7.04.2012

BOSTON PHOTO DIARY + RECAP

Parish Cafe and Bar was phenomenal. Each item on the menu was created by a chef from the Boston area.
Mike & Patty's - An amazingggg sandwich shop on Church Street. This place was literally less than 200 square feet.
Avocado, eggs & some sort of asiago spread = my idea of Heaven.
I now know the secret recipe of home made lemonade- Boston style...
Our hotel was celebrating its centennial anniversary!

Stopped in at Williams-Sonoma and picked up a mammoth of a baking book to help me on my journey to becoming a top notch baker. I also got two very cute baking aprons with matching oven mitts!
At the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. Hands down. 
Handsome men.
You will find Catie most days at The Fairmont Copley Plaza. She is the hotel's 'Canine Ambassador' and has her very own children's book. Guests can even take Catie for a walk around Boston!

The Pahk.
Douglas, Regina Pizza's bartender extraordinaire. He is the only man to ever work as a waiter at Regina's, which has been open since 1926.
I was told that pictures were not allowed BUT - the oven, still used today, was imported from Italy in 1883. It's the same oven Regina's Pizza has been using since they opened in 1926.
You don't even understand... 
A line-up, always.
Spent an afternoon at the beach and put our toes in the ocean.



Norah Jones sang some tunes...


BOSTON RECAP:

- Norah Jones concert- This girl has won NINE Grammy Awards...
- Tenacious D concert - This band has won zero Grammy Awards... but Jack Black was hilarious.
- Wedding
- Shopping
- Fenway Park: I would have LOVED to have caught a game, but the team was away...
- Regina's Pizza
- Mike & Patty's
- Saw the ocean
- Ate some delicious seafood
- Beers every day- sometimes even for breakfast- don't judge me
- Picked up some exciting goodies at Williams-Sonoma

I'm off to one of the most beautiful places in Canada tomorrow, the Okanagan in Kelowna, BC! I'll be knocking off another spot on my fifty list this weekend: visiting vineyards!

6.27.2012

SOMBOUN X SOCIETY

Hair cut, colour and style by Somboun at Society The Salon in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I'm off to Boston tomorrow and Kelowna the week after- time for some beer and wine tasting! Finally got my hair done today for wedding season.

My girlfriend Somboun has been doing my hair for years and if you live in the fabulous city of Winnipeg, I would highly recommend giving her a call. She is everything a hairstylist should be: she's talented, has loads of personality, supremely funny and has an amazing sense of style. Come to think of it those are the main reasons we became friends in the first place.

Happy long weekend to all of my Canadian readers! Oh, Canada! 

DOG DAYS


Last week/ weekend consisted of me drinking my weight in sangria and sunbathing with some of my best girlfriends. It's been so nice to have some down time with these girls.

While lounging on party island, we were talking about how much we love Winnipeg and our province.  After graduating, every single one of us had sincere intentions of moving away- Vancouver, Australia, Calgary and New York City were just some of our hopeful future homes. Some of us moved for a few years but inevitably, we are all back in Winnipeg.


Now, this isn't a bad thing. Quite the opposite, actually. We talked about how, although Winnipeg isn't exactly the hub for our dream jobs of being investment bankers, lifestyle magazine editors and careers in foreign policy- we all agreed that this city has a lot of opportunity and luxuries that many other cities lack.

We have the luxury of driving 1-4 hours any direction and finding breath taking freshwater lakes. Ask anyone from Winnipeg what they're plans are for the weekend and chances are it'll be: Lake of the Woods, Clear Lake, Lac du Bonnet, Grand Beach or Victoria Beach. Each of these places has a unique charm about them.

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I'm off to Boston tomorrow, so I hope to come back with some great pictures and hopefully a mini weekend city guide! Stay tuned!

6.21.2012

THE FIFTY ETC.


So I've become a pretty great cook over the years. I can 'Iron Chef' my way through most kitchens with  random ingredients, making some sort of dish that will satisfy just about anyone. I hate recipes. Which is probably why I've avoided trying my hand at baking- until two weeks ago.

On a long drive back from the cabin, my boyfriend and I were talking about my Fifty list. I've realized that several things on the list have changed since I first wrote it last September. Time to update it, I thought, eventually. But going through the list made me realize that - a) time flies, and b) I should probably get on top of this list before I, you know, die.


So I made a goal for myself this summer in order to knock at least one thing off of my Fifty list: become a solid baker.


I figured taking baby steps was a smart way to approach the world of baking, so my first try was at making chocolate chip cookies. They were awesome! The confidence I gained from making the cookies got me excited to try something different. Organic carrot cake and blueberry banana muffins followed. Both received rave reviews from the boyfriend and friends. Woo!

I decided to make my carrot cake with double the icing: one cup of butter, two blocks of cream cheese & eight cups of icing sugar- eff ya.

6.19.2012

HIGH SCHOOL




I was fortunate enough to have a really great high school experience. I played lots of sports, enjoyed my classes and teachers, and was lucky enough to be a part of a really special group of girls. A funny, athletic, down-to-earth, adventurous, smart group of babes.


After graduating high school, a lot of us went our separate ways. Some of us (guilty), had gone years without speaking - not intentionally, but each being busy with our own individual lives. Some travelled, some moved. We'd all gone out into the world and made new friends. 


Now that we're finding ourselves reaching a new stage in our lives: toning down the party dial and turning up the babies + engagements, I see my group of high school girlfriends gravitating towards each other again. And it's awesome.


Two weeks ago I got to spend some quality time with my Louis girls. We surprised one of our girlfriends with cheese, wine, beer, steak, prawns, salad and jello shooters at Riding Mountain National Park, as a congratulatory send off to her new life in Georgia with her fiance. 


After catching up with all of the girls, it amazed me how much we had all grown and changed, but somehow we have remained the same. They're all the same funny, athletic, down-to-earth, adventurous, smart group of babes that I loved so much way back in high school.


One of my favourite moments of the weekend was the private belly dancing lessons secretly arranged by Natalie- it was absolutely hilarious. 


Enjoy the shots from the weekend!... Les filles, je vous aimes tellement! XO