Tiny Concrete Slab

There is something about summer evenings that just calls for time spent relaxing outside. Unfortunately, I really have no outdoor space to speak of here. My door opens into a little parking lot behind the house. I do have a tiny square of concrete though, and I have taken to treating it like a porch. I haul a dining room chair out there and read or write or talk on the phone. Tonight I decided that the addition of some candles would be a good idea, so I got some cheap tea lights and put them in some mason jars. They are rather gorgeous actually, and I have become a big fan. Plus, super budget-friendly. I'm excited for the new place though, since it actually has a deck. I'm excited to sit out there as summer winds down and fall rolls in. For now, I am happy with my tiny concrete slab and my mason jar candles.

Perfect Little Details

I mentioned yesterday that I went back to Edmonton for a wedding this past weekend. The wonderful bride is a girl after my own heart. She was my first friend at King's and is one of those people who makes me feel like my strange eccentricities perhaps aren't that strange after all, or at the very least are endearing and lovely. She and I share a perfectionist streak and a penchant for the classic and beautiful. She is one of the few people I know other than myself who doesn't wear sweat pants in public. Ever. And who dresses for every occasion. I love her dearly and knew that her wedding would be a gorgeous affair. And it certainly was. A lot of this was due to the amount of love that was obviously going on in that room: the love of her and her new husband (who are possibly the cutest couple ever) and the love of every guest for the new couple. It was amazing. But beyond that, the details of the wedding were perfect: classic, simple, elegant, and gorgeous. The centrepieces on the reception tables were the embodiment of all these things. Gold frames stacked on top of each other with candle holders, simple white tapers, and little glass containers with strands of pearls cascading out of them arranged on top...they were incredible. I kept staring at it all night. And, get this, each table was named after a classic author (I was sitting at the William Shakespeare table)! Simply gorgeous.

Sometimes I just want a cupcake

For those of you who don't know, I have a chronic condition which seriously restricts my diet. Normally, I don't talk about this on the blog for various reasons, but tonight I need to rant. For those of you who don't suffer from food allergies that seriously limit what you can eat, here's how I explain my situation: it's like when you have a crush on someone, but they don't like you back. That's how I feel with food. I love it. It just doesn't love me back. Most of the time this is okay. Who am I kidding? Most of the time this sucks. But I've come to terms with it and have adopted an "it is what it is" attitude towards it. There is really no point in bemoaning the fact that I can no longer eat things because it isn't going to change anything. But sometimes I just want a cupcake. Or a cookie. Or anything baked. Sometime I want ice cream. Sometimes I want pasta with alfredo sauce. Sometime I want cheese, lots and lots of cheese. Sometimes I want pizza. Sometimes I want coffee, and not decaf. Sometimes I want to be able to go to a restaurant and order whatever I want. Sometimes I want to be able to travel without having to figure out whether there will be places I can eat there. Sometimes I don't want to stress out about everything I eat. Sometimes I don't want to be afraid to eat something new. Sometimes I am just tired of it.

First Fig

First Fig
Edna St. Vincent Millay

My candle burns at both ends;
  It will not last the night;
But, ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
  It gives a lovely light!

(Post) Christmas Smiles

I am inexpressibly happy right now. So, here are some things that made me smile on Christmas Day:

Mini mandarin oranges with mini leaves still attached.

A giant pile of German potato pancakes for brunch.

Curly wicks on candles.

Sparkly/beaded/glittery Christmas ornaments.

Sitting in a dark room staring at the lights on the tree.

I hope your Christmas had some moments to make you smile.

Happy Half Birthday to Me!

Today is my half birthday! Well, it is almost over now since it is 11:20 pm and by the time most people read this it won't be any more, but it was my half birthday. Now, this is not really a big deal for most people (unless you are 4, and then your half birthday is probably a very exciting event), but I personally love half birthdays. When I was a kid I remember getting a present for my half birthday. Now that I live in dorms during school, we celebrate half birthdays for two of my roommates because their birthdays don't fall during the school year. I think I just like half birthdays because they bring out a bit of the little kid in me. Even though I didn't officially do anything to celebrate today, I did go clothing shopping and found a whack of stuff that fit (yay!) and was on sale (double yay!). Plus my mommy bought me a hat. =)

This is not my half birthday cake or anything. In fact, it wasn't even my birthday cake. I took this picture at my friend's 20th birthday a couple of years ago as she was blowing out the candles. Since I'm fascinated by light, candles are one of my favorite things to photograph. Just like everyone looks good in candlelight, I'm pretty sure that any photograph of candles looks good. Okay, I take that back. I've taken some horrid photos of candles in my time. Regardless, I like this particular picture.