HAPPY LABOUR DAY!

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SUMMER BBQ

Happy long weekend everybody! Hope you are having a good one! We had a great one around here. On Saturday night, we had a big ol family birthday dinner for my sister and I. It was so fun to gather with family (mine & James!) and eat a tooooooon of food (my pops bought 17 steaks and chicken and pork...!!!) Today James and I are heading to Saanich Fair...fingers crossed for sunny weather!

Happy labour day!

XO,
laura

HELLO WEEKEND

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Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a great week!!! Mine has been jam packed with all the fall planning in the church but it's soooo much fun! BUT I had a moment to slow down when I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season!!! They haven't officially launched yet but if you're a gold member, they emailed out a pass for you to access them all this weekend. #BOOYAH

Our weather has been SOO COLD this week. We even turned on our heat the other night. It sure feels like fall and that means I'm wanting all the boots and scarves
like these ones and this one please.
Oh and I picked up this lipstick the other night...I'm soooo fall ready!

Beach House released a new album ON MY BIRTHDAY.
Thanks Beach House for such a wonderful present :)

Speaking of my birthday...did you see my 20 goals for my last year as a 20 something?

I so loved Joy the Baker's recent article on Instagram use. I was all over the "being generous with likes". Seriously, why are you following someone if you never "like" their photos???!!!!
(Ps. find me on instagram here)

For all you fall planners out there, I made you a printable September calendar!

Hope you have a great weekend! 

xo, laura

PS. LET'S BE FRIENDS!
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OUR ANNIVERSARY AT THE DELTA OCEAN POINTE RESORT

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anni at the delta

Last week James and I celebrated three years of marriage! (I blogged about it here) We were very lucky to have celebrated it in a top notch way. So remember way back in February when we won that Mayfair instagram contest? Well part of the prize was a night at the Delta Hotel with a couple's massage and dinner at Lure restaurant. So obvs we wanted to redeem it right away but we were patient and waited until our anniversary and I am oh so glad we did.

our anni at the delta!
blissed out

At check in, the amazing desk agent, upgraded us to a room with a gorgeous view (that first photo was from our window!!) I cannot rave enough about the staff at the Delta. Everyone went above and beyond to make our stay incredible!!

our anni at the delta
anni

After we checked into our room, we headed down to the spa for our couple's massage. One hour of pure bliss...oh my goodness!!! After we got back from our massage we discovered some little sweets in our room...once again Delta being amazing :)

Anniversary at the Delta
3 years anniversary

Post massage, we walked to lower Johnson (super great shopping in Victoria!!) for some coconut lattes from Hey Happy and jeans from Still Life (for James not me...I have my sights set on these ones from Aritzia..lol) After we got back we went for a swim in the pool and then got ready for our dinner at their restaurant, Lure.

me & my bae

We had the pleasure of eating at Lure before so I was pretty excited. We had a window table with a gorgeous view of the inner harbour. The patio is good vibes everywhere with their fire pit and outdoor lights BTW. 

dinner at lure

The food was SOOO INCREDIBLE. To start James had maple glazed pork ribs and I had a combination of the charcuterie and cheese plate...obvs we were all over sharesies! I picked the halibut for my main and James picked steak with prawns (obvs!) And dessert...OH MY GOSH dessert. We shared this delicious ice cream sandwich that had homemade cookies with whisky ice cream and balsamic cherries AND the Bernard Callebaut pot de la creme....I still dream about that chocolate pot.

Huge thank you to Mayfair for choosing us to win that contest and Delta for going above and beyond by making our anniversary the best ever!!

downtown Victoria BC

How dreamy is that view!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. I'm currently fighting off a cold (boooo!)

xo,
laura

20 GOALS FOR MY LAST YEAR AS A 20-SOMETHING

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Today I turn 29. Twenty-freaking-nine. Usually, I'm soooooo excited for my birthday but to be totally honest, I just can't say I've been insanely excited for this one.

I'm not saying I'm old, but can I just say that 29 feels A LOT different from 28?!?!? 28 was a good year. I changed roles in my job, we bought a house, I went to LA, I went camping and enjoyed a many other adventures.

29 feels a little daunting because this time next year I will be....30 and that scares the junk out of me...and I know that's not a good attitude and I hope God will kick my butt into shape by then...!! But regardless of my insecurities, I'm determined to make 29 my best year yet. I'm going to embrace the last year of my twenties and (at least try to) approach 30 with a full and expectant heart!

So to set the tone right, I'm decided to set some fun/serious goals for my 29th year...20 for my last year as a 20-something...!

  1. Bake a pie from scratch. No store bought dough. No store bought filling. A good ol' homemade pie from scratch! Lard or butter???
  2. Seek God more than ever before. I want to know God deeper than ever before...this takes time spent with him and I want to make that a priority.
  3. Master making my Nana's lasagna...and spend more time with her.
  4. Go on a fancy vacation somewhere warm.
  5. Eat healthier. I know this is a given and an abstract/non-specific goal but I'm really wanting to improve my eating habits this year. Way less sugar, way more good stuff. I've been noticing that I just can't run off the crap anymore but I actually have to make an effort in avoiding it...sad days, sad days but that is my reality. I also want to try the whole 30 at least once!
  6. Join a gym and exercise! I've been running roughly 3x a week this past year but I've definitely cut down on distance and let's be honest, I have gotten real LAZY. I want to gain muscle and lose some fat!! So I plan on joining a gym and actually going to those exercise classes because let's face it, me in front of a mirrored wall with weights is kind of a hopeless/clueless situation right now...ha
  7. Improve photography. I'm really excited about this one. I really enjoy taking photos and I'm keen to improve my skills.
  8. Rebrand this blog. It's been two years since I last rebranded and I'm itching for a new look. I have some ideas that I'm excited to implement!
  9. Continue my distance education. This one doesn't thrill me entirely because it takes a lot of hard work BUT I know education is good a good thing! I have an end goal in mind and all the learning will only be beneficial for what God has called me to do!
  10. Mentor. I want to sow into future leaders. I'm blessed to have incredible mentors and I want to always be pouring into others!
  11. Make macarons. These seem like the most difficult thing and something that I would probably fail at but hey I'm up for the challenge.
  12. Go to a movie ALONE! Never have done it, and it scares the junk out of my inner extrovert but I think it will be a good experience.
  13. Do something different with my hair. My hair was long and blonde for 11 years and now it's been long and brown for the past few years. I don't want to do anything drastic but I definitely want to try something new.
  14. Watch all the Star Wars movies. I haven't seen any of them and James loves them so I'm going to give them a try.
  15. Give more grace...in marriage, and other relationships as well.
  16. Master the cat eye.....why is one eye different than the other EVERY TIME.
  17. Read at least 25 books.
  18. Find opportunities to be generous.
  19. Speak life over and about others. Refrain from speaking anything but life-giving things about others.
  20. Go to Disneyland! This one is probably not going to happen but a girl can dream right?!

 

There you have it, 20 goals for the my last year as a 20-something. Now here's to my best year yet. Happy Birthday to me!

Stay gold,

laura

THREE YEARS MARRIED

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J + L

Today marks three years of being married to James Peter Liira. I love him more now than ever before. After three years, we're still getting to know each other as we slowly unravel layers upon layers of our hearts. We were asked by a friend recently, how marriage really is. Marriage is hard. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done yet it's one of the best. Your own selfishness often rears it's ugly head in marriage. To be so vulnerable with one another is freaking scary. Your heart is on the line often but it's okay because he's in my corner. We received some marriage advice a few months back on when it's hard to sit down with the other and remind them, "I'm here. We're in this together and I'm not going anywhere." 
It's late and I'm blabbing now but I wanna say that JAMES PETER LIIRA I LOVE YOU. I love you more now than ever before and tomorrow I will love you even more. I'm thankful for the way you love me, the way you encourage me, the way you make me laugh, the way you make me glow.

Happy three years married...here's to a billion more XO

ps. all photos by AMERIS