My last two posts have been written from my home town in New Brunswick, Canada.

Lots of friends and family + lots of day trips + lots of doing absolutely nothing. Vacation, perfected.

The highlights:

- I got to play with the adorable new babies of my best friends forever

- I got to sit in a kayak with my sister and paddle around a humorously tiny lake

- I spent long, luxurious hours painting in my mom’s art studio Continue Reading »

I would like to tell you about lobsters and sisters. Both are special, but lets talk about sisters first. My adorable, happy-go-lucky, green-eyed sister is particularly special, for many reasons. Here are just a few:

1. She thinks I’m funny! I mean, she actually laughs at my jokes! Usually only I laugh at my jokes, so this is a big one. I’d keep her around just for that.

2. She makes killer chocolate chip cookies. And she always gets lazy scooping dough toward the end, so we get to have a ginormous cookie baked in a pie plate to kick off the cookie fest.

3. She is quiet when she wakes up. To me, this is a mind-blowingly impossible ability. She makes breakfast without banging bowls, dropping spoons, or stubbing her toe. This girl has magic powers.

4. She loves dogs and babies as much as I do, and we can talk to either in silly dog-and-baby babble without thinking the other is less cool. (For example, me to dog: “Well hewro you booful rittle roggle dogger! Aren’t you a handsome devil! Yes you are! You are just the most handsomest dogger woggle in this whole entire house.” – Katie totally gets that, and usually joins in).

5. Her smile makes me smile too no matter how sad or tired or grumpy I may be in that moment.

6. She makes the house feel full, even though you hardly know she’s there. (The words of my mom, who got it exactly right).
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One of my favorite Vancouver outings is a late weekend lunch in an adorable little restaurant aptly named Fish. It is a small place so close to the ocean that you can smell the salinity when you dine on their quaint, cramped patio, and the fish is cooked to such perfection that it melts on your tongue like butter. Adarsh and I have become predictable to the staff there – they don’t have to ask before lavishing us with our favorites – cajun-spiced blackened salmon burgers, baby green salad with corn and red onions, and a couple of Coronas.

It’s nice to be predictable sometimes. I find comfort in repetition. I like to read my favorite books over and over again, watch my most-loved movies till I have the lines memorized, visit the same ice cream shop with my sister every time I go home in the summer, etc. And I really love to order blackened salmon when I go for lunch with my sweetheart on an breezy Saturday afternoon.

Continue Reading »