Banff: Mountains and Memories

The mountains and evergreens of Banff welcomed my friends and I this summer. A day was spent treking through the small town, while we took in the daily life of those that live there. Pastry shops, sushi and local boutiques were all stops along the way.

Though not far away, it feels like entering a different time. Perhaps it's the pace. Banff, being a small tow, feels like stepping into a time period where you still knew the nieghbor, and the local bar knows your order by heart.

 When you live in a place so long, without really venturing out (that includes outside your own perspective), you forget what it may look like to someone else. The drive to Banff had it's postcard picturesque moments that left me in awe of my own Province.

The rains began to fall; the fog decended, and the scene took on a a mystic eerie feel, that made one both worried and yet inspired. It's the kind of scene that is beautiful to stare at from ones window, safe indoors, but creates feelings of deep caution when you have to drive in it.

The rains slide down the mighty mountains, unaffecting it's majesty, and slipped into the lake, making little ripples that carried on seemingly endlessly. The weather was gratifying. Not too hot, nor too cold. The rains brought out the mosquitos who enthusiastically followed us through our walk.

One of my favorite things about going somewhere else is trying new food. That's also the downside, since new favorite treats cannot easily be accessed. But it gives me an excuse to go there again. In Banff is a Pastry shop that sells ice cream and a dessert called "Beaver Tail." The Beaver is a big part of Alberta culture, so the name is fitting. The dessert comes in a varity of flavors, but my friends and I opted for Skor and cream cheese. It was delicious! The pastry itself is rich and kind of sweet, but the skor, frosting, and caramel...divine.
The sushi in Banff was also tasty and well priced considering that Banff food can be a bit pricey.

 
It's nice to get out of the city, even if you don't go very far. See other sights, engage in different activites, and give yor senses something new to take in. We saw muesum exhibits, horses pulling tourists down the street and locals going on with their ordinary days. And I wonder if they ever take the time to see their lovely little towne the way we outsiders do.

I believe in daydreams

I believe in daydreams and warm cups of tea

Hand written postcards sent from you to me 

I believe in laughter shared with a friend

Long summer days that you never want to end

 

 I believe in lips that speak only of love

 The greatest of all reigns from up above

 

 

A terrifying and beautiful thought

One of the most terrifying things about life is that you can become almost anything you set your mind and heart to. I use the word terrifying not as a negative, but it demonstrates the feeling of having boundless possibilities before you.

 If you were to look back 3 years ago, you may have imagined yourself at the very spot you are in now or the complete opposite has happened and life is very different from what you've imagined. Regardless, this shows that as we progress we become whatever our wills push us to become and nothing else.

 And if you think about the next 3 years of your life, you are greeted with a galaxy wide span of options. Anything can happen. The thought of life becomes more than simply goals, doing, and breathing. It's like standing on a high plateau looking at the great sky in front of you trying to take in all that in ahead of you, marveling at the vastness and beauty of it all.

With each day,  you are met with a countless number of possibilities. Your life at any given moment can go in any direction. You may start the day feeling so very single, and by the end of it you have a date. You could be bored at your desk and within the hour you get a call that a loved one has been in an accident. If you consider how many curves, twists, and opportunities life can toss at you you begin to see that the creation of who you become is something of a wonder.

This is why you should never think of your life as unchangeable. Things are altering around you without your permission, but when you become an active participant in your own life what you can make of it is astounding. With the help of God all things are possible, but you must be fully engaged in your own life. You may be working towards something you've always wanted, or maybe you don't know where you're going, perhaps things are finally looking up--as long as you always keep faith and give your own life a chance, you'll find life will give you something worth waking up for.

Moments of my day Feb 22

You wake up, thinking the day will be like any other and suddenly something happens to change it...like winning a contest. Mid morning, I recieved a message notifying me that I was the winner of a contest held by a youtube  member. I'm never lucky in contests, so I was more than excited when I found out I won.

It's amazing how winning something, having something good happen to you, makes the whole day sit on an optimistic and postive note. I felt lucky throughout the day.

Simply being to able wakup this morning with little pain, a roof over my head and a family makes me lucky or rather blessed, but we so often take these things for granted. I was more excited about winning something. Because for that moment it was as if fate chose me instead of anyone else. But fate chose me all day long, all month long.

 I'm still here, while other are not. I have friends and a family, while others don't, and I am safe, while many others are praying to be rescued.

We forget the mundane are the significant things in our life; the things that we assume are natural and everyday, like checking text messages (which is not at all mundane since in order to do so you must have a cell phone and that is a luxury in itself). Even if I had not won the contest I still would be considered a very lucky girl.

{Sorry I do not have a pic of my day but I thank you for reading xox}

Moments of my day February 15

 Ever wakeup knowing you're going to have a bad day, or least not a good one. That is how I felt when I woke up. I just didn't feel any enthusiasm for the day. I decided to shake off this feeling because I refused to give into a pessimistic attitude.
One of the reasons why I knew I wasn't going like the day was because I had to visit the denist and that always ruins my day. The trip there is unpleasant; the experience is unpleasnat; the feeling of walking out of there with a giant bill is...you guessed it...unpleasant.

To brighten up the day, I went to buy some left over Valentine's treats. On the top of the list were cupcakes. But the mall I was in didn't have any. Instead, I found myself in a new shop called Zexy Berries. It's I guess a dessert shop that sells chocolate covered fruits. But they also offer cookies and waffles. I've always wanted a waffle place in my city and to find one closer to my home was the best part of my day. I ordered a small one with strawberries and white chocolate. It was exactly what I needed to make the day go right.

I also bought some cookies from Zexy Berries. The service was wonderful and I know I'll be going there often. Sometimes you roll out of bed wishing the whole world would disappear. In those times, look for something, anything, in this big ol' world that makes being here worth it.