Catch of the Day! | Girly Guide to: Fishing

I love being outdoors- the sun, water, fresh air- doing activities that are less than glamorous. Mudding, hiking, sea-dooing and fishing are just a few of the outdoor summer activities I enjoy on a regular basis. If you're anything like me- outdoorsy but girly- it can be hard to balance enjoying the great outdoors while protecting your manicure!

Fear not my adventure lovin' ladies. I have a few tips and tricks to help keep you looking fresh faced and gorgeous all day while enjoying the less than beauty guru approved outdoor activities that you love!

Today I am going to focus on fishing. I love to go fishing! Being out on a boat in the sun for hours on end is enough to make me happy, but throw in the thrill of catching a fish- the fight to reel it in, that feeling in your stomach when you realize its a big one!- and you've got me hook, line and sinker. 

1. Think Pink

I like to use pink equiptment when I'm doing activities that aren't exactly feminine. I know it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference in the fishing itself. However, I think being surrounded by pink helps to keep your girly side on the surface. Also, they're all super cute!

Even my fishing rod and reel are pink! I got this rod and reel set from Bass Pro Shop about four years ago and I still love it just as much!

2. Get Girl Gloves

I would strongly suggest getting yourself a pair of fishing gloves for baiting hooks and taking off fish. Baiting hooks is just kind of gross in my opinion and slimy fish can slip out of small hands. Having a pair of fishing gloves that have grips on the fingers and palm is a life saver when trying to unhook a squirmy slimy fish with baby hands!

3. Bring a Book
Spending hours out on the lake is so relaxing but when you're not catching any fish it can get a touch boring. Bringing a book to read keeps you in the tech free, open air mindset while still providing you a little something to keep you occupied. 

4. Bring Layers
This particular day of fishing I started off with just a bikini on and ended up in this outfit. As the sun goes down and the wind picks up, it gets really chilly out on a lake! Bringing long pants and a sweater can never hurt, even if you don't end up putting them on!

I hope this post is helpful to you outdoorsy ladies who respect clean nails! Do you have any tips for fisher-women out there? Leave a comment below!

Also, let me know if there are any other Girly Guide ideas I could post about!

Thanks for reading & check back again 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

35. Your Neighbourhood | 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge

I'm obviously not going to post photos of my neighbourhood and home, that's just not smart- this photo was taken in autumn in my backyard. I love the neighbourhood I live in. It's quiet but not dead. It's pretty but not over done. All my neighbours are friendly, there are kids and grandparents and families- a little bit of everything!

This weeks gratitude topic came at such a good time as I just arrived back home for the holidays yesterday. I enjoyed a walk this morning with my mom and the dog around the neighbourhood and I really did miss this place!

What do you love about your neighbourhood? Please do let me know!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Random Thought Thursday | June 4, 2015

8km

Yesterday evening was absolutely gorgeous here in SSM, Ontario so my brother and I decided to take advantage of it. I rode my bike and he used his roller blades and we did 8km of the Hub Trail around our city. 

I absolutely love living in Northern Ontario; it's so gorgeous every where you turn!

I mentioned the Hub Trail before in this post. Basically it is a paved pathway that goes around the perimeter of my city. It's so beautiful and I can always count on running into at least one person I know whilst out and about on the trail.

Like seriously guys, this can't be beat! As much as I would absolutely love to live other places in my life, I think my heart does belong here and I'd definitely end up back here when and if I settle down, get married and have kids.

The hub trail in my city was named after a mayor we had a few years ago who passed of cancer. The city adored him - I think he served 3 terms in City Hall - so the Hub Trail is in memorial of Mayor John Roswell.

The trail is lined with benches in the down town area as it is a very scenic area and probably the most used section of the trail. Pictured is my brother (who's making a face because he hates getting photos taken). We decided to sit down for about 10 minutes and just take in the view. It's crazy to me, living in a border city, that I can look out across a river and see an entirely different country!

The skies were such a clear blue and the grass looked so green in the sunlight yesterday evening!

While we were down town we actually saw a docked coast guard ship that is all the way from Ottawa! It was absolutely ginormous! The crew on the ship saw us checking it out and gave us a little run down of the boat, but unfortunately it's against the law for them to invite us on. 

And to finish it all off, I just had to prove my theory that life is better through sepia coloured glasses.

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn