New York

I finally took the time to upload some pictures from our road trip to New York in May. Better late than never? :)

Visiting family in Brooklyn.

The colors of New York.

Central Park. Yes, the grass is definitely greener in New York. Our backyard does not look like this at the moment.

Spring in Brooklyn.

Breakfast at the hotel on a rainy morning.

Enjoying the sunshine, the city and my husband's company.

Food. It's all about the food when I travel. Lunch at Le Pain Quotidien is a treat!

I always buy these mini cupcakes from "Baked by Melissa" when I'm in NYC. The blueberry pie cupcake (on the right) was my favorite one this time.

Empire State of mind.

After a week in New York it was time to drive back home to Toronto through the beautiful mountains of upstate New York.

Home Sweet Home

It feels good to back in Toronto again after our road trip! This year our road trip destination was New York where we spent a lot of quality time with our family members who live there. It was also fun to spend a few days doing sightseeing in Manhattan and enjoy the spring in New York. I will share some pictures from the trip whenever I get my computer working again. The repairman still has my computer but hopefully I will get it back soon.

I love going on trips for two different reasons. I love enjoying the people, food, weather and sights in a new place and I also love that every trip gives me a new appreciation for home. It was fun to spend a week in New York but after seven days I was starting to long for the suburbs of Toronto again. I love that our neighborhood has a lot of green space and.......space, in general. I like big cities but after a while I always start to long for nature, peace&quiet and more space. I also think it's quite funny how annoyed we can get with our own hometowns until we see something different that helps us appreciate what we have. I find Torontonians to be very self-centred in traffic, until I go to New York. Every time I come home from NYC I find Torontonians to be so polite and kind, in comparison to the New Yorkers. I think it's good for everyone to get a change of scenery a couple of times a year if possible, trips and vacations give us a much needed perspective on life.

I also got very inspired from spending a lot of time with my husband's aunt who lives in NYC. She is one of those Christian women who radiates light, love and joy. She is a nurse and she treats every person she serves with the same honor and respect, no matter if her patient is a famous celebrity or a poor person. Hospitality is one of her spiritual gifts and she is using her gift to the fullest. She always invites you into her home with a big smile on her face, cooks you a meal and loves to spend time with you. She will always leave you feeling more encouraged than when you arrived.

Auntie is a social butterfly and I'm pretty much the opposite, I will never be like her, but we all have been given different gifts by God. Last time I took a Spiritual Gifts-test my top three gifts were Encouragement, Mercy and Teaching. When I see Auntie in action I get inspired to put my own gifts to use as much as she does. Auntie is 70+ but she still works as a nurse a couple of days a week, she loves people and she doesn't want to fully retire when she can continue to help others. I love how much we can learn from other people who have gone before us. Auntie is 40 years older than me and I learn so many new things from her every time I spend time with her.

Summer Moments

 

 

 

Some of my favorite summer moments this far have been taking long morning walks along the lake, having some strawberries for a snack every day and enjoying a beautiful sunset at Wasaga Beach. I also really enjoyed our trip to New York and had a fun birthday celebration at an Italian restaurant. July is one of my favorite months of the year!

Healthy Eating in the Summer

On a hot summer day I love to treat myself to an ice cream cone or an iced latte.

I definitely have dessert more often during the summer months than in the winter. I balance up my summer diet by eating more healthy lunches and breakfasts instead.

A protein smoothie or a green juice is my favorite summer breakfast. I love the juices at Juice Generation in New York!

During our trip to New York I treated myself to a green juice and an acai bowl for breakfast. One thing I love about summer is being able to have your breakfast outdoors in the sun.

A healthy lunch at Le Pain Quotidien is another one of my favorite things to treat myself to in New York. Is it just me or is it a lot easier to find tasty healthy food in LA and New York than in most other cities?

The avocado sandwich is easy to make at home when you want a quick and healthy lunch. Toast the bread, spread it with avocado and decorate with vegetables.

It becomes easy to eat healthy in the summer when you can find food trucks that sell organic juices and smoothies on the street.

During summer I love to eat a burger for dinner and have a scoop of ice cream for dessert, a summer with only healthy food would be really, really boring if you ask me.

Of course you also have to treat yourself to a nice summer drink every now and then to celebrate the summer vacation! I love anything with mango or pineapple in it.

Have a joyful summer everyone, fill it with good food, good company and a lot of love! :)

Summer in The City

 

 

 

 

 

Last week my husband and I took a road trip from Toronto to New York. The weather was hot during our days in New York so I was happy that our hotel had a rooftop pool. It was also nice to buy an iced latte and hang out in central park doing some people watching. The pool and the park will keep you cool during a summer in the city. :)