Necessary reacquaintance

It seems like you're going to have to get to know me again. My life has changed again since the last time we talked together, you and me. Don't worry. It's been good. 

November brought me three jobs and the worst bout of the flu ever. Justin nabbed a fantastic job for a good company. Zoey started to adjust to cooler weather. 

In December I quit two jobs and worked hard with my temp agency. Justin was progressing with his position, leading us to buy another car and begin apartment hunting. Christmas was more fantastic than expected and was completed by some snow on the ground. Also, I dyed my hair. 

And then came Polar Vortex. Um, what? I know I'm from canada but I'd never felt anything colder than my freezer before. I now know what it's like to breathe in frozen air. More than once I cursed this place wishing for Grenada. Or anywhere that didn't have negative 20 windchills. Zoey hates all this just as much as I do. We did roast chestnuts. It felt more authentic with the snow outside. 

January did have the positives of Justin's promotion and iPhones! I'm excited to use the wonderful iPhone 5c camera for blog photos! (Confession: all these photos are from my iPhone. I'm post-dating photos because I'm writing this in bed. I'm not ashamed.) Apartment shopping in the city was a welcome change to my country circumstances. We made a weekend trip to SC to collect our stored belongings in preparation for a new place. 

February we bought at apartment! I'll share photos when we get ourselves together. We're still living out of suitcases as we don't have dressers or drawers of any kind. On a weirder note, someone drove into my car mirror, found me in a cafe, but doesn't have insurance. Still need to get that fixed. Justin is on a weeklong business trip and I've been hired on as a full time employee at my company. Zoey is getting used to the snow and will finally potty outside. She's been a trooper thru all these moves and weather changes. 

So now you know. I have a bunch of new things I want to share with you. But it was only fair to bring you up to speed. 

You'll hear from me soon. 

(I'd love to hear from you in the comments box below. And share this post on Facebook and Twitter to let people know I'm baaack!)

Work and Zoey's Newest Fashion

Friends, I have work! My arduous transition from stay-at-home support to full-time workin' lady begins. I haven't really been sharing my struggles with moving, finding a job, and adjusted to yet another lifestyle, however, I am really getting excited about my prospects for a temporary future in the vast land of Pennsylvania. Finding full-time work has been my primary focus so with that secure I'm free to explore and enjoy life guilt-free. Life's blowing up!

The wind is also blowing during the fall. (you see how I transitioned there? Clever)
 Zoey is adjusting to these new things called "autumn" and "winter" (this state seems to be mixing the two up. It's confusing for both of us). I've been trying to grow her hair long and fluffy to aid with warmth but it's just not cutting it. Besides, Zoey watches me change outfits 4x per day and I can tell she's jealous. For all these reasons and more, we stopped by the pet shop for some shopping.

We walked away with not one but two sweaters! If you're following me on instagram, you already know which two we chose. She loves them and is always excited when they come off the shelf. Poor think hasn't figured out how to get her legs into the sleeves but she's working on it.

She's the prettiest pup on the block and quite the favourite of the neighbours. She'll be snug and warm while I'm out braving the work world once again.

Thanks for stopping by! If you haven't already, add me on instagram to follow our adventures.

The Gob and my week

I haven't been doing much lately. Job hunting, job hunting, and entertaining Zoey as best I can. I have a few more interesting blog posts in the works but have been consumed with trying to build a new life in Pennsylvania. 

During one of the last warm days of Autumn, Justin and I broke the monotony of online applications and found ourselves walking to our engagement spot. It's a beautiful lake surrounded by stretching lengths of green grass and blue sky.

The last of the summer veggies were harvested, another festival was attended (more to come), and a horse-drawn cart was spotted down the road from our house (!). My mother-in-law says she thinks the horses were being sold to one of the men in the cart. I'd like to believe they were on their way to pick up children for a fun country ride.

Among the more interesting happenings, I sampled a Pennsylvania treat: the Gob. In all honesty, not my favourite; it's basically a giant oreo-looking twinkie. and it's HUGE. However, we were at an ethic festival so I dove right into the culture.

What have you been up to this week? Leave your comments below!

P.S. I'm working on my Instagram malfunction. Hopefully my photos will be entertaining you again soon.

September Blue

It's September, guys. I know that summer isn't technically over but really, who considers September to be summer? Labour day weekend is the world's way of disguising the fact that business must resume non-summer pace. Slacks and sweaters will begin to replace flip flops and tank tops (unless you're in the Caribbean, in which case you're cheating) and cold days will shorten to give room for long, dark, cold nights...

I love summer an unreasonable amount. In honour of pretending that winter isn't coming, I'm going to blissfully write about blueberries.

Okay, this isn't blueberry ice cream but I did eat it after picking blueberries!

It's hard to beat fresh fruit. Blueberries are the royalty of the family, always bragging about those antioxidants. They're conveniently bite sized and are fantastic in salads, pies, tarts, cheesecakes, frozen, or in smoothies. For me, I grab and handful and eat them all without sharing.

Not sharing is not caring so I took Justin with me to spend a sunny day on the farm.

I may have eaten as much as I picked. A hard day's work deserved a treat! 

The problem is that Blue Haven has the cutest ice cream bar I've ever seen. Half way through picking we sat amidst the bushes to cool off with freshly made blueberry frozen yoghurt. I was already edging on full but managed to find room for more.

The day concluded with successful picking of five pounds of the prettiest berries you've ever seen. They managed to make their way into muffins, a pie, and the freezer for smoothies. Sneaky little things, aren't they?

Sadly, Blue Haven is closed for the season. Definitely make it out next season, if you have the chance.

These photos have thoroughly distracted me from the cold, rainy, miserable weather that exists outside my window. I was planning on blackberry picking today but now I'm not so sure. I can see myself slipping into a tower of thorny branches with no chance of escape. Perhaps an indoor activity would work out better for me.

Now tell me, what are your favourite summer experiences?