a criticism of American intervention in the Korean War, and was influenced by Goya’s, The Third of May 1808.

I think what I was most surprised with was how Picasso could so easily go back and forth between different styles of art. From expressionism to cubism to realism, experimenting with different ideas and techniques, switching between different mediums - paintings to sculptures to a combination of both. He was a true genius, and he knew it.

If you ever get the opportunity to come to Toronto, I definitely recommend hitting up the AGO! The museum itself is a work of art and worth exploring.

I can’t wait for the rest of the summer where we can explore even more of the city and discover all sorts of new things.