Skiing

Hey guys,

So my family and I went skiing a couple weeks ago. We live pretty close to the mountains so we drove there on a Wednesday after everyone was done working. On Thursday we went into one of the bigger cities around there and I got to see the university there as it is the closest university to where I live that has a veterinary program. We also went shopping that day. From there we drove back to our hotel which was about an hour and a half away. I ended up driving there and as we were getting close and I was exiting the highway I went to change lanes and there was an elk going to cross the road. I went around it and scared it enough so that it would not cross the road. When we looked onto the grassy area that this elk came from we realized there was a whole heard of elk with it.

The next morning we woke up early to go skiing and snowboarding. We got there around 9 or 10 and all did a practice run on the bunny hill before going half way up the mountain a couple times. After a couple runs of half of the mountain we decided to have lunch before continuing. After lunch we went up the whole mountain and split up so my sister and I could do a couple runs where my parents would do one run before we went home. After we were done we went to another hotel that is part of the Fairmont chain to get some hot chocolate before heading home.

The next morning we drove back home. It was fun to go snowboarding again especially since I hadn’t gone in 3 years. It was easier than I thought it would be to come back to it after all that time. Anyways it was’t the most exciting trip but I got some beautiful pictures that I thought I would share with you.

Ashley xx

2015 in review

2015 was an amazing year for me. Just looking back on it I have changed so much and done so much since the beginning of the year. I started 2015 off in Greece with my family which was a lot of fun. My mom, sister, and I also took a day trip to Cardiff, Wales after Greece. After they left I couldn’t wait to go meet them in the Bahamas later in January. After the Bahamas I was back in London for quite a while before I was going to see any of my family again. I started booking courses to fill my time besides volunteering at Brownies. I took several courses: photography, anthropology, psychology, book keeping, comedy of YouTube, and more. I met with my family friends and got to go to discos. I also hung out tons with my cousin in London. February was a bit of a bleak month for me after the excitement of January and going back to London with little to nothing to do. In February I went on a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon as well where I made my first real friend since I had gotten to London.

When March rolled around things started to pick up. All of the courses I had chosen started in March. My older cousin who I never see decided to come to London to go to a concert. The three of us cousins met up one day and went for Sunday roast besides going to a market, doing some shopping, sight seeing, and going for drinks. During this time I learnt more about who my one cousin really is as I have only met him a few times and he is about 15 years older than me. Later that month my younger cousin and sister came to visit me. It was my cousin’s first time in Europe so I got to show him around London and when my sister met us we all went to Dublin, Ireland. We all got to hang out with my older cousin, who lives in London, as well. I also took my younger cousin to Windsor before he left. Mid-March I also got a little job dog walking. I got to walk this dog named Pierre 3 days a week. This gave me something more to do making me happier.

April was when things started to slow down a little bit and I decided I wasn’t happy with how things were going and how I was trying to put in effort to make friends and have things happen but I still only had one friend. This is when I decided I was going to move back to Canada at the end of May/beginning of June rather than wait until August. During this whole time (end of 2014 on) I was also helping my cousin with his business. I can’t remember if it was the end of April or early May but I helped him prepare and went with him to film his advert which was fun. The same day I went to my family friend’s house to have dinner and watch a movie. Those full days where I got to see people who I knew cared about me and who I cared about were the days I looked forward to most.

In May my friend and I went to Ascot besides planning a small weekend trip with 2 more of her friends to the Isle of Wight. During this time I also met another friend while taking a class. Her and I got on well and she liked to write and make films. I went over to her flat to make some short silly videos after her and I had gone to a play and after party put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her, I, and a friend of hers went around London one day taking pictures to scout locations for her new film. It was so much fun just spending a day with people like them, who are so creative and friendly. One weekend in May I also got to dog sit Pierre which was fun and filled my days besides going to a craft making class were I got to make creams, scrubs, and lip balm. Later in May my cousin and I spent the morning of my birthday together for breakfast before I had to take off to walk Pierre and go to Brownies. That day in Brownies I was put in charge and was hosting a Canada day to teach the girls about Canada. I was also going to make my promise that day. The weekend after my birthday was the weekend we went to the Isle of Wight. The day before that I had helped my cousin with his business again and got to see his new office. The day of the Isle of Wight trip started early: a bus ride, 3 train rides, and a boat ride away. It was fun though. We explored the whole island and 3 days was enough for the trip. The last day we hung out in Portsmouth and I had gotten sick. By the time I got back home in London I was exhausted and went right to sleep. I had family friends who were my age come down from Scotland for a weekend that I met up with. We went for lunch as well as to a couple of art galleries, one including the National Portrait Gallery. We explored London a bit more, had some warm drinks, and headed home. It was a lot of fun to see them and just get to chat to people my own age who knew my family for a day. My mom came to help me move at the end of May. Before we started the hard work of moving we decided to go to Vienna, Austria for 3 days. I was meant to go on a big Europe trip with friends but that never worked out so my mom said we could go to Austria before we went back to Canada. Vienna was a lot of fun and since I had made a friend in London who was from Austria she had told me everything that I had to see and try. We got to see the Spanish School of Riding which was something on my bucket list. After Austria I got to see everyone one more time before leaving. I got to go to one more film party and get burgers after, get a drink and dessert while overlooking the river in Kingston, have one last Sunday roast and watch cricket in the park, have dinner with family friends from Scotland and England, and have dessert with family friends.

I came home the first week of June thinking that once I came back I would be happy with lots filling my days again. This was not the case though. I was happy to see my family and cousins but I had lost pretty much all of my friends except for one on/off friend in Canada. I was also missing London so much. I was so happy to see my dogs but the lifestyle, independence as well as my cousin and everyone I had met in London I was missing. In June I got to go to a women’s FIFA game, Japan vs Australia, with my dad and two cousins. I also got to see Ed Sheeran and One Direction in concert which was amazing! I love both of them so much it just made my June. I was really waiting for the day in July where I got to go back to the UK even if it was not for very long. June kind of rolled by as I got settled back in and got to go horseback riding a couple times.

When July hit I was so excited to go back to the UK. My dad and I went to the UK because he had a meeting in Cardiff, Wales. We flew into London and stayed just down the road from my old flat. We got to see my cousin for dinner which made me ecstatic to see him again. The next day we went to our family friend’s house for a BBQ and got to have some strawberries and creme as it was around the time of Wimbledon. After the BBQ we were off to Cardiff for 3 days. I was by myself most of the time in Cardiff other than dinner time. I did a lot of shopping and exploring. We met with another friend of my dad’s from university who lives just outside of Cardiff, he hadn’t seen her for over 20 years. She was really nice and we had dinner. After my dad’s meeting was done in Cardiff we drove back to London to catch an early morning flight to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We decided that since we had gone all the way to Europe we would go somewhere else besides the UK so I chose Croatia. We were there for 3 days before heading back to Canada. While in Croatia we drove to Montenegro. Both places were really lovely.

August was when my whole family went to Orlando, Florida. We went for a week and got to go to Disneyworld, Universal Studios, the Kennedy Space Centre, and more. It was hot but a lot of fun. This was our one summer vacation this year that was all four of us. We also met my cousin and his parents there as our trips overlapped by a couple days.

After all of this travelling I was staying in Canada until Christmas. Things were slow again. I got back in contact with and old friend I hadn’t seen for about 5 years and we met up for coffee one day. During this time I tried to get a job but wasn’t very successful as I didn’t want a basic job, such as grocery store or clothing store, but I wanted something more. I wanted something that I could use to find my interests in for university. I once again did not go to university this year. End of September/early October I ended up volunteering at a veterinary clinic. I am still volunteering there. I love it. Through volunteering there I have learnt that I want to become a veterinarian and I love surgery. I never would have thought that I would love surgery or want this as a career choice as I used to be so squeamish about blood but I have gotten over that completely.

December was when I went to Cancun, Mexico on a family reunion. It was a week long trip where I got to see everybody. It was lovely seeing family who I hadn’t seen for about 2 and a half years again. I was also really happy to see my cousin from London again to update him on how I’ve been and see what he’s been up to. We came home from Mexico on December 31 so I started 2016 back in Canada for the first time in a long time.

I hope 2016 is filled with joy, self-discovery, love, wisdom, and ultimately happiness. I hope you had a great 2015 and have an even better 2016!!!

London and Cardiff

Hey guys,

So my last post was on leaving London but since then I’ve been back. A couple weeks after I left I went back as my dad had a meeting in Cardiff and I was joining him. We flew into London and spent a day and a half there before heading off to Cardiff.

I’ll talk about the London bit of the trip first. So the day we got to London we arrived around 12 and had plans to meet up with my cousin for dinner that evening. We meet him at Tottenham Court Road Station and headed to a place that serves flat iron steak. We each got a steak and shared some sides and it was so good. There was no fat on the steak and it was just so good. I highly suggest if you are in London you go to this place. I think it was actually called Flat Iron Steak. I will put a link in for it. It was super good though and a steak was only £10! Anyways we did that and had dessert there as well which was super good and then said our good byes and headed home for the night. The next day came and we had plans to go to a family friends for a BBQ.  We headed over and had a nice BBQ at their place and had strawberries and creme as it was during the time Wimbledon was on. It was a lovely afternoon before heading to Cardiff. That evening we got to Cardiff and the next bit of our trip began.

 

In Cardiff my dad had meetings the whole time so for the most part I was on my own. I had been to Cardiff once before in January but only for a couple hours and we just saw the castle and walked along the high street. So this was a time for me to truly explore Cardiff and do some shopping along the way. We had three days in Cardiff before heading back to London. Everyday I went down new bits of Cardiff and then met up with my dad for dinner. The first night we went to Cardiff Bay and ate at Nando’s which is always good. My dad had never been to Nando’s before so I decided to take him there. We also explore the bay a bit before heading back which was nice. The next day we met up with a friend of his who he got in contact with after not seeing her for about 20 years I think. We said in Cardiff with her and went to Jamie Oliver’s for dinner which was really good. We then drove her back home as she doesn’t live in Cardiff. This allowed us to see more of Wales which was quite cool as I had only ever been in Cardiff and Newport before. The last night we went to the bay again and had dinner at Strada with a work friend of my dad’s before heading back to London.

In Cardiff I did quite a bit of shopping as I love the shops in the UK and I can’t get the same things in Canada. I have two more travel update type posts to do but I may also do a bit of a haul type post on the stuff I bought in Cardiff.

Anyways I will post more soon as there are two more travel posts to do because I suck at posting as things happen or right after they do. I also have concert type posts I may do if I remember as well. I will post soon and I hope you enjoyed this little update.

Ashley xx.

Vienna, Austria

Hey guys!

Sorry this is so delayed but I’ve been super busy since my last post. So if you can’t tell by the title of this post I went to Austria. About 3 days after the Isle of Wight my mom came to London and later that day we went to Vienna. We had been planning this trip for a little while and I was super excited to go.

We arrived in Vienna and just hung out in our hotel the first night as we had to get up early the next day to explore the city. The first place we went was the Spanish Riding School as we were going to see a performance and go on a tour there the next day. We explored that area before we kept going. I made a friend in London who was actually from Austria so she gave us some hints of good places to see as well as things to try. We then went to the palace and got to go inside of it as well as into five different gardens. We then went to the Prater, which is an amusement park area, and explored for a bit and had dinner around there.

 

The next day we woke up early and headed to the Spanish Riding School and saw the performance which was amazing. We then went on a tour of the yard and stables of the school and got to see all of the horses. After we went shopping on the two high streets in Vienna and then went to try some different foods. We tried Radler, a beer and lemonade mix, as well as this Austrian dessert that my friend told me was like cut up pancakes. I will put a picture below due to my terrible explanation. It was really good though.

Even though we only had 2 days in Vienna it was a lot of fun and I would defiantly go back but maybe for a bit longer. The Spanish Riding School was most defiantly the highlight of this trip for me. I have heard about that school since I was very little and to be able to finally see it in person was just amazing.

I will be posting keeping up posts like this until I catch up to where I am now.

Ashley xx

100 Happy Days extra (100+)

Day 101: going to a comedy class

Day 102: Hearing about my sister’s first day at work, talking to my mom, and getting my first car

Day 103: Getting mail from my mom and getting stuff from the body shop

Day 104: Walking Pierre and talking to my mom

Day 105: Talking to my mom, walking Pierre, watching White Collar with my cousin, going to Brownies, and getting a badge at Brownies

Day 106: Going to see a play with a friend and going to an after party

Day 107: Filming some sketching with a friend, talking care of Pierre, and getting Subway

Day 108: Babysitting Pierre

Day 109: Going to a workshop and getting ice cream

Day 110: Babysitting Pierre, taking to my friend, mom, and sister

Day 111: Meeting up with a friend, talking to my mom and sister, and seeing my sister use and like the present I got her

Day 112: Going to Brownies, making cupcakes, and talking to my mom, dad, and sister

Day 113: Talking to my mom and grandma and having a funny conversation with my sister

Day 114: Going shopping, making cupcakes, and talking to my mom and sister

Day 115: Going to Ascot, hanging out with my friend, getting a couple complements on my outfit, talking to my sister, hearing about my friend’s dog, and getting an amazing dessert

Day 116: Talking to my mom and sister, getting to sleep in, and start making plans to see my cousin

Day 117: Getting into my freshly washed bed, trying a hair mask, talking to my mom, sister, and cousin, and making a craft for Brownies

Day 118: Talking to my mom, sister, and friend, getting ice cream, and walking Pierre

Day 119: Going to Brownies, seeing the Canadian badges they are going to get, walking home with a friend, talking to my mom, sister, and cousin, and getting lavender scented candles

Day 120: Seeing Pierre, getting to use my new umbrella, and watching White Collar with my cousin

100 Happy Days (91-100)

Day 91: Getting ice cream, talking to my mom and sister, and making plans to see my cousin

Day 92: Getting a new vacuum, meeting with a friend, talking to my cousin and mom

Day 93: Walking Pierre

Day 94: Going to a class and making a new friend there, hanging out with my cousin ( watching basketball, having dinner, etc)

Day 95: Hanging out with a friend and buying a hat

Day 96: Working out, making chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil

Day 97: Getting ice cream and seeing my dog try my grandma’s dog’s new toy

Day 98: Going to Brownies

Day 99: Talking to my sister and mom and watching the last episode of Glee

Day 100: Walking Pierre, talking to my mom, having a dress I ordered arrive in the mail, and having my mom pick up things for a Canadian night at Brownies

100 Happy Days (71-80)

Day 71: Getting two new books and taking some Instagram worthy pictures

Day 72: Walking Pierre and getting fries

Day 73: Going to an anthropology class and getting mint tea and a banana nut muffin from Starbucks

Day 74: My sister arriving in London and going to Nandos

Day 75: Going to the Victoria and Albert museum and having a pasty

Day 76: Going to psychology class, shopping, getting a Five Guy’s burger and a raspberry cheesecake mocha frappuchino

Day 77: Watching “Into the Woods” with my sister and cousin

Day 78: Hanging out with my other cousin, seeing “War Horse”, and climbing the lion in Trafalgar Square

Day 79: Going to Ireland

Day 80: Going to Cobh, Cork, and Blarney

Mini Haul

Hey guys,

I thought I would do something a little bit different today. I am going to do a mini haul type thing. I’ve gotten a few things over the past few weeks in preparation for summer. If you guys like this kind of thing let me know and I can do more like it. I really am making this mini so there will only be a few items here. So lets start!

First thing I got was an orange shirt. I don’t tend to wear a lot of colour especially bright colours so I thought I would give orange a go. This is from New Look and was £7.99.

While I was in the Bahama’s earlier this year I realized I don’t have a lot of swimsuits. I spotted some really nice ones at New Look and picked them up. So the first one I got the top and bottoms. I don’t have one in this colour so I thought it would super cute for summer. The top was £14.99 and the bottoms were  £7.99.

The other swimsuit I got was only the top, as I couldn’t find the bottoms that matched and I liked. This top was £7.99 and I have always wanted a top like this.

The next thing I got was a new bag as my old one broke. I am quite picky when it comes to bags because I know I will have it with me everyday and everywhere I go. My bag also has to fit everything and anything in it. I ended up getting a bag that is quite similar to my old one but has a bit more room in it. It is from Accessorize/Monsoon and was £29.

I have been looking for a neutral eyeshadow that I can wear everywhere for either day or night. I was looking at different YouTube videos as well as reviews and decided to go for the Sleek i-Divine eyeshadow palette in au natural which was £7.99. I absolutely love this palette and will defiantly have to try other palettes from their range.

So that’s it for my mini haul. I have my sister coming to visit me soon and we will probably do some shopping. If you want me to do a haul type thing after that I can, just let me know.

I will be posting a couple other things in the next couple days before my cousin comes to visit me. I will try and post something while he is here but I have to see how much time I have. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this and I’ll post more really soon.

Ashley xx.