a good weekend indeed...

earlier in the week, we were trying to think of something to do on the weekend to celebrate me finally being done. we considered going to ottawa (but the weather said rain), we thought of camping (but it's not really that warm), and we checked out hotels in niagara falls (fallsview rooms cost $450+ on a saturday night. no thanks), but ultimately, because nothing was sounding that good, we just decided to stay here and spend some of that money we would have spent going away, on ourselves here. we saw two movies this weekend, the first being boyhood, which we both quite liked, and the next being guardians of the galaxy, which dylan loved and i didn't care for (not my cup of tea). we went out for coffee, we went out for dinner, we got library cards (!), and just spent time together in general. oh, and we even bought our first christmas present for someone!

the thing that had me feeling the most spoiled this weekend was a little purchase we made. i've been thinking of buying a new purse for work, something a little more structured and an upgrade from what i had. we're constantly checking out our new favorite store, lxr & co, but they hadn't had anything that caught my eye, until this weekend. we walked in and they had a whole new case of louis vuitton stuff that was just brought in. my eyes immediately fell to one purse in particular. the sales associate took it out, i scanned it over, checked out the condition (very good), asked how they authenticate things and such, and then told them we would think about it. it's the exact pattern and and size i've been wanting for a long time, so for them to have it there was kind of fate. after a quick wander around the mall, went back to pick her up.

 speedy 25 damier azur.

 i think the speedy 25 is the perfect size in proportion to my 5'2" frame.

this particular bag is from the 48th week of 2011, according to the date stamp inside. it's missing the little lock and key, which i may eventually buy on it's own, but we'll see. thanks to birthday money and dylan filling in the rest as a grad gift, this baby came home with me. he spoils me rotten, and i cook him really good dinners (most of the time), so we're basically even ;)

calling all fashionistas...

with my school placement coming up in a few short weeks (and *fingers crossed* getting hired after that), i figured it was time to get out and get some new clothes. luckily, i'm not starting from scratch - i do have some dresses, tops, and pants already, but i did want to get a few other things to spruce up my wardrobe. since i have every wednesday off and my mom has been on vacation for the last 2 weeks, we went to the new outlet mall in niagara on the lake - outlet collection at niagara. it was ok, i didn't find they had a lot of stores i would typically shop in, but we made some purchases.

it started out pretty rough and i wasn't finding anything that i even remotely liked. then we went into dkny and hey! stuff i like! so i brought a whole whack of stuff to the change room and start trying stuff on. then comes the problem - it's all massive. even the smallest sizes. *this is also the store where the change rooms don't have locks and i had an employee open my door while i was in my bra and taking off a skirt and a guy was standing right there with her. no knock on the door first, the door just swung open. no apology either. awkward. why wouldn't change rooms have locks!?* we went to a few more stores where i had the same problem with the sizing. finally, we get to banana republic and they had a petite section! hallelujah! stuff is finally starting to fit and i was able to get a few things from there. 

rw&co, banana republic, and jacob.

 love the little flower details.

i've always wanted pencil skirts. the black one is not nearly as short it looks. promise.

for days when i don't feel like wearing heels.

in the end, we even went to another mall after and i had luck at one last store. this isn't a woe is me, i'm so tiny post, but rather venting my frustrating as a petite person and the lack of available office clothing. i already look younger than i am; i can't go in to a job dressed in clothes that are too big or aren't age appropriate. the few skirts i tried on that i really loved, i did consider getting them tailored, but the way the style was on each one, i knew it wasn't a possibility.

all this to say, are there any other petite women out there?? where do you shop for office type clothing? it's a law firm, so it's still fairly traditional. i want to keep it simple and clean for the first while until i really get a feel for how the other women are dressing.

shopping and CAKE

yesterday's trip to the U S of A was semi-successful. i mean, it was a good day with mom, but shopping wise, we didn't get anything too exciting. first of all, i called the border hotline about 15 minutes before we were going to get there, and they said it was minimal to no wait at the bridge we were going to-great! we get there and the line up was unreal..50 minutes people!!! that's not minimal....
we got to the outlet mall first and took a spin around, but really found nothing. oh wait, i did find a grey sweater with a big bow on it that i can't wait to wear once it cools down (please hurry up with that!) from saks fifth avenue off 5th. i looked in tonnes of stores for a watch, but again, found nothing.

crappy camera phone picture..

up next was walden galleria mall. we took a spin around macy's but then went to cheesecake factory (!!) for lunch first. it was delicious of course, but we've never had room for dessert when we've gone before so we made the executive decision to come back for dessert later after more shopping.
after shopping around for a few hours, i got a black v neck sweater from forever 21 for a whole $9 and i got finally found a watch i liked from macy's.

my parents just took my camera to go out for the day, so another camera phone picture...

came to a total of $60.08 with tax (and it's $150 on the site)..pretty good deal for a betsey watch, actually for any watch really! it's exactly what i've been looking for but haven't been able to find.
a couple hours later, we were ready for coffee and dessert at cheesecake factory once again. as soon as i saw the red velvet cheesecake on the back of the menu at lunch, i knew i was sold. so we got some latte's and split a piece of the cake.

this right here, was the best thing i have ever put in my mouth (via). holy crap. cake, cheesecake, cake, and cream cheese icing. i seriously don't even have words. to.die.for. we were both beyond stuffed, felt like throwing up, but we still ate it. i think i was about to lick the plate, but it was the dinner time rush and i don't think that would have been very appropriate, ya know? i wish i got a whole cake to go .. A+++++++ i could go on, but i won't bore you. i've had a lot of red velvet cakes and cupcake, and this was one of the best. well done cheesecake factory, well done.

lastly, it was target. no luck on finding any cool treats that aren't available in canada. but i got my school supplies, which consisted of 3 notebooks. that was easy. and my dad wanted some beans and tomato paste haha oh, and i got my red velvet cake mix!! can't wait to try it and fool people ;) but i think i will probably stick to homemade for this kind of cake...
anyway, that was our trip in a (not so) nutshell. going back across the canadian border was a breeze, maybe 5 minutes. there you have it, my few purchases and my raving of cake!

it's a good monday...

since i'm home at my parents and my mom is off for the week, we're going shopping across the border today! it's only about an hour drive, so it's nice. we're going to check out the outlets first, then go to a mall and maybe eat at the cheesecake factory..mmm..maybe this time we'll actually have time for cheesecake? ha doubtful. and i'm on the hunt for a watch still, for a late birthday present, so hopefully i can find one. the exchange rate is pretty good right now too ;)
oh, and of course we'll be going to target! obviously. my mom loves that place, like who doesn't? i hear there is boxed red velvet by betty crocker in the states, and even though i love making it myself, i would still like to buy one box and see how it tastes (and if dylan can tell the difference!) i might see if they have ringed notebooks too for a cheap price and get some back to school supplies..i actually love notebook and pen shopping haha even though that's all i need these days in school, i still love going and picking them out.

this is exactly what i expect to come home with ;) (via)

anywho, i guess i better get out of bed, we're planning on leaving around 10am...

have a good monday, i know i will!

♥