Coffee | Pilot Coffee Roasters | Toronto
This week my boss came into the office asking if anyone wanted to take Friday and visit Toronto with him. There were a couple of breweries he had been wanting to check out.
Instantly I volunteered.
I love spending time in big cities.
I thrive off the energy.
The constant coming and going.
The adventure in exploring and finding your own favourite spots.
In meeting people and admiring beautiful buildings and graffiti.
But breweries aren't my thing.
I have an auto immune disorder called celiac disease, which means that eating even the smallest trace of gluten (a protein in most grains) causes my immune system to attack my body.
So beer is not an option for me.
Instead I planned a simultaneous coffee crawl, picking a coffee shop near each of the breweries we would be stopping at. Here's the first of 3 stops. Keep an eye on the blog in the next couple weeks for the other 2!
Pilot Coffee (50 Wagstaff Dr.)
Pilot Coffee surprised me.
Walking up the street I wondered if I was in the right place. The building looked like a warehouse other than the signature yellow sign. Even the door looked like every other metal warehouse door.
BUT after I opened the door I was greeted by a bright, sunny space.
I ordered a latte made with almond milk - my go to.
And it was absolutely delicious!
Left Field Brewery (36 Wagstaff Dr.)
While I was picking up a latte at Pilot, the guys were checking out Left Field just down the street.
Are you a city or country person? Leave me a comment!
Sneak Peek: Sarah Felicia
A couple weeks ago I met up with a friend of mine from high school.
Last year Sarah released her first single Red Balloon, and with a new single being released this month, and a whole EP slated to come out later this year, she was looking to have more photos to work with for promo and social media.
What is your favourite type of music to listen to? Leave a comment and let me know!
I Feel Happiest When . . .
I feel happiest when I live in the moment and let go of worry.
Sometimes this comes in the form of taking a moment to see and enjoy the way the golden evening light streams through my windows.
Sometimes it's staring into the sky and feeling its vastness.
Other times it's fully giving myself over to rib aching, teary eyed laughter, when hanging out with my funniest friends. Feeling nothing but joy as the jokes flow easily between us.
Or connecting with someone new and those first moments of becoming friends.
Or the feeling of spontaneous adventures with people I like. For example - the other day was quiet at work and we spontaneously went for donuts and coffee. I remember sitting in the backseat of my friend's Jeep, windows down, radio blasting, sunshine coating everything in golden light. And as the wind tangled through my hair, everything slowed and the word 'infinite' ran through my head as I thought, 'this is it.' These are the moments we live for. The ones that matter and make life worth living.
This is life.
And my heart was full enough it could burst.
I feel happiest when I let go.
Photo credit: Allysin Van Ysseldyk
When are you your happiest? Leave a comment and let me know.
Book Review: I Must Say by Martin Short
I started January off the way I always do - by updating my book list.
As I sat looking at the growing list of books I would like to read I knew that I needed to change some of my habits and start reading more so that I could check more off my list. This book was one of the first ones I chose to check off.
Ever since I watched the updated versions of Father Of The Bride with Steve Martin where Martin Short plays Franck - a hilarious wedding planner with a questionable accent - I have loved his quirky sense of humour. It was this history that led me to check his book out of the local library right away, rather than following my carefully alphabetized list.
I loved this book!
As the man who made me laugh with his movie characters throughout the 90s - he didn't disappoint.
From the very first chapter Marty had me chuckling out loud during my lunch breaks at work, whether he was dropping names or detailing the history of his famous characters, everything was written with a sense of humour.
But like any great piece of comedy it was laced with truth and difficulty.
Martin Short's life cannot be described as easy, but man! the way he weaves laughter and depth and grief and joy together is beautiful.
The last couple of chapters talk about his wife, Nancy's, passing.
I read these pages while I was waiting for my car in a mechanic shop, and even in public I couldn't keep the tears from my eyes.
The story was heartbreaking.
But for the first time in my life I saw grief as beautiful.
Grief means it mattered, and that you loved.
Obviously I would never ask for pain, or want anyone to feel so hurt and broken, but how beautiful to have loved so deeply and fully.
This book was beautiful.
A story of resilience.
Rating:
There is a bit of crude humour - but overall the book was funny, and deep - 9.5/10 would recommend!
The Blue Beacon Truck Wash
Maybe it's the artist in me, but I can't help but see the beauty in ordinary things.
If you just shift your perspective slightly, a room that you see daily can surprise you, and a piece of sky you constantly look at can suddenly seem breath taking.
I often experience this when looking at buildings, and there was this one particular building along the highway between Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
It's a little run down, but this eye catching shade of turquoise.
Since the day I first saw it two years ago I knew that I wanted to take photos there.
Finally in January I convinced my sister Allysin to drive the 45 minutes out to it and be my subject with the turquoise building in the background, and it was everything that I had dreamed!
