meet the face of the north

Speaking of Christmas and subzero temperatures, I have decided that it is high time to invest in a proper Canadian winter jacket. I live in the Great White North, for crying out loud! What has taken me so long?

Now, let's be clear. When I say it's time to invest, I mean it's for someone to invest in a proper winter jacket. Christmas is coming up and I think this lovely specimen below would do a fabulous job of keeping me warm (and dry) thoughout all of the weather Canada can throw at me.



{the north face - kira triclimate jacket}


But I'm not picky -any Triclimate jacket will do. I love them all! I'm going to stop creeping the North Face website before I get a specific idea of the one I want. After many occasions of out-of-stock and discontinued fiascos, I've learned not to get to attached to a particular model.

it's beginning to look a lot like...

We had our first snow fall yesterday in the wee morning hours!

I feel like it's been a while since I woke to be completely surprised by a world covered in snow! I am such a weather network freak, I can't believe I didn't see it coming.

Bleary-eyed, I peered out my window from the warmth of my bed to a pristine sheet of white! Not knowing it was coming, I didn't get the chance to dread what this entails. Snow might be pretty, but hot on its heels comes freezing rain, salt stains and subzero temperatures.

Without a chance to reflect upon all the nasty sides of winter, I was able to enjoy the gorgeous, serene sight with a childish excitement for winter and Christmas and hot cocoa by the fire!

chalking the holidays out

Unfortunately, my mom and the Grinch have one thing in common, they both hate Christmas. You know at the end, when the Grinch’s heart grows 3 sizes bigger and he becomes a wonderful and loving person and he finds out that he ADORES Christmas? Yeah, we’re still waiting on that last part. Not that my mom has a proverbial small heart or is a grinchy kind of person by any stretch of the imagination. She’s very loving and generous and all those good things, but she HATES Christmas!


I know. It’s weird, right?

{via here}

So when I saw this Christmas tree, I instantly thought of my mom. It’s not just perfect for her, it’s also "chalk" full of originality (yes, I'm a little bit of a nerd). She doesn't have to go through the hassle of putting the hated tree up and decorating it and there's minimal mess.

today, i'm happy for...

my cat's propensity to lie on her back with her legs in the air.

it really is

It's been a really long time...again. I've been really caught up in a tiny career crisis. So everytime I turn my computer on, I feel compelled to look for a job.

University-me thought everything would be instant. I would graduate, get a "real" job in my field, get engaged, buy a house, have kids and live happily ever after. And while that's still all on the agenda, I thought that by now, I would be between the buy-a-house stage and get-married stage.
I've been struggling to find ways to make myself happy. Spending close to 40 hours of your week miserable is no way to live. I am making efforts to fix my problem, but in the meantime, I need to focus on the good.

So I will concentrate on the little things that make my life great, such as...

• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• The coziness of White Tiger Tea from David's Tea on a chilly afternoon
• My dad's tireless search for my future car
• Starbucks Ginger Spice Latte to welcome the holiday season
• The size of my balcony (seriously, you should see it, it's huge!)
• The anticipation of a weekend away with friends
• The knowledge that no matter how crappy my day may be, I get to come home to a ridiculously hilarious boyfriend and an astoundingly prissy cat.

fancy running into you

A couple of days late, I know.

But I can't believe it's November already!

I had my first Starbucks Christmas latte today!

Before you know it, we'll be decorating the tree

and

baking gingerbread cookies!