The People We Meet

In honour of last week's big news about my upcoming trip, I'd like to share a travel-related story about Jerry, a local teenage boy I met in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I’d spent the morning exploring the temples of Angkor, a truly awe-filled and inspiring experience that left my heart bursting with wonderment and wanderlust. I would be leaving the country the next day and returning home to Canada after more than a year abroad, so I wanted to soak in Cambodia and its charm on my last evening. My friends and I met for one last dinner together and decided to enjoy an evening on the town. We headed to the infamous Pub Street and started with cocktails on the patio at Funky Munky where, naturally, you could also indulge in a fish pedicure while sipping on your drink. [Sidenote: have you ever heard of or experienced a fish pedicure? You put your feet in a tank and minnows suck all the dry skin off, going in between your toes and everything! A very effed up feeling especially for someone like me who is freaked out by fish! Never again!]

Anyway, so while I was hanging out as the others had minnows sucking on their toes, a local boy who looked about 12 years old hobbled up to me with a smile from ear to ear. “Excuse me miss, would you like to buy a book? I have many books here for you!” The boy, who introduced himself as Jerry in well-spoken English, had a crutch on each arm and a red basket slung across his body filled with pirated copies of the latest best sellers. He only had one leg and moved rather laboriously down the laneway. To this day I can’t put my finger on it, something in his smile or his demeanour I suppose, but he stood out from so many of the other children I'd encountered so far. I invited Jerry to sit down with me as I looked through the basket of books. 

Jerry proceeded to tell me a bit about his background. He had lost one leg and his father by age ten, but we didn’t go into the details of how. Jerry said he still went to school during the days then sold books in the afternoons and evenings. He was the eldest male, after all, and despite his disability he still needed to support his family. 

What I'm Loving: Mustard Yellow

In light of my big news last week, my wallet is a lot tighter these days, so while it seems like everyone is indulging in the end-of-summer sales I'm wishing from afar and creating virtual outfits instead. Lately I've been crushing hard on mustard yellow. Paired with cobalt blue, chambray, aubergine, or white, cognac brown, and leopard print as I did below, mustard yellow is such a versatile colour. I especially love how well this hue transitions from summer to fall and is the perfect way to perk up your outfit.

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With a casual blazer and chic accessories, this outfit is great for those of us who were dropped right into the cooler weather once the calendar flipped into September. An oversized "boyfriend" blazer is a great alternative to the typical cardigan - it's still loose enough to relax and sit comfortably in, but adds a bit more polish if you need to take your style game up a notch.

What's your favourite colour for the fall? 

PS - Who says you can't wear white after Labour Day?
PPS - Hop on over to one of my Pinterest boards to see other mustard yellow looks that I'm loving!

Linking up with the beautiful ladies at Style Elixir / Plane Pretty / The Pleated Poppy / Get Your Pretty On / Because Shanna Said So

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Big Changes

In my very first blog post, I discussed how growing up I felt pressure to follow a certain kind of path in life: University. Grad School. Corporate career. Buy a house. Have kids. Retire. Relax. 

As I grow into my twenties and learn more about myself, I don't know if I necessarily want or don't want those things any more. All I know is that if they happen, I want them to happen in an exciting way. An adventurous, passionate, stimulating kind of way. A way that my husband and I intentionally choose, on a path that we actively decide to pursue, not just moving along as the current of life pushes us in the direction we’re expected to travel.

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Last week I quit my first “big girl” job after two years of employment in the corporate world and steady paycheques every two weeks. It’s time to pursue new creative and professional opportunities and I’m excited and anxious and ready to be entering a new phase of our lives, as Matthew and I like to refer to it. Plan C if you will. The good ole days in Ottawa are coming to an end.

My husband is seeking a commission in the United States Marine Corp. (That sounds super formal to me but I’m just going with how Matthew told me to describe it... in normal people talk he is going into the military and becoming a USMC Officer.) He’s already spent four years as an enlisted Marine and deployed around the world, and when he left the Corp. three years ago we thought it was the end of that chapter. I know it’s way more common for Americans, but military life was completely foreign to me before I met Matthew. His heart is pulling him back though and I completely support his decision, so here we are, wrapping up life in Canada, and getting ready to make some serious changes. We are heavily considering international posts and experiencing ex-pat life in a new corner of the world, but for now we have a few adventures that need to happen first. 

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