it's the little things...

you know what i craved all weekend? well, i crave it all the time, but especially this weekend. red velvet cake. and as i've stressed a million times before, only with cream cheese icing. no buttercream crap. hate that stuff. i was taking a break from my work and i tried a new coffee place while i was out. and right beside the counter i see a little glass stand with some baked goods in it. and there was mini red velvet cupcakes in all their glory. i quickly asked the guy ringing me up what type of icing it was. sure enough, it was cream cheese. we shared a moment of our love for red velvet  as i added it to my order.

i waited until i got home to eat the mini concoction of love and that walk seemed to take forever. and let me just tell you, it was ah-mazing. as a self-proclaimed red velvet snob, i know good from bad. and there is a lot of bad out there. this has now been added to the short list of places that make a good quality red velvet in the city. (The Dessert Lady, Wanda's Pie in the Sky, and now Aroma Espresso Bar.)

oh, and to top it off, i've always wanted a latte with a little design in it, and this place does that too! it's a little messed up in the picture because i walked a bit with it before i stopped to take a picture. but that right there, that's a heart :)

see...it's the little things; like a heart in a latte and an unexpected [delicious] red velvet cupcake.

chloe loooves me...

while i didn't have any hot lips left (because i ate them all, duh) to make chloe play along, i did have some gummy hearts...and then because i can't just take 5 photos, i took 36...but i'll obviously narrow it down ;)

 she's got love in her kisses

"maybe if i stare at it long enough, she will let me have it"

mmm..cherry. 

she got a few licks, but that was it. she got a beggin' strip (or something like that) instead...much more dog friendly.

who loves cinnamon hot lips? i do..

and who loves to bite them that certain way and pretend like they're your lips and then take pictures?

i like to do that too...

my lil girl got a hair cut. can you tell? didn't think so. not from this picture anyways.

so what wednesday...

-so what if i haven't washed my hair in a few days..i've been wearing a toque anyways (i have showered, fyi)

-so what if i had salad, doritos, and cinnamon hot lips for dinner the other night

-so what if chloe hasn't been getting her usual walks...-30 means it's just too darn cold

-so what if i'm one of the few students who still brings a notebook to class over a laptop; i like writing notes and a laptop is too heavy/distracting

-so what if i wear sweatpants to class a lot..they're comfy alright!

-so what if i'm already counting down to NYC...3 months will come fast

-so what if said trip is not even booked yet

-in fact, so what if i think about nyc every.damn.day.

-so what if i have a rib (or 2, i'm not sure) that sticks out on my left side that my friends always called my "third boob"- it's uniquely 'me'

you can link up at this blog right here.

putting the scale to good use...

on saturday night after watching a movie with my parents (i was home this weekend), we all made our way back up to the kitchen. for some reason, we started talking about how heads.. random. then dylan went upstairs and mumbled, "i'm gonna go weigh my head" which then caused my mom to erupt into a fit of laughter and then we all followed suit. so then i figured if dylan is going to weigh his head, then duh, i have to too. any idea how much a human head weighs?

well, according to this scale, dylan weighs in at 11lbs and me at 5lbs. makes sense considering he actually does weigh double me haha

*update: just so people don't think we're complete idiots, we are aware this is not accurate lol

thoughts on 127 hours...

if you follow me on twitter (@simply_girly), then you know that this weekend i watched 127 Hours. not once, but twice. i watched it by myself first, then on friday i watched it with my 2 girlfriends. just like Black Swan, i had been waiting since september to see this movie. ever since i saw the trailer at TIFF, i knew i had to see it. i actually remember hearing about the story when it first happened. if you don't know, it's about a man, Aron Ralston, whose arm becomes trapped between a canyon and a boulder and he has to cut if off if he wants to survive. he's out there alone for 5 days, hence 127 hours.
i went to the red carpet premier with my friend in september and i really wish we had gotten tickets to see it at the premier as well. James Franco as well as Aron Ralston both gave speeches and i would have loved to hear what they said about it.

 the very handsome franco

and Aron Ralston himself

we got to see everyone from the movie, which was pretty cool. but getting back to the movie itself. it was incredible. to see everything that this man went through, it was unbelievable. i cannot even imagine. when it comes to the part of him cutting his arm off, it is very greusome. and i can handle watching a lot of gross stuff (i read that people have fainted in the theatre, and i don't doubt it). but mr franco pulled it off and you can feel the pain, the strength, the desire to get out, and every emotion that he's feeling. and you can just imagine the sense of freedom and happiness that must overcome him as he is no longer trapped. in the end i was crying, and thinking what an amazing, inspiring man he is. he's also written a book on his experience and you can bet that it's already on my list of books to buy.
i highly recommend seeing this movie. and even if you don't like blood, it's only about 3 or 4 minutes at an hour:15 in.
Aron Ralston, i think you are my new hero.

all is full of love...

just like yesterday was my 1/2 birthday (i totally don't celebrate, i just happened to notice), today could be considered another random 'celebration' if you will. it's our 50 months anniversary. we usually don't even remember month-to-month. the 20th just comes and goes. and i have no idea how or why i thought of it, but about two weeks ago, i realized we were coming to 50..and that seems kind of long and worth mentioning, right? 50 months!!

by the 3rd picture, i was beginning to think we clearly each like a particular side..but then the 4th one came along...

i love you

♥♥

up, up here we go...

oh haaayyy...i've been absent for the last 2 days. simply nothing to say. and no point writing something just to write when i have nothing to say. (side note: 90% of the time, i write monday-friday. the odd time i skip a day, i lose a follower..every.single.time. coincidence? maybe. but every time. kid you not..anyways...)

the reading this term is kicking my butt. i spent my weekend doing just that. i had 296 pages to read this weekend for this week of classes. now this weekend i have to read 350 for next week. i don't have the option to even fall behind because almost every week there is quizzes or mini assignments, plus there is the dreaded classes (2) that involves the 'p' word-participation. barf. so ya, that's basically what the next 12 weeks is going to be; averaging 300-350 pages a week. oh and there's the 5 20 page papers i have due within 1 month. seriously. i die. but, enough complaining.

when i get stressed, i'll just make stupid faces to pass the time and entertain myself.

good news? my weekend starts tonight. and we're supposed to get a bit of snow the next few days. holla.
oh, and it's my half birthday! ha, i totally don't celebrate that, but i just looked at the date and realized. 23.5 should be a good age..i feel it ;)

funny animals..you know you like em...

lets end the week with a funny post. clearly, i love funny animal videos. you all remember the wake up kitty series that i found hilarious? well, i've got 2 more videos for ya..aren't you lucky!

i particularly love, "alan, alan, alan, alan, al" and the fighting/playing giraffes...oh and "nighttime..daytime!" ok..it's all funny!

and is this one talented dog or what?!  who knows how they taught the dog that...

hope you all have a great weekend
♥♥

growing up in 4 months...

oh hey school, it's you again. but guess what? that's the last time i can say that (unless i go back for more that is). i'm finished my first week back...i thoroughly enjoyed my 3 weeks off, they didn't fly by like i thought, which is nice. anyways, i am now going into my last semester. holy cow that went fast. how do i feel? scared, excited, nervous, not ready, but ready at the same time, confused...

i mean, am i really ready? i guess i kind of have to be. come may, i'll have no choice but to get a job and start paying back my loans (i've said it before, but it's true-this part-loans-terrifies me). hopefully i find something sooner than later, and on top of that, find something i like, that pays well. too much to ask? the thing is, i still don't know what i want to do. there's no other question i hate more than, "what do you want to do when you finish?" because i don't have an answer for them. and then i feel like an idiot. they're probably thinking, 'this girl has been through college and university and still doesn't know?' well yes, you would be correct.

maybe my classes this semester will help me decide more. i have one sociology credit to finish and then the other 4 classes are criminology. crim classes are always really interesting, but the amount of reading for those classes is intense.. the profs pile it on to no end.
i guess all i can really do it is put all i have into this last semester and see where it takes me in the end. which is scary for me because i kind of hate change. and i've been in a nice little routine of going to school since i was what, 3 or 4? 20 years of routine, and now BAM-change! school and classes will soon be replaced by resume tweaking and job searching and hopefully finding a job.

 that's my readings for the next 3 months. so now that the first week is done, and i've gone to my classes, i can say that i'm looking forward to them. they will definitely be time consuming (um, look at that pile, i particularly like that big fat one on the bottom..) and challenging, but i think they will all be interesting and engaging too.
if i don't blog quite as often as usual, it's probably because i'm lost in a sea of reading. but i'll try not to let that happen.

monday-wednesday schedules are awesome by the way.
but really, how did everyone else find the transition from school life to work life? harder than expected? easier? can't find a job?

facebook brings back the memories...

i was looking at my friends old facebook albums last night and came across this...

it was posted on facebook december 6, 2006-assuming it was put on right away, we had been dating about 3 weeks here! ha. so young. i'll spare you the few photos before and after where i stuff a huge clump of nachos in my mouth and the whole thing is documented lol i think that's what sealed the deal for dyl haha a girl that likes food! ;)

also from 2006, july. my 19th birthday. i used to have my tragus pierced, as you can kind of see. i really miss that piercing. i kind of loved it, a lot.

i ended up looking at so many old albums last night. good times and good laughs.

sunday morning fooling around...

dylan threw me a pair of his undies (clean of course, right out of the package), so what else was there to do but put them on over my tights? they were like old fashioned pantaloons on me...

i might have put one of chloe's round stuffed toys in there too *ahem*

hmph.. i think the eyes give it away that this was shortly after i woke up.

*ya ya, that bookshelf in behind is a mess..plus on top is a sewing kit and chloe's coat/boots + a board with restaurant cards on it=clutter*

miniatures...

life in mini form...

 i was *that* girl that wore a crown to her birthday outings - & it's still sitting on my shelf

 a mini colander i got in my stocking. my mom said it's for washing berries. i didn't tell her that i don't wash my berries (i fear this may sound dirty in some way ha). i guess i should start now.

 another stocking stuffer..a solid chocolate cupcake

and my two rings that i wear daily. the heart one i bought myself and it's for my pinky and the other is from dylan. we got it when we were in new york (story here- although it's not really a story :P). i can't believe i'm going on 3 years wearing this ring (and dylan too, he's also got one) and i still look at it sparkle every day. even when we go into different stores with different lighting, i stare lol 

 and these not so miniature shoes i got at forever 21 yesterday. i feel they could kind of turn hooker-ish, so they definitely won't be worn with skirts or dresses; strictly pants! can't beat $30 though, although they're a bitch to walk in...

books, books, books...

for christmas, one of the many gift cards i got was for indigo; comparable to your borders (i think). it was a $50 gift card, plus i had a $10 off coupon when you spend $50. great. so i found some books and then my friend who works there got me another discount and my total came to $49.10. pretty good!

the top book i'm in the middle of reading, the other 4 are the new ones i bought :) i'm still into true crime, as you can see! but i've heard good things about chelsea handler books, so i threw one in!

i just finished the last one, and i would like to get one more in before i start school next monday. because when school hits, my leisure reading takes a deep nose dive and i'm consumed in texts and court cases.

what i love is that me and dylan both have a love for books. i don't think i could ever go the e-reader route. we've both built up quite a library of books (me-mostly true crime, fashion and some girly ones; him-religion, environmental and other that are way beyond my intellectual capacity ha) and we never turn down an opportunity to visit a (preferably used) book store. heck, we went to nyc in the summer for books! well, bookstores...

books, ftw! 

& total coincidence too that the last few days everyone seems to have written posts about books; i've had this written since the beginning of the week -not a copy cat, promise ;)

the best damn fruit dip i ever had...

apples are probably my favorite fruit. yes, even over strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, pineapple and all the other delicious fruits. i just love them. but you know what makes apples even better? when you dip them in the best dip you've ever tasted! my mom had this dip at a friends house and decided to make it when we were going to my aunts. it's lick-the-serving-dish good.

you'll need:
1 package cream cheese
about 3/4 brown sugar
caramel sauce (not sure how much she used, but i think a small jar would do)
a package of skor bits (usually in the baking aisle with chocolate chips & stuff)
granny smith apples

you beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. then you spread it onto a serving plate (smaller plate if you want it a bit thicker, bigger if you want a thinner layer of cream cheese and so on). then you pour caramel sauce over the cream cheese mix. then you cover it with skor bits! easy as that! then you of course serve it with sliced granny smith apples. makes for a good combo because the dip is so sweet but the apples are tart. seriously people, you will love this. and if you don't? geez, i don't know!

i didn't take a picture when my mom made it because i was too busy inhaling it, but this picture (via google) shows it well.
you might want to go make this..now. unless you're on some new health kick because of the new year, the cream cheese probably isn't very good. but then again, you are eating it with apples ;)

*you can find this recipe easily on google if you want more precise measurements*

new camera fun...

this new camera has so many features, i can barely take a regular photo without screwing up the focus haha.
today my goal is to read through the short little manual that came with it, just to try and get a  basic understanding of different terms and such. so much to learn. dylan already knows way more. figures.

 he took a bajillion picture of me reading. and i got a *little* annoyed, because it's that time of the month ha TMI

 we played with shutter speed and flashlights in the dark. notice the name?

and then i failed at making a heart. because it's hard to tell where you started when you're drawing with light. ok?

 and finally, from my iphone, snow! happening right now! :D finalllllly

date day...

last week, me and dylan took a drive out to niagara on the lake. it's a cute little town with a main strip about 45 minutes away from my parents. it's also got some great houses to look at. we 'ohh and ahh' and things we like and don't like in houses.

 i wore my canada gloves, because they are w-a-r-m...and it was c-o-l-d.

 rocky mountain chocolate - best place to go for a delicious overpriced candy apple

 

we ate here-it's supposedly haunted from the war, and let me tell you, when i was young & ate here with my mom, we used the bathrooms in the basement and boy were they creepy..we've eaten there again, but never used the washrooms again.

 going into the 'just christmas' store-love it

 just a pretty door

 we had some fun in an empty park

 

 looked at some castle-like structure across the water

 did some pretty dangerous rock jumping...i said i was going to jump & dylan asked me if i thought i could make it..yes, i think i can jump 2 inches without falling.. ;)

and saw the horse and carriage..

after this, we went for coffee with a friend who was visiting from new brunswick for the christmas break. good day all around.