34 questions

I’m all about “age is just a number” until I remembered I was in the 9th grade 20 years ago. TWENTY YEARS! I remember the first few months of grade 9 like they happened last year not two decades ago. Damn. 

Then again, I was asked for my ID at the LCBO last week because the cashier could tell I was over 19 but not how many years over. Bless your sweet heart, Janice. Moisturizer, SPF, and curl your eyelashes, friends! 

Anyway, here are 34 things on my 34th birthday. 

1. What’s your favorite movie? Movies? Sound of Music and GI Blues. 

2. A book you plan on reading? The book on my nightstand is We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter.

3. Favorite TV show that’s currently on? Home Town. Or Younger. (Ok, ok, Canadian friends, Younger is very hard to watch – thanks to Chrissy for letting me use Hulu when I’m in the US – guuuuuys, if you see it when it’s back on MUCH or E! you’ve gotta watch. Team Josh all the way!) 

4. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now? 7.2

5. Twitter or Instagram? Both? Come find me: allisonbridgman on both.

6. What’s your favorite meal? Breakfast. 

7. Favorite Starbucks holiday drink? Chestnut praline latte. Getting my first one today and I am really looking forward to it. 

8. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk. 

9. Coffee or tea? By which you mean a delicious beverage or dirty leaf water? Definitely coffee. 

10. What’s your favorite band? Arkells! 

11. If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Max Kerman and we would sway and hug and jump around the entire time or Buddy Holly or young Elvis. (ps: I can’t sing) 

12. If you could master one instrument, what would it be? Acoustic guitar. 

13. If you had a tattoo, where would it be? On the inside of my finger. (No Laura, no)

14. Dogs or cats? I think cats. 

15. What did you have for lunch today? Today: BLT with avocado. Every other day this week: super buttery oven toast with a sliced apple and slice of 7 years aged white cheddar. 

16. What country do you wish to visit? Austria. 

17. What’s your favorite color? Blush pink. 

18. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Teleportation. 

19. Favourite words? Sojourn and hooligan. 

20. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday. 

21. Do you like your handwriting? Love it. 

22. Best thing you bake? Christmas bread. 

23. What are you listening to right now? Here’s a little playlist for you: Riptide by Vance Joy. Step Into The Darkness by Said The Whale. Real Love Baby by Father John Misty. Everything is Alright by The Glorious Sons. Scars by James Bay. And Then Some (acoustic) by Arkells. Good Old Days by Macklemore f. Kesha. Come A Little Bit Closer by Jay & The Americans. Heartbeat by Buddy Holly. Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder. White Lightning by The Cadillac Three. And if you’re ready, Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley. 

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My Dad. He calls almost every day which is sweet until it isn’t. 

25. Who was the last person you sent a text to? Ma Pooks, Megan. 

26. Scary film or happy endings? Happy endings. Idyllic made-for-tv Christmas movies are my most favourite. 

27. Four people alive or dead that you would like to have dinner with? Obama, Max, sister, and my now-deceased adopted grandma Rosie. 

28. Hugs or kisses? Hugs!

29. Where were you born? Toronto General Hospital. Emergency C-Section, Thursday, November 10, 1983, 1:43am. 

30. What is the farthest you have been from home? Rome: 7,077 km away. 

31. Favorite childhood book? Corduroy.  

32. What would be the title of your autobiography? Tell me about the time you were broken. 

33. Favorite animal? bears! 

34. Mountain cabin or beach house? Can my mountain cabin be by a lake? I’d like that. Or a small beach bungalow in St. Simons. 

 

---

Indulge me: what would be the title of your autobiography? 

ps: I’m trying to spread a little love today; join me in doing something nice for someone else. It would absolutely make my day to hear about it – tag me (@allisonbridgman) and use the hashtag #34LOVEballoons 

Advertisement

happy birthday, sister

Is it completely selfish of me to be really excited to come to Alberta to celebrate sister’s birthday because it coincides with perfect fall temperatures, sunny days, and larch season? Let’s be honest, if her birthday was in July I’d probably be like “well, I hope it’s great, your card is in the mail*, enjoy Village, see you in September”.

I love this little muffin the most and when I’m in Ontario it sometimes doesn’t feel like we’re 3300km apart. We’ll text regularly, send one-liner all knowing emails, or numbered lists with all the pertinent information. And then I get here and I remember what it’s like to laugh at inside jokes while lounging on the couch or being starry-eyed over a certain few “rock stars” and chat about them like they’re our besties. 

We’re spending 3 days in Kananaskis and Banff making various stops at our favourite pretty places for photo shoots and 2 days hiking to see the larches. Hiking for me is incredibly enjoyable and incredibly difficult (ahem, Southern Ontario is not a place of high altitude and higher mountains to “practice” for hiking in the Rockies) and sister is the only person I can imagine spending a day with crawling, huffing, puffing, nearly crying, taking a lot of breaks as she calmly tells me I can do it and to keep going while we very slowly get to our destination. 

Experienced hiker I am not, but I can take a hella flattering photo of your best angles at the summit. 

It may be her day but I’m the luckiest one to have the best sister and spend this week in my favourite part of the country singing songs on the side of a mountain. 

 

*the card is awesome this year

oh hello, june

For me, June 1 instead of the Victoria Day weekend has really felt like the unofficial introduction of summer. I’m laying low this weekend before all the others weekends this month are filled up with a trip to Boston, then Father’s Day, then a jaunt into the city for my second Arkells concert of the year. I’m generally desperate for downtime and quiet weekends but adventures with my favourite lady and seeing my best gents is too good to wish for quiet time. 

Anyway, so, almost summer. Instead of a bunch of rando things, here are some of my fave summer things (some I have and some I just lust for if the situation was right…..like, that’s a hella cute swimsuit but serves no purpose in my life. Ditto pool float.)

Obvs staying true to the #mellenialpink trend. Also, flutter sleeves. Fun, flirty, playful, yet still age appropriate. 

TOMS sandals: the 2017 design (shown above) aren’t my favourite but keep an eye out if shops still have last year’s or if a new summer style come out. Like the classic slip ons, the sandals have an extra comfy sole (I have two pairs bought in the last 2 years) and are my go-to for long summer days of casual walking. 

No surprise, I’m sure, to see Marc Jacobs DOT on my list. It’s been my signature spring and summer scent for years now. You can get the roller balls at Sephora. 

How adorable and completely unpractical is this J. Crew ruffle swimsuit? Going on vacay where hanging by the pool doesn’t mean swimming in the pool and looking for a one piece? I recommend this one. There are VERY affordable ruffle sleeve bikini tops at Old Navy. 

So hot you need to take the cute swimsuit into the pool? You should probably lounge in a heart floatie. How cute!?! 

I am TERRIBLE at drinking enough water throughout the day. The one thing that helps a little is a cute tumbler. I fill it up at lunchtime and sip water with chunks of fruit and lemon or some crystal light (raspberry lemonade is my faaavourite) all afternoon. 

I am loving a mix of light nails and dark toes for recent manicures. The ones here are skinny dip (pink) and winning streak (dark purple/grey). Like tone-on-tone better? Try a light nail and dark toes in the same colour family (aka: both pink). 

I spotted this new PC cold brew on instagram and have added it to the grocery list. While I usually prefer to make my own it’s nice to know there is boxed, affordable, black cold brew available in a pinch. How do you drink yours? I like a little sugar or coconut syrup and lots of milk. 

Banana Boat Ultra Defense is rated totalbeauty.com’s best drugstore sunscreen. Whichever you choose make sure to wear it regularly and reapply often. Do you have a favourite light day cream with SFP?

You KNOW I’ve been on the hunt for cute and (most importantly) super comfortable low profile sneakers for M-O-N-T-H-S. I think I’ve found them. I got these Reebok Club C 85 PINK sneakers last week at Simons. I’ve worn them once so far and they were very comfortable; the best part? the cushioning for the sole extends all the way up behind/around the ankle. 

A NARS lip pencil was part of the 2015 birthday gift from Sephora and it has been the only lip pencil to stay on for more than 97 seconds (but still not quite as long as 30 mins; but nothing does). If you’re looking for something matte and long lasting, I recommend this one. Love this poppy redish-pink colour. 

Don’t have a favourite ball team you want to represent all summer? Choose a light neutral like this mauve suede cap from H&M. Keeping the sun off your face prevents wrinkles from sun exposure. 

I only have a few pairs of earrings, all small and delicate, and rotate them depending on the occasion. These small rosegold ear climbers from Canadian designer Leah Alexander would be a great addition to any summer collection. 

Shorts aren’t really my jam (#thickthighs) but if I could wear them without worrying about chaffing or them riding up (TMI?) I would definitely have a romper. Denim with flutter sleeves and currently on sale at The GAP; this is a winner. 

A back-up charger is a must nearly every month of the year, yours should definitely be as cute as this one from Indigo. (unless, of course, you have an android and apparently you can’t have nice things)

A good book is always at the top of my summer list. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio is a favourite from a few years ago; I really enjoyed it. 

 

what are you loving/looking forward to purchasing for summer? 

let’s go on an adventure: a long weekend recap

I know what you’re probably thinking. You’re over there thinking “oh my goodness, you never do this”. And that’s true, I never recap my weekends……………………because they are so mega boring. But sister is visiting and we had some fun! 

The penultimate Monday in May most Canadians celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria, the Mother of Confederation. Sure. Hello long weekend! I work primarily with media agencies and they are either completely closed or close at noon the day leading into a long weekend. Lucky for me, I wrapped up all my work early Thursday afternoon and most people had let me know they’d be closed. Scratch hello long weekend; hello extra long weekend! I know, I know, #blessed. 

While lounging in bed, scrolling the insta after brunch and some shopping with Mom, Laura came into my room and announced “let’s go now”. We had been tossing around the idea of going to check out waterfalls in Dundas/Hamilton and were a bit deflated when a quick internet search informed us that you had to park in a central lot and take a shuttle on weekends and holidays. Neither of us are fans of crowds so we nixed plans of stopping in on the way home from lunch with Dad on Saturday. We could get there on back roads, avoiding any Friday afternoon pre-holiday weekend traffic and definitely be home before dark. YUP! So we set off on a little adventure. 

In hindsight, we should have done a bit more research. Due to an accident/fatality, you can no longer access Webster’s Falls from the Tew’s Falls parking lot. Bummer. This is on one poorly laminated sign in the parking lot, to which I assumed meant you couldn’t access it off the parking lot. Also, it’s $10 to park ($10 parking + $5 per person to shuttle on the weekend) and Tew’s Falls are 100m from the parking lot. Not really knowing where we were going we decided to explore/hike Spencer Gorge (which is where Tew’s Falls is located). The hike is fairly easy but has poor signage and in the grand scheme of things, isn’t very interesting. Unless of course, you’ve always wanted a panoramic view of Hamilton from the Dundas Peak. The trail however is well maintained and there is citronella or some other citrus flower blooming and thus the path is so romantically scented (yah, that’s what you go on hikes for, right?). A quick search and another unsuccessful attempt of finding a trail to Webster’s Falls we got back into the car a rewarded ourselves with Starbucks. 

Saturday started off with how all good Guelph residents start a weekend: a trip to the Farmer’s Market. Unlike most others visiting the market, we were only looking for 2 things: flowers and cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Freshly fried right in front of you, yeasty, pillowy old fashioned doughnuts that take a quick flip in cinnamon sugar before being handed over in a paper bag. HEAVEN! Goods in hand we got lattes across the street and staged a quick photoshoot on the patio. Don’t worry, no doughnut goodness was harmed while taking photos. They were still warm and devoured within seconds. 

A quick change and a delicious lunch with Dad and then back to Guelph for sister to take photos of my apartment. While definitely gorgeous, it seems it wasn’t just me, my apartment is a pain in the butt to photograph. I’ll be going through hundreds of photos later this week and next week and will start sharing. The best part of photoshoots? Fresh flowers everywhere, of course! 

Sunday was brunch at 39 Carden and shopping for plants. WHO AM I? I’ve never had plants because I’m a notorious plant killer but I really wanted fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes and flowers on the balcony so I’m trying. Think good thoughts about my 2 flower pots (not sure what they are), basil, cherry tomatoes, and peonies! AHHH. Yes, you can grow them in container pots. It’s got 3 buds and 2 more little ones still growing. If all 5 bloom, it’ll be cheaper than buying 1 bunch from the local florist. 

We used the rainy afternoon as a much needed opportunity to nap, relax, and watch afternoon baseball before dinner at The Keg. 

Monday was more coffee and then sister was on a train to spend a few days with buds in Toronto. I lounged all day, catching up on Grey’s Anatomy and the last 2 episodes of Scandal (ooooh, the last 2 this season are GOOD!) and went to bed early after watching fireworks from my balcony. Yay 4th floor perks! 

I’m slowly easing back into work and eating too many bowls of Lucky Charms before a busy rest of the week. 

---

how was your weekend? what did you do? 

all my (opinionated) friends say

While I tend to shy away from confrontation, debates, or arguments of any kind I have very strong opinions. Most of which are about very trivial things…and I pretty much don’t/won’t/can’t understand where you are coming from if we don’t agree. I swear I’m actually very lovely…

I saw a few of these unknowingly controversial topics on a blog a few weeks ago; chose the ones I liked the most and added a few more I thought of and asked a few of my most opinionated friends to weigh in. You all know Laura (sister) and Chrissy; please be nice to them even though they might be (are) wrong about certain things. 

Top sheet or no top sheet?

Allison: top sheet. Definitely. The more layers the better and the top sheet really allows one to tightly snuggle themselves into a blanket burrito. 

Chrissy: top sheet; otherwise it sort of feels weird. 

Laura: no top sheet. If I do sleep with one, I end up kicking it to the end of the bed. My bed sheets include a fitted sheet and my comforter. [Allison adds: this is true. The child is a disaster when she sleeps so much so that I just take the top sheet off the bed when she comes to visit.]

Wedding on a holiday weekend: rude or convenient?

Allison: I would normally err on the side of rude (like, dude, there are only so many long weekends a year and this one is dedicated to you now); but I attended one last winter and it was so nice to be out of town Saturday and Sunday and still have Monday off. Maybe cause it was February and I wouldn’t have had plans otherwise? Maybe cause I love my M? Final decision: in general, not my favourite. 

Chrissy: rude, but I love weddings so much that I’m not usually peeved too badly.

Laura: this one depends on whose wedding and where it is. Majority of the time, I’m going with rude. 

Ketchup on a hot dog?

Allison: I don’t know why this is an issue; I say yes…but also, I think hot dogs are gross. I definitely included this question because, up until yesterday, Chrissy lived in Chicago and those Chicagoans have major issues with ketchup on hot dogs and I needed to know what she thought…

Chrissy: if there’s sauerkraut, no. If no kraut, then yes. 

Laura: it’s the only condiment I’ll put on my hot dog. Thumbs up to ketchup. 

Would you let your latte sit out all day and still take a sip?

Allison: do you even know me? I hold the world record in slowest coffee sipping. It’s great because you have a hot beverage, a lukewarm beverage, and a cold beverage. So, yes! 

Chrissy: NO. I like it hot and not spoiled. 

Laura: I would. I don’t mind cold coffee and there is no way I’m throwing $5 in the garbage.

Nuts in brownies: love ’em or hate ’em?

Allison: ambivalent? At home I never add nuts to my brownies but the brownies from Artisano (small Ontario chain similar to Panera Bread…but better) have walnuts in them and they are the best! 

Chrissy: LOVE. ALL THE NUTS. 

Laura: medium about it? They can be a good textural thing, but I lean toward nutless. 

How often should you wash your jeans?

Allison: oh shoot. Now you’re going to know my dirty (literally) little secret. I wash my jeans as infrequently as possible. Like, when they smell, are dirty, or when the butt gets extra saggy is good time to wash them. 

Chrissy: I wash them when they start to get stretched out. Maybe once every four wears. Is that gross? Sorry I’m gross. [Allison adds: isn’t it cute she thinks 4 wears is gross while I’m like, ehhhh, once a month/every 6 weeks?]

Laura: every few weeks? I don’t know. I’m no good with laundry things. 

Food in bed?

Allison: one of my favourite lines about cute boys is “I wouldn’t kick (dude) out of bed for crumbs”, so food in bed is a-ok. Well, I guess, let’s not eat a steak dinner in bed but some ice cream or chips or brunch are all a yes. The only rule I do have is: no empty mugs or dishes in the bedroom. That grosses me out. 

Chrissy: Nope. Mostly because I don’t sit around in bed, but if my bedroom was more lovely then I might be tempted to sneak a snack. 

Laura: if I had a TV in my bedroom I might have a different opinion, but I’m going with no. Keep food to designated food places to help control cravings and eating patterns, too. 

Is double dipping ok?

Allison: do you have the flu? No? Then, yep; double dip to your hearts content. 

Chrissy: I think so. I’m not so sure why it’s frowned upon. It’s not like I’m licking the chip. Thanks, Seinfeld. 

Laura: always a yes. 

BSB or NSYNC?

Allison: Backstreet Boys. Definitely. Growing up in the 80s and 90s was so great. 

Chrissy: this is SO HARD. But, NSYNC wins by a hair. Justin’s curly hair. 

Laura: trick question. New Kids on the Block! As a child of the boy band era, this is such a hard question to answer. [Allison adds: NKOTB! Oh gawd, yes. I went to the NKOTBSB concert four (five?) years ago and it was SO GOOD! All my 90z dreams come true] 

Ice cream: chocolate or vanilla?

Allison: vanilla. Vanilla with chocolate chip cookie dough or (for my Canadian friends) PC vanilla chocolate crackle, my favourite vanilla base. I hate chocolate ice cream. Yes, hate. I went there. Ultimate favourite: 1 scoop Phil & Sebastian coffee + 1 scoop salted caramel in a waffle cone from Village in YYC. OMG. 

Chrissy: vanilla. With or without toppings. 

Laura: vanilla for me – though I’d pick numerous other flavours before vanilla. I’m not much of a chocolate person, but chocolate ice cream is the worst of it. 

---

Feel free to judge us or revel in our choices and share some of your opinions to these in the comments. I would love to hear what you think…