Catching up...

Hey everyone,

I haven't wrote a post in ages, apologies. Since I wrote last I have had a lot going on and I found it hard to find the time to sit down and write. I am in awe of bloggers who can post content regularly. Editing pictures and posts is not easy, so hats off to people who can do it all the time.

I was meant to write a blog post about my trip to Las Vegas but it wasn't the right time. When I got back from Vegas I had to fly home to Ireland unexpectedly for three days. Instead I am going to fill you in now on the past month and show you a few pictures of the Las Vegas trip and my life in general in Toronto.

First off, I will let ye know how my Vegas trip went. It was myself, Parker and 2 friends that went on the trip. Seeing as it was a couples holiday, it wasn't going to be extremely wild, although we did joke that one of us could get married and I can confirm that we..... DID.... not get married ;-)

I have been to Vegas before but Parker had never been so I was excited for him to see it. I think it's such a cool place. Everyone is in good spirits partying and gambling and the sun is always shining. We stayed in the Flamingo Hotel and we got the renovated rooms which were lovely. We ate alot, like you do on holidays and we enjoyed the well needed heat after coming from the minus figures in Toronto. Over all it was an enjoyable holidays, we could of done with partying a little be harder but I must be getting sensible in my old age haha. Below are a few pictures. I also posted a video of the trip of my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago if you missed it.

The day after I returned to Toronto I received terrible news and flew home to Ireland. Although my visit was brief and not a happy one, I count myself extremely lucky that I was able to fly home so quickly and it made me realise that I am not so far away after all, On a good note, I did get to spend the time with my friends and family and of course I got some cuddles from my gorgeous(grown up) niece. I hope I get to go home at Christmas now under nicer circumstances and see everyone again.

When I first arrived back to Toronto it started to snow again and I thought it would never end. This weekend however it completely changed and I actually got burnt. A few of us decided to take a trip over to the islands which is a short 10 minute ferry ride away. We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon relaxing and getting some heat into our bones for a change. I couldn't get over how last Sunday I was eating ice cream while it was snowing (yes, my hands were freezing) and then this Sunday I got burnt. Lets hope it continues now for awhile. The city is a different place when its warmer. It's busy and everyone is happier. 

 

                               

Today is also Parker's birthday, another year older and not even slightly wiser;-) Looking forward to the weekend to celebrate Parker's and another friends birthday on Saturday. Should be a good one.

Happy Birthday to my better half, the housewife, the chef and my absolute rock.

Enjoy the celebrations you legend!

Talk soon friends  xx

Zita J

Do It Yourself!

Hi Everyone,

New week, new start. At the moment, I like Mondays. The main reason is because that is the day I write my blog posts and probably another reason is because I'm still in holiday mode and not working on a Monday like most people.

Hope you all had a great weekend, for those that went to electric picnic, I hope you are extremely hungover!(I am not jealous at all). I had a great weekend here, its actually a long weekend (not like that matters for me because I am not working). I went out on Friday night, it was good fun and then yesterday we took a trip over to the Islands. I love the islands. Its a ten minute ferry ride to get over. There are beaches, picnic areas, restaurants, bike hire, boat tours and so on. You can do so much over there. However we just went drinking and listened to some music while taking in the sights. On the ferry back we got to see the city at night and it is just incredible, the photos don't do it justice!

Besides the weekend, all last week I have been very busy making our apartment, a home. I love being creative. I love thinking of ways to be different to everyone else, to not stick to the norm and just go with the flow and although that's great in theory, in practice it doesn't always work. Society, peers and confidence can all stop you from being different or doing something "weird" because you're too afraid of what people will think. I am trying to adopt a new attitude of just going with my ideas and then seeing how it works out after, At the moment, I am doing this in a smaller scale by being creative with our apartment and trying to make it different. Here are a few things I have done so far....

Storage Jars:

I bought these jars in a dollar shop. Most people would use them for food, spices etc. I am using them to hold our toothbrushes and cotton ear swabs. I think it looks pretty cool in our bathroom.

                                   

Mason Jam Jars:

I also bought these jars in the dollar shop. They are used for holding jam and the centre of the lid is removable so I bought them and put a night light in them. They make our coffee table very pretty.

Milk Bottles:

I got these old style milk bottles in IKEA for 99c! I am obsessed with them. I use them to drink out of and also for decoration. For 99c you can't go wrong.

Photo Frame:

I got this photo frame, once again in the dollar shop. I took out the glass and instead put in a sheet of cork which I cut to the size of the frame. When that was complete I stuck photos on with drawing pins, 

Coasters:

Out of the leftover cork sheets I made coasters for our drinks. I cut out circles after measuring the outline of a round bottomed glass. They work like a charm and although they can be mistaken for digestive biscuits, don't be fooled they are just cool looking coasters.

Chest of drawers: 

I was a bit nervous of doing this one. Firstly I was going to paint it pink but I thought that was probably lousy on Parker so I decided on a baby blue...not girly at all ;-) I bought the paint in, wait for it.. the dollar shop and we gave it one coat. I wanted it to be faint and still have a wooden look and I must say I am very happy with how it looks.

So there you have it, a little insight into a few DIY projects I have been getting up to. I am new to this whole DIY thing, not new to being creative. I would like to think I have always been that way. There is more to come like transforming this empty space (The Den)....

When I get a job and have a bit more money, I have great plans for the den so watch this space, ha.. Get it!

Have a great week lovelies and remember....

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Two weeks in...

Happy Monday,

Hope you all had a lovely bank holiday weekend, it is a bank holiday here too but seeing as I don't have a job yet, everyday is a holiday :-) So I am here two weeks today. To be honest I feel like I am here about a month. We have done a lot in the past two weeks, so I guess I'll fill you in. Last week we went to the Islands. Its a ten minutes ferry ride over and only cost $7. It is really pretty over there with beautiful beaches and lots to do.

Parker and myself rented a two seater quadricycle to see the island while some of our friends rented regular bikes. We had lots of fun cycling around and ringing the bell at people. When I go again I might rent a regular bike as we weren't allowed on the promenade or over bridges on the quadricycle. All in all it was a great day out and  already I can't wait to go again!

Between all the sight seeing and fun stuff, we have been looking for an apartment of our own. At the moment we are lucky enough to stay with friends, I am repaying them in cheesecakes! Luckily we found a place we really love and all going well we are moving in on the 24th of August and as luck would have it all we have to do is go down ten flights of stairs to our new home! The area we are in is great, two amazing restaurants at the foot of the building, a short walk to the waterfront and very close to the heart of downtown Toronto. The building itself has great facilities, a gym, pool, spa, games room, home cinema, BBQ area and so on! 

I can't begin to describe the food here, everywhere I have eaten so far has been amazing. From the well know Five Guys and Chipotle to places like The Bier Markt and Warehouse. The restaurant Warehouse always has a queue out the door because everyday everything on the Menu is $4.95...Everything! I better start using the gym and pool facilities here at the rate I am eating!

To finish a great week, on Saturday night we went to see James Bay and George Ezra in concert. Parker bought me tickets as a surprise before we left and I was really looking forward to it. I wasn't disappointed. Prior to going I was more excited about seeing George Ezra  and he was excellent however in my opinion it was all about James Bay. His voice is sensational and I may be in love with him...sorry Parker! I will leave you with a mash up of the man himself! <3

Talk soon xx

Zita J