happy 25th, meggie weggie!!

Today is Meg's 25th Birthday and in three days I will get to celebrate with her in Gainesville! =)

One of my fondest memory with Meg was when Carly + I met her in Scottsdale for a fabulous spur-of-the-moment weekend trip! I never posted pictures from our night out together because I drank waaay too much Sangria before we even got to the bar + am super sweaty/double-chinned/bloodshot eyed in every picture.... not the most flattering pictures but so much fun!!!!

I'm assuming we'll take tons of photos just like these ones this weekend when the Hussies of 2708 (the very sweet nickname our college neighbors gave the four of us!) reunite in our old stomping grounds! =)

lucky stars.

          She thanks her lucky stars.

Today is (Canadian) Thanksgiving and to me, it is toooo weird to celebrate Turkey Day 1. in October 2. Without a parade and 3. Without going to bed dreaming of all the door busters I would get in the morning ... therefore I forfeited. But seeing as I did receive a few texts wishing me a happy T-giving, I spent a great majority of today pondering what I am thankful for + because my brain has a crazy confusing thought process, I organized my thankfuls in the order that I encounter them in a day. Then I limited the list to 8 as I have a habit of getting carried away:

1. Caffeine + Hazelnut Cream + Splenda. Must. Have. It. Everyday. I can't think of a more ideal way to jumpstart my day than a freshly brewed cup of half coffee/half cream + 3 Splendas. The sweeter the better for I am a firm believer that all things in life should taste like cake!!

2. My running shoes + my IPOD.  I have run a lot of miles in the sneaks I currently own and I think of those 1 full/2 half marathons every time I lace up my shoes ... and then feel the ground beneath my feet because there is not much sole left in them. While I cherish the memory of running with my disc man + it skipping with every step I took, I'm so thankful for every IPOD I have ever owned. Idk how anyone can run long distances without music to drown out the breathlessness and as a lover of lyrics, sometimes I literally get lost in the words of the songs on my "working on my fitness" playlist. 

3. Sunshine. I wish I could bottle it up + keep it in a mason jar in my pocket.

4. My agenda + coloured pens.  I've had an agenda a.k.a. "my life" ever since I started acquiring semi-important responsibilities when I quickly realized I am a very disorganized person and when combined with extreme procrastination = dropped balls everywhere... My agenda helps me juggle it all but I will only write in it with pretty coloured pens! My rainbow of checked off boxes really could be one of the obscure pieces of "modern art" featured at the MOMA! Consider this my pretentious description of my work.

5. Great Conversations. There is a strong correlation between how long I have known someone and how much I enjoy the conversation. At times this state of mind hinders me from letting in new people but I can't refrain from a good reminiscing sesh to relish in + will seize every opp to revisit my childhood/college years/days with my mum with old friends/great family. i.e. I've known Kara my entire life, (obvi) + this past week has been filled with great convos!  

6. Coffee shops + book stores. I think I frequent one or the other every single day of my life + especially love it when the two are combined! They both have such magnificent aromas. They are both great places for people-watching... + eavesdropping (6a. I have a guilty pleasure of listening in on the conversations occurring around me). They are both perfect environments to think.    

7. Traveling + photographs. The world is my oyster + I am determined to find the pearls in all the magical cities in the world. I am incredibly attracted to the stamps in Mitch's passport + I am determined to fill up mine by the time it expires in 2013. The only thing fabulous about a vacation ending is all the photographic memories I return home with!  

8.. Heads-up pennies. Wish bones. Lucky stars. Vehicles that enable me to dream the life I live + live the life of my dreams.

scrub-a-dub-dub.

Kara, Reese + I have been doing a lot of relaxing this past week! My favourite places to relax are by the pool + in my big, comfy bed until 11AM. Reese's favourite places to relax are on your chest + in her swing! She loves her spa bath (complete with jets) for very brief moments too! =)

waiting for superman.

It's so like you just to show up at my door
And act like nothin's happened
You think I'll sweep my heart up off the floor
And give it to you
Like so many times before

Gone like the wind under Superman's cape
Like a thief in the night I made the great escape
I'm not the kind of girl that keeps making the same mistakes

TIME.

I have only read TIME magazine twice in my life and I know this because two very exciting discoveries came from both of those reads. The first time I read it was 3 summers ago. I was at the gym and it just so happened to be the 'zine stuffed in to the back of the Stairmaster. I had been searching for a book about a girl who falls in love with a vampire after overhearing several different conversations but didn't have the courage to ask total strangers the title and since I wasn't looking in the Teen section, I couldn't locate it. As fate would have it, there was an article on Stephenie Meyer describing the dream she had about a girl named Bella + her forbidden vampire love, Edward. I'm pretty sure I flew off the Stairmaster at the exact moment to buy Twilight and spent the rest of my summer reading her juicy vampire fairytales.  My second fabulous TIME read was on the plane down to Knoxville. There was a pregnant woman on the cover and in big bold letters it said FETAL ORIGINS: How the First Nine Months Shapes Your Life. Being an (insightful) NICU nurse, over the past two years I had found an amazing correlation between the temperament of babies and how much it often matches that of their mothers. I always mentioned it in casual conversation to colleagues/family like "What a weird coincidence, eh?" but in my head, I was thinking, "This is huge!" and apparently TIME magazine thought so as well when they made this http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2020815,00.html the cover story last week! I just find it fascinating that the biggest risk factor to some of the most deadliest diseases (Diabetes, heart disease, obesity) could be a fetus' experience in the womb!

southern comfort(s).

It's only been four days of recovery but I already feel 100% American again and wow! how I've missed some of my favorite southern comforts. We went straight to Moe's from the airport and yummmm, the moo moo Mr. Cow still tastes like delish college-diet-on-a-budget! Kara and I ventured out on Wednesday and took Reesey P. for sweet tea at McAlister's and to Target for her very first time (She loved it!). Thursday we took Reese to Duck Duck Goose, a crazy insane consignment shop that only happens 4 days a year ... the lines and crowds kinda reminded me of black friday except it was exclusively stay-at-home-moms fighting for the gently used.      

We also went to a couple of the super cute baby boutiques here and had lunch/shopped in the market square downtown. Reese has been so fabulous on our little outings in her MOBY wrap, we took her to lunch for a third day in a row on Friday to meet Creed's co-workers (who are just like the characters on The Office) at the most apropos place, Chili's. In between our adventures and our cuddles, I have managed to delve in to all my old past times - running (an entire 3.2 miles!), laying by the pool (I don't think I've seen a pool since practically living by one every afternoon in LA) and GameDay in which we spent the entire day today watching college football! =)

My heart has been so content in Tennessee, I have completely forgotten I even reside in Winnipeg, lol.  It feels so fabulous to not have to worry about the weather randomly dropping to negative temperatures and my flip-flop clad toes freezing off! It feels so fabulous to grocery shop again and buy all your favorite things without crossing a border and for less than $200. It feels so fabulous to feel so close to my besties ... within driving distance, can pick up the phone at any time, reunion next weekend!! All my (southern) comforts have returned to me and  life just feels fabulous.

boppy.

smiles.

reading with reese.

For anyone who knows me even in the most impersonal way possible, they would know that all through college I was a nanny to the most precious newborn baby girl and little did I know that tiny baby would grow up to be the smartest little girl in all the world. Sidebar: Little did I know, I would also wish everyday that I could be Miss Kate's nanny for the rest of my life. It was absolutely the best job in the world. End sidebar. At nine months old, she was recognizing animals (particularly by their tails) at the zoo. At one year old, she could tell you what every animal said including but not limited to domesticated and feral cats, worms, goats, goldfish and squirrels. By the time she was two, she had a bigger vocabulary than I did. Coupled with an eloquent mother with a Ph.D in English, I credited this baby genius syndrome to the amount of books she had read to her in the first bit of life. I am positive that Dr. Seuss + Pat the Bunny were a huge contributor to Kate: a child prodigy and that is why I could hardly wait to start reading some of my, I mean Kate's, favorites to Reese. I was (secretly) impressed that I still had the Sandra Boynton series and Brown Bear, Brown Bear committed to memory. Its like riding a tricycle! =)

twenty-four.

The day after my 24th birthday (and bday dinner with these 2 sweethearts!) I started to write a blog post entitled "obsoletely twenty-four" analyzing why as you get older, birthdays seem to become more and more meaningless (less parties, less cards, less cake). Never one to enjoy celebrating my own birthday, I wasn't really sure why it even bothered me so much this year that throughout the day I never reached that warm, fuzzy feeling of specialness where your whole body internally shouts "Today is my day! I am another year older!" I kept thinking to myself, "Is this another one of those sobering coming-of-age (mile)stones, another rock dimming the light of the child inside you... kinda like finding out the Toothfairy doesn't actually exist when you discover an entire mouthful of incisors in your mum's jewelry box? ... where you realize you are really just a boring adult now whose imagination doesn't expand beyond primary colors because if that's what this is, I don't want to be 24. I want my fuzzy wuzzy browns and atomic tangerines and therefore, I am quite happy staying 23 a wee bit longer, at least until there's a bounce house and a funfetti cupcake tower and a unicorn pinata to properly commemorate me turning another year older.  

cuddlebug.

Working five (12 hour) shifts in a row was worth it to be able to cuddle this beautiful bug for the rest of the month! 

ready. set. create.

I've been desperately searching for an outlet to relight my fire, so to speak. I have been feeling like I am in an uncreative (read: unhappy) rut for almost a year now and was struggling (big time!) for a big, blue ladder to get me out. My usual go-tos for not just expression but also for the inspiration to express seemed to have gotten lost in my hasty move to Winnipeg. Perhaps they're still packed in the box Sharpie'ed LIFE or maybe I was just so sad when I first moved up here that I did not adequately pursue said oh-so-important outlets but the fact-of-the-matter is it had been a year and I had yet to find my utopias - friends, exercise, blogging, taking pictures, culture. All the gravitational pulls that makes my world go round while simultaneously keeping me grounded. I usually embrace change. crave change. need change. I am a lover of change but when A LOT of change happens at once, I have learned I don't cope very well. I realize I need at least one familiar, positive energy source to find the "fabulousness" in all the new elements. About five weeks ago, when I temporarily moved in with my amazing cousin, she introduced me to a local artist and an online creative course she was offering. I was a little,  scratch that, VERY!!! nervous to sign up but have to admit, kinda loved the feeling of being nervous because life had felt so mundane recently there was no opportunity to push myself outside of my comfort zone and I was pretty sure the last time I had felt nervous excitement like that was the 5-day drive from Cali to here! If you peruse her website (which you can find here...I hope I'm not infringing on any copyrights by posting this magnificent piece of inspiration of hers), you will see that she is an incredible painter and because I have never considered myself artistic, I thought I would downright suck at this 5-week class but her class just isn't about art. It's about finding yourself. Defining yourself. Reinventing yourself. I've noticed that Kal's "art" is similar to the "art" I create that I didn't even recognize as art - pictures (mine taken with a camera, hers drawn + painted!) with some sort of inspirational saying accompanying them. It's like psychology in the form of artism. I'm only three weeks in but I think I've done it - my imagination's aflame + my creativity is back. I'm blogging. I'm working out. I'm viewing the world through photo ops! I've restarted overusing the word "fabulous". I've even started to (quasi!) enjoy my job some days. This pathological optimist must have found her misplaced rose-colored glasses because even my glass of vino is starting to look half full.  eeeee yaaay =)

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids | Video on TED.com

With every creative assignment, Kal gives us some source for inspiration that matches the theme. Creating a work of art that involves scribbling and playing and the mind of a child, this video was too accurate not to share.
Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids | Video on TED.com

over the rainbow.

I'm in love with a girl
 whose in love with the world.

Though I can't help but follow.

Though I know some day, 
she is bound to go away,

And stay over the rainbow.

Gotta learn how to let her go.

Over the rainbow.

-Amos Lee

organic bliss.

Usually, December is my favorite month of the year. Everything is covered in pretty sparkling lights. There's plenty of delicious dainties everywhere you turn (especially in the break room at work.) There's Christmas and family time and hearts filled with cheer. There's New Year's and new leafs and a resolution list a mile long (so many little boxes for me to check off!) BUT this year I'm certain October will be the most fabulous month of them all. I'm working 5 shifts for the entire month .... but will be paid during my absence because come Tuesday, I'm officially on vacation!! And more importantly, I am flying to Knoxville on Tuesday to see Kara and meet baby Reese!!! I get to spend almost three amazing weeks with the duo! While in Tennessee, I will be traveling to Florida to see three of the most fabulous people I know but shhh.... it's a secret surprise! All I can say is MIA!! MOD!! OMG!! =) From here, I'll be making a fantastic cameo at UF's Homecoming to meet up with my beautiful loves (the eternal roommates!) & the Hallams at no place other than the Swamp!! .... AND what would be a visit to Gvegas without a fabulous play date with the KittyKat Kindergartener Kate!!! eee ... I can hardly wait!! When back in Tennessee, I'll be writing the GRE, doing a little grad school campus visit @ Vandy/meeting up with my favorite friend from college/seeing Jess' new life in Nashville and then heading to NC for my cousin's wedding. Reese is my date! Yaay!! I return to the Peg to work one silly shift before flying to LA LA Land to celebrate Halloween in true West Hollywood (unreal) fashion!! Carly + I's costumes will be amazing ... also a secret surprise but think nude unitard! Of course, I will be seeing all of my California Loves too! oh my goodness. I can hardly contain myself. This is the best present (to myself!) ever!! Much better than that winter jacket I was going to buy for 40%. And that mani/pedi/facial package I was going to treat myself to. Ahhhh. October = Organic bliss. 

homegrown.

five days old.

Five days old and getting more beautiful by the minute .... 

and baby makes three.

Kara has been too busy with the actual arrival of Reesey*Peecey*Pudding*Pie and I have not been busy doing ... well, anything, really ... so I have taken the liberty to post these adorable pix myself that Kara + Creed had taken the week before she was born by the same photographer that did the birth pictures (I think I might be the Queen of Run-on Sentences!)! Her itty, bitty, baby baby bump was just too cute!! But now Reese is safely out of the womb, in to the world and currently at home awaiting her Auntie's arrival ... 10 more days!!!

(Asst) Coach Carefoot.

teeeheeeheee... look what I found googling (have I mentioned how much I love google!?) how to spell the hockey team that Mitch is coaching. I was going to write a blog post about how all last winter I almost harassed Mitch more about how he should become a coach (because of how much he loves and knows the game) than getting a Yellow Lab and then he was coincidentally offered an assistant coaching position this season. I didn't realize it meant practicing or playing hockey EVERY night of the week til midnight ... keep in mind, this shift-working nurse gets home after he leaves for the rink and goes to bed waayyy before he gets home! Then I was going to go off on a tangent about how can they expect hockey players to not act like womanizing, chauvinistic manwhores when their Junior League teams have names like "The Railers"!! Anywho, I will let this article do the talking for me as I had no idea this existed and therefore am assuming Mitch did not want me to see it ... probably in fear that I would post it on my blog ..... He's pretty humble when it comes to his accomplishments and just how amazing he is at hockey so I will do the bragging for him as I'm ecstatically impressed by this article. *Who knew I was dating an IronMan?!* ;)

Railers Ecstatic to add assistant coach with pro experience

Mitch Carefoot

Mitch Carefoot played 2 seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey league, years in which he was drafted in the 2nd round of the WHL, took part in the Viking Cup, MJHL/SJHL all star game, as well as the World Under 17 hockey tournament. He was then traded to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCJHL where he spent a season before leaving for the NCAA.

Chosen in the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, Mitch spent 4 years at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He won one ECAC and two IVY league championships at Cornell and was named Assistant Captain and team MVP in his senior year. Along with his on ice contributions, Mitch was able to balance his school work at the IVY league school and was named to the All-IVY League Academic team 3 years.

After leaving Cornell , Mitch spent two years with the Phoenix RoadRunners, the affiliate of the San Jose and Worcester Sharks. Mitch attended the Atlanta thrashers rookie camp two years and the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHLs’ training camp before his second season in the ECHL. After being sent back to Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL he was named team captain and was awarded the team Iron-Man and most dedicated awards at the end of the season.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mitch was forced to give up the game. He now looks to bring his experience of playing competitive hockey and give back to the junior players in Manitoba.

Reese Rylie, my perfect little niece.

Kara had the maternity photographer that took her "belly" pictures the week before her due date also attend the delivery and document the entire thing, paparazzi style! Here is the first sneak peak!! =)

Reese has arrived!!

Reese Rylie Williams arrived at 7:16 EST!! She weighs seven pounds, two ounces and is nineteen and a quarter inches long!! For the neonatal nurse in me, her Apgars were 9/9 which means she had a perfect delivery!! I just skyped with the new family from their hospital room and everyone is doing fabulous!! =) I'm counting down the days (and crying) until I get to hold her!! Congratulations Kara and Creed

I judge books by covers.

The other night I spent about four hours assembling what might be the wobbliest, most crooked, crazy unstable bookcase in the world and then immediately unloaded my eclectic book collection on to each uneven shelf: guidebooks of the all cities I've visited, training manuals for triathlons, national best sellers, chick lit, Harry Potter, etc. I grouped all my books by what they mean to me and when I put The Big Sleep, Interview with a Vampire, Angels & Demons and Revolutionary Road together it made me realize how much I tremendously miss my book club in LA. I bbm'ed Carly to tell her this as she pretty much can count on a daily text from me telling her how much I miss one thing or another from our past life together ... Coffee Bean, the USA Today Crossword, Trader Joe's, Hotel Cafe, just to name a few... and she suggested we start another book club cross countries where we meet on Skype to discuss it. Stupendous! Here is our first book (per her suggestion). When I picked it up the very next day at Indigo (the book store I frequent here almost on a daily basis) I started gushing over how cute the cover is and because I personify that cliche (like many other cliches), I knew at that instant that I was going to like this book ... and that that would be the theme of our book club! If we only read books with covers we like we will ultimately only read books we will end up liking. It's kind of like love at first sight... but for bibliophiles... reoccurring on a monthly basis.

family portrait.

I'm not really sure why my hair decided to style itself in to a mullet (on my head, there is no business. It's always a party in both back & front and just because I currently reside in Canada where everyone seems to be out of the early 90's, I am not okay with mullets!) on the day of the Carefoot family portrait photo shoot but thankfully, unlike photographs (particularly ones blown up and framed in the Carefoot living room), hairstyles do not last forever. Here's a more recent photo of the 'do I'm rockin' these days. Although I obviously did not follow through, I had every intention of dying my hair back to dark brown when I set my appointment. Oh well, blondes have waaay more fun anyways!

gerber daisies + gerber babies.

Cameron enjoying some of Charleigh's birthday (cup)cake!

auntie-in-training.

Are these two little cutie pies not just the sweetest?? Charleigh and Cameron are Mitch's brothers' daughters that were born a month apart right before I moved up here! I have had an entire year (almost to the date) of practice to perfect my auntie skills before my very own niece arrives just 3 days away!! I can hardly wait for Reese's arrival ... tentatively set for THIS Wednesday!

turning one.

Today Mitch's niece Charleigh turned one and I had the fabulous pleasure of creating her birthday suit: a pink + purple tutu carefully crafted with ribbon + tulle

It was a lovely day for a party on their patio complete with yummy cupcakes + lots of presents for the special birthday girl!

here fishy fishy fishy fishy

I think I have asked for a dog (particularly a yellow lab that I could name Dexter and knit fuzzy sweaters for and bathe in BedHeads awesome line of doggie shampoos!) every day of this past eleven months. Apparently "dogs deserve yards" and are not conducive "to living in an apartment"... or "shift work". "Puppies are more work than children". "Worst. idea. ever." "Whose going to take care of it while you run off to LA every other month?" "Besides, who would walk it in the winter when you won't even go outside?" Needless-to-say, I'm still man's-best-friend-less. =)

I spent seven months ... aka all of winter... with my eyes pealed hoping I would find a tiny kitten frozen somewhere outside in dire need of a warm apartment that I would just have to take in. I guess I should have spent more time outdoors because I never found her.

I watched two itty bitty baby ducks paddle in circles at the lake the other morning certain they had accidentally floated away from their mother and would now be eaten by a bear and die. Evidently, I had only convinced myself that they needed to be rescued because no amount of whining would compel Mitch to set down Harry Potter, get up from his lawn chair and "go save them!" I waited for what felt like 14 back-to-back screening of Eat, Pray, Love (Read: an eternity) for them to swim close enough to shore so that I could catch Jack & Jill (I even picked out their names waiting on the dock) but they kept their safe five foot distance and my abhorrence for lake water impeded me from jumping in to "go save them!!" myself.

I've tried numerous times to catch and domesticate the wild rabbits that (0ver)populate my neighbourhood in hopes of eating the produce in the many gardens of the homegrown-crazy Ukrainians' up here but unless you carry a head of lettuce in your back pocket, they ain't hoppin' anywhere near you.

In a brief moment of total desperation and consequent lapse of judgment that usually accompanies said ennui, I even considered buying a pet hermit crab with a uniquely? painted shell at the mall the other day. Thankfully, rationality returned before I could locate my debit card and common sense safely talked me out of that one.

My relentless pursuits to be given the opportunity to "be the person her dog thinks she is" or "become that crazy cat lady" will not cease. I still have a burning desire to cosset and coddle something furry, something fluffy, something with a tail but until that victorious day comes, I have added a virtual fish tank to the bottom of my blog. Feeding them electronic fish food flakes with the click of my mouse will have to suffice until I win this war on pethood.

{mitchell's} sick-isms.

It's amazingly endearing (in a way) how much being sick reduces men in to little boys. When Mitch texted me today to say that he was going home from work vomiting, I immediately thought " I knew I should just stay out of the kitchen!" I attempted to make dinner last night for the very first time in our co-habitance history (eggplant parmesan for those foodies out there) and strangely enough, Mitch wakes up the next day with a stomach flu. Coincidence? I thought not until I found out... everyone is sick. We stayed at Mitch's aunt's house this weekend and it seems a stomach bug is rapidly sweeping thru the family ... So far, I feel like a peach and I hope it stays that way as I started my first of four shifts today and don't want to spread it thru my unit. After working 12 hours, I returned home (after stopping to get electrolytes) to a super sick, febrile, couch-ridden Mitch, puke bucket in hand, ready to start my next shift with my live-in patient. I'm not used to having patients that can talk and it was quite entertaining the "sick-isms" that were leaving his mouth:

I have H1N1. I saw it on Jeopardy.

I might be dying!! You don't know that...

Will you rub my feet?

Your eyes look stunning.

I have nightmares when I'm sick (about what?) ... about fevers. ..... Stop laughing at me.

You have a very voluptuous left breast.

I have a heart beat in my chest. I hope it's not cancer.

You look beautiful.

Can you read me Harry Potter?

You look like Jennifer Aniston right now. Go look.

Can you make me a piece of bread? With butter? & Honey? (Butter? Not peanut butter?) I just don't know what peanut butter will do to me. It may coat my intestines...

I'm actually kinda sad he went to bed at 9:30. It was kinda entertaining taking care of "sick Mitch" and I'm not really looking forward to sleeping on the futon tonight.

open the eyes of my heart.

I've made the decision to go back to school to get my masters to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner next fall. It's a daunting task researching and applying to grad programs. It's a wee bit overwhelming obtaining all the required documents and I've spent the last couple of weeks studying the GRE, contacting colleagues for references and writing a rough draft for my personal statement in my spare time. I've been at a loss for words as to how to summarize why I have chosen to specialize in neonatalogy but as I watch this video of Christopher, I am reminded of all the reasons I have wanted to pursue this career for nearly a decade! If only I could submit this video to the admissions board, I'd be sure to be accepted.

tis' the season.

Having only permanently resided in two places (Florida and California) where it is only one magnificent season year round (the best season, summer!), I never really had an appreciation for what 'the four seasons' were until I moved to a place that experiences all seasons... to the extreme. Arriving in Winnipeg right at the end of fall, the leaves on the trees had already died and fallen off. Winter (October-April... none of that three months of each banter, it is by far the longest of the seasons up here!) came roaring in with a bone-chilling entrance 3 days after I arrived and continued to leave me frost bitten and shivering until about April when the snow melted and spring came... the typical April showers characteristic of spring lasted until about mid-July torrentially down pouring on everything and eventually all the brown slush and barren trees turned in to a lush green. My favourite part of spring was all the mama animals having their babies. I can't tell you how many families of geese and goslings I made Mitch pull over to watch waddle in to their respective ponds. But I am happy to report it's one week in to August and summer is officially here!!! I've been soaking up every unit of Vitamin D I can get and if it was physiologically possible, I would be storing up for the impending doom that is winter to fend off another case of seasonal affect disorder. Winnipeg really comes to life in the summer [No, Grams you don't need to strengthen your glasses Rx, I did just say something positive about Manitoba! =)] All winter I wondered why everyone I work with wasn't taking their allotted holidays during the most frigid temps to escape to somewhere warm (like LA!) & that the most senior of staff wait until August to take their coveted vacation time ... now I know why! There's different festivals almost every week (although, we often find out about them after they happen!) The weather is perfect: no humidity compared to what I grew up in, cools off at night, not a cloud in the big blue skies. Sun doesn't set until 10:00 or 11:00 so the days feel endless! Everyone has a cabin on one of the 10,000 lakes that they can escape to. I have been fortunate to have almost every weekend off in late June/July/August and while I have no proof on film, Mitch and I have been lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the time off/cooperating weather. Now if only I could tilt the Earth so that was summer all year round, I might actually learn to like this place.