Me Time! | Tag

What do you watch or read during your me time?

I'll read whatever book I'm reading at the time! Right now I'm reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. During my me time if I want to watch something it will most likely be reruns of Friends or Grey's Anatomy.

What do you wear during me time?

Usually pyjama bottoms or leggings with a comfy oversized sweater or t-shirt. Oh, and ALWAYS slippers or fuzzy socks.

What are your me time beauty products?

I don't really have any. I'm not super into 'beauty' or anything like that. I guess body butter and chapstick could count? haha.

Current favourite nail polish?

Wine Stock from Sally Hansen Miracle Gel. My goodness, what a gorgeous colour!

What do you eat/drink during me time?

I'll definitely have a cup of tea, coffee or some hot chocolate. If I'm wanting to snack it'll usually be a bowl of cereal!

Current favourite candle?

I always have two favourite candles that never change; Vanilla Cupcake from Yankee Candle and Twisted Peppermint from Bath and Body Works.

Do you ever have outdoor me time?

So often! I try to go for a walk everyday for at least thirty minutes just to clear my head and enjoy my own company.

Would you ever go see a movie alone?

I don't think so. I'm not really one for movies as it is. I don't really go to the movies with people so I highly doubt I'd bother to go alone.

Favourite online store?

Amazon or Etsy. So typical, so lame haha. But seriously both of those sites have absolutely everything! There is nothing you can't get between Amazon and Etsy.

Anything to add? What else do you do during me time?

Typically my me time will involve photo editing, yoga, a hot shower, and some reading. I love being alone- I'm very introverted. However it's especially nice to take some time apart from homework and obligations to appreciate myself. 

What does your me time look like? Is there a part of you me time that you just can't do without? Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

How To Be Single! | Movie Review

 Since being home I have had two movie dates- one with my best friend Amanda and one with my mom- both to the same film. How To Be Single stars Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, and Alison Brie and was produced by Drew Barrymore. It's definitely a movie with a lot of strong girl power! 

The movie is set in New York City, following the lives of numerous single people. The premise of the movie is that there is a 'right way' to be single and a 'wrong way' to be single. The plot summary provided by IMDb reads:

"There's a right way to be single, a wrong way to be single, and then... there's Alice. And Robin. Lucy. Meg. Tom. David. New York City is full of lonely hearts seeing the right match, be it a love connection, a hook-up, or something in the middle. And somewhere between the teasing texts and one-night stands, what these unmarrieds all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love. Sleeping around in the city that never sleeps was never so much fun."

The reviews coming for this film are mixed (Rotten Tomatoes, misc. reviews) with people either loving or hating it. I personally LOVED this movie! It's jam packed with witty humour and one liners. Maybe I'm a little biased though because I really enjoy both Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann. As a single woman I can say that I don't think the specific scenarios of the movie are relatable but I could see a little bit of myself in every one of the characters. I also thought the bits of advice throughout the film held a lot of truth. 

Watching this movie made me feel okay with being single to be honest. It showed me that the time in our lives when we're actually single is brief and needs to be cherished. Time alone allows for personal growth and self development. There's nothing more freeing that standing completely alone and being okay with it.

Have you seen How To Be Single? What did you think? Let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

44. Your Favourite Holiday | 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge

This is a tricky one for me; I love celebrating everything and I love holidays! I suppose the typical answer would be Christmas- which I LOVE, don't get me wrong. But I think I'd have to say my favourite holiday is Family Day. This holiday was February 15th and so has just passed. It was a lovely day spent with most of the people I love. I really like family day because it's a chance to spend time with family without the stress that comes with preparing big, fancy meals for holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving. It's simply a day where the government recognizes that families need more time together, especially during this time of Winter Blues.

This year, my family day began with a four hour snow machine ride with my cousin and his girlfriend through the bush trails around our city. Then a good portion of my extended family came over to our house to enjoy home made lentil soup and cake in celebration of my twenty first birthday! It was a perfect day from start to finish.

Does your country have a family day holiday? If so what'd you get up to on yours? Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

Turning Twenty-One | Personal + Review

I mentioned in my last post, 20 things I learned being 20, that my birthday just passed! With a birthday comes a party. I didn't do anything big- just a get together with the family. It was a really lovely time. 

 My cousin and his girlfriend invited me snow machining with them for the day before my family came around for dinner. We went for about four hours through the bush trails, stopping for lunch at this super cool snow machining hot spot. They serve amazing pub food and have every beer you could think of!

To have a party you obviously have to invite people! I came by Paperless Post earlier in the month and I knew I wanted to choose from the amazing selection of birthday invitations that they have to offer!

 Paperless Post has plenty of free templates to choose from. You then go in and customize the details of the party. You're able to choose your text, layout, etc. and totally make it your own!

Once you've designed your invitation the way you like it, all that's left is to invite people! The invitation goes directly to their e-mail inbox. This is so perfect! No paper waste and no chance of the invitation getting lost!

 The Paperless Post invitation comes to your inbox in a cute envelope. Once you click on it there is an animated opening of the envelope and removing of the invitation. It's such a cute way to receive an invitation! And the best part? When you receive the invitation you can automatically add it to your Google, Outlook, iCal, or Yahoo calendar!

My birthday was an absolutely lovely time surrounded by the people I love and all the things I love! My cakes were cinnamon sugar cakes with vanilla-cinnamon buttercream. All homemade of course by yours truly! I'm sure it's weird to some people that I made my own birthday cakes but I insisted as I LOVE to bake but don't get the opportunity now that I don't have an oven to use. 

I had the perfect birthday in my opinion- on the trails doing what I love, then in my home with the people I love. How would you spend your perfect birthday? Please do let me know in a comment- I'd love to know!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

20 Things I Learned Being 20 | Personal

So I turned twenty one two days ago. I'm officially legal drinking age across the entire globe... every birthday after this now is just aging haha. I had such a wonderful birthday! Relaxing, surrounded by the people I love. Yesterday my cousin invited me to go snow machining with him and his girlfriend and her dad on the trails around our city. During the four hours we were out sledding I had some time to really think and reflect on what being twenty taught me. I grew up a lot this past year with moving away and living on my own. I put together a list of the best lessons I've learned this past year; twenty things I learned whilst being twenty.

1. The healthy option is always the better option

2. You can never go wrong by humbling yourself

3. Overdressed isn't a real thing

4. Cooking isn't just a life skill

5. Loving yourself is more important than others loving you

6. Family is number one

7. Nothing beats speaking face to face

8. It's okay to break down

9. Self love is not selfish

10. Free is fabulous

11. Taking time for things you love is necessary

12. Mental health is everything

13. Planning your future isn't crazy

14. There is no such thing as "cool"

15. Live life with an open heart

16. People can surprise you if you let them

17. Be patient and stay the course

18. Your faith will be tested; remain steadfast in your beliefs

19. When you compare yourself to others you always lose

20. Life is beautiful

I'm so grateful to have learned these lessons over this year. I'm excited to see what this next year has in store for me! What is the greatest lesson you've ever learned? Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

43. A Mentor/Teacher | 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge

Between school, sports, and theatre I've had plenty of teachers and mentors in my life- some amazing, and some.... not so amazing haha. It would be impossible for me to pick just one person that has helped to shape my life; that I am grateful for. Instead, I'm going to choose based on the categories I've laid out. 

Primary School

Between kindergarten and eighth grade, there is definitely a standout teacher that I feel had a profound impact on my life. Mrs. Bouliane taught me both second and third grade. She is who I thank when it comes to my passion for writing. We began creative writing in second grade and Mrs. Bouliane realized that I had a knack for it. Even once the activities for creative writing were finished, she still allowed me to submit my short stories to her for review. She understood how important it was for me to get my thoughts on paper and how important it was for someone to care about those thoughts. I still keep in touch with her today; she's an amazing teacher and woman.

High School

A rough time for me, that's for sure. My family encountered a life altering tragedy whilst I was in the eleventh grade. My anthro/psych/soc teacher was the one I confided in. She was so understanding and never treated my like I was broken. Mrs. Battocchio was a true blessing during this awful time in my life. While I was floundering to stay on track with school she went to all my other teachers and advocated for me. I owe my eleventh grade success to her; without Mrs. Battocchio I probably would have failed grade eleven. 

College

I've only been at Algonquin College for five months and already I can say, with conviction, that Mr. Bowie has been having the most impact on me thus far. Not only do I think he's an amazing teacher and knowledgable man. But he also cares about his students as if they were his own children. There have been multiple occasions where he has asked me how I'm doing. Not in school, but in life. He genuinely wants us all to succeed and to be happy, healthy, successful people.

Theatre

In any stage production, there isn't just one mentor. You've got the director, choreographer, vocal coach, etc. My stand out theatre mentor that I'm very grateful for is Nicole, my vocal coach. I was never confident enough to play a lead, I was happy to be an extra in the back row. When Nicole heard me sing she latched onto me and forced me out of my insecurities. I eventually found the stage to be my home. I took on numerous leads and would often "steal" the show (it wasn't hard because I was usually a character that provides comic relief ie. Glinda in Wicked and Timon in The Lion King). Not only am I grateful for the knowledge she gave me and the vocal training she bestowed one me, but I also owe any shred of confidence I have to Nicole.

Synchronized Swimming

I swam for ages; 13 years or so. Throughout that time I had a few different coaches as I progressed through the team levels, eventually being on the advanced senior team. Don't get me wrong, the coaches were great. But my main influencer/mentor was an older girl on the team, Megan. She was an amazing swimmer who was always willing to help me out. She is also so smart (in law school now) and a genuinely great person to be around. 

Photography

I've mentioned Brandon before in this post so I'll keep it brief. He introduced me to my passion for photography and taught me the basics. I can't thank him enough! 

Have you had a teacher or mentor that has had an impact on your life? Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what, KatieDidd, xo

Life as a Photography Student | Personal

 My absence in the blogging world is really breaking my heart. I love this blog. I love writing this blog. I love reading other blogs. Making the time for a hobby is important, I know this. But life has just been so busy this past month that it has been hard to justify writing a blog post when I have so many assignments I should be working on instead. I know I could bulk write posts and schedule them to go up, but that's just not me. I enjoy the authenticity and spontaneity of sitting down every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday morning and writing my post for the day. I want to keep that. 

Schedule-wise I'm going to try posting on Mondays instead of Tuesdays for the rest of the semester. This should help with regularity as Tuesdays is a really long day for me- I just don't have the time to write. I think I can manage to keep Fridays and Sundays as they are. 

I thought today it would be fun to tell you about what life as a photography student is really like. I came into my program thinking it would be an absolute breeze- it couldn't be as hard as university psychology, right? I was sorely mistaken. This course is nothing but difficult. The content is challenging, the work load is intense, and the need to stay constantly inspired is intimidating. 

My schedule doesn't sound too bad on paper:

Monday: Photographic Theory 3-5

Tuesday: Portrait Workshop 9-1, Post Production 1-4

Wednesday: Commercial Workshop 9-12, Perception and Design 12-2

Thursday: Digital Imaging 9-11

Friday: Photographic Theory 3-5

Online: Media Communications

You have to keep in mind though, as a photography student, those are lecture times. During each of those lectures we are given an assignment that is due the following week's class; that's seven assignments per week that we have to do on our own time. 

Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining in the slightest. It's busy and overwhelming and stressful but I love it. I love every one of my classes and I love all the shoots I get to do. I feel very fulfilled doing photography and this course is making me very excited to be doing photography for my whole life. If you are seriously considering taking photography for post-secondary, I highly rate it. I'm at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario. We have students coming to the program from as far as Kuwait and Libya and the Philippines  The teachers here are amazing. They really do care about your success, not only in the program but in life in general. They are so understanding when it comes to personal problems that may interfere with school work and they are so fair when it comes to marking and stuff like that. 

If you're thinking of taking photography in college or university (not to sound biased) but do it! Haha, just kidding. I would never try to convince someone to make such an important decision. What I will say is don't take photography because you think it will be easy. It won't be. It will be hard work, long hours, and high stress. But what I can say is that if you love it, it will be worth it.

If any of you are thinking of taking a photography program do let me know where you're going! If you have any questions about photography in college do leave it in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo

42. Your Favourite Possession | 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge

My favourite possession would have to be my photographs- new and old; albums and hard drives. I love that every memory I have and every person I love is immortalized in photographs. You can look at an old picture and almost feel exactly how you did on the day it was captured. It's such a beautiful concept; nothing is truly gone as long as you have photographs.

What is your favourite possession- I'd love to know! I'm also curious to know if other people hold photographs in such a special place like I do! Please leave a comment.

Thanks for reading & check back to see what KatieDidd, xo