Real, Not Ideal

       I am a serial collector of memories. For years, I have kept a “Happy Box.” It has an assortment of items that meant so much to me in a moment in time. They were moments that I wanted to freeze forever, hoping to freeze with it the feeling of bliss. The ribbon that was on a birthday gift from my best friend that we couldn’t get off and we laughed and laughed at the restaurant table. The hockey tickets from the first official date with my boyfriend. The shorts I crafted and got people to sign on a band trip. Play bills from every play I’ve been to in the past ten years. Confetti from Walk Off the Earth concerts. Bracelets, trinkets, letters. Every now and then, I feel nostalgic and go through my Happy Box. Sometimes, it lifts my spirits and reminds me of a time when I was so happy, I didn’t think life could get any better. Other times, it is a hurtful reminder of things that have come and gone. The once fulfilling letter from the friend that stopped talking to me. The pictures

 I had SUCH a hard time narrowing down my choices for this month. It has been a month jam packed with some very exciting things. I’ve started working an actual teaching job again which now has me working weekends, but I’ve also been filling my time with some amazing personal things. No more blabbing – here it is! 1.       Dance This is something I’ve been doing for a couple months with my sister, but it isn’t until this month that I really started feeling good about it. I danced for years and then stopped seven years ago when I started university. Brianne never stopped, so she wanted to start it again when I got home. At first, it was really hard. My body wasn’t used to moving this way anymore. After the first few classes, I found myself in tears because I felt like I was doing horribly. Well, I’m happy to say I’m getting better and it’s getting easier. I truly look forward to going every week.  2.       Thanksgiving It was Thanksgiving this month! Things were pretty up in the

       About five years ago, I wrote a blog post about becoming an adult . At that time, I was 20 and was in England for the first time. I had no idea what to expect from life or that the NEXT five years was going to be so different than what I expected. I had moved away from home for the first time, and I was getting to know who I was outside of my childhood home. I got to “adult” for the first time. Now, I’ve done a lot more adulting, yet I still don’t feel like an adult. I have a career, I have goals, I have savings, I’m taking care of myself, and I’m making it through a gosh-darn pandemic. I know how to cook, I have a financial advisor, I make time for friends, I’m in a stable relationship, and I know what my values are. I’ve maintained long distanced friendships, I drink water, I have hobbies, I’ve paid bills, and I budget. Isn’t that the list? Doesn’t that mean I’ve done it? Am I an adult now?          The truth is that I just don’t feel like that. My dad still needs to exp

                Seeing as I have missed the past two weeks of blogging, this is a good time to review my goals. Things have certainly been busy. I work full time teaching hours and then an evening part time job. My hours there may be going up as well. That leaves me with no time during the week to do many personal things. Also, I just want to relax.                Last weekend, I decided to relax and take the pressure off. I don’t HAVE to do everything during the week. It’s OKAY if I want to sit back and watch Grey’s Anatomy with my family instead of sitting down to write book reviews. Instead, I’ll use my weekends for personal things that don’t have deadlines.                It’s all part of readjusting and finding time for my goals. I know what is important to me, but rest is just as important as everything else. I believe this reframing has allowed me to be way more successful in the smaller parts of my life. Proof is below. Bedtime                I have had to reimagine wha

 Is fall not the best reading season? I’m so glad I’ve had a few opportunities to sit on the front porch, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket with a hot drink and my book. Right now, it’s raining outside and all I want to do is cozy up and get back to my book. I’ve read some great non-fiction in the past six weeks. I’m learning so much about how people relate to the world around them. That is so important to me. Check them out! The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism – Naoki Higashida – 4 Stars         This is a very short book that I think everyone should read – particularly those who work with children. Although knowledge has come a long way, there is still so much more to be learned about autism. This book is a series of question that Naoki Higashida answers from his point of view. Interspersed is also a handful of short stories from Higashida’s point of view.         It’s an incredible book. It’s something that really allows readers to understand ho

               I’ve been very lucky this summer. When I moved back home at the end of May, it was like the good weather was welcoming me back. We had three solid months from June-August of wonderful, hot weather. It has been amazing to look back at my pictures to see what I have been doing and what I haven’t yet shared in previous posts. Enjoy! First of all, I have to mention how much reading I have been doing! I’ve been reading all kinds of books, but this is my latest one. It’s the newest kid lit from Amy Timberlake. The illustrations are adorable, and the story is so cute. It only came out this week, but I cannot wait to buy copies of it for reading to the kids in my life. It is humorous and meaningful. A review on it will come later, but I can definitely suggest you buy it now. Thanks to Algonquin Press for the free copy in exchange for promotion! I have been dedicating a lot of my free time to learning. I mentioned the Indigenous Canada course in my August favourites , but I’ve

               I cannot believe how different life is now compared to August . These kinds of posts really show me where my mind is at and how I’m coping with changes. I try to schedule a goals update every six weeks, and it’s a nice time to sit back and reflect on the things I’ve been working on. Now, I’m getting ready to restart my career. I’m working a lot which is making it harder to get things done during the week. I worked seven days in a row last week and ended up taking the weekend off of responsibilities by complete accident (hence no blog post). Really, I found it difficult to keep track of all of my habits. I ended up downloading an app called Done to see if that can help me out. It tells me how many days in a row I’ve been working on things, so I think this will be great for me! For now, here’s what I’ve been working on. 1.       Journaling I thought this was going to be the month that I started making a “success” list. Unfortunately, due to my exhaustion of keeping

                I cannot believe this is the end of August. The end represents my final month employed as a teacher in the UK. It’s the end of a summer of a ton of reading. The end of all the free time I’ve been using to spend time with my family.                It’s also the beginning of a lot of exciting things. I’m starting to put down my roots in Canada. I get to be a part of my friends’ lives again. I get to go back to work!                Before I look forward, let me look back at my favourites in August. 1.       Bralettes Like many people during lockdown, I have given up on bras while being at home. When I was in Leeds, I would live in workout clothes. When I came home, I started feeling the need to put actual outfits on. I quickly realized that I was not about to sit around wearing a bra with a wire in it all day. I got a couple bralettes from Aerie and one from La Vie en Rose, and I am so grateful that I did. 2.       Java Works Coffee I love coffee. My dad and

Wow, is it already the end of August? I suppose you can tell because of the amount of books I've been reading. I was really worried that I wouldn't have much to write about since I've been busier this month, but I guess I did pretty well here!  Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood – 4 Stars         I love Margaret Atwood. I love her style, her characters, and her stories. Add in some false imprisonment and psychological studies, and I’m there. I haven’t read enough Margaret Atwood in my life, so I was thrilled when Alias Grace finally showed up on my library’s eBook selection. I read it instantly.         The inside look at the minds of all the characters is fascinating. Through correspondents, conversations, and inner dialogue, readers get a sense of the different motivations involved for each character as well as their backstory. It also creates excellent dramatic irony when the characters interact with each other. Ultimately, this is a book about the minds of Grace Marks an