L'été est arrivé, finalement

Oui c'est officiel. L'été est arrivé finalement et je suis tellement heureuse.


I just literally spent the whole day working on a school project for sociology, but it was totally worth it because now I am finally done with the written part of it. Now I still have to make the power point presentation and I had to do my two other 2000 word projects in like a week or so. Well I have no-one else to blame except for myself, the biggest procrastinator in the world. There is no point in panicking, at least not yet, because the sun is still shining and life is good.


Yesterday morning I woke up at 8.30 AM, poured myself a cup of fresh coffee and walked out to the deck to sit with my host parents. I was not expecting that kind of heat at that hour of the day. The warmth was amazing, and even sitting in the shade I felt hot. So after finishing my cup of coffee you can just guess what I did next. Yup, that's right I changed into my bikini top and short shorts and I sat in the sun chair for hours. Unlike last Summer, I am determined to get myself a proper tan, and if days like yesterday occur more often I think it is quite possible. The thermometer reached a high of +35 C Celsius in the shade and I was literally sweating just laying down. Thank God for the pool out on the deck! It cooled Emma and I off pretty well when it got too hot.

Later on yesterday our host mother's daughter and grand daughter came over for dinner, which of course was made on the barbecue. Every thing tastes better on the barbecue and on days like yesterday it would have been a shame to not use it. After dinner Emma and I went on a walk up town to the movie theater. Emma got a mango soft ice and I got a heavenly strawberry banana milkshake, and like the cashier warned me, they could become addictive. After we got back we watched some glee out on the deck, and then at around 11.30 when it was completely dark we went skinny dipping! It was awesome! All in all I can honestly say that I spent almost my whole weekend outside. I am already scratching on my first mosquito bites, so it is officially Summer.


On Saturday we went to Riley's cottage to spend the day there and it was the most relaxing day I have had in ages. We spent the day laying on the dock tanning, eating excellent food in amazing company and Emma and I threw away our "talviturkit" (we went swimming out in the lake for the first time this year). Well actually we already swam in the lake in February, but I guess it doesn't really count, does it? In the evening I really didn't feel like leaving. I could have easily spent a day or two out there with Riley's family and Emma just enjoying the cottage life, but we had to come back pretty early. The car ride back though was special. We drove with the windows open, blasting out music and singing along like idiots. The sun had gone down, but it wasn't pitch black yet and it was gorgeous out. On the way back we saw a rabbit on the road and stopped to try and photograph it. Then 10 minutes later, Riley stopped the truck and yelled out "moose"! I pretty much screamed of excitement.


We've seen a moose once before, but it just ran across the road really quickly. This time the moose calf stayed in the middle of the road, long enough for Riley to grab my camera and take a picture. Things like that really remind you of how in the bush we are. I wouldn't exactly see a moose crossing the roads in my home town.


The last couple of days have been great. I've really gotten into the Summer mood. I just checked facebook and someone posted the fact that there is exactly a month until we graduate. Emma and I aren't officially graduating, but we still get to be part of the ceremony, which I find pretty cool. On the 22nd of June we have prom, which I am really looking forward to.


Last weekend we had a spring fling dance and the weekend before that we went to my host mothers daughter-in law's baby shower in Haileybury. I had never been to a baby shower before, but I know for sure that this was not a regular baby shower for sure. It started at 7 PM and lasted well after mid night.


I am so glad I didn't have school today and that it was kind of a rainy day today, because it really gave me chance to get a lot of school work done, plus I got to skype with a friend I hadn't talked to in a long time, which was extremely nice.


Well, I will post a few pictures from here and there and then I will go watch glee with my sister.


Bonne nuit ! Je promets que je vais ècrire plus souvent. Je m'excuse.

Very expensive wooden chair!

Double trouble, twins on the way!

This is proof of the fact that I am actually voluntarily wearing a dress.

Little buddy.

Je vais dire encore, Je t'aime!

Toi aussi!

It was pretty dark, hence the bad quality, but there's the moose.

 

Cinq jours

It's been a while and I can't really remember the last thing I wrote about, so I don't know where to begin. For the first time in years I have been counting down days since the start of April, and five days remain until the big day! The big 18. It's funny though in a way, because I have been waiting to turn 18  for the last four years so that I could finally be "free". I've been waiting for it so that I could finally do what I want, go where I want and make my own decisions, but now that I am turning 18, I have less freedom than I have had in years.


Easter Saturday we went over to my host father's sister's cottage to throw her a little surprise 50th Birthday party. The weather was perfect that day and on Good Friday too I was tanning out on the deck in my bikini. Now that I look outside it is hard to believe that a few weeks ago my cheeks were sun burnt because now we have another 7cm of snow. What is this weather? I can't wait to finally (for the third time) put away my winter boots and start wearing shorts. Come on sun, come to stay please. We had a good time on Saturday and the day ended perfectly. We hit the sauna and I was throwing water on the stove like crazy. Apparently the previous owners of the cottage were Finns and they would go to the sauna every single day. To cool off we sat out on the deck under the clear dark starlight sky, enjoying the sound of silence. I couldn't help but think of just how much I would miss the peace of Cochrane.


Last week was pretty hectic at school with practice for the play and last Friday we had our first general practice. Despite major technical difficulties, all in all the practice went well, which prepared us well for our first performance. We performed on Sunday for the first time and it went really well. Just a couple minor glitches, but we got extremely positive feedback from our happy audience. I was proud of the crew and myself too. I remembered all the moves, lines and lyrics and I wasn't really nervous before the show. I can't wait to perform again next week!


Time seriously flies by. It makes me happy, but also freaks me out a little bit..

The little cutie playing with the dogs.

Notice the ring. I got it from Riley just before our 6 month "anniversary". :)

I am gonna go drink a cup of tea now and maybe go watch some television. Tomorrow we have a day off, but we still have to go to school for a general practice.


xoxo

nothings gonna bring me down

It is 7.20 PM and I am sitting outside, wearing a hoodie and shorts, listening to the birds sing. I have literally been high on life for the last few days. The weather has been amazing and it has been so hard to sit inside in a classroom when I could be tanning outside. The temperature has been up to almost +30 C and I've even got a little bit of color on my forehead and legs. Last night we were still out on the deck at ten o'clock with Emma watching glee and looking up at the stars. I've been in the best mood since Sunday, and returning to school from March break on Monday seemed like nothing. I felt like skipping around the school singing and telling everyone how life is great and the weather is amazing.


Even though Sunday morning did not have a great beginning, after skyping with my mom life was smiling again. We had a great talk and I think we both felt very positive after it. I just can't help, but wonder how some people go through life being so negative and miserable. Life is way too short for that, so why waste it? Why do some people try to find the negative in everything instead of finding the silver lining even when things don't go as we planned? I do admit myself that sometimes I am too hard on myself and I don't believe in myself quite as much as I should, but I can honestly say that I always try to find the positive in the negative.


We had dance practice for our Thriller dance for the play on Monday and today we practiced a little for the opening and closing song, so pretty much the most important song. I have one line in it and I sing along with the chorus. I have a feeling that it will be a great play, even though we have had some troubles along the way.


Oh and I also signed myself up for the schools track team, or well I guess I could call it running team since we are only participating in running. Today our coach told us what distances we would be running and my mouth literally dropped. He told me I would be running 1500km and 3000km...
I have always liked short distances and that is what I am pretty good at, but long distances like that? No way. So I stuttered asking the coach if he was serious and all he could say was "Ben oui, I've seen you running before and I know you ca do it!" Am I really the only one who thinks that I am really screwed? Well I better start running a lot then. We already went for a jog around the lake today and I was so tired after it because y endurance has gone down a lot during the last 6 months.


I got some high lights and my bangs cut last week, but it wasn't really cut enough so I had a hair dresser come over to our house to cut my hair. To me it feels so short right now! (Even though it really isn't) I really like it though. It looks much more healthy and it feels much less heavier.


I am gonna make myself a cup of tea and just enjoy the good weather. Bye xoxo


P.S. I am sorry by the way I haven't really been taking pictures for the last couple of days.

Emma showing off her baby cousin.

bonne nuit

It is Friday night and I am off to bed soon even though I just laid on the floor for the last three hours while Emma drew all over my back with crayolas. In the start of the year we talked about how she loves to draw on people, and I find it so relaxing when someone draws on me, so we agreed that someday when we have time she will cover my back with drawings. Since it is March break we have had the time to do that, play board games with the family, watch movies in pjs, sleep in, work out, sit out on the deck in the sun and much more. Since pretty much everyone is out of town we haven't seen a lot of people, but I have still had a very relaxing march break! I am really not looking forward to Monday though. 


This was a quick post, because I am really tired and I want to go to sleep. I just wanted to share a couple pictures of my back to you guys.

I looove this :)

Anyway bonne nuit, je suis vraiment fatigue. Je t'aime!

beau printemps

Welcome Spring! Those pictures were taken this Sunday after coming back from the gym. We got home and I went to check how much snow had melted off the deck and the half close to the door was almost all dried up, not counting a couple little patches of snow (that actually worked really well to keep my glass of juice cold). I called out to Emma to come check it out and she got her ipod and came and sat next to me. So we listened to some summery music, including some of our new country favorites and sat there for over an hour. The sun was so warm and life felt wonderful. 


So I am gladly welcoming Spring. I've missed you sun ♥

Today we went to Timmins and I bought a few things I really needed, and a couple other things I didn't really need, but I decided to pamper myself. I bought myself some new black jeans, since my black jeans at the moment are looking pretty grey. I also bought some make-up stuff I needed, my perfume since it's almost running out, a pair of sweatpants and a really cute plaid shirt (yes mom, a kauluspaita), but it was really cheap so its all good. 

It has been really rainy today and everything  looks so dirty and depressing, but I am still positive because the snow is melting fast! Now fingers crossed that we don't get any more snow storms.

Tomorrows plans is to hit the gym, talk to Lexi on skype and then I don't know. This weekend is St. Patrick's day and Riley's birthday so hopefully it will be a fun weekend.

xoxo

bonnes vacances

Ah the relief! Finally all the major school stress is over. My presentations are done! My tests are done! There's a big weight lifted off my shoulders and I can finally breathe. I have been so weird for the last couple of weeks. I've kept on losing and forgetting things. I've been in a sort of haze. Next weeks March break is definitely well earned and I am definitely in need of it. 

Last weekend was like a mini holiday for me though. We went over to a cottage in the middle literally in the middle of nowhere. The cottage is our host-fathers sisters cottage and we drove there with snowmobiles, because there is no other way to get there. The trails were pretty rough and the ride was long, but it was all worth the effort. Like I have already mentioned before I am a total city person, but I love spending time out in the woods completely isolated from the rest of the world. The weather wasn't the best on Saturday so we spent a big part of the day inside, but that didn't matter. The camp was great and the company even better. In the afternoon the heating of the sauna began and I was jumping up the walls! Right before dinner we went to the sauna with Emma and I was in heaven. After the sauna we had dinner and not long after that we were back in there throwing some more water on the rocks. Only down side of cottages are the outhouses. I hate using them so even with the -24C weather I decided to just go outside, despite the others making fun of me and teasing me about it.

On Sunday we headed back to town and it was time to study. It was kind of a bummer and not the best way to end a great weekend, but oh well it had to be done. I had two tests last week and a deadline for a history presentation. Both of my tests went well, but my presentation was a bit rocky. I stumbled on words and stuttered pretty badly, but oh well. I've had a few other presentations before too that went better than the last one. 


Last week went by very slowly, but still it seemed like I barely had time to get everything done. Now I finally can just kick back and relax. Tonight we don't have big plans. We're having a couple friends over and we are just gonna relax.


Yesterday night we went to watch a hockey game where a team that consisted of old legends from the NHL team Montreal Canadians and I literally took 700 pictures of them. I was just snapping photos like crazy, so I have to sort them out now to find the good ones. 


After March break we have to start practicing for our musical. I have a small singing part, I'll be dancing in the Thriller dance and I have two lines in one scene. I am actually very pleased with my parts, because its not too much so I am not overwhelmed, but still I get to be a part of the play. Events like these are perfect, because Emma and I get to participate in them. It brings people closer and it makes me realize how the people in our school are like a big family. That is one of the advantages of a small school in a small community. Just yesterday I was reminded of this. We were watching the game and a lot of people from our school were there, including one of the most adorable little boy from 6th grade. I was snapping pictures and he just came right next to me and started talking to me with his cute little french accent. It made me really happy because it is sweet to see how you can pretty much talk to anyone in our school, without anyone thinking its weird. 


All I have planned for the coming week is a trip to Timmins, and just relaxing with the family and Riley. Now I finally also have time to go the gym. Oh tread-mill how I have missed you!

I forgot my pjs, but luckily I got these bad ass pjs to borrow!

Fishing gear with bacon!

This big boy was caught by my host father.

Our very own sleeping beauty.

The sauna <3

I did a little birdie photoshoot.

Supporting the Canadians.

 P.S.:
"Hello, this is Liisa's very handsome friend! He is maybe and possibly the best man this world has ever seen! He also happens to be Riley's BEST friend!! AANDD he moves like Jager! Translated in Finish: asdfjkhsadfsalkdjfhdf :D"


I started writing here in class yesterday and a friend of mine decided to leave a little message for you dear readers. 


xoxo