Tuesday Tunes

I've always been a little self-conscious of my blogging habits as some may see it as lame and useless. But last night Jordon was really impressed with my 1600 + views. So there is someone out there reading! Hurrah! I wanted to make a Friday Favourites post... but it's Tuesday. So that is unacceptable. Instead my friends you get a Tuesday Tunes post! I do this thing where I find a song and listen to it on repeat for days on end. I thought I'd share my current music high. Maybe there's a song you'll enjoy!

1. Dark Doo Wop - Ms Mr.

Most people have heard the song Hurricane. If you enjoy it, listen to the rest of their album.

2. Taro - Alt J

3. Riptide - Vance Joy

4. Icarus - Bastille

I hope one of these songs can be added to your music rotation!

-Vanessa xo

Sometimes, Life Happens

I've had some decent ideas for posts lately, but this one just had to be shared because I'm sure some of you feel this way too. I'm the type of person who likes to know what I'm doing, where I'm going and what time I am expected somewhere. There are certain things I'm flexible with, but more often than not, I like having a plan. As you may know, I graduated this year and currently do not have a plan for September. This terrifies me. But this past weekend was a good reminder that sometimes, life happens. So here's the story:

What The Plan Was:

Jordon and I don't get to go anywhere this summer so I booked a weekend camping trip just to get out of the city. We went to Long Lake and here is what we were suppose to look like all weekend:

Look at how much fun they're having! Sunny weather and water to escape the heat in. Once at the campground we were going to do the following:

-Sleep

-Drink

-Eat

-Read

-Repeat

So we packed everything up, hopped in the car and drove 2 hours to the campground for our weekend of fun, but.....

The Flaws in the Plan:

First off, the weather on Friday was not hot. It rained all day and there was rain forecasted for that night and the next morning. But that did not stop us, no sir. We planned on building a tarp city! Anyway, we got to the campsite and found out that the lake now has the blue green algae. Please look back up at all those people having fun in the water.... that was NOT going to be us. This was a big let down, but we still had our beers and books, so on we went to our campsite...

No trees. Can't tie our tarps up to anything. That's okay though, we'll just pull out our tent and put this awesome fl.... no fly. WHY IS THERE NO FLY! So now we have a half set up tent with nothing to cover the mesh at the top... awesome. Maybe these kind folks aroun.... is that man drunk? Yup. Is his 10 year old twin girls drunk? They're sure acting like it. It was like the Night of the Living Rednecks. All three campsites surrounding us knew each other. I looked at one frustrated Jordon... we were driving back to the city that night. We threw the tent with NO FLY back in the bag (also, who takes down a tent and looks at the fly thinking "Hmm I won't put this in the bag", I'm looking at you, lil' sis) and made our way back home. We were mad, sad and felt like idiots. We should have checked the tent. We should have called instead of booking online. We should have somehow predicted the future about the algae. But it was no use...

What We Did Instead:

It was about 10 o'clock by the time we got back home. We didn't want to feel miserable anymore. So we pulled out our cooler and dragged it into the living room filled with our camping beers:

Next, we curled up and browsed Netflix for a movie to help lighten our mood. We chose Cabin in the Woods (watch it!). People getting killed while camping put us in a "Eh, could be worse" mindset. By the end of the movie we were laughing and smiling again.

Saturday we had an awesome breakfast along with coffee (which we wouldn't have had at the campsite). We played some Starcraft and then had some friends over for boardgames.

Sunday we got groceries and headed to the Devonian Botanical Gardens for a picnic. This was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Maybe you're thinking that this post was just a boring story, and that's okay. But maybe you too needed to stop worrying about what could have been and what should have happened... and just let life take you along. This whole weekend was spur of the moment plans and you know what? It was probably one of the best weekends of the summer.

Next time you're getting worked up over something not going right... maybe it'll be better if it goes wrong.

-Vanessa xo

7 Things that Should ALWAYS Go Together

I've been slacking on the blogging front lately. This summer has been filled with "wonderful" days in the office, "wonderful" yard work and actual wonderful sunny days with Jord. Guess what else I found out? I have someone who is a "fan" of my blog! Shout out to my cousin Mo. Anyway, about a month ago, I wrote a post about 7 things that should never go together. You can read about it here. As soon as I wrote that one, I wanted to do one about 7 things that should ALWAYS go together. Alas, here it is:

1. House-cleaning & Wine

During my student-teaching, I looked forward to Spring Break like I was 10 years old again. The dismissal bell rang at 3:15 pm and I had the bottle of wine open at 3:32 pm. I kid you not. What was the very first thing I chose to do with my week of freedom? Clean the entire house of course. And yes, I did more than just spray everything with Febreze. Drinking the wine while cleaning made it feel like a party!

2. Pizza & Beer

Do I have to explain this? No. 

3. Morning AAJ & Camping

Sometimes I make up my own acronyms. AAJ is Adult Apple Juice, such as Strongbow. I remember how amazed I was that everyone was okay with starting our drinking at the crack of dawn when we went camping last summer.

4. Bailey's & Hot Chocolate

Yes. 

5. Bailey's & Coffee

Double yes.

6. Bailey's & Marshmallows?

I haven't tried this yet, but I should as this blog post says that it should ALWAYS go together.

7. Screwdrivers & Writing Papers

Did you think I strayed from my theme? WRONG. I mean the OJ & Vodka kind. I once got a 85% on a 12 page paper drinking screwdrivers... please take this combination with a grain of salt. Okay, don't always put these two together.

You may have noticed a pattern in this blog post. But following the advice of K. Walker: 

-Vanessa xo

Rules of Friendship

Do Opposite Sex Friendships Work?

First off, I just discovered this band called Alt-J and they are SO good! Listen to one of their tunes while reading this:

Now onto the topic of this post: opposite sex friends. Something we have all had to deal with and I'm sure many of you know it can be a sticky situation sometimes. So does it work? Can a man and a woman be friends without one having feelings for the other? The answer is yes, definitely. However, there are some rules to follow when you are in a serious relationship to ensure the friendship stays that way. Okay, maybe these "rules" are more like guidelines but I feel it can help you make the line very clear.

There are two different types of opposite sex friends you can have: the ones that were your friends before the relationship and the ones you make during the relationship. If this was someone that was your friend before the relationship then hopefully you've already worked out your potential for feelings and have overcome them. If this is a friend you've made during the relationship, TELL YOUR SO! You don't have to say "Hey honey, just so you know I made a friend today and he's a man (or she's a woman) and I don't even think they're attractive and you have nothing to worry about and I think they could be gay anyway and even if I was single I wouldn't go for them." No, you can just mention something from a conversation you've had with them. 

Regardless of the type, try following these guidelines:

Guideline 1: Introduce them to Your SO

This should be no problem for you...ever. If your relationship is healthy and the friendship is just that, then this is the easiest thing to do. If you feel you can't introduce them to your SO, you need to re-evaluate your feelings.

Guideline 2: Leave the Friendship Where it Should Be

Wherever you know the friend from (work, school, an extra curricular activity) leave the friendship there. As soon as you make the extra effort to see a friend one-on-one outside the time you normally see them, that's when it can lead to extra feelings. For example, it is completely convenient to grab lunch with a work friend but takes effort to meet for a coffee at 8 pm somewhere half way across the city. Of course there are expectations, but I think a good rule of thumb is to do group hangouts where your SO and friends can all hangout. 

Guideline 3: Never, EVER, Put the Friend Before the SO

There is a reason you're with your SO. They have something that you didn't find in someone else and should always come before any OS friends. Now I'm not saying your SO has to be number one priority all the time.... I'm just saying that telling your SO that you're going out with another man/woman when they want/need you can be damaging to your relationship. 

Just a couple things to remember:

1. This is opposite sex friends

2. A lot of it pertains to one-on-one interactions (group hangouts that include the friend doesn't always have to include the SO, but it's still nice to invite them)

My relationship means the world to me, as I'm sure yours does to you. But I do notice some relationships head down a rocky road for this very reason. So if you find yourself in this situation, I hope these guidelines can steer you in the right direction.

-Vanessa xo

Edmonton Summer Festivals

We are finally getting the beautiful summer weather here in Edmonton. So nice in fact that my shoulders decided to turn beet red in excitement yesterday! With such little time to enjoy the weather, I want to do ALL THE THINGS. Edmonton has a ton of festivals during the summer months. Some are great and some may not be worth the hassle. Here's a rundown of what you can find in this city.

Edmonton International Street Performers Festival (July 4-13)

Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square. This is a free festival... in a way. There are no tickets and you can just walk around which is always enjoyable. However, if you are planning to watch the performers (and why wouldn't you) then you want to bring some loonies and toonies to put money in the hat. These performers come from all over the place and it is rare to not be mildly entertained. It can get pretty crowded on the weekend, but going on a week-day evening worked out really well for us last year. 

Taste of Edmonton (July 17-26)

Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square. Have you ever sat for an hour or so with your SO arguing about where to go for dinner? Then maybe you need to go to Taste of Edmonton to try some food from different restaurants. Jordon and I had never heard of Bistecca and we ended up going there for our anniversary thanks to the bison cannelloni at TOE last year. You buy a sheet of tickets and then try small dishes from all the different booths. As it can get really busy, check out the link above to see what each place is serving up. This way you have an idea of where to head once you're there. They also have a beer gardens with live music and it was a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon.

K Days (July 18-27)

Location: Northlands. I love rides, but I'm especially fond of rides that are well taken care... which these are not (maybe). Okay so I don't like going on rides that can be set up in a matter of hours. BUT if you don't care about this, then hop on! It's pretty pricey to go for what you get now, but the atmosphere can still be fun. However, a lot of teenagers think this is the coolest place because it's the first year their parents let them go alone. If you're a 50-year old on the inside (like myself) and this annoys the hell out of you, maybe stay clear. 

Heritage Days (August 2-4)

Location: Hawrelak Park. I have only been to this festival once and thought it was awesome. A bunch of different cultures/countries set up booths where you can try different foods, see different forms of art and watch performances. It is similar to TOE where you buy a sheet of tickets to buy the food, but going to spend the day in the park is free. There is no public parking in the park for the festival but they have a bunch of buses going to and from the park all day. 

Folk Fest (August 7-10)

Location: Gallagher Park. Hope you don't want to go to this festival after reading this post...because all the tickets are sold out. This is a "save and spend the money next year" review..though I've never been. All I know is parking sucks at Jordon's parents for Sunday dinner because they live right on the top of the hill. I think you have to enjoy a certain kind of music, but the location is great for a nice summer evening. Check out this years line-up to see if it would be something you'd enjoy.

Fringe Festival (August 14-24)

Location: Various areas on Whyte Ave. If you're a drama fanatic then this is the festival for you. There are hundreds of plays going on! The one problem I found with the Fringe is that because there are so many plays, it is difficult to distinguish the plays you'll enjoy from the ones that are a little too artistic for you. We saw a play last year that was a one man show and was suppose to be a comedy... needless to say we didn't laugh very much. Either way it is an awesome atmosphere with all the booths and street performers.

I hope you can enjoy at least one of these festivals this summer!

-Vanessa xo