{New Home}

After a long week of moving and unpacking and buying (lots of buying, thanks mom!), the apartment is almost all ready for life! Sorry about the long hiatus, I am just sure you were all on the edge of your seat waiting to hear about my life... haha, or not. This apartment is so perfect- perfect location, perfect size and with the perfect room mate! Here are a few photos of our living room and kitchen.

We have been enjoying exploring our new area and being in the center of things. Its a whole different world over here! Now its relaxation and adventures until school starts! And in other exciting news, I am now working for a wonderful wedding photography company here in Montreal, Blushing Brides Studio. Check them out! It is such an amazing opportunity and I can't wait to see what comes of it!

Have an awesome Tuesday everyone!

{Heading off...}

....for the last time this summer! This summer has gone by crazy fast, but has been a blast. I have had the opportunity to travel and serve all over the world, while putting my camera to good use. This summer has been such a fun one, but also more difficult than any other summer. It was hard leaving behind my friends and life in Montreal to come back home for the summer, but it was nice reconnecting with old friends and my family. I am beyond blessed to have them. 

That being said, I head off for Montreal tomorrow with my mom for a whirl wind trip of apartment shopping and decorating! Can't wait :) Be prepared for several apartment posts! 

Now I am off to pack...last second packing never hurt anyone, right? I will leave you with my "5 senses" for the week.

Hearing: Wildfire- SBTRKT

Seeing: Madmen Season 5 (I got into the show a bit late and watched all 5 seasons this summer, no shame)

Tasting: LENTILS.

Smelling: Coffee in the morning, tea at night

Feeling: my yoga mat :)

And a photo of my dad and I from our "date" the other night :)

How are you dealing with summer coming to an end?

{Homemade Larabars}

As many of you may know, I am somewhat of a health freak. Just a bit. Kind of. Anyways, Larabars are one of my favourite snacks because they are all natural, use organic ingredients and taste delicious! When I was browsing the web the other day I found this awesome recipe to make my own, so I had to try it. This recipe is for Mocha Chocolate Larabars, but feel free to play with the flavours and see what you can come up with!

These taste just like the real thing (maybe even better!) just make sure to get high quality ingredients :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts

1 1/4 cup packed organic dates (pitted)

3 tbsp unsweetened coco powder (i used dark chocolate powder! yum)

1 tsp instant coffee

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips

To Make:

Add nuts and dates to a food processor and blend well. Then ass in coco powder, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate chips until the consistency is moldable. Remove from the food processor and mold into whatever shapes you want! 

Store them in the fridge and wait about two hours before you try your first one! 

Easy as that! 

Recipe Source

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Definitely going to become a staple in my house :) Let me know if you like them/what flavours you come up with!

Costa Rica | San Jose + an overnight stay in Mexico City

Traveling is always an adventure, and very rarely the one you had initially planned! This trip was no different for sure! The last day we spent in downtown San Jose doing all the regular tourist things - seeing the Teatro Nacional, finding cute souvenirs at the outdoor market, driving past the new stadium, and just wondering around downtown. 

And then, we went to fly home. Let's just say the flight didn't run as smoothly as the trip itself. It all began when our flight was rerouted through Cancun, then Mexico City, then home. Now that doesn't sound so bad right? Well there was a little storm (or maybe not so little, but it sounds cuter if you say little) in Cancun, so that flight was delayed which then caused us to miss our connecting flight which then caused us to sleep over in the the Mexico City airport. No food, no hotel. The Joys of Traveling! But the cool thing about that, I can now say I have slept in an airport. Check that off the bucket list. 

And that does it for the Costa Rica posts! I head back to school in a few days and couldn't be more excited. Ready for the adventures to begin!

Other Costa Rica Posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Follow me on other sites: Pinterest, Instagram: @haley_withers, Facebook, Twitter

Also, it would be awesome if you would stop by my print shop and help support Children of Promise with your purchase! 

Costa Rica | 3 of 4

This is just a post of compiled photos that I don't really know what to say about them. I find it hard putting trips into words, well find most things hard to put into words. This post is from the day we spent at the market, the children's camp and feeding the homeless. Such a great experience. I really wish I could take you all so you could see it first hand. 

Don't you just love the girl on the motorcycle with heels on? So crazy. I would consider that a death wish, but maybe something I should work on... :)

Other Costa Rica Posts: 1, 2, 3, 4

Costa Rica | Volcán Poás

On one of our off days, we went to Poas Volcano which is one of my favourite things in Costa Rica. Poas is an active volcano (yes, I can say I have survived 2 volcanoes now!) and we were told that it has just had a minor eruption about 3 days before we went. Pretty cool, huh? On the other side of the crater, there is a lagoon which was so beautiful. It is crazy to think that on the other side of a lava spewing machine there can be such a peaceful lake area. But hey, creation is pretty cool eh?

And for those of you who need to get through a Monday morning, here is a nice song to give your ears. Also, check out my facebook page for some new photography I have been doing. I did my first real photoshoot this other day and had such a blast! 

For other Costa Rica Posts: 1, 2 (from last year), 3

Costa Rica | 1 of 4

Costa Rica is such a wonderful country - the people, the weather, the views. It never ceases to amaze. One of the things I love about the country is all the bright colours. Everything is colourful. Walking down one street you will see houses and buildings that basically create a rainbow. The other great thing is all of the dogs. Seriously, everywhere you look there is new dog. I was in heaven.

On our first day in Heredia, we spent the day adventuring and passing out flyers for a conference happening that Sunday based on the movie Courageous. This was such a fun way to get to know the city. About 15 min into passing out flyers, the bottom fell out and we quickly ran to cover in the city center where we found a group of break dancers, cheerleaders and high school students. So cool!

If you want to see more Costa Rica pictures before I blog them, check out my facebook page (and like it too!) You can also see some instagram shots if you follow @haley_withers! Also, my photography store has free shipping through August 12th if you click this link :)

Have any of you ever been to Costa Rica? What was your favourite part of it?