I haven’t posted in awhile, not because I haven’t been up to anything exciting, but because I’ve been cramming so much in before Baby Bean gets here. Organizing a non-profit fundraiser, wrapping up work (hello, maternity leave!), socializing every chance I can, and getting ready for baby. Plus, the weather has been phenomenal in Vancouver this month, so it didn’t quite feel right to be at my computer when I could be on a patio, at the beach, or having a picnic…

Below is a recap of what I’ve been up to in the last month or so, and what’s coming up on the blog in the near future.

First things first, what’s been keeping me busy?

• LOVE Affair 2015 – a fundraiser in support of Leave Out Violence (LOVE) BC at the Loden Hotel’s beautiful penthouse suite. Think classy cocktail party – wine, canapés, live music, and a silent auction. It’s my last year on the LOVE Board, which is bittersweet, but it’s nice to go out on a high note and I love a good party! This was the third year LOVE has put on this fundraiser and it was a lot of fun and raised money for this wonderful organization. Thank you to everyone who supported this cause!
• Spa time at my happy place, the Pacific Rim’s Willowstream Spa.
• Book club – have you read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins?
• Weekend getaway to Victoria, BC, which included lunch at Rebar. Yum.
• Pizza dinners out with friends at Via Tevere (the best) and Bella Gelateria in Yaletown (pizza and gelato in my neighborhood – the best and worst thing to happen to me).
• More dinners out with friends, not for pizza, but to some of my local faves like the The Acorn and Vij’s.
• Maternity photoshoot at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver – yeah yeah, I kind of think doing maternity photos is cheesy too, but I got a little caught up in how special this whole pregnancy thing actually is (we made a human, that is pretty crazy) and wanted some nice photos taken on a real camera, not an iPhone, to remember this time. I’ll share the pics soon! They are actually really great! A huge thanks to my glam squad, Denise Elliot Makeup & Hair, and Anna and Kasia from Gucio Photography for helping make my vision a reality.
• Brunching on the weekends at the usual places: Chambar, Flying Pig…
• “Drinks” with friends on patios, at Reflections, and Prohibition.
• Pedicures, patios, and girl time with my Mom.
• Coffee dates at Small Victory and JJ Bean.
• Seawall walks.
• Beach time at Spanish Banks.
• Prenatal bootcamp 2-3 times a week.
• My first Mothers Day! So special – I was spoiled with the sweetest card, flowers, and sweets from Sweet Bake Shop. I totally teared up…
• Decorating Bean’s nursery (photos coming soon!), packing my hospital bag (I bought a new Lululemon bag for the occasion, seems reasonable right?), and organizing my house in general (which means a lot of cleaning, organizing, and a little shopping at West Elm).
• Visiting my baby niece E – hard to believe but she’s almost 5 months old already and is cuter than ever!
• Meeting our friends K + N’s brand new baby, C – he is so precious and I can’t wait for our boys to become best buddies. So excited for mat leave with N too!
• Swimming in our pool – ahhh the weightlessness feels nice! I’m sure my neighbors are thrilled to see this preggo in a bikini too.
• Spending quality time with D before our little guy arrives. Hard to believe we’ll be a household of 3 soon!

So, what’s coming up on the blog? Now that I’m done work for an entire year (thank you, Canada, and to my organization for paid maternity leave), I have some plans for adding to this site, including building separate tabs for various categories. Expect more of my two cents on random things I love talking about like food/restaurant/Vancouver recommendations, travel, accessible luxury, wedding planning, and pregnancy. I’m going to do what I can to keep the pregnancy and baby stuff separate because I realize that doesn’t appeal to everyone, and I want this site to be so much more than a mommy blog (not that there is anything wrong with a mommy blog, but I know a lot of my readers aren’t mommies so let’s keep everyone happy, okay?). It will be a work in progress, but I’m looking forward to see how it all takes shape.

xoxo
Karine