TEN SIMPLE THINGS || GROWING UP A WEE BIT

there comes a time in every girl's life where she has to start doing things for herself--whether it's by choice or by force it is going to happen. my venture to canada was definitely one of those "hey-it's-time-you-grew-up" experiences. from delayed flights to missing flights to getting stopped at immigration to lost bags, this trip made me realize how I lucky I am to have people in my life who normally take care of these things for me. but it also made me realize how fortunate I am to have gotten an opportunity to put my problem solving skills to good use. and sure, I was exhausted after standing in numerous lines and have a couple "you're-not-intending-to-stay-here-permanently" conversations, but at the end of the day, everything was fine. and that is really what matters, wouldn't you agree? now, for this weeks's simple things...

001 :: all of the beautiful horses and cows and sheep that reside near mitch's childhood home. miles of prairie inhabited by wheat fields and herds upon herds of these majestic critters. having that life force nearby is so refreshing and empowering. I'm pretty sure I'm driving everyone nuts with pointing out that, yes, there are cows in that field.

002 :: poutine. this combination of fries and dark gravy and squeaky cheese is truly inspired. I want to shake the hand of the person who invented poutine. it was my first request upon entering canada and new york fries never disappoints.

003 :: united's door-to-door service. after sending my bags to a completely wrong destination, united bent over backwards to reunite me with my lost bags. within six hours, they hauled my bags all the way from denver to calgary to lethbridge to our doorstep via taxi, which was substantially more than a stone's throw away from the airport. talk about service! I wish they would do that for me.

004 :: sleeping in our bed! mitch and I have the best bed! it lives in his childhood bedroom, for now. it's not too soft and not too hard. I didn't even realize my back hurt until I slept in this bed and it felt so much better. I'm wondering if I can check that in "oversized baggage"...

005 :: affordable fruit. on the island, there are just some things (some fruits and processed foods, in particular) that just aren't in our budget. for instance, you would never pay $22.00 for one pound of cherries. or, at least, I wouldn't. but it is so nice to be around a house full of berries and melons and all sorts of other fruits. needless to say, I've really been over-indulging (if there is such a thing).

006 :: the pair of jeans I've been stalking going on sale. thursday morning, hautelook sent me a notification that the pair of jeans I've been stalking for months were 70% off. not 15 minutes later, they were purchased. ummm, how could I not?!

007 :: running in the rain. this is another one of those instances when my fervent prayers resulted in heavy torrential downpour. several communities nearby had to declare a state of emergency. again, I felt responsible. who knew you could get such results from just a little prayer? as for me, I took this as the perfect opportunity for a run. there is something so free and relaxing about running through the sprinkles not caring what you look like or where you're going.

008 :: playing with kittens. mitch's parents got the most adorable kittens for catching mice and it is so precious to watch them learn things like how petting feels nice, bricks get cold at night, and people are warm.

009 :: bonding with my sister- and mother-in-law. friday was such a fun day of having fun girly conversations while not doing anything in particular. plus, I'm realizing how chatty I am becoming and can't decide if I'm cool with that or not. I'm so grateful these two great girls put up with me.

010 :: having a bonfire with mitch's family friday night. after such a perfect day (literally, the calm after the storm), it was so peaceful to sit by a fire roasting wieners and mallows whilst telling jokes and relaying stories. 

mitch's cousin is getting married today (best wishes, kendyl!) and so our family is all geared up for a day of nuptials and flowers and decor and cake! and mitch's sister and I are going to try to squeeze in a workout or two to balance out all of the mini eggs we consumed yesterday. I hope all of you are ready for a fun and exciting weekend, as well! until monday :)

love, arielle

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