That's exactly what I've been on - a hiatus. Not on purpose, by any means... but since my last post, I have flown to Vancouver twice, had a wedding reception, flown to NYC once, celebrated the hubby's birthday, had extended visitors in Toronto - and now, I sit here, a week away from jetting off on our honeymoon!

That's right, folks! The hubby and I are jetsetting off to Portugal and Spain for two weeks - and after the crazy first half of 2012 - this is much deserved - for the both of us. We're hitting up Lisbon and Sintra in Portugal (as much as I wanted to see the Algarves - it just wasn't possible this round)... and in Spain, we're visiting Barcelona, Seville and Madrid.

Life is exciting but it's moving so fast that I can hardly believe that it's already PAST the mid-point of May... although that only means that it's my birthday in two days! :) That means sparkles and confetti this LONG weekend...

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See the full gallery on Posterous

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Wouldn't it be amazing to be in Paris with your Valentine today?

"Lucky" me gets to spend my first married Valentine's Day with the TV as the husband entertains his coworkers as dates... not to despair though, I stumbled across this post from Girl's Guide to Paris and I plan to daydream the evening away...

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So I told myself that I would take more pictures this year - in fact, I said it just last week. And now, 7 days later, I have nothing to show for it. The worst part is - over the past week, I have thought to myself, 'Oh! You should take a picture of this!'... and then I didn't. How hard is it for me to pull out my phone and take a picture? And don't even get me started on the dust my Digital SLR has been collecting... It's a sad, sad thought.

OKAY. Now I'm writing it and saying it out loud. I WILL take more pictures. Starting today...

(Ask me how I'm doing next week!)

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With awards season in full swing now, the Golden Globes last night was no exception when it comes to red carpet fashion do's and don't's. There were a lot of amazing gowns, jewels and smiles happening - and one of the biggest trends I noticed were the VERY red lips! You can't tell from the montage of pictures below - but red is back (and has been for a while now) and better than ever! The gowns were in subtle, natural cuts and colors (minus Angelina Jolie's sharp cut dress) - but all in all, a lovely catwalk of fabulous gowns.

One thing I did notice was the lack of an engagement ring on the other Jessica's hand (Biel, that is)...

Photo from here

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Every couple days I have to pinch myself. Life is still seeming so surreal… It’s been a couple months now in Toronto – and I don’t know if I’m completely used to it. At times I catch myself thinking of making plans with friends (in Vancouver), only to have to remind myself I’m not in Vancouver anymore.

I’ve been lucky in the fact that my parents have already visited, my best friend has already booked her tickets to visit and I’m able to go back to Vancouver in the spring… but I still feel strange calling myself a Torontonian. Maybe it’s a good thing – I mean, I feel so at home here that I forget I’m not in Vancouver (although technically, Toronto is my new home).

Maybe it’s the weather? It’s throwing me off. I’m not used to having to wear sunglasses in the Winter! (Although today is a scarves, mitts, toque kind-of day).

Whatever, it is, I’ll get used to it (along with the new last name!).

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Well, it only took the start of a new year to get me back to my blog!

Saying goodbye to 2011 is a little bittersweet - it was a whirlwind of a year with so many life changes, I know that it'll make any other year seem like a snooze!

Let me recap my 2011 (in no particular order):

1. Got married (IN INDIA)
2. Moved to Toronto (from Vancouver)
3. Downsized my closet (substantially - and that's why it's worth mentioning)
4. Started a new job (in a new city)
5. Spent a good half of the year flying back and forth from Toronto (airmiles... cha ching!)
6. Switched to an iPhone (from a blackberry) - it's a life change, I don't care what you think!
7. Flew to Vancouver (just for dinner one night)
8. Went to India during monsoon season (not for my wedding, but for a friends)
9. Kept up the tradition of an annual NYC trip
10. Changed my LAST name!

Alright, now for 2012, here's what I'm hoping for (again, in no particular order):

1. Take a dance class
2. Honeymoon in the summer (to somewhere we'd never typically go)
3. Cook at least 5 times a week
4. Pursue rock-climbing
5. Skype with friends in Vancouver on a regular basis
6. Find a new home in Toronto (closer to work perhaps!)
7. Avoid driving if transit/walking can take me there
8. Blog more often
9. Take more pictures and post them!
10. Make healthy choices

I think those are all fairly doable :)

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One of my favorite books is Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky. And well, there was a guest post put up on FastCompany today by the genius' behind this book. It's around the extinction of deep thinking and sacred space - aka the death of the creative pause.

Let's be honest here, is the shower the only space that hasn't been bombarded and taken over by new media, gadgets, apps, and phones? And it's sad to think that in a few years (if not months), that sacred space will be with it's own distractions too!

I think the problem here lies in our dynamic society... the issue is that we don't want downtime. We want to be continuous moving, keeping up with the trends/the Jones', you name it! So if we're craving distractions - that's exactly how organizations and the rest of society will respond.

The world is what you make of it - and you surround yourself with a reflection of different parts of you. So maybe it's time to dig a little deeper - find that solitary you - even if it's just a few minutes a day. I think it'll make a huge difference once you get in touch with who you really are instead of always going full speed ahead. And who knows, maybe that little downtime will actually make you more productive and successful?!

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I read this amazing article in the Harvard Business Review online today - written by none other than Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz.It's called 'Invest in Communities to Advance Capitalism'.

The gist of it is to realize that philanthropy no longer cuts it - you have to get your hands dirty and build a community - only then will success follow. Here's my favorite paragraph from the article:

When looked at through the capitalistic lens, innovating the very nature of corporate-community relations is good business. Companies that hold on to the old-school, singular view of limiting their responsibilities to making a profit will not only discover it is a shallow goal but an unsustainable one. Values increasingly drive consumer and employee loyalties. Money and talent will follow those companies whose values are compatible with their own.

And if you haven't already - click on the link above. This one is worth the read!

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"A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship"

[Turkish Proverb]

Image from here

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Today I did something I'm very proud of (although I'm ashamed that it took me so long to do it). I signed up to be a bone marrow/stem cell donor in Canada here.

I was inspired and motivated when I found out that one of the bloggers I follow was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia and needed a donor. Now, I don't know if my Canadian donation will reach the US ever - but hey, there are a ton of people in Canada that need this too!

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I've been talking a lot about this whole 'growing up' thing and how scary/exciting it is... but I never shared what I'm most inspired about around all this change in my life - it's decorating my own place!! (I'm sure a few of you were expecting the 'getting married' part, but isn't that a given?)

I've been find LOTS and LOTS of design inspirations via blogs and magazines - and one may even say, that too much inspiration creates scattered thoughts and ideas, but I beg to differ!

What are my inspirations?

Blogs like Decorista, Decor8, Lonny Mag, and too many more to list! Here are a few of my favorite inspirations in the last little while:

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The culture, the coffee, the siene, the architecture, the museums, the berets, the crepes, the crisp fall air...

I can think of no better place to be in the Autumn than the city of love and lights, Paris. And so here I am, on a rainy Monday morning, daydreaming about Paris... and I know that people say 'the grass is always greener on the other side', but I find it hard to believe that anyone could not like Paris! I mean, from free basic dental to 6 weeks vacation - they even have free post secondary education! It's kind of incredible... Socialist, yes, I know... but nonetheless, incredible.

One day in the very near future, I'm going to say 'Bonjour' to Paris and hopefully stay awhile :)

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And here's a little something I think we could all learn from...

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Okay, I have to admit - born and raised in beautiful British Columbia and really living and breathing West Coast culture can blind you from unseemingly style blunders.

Home of the bum-hugging stretchy yoga pants, I really wasn't too shocked to learn that Vancouver was near the top of the Worst Dressed Cities in the World (MSN) list. It's sad, but true. We don't see anything wrong with going out for a coffee with friends whilst sporting yoga pants - while in other cities, they're wearing casual blouses, cute crops and printed flats.

Although, I think as we grow older we mature in our dressing as well - now dressing more situationally specific than for comfort (plus, who says you can't have comfort AND style, right?). I'll admit, I used to fall victim to this before I knew better.

There's a time and place for stretchy yoga pants - at the gym, at yoga/pilates, or while on a run. But beyond that, there are always other options. Just sayin'.

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If you know me at all, you'll know that I have this crazy love for TLC's What Not to Wear. Not only do Stacy and Clinton crack me up coining phrases/words like "slut-astic" and "trashbag slut" and "what are you going for? hooker or pimp?" (I really could go on and on), but Stacy always look so amazing! Really!

So I'm counting my lucky stars that I happened to stumble upon "What's in Stacy's Closet?" tool on the What Not to Wear website - not only do they have pictures of everything that Stacy wore, but they have links if you want to buy it for yourself!

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It's almost time.

Time for what, you ask?

Time to pack up my entire life (it's half packed already!) and move to the other side of the country. It's starting to feel WAY more real now! We've ordered our wedding bands, we've started to buy furniture to turn his bachelor pad into a home (all he had was an awesome TV and TV stand - typical boy!), we're acting more responsible with our money (Crazy, right?)...

There are so many milestones in life that you don't really think much about until you're there:

• Graduating from diapers (although, I suppose YOU technically don't realize when this happens)
• Starting school
• Starting high school
• First kiss
• Graduating high school
• Starting post secondary
• Turning 19
• Getting a degree
• Buying a car
• Starting a real grown-up job
• Buying a home
• Getting MARRIED!!
• Having your own kids

Wow - when I put it like that, it's almost time for the full circle to close!! Eeeeeep!!

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So 2 months ago, I wrote about how I was waiting for sunshine and summer... Well, it's now almost August, and it looks like Mr.Sunshine decided to overlook Vancouver this year. Not to worry - as I'm going to take myself to sunshine. Yup - I'm flying to Toronto tonight where it's current 45 degrees celcius (including humidity). And will I complain about the heat? NO. After suffering through a so-called summer here in Vancouver, I will welcome the humidity and heat with open arms. *hugs*

All I have to say is #excitingtimesahead :)

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