A Slow Weekend

The main event happening in Toronto during the weekend was the Taste of the Danforth in Greek town. It would have been fun to attend, but this weekend we felt like just taking it easy at our house. On Saturday we had a slow day at home and I was able to enjoy reading a book for a few hours. It was rainy on Saturday so it was a perfect day for summer reading.

Sunday was warm and sunny so after church we took a walk in the park and along the beach. I treated myself to a blueberry muffin and coffee for breakfast. My choice of breakfast during the weekends is all about enjoyment and not so much about health.

On Sunday Afternoon we packed our car full of bags and took a day trip to Cobourg beach. It became a wonderful slow weekend! Now it's only three weeks left of summer and I want to enjoy every moment of it! Today it's Monday and nothing exciting is happening. I think I will make some S'mores for dessert tonight, to make this average Monday a little bit more fun and enjoyable.

The Joy of Summer

What I've enjoyed the most this summer is definitely going to the beach and getting to spend a lot of time with family.

The Lovebirds, Mom&Dad.

Having my family from Norway and Finland come visit us was a lot of fun. Of course we also had a couple of arguments, that's inevitable when you have family come stay with you for two weeks in a row. But I don't find arguments to be a bad thing, as long as you solve them in the end. Arguments teach us things about ourselves. Each one of us learns where we still have room for personal growth. Nothing helps us grow and mature as much as human relationships do. Relationships are difficult because they challenge us to become better people every year.

Once I heard a pastor say: "God sees that we need to grow so he gives us a husband/wife. If that's not enough he gives us a baby, and if that's not enough he gives us one more baby." LOL. Yep, few things will make you grow more spiritually and mentally than close human relationships. :)

Another thing I'm enjoying this summer is the beautiful gifts we got for our Renewal of Vows. My stepson gave us a nice candle and my brother and his girlfriend gave us some encouragement to hang on the wall. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." So true! :)

My summer obsession: Watermelon lemonade. I can't get enough of this drink!

One of my favorite summer memories: Spending many hours in the sun with family at Cobourg Beach.

The Summer bummer:

Nr. 1) The bugs. There's way too many bugs everywhere in August! Every time I try to relax outdoors the bees chase me out of my own backyard! I'm so happy that they have a very short lifespan.

Nr. 2) The rain. This summer has been much more rainy than the average Canadian summer. One minute you're enjoying a nice day at the beach and the next moment dark clouds roll in and you're forced to run towards the parking lot as the rain starts pouring down. When my Scandinavian family came to visit we went to Wasaga Beach and got about one hour of nice weather before we had to run to the car. The upside of a rainy summer is that you appreciate the warm and sunny days even more. When it's weekend and happens to be sunny you scratch all your plans, pack the car full of beach toys and head to the beach. It's called "summer priorities".

The rainy spring and summer has also led to Lake Ontario being flooded. The waterfront of Lake Ontario looks quite messy at certain places.

My Favorite Places

I love our home, it's my oasis in the middle of a big city, the place where I can find rest and stillness. A weekend getaway to a Spa is wonderful but my home is the most relaxing place I know. No matter how messy our home gets I like to keep my favorite places tidy so that I can escape at the end of the day and find some stillness and rest in one of these places. I have three favorite places in our home where I like to hang out when I'm relaxing. Nr.1: The corner. I like to sit in this corner of our house reading blogs or watching videos on Right Now Media.

Nr.2: The Family Room. This room is at the center of our house and I love hanging out here with family and friends.

The family room is also the perfect place to relax with a book or magazine and a huge cup of coffee or tea.

Nr.3: The Master Bedroom. My oasis. This room is off limits for everybody else except my husband and I. I decorated it in black, white and ivory to keep the room serene and calming. Most of the days of the month the bed is not this nicely made, but it's the place where I can always find stillness, rest and relaxation. My home sweet home!

When I'm outdoors the beach is the place where I go to find stillness and rest, during all four seasons of the year. I live in a big and busy city so I consider my calm places to be of great importance for my well-being. What we do with our lives is important but time for stillness and reflection in between all the achieving is equally important. Sunday is the rest day of the week and the time after 7PM each day is "resting time" in our house. We try to keep our schedule free from any booked activities during that time of the evening on weekdays.

My Weekend Plans

This weekend I'm hoping I will be able to take another trip to the beach on either Saturday or Sunday. Last weekend was warm and wonderful and I spent most of my Sunday at Wasaga Beach. This Friday my husband and I have offered to babysit the cutest little baby boy we know, it's going to be a lot of fun! :)

I plan to treat myself to at least one iced latte this weekend. During the summer you can never have too many iced lattes if you ask me. :)

I'm also planning to have a date night with my favorite guy in the world on Saturday.

In case it becomes a rainy weekend I'm planning to lay in bed and read one of my favorite books right now: "The Good and Beautiful Life" by James Bryan Smith. This book really challenges me to keep growing with chapters like: "Learning to Live Without Worry" and "Learning to Live Without Judging Others".

I'm also hoping I will get the chance to enjoy at least one beautiful sunset during the weekend. This picture is from Sunday evening at Wasaga Beach last week. I'm wishing you all a fun and relaxing weekend! :)

The Road Trip

Day 1: Comfy clothes are a must on a road trip! I'm all set for a drive South of the border.

We made it to the hotel in Pittsburgh! I'm ready to see what Pittsburgh has to offer on a Saturday night.

Day 2: Time to fill up on some coffee and read the news before we head out on the road again.

The drive from Pittsburgh to Washington was rainy but still beautiful, I love the beautiful mountain views!

Day 3: We were able to do some sight-seeing in Washington DC, you can't leave town without seeing the White House.

... and some more sight-seeing.

Day 4: Our first day in sunny Virginia Beach,VA. It felt great to be back at the beach after many months of snow and colder weather!

Quality time with my hubby, we both love the ocean and taking beach vacations.

Day 7: Time to start driving back up North. Iced lattes and good music in the car kept us entertained during our drive back home to Canada. I feel very blessed and thankful for this eight-day-long vacation that offered a lot of time for rest. Many great memories were created during this trip! :)

An anniversary celebration and another heat wave



Last week we were blessed with another heat wave in Toronto. I love the fall weather in Canada! Thursday was the warmest day of the week and that same day was the 4th anniversary since my husband and I got engaged. We decided to celebrate our engagement anniversary with a trip to Cobourg, ON.

I can't believe we were able to fit in two trips to the beach during the month of September this year. The water was still warm in Cobourg so I got to take my first swim ever in Lake Ontario. It's a little embarrassing that I've lived in Toronto for five years but haven't had a swim in Lake Ontario before this year, but better late than never! Cobourg is such a nice small town, perfect for a day trip if you live in Toronto.

A day at the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our road trip we really only got one day with super warm weather (31 degrees), but oh how sweet that day was! I find in life in general most things taste so much sweeter when you have to wait for it for a while before you can have it. I was dreaming about visiting Canada for two full years before I moved here and because of that waiting period I still appreciate it so much. I still take pictures every time I go downtown and find everything so beautiful.

 

My husband and I had to wait two years before we could move in together and even after we were married we still had 6 more months of long-distance relationship to go before we got to live together full-time. That whole first year after we moved in together was amazing because we had waited for it for a long time. After two days of tropical storms during our road trip a hot day at the beach became even more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. :)