If you have ever followed a London Instagram account, I’m sure you’ve seen the charming neighbourhood of Notting Hill. With an array of colourful, pastel homes lining the streets, the few blocks feels like it could be a little town in itself. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking a million photos of the darling doors. It’s official, if I move to London this is the neighbourhood I’m moving to!
Would you live in Notting Hill?
Xo
Lauren
London! I’ve dreamt of visiting England since I was little, so to actually be there was beyond belief. I never tired of exploring the city and its fascinating history and culture. There was truly something around every corner that was worth seeing. And lucky us, we visited “gloomy and rainy London” during a heat spell! The rain jacket that took up a quarter of my suitcase – its only use was as a pillow!
I was surprised at how much London reminded me of Vancouver – without the mountains and the ocean, of course! Especially St. James’ Park, with runners, picnickers and lots of wildlife scurrying around.
Minus the red telephone booths. You don’t see those in Vancouver! Silly me thought that they’d all just be for show now… haha, turns out that they’re all still in use!
And this just covers our first few hours in London! We had tons more adventures over the next few weeks that I’ll be sharing as soon as I have the time. Olympics and pre-university jitters have got a lot of my time occupied at the moment 🙂
Also, pardon the fact that I’m wearing a Lululemon sports bra as a crop top. Haha, insomnia on a 10 hour journey can do crazy things to a girl 🙂
Wearing: Zara Skirt // Lululemon Sports Bra // Nike Roshe One White Runners // Tiffany & Co Necklace
Xo
Lauren
I returned home this weekend, sad to have paused my adventures abroad, but excited to get back into the swing of things at home. There’s just under a month until I’m off to university!
The last few days I’ve been overcome with jet lag, so the majority of my time has been spent watching the olympics – which have been awesome! I’m still trying to organize my photos from the trip, but I promise that I’ll have them up soon!
Today, however, I’m sharing my amazing time at plant-based food blogger Ella Mills (Woodward) of Deliciously Ella and her husband, Matthew’s, deli. The Mae Deli offers delicious and healthy food, in a cozy and homey environment. The staff was unbelievably friendly and I’ll admit, I had a bit of a fan girl moment when I saw the shop!
The most popular lunch option is the Mae Bowl – which gives you a generous portion of four dishes of your choice.
I chose the Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew with Brown Rice, the Mediterranean Tomato Salad, the Summer Slaw and the Squash and Summer Veg Quinoa. I’ve made this stew so many times at home and it was incredible to try the authentic dish at the deli owned by the genius who created it!
We also got a peanut butter slice for dessert! I love that they have so many tasty options that are all wheat, dairy and refined sugar free.
I 100% agree with their philosophy!
I couldn’t resist picking up a Mae Deli bag as a keepsake!
I still can’t believe I’ve been to The Mae Deli! I adore Ella’s cookbooks and outlook on a healthy lifestyle and am so jealous of Londoners who can visit her deli on a weekly basis.
Hopefully I’ll be back soon!
Xo
Lauren
All graduated and done with exams, my pre-school friend and I were taken by our moms on a surprise getaway – surprise meaning we didn’t know where we were going until we got there. The nameless destination made it a tad difficult to pack, even for one night! The morning of, when we took the exit towards Tsawwassen, we figured it out; Nanaimo was the location where we’d be spending the next couple of days. It was both wistful and exciting to be staying at the very resort that we had both frequented as children.
Of course, before even getting there we had to hit up Coombs, the market famous for its goats on the roof! They’d built a new building for the ice cream shop since I’d last visited.
There was the most adorable little shop with these gorgeous flower crowns beside it.
Nostalgia – when I tasted that bubble gum ice cream I used to devour as a kid.
Again for old-times sake, chicken strips and fries at the little Coombs restaurant.
I had lots of fun hanging out with my crab friends and frolicking – literally – at the beach.
Somehow climbing this was easier when we were little.
Wearing: Zara Shoulderless Top // American Eagle Shorts // Aldo Sunglasses // Aritzia Shirt // Lululemon Shorts // Lululemon Tank
I had so much fun on the little getaway! Sometimes a couple of days is all you need to recharge. Now only eight days until the big trip!
Any ideas where I’m off to?
Xo
Lauren
With classes finished and course selection completed for next year, I am finally finding the time to share these photos from our wonderful visit to the Abbotsford Tulip Festival. It’s only been two months 🙂
Being surrounded by the endless varieties of tulips was breathtaking. Is there anything better than having a chromatic array of fresh flowers at your fingertips?
Wearing: Steve Madden Booties (similar) // Zara Jeans (similar) // Plenty Top (similar) // Lululemon Free To Be Wild Sports Bra // Zara Coat (similar)
Reminiscing on all these floral fields has me anxious for the lavender fields I’ll be visiting in England in a month!
Xo
Lauren
Today was my last day of high school classes – ahhhh! I’m so ready to move on to bigger, better things and was thrilled to hear the bell ring one last time. Although I will admit that the day has kickstarted a few fluttery feelings in my gut. I’m celebrating the end of exams and my high school life with a Dairy Queen sundae, Finding Dory and a few of my favourite favourites from the week.
Favourite Workout Video (PlyoJam Sexy Butt Workout):
Favourite Quotes: * Cue the thrilled/relieved/nostalgic/anxious tears *
Dream Destinations (26 days until I leave for these beautiful places – and a couple more!):
Notting Hill, London, England
Nerja, Costa del Sol, Spain
Favourite Bite (Sunflower Seed, Kale and Cherry Salad with Savoury Granola by Half Baked Harvest):
What’s inspired you this week?
Xo
Lauren
Which red carpet look did you love most?
Xo
Lauren
Today, my mom and I took our very first painting class! We’re halfway through our painting and I’m super excited to share progress photos. I was a tad nervous heading in, considering I’m not a top notch drawer, but it was awesome to see that that skill isn’t a requirement. Many of the great masters used tracing techniques and photograph inspiration before letting their creative juices flow!
Even this work surface was inspiring!
I’d assumed that the base colour would be a sky blue and was intrigued to learn that we would be using this red-orange, as it’s barely noticeable in the final image. In fact, the sky is the last part that we will be adding! I’m not complaining though; this sunset orange is just beautiful!
This is our final product from Saturday! I can’t wait to finish it next week.
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” – Pablo Picasso
Xo
Lauren
It was a busy first week back to school so I’m just getting to posting Day 2 of our Whistler expedition. I’m loving looking at these photos as we’re going up again this weekend. We might not get as much gorgeous sunshine, but there is snow in the forecast! I’m so grateful that I live amidst the mountains, the forests and the ocean. Some people never see some of these beautiful products of nature, but I get to experience them each and every day!
On day two, we were ready to ramp up our adventure by snowshoeing the “Lookout Explorer” Trail at the Whistler Olympic Park. The hike was excellent as we found ourselves not on open paths but instead surrounded by dense, snow dusted trees.
The map and trail details explained that the Lookout point was a great stop for a picnic, with a shelter and a picnic bench at the top. We picked up sandwiches at Ingrid’s before driving to the Callaghan Valley and enjoyed them at the top, while looking out at Black tusk.
I had to put my gloves back on – it was too cold!
We warmed up with hot chocolates and lattes at the Day Lodge before heading back to the village.
I’m thrilled to have discovered this amazing snowshoeing spot and can’t wait to head up again this weekend!
Happy Tuesday,
XO Lauren
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun New Years Eve and an awesome start to 2016. It’s crazy how the leap from 2015 to 2016 has inspired so much change and brilliant resolutions that I hope to see come true. Due to the abundance of festivities, it’s an excellent time of year to show how grateful we are and to contribute to a beautiful world to the best of our ability. I encourage you to make S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals that will help you become your happiest self! Mine include: cooking dinner for my family once a week, completing the Kayla Itsines guide and taking my dog for a walk three times a week.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
On another note, I’ve been up at Whistler for the past few days and have had a great time with my family. I’ve been to Whistler many times, but I’ve never seen the weather as perfect as it was this past week. The sky was crystal clear and flooded with sunlight, with no breeze. I’m not allowed to ski for a while because of my history of four concussions but we had a wonderful time snowshoeing in the Callaghan Valley at the Whistler Olympic Park
The first day, we did a green trail – Stadium Explorer – that took us around the ski jump, where the national team happened to be practicing (it was unreal and terrifying) and around the biathlon track used in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It was tons of fun!
Back at the village, the lights were magnificent in the trees. We stopped at the Mongolie Grill one night for dinner. It’s so cool to watch your meal be cooked – and to see the cooks play toss with a tomato!
Stay tuned for our adventure on the breathtaking Lookout Explorer trail!
Xo
Lauren
Aimé By Aimé 