For Canada Day, my brother Ryan came to visit us. His boss had given him some free tickets to the Blue Jays’ game, so we had lots of fun. The game went to 19 innings with a score of 2-1 for the Cleveland Indians. We left after 12 innings because we were hungry.
Nic barbecued some sausages, and we had a great dinner.
One of our friends from undergrad invited us to his place near the waterfront to watch the fireworks. This crazy stormy sky made me worried, but it all worked out.
Super classy elevator selfie
The fireworks at the Toronto Harbourfront centre were probably the best I’ve ever seen. They had some really awesome colours, and the finale shook our chests it was so loud.
Nic and I got married June 20, 2015 in Ottawa, where we grew up. For our first anniversary, we decided we would go to Toronto Island for a beach day, and then have a delicious dinner out. Our original plans were much more grandiose-weekend hiking trip in Algonquin or on the Bruce Peninsula, bed & breakfast and a show in Stratford… But we realized that with a grad student and and under-employed-future-grad-student income, it made more sense to stick close to home.
Always use a protective pouch if using electronics at the beach!
Neither of us had been to the Islands before, so this was a lot of fun. We packed up all our essentials, and spent a really hot, relaxing day in the sun. Yes, I got a terrible burn despite repeat applications of sunscreen.
I love building sandcastles
Since Nic had strained his shoulder, we knew we wouldn’t be able to play any sports at the beach. We decided to pick up a bucket and some shovels to make a sandcastle-it was a lot of fun. People kept passing by it and saying how awesome it was, probably thinking it was made by children, not two twenty-five-year-olds. We had some good laughs.
Boardwalk from Ward’s Island to Centre Island
Fresh pineapple juice in a pineapple
I bought Nic some Godiva chocolates to share
We walked from Ward’s Island to Centre Island, which was much busier, and got some fresh pineapple juice.
Nic bought me peonies, my favourite flowersOur friend Winston recommended Byblos, and it was delicious
Byblos is a Mediterranean restaurant in the Entertainment District, and they’re phenomenal. We each got a fancy cocktail (my cucumber, mint + vodka was perfect) and then shared some plates.
Our last dish arrived after I took this picture, and we had eaten too much of the food for me to take another one. Oops! We had the best, spiciest olives, cauliflower, fried chicken, and pide.
The waitress brought us some Turkish ice cream because she knew it was our anniversary-so sweet! The booth we sat in was also super romantic. I’m so glad we went there.
Our first year of marriage has been so wonderful. First and foremost, obviously it’s been awesome living with Nic-we don’t have to be long-distance anymore, or be worried we’ll miss the last bus home because we’re having a great conversation, and there’s always our favourite person to hang out with when we get home. Second, it’s been really cool to see our relationship evolve-we’ve seen each other through tough times, dashed hopes, and joys, and have learned how to be humble about our mistakes. Third, we’ve gotten to explore places together-not just our temporary city of Toronto, but our honeymoon in Nova Scotia, bringing Nic to Manitoba for my Grandpa’s funeral, and our dream trips (B.C., New Zealand and Australia…). I’m so happy we found each other, and I can’t wait for every single anniversary after this one.
After dinner we walked (I limped, I haven’t worn heels in months, and those four-inch babies were killing me) to the waterfront, shared a drink at the Amsterdam Brewery, and watched the sunset on the first day of summer.
On Sunday, Nic and I took a quick trip to the Toronto Harbour front to relax before the week. It was swelteringly hot, so we had to stay pretty hydrated, and took lots of breaks in the shade. It was pretty cool going back to the spots where we did our engagement pictures a year ago!
OOTD
White crop tank: thrifted
Pencil skirt: Ann Taylor, on sale for $15 from $89!
Sandals: SoftMoc last summer
Purse: Aldo two years ago
I love the skirt’s pattern.
Nic in front of… some sculpture that they don’t explain.
Pretty
If we were rich, we’d love to live by the lake. Wouldn’t that be awesome?