Christmas Chaos

So it's about that time of year again, when things start getting real crazy. I really don't know how people stay calm around Christmas. I'm the type of person who stresses very easily, so Christmas is a nightmare for me. 

On top of the usual present shopping and holiday activities, i also do an adopt a family hamper every year. This will be my third year participating in the program and i plan on continuing it for many years to come. The first year i got involved was a really hard year for me. There were so many bad events and negativity that year, that i decided i wasn't going to end it that way. I wanted to end it on a positive note, and that's when i started with the hamper program to help families in need. 

Despite all the crazy thing's going on this time of year, it's important to stop and enjoy it too. I'm very excited because this will be Bella's first Christmas! My cat Snoopy has become a bit grumpy around the holiday's. He's not one for crowds. But if its just my main family then he's okay. But he does have a Grinch outfit to suit him.

He pulls it off quite well! He also must live up to the title "Lil' Grinch". Every year we go through the struggle of him stealing bows off the presents,

If there is a bow, he will steal it. Or i don't even know how many time's I've given out present but had to apologize for the teeth marks in the bow. But now, it just wouldn't be Christmas without Snoopy stealing the bows.

XoXo Sara

The Gang

So most of us all have that one group of friends that always sticks together. This is mine. Here is the gang:

Starting from the left, is Me, Cherry, Chi, Jen, Kendra. I don't even remember how long ago this photo was taken. But i do remember going to Walmart and buying bubbles and junk food. (because why not?!) I've known these ladies since Junior High. Grade 9 was the year our group became more of an official thing.

I had the privilege of graduating High School with these ladies. We all looked stunning the day of our banquet. The best memories i have from grad are with these guys. I was dealing with some difficult things the last year of school, but i was lucky enough to have these ladies by my side and reminding me of the happiness i still had.

In this photo we have myself, Cherry, Chi, Navi, and Kendra. Navi occasionally hangs out with our group, but usually she's pretty busy. Cherry does have a real name, its Charnjeev. She got the nickname Cherry back in Junior High and it just kinda stuck. Sometimes its hard to get everyone in our group together since there's so many of us. This photo is from a day we went to play mini golf. Jen was unable to attend.

Our usual place for our dinner gatherings is Cactus Club. The food is amazing and its got a nice sense of class to it. We have dinner here as a group once a year. It's usually around Christmas to do our gift exchange.

On those days that majority of us are free and we plan something, we always find something interesting to do. Some days we would just get dressed up and go take some nice pictures in the park. Like this one. Yet another day that one of us was unable to attend. But we make the best of it. Day's where all 5 of us are available, is a rare occasion.

Even though our group may not get together very often, I'd still be lost without them. Through all the big events going on in our busy lives, we have all been there for each other. When life get's too stressful, its great to get together with these ladies, have a few laughs and just escape reality for a while.

What ever life has coming our way, we will always go through it together. Can't wait for all the adventures that the future holds for our gang.

XoXo Sara

Frosted Beauty

So the other day i took my puppy for a walk, it was a frosty morning so i was all bundled up for a cold walk. But i had to stop at take in the beauty. It's amazing how much different everything looks with a little frost.

This is the park i usually take Bella for a walk in. I've always thought this park was really pretty, but it looks absolutely amazing in frost! It really was beautiful!

All the small bushes i normally would not think twice to stop at, made me stop that day. They really stood out!

Considering i took these pictures with my phone, i think they turned out beautifully. Here's a shot of my sweet Bella girl!

Bella is a purebred Pomeranian. She is almost 8 months old. Can hardly believe it! Feels like yesterday i was out having frozen yogurt with my mom, talking about puppies. You can research all you want about taking care of a puppy, but when it comes time to doing it, its a whole new ball game. As hard as it is, i wouldn't trade it for anything. She has added so much happiness to me and my families life. Couldn't imagine being without my Bella bear <3

XoXo Sara

My Cupcake's Birthday

So as mentioned before, last weekend was a bit of a crazy one. Besides the mountain journey, i also had my best friend's birthday party! This is Jamie. We've known each other since Junior High. High school is when we really connected and became best friends. Honestly, if you can make it through high school, and still be friends afterwards, you'll be friends forever. 

This girl has been with me through some of the hardest points in my life. Without her, i don't know where i would be right now. At a particular low point in my life, if it wasn't for her i never would have thought things could get better. She really was that one person that made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I couldn't imagine life without her, and i was so thankful to get to spend her special day with her!

Before all the birthday celebrations could begin, the ladies had to get ready. Might i add, this took them HOURS. I'm the only one in this photo that was ready to go. Looking fabulous is a process.

Once all the gal's were finally ready, we started the night off at 80th and Ivy Modern Kitchen. This was my first time at this place, and it was amazing! It's got such a comforting vibe that makes you feel one with everyone else in the restaurant. There was also a band playing that were super awesome! They even bought Jamie a shot for her birthday! 

Not sure which shot number this was for Jamie...But she took them all like a champ! If i was in her place i would probably be on the floor at that point. We had so many laughs around the table. Here's the best photo we could get of the guy's:

The first on the left is Jamie's special guy. He's very sweet and treats her good. (He'd better or you know who's coming after him!) Beside him is his friend Matt. This was everyone's first time meeting Matt, he was a very chill guy and very social. Beside him, is my goofy boyfriend mr Tyler. He looks quite scared by the guy across the table from him. Last but not least, that is Jake. Jake is Jamie's sister's boyfriend. Did you get that? I know sometimes that sounds confusing. And here is the Ladies!

The only one missing from this photo is Jamie's sister Tracey. I'm not quite sure why she wasn't in this photo...But you'll see her in one below. The one on the far left is miss Shannan. I've known Shannan since grade 4...i think. It was honestly so long ago that i don't remember her not being a part of my life. I spent my childhood with her, and wouldn't change any of our memories together. Once Jamie moved back to Calgary, her and Shannan moved in together. Im so glad they've become so close! And for me i have 2 of my best friends in one place! I love both of them to pieces.

This is the best shot of the whole gang that i could get. There's moment's you wished you had a selfie stick, this was one of them.

I tried my very best to get everyone in this photo. After everyone's tummy's were full and Jamie had enough shots, we made our way to the club and danced the night away. Such a great night with so many great people. Happy Birthday Jamie! I hope you had an amazing time! Can't wait to fill your 24th year with love and happiness! 

P.S. "Cupcake" is our nicknames. 

<3 XoXo Sara

Hearts in the Mountains

So last weekend was a busy one. So many adventures. But i think my favorite one was hanging out in the mountains with this handsome guy <3

So to get this blog rolling, let me introduce this man you'll be seeing a lot of. This is Tyler. He's one of the most sweetest guys I've ever met. It's unfortunate to have to go through so many bad relationships to realize what you deserve. We all have a past, and i know for me, mine has a lot of heart ache. But after all those times of being knocked down, i finally have someone who is there to lift me up. I don't know what i would do without him.

We planned a nice night away out at Lake Louise. On the way to our destination, we stopped at Lake Minnewanka, what a beautiful site!

While taking in the beauty of the lake, we found a fallen tree down by the water to sit on. Me being a girl who likes cute photo's, wanted to set the timer and take a stunning shot. But i'm not the most graceful person. It was a struggle for me to get on the tree before the picture was taken. Needless to say, there were a few failed attempts. Like this one...

Tyler tried to help. But it was too late. BUT i did eventually figure it out and we managed to get a cute shot after all :)

Cute Right?! Was worth the struggle.

Here's a nice photo that Tyler actually took for me. 

There's nothing quite like the mountains. Something just so huge, that makes you feel so small. All the natural formations around it, there's nothing that compares to the beauty it has to offer.

Overall, i wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Being surrounded by such beautiful nature, and the man who has my heart, words cannot describe the happy feeling. Also considering it was November and we were able to just wear sweaters, i call that a big win. Winter's in Canada usually aren't so nice. I give that day a 10 out of 10 <3

XoXo Sara 

Town Hunting

So you always see blogs or post's with pictures from big cities like New York. But what about the little guys? The one's in between your travels to get to those big cities. On the weekend i went for a day trip to Drumheller with my boyfriend. We decided to stop along the way to check out the small towns! They actually had some really unique things to offer, take a look!

The first town we stopped in was Munson. This was a very small town, with no shops. Only houses. But i still found a couple things that caught my eye. One of them was this neat telephone pole.

I thought this was really cute! Where else can you say that you've seen a telephone pole with bird houses on it?! This was very unique! I also saw something else that caught my eye a bit further down the road...

This church! There's just something about abandon building's that gets you thinking. Most people think theyre creepy, which yes, they kinda give me goosebumps too. But what about the story behind it? What was it like when it was running? Why isn't it being used anymore? Those are some of the thoughts that went through my head looking at this old church. I bet those stained glass windows shine through the sunlight!

The Next town we stopped in was Morrin.

Morrin was a bit bigger then Munson as it had some shops and this really old Motel!

I love the rustic feel of this Motel. Gives it such character. Not sure I'd be able to spend the night here, you never know, you might be rooming with Casper.

Another neat thing to see in this town though is a sod house!

This was my first time seeing an actual sod house! I remember doing a project on making one in elementary, but i must say mine looked nothing like this.

But as you can see, there are lots of hidden gems in these little towns that people usually drive by. So next time your travelling to a bigger destination, maybe stop at one of the towns along the way. You never know what you might find!

Get Rugged!

How rugged are you?! I sure pushed my limits with doing Rugged Maniac here in Calgary. This was my second year doing this race and it never fails to challenge me!

If you have always thought about doing an obstacle race but were a bit on the nervous side and decided against it, i promise you if you do it, you will feel so accomplished. Rugged Manic is on the "rugged" side so bruises and cuts are a given. But even though its a bit rough on the body, its so much fun and you'll gain an experience you'll never forget.

Getting involved with a race always starts with having a good team. I got a group of my closest friends together and we had a blast. If you wanted to try the race solo, that's cool too! Everyone involved in the race is like one big family and always helps each other out along the way.

This was my second year doing Rugged Maniac, and as hard as it was, ill be sure to sign up for years to come! You feel so accomplished crossing that finish line and receiving your medal.

The second race I've participated in is Foam Fest.This race is more on the gentle side and is about the fun more then the challenge. If you don't wanna get too "rugged" and are looking to test out the feel of an obstacle race, i recommend Foam Fest.


Foam Fest has a bit of muddy obstacles to make you get pretty dirty, but they also have the foamy ones which kinda clean you off, and hey, who doesn't like playing in bubbles!

Last but not least we have Mud Hero. If your looking to get FILTHY, then this is the race for you. There is no shortage of mud in this race. They make sure your covered in head to toe in the thickest mud possible.

I just finished Mud Hero 2016 last weekend, and that was my third year doing this race. The obstacles arent too challenging in this one, but they sure are muddy! 

If you had to ask me which of the 3 are my favorite, i couldn't give you an answer. Each race is so different in its own way that i couldn't pick one to be my favorite. Once you try one race and get a feel for it, you'll be hooked. I've over come obstacles i never thought i could and plan to continue those challenges. 

Never underestimate the strength you have. No matter what obstacles you face you can always get past it. Weather its a race, or something in life, you can do it. Just find it within yourself and you can :)