summer solstice

I know the summer will pass happily away. - Marianne in Sense and Sensibility

Wasn't yesterday's summer solstice just splendid? I took a long walk in the river valley with my mama and managed to capture the sun shining in the most beautiful way.  I hope you had the opportunity to relish those extra rays of sunlight, too.

Here's to the official start of summer, friends! This occasion calls for a cocktail, right? (;

Dajana

p.s. I'm on Instagram now @allkindsoflovely. Come and find me! 

sweet tweet

I was beyond excited and surprised when the lovely Heather (from Interior Groupie) told me that she had spied my tweet in the July issue of Canadian Living. So fun! I've often told my mom that one day I'd be a published author. (;

Happy Father's Day weekend, friends!

Dajana

living with ms.daisy

Daisy is our four-legged houseguest. Isn't she the cutest little beagle you ever did see?

She's staying with us while her family vacations in Mexico.

Random fact: she likes to lick toes. Quirky, right?

Lucy and Daisy have, what is best described as, a big/little sisterdog relationship.

In typical sister fashion, Lucy gets annoyed with Daisy's youthful antics but secretly loves having her around.

They also stick up for each other. While on one of our evening walks, Scotty had to scold Lucy for trying to run across the street after a rabbit. Daisy realized her big sis was in trouble and started to bay at him (she has the funniest smile-inducing howl). 

And when Daisy dug a hole in our backyard, Lucy barked at Scotty letting him know he was not to yell at her little sis. 

Isn't that sweet?

Today is our last day with our beagle friend and we're going to miss her sweet face. 

Maybe even her toe-lickin' ways. (;

Dajana

high fives all around...

It's Friday! And there are no words to describe how happy that makes me.

Last Friday, I was malaised with the flu & a horrid case of sinusitis and was confined to my house and pjs. 

With the help of antibiotics, my mom's chicken noodle soup (or as I like to call it, the elixir of life) and supportive family and friends, I'm feeling much better now.

So today, I'm celebrating à la Audrey. Won't you join me?

Dajana (:


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it's the little things...

 ... that make me happy. Like walking our choco-lab Lucy in Edmonton's bucolic river valley.

Surprisingly, I'd been deathly afraid of dogs for most of my life. And then I married a boy, who as a child, had dreamed of owning a labrador retriever. Ack! What was a girl to do? Well, this particular lady thought about it, dog ownership, that is, for quite some time. It took me about five years to feel comfortable with the idea of a dog. During this period of contemplation, every dog owner I knew would tell me that getting my own puppy would help me to get over my fear. And guess what? They were all right. Adding Lucy to our family was the best thing we could have done, and in fulfilling Scott's childhood dream, I also gave myself two incredible gifts - unconditional puppy love and freedom from a paralyzing fear!

To this day, I still wonder how it is that I - scaredy pants Dajana - became a dog owner. While walking Lucy, I'll often think to myself, "Holy cow! I can't believe I'm walking through a dog park, with my dog. This is so flippin' cool!"

Life can be full of such happy surprises when we're open to the possibilities.

Dajana 

family day long weekend!

It's Family Day in Alberta and the last day of a lovely long weekend. I was able to spend heaps of time with my fav peeps - my boyfriend, my pup, my parents and my niece. Love them to bits!

One of our stops over the weekend was the Silver Skate Festival. Held at Hawrelak Park, Silver Skate is Edmonton’s longest running winter festival. And I can see why - the snow sculptures were amazing!

        

I also spent time with this chocolate cutie...

And on Sunday we took our lil' niece to a puppet show based on Leo Lionni's books, Swimmy, Frederick and Inch by Inch. The puppeteers were from the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia and they were wonderful! We also liked that they announced it was a non-shushing show. You could hear all of the parents breathe a collective sigh of relief. :) Highly recommend Lionni's books and the Arden Theatre Family Series.

 

Heart this kid!

I hope you had a super weekend and were able to spend it with your fav peeps, too!

Happy Familja Day!

Dajana