Camping in Marten River

Hello again,

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of escaping to Marten River Provincial Park (just north of North Bay) for four days. It was a much needed refresher for the lungs, being in the 'clean' air, with plenty of trees and other wildlife. 

While there, I did plenty of fishing. We rented a boat for three of the four days we were there, and used it to its fullest potential. I could spend endless hours just riding along the river, soaking in the sunshine (with appropriate amounts of sunscreen) and feeling the breeze! 

The first day we were there was probably the best, weather wise anyways. Was also the only day that I got to wear a bathing suit (in July, yes I know). Did a little bit of fly-fishing that day, which was awesome (except didn't catch anything). 

The weather did get a bit cooler (I actually wore pants most of the trip...in July, I KNOW!) after that first day, but I prefer it that way anyways. Summer is probably my least favourite of the seasons. It only rains one night, and we've set up enough tarps that it really doesn't affect us all that much--except that we were out in the middle of the river when it started raining!!

I managed to catch 1 pike, 3 good-sized perch, and a BUNCH of smaller bass, perch and of course...sunfish! However, we didn't end up eating any of the fish because they all had parasites...which is terribly sad (for the fish, not for me...I had other food). Even the 'cleaner' bodies of water are becoming more and more polluted-which is incredibly unfortunate. 

All in all, the park was beautiful and the river was even more so. Such a shame that is a 5 hour drive (with good traffic) away from me! I'd love to be there every weekend. But, I will have to try new places!

If you want to see some of the pictures I took on the trip, have a look below:

Traumatizing people since 1996 (just kidding...I actually have no idea how long this little devil's been at it).

The work of a strong beaver no doubt. I actually saw a beaver when I was on the river...and plenty of beaver dams to go with them!!

Such a stunning view.

Where do you guys like to go to escape the city?

Bye!

Nostalgia

Hey guys,

So this past week I've been feeling a little nostalgic, and a little blue. You might ask yourself, "Why? Why could she possibly be blue?"...or you might not. Either way, I'm going to tell you. 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE school (understatement of the year). One might even say I'm a bit of a nerd. I've loved going to school since kindergarten, and I'm not about to stop now (you can't make me!!!). 

Having recently graduated from university, I'm now left without class to go to. Although I'm thankful that I got a job so quickly out of school, I am also still quite sad about not going back to school this September. 

I was at Target this past weekend, and as I was perusing the aisles, I stumbled upon the 'Back to School' section. Filled with the joy of back to school season, I walked over and continued to look at all the cool new products, and wanted to start adding items to my basket. That is when I realized that I wasn't going back to school this September. This will be the first September since I was four years old (YES....FOUR!!!!) that I will not be going back to school. 

Some of you might think that's silly. I think it's odd.

I've spent nearly 83% (yes, I did say I loved school...didn't I?) of my life at school. Nearly 20 years people! That's the most time I've dedicated to anything really...aside from breathing and eating!

So for all of you going back to school this September, be grateful! 

Not only for the fact that you get to see your friends, and "have something to do"...because you're just "SOOOO BORED" with your summer, but also because you should be thankful for your education. Many people do not have the opportunity to receive one at all, and would give anything to go to school. 

So, the next time you are grim about heading back to school this September, think. Try and learn at least ONE new thing each day. That might be the easiest assignment you do all year.

Keep me posted!

Bye!

Scene Fest 2014

 Hello!

This June, my sister graduated high school, and so I thought it would be fun to buy her tickets to a 2-day concert in St. Catharines called Scene Fest. I bought us passes for the Saturday (because I didn't care much for the bands playing on the Sunday) and off we went! 

The concert was an all day event, but we didn't really want to spend 12 hours there, so we decided to head over around dinner time. We made a pit stop at a restaurant called Jack Astor's and then popped over to the venue. 

I was most excited to see two bands: Monster Truck and Matthew Good. I found out though that Abandon All Ships, Rich Aucoin, and Black Collar Union were also playing, and that was quite exciting!

There was one "main stage" and then several other concerts going on throughout the downtown area at bars (which were all ages until 11pm). We were in the second row to see Monster Truck, which was pretty amazing, and made for some great pictures! Unfortunately, since Matthew Good was at night, the pictures did not turn out as good! 

Here are some of the pictures that I snapped throughout the evening:

This last one is a picture of my sister (right) and I (left).

We had such an amazing time and stayed out much later than we had anticipated! 

Have you guys gone to any fun concerts/festivals this summer?

Bye!

Graduation

Hey everyone,

I have some serious catching up to do on here. I've been up to a lot recently, and figured I should do some posts about all of it! Starting with my graduation...

In June, I graduated from Brock University (not in English...clearly) and it wasn't really a huge deal to me...but my Mom made a monster deal out of it (being proud of me, and such...I guess?). She took way too many pictures, but I'll share only a few from my "special" day and from a few family celebrations following. 

This is how they had the gym all set up for the ceremony...made me feel a little fancy dancy. It was overwhelming how many graduates there were, and how many friends and family members were there to support. Brock did an amazing job at having everything timed and set up perfectly. 

This was my last look at the main tower before I graduated. Doesn't seem like much, but this was definitely a sad experience for me. I walked through this building almost every day when I was there, and spent many hours studying in there as well (as it is a 10 floor library...my dream!)

Enough with the boring school pictures, let's get to the food...am I right?! My family is so incredible, and my Mom made an awesome meal that night. To top it all off, pumpkin pie (my favourite!). The next night, some of my cousins surprised me with an awesome cake, and more food :) I am so blessed!!

Lastly, my cousin's super cute dog with his graduation cap on...he's an electrical engineer (of course!). My cousin also has a "blackboard" wall in her kitchen, and she wrote me this congrats! :)

All in all, the weekend was really great. Although, I'm extremely sad that I'm done school now--I'm one of those weird people who actually LOVES school!

Let me know if any of you guys graduated this year (from high school or post-secondary) :)!!

Bye!