From Spring to Summer

Tomorrow is the first official day of Summer in North America! I feel like Spring 2017 went by crazy fast, but I don't mind at all. I'm allergic to pollen so Spring isn't exactly my favorite season of the year. This year we also had an unusually rainy spring in Toronto with very high water levels in Lake Ontario. The black flies love the damp weather and this spring they put a stop to my biking workouts. When I happily went for my first biking workout in May I ended up getting these mini flies in my nose, eyes, mouth, everywhere. I decided that biking will have to wait until Spring is over and until all these tiny but annoying flies DIE! Thank God they only live for a short time during spring!

I took this picture on a beautiful spring day when I was so happy to be able to wear my spring jacket for the first time.

This was the year when I got excited about landscaping. I got a lot of inspiration during my morning walks this Spring, as I looked at my neighbors' beautiful front yards. I love the pink tulips in this front yard! Next year I want to plant tons of tulips in our yard. This is life after 30, the things that excite me today are quite different than ten years ago. Let's just say that gardening was not an interest of mine in my twenties.

Signs of Spring. When you can enjoy a good book and an iced latte without freezing to death.

Now Spring is over and Summer has arrived, I enjoy that everything in the suburbs is so green this time of year.

One of our favorite things that my husband and I like to do together is take walks along the lakefront just before sunset and catch up on each other's day.

We enjoy the beautiful sunset for awhile and then we go home and go straight to bed. The sun goes down around 9:30PM this time of year in Toronto.

Signs of Summer. I had my first glass of Sangria on our Date Night with my husband two weeks ago, it's officially summer!

The Weekend

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I had a very slow weekend which was super nice! I mostly stayed home and didn't do much else than spend time with family. My husband went out and got me coffee and a croissant for breakfast on Saturday morning and I stayed in my PJ's until it was afternoon. That pretty much sums up my favorite way to start a slow Saturday! :)

On Sunday it was sunny and +16 degrees Celsius in Toronto so I decided to enjoy a stroll along the lakefront in between running some errands. Welcome Spring, we hope you will stick around!

The Workout

This time of year it's so much easier to find the motivation to work out if you ask me. During winter I have to settle for working out indoors but this time of year I do 90% of my workouts outdoors.

I love going biking in the spring, fall and summer. Southern Ontario has great biking trails that makes this sport very enjoyable.

My absolute favorite workout is when I can get as much out of the workout mentally and spiritually as I do physically. Biking gets me in shape physically but it's also great for my mind and soul. The beautiful views of Lake Ontario help me feel calm and relaxed.

My husband and I went on a road trip last week and our favorite place to get healthy fast food during a vacation is definitely Panera Bread. I lost count of how many visits we took to Panera Bread during our trip. I love the healthy salads and sandwiches at Panera Bread.

A few pictures from Easter

We had snow in Toronto during the week before Easter, but right in time for the Easter celebration all the snow melted away and the sun came back out again.

All dressed up for church on Easter Sunday. I love the spring weather and being able to skip wearing a coat!

We did some fasting the week before Easter and ate a simple diet of only beans and rice. We like to do this every year in our family and then give away the money we save on food that week to an organization that helps provide people with food or clean water around the world. A week of fasting is also a good reminder of how privileged lives we live, and that there is always room for more cuts to our lifestyle that could help someone else.

We had family over for dinner on Easter Sunday and we got to enjoy a very tasty Jamaican dinner with Canadian cookies&cream cheesecake for dessert.

I also managed to overdose on these little chocolate eggs during our Easter celebration. I can't believe how addictive this stuff is! I think it's time to get back to some more healthy eating now again as Easter is over. Green juices here I come! :)

The Workout

One of my favorite workouts during spring is to take a morning walk before breakfast in our neighborhood. I get so much joy from looking at all the beautiful fruit trees in bloom in the suburbs. It's wonderful to be able to just walk out the door in the spring and get a good workout without having to visit the gym. I enjoy my workouts the most when I get the chance to be outdoors. Workout DVD:s are good during cold winter months, but nothing beats getting to do a strength training workout in the park or taking a morning walk in the neighborhood.

The workout

My favorite workout in the spring is going for a hike. I love exploring new trails and enjoying the beauty of nature. Southern Ontario offers many different conservation areas and provincial parks that are great for hiking. Hiking is a great way to relief stress and find peace at the same time as you get a good workout.