TWO YEARS
Yesterday marked James & my two year wedding anniversary! We spent the weekend going off grid at the gorgeous Point no Point resort (just over an hour from Victoria but felt like years away!) No wifi. No cell phone service. Private hot tub overlooking the ocean. It was pure bliss.
I still can't believe it's been two years since we said "I do". I still remember almost every detail from that day.
Waking up at 6am with my bffs. So nervous yet so excited.
Having the best time getting ready. Dancing to get out the jitters.
The quiet ride to the ceremony and the anticipation as we arrived.
Holding my daddy's arm tight as he walked me down the aisle.
Locking eyes on my love, my husband, my future.
Our first kiss in months! ha.
The day went by RIDICULOUSLY FAST. I remember asking for the time sometime during the reception and being so sad when I found out how late it was because I was having so much fun and wanted it to last forever.
Happy two years James peter Liira. Here's to a billion more.
Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.
xoxo
all photos by ameris.
GOING OFF GRID
This weekend James and I will be celebrating two years of marriage. (BOOYAH!)
We're heading to a cabin on the ocean. Private deck. Private hot tub. eeeeeee I'm sooo excited. The resort doesn't have wifi or cell phone service so we will be going off grid completely....I don't think we've done that since our Saltspring vaycay in 2012, and our honeymoon!
Hope you have a fantastic weekend...still can't believe there are only two weekends left in August!
Still plenty of times to live it up though. Summer vibes all around.
- I really want to master this braid. It screams summer but could transition to fall.
- Anyone down for a smores party?
- Peaches are on sale everywhere! Buy some immediately and make this salad!
- One last summer DIY.
TGIF now go live it up!
xo,
s.s. ♥︎.
RUNNING MUSIC FOR LONG DISTANCES
When I talk with people about running long distances, the question "Don't you get bored?" often comes up. And my response is always heck no!
I feel a lot of different things when I run.... tired, cranky, exhilarated, energized, free, strong... but nope, never bored.
I attribute my lack of boredom to what I have playing in my ears. See, I never ever run without my iphone. I need to listen to something while I run. If I didn't, boredom would probably come creeping up. Now I know, not everyone is programmed like me. Some of you can go run 15km with nothing in your ear....but I can't do that.
What I play while my run heavily depends on the type of run I'm doing.
TEMPO RUNS
If I'm doing a tempo run (aka your race pace), I run with fast paced music. Here is part of the playlist that I ran with on my half marathon race:
- Pump It- Black Eyed Peas
- Dancing with Myself- Billy Idol
- Hey Ya!- Outkast
- Good Feeling- Flo Rida
- Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
- I Love It- Icona Pop
- Fancy Footwork- Chromeo
- Anything Girl Talk
- Two of Hearts- Stacey Q.
- D.A.N.C.E.- Justice
I know, some of my songs are pretty lame-o but hey, they get me running fast!
LONG SLOW RUNS
When training for a half marathon and a marathon you usually have one day a week where you do your long, slow run. This run builds up your strength to run the many kms.
For these runs, I don't usually listen to music...(unless I'm near the end and need a kicker to get those last few kms done!)
Instead of music, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks.
I'm currently listening to a sermon series by Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church. That man is hilarious and an amazing preacher.
And in the last couple of months I started listening to audiobooks. I'm a big fan of audiobooks (they're the best multitasking companion!) When James and I went to California in 2013, we had a 17 hour drive to do on the last day. It was sooo brutal. The only reason why we didn't die of boredom was The Chronicles of Narnia on audiobook. Listening to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader helped the hours soar by!
I don't know why it's taken me so long to listen to audiobooks while I run, but it is amazing!!! So far I've gone through the first two books of the Divergent series....yes it's teen fiction but I'm finding the action keeps me entertained and helps me keep my pace up. I'm actually finding myself looking forward to my long runs because it means I get to listen/read the audiobook for a long time! ha.
So that's what I listen to when I run. All you runners out there, I would love to hear what you listen to!
stay gold,
s.s.♥︎.
PARKSVILLE
So I'm trying to soak in every last bit of summer. Usually by this point, I'm longing for fall but this year, I'm clinging on to summer. And I have a firm grip.
I know I was just in Whistler but what do you do when the holiday fairy calls your name and whisks you away to a happy place? You let it happen, that's what you do!
Especially when said fairy takes you to a beach front condo with your bffs.
My goodness we had sooooo much fun. It was definitely a weekend of excess.
So much food.
So many episodes of Veronica Mars.
So much reading.
So many laughs.
Here's what we got up to...
Now doesn't that look fun?
Hope you're soaking up the last bit of summer! James and I are headed for one more quick getaway (I know!!!) for our 2 year wedding anniversary this weekend.
The place we're going has no wifi and no cell phone service...insane hey??!!! I am soo excited.
Happy Tuesday.
xo,
s.s.♥︎.
WHISTLER FAMILY VAYCAY
Last weekend we had the pleasure of going to Whistler with James' family...it was AMAZING!! Surprisingly both James and I had never been to Whistler before. Let's just say, I'm a fan.
Except for bears....yes, I saw A FREAKING BEAR ON MY RUN. Thank goodness James was with me, but it was SOO SCARY..I bolted away into nearby townhouses and refused to go running again..ha.
Whistler is crazy beautiful. The mountains, the glaciers, the lakes. And the village is such good vibes...except for the slow, relaxed snowboarder/biker service you receive in coffee shops...but hey, maybe that was the universe telling me to sloooooow down and enjoy vaycay mode.
We stayed at Cascade Lodge. It was perfect. Nice outdoor pool and soo close to the village.
We hiked two days and did peak to peak! It was so glorious.
Insanely beautiful.
Makes me in awe of God's creation. Those mountains!!! Swoon.
Seriously stunning hey? That last photo is a pic of the guys swimming in a glacier pool...crazy boys.
So other than hiking and staring at majestic mountains, we enjoyed an afternoon at Lost Lake and hung out in the village.
We had ice cream at Cows (honestly, tasted like Island Farms...it had NOTHING on Salt & Straw), family dinner for James' birthday at Dusty's in Creekside (best nachos ever..pulled pork come on!!), dinner date at Mongolie, and lots of coffees. We got to meet up with our good friends, the Normans which was SUCH a treat because we hadn't seen them for ages! Walking through the village reminded me of walking through towns in Europe...people and food everywhere..and accents! It was so nice to hear so many accents.
We also had great family bonding times. I am madly blessed with amazing in-laws!!
I know it won't be our last trip to Whistler!!
Have you been to Whistler before? If so, I'd love to hear what your must see spots are!
Happy Wednesday..I'm off to Parksville for a girls' trip right after work...SOOO STOKED!
xo,
s.s.♥︎.