16 before 17

I've always been a fan of bucket lists and have always wanted to write one up. However, since I'm not dying (at least I don't think I am) I didn't think it was proper to do so. So I've begun doing the alternative. At the beginning of the summer, I started a 16 before 17 list which I almost completely finished by the due date (end of August). I thought I'd share the list and my thoughts about it.

1. Read fifteen books.
I got around eleven of them and most of them were the Harry Potter series. I had never read them before and I found the Philosopher's Stone in a library sale. I scooped it up 'cause it was only twenty five cents and I was hooked. I borrowed the rest from the library and have slowly started my own collection. I have two Philosopher's Stones, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.

2. Spend a day outside.
Okay, I admit I didn't really completely complete this one. When I wrote this down, I was thinking of waking up, having breakfast outside, going into our pool, having lunch outside, going back into the pool, and then when it got too cold, reading on our trampoline, having dinner outside, and then spending the evening in our hot tub. That didn't really happen. My "day outside" was spent at Canada's Wonderland. So although I technically completed this one, I didn't exactly follow my own rules.

3. Keep my room tidy for a week.
I totally procrastinated on this point until the very end. But I actually did it. I had done a massive cleanup of my room and decided that with a bunch of my things in storage, it would be easier to keep things tidy. It wasn't really. But I did it so, yay for me.

4. Drink only water for a week.
I did this one fully. Food and drink isn't a huge deal for me so this wasn't too difficult. Also, food was allowed for me, just no juice, milk, or soda. So it wasn't that big a deal. I might actually do this but for a period of a month for my next list.

5. Sleep in a tent.
I have to give the credit to my parents for this. I probably wouldn't have done this had they not taken us camping in Quebec, so I can't really get all the credit.

6. Sleep under the stars.
To my shame, I did not complete this. I was planning on bringing out a mountain of blankets and spending the night on our trampoline, but every night I was available, there were way too many mosquitoes. Even near the end of the summer.

7. Buy flowers.
I actually did this one. Mainly because it only took money and no time. I ended up buying some little white orchids that died after two days of having them. As soon as I brought them home, I watered them and they immediately began shedding their petals. I admit I did absolutely no research on how to care for them (turns out you should only water them once a week). So there I was, drowning these flowers every day, cursing my luck that I had to buy the only defective orchids. So I let them die. I kind of forgot about them until a guy came to out door asking about the airfield we have at the back of our property. He noticed the dead orchids and told us exactly how to care for them. So now, they are actually growing back.

8. Keep up with this blog.
Okay, I admit there were times that I didn't update for weeks and that is mainly because my camera is being a dooface and won't connect to any computer in the home. I'm still trying to get that fixed. But I'm still here, so I say I get this point.

9. Ride the Leviathan.
I actually had a pass to Canada's Wonderland last year but since I was gone for most of the summer, I only ended up going once and we didn't get to go on the Leviathan 'cause the line was simply too long.
So this summer, I finally did it! ... it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I still prefer Behemoth better.

10. Do a Marvel movie marathon.
My parents hate movie marathons so I'm lucky that I actually did this. Okay, my parents were gone for the weekend when my older sister and I actually did it and only found out when they got home, but they weren't really angry or anything. Anyways, we ended up watching Iron Man 1, Captain America, Thor, and The Avengers. We didn't have Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 had just come out of theatres so we kind of left those out but I did manage to watch IM3 in theatres and IM2 only a couple weeks ago so I say they both count counts.

11. Dive off the diving board.
I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights. I just hate doing stuff that could potentially hurt me. I've always been a little scared of diving headfirst off a diving board that is at least two meters above the pool. But I did it, I'm proud, and I don't have to do it again.

12. Finish reading the Old Testament.
Okay, when I wrote this down, I thought I would have a lot more time this summer. I was really busy with math (which I dropped for the summer), trying to get a job, and a ton of other stuff that simply doesn't come to mind right now. However, I did make it all the way to Isaiah which I'm really proud of.

13. Do devotions on a regular basis.
So, while I didn't finish the entire OT, I did read my Bible on a regular basis. This is something I've always had difficulty with so I'm happy with what I accomplished.

14. Get rid of 10 items from my closet.
This was actually one of the easiest things on this list. I have way too much clothing that I never wear. I still have a ton of stuff I want to donate to my younger sisters.

15. Go horseback riding.
When I put this on my list, I wasn't really thinking of how I'd get this done. Looking back, if my best friend hadn't surprised me with a free lesson for my birthday at her friend's farm, I probably wouldn't have accomplished this task. I hadn't ridden in a year and it was great to be back in the saddle. I rode for six years but had to quit because of the cost. I need to save up for university so I don't have funds anymore.

16. Finish Barbarian.
I have been writing my very own novel for around a year and I finally finished it. I actually got to around 32 chapters when I decided that I didn't like it anymore. So I scrapped it and restarted. So technically, I wrote two books in a year. It has 29 chapters and an epilogue and is around 95,000 words. I'm super proud of it. It is my baby. I didn't exactly finish it before I turned 17 but it was only like a week later, so I say it counts.

I only wrote this list up at the beginning of the summer and since my birthday is at the end of summer, I only had a couple months to actually do this list. I tried to keep my goals simple and fairly easy to do since I didn't have much time. I accomplished 13/16 so I'm pretty happy. For the other three, I either got close, or I have good excuses. I'm putting together my 17 before 18 list which I'm really excited to start. The goals will definitely be longer and harder but that is all part of the fun. It will be so much fun to look back in a year or so and see all that I've accomplished within 12 months.

the doctor's house

I've never been much of an art fanatic, at least when it comes to paintings and even some photographs. Personally, I'd much rather visit places and and see things with my own eyes. However, I will admit that photography is an amazing hobby that is a special way of preserving memories. And sometimes, I can't help but fall in love with a photograph series.

I found these photographs while just surfing the web and I absolutely fell in love with them. They are so heavy and haunting and the story behind it is quite mysterious.

These images were taken by photographer Daniel Marbaix and are from an abandoned doctor's house somewhere in Germany. Looking at them, there is such a curiosity that arises even if the the backstory is somewhat known. According to Daniel Marbaix, most of the occupants died in a vehicle accident. Head stones were found for them in the house.

The once-impressive house is sadly --and badly-- run down but a lot of the rooms still have gorgeous furniture and features left behind by the previous owners. The house is a mess and apparently quickly abandoned, indicating a sudden getaway by the inhabitants. It has been left abandoned for at least twenty years.

Who were the owners of this beautiful mansion? Why did they runaway so quickly that they didn't even have time to pack a suitcase? What happened to them?

Thankfully, the large amount of furniture and items left in the home gives us a few clues as to who the owners were and what kind of life they lived.

outfit of the month // september

It's not really starting to feel like autumn yet. The weather this year has been pretty strange. First we had  no spring and went directly for summer weather in the high 20's and then only for a few weeks near the end of spring we actually got some nice mild weather. Then this summer has been on and off, either really hot and humid, or cold enough to wear pants and a sweater. And yesterday we had 30 degree weather. In some places of Toronto, the temperature was around 40's degrees and a heat warning was sent out. I believe it is only like the second September heat warning in the past decade. Pretty hot. Today isn't much different: Blazing hot sun, next to no breeze, and sweat stains after only minutes in the outdoors.

Regardless, I've been really stoked for autumn to begin. It is definitely my favourite season. I like the milder weather, the brisk wind, the crisp scent in the air and --of course-- the style. I love layering but it is really hard to do in the summer without melting and in the winter, you are always covered up in a thick winter coat. Spring... well, no one really wants to layer after a season of covering up. 

I've recently gotten a job, so I've become a little less apprehensive of buying new clothing instead of thrifting. And I've got my eye on a few pieces that I'm just dying to have. 

Sweater: Avora Aztec Sweater By BB Dakota

Dress: Favourite Rendition Dress

Boots: For Fold Time's Sake Bootie

Scarf: Heartwarming Up Scarf in Amber 

Necklace: Be-Leaf It or Not Necklace

Earrings: Welcome Bach Earrings

As you can probably tell, I'm obsessed with Modcloth and Ruche. But it is more just being kind to myself than anything else. I try to stay away from more expensive stores, online and not. I don't even look at such stores such as Free People and Anthropologie because I would hate to fall in love with a piece only to be unable to purchase it because of its hefty price or spend a senseless amount on money on one piece instead of spending the same amount of money and getting ten pieces or even more at a local thrift store. I think that is something that people don't pay enough attention to. They say that they are only window shopping but then end up breaking their hearts or their wallets on something that is ridiculously overpriced. At least in Modcloth and Ruche, the items are fairly decently priced and for anything in Modcloth that might be a little expensive, their incredible customer service makes up for it.

My family just got a new kitten and I've been meaning to post pictures but our camera is being stupid and won't even connect to the computer. Whenever I get the photos on my computer, I'll post them and you all can see our little ball of fluff.

home sweet home

I've always loved where I live. North of Toronto, Ontario, I live in between two little towns of 2,000 and 3,000 people. We're not too far from civilization, yet we live in the country side.

We live in the heart of horse country and I adore it. When ever I see this sign or the one that says "Equestrian Community" I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

I used to live in the suburbs until six years ago when we moved to where we are now. I can't imagine moving back to where we used to be or to the city. I'm a country girl and hopefully I'll never have to live in a place where "neighbours" mean "a few meters away" instead of "down the street, across fields and meadows".

I love the sectional quality of this photo: the weeds in front, then the fields, then the meadows, and then sky and the clouds. 

Unfortunately, this isn't our mailbox. I wish it was, though. 

 

I cannot wait for apples to be in season. I love crunching on a sweet Macintosh apple during the early weeks of autumn. 

I'm really looking forwards for cooler weather. Autumn is my favourite season of all. I love being able to layer and I like being able to run around without sweating up a storm in only a paltry minute. I love being cuddled in front of my fireplace, a warm blanket around my shoulders, hot chocolate or tea an arm's length away and a good book in my hands. As C.S. Lewis once said, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

I have no idea what this was/used to be. I'm guessing part of an old well, but I'm not too sure. I'd love to hear your guesses!

summer spur

With summer coming to a close, I've been scrambling to wear brighter clothing. I don't usually wear such flashy stuff but with colder weather spurring on the end of summer, I felt the need to don bolder colours because I'll probably put them away during the colder weather.  

This necklace is a recent buy from a thrift shop. It has a bunch of different tropical birds on it from parrots to toucans. It felt so right pairing it with this minty shirt because of the print of the top: Tropical leaves. 

This is Darcy, my cat. he wandered around during the shoot and I didn't want to shoo him away. He didn't seem to mind posing with me.