Real, Not Ideal

                 One of my favourite posts I’ve ever written on here is the one where I wrote a love letter to each of my closest female friends. Friendship is something that means a lot to me. I haven’t always had friends in my life, and it’s not something I take for granted.                 Ultimately, I need my friends. They make be better. They inspire me. They show me how to live my life in different ways. I have made so many friends in different circumstances, and I am eternally grateful for all of them.                 I certainly haven’t made it easy to be friends with me. Moving to a different continent will most definitely challenge friendships. However, I’ve had friends visit me in England, keep me up to date on their lives sporadically, and stay strong with virtual wine nights. I’ve lost friends as well, and that is something I struggle with. I feel like I’m a failure. I feel like my friendship wasn’t good enough for these people to hang on to. Even though it may have

 There are two days left until school starts, and I fully admit that I am not ready. I woke up early for a PD day on Thursday, and BOY was it a shock to my system. I also haven’t been in a classroom since March, and it feels intimidating to have to start in a new school. It feels like Grade 9 all over again! I’m starting this year on a long-term supply which I am entirely grateful for. However, this was not the case a year ago (or even two weeks ago). I’m from Ontario where permanent teaching jobs are few and far between. I’ll get there, but for now, I’m happy to have a job teaching English for a couple months. If you’re in the same position as me, I have some advice for you based on my experiences from last year. Enjoy! 1.        Network, network, network. Way back in the summer of August 2020, my dad kept telling me and my sister about networking. We joked that it was the word of week for a while. As it turns out, he was 100% correct. Because of networking, I got a part-time

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I’ve posted a book review post, so this is quite the list! I would say I’ve definitely been enjoying a lot which is lucky. I set out to read 60 books this year, and I’m currently sitting at 37. I’m hoping to get to 50 by the end of the summer which is entirely do-able. For now, please enjoy my last round of books. Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel – Jason Reynolds – 4.5 Stars I made a bit of a mistake on this one. I meant to request the physical copy of this book, but I ended up with the eBook version. I think the experience would have been so much better as a physical book since it was a graphic novel, but nevertheless, I loved this. This story told is tragic and heartbreaking. The images bring the story to life in such a vivid fashion. It is so well written and I love how it takes place in a single location. It emphasizes just how quickly lives can change. I highly suggest this one. The Finkler Question – Howard Jacobson – 3 Star

  Looking back at my last goals update , it is interesting to see where I’ve been in this year. I can’t really say it’s been the best year can I? This injury – and subsequent surgery – have affected my life in a lot of different ways. I’ll trust you to read my previous goals update posts from the year to see what I’ve been going through, but I can say that I’m in a totally different spot now. The surgery took away my ability to do things on my own. These days, being able to make myself my own coffee has been the biggest deal. I’m aching for the days I can make my own meal again. That being said, I recognized my need for more structure last week. I’m working on doing the things that have helped me in the past. Journaling, meditation, movement, and learning Italian have been tasks that motivate me and help me stay grounded. As well, I need to be doing my physio three times a day so I can recover, so that is important to me. I want to write blog posts a little every day so I don’t ru

 Hello everyone! As I mentioned last week , I am back after taking some time off after my knee surgery. Before I went into surgery and recovery, I watched a few videos from people who have been through it to see what their recovery was like. I figured I would write this post with a few tips that helped me through this first month of recovery. I briefly mentioned my initial injury a while ago, but I didn’t know the extent of my injury at that point. I completely tore my ACL (which is the thing that stabilizes your knee) and had a complex tear in my meniscus (the thing in between your knee joints to stop it from grinding). My surgery was for an ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair. Because of the meniscus repair, it is going to take a long time to heal fully. I am on crutches for the rest of the summer and into the beginning of September. For a full recovery, it is going to be about a year. I can do a week by week process of my recovery is anyone is curious, so please let me kno

 Hello everyone and happy official summer! I am glad to say I am back after recovering from my knee surgery. I’m not entirely recovered yet (it will take about a year to fully recover), but I’m definitely on the right track at the moment. More on that coming soon. I figured I would just show you guys some pictures from the past month from what I’ve been doing (other than recover). I feel like this one really sums up the first couple weeks. My dad brought my bed downstairs, and I barely moved from this room. All my meals were brought to me, but the nice thing is that I got to have lunch with my dad every day! I spent this month doing an online course  for another teaching subject qualification. I am grateful I had it because it kept me going and killed a few hours of time every day. This is the first time I put makeup on and wore something other than sweat shorts and a baggy t-shirt! My friend is getting married in less than a week, and due to my lack of mobility, I was unable t

I will be taking a break from the blog for an unknown amount of time. I will be having surgery in a week, and I need time to process and heal. I will still attempt to do #booktalktuesday on Instagram, so keep up with me there. -           Daniella

 To my sister, To the outside world, we are fundamentally different. You’re the one who prefers staying in, getting up early to be productive, and running for actual fun. You can’t sit through a movie, you hate physical affection, and love your bed more than anything in the world. We’re opposites in every way. Yet, you’re my other half. You’re the one that makes me laugh more than anyone, the one that makes me strive to be better more than anyone else, and the one that has been there for me more than anyone else. You’ve worked harder than anyone I know to get to where you are now. Your tunnel vision when it comes to your goals is to be admired. When you set your mind to something, you will work the hardest to make sure you get there. You’re the most loving person I know. You may not show us with loving words, daily hugs, and bringing us a fork when you get yourself one but with thoughtful gifts, well-curated TikToks sent to us, and Spotify playlists for every situation. I am

  I’ve been thinking about flexibility a lot lately. My mom told me that I was always a stubborn child that did not like change. She helped me change my room around regularly to help me learn how to become more flexible. I learned how to be flexible thorough every job I’ve had. Whether it was lifeguarding or teaching my first few years , I’ve learned how to be flexible through that in order to meet the demands of the job. I was flexible when I did my exchange , then again when I moved to Wales and then again when I moved back to Leeds. I’m past a year since I moved back home , and the past year has been filled with a ton of flexibility with finding a new job and dealing with working from home. This past year has been challenging. I recognize that I’ve been lucky in this pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it has been easy. We’re not through this yet, and being able to be flexible about the ways I teach has been a massive learning opportunity. I’ve written about being relentle

 Can anyone else believe it’s the end of May? For being in a pandemic and not being able to do anything, I feel like 2021 has flown by so far. Also , it has been about a year since I moved home in the middle of a pandemic. That is a fact that makes me so sad when I think too hard about it. There is still so much uncertainty, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to see the British people I love again. It has been hard to come up with these favourites when I’m not doing anything! My days are work, tutoring, family, repeat. I’ve been talking with people online a lot more and trying to plan at least some things for the future, but overall, the things that make me happy are quite simple. 1.        Baking If you have been watching my Instagram stories, you’ll see that I’ve had an Amish Friendship Loaf starter for about a month now. Every ten days, I get to bake with it. I’ve made waffles, bread, scones, cinnamon buns, and loaves. This has been something I use to take a break from mark

Get ready for a long one today people! I maaaaay or may not be giving you reviews of ALL of the books I’ve read in 2021 so far (and one from 2020). I have been so off my blogging game that I just have not been keeping you updated. On another note, I am thrilled that summer is right around the corner because it means that I’ll be reading so much more (a book a day anyone?). I’m practically vibrating with excitement about that. Summer is where I tend to read more physical books rather than from my Kobo. I’m ready for the pool floaty reading days! Enjoy all of my books from 2021: The Library Book – Susan Orlean – 4.5 Stars I feel like the word “essential” has become confusing in these Covid times, but this book highlights the fact that libraries are essential services to communities. From its programs to reading to story time for kids, libraries are a hub of learning and community. I pretty much grew up in the library, so this book meant the world to me. This is not a typical no