I Will Survive, hey hey!

Hi everyone and happy December!

I have officially finished my first semester of university! I am so happy, it was such a tough semester, but I completed my last exam last week and I AM FREE

... for a couple weeks. I'm scheduled to work pretty much everyday, though! My manager has even asked me to work Christmas Day! I have no clue how I'll get out of that one.

I was refreshing my student account ever since I got home from my Archaeology exam, and they were finally updated today.

Honestly, I don't even care that the grades aren't A's -- I passed!! And I have an exact 2.00 GPA so no academic probation for me WOO HOOO!

I just wanted to write a little post to update you all. I am so happy to be done this semester, I've definitely learned a lot (such as "I never want to take another Archaeology class" and "watching Netflix during lectures doesn't result in failing"), and it's been fun albeit very stressful. I've never had so many nervous breakdowns. Especially in that psychology class. I actually cried at the bus stop last month after seeing my results for my midterm. There really is a first for everything!

- Iona

pictures from edinburgh

Hi everyone,

In November of 2013, my family and I went back to Scotland (for the 2nd time in 6 years!) for my cousin's wedding. Since we were there for two weeks, we decided to do something we didn't do often when we lived there; sight-see.

We took the train to Edinburgh.
It was Milo and Coco's first time on a proper train.
In Vancouver, we drive or take the bus as the trains in Vancouver aren't like the trains in Britain. I mean, don't get me wrong - there are lots of trains in Canada - but most of them are used to transport things and not people.

Notice the red cups. Of course we had to stop off and get our Starbucks because;
a) it was freezing and,
b) we're Canadian. Canadians love their Starbucks.

And, yes, that is Coco, the three year old, in a pram. If there is one thing you should know about my sister Coco, it is that she is one lazy article.

These pictures are in/around the castle.
The first one is of all my siblings. I don't know where it came from, but Coco was really obsessed with her doll 'Dolly' (a very unique name) on this day and wanted her in all the pictures with her. So the face she is pulling is a 'is Dolly in the picture too?' sort of smile.

I love the shops in Edinburgh - as in the way they look. It's such an old fashioned city. It was weird because even though I have visited before, I felt like a tourist. It wasn't even a bad thing -- it mean't I didn't feel embarrassed when taking pictures of everything!

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Thanks for reading!

Iona

september, october & november

Hi everyone!

I have been busy over the past few months. I keep thinking "I haven't made a blog post in soo long" but in reality it's only been, what, 3 months? The summer was a relaxing period for me and I had a lot of extra time to write posts (even though I didn't do that). Ah, HOW I wish I could go back to then...

SEPTEMBER //
I started working on the 25th of August in a... favourite Canadian fast-food restaurant (can I say the name? It's Tim Hortons). Work is work. I don't like working but there is nothing wrong with where I work. Oh well, now I don't feel so guilty when I drop $10 everyday at Starbucks so that's a plus.
I also I began university on the 1st of September. I began university and working in the span of a week and I think it was a bad idea. So university. No one told me how utterly boring university would be. I'm studying Archaeology. Maybe that's why.
Archaeology is... probably not for me. I have taken to watching Netflix and BBC iPlayer instead of listening in lectures. I watch Parks and Rec in my Human Origins class and I catch up on EastEnders in my Intro to Archaeology class. As you can probably assume, I am not doing that well in school. Hey, as long as I pass.

OCTOBER //
I sort of mentioned him in one of my last posts but I have a new baby brother. He was born in June and his name is Enzo. So I have the perfect mix of two sisters and two brothers. how lucky I am. Enzo is now 6 months. It's been weird how easily Enzo has fit into our family. Even the first week of him being here, I couldn't imagine our house without him.

I was invited to a few Halloween parties but in the end took Milo, Coco and Enzo out trick-or-treating. What can I say, I'm boring -- I mean a family person!
On the down-side, everyone thought I was the mother. It aways makes me feel uncomfortable...

NOVEMBER //
and now we're in November. I am finishing my semester at the end of this month (then exams!) and then I will be working all through December.
I don't think November will be a particularly busy month. I have a surprisingly small amount of assignments due. However, I have a few plans with friends to go downtown at the end of the month.
Hopefully I will be confident to take pictures in public and post them here.
I also think I will finally post some of the recipes I have been keeping in case I have no idea what to post because I just need to get into the groove of blogging again.

Okay! So this was a short but completely accurate recap of the past 2 months of my life. Have any of you been doing anything (or nothing) lately? I'll be back soon - surely sooner than 3 months.

- 

Iona

Bonding and Doctor Appointments

Hi everyone,

Back in December of 2013, I visited my doctor after my eczema hit a rough patch (pun intended). I left the appointment with a hurt ego (I mean, I knew my skin was bad but I didn't think it would be "the worst case of eczema" my doctor had ever seen) and a referral to a dermatologist. My mum called the dermatologist the same day and since I live in the land of 'doctor appointment when you have a splinter' there was a 6 month waiting list for an appointment.

So, here we are, July 29th -  or the day I have waited 6 months for. It's so typical that my skin has cleared up a lot since December and there is no trace, really, of my eczema. Turns out I have atopic eczema so it comes and goes but is with me forever. #eczemalife.
After my appointment, my siblings and I - side note: doesn't 'siblings' sounds so proper? - went to the park while my mum took Enzo, my 1 month old brother, to his doctor appointment.

Orla took it upon herself to teach Coco red hands. Coco is four. Orla is fifteen. Orla is very much the evil sibling.

Here's Milo, the 5 year old.
I love natural pictures like these. I'm always trying to catch my family mid-laugh or conversation but it confuses them and they're always like, "Why are you taking pictures right now?" They just don't understand my artistic ways...

The heat was so unbearable. Google tells me it was 28 degrees when we were at the park.
I feel like I talk about the weather more than I should but maybe that's because I was raised in Britain. The British are always talking about weather, right?

When the sun finally got too much, we all moved into the shade and played a game of eye-spy. Eye-spy with kids is the funniest thing. We play with colours instead of the first letters because they can't spell. Milo kept saying things like, "I spy something purple" and it would be one of the dots on Coco's top. Then, of course, Orla fought back and would start pointing out cars they were too short to see, or other things they would never find.

Overall, it was a good day spent bonding. Aw, bonding. So cheesy... I shook my head as I typed it.

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Thanks for reading!

Iona

So, it begins...

I will graduate high school and now my life begins, right?
Well, at least university will begin (in 2 months time).

While I'm studying and taking tests, I know I'll want somewhere to 'escape' to... and since cocaine is too expensive, I'm going to write a blog!

Maybe it will inspire me to keep improving my photography skills?

Or maybe not.

later peeps,
Iona