Eat Pray Love

Hello again Thursday! Fancy meeting you here…

I thought I would review one of my favourite movies right now (and really of all time)

Eat Pray Love

Honestly, how could you go wrong with a (true!) story of a woman who visits 3 different countries in a year of self-discovery starring none other than the wonderful Julia Roberts and the gorgeous Javier Bardem? Seriously, it’s a recipe for awesome.

After realizing she was unhappy with her marriage, finalizing her divorce, and ending up in an unhappy rebound relationship, Liz Gilbert finds herself trying to find herself on a yearlong journey through Italy (Eat), India (Pray), and Bali (Love).

Julia Robert’s performance is quite inspiring for me. At the beginning of the film when she realizes how much she wants a life change and she’s kneeling on the bathroom floor praying to God for the first time, she’s half crying/talking and it’s so genuine and honest. Love it! I think the best part of the story for me is that it’s a true story. This is actually someone’s life (adapted for the film screen, but none the less) and she was bold enough to share it with us.

Liz goes through time to deal with her divorce while staying with friends, then jumps into a relationship with a younger man (enter James Franco…the only part of the movie I did not enjoy) which fails miserably (he wants to stay unhappy in the relationship so they are happy that they have someone…huh?) After that she realizes she isn’t living, and it’s time to make a change. She takes off on her wonderful adventure jet setting across the world. I love all the quirky, amazing people she meets along the way and all the lessons she learns, like not being afraid of a muffin top because pizza is just too darn delicious and sometimes losing balance from falling in love is a great way to find a balanced life. My favourite quote from the movie is from Richard whom Liz meets in India.

‘Hey Groceries, believe in love again.’

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking (scary, I know!) about where I want my life to go from here. I know 22 isn’t exactly the time for a mid-life crisis, but I’m considering the next 10 years of my life. Where do I want to be when I’m 32? Where do I really want to be when I’m 32? Is it in the job I’m at now? Do I want a huge career change? Do I want to get married and have a family? Do I want to stay in the same area or do I want to move? There are so many things swirling around in my head and this movie just makes me stop.

Stop. And think.

It makes me realize I don’t have to have all the answers right now. I could change my mind a million times in the next 10 years, and that’s totally ok.

Liz is challenged in Italy by her friends to come up with a word for herself. She at first thinks it’s ‘writer’ but she is told that’s what she does, that’s not who she is. I can’t give away what she finds it is because I don’t want to spoil the ending.

I think that’s an awesome exercise and I want to challenge you all to do the same.

Love? Courageous? Strong? Bubbly? Original? Leader?

I still need to figure mine out, but I’d love to know what’s your word?




Watch the trailer here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjay5vgIwt4

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Are you afraid of the dark?

I had the privilege of spending quite a bit of time one on one with my niece, K, this past week. She turned 3 in November and is the funniest little girl I’ve ever met, not that I’m biased or anything…

The spare room at my house, directly across from my bedroom, has been unofficially turned into K's room, full of sesame street posters and everything Minnie Mouse you could think of. She has a nightlight near her bed and a lamp on her night stand that she likes on as she’s falling asleep. Once she’s out like a light, (pun totally intended) I go in and turn off the lamp and turn on another night light in the hallway.

She told me the last time she slept over that she was scared of the dark. ‘It’s too dark’, she says, which makes sense seeing as it’s the dark, right? (she cracks me up) The conversation moved on from there and as we were walking down the stairs a few minutes later she asked me, ‘Are you afraid of the dark?’ I realized this was a crucial moment. K is so perceptive and has an amazing memory. She’ll recite exactly what you said about something a week later. It’s amazing and kind of scary at the same time. I knew that how I answered her question could really impact her, and I wanted to help her as best I could. Talk about pressure.

So I told her, ‘I’m not afraid of the dark, but there’s nothing to be scared of. There’s some times that I don’t really like being in the dark, but I know that I don’t need to be scared.’ Who knows if she actually got the point of what I was saying, but I got a lot out of it!

I realized that is so true to life itself. We as humans go through many times of darkness. We feel alone, we can’t see what’s ahead or even beside us, and it’s all just unknown to us. As tough as that is for us, we don’t necessarily have anything to be worried about.

That’s why I lean on God so much. In the dark, He reminds me that I am never alone. Always there to listen, He is always with me and I never have to feel like I’m stranded by myself. Just because I can’t see what’s next in my life or where I’m headed, I know God has an amazing plan for me and I need to trust in Him and let Him take the lead. Where He leads, I will try really hard to follow. I wish I could say I 100% will follow, but I'm certainly not perfect. I really strive to be a better whole-hearted follower. Many things are unknown to me but I know in time, when and if I need to know, God will reveal it to me. And if not, maybe it’s just supposed to stay in the dark. I need to be ok with that.

As comforting as it is to be able to pray for God to hold us in the dark, we need to remember to praise Him in the light! It’s second nature to many of us to pray when things get tough, but how many remember to pray just as often when things are great? Remember as much as God is with us in darkness, He’s with us just as much in the light. And for that I am very, very grateful!

I hope you all have a blessed, happy, light filled Monday and aren't so worried next time it gets a little dark.  

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight’
-Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Follow your Arrow

Thursday already? Wow! Time is seriously flying way too fast. Is anyone else as shocked as I am that it’s already January 23^rd?! Craziness! Anyways, on to our review…

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a huge country music fan! Although I like pretty much every type of music (except rap…I have to draw the line somewhere) country just get me, you know?

I thought this week I would talk about one of my new favourite songs, Follow your arrow by Kascy Musgraves. To be completely honest, the first time I heard it I didn’t even get to the chorus. I didn’t get the point of the lyrics (I’m all about the lyrics to a song) and the tune just didn’t grab me right away. Then a little while ago, I was in the car with my boyfriend and this amazing song came on the radio! I looked over at his satellite radio box-thing that sits on his dashboard (clearly I don’t have a huge understanding for technology) and it was the same song!

Ever since, I can’t seem to get enough of it.

She does a great job at catching your attention, I was really listening the first time I heard it and although I didn’t care for it, I was too quick to jump to conclusions about the whole song. I didn’t give it the fair chance it deserved. I think we’re all guilty of that, about way more things than just songs. (I think I hear another post coming…) The song has some great lyrics that I’ll post below that really make you think. They certainly made me think! It talk about how extreme different people’s perceptions can be and I have to say her examples are quite accurate.  

The very first line is ‘If you save yourself for marriage you’re a bore. You don’t save yourself for marriage you’re a horr-ible person’. Talk about getting right to the point, but this is so true! Society is so judgmental, and so extreme in those judgments. Just because we don’t agree with someone’s choices does not give us the right to decide whether it’s right or wrong for that individual. So totally not my job; my job is to love and that is all.

She makes mention of many different ‘touchy subjects’ throughout the song, saying to ‘kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that’s something you’re into’ and to ‘roll up a joint…or don’t’ when the straight seems a bit too straight. I like that she took a step and put herself out there to get her message across, knowing she certainly wouldn’t please everyone. That’s what I personally learned the most.

Kacey sings ‘just follow your arrow wherever it points.’ You can’t please everyone and you just have to know and understand that. This has been a huge thing for me lately.

I’ve always wanted to be a “real blogger”; actually dedicate my time and energy into it because I love to write and what better way to share that in the 21^st century than through a blog? But I was always hesitant because I didn’t know if people would like what I had to say. Would anyone read it?

Would people think what I’m saying is stupid?

This song taught me that it’s not about all those people who are or aren’t reading it or do or don’t think it’s stupid. I need to write about what I want to write about and it’ll be an amazing bonus if it inspires someone, is a little food for thought, or just makes them smile. As much as I want everyone to like my writing, I need to actually start writing things to give people the chance.

Thank you Kacey, for being an inspiration and sharing such a great song with us all! (Love your hair in the video too!)

 

If you save yourself for marriage, you're a bore.
You don't save yourself for marriage, you're a horrible person.
If you won't have a drink, then you're a prude.
But they'll call you a drunk as soon you down the first one.

If you can't lose the weight, then you're just fat.
But if you lose too much, then you're on crack.
You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't,
So you might as well just do whatever you want.

Chorus:
So, make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys,
Or kiss lots of girls, if that's something you're into.
When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight,
Roll up a joint, or don't.
Just follow your arrow wherever it points, yeah.
Follow your arrow wherever it points.

If you don't go to church, you'll go to hell.
If you're the first one on the front row, you're a self-righteous son-of-a--
Can't win for losing, you'll just disappoint 'em,
Just cause you can't beat 'em, don't mean you should join 'em.

Chorus:
So, make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys,
Or kiss lots of girls, if that's something you're into.
When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight,
Roll up a joint, or don't.
Just follow your arrow wherever it points, yeah.
Follow your arrow wherever it points.

Say what you think. Love who you love.
Cause you just get so many trips round the sun.
Yeah, you only, only live once.

So, make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys,
Or kiss lots of girls, if that's what you're into.
When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight,
Roll up a joint, I would.
And follow your arrow wherever it points, yeah.
Follow your arrow wherever it points.

Follow your arrow - Kacey Musgraves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ8xqyoZXCchttp://aplacetocallhomee.blogspot.ca/2014/01/a-thursday-review.html

What's up weekend?

On one hand, I can’t believe it’s already Friday! On the other, I can’t believe it’s only now Friday. This girl is beat! I am so ready to just relax this weekend doing nothing but super fun things.

The man and I are headed to The Bull BBQ Pit for dinner tonight. If you’re a meat lover, this is the place for you. We discovered this place about a month ago and are totally ready to head back for another delicious dinner. Located downtown St. Catharines, it’s very affordably priced and their jalapeno poppers will knock your socks off.

 Seriously, my eyes watered for almost the rest of the meal. No joke. Ask my man…he laughed.

                                                               Clearly I can't take spicy food.

I’m really looking forward to trying their mac and cheese tonight – yes I’m supposed to be eating healthy and yes cheese and I don’t always get along but it’s Friday and I’m tired of salads and fruit. Bring it on.

Give them a try! They even have delivery...music to my ears!

                                                                                      http://thebullbbqpit.com/

Later this evening our youth is having a pjs and board games night. Hello, comfy night! (This will be perfect after our dinner out) We have a great group of kids in our junior and senior youth groups so I’m really looking forward to just hanging out with them and playing some awesome games! It'll probably be more like my getting my butt kicked by 11 year olds at Cranium but hey, 'ya win some ya lose some.'

Saturday and Sunday will be filled with time with 2 of my best friends and my guy. Who knows what we’ll get ourselves in to. We may get out to the movies, I really want to see American Hustle. I’m sure lots of food and more games are in our future. I love weekends like this!

What are you all up to this weekend? Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a blast!

A Thursday review.

I’d like to start dedicating Thursdays to sharing all about my favourite (and not so favourite) things. And what better way to start than with my all-time favourite favourite. Outlander. *swoon*

I'll begin by sharing a confession. I am absolutely, 100%, unabashedly in love with reading. Novels, magazines, fiction, non-fiction, drama, comedy, mystery, (a little bit of) horror, historical romance, science fiction; you name it, I’m probably going to love it! I also don't read things just one time. Once I've fallen head over heels for it, I'm probably going to devour it a few more times.

What better way to end a typical Thursday than by gushing about my favourite novel of all time.

If you haven’t read Outlander, you haven’t lived.

For all you fellow readers out there, it’s got everything you could possibly imagine. It’s historical, hilarious, and suspenseful. It’s full of action, thrill, and love. It is such a page turner and keeps you right at the edge of your seat, I’ve read it 4 times. Yep, all 627 pages of it. ‘nough said. Diana Gabaldon just fills the pages with such great dialogue and banter, it’s hard to put down.

The story begins in 1945 where we meet Claire Randall, an English nurse in WWII, on a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband Frank, a lover of genealogy. After coming across an archaic rock circle on their travels, without giving too much away, one thing leads to another and Claire finds herself in 1743 Scotland at the hand of the incredibly creepy Black Jack Randall (Who is actually her husband Frank’s six-times-great-grandfather, go figure). While getting away from Randall, she finds herself “rescued” by a group of hilariously unique Scots. Most importantly the young, handsome, red headed Jamie Fraser. (I’m sure you can imagine how THAT all works out)
I’ll leave you hanging here, because I can. J

The people she encounters and messes she gets herself into while trying to make her way back to 1945 (and her husband) make for a phenomenal story. The best part? It’s the beginning of a 7 (soon to be 8) book series! I'll admit, I have not read farther than Outlander, only because I’m so invested in it. It’s hard for me to move on in Claire’s story; it’s that captivating. It’s the perfect little getaway from everyday life.

What makes a good book for me is when the characters become close to my heart. Claire, Jamie, and everyone in between have become my very dear friends and I feel like I’ve been a part of their story.

I'm sure many of you love a great love story (hello Allie and Noah!),  however there is something about Claire and Jamie that just takes my breath away. You can feel their love on the pages. I don't know how it could possibly be, but 2 fictional characters taught me quite a bit about love. That it isn't 50-50, it must be 100-100. You must always believe in one another, even when everyone else is against you. And that someone may want to kill one or both of you, but if you have each other anything is possible.

Jamie's way of telling Claire how he loves her, is phenominal. Ya'll can keep your Christian Grey. Jamie Fraser is seriously the man. If you read it, you'll know exactly what I mean.

When I start to describe Outlander to someone, every single one has given me ‘the look’, a mixture of ‘this girl is crazy’, ‘that sounds bizarre’, and ‘why is she getting so excited and flailing her arms around?’ I’ll be the first one to say, my description just doesn’t do it justice. It’s one of those situations where you just have to take my word for it. So please, do me a favour and give it a try! I promise you will not be disappointed.

All I can say is thank you, Diana Gabaldon, for sharing this amazing story with me and everyone who loves a little escape every now and then.  

 

              ''For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. It is enough.''
                       -Diana Gabaldon, Outlander

a new year; a new beginning

Hello 2014!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve and are as excited for this new year as I am!

I thought I would begin the year off right by starting a blog! I've been made fun of by friends for never following through on blogging (you know who you are) so one of my New Years Resolutions is to write on a regular basis and actually blog.

I can't say it will be anything profound, but I plan on sharing my faith and everyday life on the world wide web.

I had the privilege of ringing it in with 4 of the greatest people and had a ton of fun! I'm very excited to see what 2014 will bring.

So come along for the ride; it's sure to be entertaining! I would love to help or inspire at least one person through this little blog, and of course a great laugh! I hope you can find this little blog

a place to call home.