Canada: Ottawa

Back in early July one of my best friends invited me to go to Canada with her, her mother, grandmother, and her aunt. It was an adventure to say the least. I had been to Toronto but I've never been to Ottawa, so we all crammed into a tiny rental car and hopped the border for the day.

Ottawa, Ontario is the capital of Canada and home to the Canadian Parliament. The day we decided to go it literally poured the entire day. But, that didn't stop us from exploring the lovely city. I thought Parliament (pictured above) resembled Mr. Big Ben across the pond in England.

The grounds of the Parliament had stellar views across the river into Quebec and it did not disappoint. 

So, we decided to cross the river and see the views from the other side:

not too bad aye?

Buffalo Riverwalk

On one of the recent visits before I actually moved to the new apartment, the beau and I went down to the Buffalo Riverwalk. More specifically, it's where the Niagara River meets Lake Erie. 

You have to drive to the end of W. Ferry St., cross a bridge onto an island in the middle of the Niagara River, and then enjoy a nice leisurely walk (that just so happens to go underneath the Peace Bridge that leads to Canada).

Oh and at the end of the Riverwalk someone duct taped an American flag :)

Wearing: Aeropostale cropped top & American Eagle overall shorts

About Time

So when I took this initial picture (above), I was visiting Buffalo and it was probably the worst winter I have ever lived through; coming from Central New York that's saying a lot. Little did I know that by summer I would be living a block right from this very spot. 

AND, I have come to the conclusion that summer in Buffalo makes up for the god awful winters that you have to endure. It's warm all the time with a slight breeze coming from Lake Erie + the occasional summer thunderstorm. It has taken my significant other and I four years to get to this point. This point meaning, actually living together, as in just us, and this wait has been totally worth it. 

Warped Tour 2014 + Summer Playlist

A couple weeks ago, I went to Warped Tour in Buffalo for the second time. Most of it was to see nostalgic bands that I haven't listened to since 2005-2006 + to catch up on some current favorites. It was myself and 3 other guys, including the beau, & even though it felt like we were caught in a hurricane, we made the most of the day. 

Warped Tour kinda kicked off my hunt for some good summer tunes and in turn I have compiled a playlist of sorts for the rest of the summer. Hope you enjoy!

Cool Kids - Echosmith

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

All The Way - Timeflies

And We Danced (feat. Ziggy Stardust) - Macklemore

Stay With Me - Sam Smith

Buzzcut Season - Lorde

Light Me Up - Birdy

Maps - Maroon 5

A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay

Ain't It Fun - Paramore

When You Were Young - The Killers

California (Tchad Blake Mix) - Phantom Planet

   

Walt Disney World

Last week I visited one of my best friends who moved down to Orlando to work at Disney World. Gifted with a talented voice, while she is not auditioning to be a Disney princess she works at Animal Kingdom driving tourists around in a truck for the safari. Can you say pinch me? Anyways my father had extra points for all his traveling and got me a ticket the week before Easter. Highly recommend that if you do not like children, do not go at this time. They are everywhere! Anyways, while she was working I would just sit by her complex pool, read, and just unwind. A lot of family issues have just come up as of late and it was nice not to worry about them and kind of focus on myself.

On the days where my friend had to work, we would spend the nights at Downtown Disney which is open to the public and gives you a small taste of Disney. We spent a lot of time at Raglan Road, an authentic Irish pub whose musicians were hired straight from from Ireland; it brought back so many memories. This hot air balloon was always so majestic looking.

One of the highlights of the trip was going to Magic Kingdom and seeing the new addition to Fantasyland, Beast's Castle from Beauty and the Beast. Disney's concept of it was a restaurant in which you can eat in the West Wing, the Ballroom, or a room that had a bunch of pictures from the film. Of course we ate in the ballroom and the ceiling was painted just like the movie!

And of course, no trip to Disney World is complete without a picture in front of Cinderella's Castle. This is my new apartment by the way, the rent is a little steep but totally worth it (just kidding! I wish) ;]

No Day But Today

Writing this post about 2 weeks after I made the decision to leave New York and move in with my significant other (+ two gay guys and another female) makes me feel nostalgic for the short period of time I was in New York. FIT is a great school, but going there after already getting my bachelors is another thing in itself. I miss the couple friends that I met within those short weeks of being there but it was about time really. Having him so far away practically killed me, even with visitations here and there. It would be a lot easier than when I was in Ireland but I'm not the same person back during that time. I'm engaged and out of school. 

Anyways I have decided to make an effort here with this blog because it is once again something I have started and not yet finished. This will be the baby I will yet to have. I will take care of it, nourish and figure the best way to make it the best it can be. That's what I figured the goals of most parents are when a newborn is placed in their arms. With a new job, a trip to Disney to anticipate in the next couple months, and figuring out this new place that I call home, I'm enjoying this new turn of events in life. Oh I totally forgot about my book I want to start, but that is another story itself.

Old Forge Camping Resort

Back in September, I went camping with one of my close girlfriends in Old Forge, NY at the Old Forge Camping Resort. Located in the Adirondacks, it was the perfect escape that I needed before I started going full time at my new job. The resort offers camping sites for trailers/tents, cabins, and cottages, as well as, amazing views the Adirondack Park.

 

We decided to go with a mini vacation in the middle of the week, off season in one of their cabins. With a swing on the porch, perfect weather, and a Keurig for endless supplies of coffee, it was pure bliss. We made everything my campfire, except the first night, in which we couldn't start a fire (we went into town to the bar and had some food and a couple drinks).