Thursday, August 06, 2015

Things I’m Excited About Thursday

In my mind, I’ve had my summer broken up into two sections:  Life before holidays, and life after holidays.  Both “sections” had pretty busy schedules assigned to them, and I thought of my week off as a nice little “pause” in between.

Well, the pause is definitely over now!  Crazy Summer Round #2 is about to begin, and it is bringing with it a PILE of fun (much like Round #1 did!!) 

Here are the things I’m excited about coming up in August & September:

This coming weekend.  There is a lot going on this weekend, and I’m excited for all of it!  Friday night is Book Club at my friend Sharon’s house, where we will be reviewing one of my most favourite books that we’ve ever read – Liane Moriarty’s “The Husband’s Secret”.  Saturday morning, I will be attending a bridal shower for one of my besties, Susie.  On Saturday night, I believe I’m having my niece & nephew for a long-overdue sleepover & movie night.  And then on Sunday, I’ll be celebrating one of my favourite wee girls, as Baby Ariella will be turning 1!  I’m looking forward to each and every one of these events with equal amounts of anticipation!

Ariella

Sarah & Ian’s Wedding.  I sort of can’t believe that it’s almost Wedding Day for Sarah & Ian!  I’ve been looking forward to this one for a really long time, and their big day is now just over a week away.  I can’t wait to spend the day getting dolled up with the girls, watching one of my dear friends walk down the aisle to her groom, and celebrating with them as they become husband & wife! 

Sarah & Ian 2

Family Visit.  The weekend of August 22-23, my T.O. relatives are coming to the Valley for a much-anticipated visit.  My cousin Paula and her husband Jory welcomed a baby boy in June, and I’m so excited to finally meet little Brody!  Family time has always been kind of sacred to me – I’ve always been a big fan of dinners and get-togethers with extended family, and I’ve treasured those times – so I’m definitely looking forward a good visit with family members from the Schock side of my Family Tree :)

Kids 3 June 7 2015

Sue’s Bachelorette.  I won’t share many details here, in case the bride-to-be is reading this, but August 29th is bound to be a good time as the ladies are taking Sue out for one last rip before she ties the knot!  If Sarah’s bachy in early July is any indication, this is going to be one epic night of fun!!

Shawville Fair.  While it’s true that I no longer look forward to the Fair with the same giddy anticipation that I did in my younger days, it is definitely still a highlight for me on my calendar… if for no other reason than the FOOD!  Fair Food is worth the price of admission alone.  I’m already drooling thinking of Billy T’s pizza, Beavertails, deep fried things that shouldn’t be deep fried, a Barn Burger, poutine, ice cream, fudge, cotton candy… Of course, I won’t eat it all … at least not on the same day ;)  I also look forward to the musical entertainment, and this year I’m eyeing Sunday as my night.  Jess Moskaluke (recently introduced to me by my friend Stacy) and Doc Walker (an all-time country fave of mine) are taking the stage that night, so I’m hoping I can drag some friends up with me to see them!  Other than that, I’m sure my mom & I will continue our tradition of going up once or twice together to explore that exhibits, and if my sister and/or brother are taking their kids up at any point, I might tag along with them as well.

September Birthdays.  My brother Luke will be turning 30 in September, and my friend Stacy also celebrates in September… I’m sure there will be some plans made to mark both birthdays!

Sue & Adam’s Wedding.  Again…can’t believe Sue & Adam’s big day is just over a month away!  I kind of looked at this as the “summer of weddings”, with two of my closest friends getting married just over a month apart, and now that the weddings are almost here, it feels surreal.  Just as I’m looking forward to Sarah & Ian’s, I’m so excited for Sue & Adam as well.  It will be a fabulous day!!

Sue & Adam 3

Nova Scotia.  When my friend Lindsay propositioned going to her parents’ cottage in Nova Scotia sometime this summer, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fit it in because of all the activities & events already scheduled.  She suggested going for a long weekend once the weddings were over, in late September, and I jumped at the opportunity.  We booked our flight months ago, and honestly, I kind of pushed it to the back of my mind… something I anticipated, but didn’t allow myself to get too excited for, because there was so much to come before it.  But now that it’s August, it feels like the trip to St. Margaret’s Bay is right around the corner!  Time to get excited, Jill!!

Fall.  As we all know, I love autumn.  I’ve done my best to keep my longing for fall things in check this summer – soak up the summer fun, don’t skip it, stay in the moment – but deep inside of me, I’ve been craving all that Autumn brings… In July, it still felt like talking about it was taboo.  But there’s a little bit of nip in the evening air now, the Back To School ads have started to surface (ugh – I don’t like them), and it feels like it’s a little bit OK to start thinking ahead to all the glorious things that the fall will bring…

Fall

Photographing it All!  You guys have no idea how excited I am about my new camera.  I still know diddly-squat about it and haven’t ventured past using it in Auto mode, but I look to all of these fun events ahead and I can’t wait to drag my Nikon along with me to capture it all.   Hopefully I will learn along the way!  One of the photography tips I’ve seen on different websites and blogs for newbies is to take part in a 365 Photo Challenge – take one picture a day for a whole year.  This ensures that you’re getting your camera out and using it, even on days when you don’t have anything really interesting to photograph, which also ensures you’re playing with settings, growing more comfortable, and maybe capturing something magical along the way.  I have no doubt that I will, especially with all the fun slated for the next 2 months.  :)

My Birthday 2015 6

Pool Party 2015 1

Pool Party 2015 2

Pool Party 2015 7  A few of my fave snaps so far!

Happy THURSDAY, friends!!!  God Bless short work weeks! ;)

2 comments:

Nicole said...

I'm on the last month of my first 365 venture. There are days it is difficult. You can see those pics both on my blog and on facebook. You'll see I have some real doozies because dang... there's one of me drinking from a water bottle. Great huh? But no seriously I can tell a difference in my photos from day one to day I think I'm at 340 today... I think you should do it. That was one thing I recommended to a friend who just got himself a dSLR. I'm sooo excited you got one. And wow... you're making me tired just listing all the things you have to do. It surprises me you have so many friends getting married. All my friends got married in their early 20's it felt like and then had kids. I finally followed up when no one was doing any of the sort. ha! That's how it sure felt anyway. And I really don't have friends that aren't married...

Anonymous said...

I'm excited about Fall too, even though I am still liking summer. Crazy how both sort of overshadow each other.