Turning The Page On 2013

hello there,

so it's that time where we all reflect on our past year and contemplate the upcoming one. I figured that I would blog about it, because I haven't blogged about anything as of late. 2013 is coming to a close in just a few hours and I hopefully will get this post done before the year is up. If I had to sum up 2013 into one word it would be, disappointing. Downer, I know. When 2013 started I had drawn up all the things I hoped would happen and for the most part my year didn't go as planned. My first semester of the year was filled with distractions and by the end of the semester I was scrambling just to pass half my courses (don't worry mom and dad, B+'s all around). I got rejected from the two universities I had applied to which meant instead of starting the final two years of my degree I was headed back to the drawing board where I was supposed to figure out what I am to do with my life. Heads up; I still don't know. The summer was busy but uneventful, which was nice, except at some point in the beginning of of June I got sick. Then school started again, and I got even more sick. I decided to take 5 courses in hopes to graduate sooner and raise my GPA. But instead of putting in extra time in the library, I was putting in extra time in bed, missing classes, hanging out at the biomedical lab, and in various doctor's offices. Other events put a damper on my year as well and although 2013 was a year filled with a lot of disappointments, that's not how I want to remember it.

Because a lot of good came from it.

I was strongly reminded, over and over again, that I have the most incredible family in the entire world, that are willing to do anything for me. I learned that in the midst of trials I have the most loyal, compassionate, and resilient friends on the planet and I can honestly say we are finishing the year way stronger and closer than when we started it. If 2013 is remembered for one thing, and one thing only, it is that I have beautiful, incredible, selfless, and devoted friends. I also did have a lot of fun this year. Five fantastic friends of mine got married which means I gained five new friends in the process. I went to my first concert! And then my second. And then my third. And then my fourth and fifth. And then my sixth... You could say 2013 was "The Year Of The Concerts". I went a little concert crazy alright? I got to see Carrie Underwood on her Blown Away Tour, Mumford & Sons on their Gentlemen Of The Road tour, Austin Mahone, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift on the Red Tour, Passenger (twice), Stu Larson, Xavier Rudd (accidently), and The Lumineers. I also started this blog, but I'm hoping 2014 will go a bit better and be a bit more consistent in terms of blogging. On Christmas day my best friend got engaged and I am blessed to be her maid of honour. I auditioned for the Amazing Race Canada which is super random but it was fun making the audition video; we will have to wait and see what comes from it. But the ultimate highlight of 2013 occurred in the very first month of the year. The greatest blessing ever came into my life. I became an aunt. My nephew has become the greatest joy of my life and I love him more than I can say.

So clearly 2013 wasn't all bad and some amazing memories came from it. And let me share with you, in photos, my 2013. Now I'm off to have dinner with friends, watch Anchorman 2 and enjoy the remaining hours of this year with incredible people!

Happy New Years!

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Paris, France

hello there,

blogging is very hard, as I am learning very quickly. I have a massive amount of respect now for those that manage to consistently put up frequent and excellent content. It's no easy venture. I have spent the last week catching up on life now that the semester is over, as well as getting ready for Christmas. The first week of holiday has been anything but a holiday but this upcoming week will be a lot calmer, which means I can start to work on the thing I was supposed to finish over Christmas break last year... Editing all my photos from Europe trip from summer 2012 and putting them into a photo book. Which means I will go on a little hiatus from posting trip from my Australia/New Zealand trip for the next couple weeks while I attempt to finish my Europe book before school starts again. 

When I decided to fly out to Paris to meet my best friend who was there doing the WYAM program, we decided to make our European backpacking adventure a lot more relaxing than when we had gone to Australia and New Zealand. It was and it wasn't... But it was a fantastic trip to go on, just the two of us, no boys we had to live with... Just two best friends travelling Europe. It was excellent. I flew into Paris to stay with her mom, who was visiting, then the two of us backpacked around for another three weeks before she headed home and I headed to Northern Italy to vacation with my cousin. All around an amazing 5 weeks (a much more tolerable amount of time than three months...). 

First stop, Paris France {including The Palace of Versailles}.

-m.o 

Bits & Pieces | The First Snowfall

hello there,

Yesterday was the first official snowfall of the season here in town. There's just something special about the first snowfall of a season that's different than any other snowfall. The way the fresh snow coats everything in the cleanest white is refreshing and beautiful. The first snowfall is always a bit of a surprise around here and that makes it exciting. The nippy chill in the air is crisp and yet filled will a sense of comfort for the changing season and at what's to come. Although snow doesn't always mean tobogganing, snowmen and snowball fights, it could. That definitely was not the case today as there was maybe two centimetres of snow on the ground, tops. But regardless of how little snow actually did fall, it was beautiful outside. I love the way the flakes rest on branches and gives everything this pure glow.

But with the beauty that comes with the first snowfall, I am also filled with a bittersweet feeling. Snow means I don't get to ride, and I like riding. Yesterday in particular also didn't allow me to enjoy the weather because I spent almost all day inside studying for my exam. But I did get to take off to the barn for an hour with my mom, sister and nephew. Although rushed to get back to my studying, I did manage to snap a few shots of my boy and his buddy nuzzling up in the cold.

Here's to hoping this snow lasts long enough for me to get some better shots of the snow!

-m.o

My Monday Music | Christmas Tunes

hello there,

it was brought to my attention mere moments ago by a lovely keen friend that I had yet to post a "My Monday Music". Oh dear, oh dear. Clearly I am right in the midst of finals. Ew. But in my attempt to force myself to expand on my writing and therefore blogging I refuse to slack off regardless of the fact I have an exam in two and a half hours. Cognitive Psychology, you will have to wait. It occurred to me after last weeks music post, that I should have perhaps acknowledged that it was the start of December which means the start of the Christmas season. So I will just do that now. But seeings there isn't much to say in terms of Christmas music, as its just thousands of versions of twenty or so different songs, I figured I would just share with you my favorite recent(ish) remixes of some not so traditional Christmas tunes.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season Greetings

-m.o

Taking Procrastination To New Heights

hello there,

As many people who know me know; I am a master of procrastination when it comes to anything school related. I am the person who starts a ten page research essay the day before it's due and studies for finals two days before the exam. Don't get me wrong I'm not a lazy student and I do well in university. However, there is so much more I would rather be doing. Things like seeing my friends, riding my horse, watching videos on YouTube, playing with my nephew, watching hockey, and doing pretty much an outdoor activity possible.

Now in the fall months, when it is incredibly rainy and wet, all day, everyday outside it's not quite as difficult to focus on my school work. But on the days where the sun is shining and the sky is clear the last thing I want to do is sit in my room beside a wall sized window being taunted by the incredible scenery I am blessed to call home. Monday was my last official day of classes so come Tuesday I wanted to take a break and go outside because the weather was absolutely beautiful. Cold but beautiful. But of course my dedicated and hard working friends shot me down to study, so I stayed home and studied. By the time Wednesday came around I had had enough.

I felt wrong to not take advantage of God's glorious creation so I dragged a good friend along with me and we headed for a little hike. Best decision I made all semester, if you ask me. Just a simple hike up the backside of Sumas Mountain leads to a rock cliff that over looks all of Sumas and across to Mount Baker. It's truly an incredible landscape to take it. The hike itself winds through forest, now bare from the winter chill. The ground was frozen and at points dusted with snow. The stream that trickles down was highlighted by melting icicles and the birds and squirrels made their ways through the trees. The sun was shining in all it's glory sending its rays through the branches. I believe it was -3 or -4 degrees. Just cold enough to nip your cheeks and chill your lungs. And yet it was utterly blissful.

It was the best study break I could have hoped for. As I have alluded to before, I think that it's important to take moments away from life to just breathe and think about the many blessings we have. And on this particular hike, I was once again reminded how blessed I am to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I always want to challenge myself to explore and enjoy the outdoors where ever I am, and what better place to do that than my own backyard?

My wish for everyone, is that they do the same because the world is a beautiful place.

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Whitsunday Islands, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

I am here to tell you; Paradise exists.

I know this, because I've seen it. 

A short boat ride off the coast of Queensland, Australia lays 74 lavish islands surrounded by pure white sand beaches, dispersed amongst clear turquoise water. These 74 islands are called the Whitsunday Islands. 

And one day here was not enough, but it's what we had, and my oh my. What a day it was. Not long after departing from Proserpine we were snorkelling over the great barrier reef with sea turtles and vibrant fish, hiking through tropical forests, napping on white sand beaches, and swimming with sting rays. 

If that sounds like a dreamy paradise to you, it's because it was. It was just one of those places where you almost have to pinch yourself because you can't actually believe it's really real. 

We spent about an hour snorkelling in the deeper parts of the reef. And I will be honest, I have this irrational fear of opening my eyes underwater when I'm not in a pool. I hate hate hate seeing seaweed. It scares me. Also fish weird me out and I don't want them to touch me even though I know they're scared of me... It's embarrassing to even think about now but I didn't actually want to go snorkelling. But I figured I was there so I should probably go for two minutes and then hop back in the boat. Ha. Ya right. I pretty much had to force myself out of the water. It was by far one of the most incredible experiences of my existence. We even saw a sea turtle (by the way, sea turtles are ENORMOUS).

We boated around the islands some more (still pinching myself at this point) until we got off at an island and then did a little hike to Whitehaven Beach. 

Whitehaven Beach...

I don't even know what to say about it. The sand is the whitest and softest substance you can imagine. The water is so clear you can see the sting rays swimming a hundred feet away. And it's warm. Not the weird pee warm of bathtub water but the kind of warm that just soothes you and makes you want to stay in the water for forever and yet its refreshing. 

Mmmm... Paradise. I will let the pictures prove my point.

-m.o

My Monday Music | Slowing It Down

hello blogger, internet,

I've noticed that my first three 'My Monday Music' posts have included a lot of pop and upbeat music, which is ironic because I am more of an acoustic music listener. So this week I am slowing it down a bit with some tunes that I've recently been loving, some familiar some not so much. They're the perfect tunes to unwind with at the end of a hectic semester just in time for the grind that comes with finals. I hope you enjoy!

Have a happy Monday!

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Agnes Waters & The Town of 1770, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

This post won't have many photos, but for very good reason. And that reason is because I spend most of the day on a motorcycle!!! What! What! Ya, that's right! Okay, I'm exaggerating.. They were scooters that were remodelled to look like vintage Harley's. Soo... Basically motorcycles.

The famous Scooteroo Tour, out of the Town Of 1770, takes tourists all around the town and Agnes Waters in a massive fleet of bikers. It's an incredible way to see a small part of Australia in an extremely unique and fun way. We passed kangaroos on the side of the road, stopped for the yummiest chips and sweet chilli sauce, and watched the sun set over the ocean. It was so much fun and the staff and company was so kind and fun to learn from. Another must do for anyone thinking of travelling to Australia!

The beach in 1770 is also beautiful (as are all the beaches in Australia), and we spent the late morning/early afternoon relaxing and catching up on some napping time after an exhausting few days on Fraser Island. We even took a tour of the two towns, compliments of our hostel, and turns out that between the two towns there is a bar (which I'm relatively certain we got kicked out of for trying to watch football.. don't ask I don't remember the details) and a grocery store. That it's. I kid you not. It's small and beautiful but, with the exception of Scooteroo, it's about the most boring place I have ever been. Let that pay tribute to how awesome Scooteroo is that I think everyone should still go to The Town of 1770.

-m.o

Did I mention we each got to wear awesome leather jackets with flames on them?
Where can I pick up my biker chick status?
(Some older guy actually told me I looked like Megan Fox when I was sitting on my bike...
Potentially creepy? Meh, I took it as a compliment)

Bits & Pieces | Stopping To Smell The Roses

hello blogger, internet,

Sometimes life isn't always roses and rainbows. Sometimes is actually pretty rough and it stinks. Life is messy, it gets stressful, and sometimes it can be extremely overwhelming. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, school, and commitments that we become too busy to take a deep breath and relax. We forget to take in the little moments and just be.

I admit, I am one hundred percent guilty of this. The past semester has been anything but easy and stress free. I get so focused on class and studying and papers and assignments that it can, at times, consume me. And it is exhausting! Who wants that? Not me, that's for sure.

The other day I was walking my horse up to the barn. It was cold. Very cold. In the minuses cold. The ground was frozen and the air was dry and crisp. A light breeze was dancing in the air, brushing my cheeks with its chilling touch. I felt the angst to rush in to the barn to tack up and get on with my ride when something abruptly stopped me in my tracks. It was a foreign yet familiar scent. I breathed it in deeper and a calming rush flooded through my body. I closed my eyes lingering on the scent. Finally the knowing dawned on me.

Backpacking Adventures | Fraser Island, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

The next stop on this adventure down under was a crazy one. A real once in a life time experience and one I will never forget. Fraser Island, located on the Gold Coast of Australia, is a sand island. Yep. The entire island is only sand. It's covered in vegetation, streams and lakes. The roads are all sand. The plumbing and electricity are none existent. Seriously. There's not even outhouses. Wild, I know. The five of us signed up to do a little camping trip there with a touring company (the only way you can go to Fraser Island as a tourist is with a guide). The entire three day trip was all off-roading (sort of, there were roads but they're deep sand so it's basically off-roading style), driving on the beach, swimming in fresh water lakes, making meals on little camp stoves, and making new friends.

The pictures will speak for themselves. But what they won't tell you is how much fun we had. It was incredible. The driving on sand roads and on the beach was an adventure in itself and an insane amount of fun. The ocean is heavily inhabited by sharks so there was no swimming there but the fresh water lakes made up for it completely. The water is infused with natural minerals that come from the pure silicon sand and is extremely good for your skin. Little fish that live in the lake will even take off dead skin if you're still enough. We met some of the funnest people that you could ever imagine travelling with, and what's really cool is two years after the trip me and my friend ran into one of the guys in London. Small world crazy on the other side of the world stuff! Three days isn't a long time but curtesy of an awesome tour company we packed in a ton of memories.

If you ever get the chance to go to the Gold Coast region of Australia, Fraser Island is a must see! I think these photos will show you why...

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Australia Zoo

hello blogger, internet,

Back in elementary school when kids were rushing home to watch Teletoons and Ytv, I was rushing home to watch the Crocodile Hunter. So as you can imagine, Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo was at the top of my 'Must See' list when planning this trip to Australia. Already a few years after his passing, Steve's legacy was evident throughout the entire park. As an animal lover I was fascinated to see the work they continue to do in order to preserve the Australian wildlife. It was a really neat place and I loved the opportunity to experience something I had loved as a child. We got to pet Koala bears, spoon with Kangaroos (well I didn't but the boys tried, pretty sure they got bit by the Kangaroos), and see the crocs be fed.

Crikey!

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Byron Bay, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

Next stop on my Australian adventure was the town of Byron Bay. The five us bought two tents to share (Don't worry there was a girl tent and a boy tent) and we slept in the backyard of these kind people's vacation home that was across the street from the beach! It was incredible! We did a little hiking and a lot of walking (we walked on the sand for an hour and half with our backpacks from our "campsite" to the greyhound station), but mostly just had fun swimming, jumping in the waves and burying the boys in the sand. It was five utterly fantastic days of showering outside with lizards, playing cards by candle light, experiencing life without electricity and enjoying the incredible scenery.

An incredible once in a life time opportunity.

-m.o

The view from our "campsite"
Kind of incredible....

My Monday Music | Directioners Anonymous

hello blogger, internet,

"My name is Maren"
"I am 22 years old"
"And I'm a directioner"
"Hi Maren" chime the voices in the circle simultaneously at my first ever Directioners Anonymous meeting.

I kid of course, in what is most likely a failed attempt to alleviate the death glares beating down my neck. But fine, I won't lie. Last year while watching X Factor USA with my friends, these five boys sang this adorable little tune about embracing girl's various insecurities, and as someone who works with youth I thought it was cute and relevant. I asked my friends who these young bucks were only to receive shocked expressions in return. This was my introduction to the UK boy band sensation One Direction. My friends got me to listen to a couple of their other songs and yes, I got hooked by the uppidy beats and catchy lyrics, alright? I am not ashamed to admit that. The fact that I was able to tolerate them shocked me considering the bands I typically listen to range from The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons to The Script and Imagine Dragons. Pop isn't really my scene. But nonetheless here we are and I am reviewing One Direction's latest album "Midnight Memories".

In the past I have found that, with the exception to their songs written by Ed Sheeran, although their songs are catchy, lyrically they lack depth. And again although they are catchy the sound isn't actually much of my liking, again with the exception to their songs written by Ed Sheeran. But with today's release of Midnight Memories I feel like some songs are moving towards a more mature sound, which I appreciate. There are less songs on this album with the distracting beats that cloud the fact that the 5 bands members are actually talented singers. I think perhaps that is their problem, a lot of their pop songs don't showcase the fact that they can sing and their lyrics are a little cheesy for the older demographic. But the talent is there.

So without further adieu, I give you my picks from from Midnight Memories...
(oh dear... excuse the videos... but kudos to the die hard fans that put these together so quickly)

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Coffs Harbour, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

Next stop on my Australian backpacking adventure: Coffs Harbour. An itty bitty little town where we spent the day exploring on bikes and in canoes.

-m.o

Backpacking Adventures | Sydney, Australia

hello blogger, internet,

I mentioned in my first blog that I wanted to use this blog as an opportunity to go through all my photos and document my travels. Well today is the first day of me doing that! I went through all my photos from when I went to South America back when I was on my tumblr blog and today I am starting with my next trip!

The year following my graduation I decided I wanted to go backpacking around Australia and New Zealand. I invited my best friend to accompany me and we decided to leave in September 2010 for three months. After we decided this, her brother decided to come. And then my other friend decided to come. And then his brother decided to come. Yes. 5 of us were going to spend 11 weeks together, backpacking through Australia and New Zealand. And so, September 6, 2010 we embarked on the trip of a lifetime.

First Stop: Sydney Australia

Unfortunately this particular post will be a little weak in content as I didn't take many photos in Sydney (WHAT! Crazy, I know) but I have an excuse. I was having WAY to much fun to be bothered with photo taking. We were very blessed to be able to stay with an amazing family that openly welcomed us into their home. They must be saints or something to have been willing to take in 5 Canadians they didn't know. I will forever be grateful for their generosity and hospitality. As someone who had never been away from home for longer than two weeks, being gone for 11 weeks was a big deal. The time spent at YVR before our departure was a tearful one. But onward I went and my oh my! What a time I had!

Sydney, Australia is a remarkably beautiful city and of all the cities I have been to, there are only 3 cities outside Canada I would be willing to live in. Sydney is one of them. It is a massive city and there are an endless amount of beaches you can go to. Everywhere you go is incredibly beautiful. I can't wait to go back one day!

-m.o

My Monday Music | You Go Girl

hello blogger, internet,

Guuuuurrrrrrrlss, it's time to get up, put on your big girl panties, hold your head up high, strut your stuff cause YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! I believe that it is agreed worldwide that Mondays suck. Waking up early and imagining the week looming ahead can seem dreadful at times. So this week 'My Monday Music' includes 5 songs that will make you feel like you can take on this Monday with force.

You go girl.

-m.o

Bits & Pieces | Relationships & Communication

hello blogger, internet,

Relationships are hard.

They take trust, honesty, respect, compromise and communication. Many relationships last a long time. And sometimes, over time we get so caught up in the monotonous and routine dynamics of a relationship that communication can break down without us even noticing.

When communication breaks down it means that it is time for a change. To rebuild communication we need to adapt, revise, rethink, alter, or enhance our old ways in order to move forward and reestablish effective communication.

Communication is essential to all our interactions. Whether it be through verbal conversation, text messages, body language, emails, or gestures; we need effective communication in our daily lives. But sometimes when we are communicating our signals get mixed up, our words get misinterpreted. Even with those we have been in relationships with for a long time.

Spelling Test

hello blogger, internet,

I have a confession to make.

I can't spell.

Which is an understatement. I can't spell nor can I comprehend proper grammar. It has actually become a bit of an issue. I will be 23 years old in a couple months and to this very day my dad still has to proof read and edit every single university assignment I have. Every time I pass him a paper he rolls his eyes and then has ask me multiple questions every paragraph trying to figure out what I was trying to say. He laughs at me and I think it all makes sense. Most of the time even spell check can't help me.

Why am I writing about this? Well, because if you plan on following along with my blog (which I hope you do) you may have to bare with me when it comes to spelling and grammar. Honestly, I actually proof read everything I write multiple times, I just can't get it though. So this is my apology in advance to all of the members of the grammar police squad that will cringe at moments because of me. I am seriously trying to get better at this. Hopefully writing more will help!

Happy Wednesday!

-m.o

My Monday Music | What's On Repeat

hello blogger, internet,

this morning while driving I contemplated what I was going to blog about next. While I am driving I always listen to music and lately there has been a few songs I have on repeat because I think they are just so good. And then I thought to myself, maybe people would like to hear some music that has just come out. You may have heard some already but maybe you haven't. I love music in general but I really, really, really, like finding new music that I can get hooked on. After pondering this idea in my car I decided to share some of the songs I'm currently playing on repeat and seeing as it's Monday who doesn't want some new tunes to spark the beginning of the week? And then! I realized it was not Monday. It is Tuesday. Holidays... They throw me off. But regardless I am sharing with you My Monday Music. Maybe I will make this a thing?

Without further adieu, here are my current jams...

my first blog | take two

hello blogger, internet

So only two weeks into my blogging experience and I am already rather frazzled. And as you can tell, I have already started a second blog as a result. I had originally chosen tumblr over blogspot and wordpress because of its focus on photos. But, after two weeks I decided I didn't like using if for blogging. I was able to find some cool accounts that posted some pretty fantastic photography but for the most part is was just a lot of people reblogging other peoples stuff. Which is fine, but I am more interested in seeing people's original content. And as far as finding things to read, tumblr really wasn't the place for that. The formatting tumblr uses for writing is extremely basic and I prefer the way blogspot displays images in blogs over the way tumblr does. But I really like tumblr for posting individual photos.

I am still going to keep my tumblr blog active, but it will just be to share the odd photos. I got a lot more feedback than I had ever anticipated, so thank you to everyone that was so positive and encouraging! I also accumulated some followers on tumblr and I want to continue to develop connections.

As for what this blog will be, I am still not entirely sure. I am still in the process of discovering my "blogger identity" but I am having a bit of fun trying to figure it out. My original plan was to use blogging as a platform to force myself to develop my photography skills and branch out on my writing. And this is still the case. Although it is proving to be much more difficult than anticipated!

Life often gets crazy and between school, work, homework, and barn life it can be very difficult to find the time to do something like photography. But I really wan to challenge myself to do more with it, so my goal is to at least once or twice a week pick up my camera and go out and take pictures of something, anything that inspires me or that I just simply find beautiful. The writing part of blogging is going to be more difficult I think. Trying to find things to write about seems easy but when you put the keyboard in front of you it suddenly all seems foggy. Possible writers block? Perhaps. But honestly I think it has more to do with not know what people want to read. Unfortunately being a full time student and working part time, my life isn't that exciting and nobody wants to read about someone studying or writing papers! Hopefully over time I will find things to write about and I am open to suggestions!

Before closing this entry, I want to pay some attention to today's holiday. For anyone that knows me I am, extremely, extremely proud to be a Canadian. Remembrance Day is a day where we all can be reminded of how blessed we are to live in a country where we have freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to be who we are. I am so extremely grateful to every single person who has played and does play a role in our freedom. And what better way to spend Remembrance than to spend it with those you are blessed with. Not often are there days where every member of my family has a clear schedule but today was one of those wonderful days.

After I slept in and took my horse for a ride, I got to spend the afternoon with my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and adorable nephew and their dog at the pond. Although there was a chill crispness in the air, the sun was shining, the clouds were dry and it was a beautiful day! There's nothing I love more than being with my family and being with them outside in the sun is an added bonus. And another bonus, this day provided me with the opportunity to have some up to date photos taken of myself and my family, curtesy of my lovely sister (photo above). Oh how I love sun flares and natural lighting!

I feel so blessed to live in a place where people care enough to fight for my freedom so I am able to have amazing days like this to spend with the people I love.

-m.o

ps. I would really really really appreciate anyone that would comment telling me some awesome blogs to follow. I'm still super new to this and I've found some amazing photography ones but would love to read some with more written, original content. I like reading pretty much anything but horsey things are always loved, stuff about gluten free, dairy free, egg free lifestyles would be extremely helpful, and seeing's my studies are focused around mental health, human rights, social change, etc stuff like that would also be cool to read about. Thanks!