Keeping it Casual Pub Night

The end of March saw us girls all get together for a pub night put on by the psychology club Alanna is part at The Thirsty Moose. We all gathered for pre drinks and games at my place before bussing up to the pub.

Andrea and Alexis.

Cheers!!!

The bottle of wine in my hand probably has something to do with the big grin on my face ;).

Courtney, Andrea, Alanna, me, Alexis, Rachel, and one of her friends (I'm can't quite remember her name right now!).

I love my time spent with my girls!!!

Adventure Time!

Midway through the semester we started getting cabin fever. Snow was starting to melt in Prince George, so my friends and I piled into my vehicle and we drove north to Crooked River Provincial Park with grand plans of have a campfire and hot dog roast.

Unfortunately we forgot that the northern location meant more snow.

A lot of waist deep snow.

Eventually we turned around before we even got to the campsite because Kristi and Alanna didn't put on proper footwear and they had cold feet.

Later during the week I went to lunch at Wasabi Sushi with M and D before they blasted off for their (very) belated honeymoon in Cuba. This was a struggle for me because chop sticks are definitely not my forte. 

Dad and I have a hard time taking good pictures together...

And the happy couple before they left me behind, making me the only member of the family still left in Canada, let alone the continent of North America. Not the best way to lead into exams!

Winter at the Lake

I have gotten SO far behind in my blogging, this second semester of school was a bit of a struggle mentally/motivationally speaking. Now that I'm back at home before I head back to work for the summer, I thought I'd throw up some of the pictures I've collected over the last few months (and get back to writing once I'm all caught up again).  

These are from ice fishing, when I came back to the lake at the end of February for Reading Break.

Friday the 13th!!!

You know it's Friday the 13th when you have two exams scheduled on the same day. After watching multiple vehicles get stuck, as well as seeing a bus getting towed along the road yesterday, I was starting to question if I would even be getting up to the university to write my exams. Luckily, the snow has stopped (for now) and it's giving crews a chance to clear the roads so it's not so gross to drive.

Today also happens to be National Hot Cocoa Day (in the States, at least), so I made myself some hot chocolate while I settled in to study for my second to last final. It was a much needed breather in the day!

When It Snows, It Dumps

When it rains, it pours...when it snows, it dumps?

Good enough.

Prince George has been under a snowfall warning until Thursday morning due to close to 30 cm expected to fall.  My exam wasn't until the evening, so I luckily got to spend most of the day curled up in bed.  

It was really hard to take pictures because blustery winds kept blowing wet snow onto my camera, so I was stuck trying to strategically take them from inside.

When I finally was forced to leave I threw on my trusty, oversized (and super flattering...naaat) men's Costco jacket and trudged through about 20 cm's of wet, sticky snow.

The buses were late, cars were spinning out, people were stumbling through the blanket that descended the city...and there is still some falling as I get ready to hit the hay. 

Hopefully the plow trucks don't keep me up too long.

Late Nights

If you don't hear from me until Saturday, it'll be because two papers and a final lab exam have got me locked into my bedroom and avoiding all contact with people. BUT, there's a very special Christmas post coming up, so something to look forward to!

Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Awhile back I had started a blog focusing solely on food...but it wasn't really my thing. It's not that I don't adore food (which if you haven't figured out yet, you will very quickly), I just wasn't feeling the whole blog thing yet.  

But I wasn't looking back through it, getting ready to delete all of it's existence, when I stumbled across this recipe. Although my balcony is now covered in a good few inches of snow,if you're like me and want to enjoy a spritz of the summer that once was, this is the recipe to do it! 

...Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Salad!!!

To make this fabulous little dish you will need:

1/2 of a chopped red onion

the juices of 2 limes

2 tbsp (approx.) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 diced avocado

2 diced medium tomatoes

1/2 kilogram of cooked and peeled shrimp

salt and pepper to taste

In small bowl, combine red onion, juice of limes, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Let sit for AT LEAST five minutes (this is especially important if you aren't a huge fan of red onions in the first place, like me), this takes the bite out of the onions and really let's all the flavours marinate together.

In a larger bowl, combine shrimp, avocado and tomato.  Top with chopped cilantro.

Pour contents of smaller bowl in with the shrimp mixture, and toss gently.

  

Et voila!!!

Garnish with cilantro if you're looking to go all classy on all of us.

For maximum enjoyment, serve on a balcony, preferably while basking in the evening sun (or if you happen to be in a snowbound city, then inside, wrapped up in a blanket, dreaming of the sunshine).

This probably serves around four people, depending on if you use it as a full meal or as a side.  If you're not a fan of cilantro, try cutting it down by half...it still gives you a bit of flavour but it's not as "in your face".