FRIDAY FAVES // SCHOOL SUPPLIES

It's that time again...the last weekend of summer. As a kid, this time was my favourite time of year because I loved getting to go back to school shopping! New clothes and shiny new supplies..yes please!

As an adult it hasn't changed much...except I now have to pay for my new fall clothes and office supplies myself...ha. But seriously, I still get a high walking through the school supply aisle. The smell of fresh binders...bins of erasers...boxes of crayons...

I'm not going back to school this fall, but I can still dream about the goods right?

1. Backpack

2. Agenda

3. IPad Sleeve

4. Travel Mug

5. Pencil Case

6. Lunch Kit

I own that Ban.do Ipad case and I love it especially now that I HAVE AN IPAD!! My husband is the best. I had the best birthday yesterday. I'm overwhelmed and thanking Jesus for the amount of love I received. Seriously, I have the greatest friends ever. My feeds were buzzing with birthday love. I read every one and every one made me smile. Love you.

Hope you have THE BEST LAST WEEKEND OF SUMMER! I'm having a few more birthday celebrations and I am stoked!

stay gold,

s.s.♥︎.

S'MORE COOKIES

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Remember how I've been saying constantly "I want this summer to last forever????".....well, I kinda cheated on my massive love for a never-ending summer by DRINKING MY FIRST PSL. What on earth is a PSL, you ask. Let me help you out...Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Fall in a cup.

I wasn't planning on having one this early but Starbucks (those marketing geniuses!!) had this online scavenger hunt thing where if you solved the puzzle, you'd get the code to unlock the PSL at your nearest Starbucks. I got the code last night so of course I had to get one. I ventured to a store on my walk to work and guess what? I was the first to unlock the code...it was pretty awesome and I documented it on insta (obvs)!! And on a crazier note (don't worry I'll get to the cookies soon...) I had a dream two nights ago that I ordered a "PSL" (yes I actually said PSL in my dream) and the barista gave me one even though the drink hadn't officially launched yet. So of course I had to fulfill that prophecy.

But anyways on to cookies......!

I made these cookies because I didn't want summer to end.

When I imagine the perfect summer, s'mores are definitely in the picture.

Oooey, gooey, chocolatey goodness squished between two graham crackers. mmmhmmm, how can you beat that?

But you can. Because And someone had the genius idea to take s'more and throw them into a cookie...BRILLIANT. I did not come up with this concept. I merely followed a recipe (by Baked by Rachel). She uses a mix of cake flour and bread flour.

The next time I bake these, I think I will try regular flour, little chunks of graham crackers (instead of crumbs) and browning the butter because you can't go wrong with browned butter...ever. But they were incredibly delicious and we devoured them on our Parksville Girls' Weekend.

So go, bake these cookies and tell me what you think!

And enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

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

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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

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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:

1. Pump It- Black Eyed Peas
2. Dancing with Myself- Billy Idol
3. Hey Ya!- Outkast
4. Good Feeling- Flo Rida
5. Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
6. I Love It- Icona Pop
7. Fancy Footwork- Chromeo
8. Anything Girl Talk
9. Two of Hearts- Stacey Q.
10. 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.♥︎.