-
Jet Lag is Harder at 42
My trips to Jordan are always a whirlwind of activity. I get in, take a billion artifact photos and get out. It’s hard, but I do it. This time around, it’s been seven years since I’ve managed to make it here – or even travel a distance that might incur the wrath of jet lag and boy, did it take some time for me to get over it. “But we persist” became a recurring phrase in my early days here, navigating staying awake long enough to have a reasonable bed time, while also getting up at 4am for breakfast. The life of an archaeologist is all early mornings, fyi.
-
May 2026 Recap
It’s a testament to how busy May was that it’s taken me to the beginning of July to post these images. It was a whirlwind of work, followed with a quick trip to Nova Scotia, the back for lots of projects and to keep plugging away on the kitchen renovation. In between it all, of course, I managed to snag a few photos, so here they are. I’ll recap June soon, hopefully before July is over!
-
April 2026 Recap
April gets a bad rap, but it’s one of the best months of the year. After spending months in the pit of despair (also known as “winter”), the crocuses and the birds team up to bring back colour and joy to the world. They’re doing a lot of heavy lifting, people.
-
March 2026 Recap
I’m making good on my promise (mostly to myself) not to post my “good” photos to social media anymore. March was a really long month, full of kitchen renovations made longer by having a cold that caused me to cough so much I damaged my vocal cords temporarily. Starting last October, I made a rule that I would go for a walk for at least 20 minutes a day, no matter the weather. Even when it was -30ºC out? Yes. During a snowstorm? That’s happened a couple of times! When I was really tired and the thought of going outside was daunting? Especially on those days. No days off! This…
-
The Old Ways
Are we going analog in 2026 or maybe just returning to the heyday of the Old Internet? Maybe both? Like a lot of Millennials, I was deeply invested in blogging back in the day. It was part creative expression, part ritual. I’d sit down with a story to tell, some photos to illustrate it, and I’d hit publish for all the world to see (typos included).
-
Gluten-Free Lemon Sugar Cookies
You know what I love? Citrus. You know what I also love? Sugar cookies. These cookies are very much a homemade version of those Wow Baking Lemon cookies, which means they're soft, lightly coated in sugar, and full of fresh lemon flavour. Read More.
-
Starting a Garden Journal
Pandemic life has me concentrating on my hobbies right now. With the businesses on hold, I have time to work on my hobbies more. It no longer feels like I have to get them done and out of the way so I can tackle the mountain of emails or the unending task list related to running events & photoshoots. It's not that I don't love those things - I definitely do! - it's just that if there had to be a positive outcome in all this, reconnecting with my hobbies is something I'm grateful for. It makes me think long and hard about work/life balance and what I want to…
-
Za’atar
Like many of you, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. Pandemic life has me playing with my hobbies again and that’s not a bad thing. Hobbies are saving lives right now, which is great. My friend Stephanie suggested I start a recipe blog, but I promised that if I did it, I’d make sure my recipes weren’t prefaced with pages upon pages of nonsense before you get the instructions. So, here’s my most-requested recipe: za’atar.
-
Seeing the Wolfdogs
If you are coming to Calgary and are looking for something a little different to do, consider visiting the wolfdogs at Yamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary. This beautiful natural space just past Cochrane, AB is a lovely spot to be quiet and observe some truly content animals. I can’t stress enough how much this place embodies the “sanctuary” portion of its name, not just for the animals who live there, but for the people who visit. The Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary houses many adorable wolf / dog mixes. These are animals who were bred as pets, but their owners quickly realized that they couldn’t handle the innate needs of their wolfdogs and…
You May Also Like
Goodbye, Pretty Bird.
Pisco & Paracas
Pregnant Cats, Princesses, and the Rose City
-
Visiting with Myself
There are times I come back here and re-read the various posts and things I wrote back when I was a completely different person. There are things that make me cringe, opinions I would never have now, and experiences now-me would definitely label as mistakes. But life is funny that way. It has a habit of propelling us forward, no matter what plans we may have for ourselves. There are things in my life now I never saw coming, both good and bad. But would I change it?
to see the world in a grain of sand.
