Happy Monday, friends. It's snowing again in Boston, in fact Pedro's home again with another snow day. I think that's 4 in two weeks now. Needless to say, I'm feeling a little blue from being cooped up inside for so long. Plus, I've been battling a cold, which made has made it hard to do anything at all.

Best way to cheer oneself up? A little music, a little dancing, a little vinyasa flowin' (finally, because I can sort of breathe), and a little photographing. I'm feeling a whole lot better now.

Here's a little CURRENTLY post, because I haven't done one of these in awhile, and I've got stuff happening in my life (well, sorta, sometimes)!

CELEBRATING

Pedro and I are celebrating the one year anniversary of our elopement! It was yesterday, February 8. We are the luckiest couple in the world and got to have two weddings (we eloped on February 8, 2014, and had a big fancy wedding 6 months later on August 9, 2014), so we are going with our "wedding date" as our official wedding anniversary. We're complicated, haha. BUT, I thought we should still acknowledge that we have officially been married for one year. And what a crazy/awesome/scary/fun/ridiculous/fantastic year it's been. So glad I get to be crazy in love with you forever, Mr. Peres.

The above photo is actually from our Junction (our old neighbourhood in Toronto) engagement shoot. I should probably share our engagement shoot + wedding photos at some point, shouldn't I? They were taken by the lovely Lisa Mark + Justin Hines of Lisa Mark Photography. I've known these two since I was a teenager (Justin and I worked at a record store together - and coincidentally, half our bridal party also did), so it was really fun to have them capture all our wedding memories.

LISTENING

I can't get enough of New Order's, Substance. This is nothing new, because I think I first heard the album about 10 years ago, but it hasn't been on my playlist for a little while. Seriously though, I'm hooked and bouncing around from the opening chords of Ceremony (which fun fact, is on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack - it's not the best movie, but it's super pretty and like most Sofia Coppola movies, has a FANTASTIC soundtrack). I probably listen to way too much British post-punk / new-wave / awesomeness, but whatever. It's the best. Now go listen to Blue Monday, or stream the whole album from the video link above. You'll be bopping along before you know it.

WATCHING

Twin Peaks! Oh my god, guys. How have I never seen it before? David Lynch, you are too good. I have a strong urge to start wearing midi skirts and thin knit sweaters (here's lookin' at you, Audrey Horne). I keep trying to guess who killed Laura Palmer / what the hell is going on in that crazy town, but have been wrong every time. Finally! A show that surprises me (even though it came out in 1990)! I love the symbolism, the mountains of donuts, and everyone's obsession with coffee. And that crazy mini David Lynch kid with the creamed corn? So many little details that are just SO GOOD. If you haven't seen it, watch it now! It's on Netflix, and hulu - ready for your viewing pleasure. I'm already on Season 2. I knew snow days were good for something. The best part, Twin Peaks is returning to Showtime with 9 episodes in 2016.

DREAMING

Of California! We are finalizing our plans for our (somewhat delayed) honeymoon! We've decided to take a trip to Venice Beach + Los Angeles in early March, and I AM SO EXCITED. Perhaps Los Angeles is not a typical honeymoon destination, but then again, we aren't exactly the most conventional couple either. I've been longing to visit the west coast for as long as I can remember, and now the dream is finally coming true! Plus, y'know, we get to escape the tail-end of winter, so there's that too ;) West coast here we come!

Peace, love and grooviness,

Alex

Hey friends! I hope that you're all doing well and surviving the tremendous amount of snow that has been dumped on the Northeast (or maybe just the North in general). To stay warm, I've been doing my best to conjure up memories of sunny days and warmer climates.

Maybe it's just me, but I associate a lot of happy memories with food. In my family, most milestones are celebrated with gatherings full of beautiful and bountiful tables. With my background, t's certainly no surprise why I love to eat!

Today I'm going to share one of my favourite things that I ate in Brazil. Acai! I usually eat it blended into a bowl, but you can have it in a juice or smoothie too.

What you need:

1 Sambazon Pure Unsweetened Frozen Acai Berry Superfruit Pack

1/4 cup of Bear Naked Fit Granola, V'nilla Almond

5 (ish) raspberries

1 banana (1/2 for blending, 1/2 for topping)

1/4 cup of frozen blueberries

1/3 cup coconut water

Throw the acai, 1/2 a banana, blueberries, and coconut water in the blender. I like to use the puree setting, for a few seconds, and then turn it down to the mix setting, to get to the right consistency. Serve in your favourite bowl, and add your toppings!

Acai is traditionally served with honey, but I like to throw some coconut chips and a drizzle of all natural maple syrup on top. I am Canadian after all!

My way is not exactly traditional, but it's the blend that I like. You can follow the directions that Sambazon recommends, or come up with your own recipe! Follow breakfast artist, Ksenia @breakfastcriminals, for some crazy delicious acai bowls, and other awesome eats! Want to start your day with a little more love? Grab the heart bowl, and fill it with your favourite morning snack.

Serve with an Americano, and you're all set! Just watch out for any hungry Rude Boys! I like my Americanos with milk, so I use Alchemy Espresso beans from local roaster, George Howell Coffee. So delicious! There's nothing like a good breakfast and the smell of freshly ground espresso beans (and maybe a little vinyasa flowin') to wake you up in the morning.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, LET'S GET TO MY NEWS!!!!!

I have joined the team of local lifestyle blog, Mass Musings, as a Contributor! I am so excited to be joining the Mass Musings tribe. MM provides inspiration for the creative individual, and I just love Kayte's (Founder/Editor of MM), vision for the site. So, at least once a month you will find me over on Mass Musings, sharing my words and photographs. I'm hoping to start a travel series and explore New England, what do you guys think? That is, if it ever gets warm enough for me to want to venture out of the apartment...

What does this news mean for YYZ->BOS, exactly? Well, there will be a few changes. First off, more posts! Not everyday, but I am guaranteeing 1-2 per week. Second, you may have noticed I have taken down the PORTFOLIO section of my site. It has needed a MAJOR overhaul for a long time, and well, at this point I think it's doing me more harm than good. Which brings me to my third point, I'm working on a little re-design/re-brand. The header and design of the site was always meant to be temporary. I threw it together in an afternoon when I decided to create this space. But now, it's time to put in the work.

So excited for so many new adventures.

Peace and love until next time,

Alex