On the subject of… Island View Beach

We’ve been spending quite a bit of time in Victoria on Vancouver Island these past couple of months, getting everything ready for our June nuptials. Andrew and I are both amazed at just how many things there are TO DO for this wedding… like pick out our photography locations. Because we’re opting to do our photographs before the ceremony, we have a lot of flexibility as to where we want to take our photos.

We decided a West Coast wedding just wouldn’t be right, without some beach photos in our wedding album. So, our friends Phil and Emily let us borrow a book called Secret Beaches of Greater Victoria. The book is 200 plus pages long! How many secret beaches are there? I thought.

I started feeling anxious… I don’t have time to look at every single beach in this book. But if I don’t, how will I find the perfect beach for our photos?

We headed out on the highway and I began to express my concern to Andrew… in my mind I sounded calm, cool and collected and said something like: “Andrew, love of my life, I fear we will never get through all the secret beaches in Victoria. This worries me greatly.” For some reason I also imagine I have a british accent while saying those exact words. 

However, Andrew seems to remember me saying something more like: “OH MY GOD, what are we going to do?! We are NEVER going to find a beach… we don’t have time… we have too many things to do… I don’t know where to start… I AM SO STRESSED!” in an American accent no less.

Luckily my calm groom, acted spontaneously when he saw an exit on the highway for Island View Beach. He said, “Why don’t we start here and see what happens…”

After driving down the winding roads toward the water, we arrived at Island View Beach — one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

“This is perfect!” I exclaimed. “I know,” Andrew said and smiled.

 

On the subject of… the first look

Last weekend Andrew and I went to Victoria for a weekend getaway filled with wedding appointments and tasks to get everything in order for the big day (only a month away now!)

One of those tasks to tick off on the to-do list was scouting out some photography locations… like the location of our “first look.”

If you’re not familiar with this fairly new wedding tradition, its when the bride and groom get to see each other before the walk down the aisle… a private moment before the chaos.

We found this cute place conveniently located near the hotel where we’ll be staying, and so Andrew and I thought it only be good to practice…

So I asked Andrew what his reaction might be like when he sees me in my dress for the first time?

Ok, so his reaction might have been a bit exaggerated… but needless to say we are excited for our wedding day!

26 things about me at 26… and some wise words to pass on

yup I just had a birthday… whenever I turn another year older, its fun to reflect on the person I’ve become and what I believe in. So I made a list… but it a got a little silly… for your reading pleasure.

1. Being married to your best friend really is as great as it sounds

2. I still don’t own a bed frame. I like to think its because I am trying to be trendy with a low to the ground bed… but its just because I am too cheap to buy one right now

3. I’ve realized avocado really does make any meal taste better

4. I believe going with your gut instinct is still the best way to make a decision

5. Aasics really do make the best running shoe, so its best just to pay extra for it now

6. It makes me a little sad that next year I’ll have to refer to myself as someone in their “late twenties”

7. No money for home decor? No problem. Fresh flowers in a vase can make any room seem brighter

8. There will always be friends who make more money than you do, go on bigger vacations than you do and have nicer things than you do. So don’t try to “keep up with the Jones’s” because you can’t.

9. After watching a marathon of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, my favorite Kardashian is Khloe … hands down

10. Smirnoff Ice comes in a pretty bottle, but has not been enjoyable since I was 19 years old… and will never be again… stay away…

11. A perfect dress is priceless! So invest in them when you find them

12. I have almost accepted that I will never be the same tiny dress size I was in high school

13. Being a bridesmaid is expensive… but so worth it… still… very expensive

14. A party weekend in Vegas has a 3 night limit, for your own good

15. Shellac manicures are worth every penny

16. Spiders, large beetles and moths still freak the hell out of me

17. Napping is healthy! Not to mention awesome

18. Friendships get harder to form the older you get, but the ones you do make are sweeter

19. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to move away from home, but the older I get the more I want to be closer to family

20. It still amazes me how personal hobbies and extra curricular activities can turn into job opportunities (hello radio!)

21. I have a new appreciation for wedding planners — if you’re engaged, think twice before doing it all yourself!

22. You can never have too many pairs of colored denim pants… or leather boots!

23. Although I now have a Kobo Glo e-reader, I don’t want to part with my books

24. Life will make you pay your dues more than once, so be prepared to prove yourself time and time again

25. Despite my best efforts, I am still addicted to shopping and starbucks… but hey, it could be worse

26. It’s amazing where life can take you if you just keep believing you can get there

that tricky life work balance thing

Not going to lie… lately I’ve had a hard time balancing everything on my plate. There were many times these past couple of months when I felt I was juggling too many balls in the air and as result, I let some of them drop, including this blog.

Between a busy and stressful couple of months at work, planning our wedding (which is happening in about a month!) and then trying to fit in time to train for my half marathon, I haven’t had energy to do much else.

When I did get a free moment, the last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of another computer and blog. Blog about what? I thought. I was exhausted! No, my free moments were spent watching Game of Thrones, New Girl and sleeping. But mostly sleeping.

So week after week went by without my presence on the blog, twitter or instagram (facebook was the only form of social media I seemed to be able to keep up with). And the more time went by the more guilty I felt for not being social online. And the more guilty I felt the less I wanted to start blogging again.

I admit, the thought crossed my mind to quit the whole blog all together… I was tired of feeling guilty. Tired of adding the blog to my “to-do” list. And becoming increasingly too tired to care.

The days and weeks seemed to speed by and then before I knew it it was my birthday… And I realized I was too busy to care about it. That was the eye-opener! I don’t ever want to have too many things on the go to not be able to stop and appreciate my life.

Blogging helps me to live in the moment — its a digital scrapbook of fun memories and funny stories that I otherwise wouldn’t remember on account of my “busy” life. Blogging also allows to me to write creatively which has always been something I love to do!

So consider this another entry into the digital scrapbook: a sushi picnic on Kits Beach just for Andrew and I. And I promise to make more regular entries in the days and weeks to come!

Have you ever felt like quitting something you started? What was your motivation to keep going?

on the subject of… picking our wedding invitations

Your wedding invitation should set the tone of your big day. So I wanted our invitations to be personal, fun and easy to read! I am also a strong believer that any invitation should be able to stick on your fridge without being weighed down by rhinestones, glitter or tissue paper.This led me to minted.com where indie designers can upload their own designs for purchase.

After spending hours browsing the site, I found three favorites and ordered their samples so I could see what they looked like up close. When they finally arrived, I knew immediately which one I was drawn to. So without telling Andrew which was my favorite, I asked him which one he preferred.

After some thought he said, “I like invite number 3 the best.” He looked  at me and then there was a long pause.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Take a closer look, think about our venue and our theme colors.”

“Yes, I am sure,” He said.”All of these invitations would fit our venue and color scheme, I just like number 3 the best. I like the square shape!”

“Are you really sure? Like really really sure number 3 is the best choice?” I looked at him adoringly.

He sighed, “which one do you like, Ash?”

“Well I think number 2 is the best choice personally, but that’s just me” I said. “Plus postage will cost more to mail a square shaped invitation…”

Then Andrew changed his tune, “Invitation number 2 really is a better fit for our wedding day!”

Sometimes you just need the right motivation…

have you seen the latest from Miz Mooz?

Holly (blogger and creator of Helloo Sailor) and I were pleased to attend the Miz Mooz 2013 Spring Collection and The Style Common Party at the Miz Mooz boutique located on West 4th. Yes, Vancouverites, despite the never ending construction along west 4th, the store is still open! And man oh man is it shoe heaven?!

Bright colors and pastels are in! And I love them all…

Holly, Jess (Brand Manager or Miz Mooz) and I– apparently we all got the memo to color coordinate our outfits!

(ladies of The Style Common left to right: Jen, Jennifer, Alexandra, and Alicia)

It was a delight to meet the ladies of the local style blogger power group called The Style Common in person (if you haven’t checked them out, you need to asap) and catch up with an old friend Jess, who is now the brand manager for Miz Mooz (way to go Jess!)

As Holly and I swooned over shoes, the girls entertained with a cute candy bar and door prizes to everyones delight. It was a fun evening that left me lusting for shoes!

Might have to go back to buy some… I’ve been looking lately for some cute flats to wear on my wedding day or  off-beat wedding shoes, as Joanna from the blog A Cup Of Jo calls them. Like cute yellow flats or funky sandals…

What shoes are you most excited about buying this spring?

on the subject of… hiking

Andrew and I have been trying to get out and be more active together on weekends. The problem is the past couple weeks at work have been kicking my butt. I love the projects I am working on, but between long office hours and training for a half marathon during the week, I only crave rest on Sundays.

But… Andrew and I promised each other we would go on a Sunday hike. So we headed to the Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver to take in some fresh air.

“I am really glad we are doing this,” Andrew said. I nod my head enthusiastically, trying to hide my exhaustion, preparing myself mentally and physically for this long hike, all the while trying to keep up with my husband’s brisk pace. How am I going to do this? I think to myself. The map of trails made it look like we were headed for an hour long excursion.

All of a sudden we come to a clearing, and we both realize that its the parking lot and there’s our car. We had done the entire “hour long” trail in about twenty minutes.

“Oh bummer, the map made this trail look so much longer!” Andrew said, disappointed.

“Total bummer,” I agree. “Oh well, that was fun. Let’s go home.” I say, smiling to myself. Lucky break, Ashly, lucky break.