MIMM #10: Get Togethers

Another marvelous weekend was spent here in London! I pride myself for working hard throughout the week so that I can enjoy marvelous outings on Saturday and Sunday.  I deserved a break, especially after completing my first midterm of the year on Friday evening. Thank you everyone for thinking math-y thoughts for me. Your kindness and my studying definitely paid off because the midterm went well. There were some challenging questions but I tried my best so I am hopeful to see a good mark when I get my results.MiMM

Not only was Friday marvelous because my midterm was a bit of a reassurance that I can succeed in University, but I thoroughly enjoyed my Food and Nutrition lecture. How it works is we have three professors who rotate through the different three sections that are taught on Friday morning. As opposed to having a big lecture of all first year Food and Nutrition students, they break it down into smaller sections, which allows us to have great discussions.  This past week our class’s topic was Digestion. I was fortunate to be able to take a Food and Nutrition class taught by an excellent teacher in grade 12, and my High School’s biology program was thorough so this lecture was a bit of a review for me (but much needed since I haven’t seen this material for 2 years). It fascinates me when Food and Nutrition brings together Chemistry and Biology in the form of Digestion. I find it neat how our food uses chemicals to break down food in conjunction with mechanical digestion. Our bodies are composed of some pretty specialized and marvelous cells. Honestly I could probably do a whole post on abnormal digestion, for example Celiac and Chrohn’s disease, but I have a feeling it might be a bit boring.1380598_348788808590237_2011727979_n

Friday was also marvelous because golden beets were back in the salad bar. I’ve decided that I should start loading up on the vegetables that I most enjoy for the days when the selection is scarcer. I also roasted acorn squash at 10:00 p.m. because that is what you do when you have a craving.1393003_348788748590243_441210251_n 1383879_348788785256906_1454995811_n1378730_348788765256908_1811413386_n

Saturday I slept in until 8:30 a.m., which was a marvelous, win in my books! I woke up intending to study but received a text message from Chelsea asking if she Andrea, Shannon and I could get together. Chelsea and Andrea had intended on visiting London the following day however a change in schedules meant that Saturday worked out better. A spontaneous car ride on their behalf left them arriving in London at 2:00 p.m. leaving us with just enough time to do a quick residence tour before we had to head to the Covent Garden Market to meet Shannon. On the way we stopped at Starbucks where I tried my first ever Salted Caramel Mocha! 1/4 syrup, non-fat milk with whip cream is definitely the way to go as it is pretty sweet! I really only purchased Nutritional Yeast (Chelsea C. you would have loved all the spices at Snack and Bake) because I was too busy catching up on everyone’s life to focus on fresh produce. Afterwards we visited Organic Works, the bakery and café that Chelsea used to work at. It was my first time visiting (although I’ve tried their bread before) but will not be my last. The eatery is so eclectic I just know my Mom would have loved their displays. It was a tough decision between the Smoked Salmon Sandwich, Kale Salad or Vegan Taco Salad, but I ended up deciding I wanted the crunch of black bean tortillas and a bit of a Mexican salsa kick. Although it was big, it wasn’t super filling, which is why I had plently of room for Chil frozen yogurt. After trying Chil with Shannon earlier in the year, no generic frozen yogurt tastes as good as organic Greek frozen yogurt offered at Chil. They are completely GMO free and offer Kerif, Soy, Almond Milk, Gelato and other dairy free options. This time I opted for Plain, Maple and Cake Batter Greek frozen yogurt with apple and pumpkin pie, sprinkles, butterscotch chips and oreo bits as my toppings. My bowl definitely was not full enough for my appetite. 1390697_348788658590252_1262545042_n 1383818_348788618590256_2092311122_n 1374306_348788638590254_2119040308_n

Sunday I managed to sleep through my alarm until 9:00 a.m.! Clearly sleep was a priority in my body’s mind but I felt a bit guilty for wasting valuable study time. I had been meaning to grab lunch with Victoria but we decided to grab coffee instead. This girl literally reads my mind when we are together; we have so much in common we could talk for hours. She’s definitely been a great support as I transition back into University. Her hugs make me feel so loved and her texts offer equally as much marvelous care.1378282_348788601923591_871201385_n

Apart from blog reading, pinteresting and chatting with my floor mates, my weekend was composed of studying. Last night I tried my first slice of Pumpkin pie thanks to Katie, which was absolutely delicious. I can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t like pumpkin! I was missing out!1381773_348788571923594_412897182_n

I’m counting down the days until I get to go home on Friday afternoon. I had been hoping Friday classes would be cancelled for Thanksgiving but we have an in class assignment instead. It’ll be marvelous to be in the company of my extended family over Canada’s Thanksgiving and I can’t wait to bake some festive desserts. I’m also looking forward to the leftovers that I will get to bring back to residence with me. Some Universities get the week off (Fall reading week) and I am so envious! I could use a week of marvelous “me” time to catch up with my sibblings, parents and friends!1375306_348788585256926_49624765_n

So as did last weekend, Saturday and Sunday were so marvelous they flew by. I could have used a bit more sunshine as it rained a fair bit, but that did not stop me from walking around campus (My hair sure paid price (FRIZZY))! Nothing too big is happening this week which will give me time to review and work on group assignments. Thanks again Katie for hosting MIMM, I hope you are having fun at Kalahari, that Rubber Duck definitely couldn’t fit in Rocco’s baby bath! MIMM sure does make Mondays a little more marvelous and manageable don’t you think? Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. What was the highlight of your weekend? Has it started to look like fall in your neighbourhood? Are you a fan of frozen yogurt? Will you be celebrating Thanksgiving this coming weekend and if so what are traditional dishes that your family serves?  Take care, ♥ Molly

“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

MIMM #2: Weekend Recap

This weekend was filled with some pretty marvelous events. I love going to the gym to swim, grocery shopping is always fun, and I treated myself to Ice Cream and Booster Juice which were both delicious. I am also proud that I conquered my fear of driving on “major” streets, since up until now I’ve only practiced in parking lots and on rural streets. My G2 will bring with it more independence, which is something I gladly welcome. This weekend my dad let me drive to the grocery store and I was rewarded with a venti coffee. The Longos I drove to is brand new, so in hopes of attracting customers, they offer one free Starbucks tea or coffee (any size) a day to “Longos Members” which is a free reward club. Starbucks launched a “True North” blend, which is the mildest roast, and it might just be my new favourite (I normally like a darker, richer blend). Check out this cute cart and amazing beverage holder! The cart is perfect for when you need to pick up a few times that are too heavy to carry! The layout of the store is beautiful and it reminds me a lot of Whole foods as it features beautifully arranged Salad Bars, Pastry Cases and Organic Produce!

photo-91Saturday and Sunday were great, but Friday was a bit more special. On Friday I got together with Joyce. She lives in Hamilton since she attends McMaster University, but was heading back to her family’s home for the weekend and offered to stop in Oakville for a visit. We find every excuse to get together as we share so many similar interests and values in life. Honestly, sometimes I think she reads my mind because she’s always finishing my sentences. Most of the time we just meet up for coffee in alternating cities, but since she wasn’t in a hurry we decided to switch it up and go downtown.

IMG_5929I met her at the go station and from there we walked down to the lake as it’s only about twenty minutes. I had planned on bringing her to the Marilyn Monroe Café, but I was in need of an immediate caffeine fix so Starbucks was a bit more convenient. As a treat, I got a Mocha Light Frappuchino (my only simple order at Starbucks), and later got a “True North” coffee refill since I am a gold card reward member (and loving that blend). We spent a good hour or so just catching up and to my surprise, she showered me with gifts as a pre-birthday celebration. Joyce just returned from a work conference that was in New York City. Look at what she picked up for me? I am a bit coffee obsessed and since I used to be a Starbucks Barista this gift was perfect.

IMG_5932 IMG_5936Neither one of us purchased anything, but it was fun to soak up the sun and enjoy the downtown scenery. Lululemon had some great sales but I didn’t really need any of my finds. Bluboho is a really cute shop that we looked in, but again nothing caught my eye as a “must have”.

IMG_5938 IMG_5939 IMG_5944We decided to head back to the go-station, but took a much needed detour for frozen yogurt on the way home. You’ll never hear me complain that I am too hot, but we both agreed that we wanted a refreshing treat. I was overwhelmed by the selection of new flavours and had trouble deciding what I wanted to try. I am always really impressed that Yogurty’s dedicates one machine to nut flavours, so that there is no cross contamination. S’mores caught my eye, but I decided to go for fruity flavours instead. I got Raspberry Sorbet and then Tart and Lime Frozen Yogurt. I topped them with mango, lychee and strawberry balls, fresh strawberry and mango pieces, and a few gummies. It was simply delicious.

IMG_5946 IMG_5948 IMG_5951IMG_0101I am looking forward to a lot of fun events this week. Today I am helping out with a room makeover, tomorrow and Wednesday I will be in Toronto, Thursday is my birthday and Friday is well, marvelous nonetheless. I’m even having a girls night/ sleepover on Saturday with two of my best friends from elementary school. It’s going to be busy, but it will definitely be exciting. There is nothing greater than surrounding yourself with opportunities and people that lift you higher, make you laugh and are enjoyable to be around.

MiMM

This post is linked up with Katie’s, Marvelous in My Monday weekly post. Be sure to read what others are finding Marvelous this Monday. Katie’s son Rocco reminds me of the days when Lottie was a newborn. What was marvelous about your weekend?  Any marvelous events planned for this coming week? ♥ Molly

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle 

Happy Sunday

Today I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine downtown with Lottie, Emma, Caitlin and my Mom. It was very busy on Lakeshore as there was a sidewalk sale.

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We visited one of my favourite stores Anthropologie, and stopped for coffee at Croissant Express. Did you manage to have a relaxing Sunday?  ♥ Molly

“The whole point of the week is the weekend.” – Angela Montenegro