The Hills are Alive

How I have missed you, my blends (blogger friends)!

There are times, like this last little while, where my day job leaves me feeling so drained I scarcely find time to blog. It’s a side effect of reading all day long when I’m preparing for trials.

But inevitably I hear the siren song of blogging again.

And so I return. To share beautiful pictures. Tell you about my wonderful eats. Remember happy times. And feature all the loves of my life.

So let’s take a bit of a jaunt down memory lane, to a perfect summer day deep in the heart of the Canadian Rockies . . .

Where mountain meadows meet spectacular views.

And wild flowers bloom as though out of a fairytale.

No one had told us this beautiful place existed.

Discovering it led to an unexpectedly happy time.

The trails were so beautiful that for a moment, we thought we could turn this area into our forever home.

We soon changed our minds. The next year will likely see us return to the West Coast.

And when we leave, we’ll pack with our treasures the memory of a perfect alpine day.

 

Question: When was the last time you unexpectedly had a perfect kind of day?

Farewell to Summer

In my corner of the world, today marked the first day of school. Summer has come to an end.

There’s a definite chill in the air. A wind that rustles the fallen leaves. Snow on the hill tops surrounding the city.

But what a summer it was. One filled with laughter. Doggy hikes. Blogger trips to Banff. And summer afternoons on sun drenched patios.

I will miss summer in the mountains. This will likely be our last. And I have to confess that makes this city-girl a tiny bit sad.

I will carry the memory of these past three summers with me.

And although I've much to look forward to this fall (wedding anyone?) warm summer memories will warm my cold winter nights.

So here’s to summer. The sweating. The laughing. The splashing. The hiking. The running. I have loved it all.

And here’s to the fall that will be. Filled with joy. Brimming with love. Abounding in its possibilities.

See you in a year my dear friend. Until then. Thank-you for all those special moments.

 

Question: What was your favourite part of summer?

Celebrating the Bride-to-be (Part II)

Hola Bloggies:

So after I was pampered and enjoyed a totally swanky afternoon the fun continued.

After leaving the cabana area we headed to a frozen yogurt store located downstairs in the Fairmont Waterfront. Bella Gelateria was absolutely a foodie’s dream! To the owners gelato isn’t just a cool treat. It’s art.

In fact the store is owned by a couple, the male counterpart of which is the gelato maker. To learn how to make gelato, James (the official gelato maker) honed his art at the Italian Culinary Institute and followed that up with advanced master’s training at Carpigiani’s Gelato University. In 2012 James will even represent Canada at the Gelato World Cup in Rimini, Italy.

And the gelato? It was everything you would expect. Decadent.

Eventually we left the Fairmont Waterfront but we did it in absolute style. We took one of the chauffeured luxury cars for a tour of Stanley Park before stopping at my hotel for check-in (The Sutton Place Hotel) before ending up at a Korean restaurant for dinner.

While there are other yummier Korean restaurants in Vancouver, Sura has a great atmosphere.

My go-to meal at Korean restaurants is sundubu, a spicy soft tofu stew. It’s delicious!

I ordered my usual but made a point of taking a picture of some of the other dishes around the table.

While the food was delicious the company was better. Living in the Rockies I seldom get a chance to spend time with my friends. This weekend in Vancouver was a rare and wonderful treat.

As we walked back to my hotel I counted my blessings. I truly am thankful for all I have.

My friends took the time to organize a wonderful bachelorette weekend; It was honestly more than I ever expected.

(part of the view from my hotel room)

I felt truly loved and appreciated.

If anything, this weekend made me even more excited for the wedding. We honestly can’t wait to have all of our nearest and dearest there to celebrate our day!

It’s going be an awesome time. I can’t wait for all the festivities surrounding the wedding day. I get to marry my lobster (Friends anyone?). What a privilege.

You know in The Sound of Music when Maria and Captain Von Trapp are in the gazebo and she sings “’cause somewhere in my wicked childhood I must have done something good . . .” That’s kind of how I feel.

I may not have had a wicked childhood but I sometimes find myself wondering what I did to serve all of these blessings. I’m healthy, I have friends, I have love, I have a darling puppy, I have a family that supports me, I have a great career, I want for nothing, and in November I get to live out a fairytale.

I am ever so grateful.

 

Question: When was the last time you counted your blessings?

The Sound that Made me Remember

Hola Bloggies:

I’ve heard it said that sometimes memories are triggered by smells but this morning mine were triggered by sound.

I was awakened this morning by the noise of construction, traffic, beeping, and people talking. Given that I hadn’t slept very well, you’d think I’d be annoyed. But I have to confess I wasn’t. Instead I enjoyed the slight breeze coming from the open window and allowed my mind to wander . . .

(source)

It took me to my time spent in Paris; I lived on Boulevard Saint Michel, one of the main arteries running through the Latin Quarter. The foyer I lived in was housed in a very old building. I don’t know if you’ve ever had occasion to spend a significant amount of time in a building centuries old but they don’t generally have great ventilation. If I left my room locked up for any period of time it would become really musty. To remedy this problem, little grates were built into the exterior walls of the building; when opened they left a small whole completely open (and directly I may add) to the street.

As a result of my little grate, every morning I was treated to the sounds of the city coming alive. I could hear the university students laughing with each other on the way to class, the workers gossiping about the daily news, the sounds of cars whizzing by, and even the older gentleman who liked to whistle classical tunes on his walk. This last fellow was a staple of my everyday life in Paris.

I loved those sounds.

This morning I found myself thousands of miles from the City of Lights. But for an instant, if I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds I was back there all over again. Twenty-two. A student. Loving every second. On Boulevard Saint Michel.

 

 

The Eats

Yesterday’s eats were pretty delicious! I was kind of proud of my clean eating self!

Cue the Breaky . . .

 

My breakfast happily (tee-hee) included my usual chia, banana, almond butter, oatmeal base with the exception that this morning I chose to add half a tablespoon of coconut oil and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. With some carob chips for added effect. Overall it was pretty delicious but I still heart my maple butter concoction just a little bit more.

Cue lunch . . .

Monday court took me a bit further afield from home. Instead, of eating out (at the delicious but not really good for me Italian restaurant) I opted to pack my own lunch. In my trusty container I packed 2 cups of greens, four pieces of oven roasted chicken, two eggs, half a tomato, a handful of sugar snap peas, nutritional yeast, and a bit of balsamic-olive oil-mustard vinaigrette.

As delicious as my lunch was I did learn one lesson: it’s not a good idea to eat in the car then drive for hours. It’s a pretty sure fire way to make yourself nauseous. Next time I’ll make sure it’s not quite as much of a lunch on the go.

 

Cue Snack Face Time . . .

 

Notice how I took a picture of my cherries in the car? I’ll confess these were actually eaten while driving (although I was stopped when I took the picture – I’m not that crazy). I don’t know about you loves but I totally look forward to cherry season!!!

 

Cue Dinner . . .

This was volume eating at it’s finest!!! I’m justifiably proud of how fantastic dinner was last night. First I tossed a quarter of a red pepper, a quarter of a yellow pepper, and half a baby eggplant in aged balsamic vinegar and parsley flakes. I grilled all the lovely veg. along with one Amy’s California burger (my favourite veggie burger!). I paired my cooked ingredients with a handful of sugar snap peas and three strawberries.

I was so full after eating all of this – but in a really good way. Although I knew I wouldn’t need to eat for the rest of the evening I still felt light and energetic. Clearly volume eating is where it’s at boys and girls!

This clean eating thing is going really well. And I have to confess I think it’s getting easier. Bonus.

Join me tomorrow for a Healthy Mexican Tortilla Soup recipe and a recap of P90X days 2 and 3.

 

 

Question: I have a bit of a dilemma bloggies. My regularly scheduled Monday dog hike has been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Problem is it’s at the same time as the Zumba class that I’ve been trying to get to for weeks. It never seems to fit it in with my schedule and this week was finally going to be the week I could attend! Did I mention it will be my first time doing Zumba. What would you do if you were me? Go on the doggy hike (the Fiancé could take Daisy on a hike during the day instead) or go to Zumba!? Help!!!

Here Comes the Bride

Hola Bloggies:

I know I haven’t talked about it in a while but trust me when I say I think about it on a daily basis – our wedding.

We now find ourselves less than five months away from the big event and aside from worrying about looking smashing in my dress (it arrived this past week) I confess we are both filled with a sense of peace. I think that is what comes from knowing that this wedding will be an answer to our prayers and the start of a beautiful and exciting chapter in our lives.

Yes, there are times that I feel the stress of the event. I have often wanted linens and flowers to pick themselves. But on the whole I am enjoying every moment of this process. On November 10th we will officially become a family (Daisy is looking forward to being a legitimate pup). I know not everyone will be able to share that day with us but in the end we trust that the right people will be there. The ones that were meant to be there all along.

I trust that our wedding day will be filled with love, laughter, and joy. As November 10th draws near I hope you will share the journey with us.

Whitney + Jerod's Country Wedding Trailer from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.

Video courtesy of our brilliant cinematographer – Joe Simon

An Epic Finale

Hola Bloggies:

And this is where it all ends. The last of my Banff recaps. And I think I may have saved the absolute best for last.

Our spectacular day in Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is a glacier lake high in the Canadian Rockies. It’s kind of amazing and rightfully popular with tourists.

  

I wish I could convey to you the beauty of the scenery! The water is a turquoise colour. Totally natural.

On it’s shore you’ll find tourists enjoying casual walks and in some cases more hardcore hikes that take them high into the glaciers.

See the man on the rock face? There were tons of rock climbers scaling the rock faces that surround the lake. It was basically and outdoors(wo)mans heaven.

Those looking for a unique (and less strenuous) activity could opt for a Brewster Horse Ride around the lake. The man in the picture is their guide.

We chose to take a jaunt around the lake. By the end of our hour walk we were absolutely starved and went looking for a place to eat.

After some deliberating we chose to have our lunch on the veranda of the stunning Chateau Lake Louise. This meal was a definite highlight of my trip!

Since I couldn’t have the afternoon tea (they were sold out) I chose their antipasto platter and a cup of Empress tea to start.

The tea, made by Murchies (and available online) was delicious as always. But the view . . . the view was what made the meal memorable.

One of the things I most love about elegant restaurant is the little surprises during your meal. Like this bonus biscotti that came with my tea. It was incredibly delicate!

By this point I was seriously grimy but I still did my best to be a “lady that does lunch.” lol

The antipasto was amazing!! The pickled veggies were great with the mushroom being the star. The cured meats were not too fatty and just flavourful enough. And the freshly baked bread was the perfect pairing.

Besides, all that food made for one of the loveliest photos I have taken in a long time. You see all those different layers of food? And the wonderful background at the end? Yeah, I’m kind of proud of that one!

I finished the whole meal off with an espresso and another (bonus!) biscotti.

On the whole I have to say I’m thrilled I got to take place in Susan and Holly’s Banff Getaway. I made two new friends, ate some wonderful food, enjoying fantastic vistas, and most importantly – pushed my physical limits. After my weekend in Banff I can’t wait to continue to explore the beautiful Rocky Mountains!!!

Question: Have you ever taken a trip that made you realize you were stronger than you were you were? I felt that way after my hike!