5 years ago.

5 years ago today Steve and I arrived in France for our biggest adventure yet. 

It was an incredible experience that I'd highly recommend to anyone.  

I miss the salty smell of the Mediterranean, the very mild winter, the friends we made and unending varieties of pastries, wine & cheese!

Here's hoping our future adventures only get even better - I'm pretty sure they will.

Random pics from Japan

Have you ever gone on a trip and taken say, 2500 photos and then tried to blog about it and don't even know where to begin? Yeahhhh...

So I'm starting with this. 

Here are some random photos from our trip to Japan.  

Creepy crawly sea creatures at the world's largest fish market - Tsukiji. 

Such pretty dishes.  I bought some tiny ones that could make it back safely. 

I like this set of buildings.  

Holy cute arcade prizes Batman!

A view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Tower. 

Chillin' with snow monkeys in Kyoto. 

Bamboo Forrest!

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Reuniting with Kyoko!

And I really really love the photobooths they have in arcades!

There's a peek for you! I've been working on a scrapbook for the past month which has stolen a lot of my free time.  I hope I can show you more pictures soon!

Summer Vacation - the Wedding

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I was in Wisconsin for my aunt's wedding. 
Is your summer evaporating like mine has?  If only winters passed by so quickly.
Anywho, about a month ago we flew to our hometown then took a roadtrip to Bayfield, WI. to attend this lovely little wedding.  The weather was perfect and the whole day was a lot of fun.  My aunt made her dress herself, with a little help from me as her fabric shopper.

After the ceremony we walked to a historic hotel where we took some photos and celebrated with champagne.

I know you're dying to know what I wore ;)
It was tricky to figure out what to wear to the chapel/boat cruise/campsite bonfire, but ultimately I think this dress was perfect.  I loved the lace overlay and that it was $29 at Marshall's - score!  The sandals are a couple years old, I bought them in the Netherlands - they have 'jewels' stiched to the top and have a little wedge.

The wedding festivities continued with a cocktail reception on the Superior Princess - a double decker boat.  I was nervous that I'd get motion sick (my life story) but as soon as it got out onto the water it was smooth and a lot of fun.

I was surprised by how our American waitresses made the drinks - my vodka & OJ had OJ just for colour, haha.  It didn't take long for the boat to be rockin!

The sunset on Lake Superior was gorgeous and as the cruise ended we headed to the campground for a giant bonfire and cake.  It was a great, low-key and relaxed wedding.
And I'm so glad Steve could make the trip and hang out with my family too :)
Isn't he handsome?

Summer Vacation 2012 - 1

My week away was lovely. 
It was busy and jam-packed with activities.  First stop though, was to see my Mama. (grandma)
For about 6-7 years now I've visited her in the summer and taken pictures of her garden. 
This time, when I stopped over at her house she was actually in the backyard trying to take a photo of a bee on one of the flowers. 

The tiger lilies are my favourite.  

Spending time with her in her garden is one of the best things about going to my hometown.
Have you gotten to hang out with your grandma lately?

p.s.  Even though the flowers are similar, you can see last year's garden pics here.

10 on the 10th - Summer vacation

1.  Today I'm flying to my hometown for a week.

2.  In the middle of said week, my family will be driving to Bayfield, Wisconsin for my aunt's wedding. There will be an old little chapel, a river boat cruise, and camping.

3.  Steve and I have never (in our 4 years) been camping together.

4.  I dislike sleeping in tents.  Mostly because the sun will wake me up at some obscene hour and I won't be able to fall back asleep.  I will be the one wearing an eyemask while camping, like a diva,  in the hopes of sparing everyone the drama of a sleepless diva.

5. I will get to see all kinds of family members I haven't seen in a long time.  I'm especially excited to see my cousin Jocelyn from France.  She's gotten engaged since I saw her last.

6. I have been working hard lately making my aunt's wedding gift.  I won't spoil the surprise here, just in case, so look for a DIY post in a couple of weeks.

7.  I will also share loads of pics later - I'm the wedding photographer.  I wish packing camera gear was lighter, and that I could trust checked luggage for even a piece of it.  If you're in the Toronto airport today, I'm the one being crushed by the weight of her own backpack. 

8. On the plane ride I'll finish reading Lullabies for Little Criminals.  I am really enjoying the book so far, but wish I could save any children that have that as a life.

9.  One of my favourite things about road-trips to the US is getting parcels shipped to a store that's on the US/Canadian border.  It means I can buy from shops that don't ship to Canada, and the shipping fees are much cheaper.  I bought some shoes and scrapbooking supplies.  I forgot to buy film from the Impossible Project, and don't think it will ship in time now.  Phooey.

10.  What does one wear to a summer wedding in a chapel/on a river boat/near a campfire?  I'll show you when I get back.
Have a great week, and maybe I'll have time to sneak in a post.
Do you have any summer vacation plans? When was the last time you went camping?

Best Things in Chicago.

Steve and I went to Chicago about oh, 2 months ago.  

Here are some faves, now that I'm heading out to print them & hopefully scrapbook soon.

Fave photo of the whole trip.  With family at the Bears game.

Fave Chicago food.  Deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno. 
Ummm, it's pie crust, whoa.

 

Fave photo of Steve.  Super excited to be at Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. 

Most hilarious photo.  Us, FROZEN with no cold weather clothes at the Cubs game. 
They were selling more hot chocolate than beer.   Cold. 
All I had were 3 cardigans.  Missing: Steve is wearing shorts.  Dedication.

Fave moment.  Watching so many crazy fans celebrate a touchdown.  (We had awesome seats!)

Fave buildings.  Flower shaped apartment buildings.  Check out the parking near the bottom. 

Fave thing bought.  A brooch for my collection.  From Very Best Vintage. 

Best view.  From the ferris wheel at Navy Pier. 

 

Thanks Chicago for such a great time!

Have you ever been to Chicago? What's your fave thing?

52 weeks - week thirty-six.

This past weekend, while in Chicago,  I was lucky enough to meet up with fellow blogger Malori from Sunday Morning Sugar.  We met at the Art Institute of Chicago and took a walk around the Modern Art wing.  It was great fun.  This painting by Frances Picabia was one of my favourites. 
Thanks again Mal! It was lovely to meet you :)

Chicago Tomorrow!

Well, the title really says it all.   Steve and I are heading to Chicago tomorrow morning, for a long weekend vacation before school starts next week.

On the agenda:
Cubs game at Wrigley Field
Fashion's Night Out - shopping night

I think I'm meeting up with Mal, a blogland friend
Renegade craft fair
Checking out how much tickets are for the Bears vs Falcons (we may watch from a pub/check out tailgates only)

and probably - the aquarium, some amazing architecture, a giant bean and a Marilyn :)

Anything we're missing?
Let me know!

My Summer Vacation - Part Two

My Dad, Jen & Sequoia and Carter.

The reason to travel to Thunder Bay this August was for my Dad's 50th birthday.  He and his wife & 2 big dogs drove from Calgary and stayed at his brother's (my uncle's) cottage for a couple weeks.  I spent a few days out there, enjoying the lake and the pristine 70's decor :)

Check out this retro inspiration:

The carrot salt and pepper shakers above the stove!

The patterned orange and purple shag carpet is huge - maybe 12x20 feet.  I love it. 

There were plastic strip curtains, stacks of patterned chair cushions, fabric as cabinet doors, mushroom dishes and placemats that remind me of the Dainty Squid blog, and this outdoor table.  

I took advantage of the cute kitchen and made my dad a big stack of birthday pancakes.

Then spent a lot of time hanging out near the dock, watching them fish, enjoying the sound of water splashing against rocks, and doing crosswords. 

Very peaceful.

My Summer Vacation - part one.

I've been away from the blog for a couple of weeks, enjoying some summer vacation time.

I went back to my hometown - Thunder Bay - and spent a lot of time visiting family and friends.  I took loads of photos, so this will have to be broken into a few posts.

First stop was actually a mini road trip/shopping adventure with my mom to Duluth, MN.  Mostly for Target (still not in Canada for a few more months) and Charlotte Russe (please come to Canada!)

I snapped a quick picture of the sun rising as we drove toward the US border, and then left the camera packed away and shopped instead.  haha. 

View from the car window as the roadtrip began. 

fave things bought from charlotte russe by smilesfrommel featuring charlotte russe boots

That is about all I can offer for the first 2 days. lol.
A summer tradition is photographing the flowers in my grandma's garden. (Mama is what we call her.)  She has an album of my photos from each year.  My visit back was a bit late in the summer this time, and sadly a lot of the flowers looked like this:

But there were still some survivors, waiting for me, looking gorgeous. 

 

Visiting my grandparents is my fave.

More summer vacation to come, what is your fave moment from this summer?