January 31, 2014

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING // 1

January 31, 2014/ Laura Liira

I'm a major fan of the public library. My favourite lunch breaks are those spent power walking to the downtown branch, finding a book and then sitting in the glass courtyard while I soak up the first couple pages.

I fell in love with books in grade 6. I had an incredible teacher named Mrs. Sinclair. She obviously loved reading and it rubbed off on me. I began devouring books. Today I don't have as much spare time as I did when I was eleven but my love for books hasn't fizzled. I usually have a library book on my nightstand or in my purse and if it's a gooder, I read it any spare moment I can.

Here's what I've been reading the past few months:

1. The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin- This one's a historical fiction novel about Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Charles Lindbergh was a famous aviator in the 30's. Because I LOVED The Paris Wife, I thought I would love this guy but honestly, I found it kind of boring. The Lindbergh's story was very sad and tragic but the book just didn't captivate me.

2. Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler- I went into this one with crazy high hopes. From what I knew of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (mainly from my favourite movie, Midnight in Paris, ha!), I thought they were a fascinating couple but I finished this book feeling depressed. I also was incredibly thankful I didn't grow up in the 20s. If you want a sad, downer novel then read this one.

3. Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- I really, really, really enjoyed this novel. Mostly because I loved the main character, June. Great characters, great writing. It also made me cry, so that gets double points.

4. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes- This was a cute read to begin with but ended very tragically and not how I wanted it at all. I'm kind of mad at the author and of the character's decision at the end of the novel. It was a good read though, so I recommend it!

5. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella- Nothing like a good ol' Sophie Kinsella book. It was a funny, light read but not as good as some of her past novels.

6. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh- This was actually my pick for our book club (when are we meeting next ladies!!!). I've read it before and loved it all over again. It's a beautiful story about love, grace and restoration. I highly recommend it!

Can't say I was thrilled on my most recent reads but there were definitely some gems in there. I'm always looking for a new book to read. Let me know what you've read lately!

xoxo,

s.s.♥.

January 27, 2014

WORRYING ABOUT IT WON'T CHANGE A THING GIRL.

January 27, 2014/ Laura Liira

Did Monday sneak up on you too? I had a pretty packed weekend followed by a rather annoying stomach ache that I woke up to this morning. The week ahead of me is looking quite full. I'm faced with two choices. 1. Stress out and worry that I won't get anything done. OR 2. Pray and trust God will give me the strength I need. I'll take the latter. It's a tough one though because worrying about it is my natural reaction. If I'm not careful, I get carried away with stressing and worrying and sooner or later, half my day is eaten up.

Sometimes I need to give myself a pep talk. It goes like this... Break it down and really look at it. Worrying won't change a thing girl. Not a single thing. Stop stressing and pray. Go read Philippians 4...you know the verses...

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-8

and breathe.

images- 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 my own

So if you find yourself in the same boat as me, do yourself a favour and pray. Soon enough, God's peace will be all up on you.

happy monday :)

-s.s.♥.

January 24, 2014

SEATTLE WEEKEND

January 24, 2014/ Laura Liira

Last weekend I had the privilege of accompanying my friend, Kristy to Seattle for her birthday weekend. The main point of the trip was JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (which was INNNNSSAAAANNNNE!!!). We left early Friday morning, checked into our hotel and then took the monorail to downtown Seattle. I hadn't been to Seattle in years, so everything was pretty new to me. We spent the afternoon downtown checking out the famous, gum wall and of course, Pike Place Market.

I don't watch football but after being in town for the weekend I am a SEAHAWKS fan!! The buzz of the city was incredible! Starbucks was giving out 12cent drinks if you were sporting blue or green and so many people were wearing jerseys. I was a tad bit confused at the concert when they kept talking about the "12th man" being in the house. Every time the DJ would announce it, the crowd went crrraaay. Eventually, I leaned over to the girl beside me and asked her who this "12th man" was lol.

We went to Portage Bay Cafe the next morning for breakfast. There was a bit of a wait but it was delicious and had sweet vibes. After some shopping for clothes and a much needed stock up trip to Trader Joe's we headed back to the island.

until next time,

s.s.♥,

January 20, 2014

WINTER FITNESS TIPS

January 20, 2014/ Laura Liira

Welcome to the second post in my winter fitness series! As I mentioned before, usually winter and fitness never come out of my mouth in the same sentence…Winter usually is for baggy clothing, over consumption of chocolate and carbs and hibernation BUT this year, I'm making some changes…yeeeehaw.

Ok, so if you're like me, you may need a bit of inspiration and something practical to hold on to. I'm a type A planner freak so I'm all about getting all my ducks in a row BEFORE my workouts. Sometimes that can bite me in the butt as I will put off working out because I haven't planned out what fitness routine I want to do (my lazy excuse). So here are a few tips that are working for me (side note- I am not a professional trainer, nutritionist, anything fitness related…)

1. Have everything ready BEFORE you go to bed.

This is one that I HAVE to do. Even if I'm working out on a day off and it only takes five minutes for me to gather my stuff, if it's not ready the night before, I'm most likely going to put off my workout or waste a good hour as I contemplate everything I need to gather before my run (this actually happened on Sunday, I was supposed to go for a run but instead did a measly at home workout because I wasted too much time thinking in bed lols). Put your runners by the front door. Have your pants, sports bra, tank, hat, jacket, (etc) all ready to go. I usually will hang my running clothes over the heater (slipping on warm running pants at 7:30am makes a world of difference). Make sure your ipod/iphone is charged and your headphones are good to go. Also make sure you know what you're going to do which leads me to tip #2...

2. Make a plan.

Maybe this won't apply to everyone, but I need a plan. Whether it's as simple as, I'll go to the gym Monday and Wednesday or I'm running 5km tomorrow or even, I'm running to the breakwater and back. I'm preaching to myself here, I need a plan, I need one. If I don't plan out what days I'm working out on AND open my schedule for it, most likely I won't get around to it. Laziness is a strong opponent and he will win if i'm not properly prepared, ha. In February I start my half marathon training plan and I'm actually looking forward to it (I told you I thrive on planning). I'm doing the plan through run keeper which motivates me even more and leads me to tip #3...

3. Get some apps to help you.

There are SO many amazing apps to help you but here are my favourite.

Run Keeper- Tracks your run (or walk or other workouts if you manually enter it) and lets you know your pace, calories burned, distance, etc. I have found this one HUGE for motivating me to run faster and longer.

Nike Training Club- If you're afraid of the gym, this one is great to do! If you have dumbbells, you can do most workouts. They have a ton of workouts which you can customize to what you want to achieve (get lean, get toned, get strong) and they have 15 minute workouts which focus on a specific area. I love to pair these up with cardio at the gym. The great thing about this one is it doesn't lock you to the gym. In the summer you can do it at a local park!

Blogilates- I've been doing Casey's videos on youtube over the past few years and she is amazing! She's so energetic and encouraging that it's actually fun to do. She created an app which organizes the videos so well.

My Fitness Pal- This one is a calorie counter. I know for some people, this does not work. But again, I'll reiterate that I'm sharing what has worked for me. Normally I've been an all or nothing girl when it comes to dieting. I've gone off sweets for a month and then went on sweet overload for two months. This app has helped me find balance. I actually learned that I can eat in moderation. And the great part is this links up with run keeper, so if I went for a long run, those calories would be added to my daily total and I would make sure I'm eating enough for the day. This one also helps me be accountable to what I put in my body…when you know you have to put it in, you're more likely not going to devour the entire bowl of icing.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. I'm only an amateur athlete so please, comment below what works for you and keeps you on track!!

xo,

s.s.♥.

January 16, 2014

BUY MY WEDDING DRESS

January 16, 2014/ Laura Liira

If you're a newlywed gal, you've most likely been faced with the choice to sell your wedding dress or keep it. Perhaps you have a major big closet to store it in. Perhaps you like to try it on from time to time (no judgement…). Perhaps you think your daughter will wear it one day. If you can relate to those three things, then you should keep your dress. But me…well I don't have a large storage closet (my dress takes up a third of it), I haven't tried it on since I wore it that beautiful day and I wouldn't bet on my future daughters wearing my dress (poufy princess dresses aren't everyone's cup of tea).

I know I'm biased but I ADORED my dress. There are not many times where you can get away with dressing like a freaking disney princess. The moment I put it on, I knew it was mine. It was magical and it wasn't out of my price range (here's a tip all you dress hunting brides to be…don't try dresses on that are out of your price range)! It was super comfortable and even though it was quite large, I was able to go in a rowboat, climb a tree fort and jump rope (oh those crazy things those wedding photographers make you do…jk we had the best photographers and you should hire them..love you ameris!)

The time has come for someone else to experience the magic (and for my storage to grow..ha). I had the best day of my life in this dress, now it's time for someone else to. So if you're looking or know someone who is looking, you can find it on usedvic here! (And no judgement if you pull a Liz Lemon and buy it with no man in sight…it is an exceptional deal...)