Filed under Personal:

I’ve started running again; on trails, through the forest, past the river, and being attacked by ticks. I have to inspect myself every time I return to make sure one isn’t attached to me. But I love it. I’ve missed trail running for some time, and I love having the opportunity to get back into it again.

Some people recently have been asking if I’m getting back into running to lose weight, and I always say no. When I try running to lose weight I can never keep it up for that long, I get bored or distracted, or don’t see any results and give up. However, running to feel like I can run fast just in case something is chasing me…DONE! Running to burn off some energy…DONE! Running to stay fit so that if I need to run up two flights of stairs to answer the phone and not die after 7 steps, DONE! I would rather try any sort of fitness regime to stay fit and feel stronger, than to lose weight. No lie.

At the end of summer I was going to Yoga 3 times a week at my favourite yoga studio, and I went because I realized I wasn’t as flexible anymore, and I needed to be able to crouch low to get the shots I wanted, and have my back strong to carry all my gear. And you know what, within 3 sessions I was already feeling a difference, and I was instantly addicted to kicking my own butt to get stronger.

What do you do to stay strong, to kick your butt, and to make sure you can outrun anyone chasing you?

Image from a summer fitness session. She made me want to get fit and get stronger – total inspiration right in front of me!

I’m slowly starting to get back into the swing of things, you know. Waking up and hitting the gym first thing instead of debating all day if I’ll go. Or charging my batteries and formatting my cards for an upcoming sessions instead of letting my camera collect dust. Or drinking a cup of sleepy tea before going to bed instead of a glass (or two) of wine.

But I have hit the gym, dusted off my camera and have used it for a session, and am slowly weaning off the wine!

Last night, Halloween, crept up on Adam and I very quickly. We usually like to go to the pumpkin patch, drink hot chocolate, get dressed up, and hang out with friends, but this year…we didn’t do any of it. Being in a hot country for most of October sure didn’t put us in the mood for Halloween, that’s for sure.

So instead, we lit a whole bunch of candles, turned off the lights, got a bucket of candy, set up a game of Risk, filled our glasses full with wine, and waited for the cute kids to show up. It was one of the best Halloweens I’ve ever had!

The game ended with me winning world domination, but I have to give Mister some credit, cause he helped me make sure I was always rolling with the right amount of dice. 

I can’t believe it’s been a week already since we returned from our holiday, it feels like we never left and we dreamed it all. But even a week later I am still catching myself talking like an Aussie Native, laughing at my cravings for Tim Tams (I have a box on my desk that I’m dying to rip into), and longing for beautiful white sand and blue beaches.

Australia 2010 from Lesley Stefanski on Vimeo.

There is something about traveling that just gets you excited and energized, that you can accomplish anything, that nothing matters. Seriously, in any normal day how many of us would wake up before the sun to do a billion different things, running around all the time, to end the night after the sun as gone down with wine (bottles) and cheese….day after day. Only on vacation! And I love it.

But after awhile you start to long for your bed, your shower, your things. Simplicity. But the funny thing about this holiday was the fact we weren’t returning to our house, bed, or our things. We were still going to be living out of suit case and it felt weird. Still feels weird. Almost like I’m still on vacation but I don’t get to end my night with wine (bottles) and cheese.

This holiday was much needed for Mister and I as we don’t get to spend too much time together due to our schedules, so it was nice to walk around the streets of Melbourne or the beaches of Perth holding his hand, talking about our future, and enjoying each others company.

3 weeks doesn’t feel like enough time to spend with each other and exploring such a beautiful country, but we had to come home eventually. We spent 2 days in Sydney, 2 days in Melbourne, and 12 days in Perth, then ending our trip with 2 days in Auckland. But here is a taste of the things we did while in Perth.

Secluded beaches. Swimming in the Indian Ocean. Horseback riding on the beach and through a river. Seeing wild Emus and Kangaroos. Hanging out with family. Swimming with wild dolphins. Lots of good + tasty coffee. Tim Tams. Endless wine. And a country too beautiful to capture.

The past 6 days have been a whirl wind of planes, hotel rooms, cities, and food (yummy food)! Yesterday as we were checking out of our Melbourne hotel and when the guest services asked what our room number was we named at least 4 different ones before giving the correct room. Lets just say there has been lots of laughs and silly moments on this trip!

I’m having difficulty taking pictures because I personally enjoy taking photos of people more than buildings, but I know people will enjoy seeing what we see. So while I’m off enjoying Perth and our wonderful family here, enjoy a couple photos.

My clothes are in numerous piles around the room right now waiting for me to decide how I’m going to pack them. However, my first course of action is what I’m going to wear onto our 17 hour flight. I usually like to dress comfortable but put together, you know high heels and jeans. But on a 17 hour mid-night flight I’m not too sure if that is the way I want to go or if I would prefer tights and a zippy. I’m leaning towards tights and a zippy, but I need to think about it a little bit more.

What do you normally wear on a flight?! I’d love to know!

So while I continue to pack, here are some photos of my life lately.





Next time when I post, I’ll be in lovely Australia, I can’t WAIT!!

The boxes are now stacked and in a corner of a spare room and I’m curled up under blankets in Adam’s old room at his parents. His parents like living in the cold (I call it the Arctic that is how cold it is) so I’m usually wearing layers of clothing and wrapped in a blanket to conserve my heat, so today that is exactly how you’ll find me.

So while I wander around the house dragging a blanket behind me I’m trying to lay low as much as possible to fend off a cold that I can feel coming on. This is the worst timing for a cold. Flying with your nasal passage blocked is not enjoyable at all. I did this last year and I honestly thought my head was going to explode from the pressure, and I thought I was going to faint from the pain it caused.

One thing that is keeping me going is the fact that next week I’ll be enjoying the sun from Down Under, I cannot wait to get on a plane again, it’s been too long!

Mister and I have never been bad eaters, we’re usually pretty conscious of what we’re putting into our bodies, we read our labels and try and buy items that have the least amount of ingredients – but lately we’ve been bringing it up a notch! BAM! Emeril style! We want to stay healthy for the rest of our lives and it starts first thing in the morning. I’ve mentioned how we spend a few minutes in the morning enjoying each others company as well as our latte and breakfast, the latte is my favourite part, but we don’t like to just throw some cereal or oatmeal in a bowl we like to make sure we’re eating the right stuff to help nurture our bodies.

Adam’s breakfast usually consists of a poached egg placed on top of a one sided sandwich layered with some ham and cheese and then a side of toast with jam. I on the other hand will eat a poached egg once or twice a week but I love me some yogurt and granola….and during the summer months a little bit of granola and yougurt with a mound of blueberries! We both need a great breakfast that keeps us energized and alert so that we’re able to do our jobs 110%!

I love my granola and yogurt with blueberry breakfasts, and I know Adam loves his poached egg, what do you love about your morning breakfast and what do you find keeps you going?

Oh my word!

6 weeks!

In 6 weeks I’m going to be rolling my bags into the Vancouver International Airport to board a plane with la Mister for our trip to Australia! I’m so excited I can hardly contain my excitement as I have never been this far South! I have dreams of sandy beaches, surfing, exploring Sydney’s Opera House, riding horses on the beach, visiting wonderful family in Perth, looking at cool architecture, and of course taking lots and lots of photos!

6 weeks!

I will be away from September 29 to October 20 learning Aussie lingo and basking in the sun as much as possible, if you’d like to book a session before I leave or after I get back, please contact me!

4 years ago today we went on somewhat of a double date and while Talladega Nights was playing on the big screen we flirted our way to the end of the movie. I didn’t think much of it, yes I liked you, but I wasn’t going to think anything further then just playful flirting.

The next day you sent me an email and asked me out for dinner, my heart stopped then jumped for joy that you wanted to hang out with me. We went out and had a great time, you then told me you had a job interview coming up that was out of the country. I liked you, but once you told me that, I figured our relationship wouldn’t go much further then me getting a free dinner from our date.

You went to the job interview and said it went extremely well. I knew that if you asked me I would move for you, I really liked you. 2 weeks later you called me your girlfriend and I met your parents. You got the job but turned it down and then 3 years later we got married.

4 years ago today we went on somewhat of a double date, I liked you, but now I love you and I don’t know how I will ever top your best birthday present…me going on a double date with you!

Happy Birthday Mister!

Photo by Jamie Delaine.