Golden Globes 2017

So here we go, award season begins with the Golden Globes (on Sunday) and I am really excited. January and February are the best months of the year, specifically because of award season. I look forward to it all year round and thoroughly enjoy watching them (even if they are 3+ hours). I just love the movies, the TV shows, the acting, and the stories. It's amazing what can be conveyed in a 2 hour movie or a 1 hour episode of a show. For every award show, I will be creating a list of who I think will win and then afterwards go through and see how well I did. So here we go:

Golden Globes 2017:

Italics- my guess
Bold- winner

Movies

Best Motion Picture- Drama

Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Motion Picture- Musical

20th Century Women
Deadpool
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Sing Street

Best Performance in a Motion Picture- Drama

Actor

Casey Affleck- Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton- Loving
Andrew Garfield- Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen- Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington- Fences 

Actress

Amy Adams- Arrival
Jessica Chastain- Miss Sloane
Isabelle Huppert- Elle
Ruth Negga- Loving
Natalie Portman- Jackie

Best Performance in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy

Actor

Colin Farrell- The Lobster
Ryan Gosling- La La Land
Hugh Grant- Florence Foster Jenkins
Jonah Hill- War Dogs
Ryan Reynolds- Deadpool

Actress

Annette Bening- 20th Century Women
Lily Collins- Rules Don't Apply
Hailee Steinfeld- The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone- La La Land
Meryl Streep- Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture- Drama, Musical or Comedy

Actor

Mahershala Ali- Moonlight
Jeff Bridges- Hell or High Water
Simon Helberg- Florence Foster Jenkins
Dev Patel- Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson- Nocturnal Animals 

Actress

Viola Davis- Fences
Naomie Harris- Moonlight
Nicole Kidman- Lion
Octavia Spencer- Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams- Manchester by the Sea

Best Director

Damien Chazelle- La La Land
Tom Ford- Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson- Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins- Moonlight
Kenneth Lonegran- Manchester by the Sea

Best Screenplay

Damien Chazelle- La La Land
Tom Ford- Nocturnal Animals
Barry Jenkins- Moonlight
Kenneth Lonegran- Manchester by the Sea
Taylor Sheridan- Hell or High Water

Best Original Score

Nicholas Britell- Moonlight
Justin Hurwitz- La La Land
Johann Johannsson- Arrival
Dustin O'Halloran & Hauschka- Lion
Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams & Benjamin Wallfisch- Hidden Figures

Best Original Song

Can't Stop the Feeling- Trolls
City of Stars- La La Land
Faith- Sing
Gold- Gold
How Far I'll Go- Moana

Best Animated Feature Film

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
Sing
Zootopia 

Television

Best Series 

Drama 

The Crown

Game of Thrones

Stranger Things

This Is Us

Westworld 

Musical or Comedy 

Atlanta 

Black-ish

Mozart in the Jungle 

Transparent

Veep 

Best Performance in a Television Series- Drama 

Actor

Rami Malek- Mr. Robot

Bob Odenkirk- Better Call Saul

Matthew Rhys- The Americans 

Live Schreiber- Ray Donovan

Billy Bob Thornton- Goliath 

Actress

Caitriona Balfe- Outlander

Claire Foy- The Crown

Keri Russell- The Americans

Winona Ryder- Stranger Things

Evan Rachel Wood- Westworld 

Best Performance in a Television Series- Musical or Comedy 

Actor 

Anthony Anderson- Black-ish 

Gael Garcia Bernal- Mozart in the Jungle 

Donald Glover- Atlanta

Nick Nolte- Graves

Jeffrey Tambor- Transparent 

Actress

Rachel Bloom- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Julia Louis-Dreyfus- Veep

Sarah Jessica Parker- Divorce

Issa Rae- Insecure

Gina Rodriguez- Jane the Virgin

Tracee Ellis Ross- Black-ish 

Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film

Actor

Riz Ahmed- The Night Of 

Bryan Cranston- All the Way

Tom Hiddelston- The Night Manager

John Turturro- The Night Of

Courtney B. Vance- The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Actress

Felicity Huffman- American Crime

Riley Keough- The Girlfriend Experience

Sarah Paulson- The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Charlotte Rampling- London Spy

Kerry Washington- Confirmation 

Best Supporting Performance in a Series, Miniseries or Television

Supporting Actor 

Sterling K. Brown- The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Hugh Laurie- The Night Manager

John Lithgow- The Crown

Christian Slater- Mr. Robot

John Travolta- The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Supporting Actress

Olivia Colman- The Night Manager

Lena Headey- Game of Thrones

Chrissy Metz- This Is Us

Mandy Moore- This Is Us

Thandie Newton- Westworld 

Best Miniseries or Television Film

American Crime

The Dresser

The Night Manager

The Night Of

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

So now that the Golden Globes have ended award season has begun and the awards will be dished out. With the first award done and dusted it begins the domino effect of movies and TV shows that will be adorned with awards that will catapult shows into stardom and will cement the popularity of other shows. My score for this evening was:

10/24.

Definitely not a good start (lol) but of course award season is long and I always get better. I definitely enjoyed the show, specifically Meryl Streep's speech and her award. She so deserves everything good that has come to her and will come to her and her speech was so important.

Until next time...

Watercolour Map

Maps have always been a huge fascination for me. And now that I have actually travelled outside of North America, it made sense to get a map that would showcase the places I have travelled and the places I have yet to go. This watercolour map was a perfect gift for my sister, as it shows where we have been together and will show the places she will end up going, whether with me or without me. It is an amazing representation of the world we live in and it also demonstrates how big this world really is and how small we truly are.

2017 Award Season has Begun...

Award season officially began last night with the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles. 'La La Land' was the big winner taking home 8 awards. Quite a surprise for me as I didn't think the movie was good enough to see, obviously I was wrong and now I must go and see it.

As most people who read this blog know, I love my TV shows. However, I also love my movies. And award season, for both movies and TV shows is literally the best time of the year for me. December through February is the best time of the year and I always become so enveloped with award talk. This year I have taken it upon myself to watch every movie nominated and make education guesses for the culmination of the Oscars.

Tonight I will begin with Hacksaw Ridge, one it looks like a phenomenal movie and being a history buff, you automatically become a war buff as well.

Let the Awards begin!!

The Rock

Our families have been coming to this little rock island for almost an entire decade now. No matter how busy all of our lives have become we always manage to take one weekend off during the summer to get together for an amazing and unforgettable time. These weekends always consist of amazing food, laughter, story telling, and new memories. It's the little things. We always have an absolute riot when we are all together and this video is just a small indication of this. 

Music: Smooth by Florida Georgia Line 

Enjoy! 

On The Road Again

They say once you go on one trip to somewhere new, the travel bug bites and the urge to travel again never leaves you. For me, this is so true. The second I came home from Europe I began planning another trip back. I had a few choices on where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to go back to Europe and travel the whole continent, but there are so many choices and places I have yet to be it made it difficult to try and narrow it down. There was Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and Spain and Portugal and Greece. The places are endless, but I eventually decided on Ireland and Scotland. My family is from Ireland so it is a way of me getting back to my roots but also I wanted to see what this beautiful country had to offer.

I've had friends and a couple of cousins go to both countries and every single one of them have said those were two of the countries they would 100% go back and visit. Not just because of the beautiful scenery but because of the people, the locals were so friendly and amazing to be around. They told stories about the history of Ireland and I have heard nothing about good things. I cannot wait to experience these two beautiful countries and of course to come back and visit again.

I feel like the photos you see online everywhere of both countries, of course they are beautiful, but they just do not do the countries justice. It's also very different to experience it yourself rather than just seeing the photos. As I realized earlier this year, its the emotions you feel when you are there and the way you see it through your own eyes. It's the stories you come back with and the experience and the memories and the photos you took yourself. That is what travelling is for and I cannot wait to continue my travels through Europe!

Paris

We ended this incredible journey in the city of love and light and it really lived up to it's name. I was taken aback by this beautiful city but it was also bitter sweet. This was the last city our group was spending together and after twelve joyous days we would be going our separate ways and back to our different countries and different cities. Everyone always says Paris is super dirty, but I didn't find it to be dirty at all. I actually found it to be incredibly beautiful. We walked the Champ De Elyeese, which is much longer then I thought it would be. One thing that absolutely surprised me was how far away everything actually was from each other. In most other cities we could walk to almost everything, but in Paris we had to take the metro almost everywhere, which was quite easy. 

We saw everything you would want to see: the Notre Dame, the Arc Di Triomphe, The Louvre, and of course the Eiffel Tower. I think seeing the Eiffel Tower in person is so undesirable. It is just a feeling you get and it is very hard to describe that feeling. It is a magnificent architectural feat. You may think you know how big it is just from photos but to actually see it in real life is one of the most magnificent things you can ever experience. Going up the Tower was breathtaking. To be able to see all of Paris from the tower was beautiful, I was speechless. Photos and videos just do not do it justice and it is something every person should see in their life. 

One of the things I quite enjoyed about being in Paris for an entire day where we could walk around and do what we wanted was that a group of us spent the day walking around. We ended up going to a cafe called Angelique's and it had some of the best pastries I have ever had. Then we walked over to the beautiful Tuileries Garden. I loved spending time and just walking around at the how immaculate it was. One more thing that impressed me so much was the architecture. Every building was built essentially the same, but the architecture was so impressive. I just couldn't believe it. 

There is just so much to say and then nothing to say. There are so many words to describe it but then when someone asks you about it you just trip over your words because you are not sure what words to use or how to even say it. 

This was really a trip of a lifetime and I honestly cannot wait to get back to Europe to experience more. 

Lucerne

Switzerland stole my heart, and my money, but mostly my heart. I could not believe the beauty of this country and just how imaginative this beautiful place is. Also, Switzerland is incredibly expensive and I was somewhat thankful that we only spent about eighteen hours here, although I do wish that we could have stayed maybe one more day. And again we stayed in a converted jail and it was, umm, interesting to say the least. We also took a lake cruise around Lake Lucerne which was a lot of fun. We got a lot of photos together and a lot of memories were made. I loved the lake cruise because we started it when it was light out and finished it while watching the sunset and the hotels along the lake starting to light up. Really, really beautiful. 

Going up to the top of the Swiss Alps was so beautiful. I loved going up on the train it was really cool experience. And of course actually going up to the Alps by the only roofless motor car. It was really awesome to stand up at the top and see the Alps as we moved closer and closer. One of the girls on our trip, from Australia, had never seen snow before and so I am very glad to have been able to be a part of that memory with her. She was very excited about seeing snow for the first time, especially when we were heading up to the Alps and it started to snow a little bit and she finally saw snowflakes fall in real life. 

The hotel was really cool, although at first everyone was a little creeped out by it. We were staying in a jail that literally had been closed down in the 90s. It was a women's prison who had committed petty crimes. The doors for the room were still the old jail rooms and you needed a passcode to get into each room. The WIFI situation was not that great, but it created a funny environment for us, we would spend a lot of time hanging out in stairwells and down in the lobby trying to stay connected. 

Random point: the top of the Alps has excellent cell phone service and the WIFI is impeccable up there. 

Florence

Oh gosh, what is there to even say about Florence. It was so hot that day and sunny and perfect that it made walking around the small and beautiful city even better. What I liked the most about Florence was it wasn't too busy and yet there were still a lot of tourists. It wasn't as congested as Venice and Rome, especially Rome, but it still had a lot of people. I liked the views and easiness of getting around. I liked just walking around and seeing the architecture was really beautiful. I think the best part, again, was the walking tour. I liked that we were walked around the city with the tour guide and she was able to give us little tidbits of information (none which I can remember now of course!).

The one thing I absolutely loved, which I'm sure everyone else did as well, is the view from Piazzale Michelangelo. Just seeing it was absolutely beautiful. How amazing is the view, how amazing is it to see absolutely everything in Florence and to be able to see it all in one look. Panoramas do not do this place justice. One of the unique things we were able to do here was get a group shot, which is one of my favourite things that we got on this trip. It's a way in which I can have a photo with every single person from our trip. It's a very nice memento to have.

Austria

We drove then on to Austria and driving from country to country was one of the best parts of the tour as we were able to see small villages and towns and the landscape of all of these beautiful countries that you just would not see flying from place to place. It also gave a lot of time for sleep or just relaxing time before hitting up the next city. In Austria we went to Innsbruck and being there just felt like a dream. It just didn't seem real, the landscape and the beauty of Austria just didn't look like it was really there. The best way I can describe it is that it looked like CGI animation, pretty much green screen. But it was real and it was beautiful and inspiring and breathtaking. 

Also, Austria has some of the best dessert, especially the apple strudel, that I have ever experienced. I am not ashamed to say that I had it three times in the 18 hours that we were in that beautiful country. The group went white water rafting, and I was not so keen on it, so my sister and I decided to just hang out with some of the other group members. This was nice as it was a chance to get to know some of the other people on the trip and hearing the stories and seeing the videos afterwards was really cool. 

Coming home, people asked me what countries I would definitely go back to, and Austria is one you can never see enough of. Granted, every single one of them is like that, but there is something about Austria that just pulls at me to come back. 

ATV

New mounts for my GoPro and a brand new helmet means more videos and way more fun! I know ATV videos can get boring especially if it's the same thing after awhile, but honestly I love it. I love the new ways in which I can use my GoPro and the new mounts I can use. There is so many ways in which to capture amazing videos with GoPro that using it for just one sport or one activity is still as enjoyable as using it for multiple sports and activities. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy watching them just as much as I enjoy making them!

Music: Right Here Right Now by American Authors

Victoria Monument

During our illustrious trip to Europe we had to go and see Buckingham Palace. It is a must see for any tourist in Britain. Of course the Victoria Monument must also be on this list, of course it is right outside Buckingham Palace and it is a monument dedicated to one of the greatest monarchs in British history. When I saw this monument, one I couldn't get over how large it really was and two, the likeness of statues to Queen Victoria was incredible. Now that I have seen multiple countries throughout Europe I cannot get over how well their statues look like the real person or thing. It is amazing to think someone sat and created this statue and designed it. Anyway, I had fun walking around the statue with my GoPro trying to get a 360 degree view of this amazing monument.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a beautiful and free wheeling country. I had never thought Amsterdam was like this and I even have family who lives here! Unfortunately I did not get to see them, but the trip somewhat made up for missing out (though I will see them this summer). The day we were there was so hot and sunny it made our day there even better. We spent a mere 20 hours in Amsterdam and it was a beautiful way to start the trip. We had a walking tour with our trip manager and even went to visit the Red Light District.

Now because we were in Amsterdam on a Friday it was incredibly busy. I had never felt so claustrophobic in my life and it was definitely tough to walk around. We walked all the way around the District and learnt the history of prostitution in Amsterdam, which to every single person on the trip was a bit eye opening. We couldn't believe how proud these women were standing in their rooms showing everything off. But, hey, kudos to them! The one good thing about the walking tour with the entire group was that we were able to get to know people who were on the trip. Which was really nice because the next day we ended up spending our free time with a majority of the friends we had made the night before. We even had a beautiful canal cruise and were able to see the city from the canals that are used oh so much in such a small country. I think what I loved the most about Amsterdam is that you can literally tie up your boat in the canal and then drive around, in your boat!! It's crazy! And houseboats!? They are crazy popular and some of them were so intense and beautiful and super modern. So surprising.

The next morning we had a few hours of free time where we went to the Van Gogh museum, which showcased his work from his sane days until he was deemed insane. The paintings changed so dramatically and it was really different and amazing to see how they progressed. We sort of walked around the canals, which were just absolutely stunning and it was so nice out that it made the day that much better. Amsterdam was an incredible place to visit. I cannot wait to come back and visit.

Europe Trip

So tomorrow begins the adventure of travelling Europe for two weeks with my sister and a group of random people from around the world. We are going to England, Amsterdam, Rhine Valley, Munich, Austrian Tyrol, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne and then finally to Paris. I am beyond excited for this trip as it is something I have wanted to do for a very long time, but I am also super nervous. I guess I am one of those people who gets really nervous before a big trip (one across the ocean!), but not really because of the travel. I mean everyone gets nervous flying, even if they say they don't. I think it is more because of the people that are also coming on the trip. You never know who it is going to be, but every review I've read for this trip and other trips has stated they became really good friends with the people on the trip and that makes all the difference. It really helps to know that this is just me overworking myself, but I really cannot help it.

I am just so excited to finally see the places I have studied for years and watched movies and TV shows and documentaries about. It really is something I have always wanted to do and I have actually already started planning my next trip with Contiki (haha). I will hopefully be updating as much as possible as it may be difficult with the amount of travelling and of course being able to connect to wifi.

I think one of the things most people (or maybe just me) is not only going on the trip, but the excitement of coming back and sleeping in your own room and then telling your friends and family all about the trip and what you saw and the interesting people you met. You get to tell them the stories of the people you met and become friends with people from around the world you would have never met otherwise. It's fun being able to relay your experiences with other people and see them relive it with you even if they weren't there to witness it.

More posts to come!!!

A Place of Paradise

Treasure Island has been in my family for so long that it is hard to try and gather a memory that does not include the island in some way. My great aunt and great uncle bought the island a long time ago and my grandfather worked on the island as a child. He actually met my grandmother at the island, so it really does have very special meaning to us. I remember going to the island and the beautiful boat ride we would take to get there is one of the best. It's just the anticipation of coming over to the island to see everyone and spend an entire week together.

There is so much to say about this irresistible place that I just don't even have the words to explain it to you. It is the reason I look forward to summer, it is the glue that holds my family together (aside for love of course), and it is the history that continues to grow with every trip back to it.

It is a part of my family and no matter what happens to the island it will continue to be a member of this family.

Water

A compilation of videos I took during the summer of when we were on the boat. I took them using my GoPro Hero 4.

We're All Mad Here

“Where is the Leaning Tower of Pisa anyway?” I asked. She looked up from the computer, her brows knitted and an incredulous look was on her face.

            “Oh I don’t know, maybe, Pisa?!” Oh, right. I guess that made sense, I can’t believe I didn’t notice that right away.

            “You seriously didn’t know that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in Pisa?” She retorted with a snort and rolled her eyes before going back to the computer screen.

            I don’t think there has ever been a conversation shared between us that did not involve some level of sarcasm. Most of the time I thought we should have our own reality show. We are pretty damn hilarious.

            I glanced over at her round, porcelain doll face. She was naturally tanned like a surfer though, something she inherited from our mother that I did not. She looked up at me with what I called her “just brown” eyes, to annoy her. But what she called usually striking a dramatic pose, her “copper against honey with flecks of sage that glowed when they were watery and became shades of nature after a storm” eyes. She was pretty creative with her words, as well as in a drawing book.

            She turned the computer screen towards me and said,

            “look at this post on Tumblr”, a sentence we say more often than we should.

            This post was a gifset, the first gif was of two bats who frantically moved their wings and the second, was basically the same except there was a few seconds where it was focused on one of the bat’s stressed faces. My sister animated the captions of the gifs, something not unusual in our house.

            “AHH Walter, get the spider!” She said in a girly voice for the first gif.

            “I am TRYING HELEN.” Was said next in a deeper voice, with exaggeration on the last two words.

            Her loud laugh from her own joke made me burst out laughing too. She shook her head while laughing. This made her waist long brown hair bounce, the light from the lamp changed it from golden to dark chestnut with every shake. My laughs turned into chuckles as I looked back down at my own Tumblr. She thought she was so funny, always laughing at her own jokes but I guess she was pretty hilarious.

            She fixed the beanie on her head and pushed her bangs back under the hat. The navy colour always made her black eyeliner and mascara stand out more than usual. It amazed me how she could change how she looked all the time and it came off like she wore that style of clothes all the time. When we were younger it was always hot pink and sparkles but now it’s a mix of everything. Some days I saw her in plaid button ups and beanies and some days in fancy blouses and leggings; she wore converse and then moccasins. It really was no secret that she has a large closet full of variety. One she had also colour coated.

            Her room was pretty much her personality in a nutshell: crazy. She has her own artwork on one wall, quotes on her ceiling, a brightly coloured comforter, and bright coloured scarves hung on her canopy bed.  

            Immediately when you walked in her room all you saw were boys: boys here, boys there, and boys everywhere. And no, not a variety of boys either. It’s the same British/Irish (she would murder me if I just said British) boy band known as One Direction. Cue hoards of teenage girls screaming. Yes, I live with a mad fangirl. And I know you are probably thinking, “yeah my sister (or brother) is a fan too and it gets wild” but no, you do not even know the half of it. She was absolutely obsessed. Not a crazy fake fan that said they loved the boys but completely butchered their names and information, she was a wrathful, dedicated directioner (the fan clubs name). Unfortunately I was on the receiving end of her antics, although it was pretty entertaining.

            She quoted what they said and tried to imitate their accents but she can only do Niall’s, the Irish one, moderately OK and only with certain phrases. This “phase but not really a phase anymore phase” has been going on since 2010 when they were on the X Factor. Yes for four years and yes I know more about them than I would like to admit. She has all of their songs, even ones not on their albums, on her IPod plus hardcopies. She has t-shirts, drawings, and a Twitter dedicated to them. At their concert she cried and legit bawled when Liam (her favourite) came out on stage. She has a real crazy thing for boy bands and people who are British. Even one wall in her room, that she painted herself, was of the Union Jack and not the Canadian flag. 

            I knew she sounded like a complete whack job now but the way I saw it was that she was very passionate. When she loved something, she invested her whole being into it and even if she didn’t love it she tried her best to do her best, which was something I admired.

            “I WILL FIND HIM!” She suddenly screamed, which made me jump. She said it a few more times before looking at me and smiled, her naturally pale red lips separated and showcased her straight, white teeth. Something the both of us acquired without braces.

            She was saying what Michael Shannon said in Man of Steel when he threatened to find and kill superman on Earth. It was her favourite line and I absolutely could not tell you why. She was a weird one.

            I had always wondered what it was like to be inside her head, I assumed it would be like Alice in Wonderland. Everything made no sense at all but at the same time made perfect sense. I knew I would definitely see bright colours, weird animals, and abstract landscape. Whenever I thought about what went through her mind I instantly regretted it. Knowing it was probably like me being in the maze in the Triwizard Tournament without having my name picked from the Goblet of Fire: dangerous and wrong. She really was mad, “entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” I can only deduce that her mind was like those two great stories, breathtaking and magical.

            Her projects for school definitely showed that she has a wild imagination. Her one, hypothetical not actually performed, experiment in grade 9 was “The Affect of Crayons On Hamsters”. Yes you guessed it, that would mean that the hamsters would have had to eat crayons.

            I looked back over at her again but she was no longer sitting on the opposite couch as me. I saw her from the corner of my eye coming back from the kitchen.

            “Man I love food,” she said while eating off of a plate covered in cut up cheese and crackers. She was dancing exotically around the TV and I could not help but stare. She stared back at me for a few seconds before breaking out into a creepy grin, one I could only describe as the Grinch’s before he said “I know just what to do” and decided to steal Christmas from the Who’s. I returned the sinister grin for a mere 5 seconds before I dropped it when she lost interest in me for a yogurt commercial on TV.

            She could never stay too focused for too long and if she absolutely had to, like on a test or something in school, then you could guarantee she would not be sitting still. Everyone was born with basic reflexes and I am pretty sure the Megan was born with a few different ones. She shook her leg, tapped her pencil, and cracked her knuckles like it was nobodies business. She only ever realized she did that stuff when someone commented on it or told her to stop.

            My mom walked into the room doing up a bracelet on her wrist.

            “Get ready, we have our friend’s party soon,” she said to us. I looked over at Megan as she looked over at me; a mischievous glint was present in her eyes before we both looked back at our mom.

            “Our friend? Could you be anymore vague? Believe it or not we actually have friends in the plural sense not just one friend.” Megan said with a smile, letting my mom know she was just messing around with her. Of course that didn’t stop our mum from rolling her eyes at her. 

            “Diane, remember? I told you about this last week. No getting out of it.” She replied with finality.

            “Is there going to be lots of people there?” I asked, finding my voice.

            “Yeah, I mean you know we don’t really like people. “Socializing”? This term is not one I enjoy.” Megan added on. I looked over and smirked at her, we were both pretty awkward when it came to social situations and therefore tried to get out of many, if not all, of them. 

            “It is a party you know, meaning yes, there will be people there now go get changed” mom snapped, which made us grin widely before we got off of the couch and went up the stairs to our rooms.

            As we walked up the stairs I could not help but think about what a crazy pair we were. Megan made up a lot of the crazy as well as cockiness and wit.

I would never understand how she could be wild yet a “confident in the closet”. She reminded me of a chameleon; could be absorbed in the surroundings, unique, ever changing, and unpredictable. I am not going to lie; she was a pretty rad sister. 

Her hair flows in soft waves down her back to her waist. It glistens a warm honey brown in the sunlight, yet a dark chestnut in the moonlight. A knitted beanie covers the back of her head most of the time, letting her bangs fall on her forehead. Her face is round, as smooth as a porcelain doll but naturally tanned like a surfer. Her eyebrows are full and brown, perfectly complimenting her eyes. The copper against honey with flecks of sage glow when they are watery, becoming shades of nature after a storm. But when she is happy, her eyes hold a golden gleam. The navy colour of her hat makes the black on her eyelids and lashes more bold. Her nose is round, marked with a freckle on the left nostril. Her lips look like they are constantly covered with a light red lip stain, her bottom lip being larger than the top. Laughter is what I hear often coming from her mouth. Her teeth are straight and white, almost screaming "look at me." The smooth tone of her voice is either joking or being sarcastic and when she is serious it becomes sharp and dangerous. She always has to be in motion; whether it is shaking her leg, constantly touching things, or playing with her fingers. She is always anxious; jumpy, a confident in the closet", modest and shy. Her clothes reflect her ever-changing personality. One day she wears lip gloss, pale pink pants, and a cream blouse, but the next she is wearing dark red lipstick, skinny jeans, a graphic tee, and converse. She is hard to keep up with. What she thinks about, how would I know? Schoo, gossip, friends, One Direction. I imagine it to be something like the characters from Wonderland: she's mad, "entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." She confuses me at every corner, but she is my sister so I don't care. 

Harry Potter and Pottermore

As with a lot of people my age we have grown up reading and re-reading the Harry Potter novels until the covers no longer stay on the book. We have grown up with not only the characters of the novels but also the actors who portrayed these characters on the screen. We have cried for our lost favourites (mostly Fred) and we have laughed with the Weasleys, we have rejoiced when the 'good' guys win and we cheer when Slytherin's lose (most of us anyway). We have waited in line for the books at midnight and we have worn our very own robes to the movie premieres. We are the Potter generation.

The one thing that utterly impresses me every time, especially when I go on Tumblr is the amount of people who have come up with extensive back stories for characters or places inside the Potter World.  The stories or even the fan fiction that has come out of this series completely astounds me. It just shows the dedication and pure love us readers and fans have for this series. Pottermore also gives us fans even more opportunity to delve into the world of Harry Potter and being sorted into a house as well as reading histories about wands, other wizarding schools, history of locations and history of other characters, among so much more. It creates this world that allows the reader to imagine that it actually exists. Sometimes people need that; they need that world to escape to and live inside of because they believe their world isn't magical enough.

Tumblr has amazing stories as well as gifsets that are just extraordinary. There is one blog that I absolutely love as it has a lot of different back stories for other wizarding schools around the world (and not just the new ones JK added to Pottermore). Take a look:
http://asheathes.tumblr.com/tagged/gif:hp

We, as a generation, have fallen in love with this story. To the point where we could not even imagine our lives without this series. Even though the books and the movies have ended the story continues to live on in the people it has enlightened.

Marathoning Shows

So I watch a lot of TV and when I say a lot of TV, I mean A LOT of TV. I have more than likely watched every show you have watched or they are currently on my list to watch. Thank God for Netflix. Now that I have so many shows on the go I have to keep a list of what I have watched, what I have finished and where I am in the show. It's almost becoming a hassle. I have now come to the point where I am actually waiting for a majority of my shows to come on TV, that is how caught up I am. Therefore, I am starting a list on here to keep myself up to date on all of my shows, updating this blog more often (because lets face it I am really bad at that) and maybe there are shows I have yet to watch or haven't heard of that you guys have and plan on sharing with me. Thanks!

Upcoming Shows:

• Reign Season Four (February 2017)
• Black Sails Season Four (January 29, 2017)
• The 100 Season Four (February 1, 2017)

Shows Being Moved:

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season Four (Ongoing Shows)
• The Big Bang Theory Season Ten (Ongoing Shows)
• The Goldbergs Season Four (Ongoing Shows)
• Modern Family Season Eight (Ongoing Shows)
• Superstore Season Two (Ongoing Shows)
• The Blacklist Season Four (Ongoing Shows)
• How To Get Away With Murder Season Three (Ongoing Shows)
• Peaky Blinders Season Two (Completed)
• Shameless Season Seven (Completed)
• Weeds Season Eight (Completed)
• Parks and Recreation Season Seven (Completed)
• Conviction Season One (Ongoing Shows)
• Timeless Season One (Ongoing Shows) 
• Westworld Season One (Completed)
• Tutankhamen Season One (Completed) 
• Peaky Blinders Series Three (Completed)
• Notorious Season One (Ongoing Shows)
• Rizzoli and Isles Season Seven (Completed)
• The Last Kingdom Season One (Completed)
• Poldark Series Two (Completed)
• Pretty Little Liars Season One (Completed)
• Teen Wolf Season Six (Ongoing Shows)
• The Royals Season Three (Ongoing Shows)
• Vikings Season Four (Ongoing Shows)
• The Crown Series One (Completed)
• Frontier Season One (Completed)
• Medici: Masters of Florence Season One (Completed)
• Ripper Street Season Five (Completed) 
• Pretty Little Liars Season Five (Completed)
• Mr. Robot Season One (Completed)
• Taboo Series One (Ongoing Shows)
• Mr. Robot Season Two (Completed)
• Grimm Season Six (Ongoing Shows)
• Sleepy Hollow Season Four (Ongoing Shows)
• Pretty Little Liars Season Six (Ongoing Shows)
• This Is Us Season One (Ongoing Shows)
• Sherlock Season Four (Completed)
• Riverdale Season One (Ongoing Shows) 
• Homeland Season Six (Ongoing Shows)

Ongoing Shows:

• Kevin Can Wait Season One (Episode Thirteen)- Monday
• Timeless Season One (Episode Twelve)- Monday
• Conviction Season One (Episode Thirteen)- Monday
• Shadowhunters Season Two (Episode Three)- Monday
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season Four (Episode Eleven)- Tuesday
• American Housewife Season One (Episode Twelve)- Tuesday
• The Middle Season Eight (Episode Twelve)- Tuesday
• Teen Wolf Season Six (Episode Nine)- Tuesday
• This Is Us Season One (Episode Two)- Tuesday
• The Goldbergs Season Four (Episode Three)- Wednesday --> Catch up: 5 episodes
• Modern Family Season Eight (Episode Two)- Wednesday --> Catch up: 5 episodes
• Arrow Season Five (Episode Three)- Wednesday --> Catch up: 6 episodes
• Supernatural Season Twelve (Episode Six)- Wednesday --> Catch up: 3 episodes
• Vikings Season Four (Episode Nineteen)- Wednesday
• The Big Bang Theory Season Ten (Episode Eleven)-Thursday 
• Superstore Season Two (Episode Four)- Thursday
• The Blacklist Season Four (Episode Four)- Thursday
• How To Get Away With Murder Season Three (Episode Four)- Thursday
• Notorious Season One (Episode Four)- Thursday 
• Riverdale Season One (Episode Two)- Thursday
• Grimm Season Six (Episode One)- Friday --> Catch up: 3 episodes
• Sleepy Hollow Season Four (Episode One)- Friday --> Catch up: 3 episodes
• Taboo Series One (Episode Four)- Saturday
• Bob's Burgers Season Eight (Episode Ten)- Sunday
• Once Upon A Time Season Six (Episode Ten- Sunday
• Quantico Season Two (Episode Nine)- Sunday  
• Heartland Season Ten (Episode Ten)- Sunday 
• The Royals Season Three (Episode Seven)- Sunday
• Pretty Little Liars Season Six (Episode Twenty)- Netflix
• Homeland Season Six (Episode Three)

Shows I Haven't Started Yet:

• Legends Season One
• Kingdom Season One 
• The Vampire Diaries 
• Always Sunny in Philadelphia 
• 30 Rock
• The Americans 
• The Affair 
• The Flash 
• Agent Carter
• Sons of Anarchy 
• Resurrection 
• Scorpion
• Gotham 
• Smallville 
• Mom Season Two 
• Chicago PD Season Two
• 2 Broke Girls
• Mike & Molly
• Agents of Shield Season Two
• Hot in Cleveland 
• New Girl Season Four
• Scandal Season Four
• Doctor Who Season Nine
• Designated Survivor 

Completed Shows:

• Penny Dreadful Season Two
• Reign Season Two
• Outlander Season One
• The Royals Season Two
• Greys Anatomy Season Three
• Arrow Season Three
• Greys Anatomy Season Two
• Sleepy Hollow Season Two 
• Rizzoli & Isles Season Five
• Veep Season Four
• Da Vinci's Demons (Whole Series)
• Revenge (Whole Series)
• The Royals Season One
• Game of Thrones (Season One-Five)
• True Detective Season Two
• Vikings (Season One-Three)
• The Blacklist Season One
• Sleepy Hollow Season One
• How To Get Away With Murder Season One
• Shameless (Season One-Five)
• Scandal (Season One-Three)
• Ripper Street Season One & Two
• Penny Dreadful Season One
• New Girl (Season One-Three)
• Modern Family (Season One-Five)
• Grimm (Season One-Four)
• Black Sails Season One
• Veep (Season One-Three)
• Agents of Shield Season One
• Arrow Season One & Two
• Chicago Fire Season One & Two 
• Chicago PD Season One 
• Mom Season One
• Rizzoli & Isles (Season One-Four) 
• Reign Season One
• Hannibal (Whole Series)
• Boardwalk Empire (Whole Series)
• Breaking Bad (Whole Series)
• Friends (Whole Series)
• The Sopranos (Whole Series)
• Mad Men (Whole Series) 
• The Tudors (Whole Series)
• The Borgias (Whole Series) 
• The Mindy Project Season One-Three
• The Musketeers Season One & Two 
• Doctor Who (Season One-Eight)
• Friday Night Lights (Whole Series)
• Damages (Whole Series)
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season One & Two)
• One Tree Hill (Whole Series)
• War and Peace (Season One)
• Orphan Black (Season Three)
• Merlin (Whole Series)
• Heroes Reborn (Season One)
• Ripper Street (Season Three)
• The Office (Season One)
• Nurse Jackie (Whole Series)
• Greys Anatomy Season Four
• The Shannara Chronicles (Season One)
• Black Sails (Season Two)
• Supernatural (Season Ten)
• Teen Wolf (Season Five)
• House of Cards (Season One-Three)
• Superstore (Season One)
• Greys Anatomy (Season Five)
• Ripper Street (Season Four)
• Beowulf: Return to the Shadowlands (Season One)
• How To Get Away With Murder (Season Two)
• Heartland (Seasons One-Eight)
• Heartland (Season Nine) 
• Black Sails (Season Three) 
• Homeland (Season One-Four)
• Homeland (Season Five)
• Shameless (Season Six)
• Grace & Frankie (Season One)
• Sleepy Hollow (Season Three)
• The Mortal Instruments (Season One)
• Greys Anatomy (Season Six)
• Grey's Anatomy (Season Seven)
• Turn: Washington's Spies (Season One)
• Turn: Washington's Spies (Season Two)
• Poldark (Series One) 
• Vikings (Season Four)
• The 100 (Season Three) 
• House of Cards (Season Four)
• The Goldbergs (Season Three)
• The Middle (Season Seven)
• Modern Family (Season Seven)
• The Big Bang Theory (Season Nine)
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season Three)
• Once Upon A Time (Season Five)
• Greys Anatomy (Season Eight)
• Bloodline (Season Two)
• Dickensian (Season One)
• Nashville (Season Four)
• Grimm (Season Five)
• Orphan Black (Season Four)
• Penny Dreadful (Season Three)
• Bob's Burger's (Season Seven)
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season Two)
• Grace & Frankie (Season Two)
• The Blacklist (Season Two)
• Reign (Season Three)
• Game of Thrones (Season Six)
• Veep (Season Five)
• Turn: Washington's Spies (Season Three) 
• Arrow (Season Four)
• Supernatural (Season Eleven)
• The Blacklist (Season Three)
• Outlander (Season Two)
• Marco Polo (Season One)
• Marco Polo (Season Two)
• Parks and Recreation (Season One)
• Parks and Recreation (Season Two)
• Greys Anatomy (Season Ten)
• The Only Way Is Essex (Seasons One-Nine)
• Made In Chelsea (Season One)
• Quantico (Season One)
• Parks and Recreation (Season Three)
• The Only Way Is Essex (Season Ten)
• Stranger Things (Season One)
• Parks and Recreation (Season Four)
• Parks and Recreation (Season Five)
• Peaky Blinders (Season One)
• Peaky Blinders (Season Two)
• Parks and Recreation (Season Six and Seven)
• Victoria (Series One)
• Weeds (Season Eight)
• Peaky Blinders (Series Three)
• The Last Kingdom (Season One)
• Poldark (Series Two)
• Pretty Little Liars (Season One)
• Rizzoli & Isles (Season Seven)
• Tutankhamen (Series One)
• Westworld (Season One)
• The Crown (Series One)
• Pretty Little Liars (Season Two)
• Frontier (Season One)
• Medici Masters of Florence (Season One)
• Shameless (Season Seven)
• Pretty Little Liars (Season Three)
• Pretty Little Liars (Season Four)
• Ripper Street (Season Five)
• Mr Robot (Season One)
• Pretty Little Liars (Season Five)
• Mr Robot (Season Two)
• Sherlock (Season Four)

Mystery Trip

Could you imagine agreeing to go on a trip where you had no idea where you were going or what you would be doing or where you would be staying?

For me that would be an amazing trip. To just pack a bag and get on a place going somewhere you have never been before. Granted it would be scary, but can you imagine the possibilities that would come from it? The independence you would gain from finding places on your own, you would learn a language or at least a little bit of one, you would meet incredible people along the way- some maybe not so great and others you will never forget. And the memories you would create, the moments you would have and the stories you could share are ones that last a lifetime.

I think one of my next trips will have to be something like this.

http://gomistrip.com/en

Christmas Day 2015