Come On Bessie, Slow And Steady

Nothing this holiday season went quite as planned.  Due to a few unfortunate events, I had a pretty stressful week and ended up traveling from Montreal to Toronto, to Winnipeg and back in only a matter of days.  My Christmas, to say the least, was pretty non-existent -  in the most traditional sense anyways.  Despite not waking up with my brother and sister,  and not being able to share in a delicious turkey dinner with my mom, I did get the chance to visit with two of the most wonderful people in my life.  

My grandparents are truly the most adorable couple I have ever known.  Married for 68 years, they exist as a interdependent unit and function together in a beautifully crafted existence. Having the chance to witness my 95 year old grandmother tuck her 90 year old husband in to bed, was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had and the best present I could have asked for this Christmas.  Even under the circumstances, I had such an amazing time at their home and hope that my life will always be filled with even half of the amount of love that they exude towards one another. 

The Lobster

My family's Christmas tree is absolutely ridiculous.  We have jammed pack so many ornaments on to that thing I'm not entirely sure what's going on anymore. I think we add something like 15 new ornaments to our collection every year and keep each and everyone of them.  Not surprisingly …. I could not visually locate my favourite one to show you, ( an old random lobster ... thing ..? ) , sooooo I just took some pictures of the rare lone stars instead.

 

Operator Please

My dad is the coolest, quirkiest, most creative and intelligent man I will ever know.  He's always had a few strange obsessions, and one that has always fascinated me is his love of vintage telephones.  Since I was last home,  he has seriously updated his collection - even adding an old pay phone to his list.  Here are a few pictures of his prized possessions...

In Memory

When Ry and I moved in together,  we were very lucky to be given a whole collection of beautiful items from his grandparents house.  Amongst some classically stunning vintage furniture, we also found several boxes of Christmas decorations that once belonged to his grandmother Heather McRae.  I am so thankful to Heather and Georgie for all that they have given us.  Although I am sure that my decorating skills in no way match anything that they must have displayed over the holidays, I tried my very best to commemorate Heather, who passed away last year, in our new tree.....   

OH, I also added a few decorations of my own..... (ha.ha)

Homesick

I feel the pressure building up inside my head
I feel the distance drowning me in my own sweat

Cause I need the cold now

It's my turn to roll out all the stops

And show that I know where I have to go

I've got to find my way back

Retrace my steps
So I can prove to you that I'm alive
Crawling my way back to the place
I know that's meant for me to find my way back
To find my way back home

I feel the heat and what it's doing to me

I've been pulling at my own skin

To hide my face

It's hard to relate

Forget the way you feel when you are safe at home

You leave this world alone, stone by stone

If only I had known about the

Pressure building up inside my head

I feel the distance drowning me in my own sweat

Cause I need the cold now

It's my turn to roll out all the stops

And show that I know where I have to go

I've got to find my way back

Retrace my steps

So I can prove to you that I'm alive

Crawling my way back to the place

I know that's meant for me to find my way back

Find my way back home

One mile left

It lasts a lifetime

Like a promise kept

Under the weight of the world

Falling down on your shoulders

It's colder

I've got to find my way back

Retrace my steps

So I can prove to you that I'm alive

Crawling my way back to the place

I know that's meant for me to find my way back

Find my way back home

Find my way back home

Cause I've been crawling my way back to the place

I know that's meant for me to find my way back

Find my way back home

Find My Way Back - Four Year Strong

Time to Breathe...

After an unbelievably stressful exam period......... I am FINISHED!!! Time to start getting ready for the holiday season, can't wait!

My Life For Hire

a glimpse at all of the stressful boring fun(!) things that I did this weekend ....

 

all in all a terrible amazing(!) way to spend the past few days...

Love is Louder

"Love is Louder is a campaign started by actress Brittany Snow, The Jed Foundation and MTV in order to build on the huge outpouring of online support that occurred after the lives of multiple teenagers were lost to suicide in September 2010.  The movement aims to inspire everyone and anyone who has ever felt mistreated, misunderstood or alone in this world.  They strive to raise awareness around  a critical message - that love and support is more powerful than the external and internal voices that bring us down, cause us pain and make us feel hopeless" (LIL)

Image Courtesy of tylershields.com

Yesterday a lovely lady friend and co-worker of mine named Kayla, had our Kindergarten children partake in an activity and discussion about all of the things that made them feel loved.  She spoke to these 5 & 6 year old children about how love and support can help them to move past anything that makes them feel sad and lonely.  Afterwards they designed a beautiful collage to let everyone know that love is louder.  Excited about what they had done, we continued the activity today and drew up some more wonderfully creative pictures :)

If you want to get involved in this amazing campaign, head on over to Love is Louder's Facebook page or website to find out how you can tell the world that love is louder than anything.

XX

Powerful Controversy

World Heart Federation

Today as I was browsing through Google Images, I came across some rather interesting advertising campaigns.  Promoting awareness of some extremely sensitive  issues including Aids and Child Abuse, the following ads may be considered somewhat  controversial in nature.  


As you know however, I am a great supporter of contentious art forms and believe that these innovative and unique campaigns are just the type of advertising that this generation needs to  get involved.  In my opinion, sometimes the most devious images have the best and most insightful underlining explanations and can help any non-profit, non-governmental organization or awareness campaign to tap in to previously unforseeable markets.

Have a look for yourself and let me know what you think :)

xx

Obesity is Suicide

World Aids Day

Against Abuse Inc – More than 300,000 children are sexually abused in Germany every year.

NSW Police Force – Watch for cars when wearing headphones

All the images above were retrieved from Smashing Apps and are copyright of their respective owners and creators.