Real, Not Ideal

What a month this has been! I have been rather busy, and it has been one of my favourite months here so far; it was my birthday, I’ve been out a lot, and I got to be a part of true English culture. It seems like time is just flying by, and it’s hard to believe my time here is almost done. I’m so lucky to have spent my birthday in Leeds, and I’m even luckier to have gotten so close with someone who can show me English culture. I don’t think I would have the full experience without the true English elements. 1.        Birthday   Shirt- Reitmans Jeans- H&M Boots- Old Navy My birthday was last week , and I had a great time! I’ve never had a good track record when it comes to birthdays, but this one was extra special. I made myself a cookie cake so I had a chance to blow out candles on my birthday, I went out to a burger place that made burgers to die for, and I met up with friends for a few drinks at a pub. I also absolutely loved my birth...

I love journals - I always have. I’ve always written in journals, but I don’t think I’ve finished one in a while. On Tuesday, I finished the most gorgeous journal I’ve ever owned. My best friend Julia gave it to me the night before I left Canada as a going away gift. Throughout, she wrote the sweetest notes that seemed to come at the right time. For example, I came across “keep going” when I was having a bad day stuck with some people I wanted to get away from. I came across “smile” when I was in a mess of frustration induced tears. On the last page of the journal, she wrote the nicest message that gives me strength on bad days. This journal was specifically for my adventures in Leeds, and I managed to cover the first 188 days of my journey. I’ve certainly struggled to write every day in the past, but I’ve now come into the habit of writing every day. I don’t want to forget anything about my time in Leeds. Leather- bound Journal To me, journaling has always been my way to ve...

Yesterday was  my birthday, and I am 21, and that feels like a big deal for some reason. The last couple birthdays have not been fantastic, but I had been looking forward to this one for some reason. It was my first birthday away from home, and some of the people I’m closest to here are away for Easter break, but it was the most amazing day. I didn't do anything over the top, but I did make myself a cake made out of chocolate chip cookies. For my birthday-themed post, I looked back at pictures from the past year to remind myself of some important lessons I’ve learned. 1.        Living with people is going to come with issues. I moved to Leeds back in September, and I have to live with people for the first time. It’s more difficult than I thought it would be. Between the Tetris-esque stack of dishes by the sink, flatmates who refuse to clean the bathrooms, and thin walls that make it so you hear all the sex everyone is hav...

We’ve all seen it on TV: the 30 years olds having a crisis because they realized their life is not what they thought would happen. Whatever plans they set out for themselves have not gone the way they expected, so they are unsure of their identity. There’s an anxiety about not becoming who you set out to be. The thing is, I don’t want to look at my life in five years and feel like I’ve failed. Therefore, I don’t believe in five years plans. I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to be having for breakfast tomorrow, and I find meal planning for a week difficult enough, so why would I place that kind of pressure on my life? The thing is, life is unpredictable. Most of the time, you can’t control that way things play out. Things are not going to work out just the way you intended it to, and that’s okay. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, I think it’s silly to map out your path for the next five years. [source] That being said, I do have goals in mind that shape my decisions. Withi...

Sorry about the super late post! I actually got homesick last weekend, so I was dealing with some of that personal stuff last week. As for posting this yesterday, I was away for the weekend and forgot my laptop charger. Whoops! I thought I’d share a little bit of a peek into my personal life today. I’ve been blogging and following blogs for just over two years now, and I realize that I have never done something like this before. I’m currently sorting out my email situation (1251 unread emails- yikes!) because I’m the email subscription type of person. As a side note, my emails don’t go unnoticed, and I always reply to emails from real people. Among my hundreds of emails, a few blogs stand out to me as my favourites. On reflection of this, I realize that my tastes have changed and my favourite bloggers have changed. When I first started subscribing, I was looking for outfit inspiration . In the summer, I was looking for blogging tips. Since the beginning, I love a good lifestyle blog....