Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Autumn Is Here To Stay

Well it appears that autumn is here to stay after all. After experiencing cycles of warm and then cold weather for the last couple of weeks, it seems that the cold is here to stay, much to my dismay. Thankfully this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I will be driving home to Ottawa and will be depositing my summer clothes. No more summer dresses, flip flops, or cotton skirts. This makes me sad. It also means that my fellow students will be leaving behind their bright colors and exchanging them for their dark, bleak ideals of the colder months. However, when it comes to my color, I REFUSE to give in. So what if my bright pink Vera tote and pink and green striped cardigans will receive concerned looks of consternation, I will display them proudly.

On a happy note, it does mean I get to whip out some of my favorite fall staples:

London Fog black trench

Classic black industrial rain boots (a necessity in the Kingston rain storms)

My Monet umbrella (a sturdy handle is a must, considering the strength of the wind coming off Lake Ontario)

A Land's End tote (I prefer these over those of L.L. Bean because they contain plenty of pockets to keep all of my school necessities. ) I wish I could fill my tote with beach gear, but unfortunately it's full of books, binders, my laptop, and my frequently-refilled coffee tumbler.

A J. Crew cord blazer. A classic to accomplishing a put-together academic look, especially if paired with an oxford shirt, a v-neck sweater, and a pair of sperry's

Personalized coffee tumblers are a definite must. I refill mine at least 3 times a day during the school week to keep me awake and warm. Not to mention, these are far more environmentally-friendly than getting a new paper cup with every coffee purchase. This one from Frugal Frou Frou is simply perfect!

Unfortunately, it's also time to trade my favorite Ray-Bans wayfarer sunglasses for my D&G reading glasses. A necessity if I actually want to see anything in class.

And just for fun, I always tie my Lilly jubilee scarf on my tote, just to keep a little of the summer spirit in the colder months.

My Home away from Home

I've noticed a lot of bloggers have been posting images of their dorm rooms and thought I would do so myself. My room is a little small and cluttered, but it's pink and, therefore, makes me happy. I currently share a house off campus with some of the best people in the world, including my bff DW. It's truly an amazing house of people, and we have an amazing time together. Last week DW packed her backpack full of picnic supplies and containers full of pasta, sauce, salad, and apple cobbler, and we had a picnic outside the library. People gave us interesting looks, but we know they were just jealous.

Happy Weekend!

Recent Events

I recently took a trip back home to Ottawa to show the two exchange students (a girl from Germany and a boy from Poland) who are living with me here at school my nation's capital. Here are some photos from our trip:

I LOVE this house. It's an estate in Gatineau Park, only a short drive away from my house. It's a frequent stop for my family. So beautiful.

Here I am with Nora, me wearing my new school sweater. This year my school came out with these darling ivy-league inspired cardigans with our school crest and stripes on the sleeves. I of course scooped one up as quickly as possible.

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Normally my school is supposed to have an annual Homecoming, but because our last principal (who was only the interim principal attempting to flex his muscles for his 3 months in office) decided to cancel our homecoming for 2 years. A little history- my school was in the news a couple of years ago for tipping a car upside down and setting it on fire during one of the massive homecoming celebrations. So I understand the school's actions to minimize the craziness of the event. Even though we didn't have an official homecoming this year, we still attended the football game and celebrated with a "faux-coming" party.

Our football players. Pretty good. Much better over the last couple of years. But I'd much rather see Tebow on the field.

Our crazy engineers. They have this strange tradition of rushing the field during halftime and slamming their jackets against the ground. That and they dye themselves completely purple. Very odd, but fun to watch.

Our cheerleaders. Adequate, but not all that fantastic. I miss the spectacles of Gator games.

So although it was unofficial, it was still a fun weekend. I suppose the fun is now over, and it's time to get back to work. I already miss summer vacation.

I'm Back!

I have been a very very bad blogger lately. With my trip to Florida, being an orientation leader for orientation week, and the general stress of being thrown into another new school year, I haven't had time to blog lately (I know, excuses excuses). In an effort to avoid a long and boring blog, I'll only write a couple points.

The local Lilly store in Winter Park, FL. I had so much fun there! I loved all the bright colors of the clothing and the store itself. I was able to buy a couple sweaters for only $39 each, a shirt, and some token school supplies (although my pen sadly died after only a page of writing :( I need to go buy a refill cartridge). I definitely miss the vibrancy of FL

One of my mandatory stops was All Fired Up, my favorite pottery-painting studio. This is one of the salad bowls I painted. One of the monkeys looks a little mischievous, but it adds personality.

Colored leaves- a sign that fall is officially coming. Well, that plus the huge sudden decrease in temperature and the addition of crispness in the air

So my university has this crazy tradition for the 1st year Engineering students. In order for them to earn their leather jackets (kind of like varsity jackets), they have to climb a pole covered in grease and retrieve a tam (like a beret with a pom on top). Last bit of fun, the pole is in a giant pit of mud up to their knees. It was so much fun to see them struggle. I'm just glad the Commerce frosh don't have to do this too.

I can already tell this year is going to be incredibly stressful, but I hope it won't keep me from staying current with the blogging world.

Happy Fall!