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On Sunday I celebrated my 32nd birthday with a very tasty strawberry shortcake. I can't believe it's already ten years since I came to North America for the first time! Time does not stand still.

This stranger woke me up early in the morning on Sunday.

I was served breakfast in bed, which in my world means a BIG cup of coffee. I don't have much appetite early in the morning.

Later we went to Milestone's for a Birthday Brunch. I had a Mimosa and their Prime Rib Eggs Benny, probably the best Eggs benedict I have ever had! The weather was also perfect on my birthday, in other words it was +19 Celsius and pouring rain most of the day. Summer, where did you go?? Please come back before July when my family comes to visit us in Toronto!

SUNDAY

I enjoyed a slow and relaxing Sunday yesterday. I started my day with a big cup of coffee and a fresh croissant. I also took some time to look through a wedding magazine while sipping on my morning coffee. My husband and I will do a Renewal of Vows ceremony in a couple of months so I'm in full party planning mode at the moment. I've found a dress for the party and my husband has found a suit that he will wear but I still have to decide how we will decorate the tables for the party.

We went to church at 11 and then we had brunch with family afterwards, this is a typical Sunday tradition for us nowadays. I like to have a small breakfast on Sundays and then enjoy a bigger meal at brunch. My brother-in-law took this picture of my husband and I, I love it! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are starting the new week off with energy and passion!

What I love about February

I can't believe that we are already at the end of February! I wanted to list a few things I've enjoyed the most during February this year.

The snow! In January we had very little snow in Toronto so all the kids in the neighborhood were very happy when the snow finally arrived in February.

I love seeing our neighborhood dressed up in a layer of crisp, white snow.

The Celebrations! My husband and I celebrated our anniversary and three people in our family have their Birthdays in February. On Sunday we are invited to one more birthday party that I'm looking forward to a lot. Celebrations make life fun and interesting!

Sunday Brunch! When it's cold outside I love spending a couple of hours enjoying a really tasty brunch together with friends or family.

Eggs Benedict is my favorite brunch food at the moment. Next I'm looking forward to the month of March, which includes March break here in Canada.

My Morning Routine

Sunday mornings are my favorite. I start my day with going to church and then I like to go for brunch either at some restaurant or make my favorite brunch recipes at home. Yesterday I had a bad hairday so I put my hair in a ponytail, the hairdo that always saves the day when I don't want to get up extra early to wash my hair. I like to have small habits that make life easier in the morning. Another one of my habits is to have very few outfits available to pick between which makes getting dressed easy. I spent so much of my time thinking about what I should wear in my twenties, now in my thirties I like to keep it simple. I know what I like and I stick to these things no matter what colors or styles are in fashion.

Brunch at Cora's. A well made latte, crepes, eggs and bacon made my day.

On Weekdays my morning routine is less exciting. I start my day with bad news, followed by some good news. First I read the newspaper which always includes some really depressing news, sexual assault on the public transit and murders in a nursing home, it's a very broken world we live in. I then spend some time reading a devotion with a few Bible verses in A Fresh Infusion of Joy by Sheila Walsh, this book always gives me some good news that restores my hope, peace and joy. After a second cup of coffee I'm ready to take on whatever challenges the day brings.

My Weekend

On Sunday I started my day with my favorite combination Church&Brunch, first some food for the soul and then some food for the stomach. :) Pastor John preached a very helpful message in the series called "Take Heart".

I also took a visit to the book store during the weekend to check out some magazines and new books I want to buy. Cameron Diaz was on the cover of many magazines and I love how she wants to encourage women to embrace the age they are at, rather than to strive to be "forever young". Go Cameron!

It was rainy in Toronto this weekend so my husband and I decided to go watch a movie together on Saturday. The movie theater was packed so I guess a lot of people thought the same way. On Sunday we spent a lot of time with our family members which is always fun. It was a good weekend and now I'm rested and ready for a new week again.

The Weekend

On Friday I started the weekend with a Date Night at Il Fornello with my husband. I enjoyed a glass of red wine and a very tasty pizza with pesto, grilled chicken, red onions, plum tomatoes and pine nuts.

On Saturday morning I enjoyed being able to relax with a big cup of morning coffee and the newspaper for a long time. The month of December was a busy month so I'm really enjoying that our weekends during January are not booked up. My goal this weekend was to have a slow weekend.

After breakfast I took a walk along the beach by the lake. It was sunny on Saturday so I got a good dosage of the much needed day light.

This time of year it's too cold outside to sit on a park bench and relax, but I still enjoy just being able to be outdoors.

Views like these are what keeps me sane, time in nature is a must-have for me to stay balanced and joyful in life.

After a makeup free Saturday I got all dressed up on Sunday morning and went to church with my husband.

In church we got the chance to listen to a sermon inspiring us to live less selfish lives and we were able to catch up with some friends after the service.

We went to Cora's for brunch on Sunday afternoon and enjoyed some more couple's time. We had brunch at Cora's for the fist time ever on our 3rd date five years ago. I love the wonderful memories that come to mind every time we spend time at Cora's.

I had Eggs Benedict with an extra side of fresh fruit. After brunch we headed to the grocery store to shop all the food for next week. On Sunday evening we continued to relax with dinner at home and some TV shows on Netflix. It became a very relaxing and slow weekend, just the way I like it! :)