I’m hoping this summer will cooperate with my plan to just…..BEhave.
Sounds like a plan!
Category: Girl Who Would be King
I just had the pleasure of being a guest at the luxurious Walnut Beach Resort.
Walnut Beach Resort is a waterfront haven overlooking Lake Osoyoos in sunny South Okanagan, which is located in Canada’s desert wine country, about a five hour scenic drive from Vancouver.
It was originally built to be private condos before deciding to turn the three-storey building into a resort which is run like a stylish boutique hotel.
The lakeside rooms are all one or two bedroom designer suites with kitchenette and balcony. And a most comfortable bed. Our suite was pristine, the service was excellent, the poolside restaurant had a variety of mouth watering dishes or if guests prefer to do their own thing, there are several barbecues set up alongside the pool area for them to use.
Normally there is a private sandy beach but at this time the water was high so most of the sand was covered.
Local things to do include wine tours, championship golf, water sports or just lying by the pool guilty or a swim in the lake.
It’s a chic, comfortable place.
My only complaint is that I wish we stayed there longer. Which only means I’ll have to go back!
Tell them I sent you.
Photos: d. king
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. or CFDA for short, is considered the Oscars of the fashion world for those of you not familiar.
It is definitely one of the biggest nights in fashion after the Met Gala. Hosted by Seth Meyers, it was a star-studded affair at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, just days ago (June 6th).
All of the on-line fashion magazines have posted pics of their choices of best & worst dressed favourites but let’s cut to the chase and have a look at who wore it best (at least in my humble opinion). Because as it turns out, unfortunately I did not love most of the ensembles and in fact I detested many of them. But I liked:
A bit about CFDA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, is a not-for-profit trade association of over 450 prominent American fashion and accessory designers. The organization’s mission is to strengthen the influence and success of American designers in the global economy.
*Diane Kruger always seems to get it right. And kudos to her for apparently not using a stylist or makeup artist. Really??!!
Do you have a favourite?
QUAINT – WINSOME – WILD
I always thought it would be great fun and somewhat adventurous to live on a houseboat
after knowing someone who did. Then I decided it might be even better to live on a tugboat in the forest across from a lake. Something like this would do.
Old fashioned fun
Dogs just want to have FUN. And they know how to keep COOL on a HOT day.
Photos: d. king
We all need to recharge. Sometimes all it takes is just a change of scenery. A couple days spent away is good for the soul.
And you don’t have to travel very far to do so. It could be an adventurous road trip within a day’s drive. Here in British Columbia we’re very lucky to have an abundance of places to visit; all unique and super natural.
Destination: Prestige Lakeside Resort, Nelson, B.C.
For this little vacay we chose Nelson Kootenay Lake and spent a few nights at the super relaxing Prestige Lakeside Resort with a room on the boardwalk overlooking the lake. With two restaurants; West Coast Grill, sushi, a great little coffee shop called Junipers & an in-house spa, we didn’t have to leave the property at all. Even a long off-leash dog walking area closeby.
Although Nelson is a quaint town known for friendly people, good eats, cute little shops, hiking trails and a story. It’s a calming part of British Columbia famous for its mix of culture, adventure, history and spectacular scenery. A rare metropolitan mixed with mountain lifestyle. It has been dubbed the number one small arts community in Canada.
A brief history about Nelson: Kootenay is a native word meaning “water people“. Carbon dating provides evidence of a race of men and women who lived, hunted and fished along the shores of Kooteney Lake as long back as when the pyramids of Egypt were being built. These earliest inhabitants, drawn here for the abundance of fish, wildlife, berries and fruits, were later called the Kootenay Indians.
The town of Nelson is renowned for its impressive scenery, lively events, vibrant and inviting downtown, big city dining, and collection of restored heritage buildings and has been voted best ski destination with award winning powder snow and top lake. It boasts a tiny city with a big personality.
Where will you plan your next getaway?
Photos: d. king
WANTED: DRAMA QUEEN (details below)
Many of you know that my longtime friend Jackie passed away very recently. So recently that it doesn’t even seem real that an unconventional personality as large as hers is no longer here. I share too many memorable memories with her. She took the last photo of me with my mom only weeks before my mom passed away. I met J very shortly before meeting my husband and then we followed each other back and forth from Vancouver to Toronto and back again around the same time. Even ended up in the Sinai peninsula with her during my first trip to Israel (but that’s a story in itself). We had friends in common. She was a part of many (but not every) family celebration. We were having fun working on a web series that had merit at the time she was first diagnosed with cancer (only a few short years ago). We were working on a rough promo, but without J’s guidance it sat in limbo.
A celebration of life was held last Sunday in a venue where she was planning to spend her 70th birthday. We celebrated her birthday without her being present physically but we’re pretty sure she was there spiritually. There were too many strange signs that day that we were sure she was making her presence known. But in any event (at the event) Jackie brought together a wondefully dynamic group of women (and some men) but mostly women who told stories, read her poetry and or wrote poems/songs for her. It was a very touching way to honour a wild, wonderful, warm spirit who was sharp as a whip. Nobody sugarcoated the fact that she was a difficult person who imposed few no boundaries. But the one thing we all agree on was how very much she cared and treasured her friends and would fight for us if need be like a mama bear. Her friend Rebecca summed it up perfectly here. Just wanted to share her words with you because that’s what friends do. I guess this post is really to show women honoring women. When we all come together in one room…there’s no stopping us!
by Rebecca Harvey
Jackie Feldman
Blew into my life at full-on gale force speed
laughing fighting sparkling storm
Twisting, blowing typhoon spray of fun coloured carnival
She was my mainstay, my family, my home, my best girlfriend mid-twenties.
And we danced, we pranced, hand-in-hand through men, music, lovers, banquets, parties, tripping the light fantastic, disco had come and Diana Ross’ Love Hangover blasted
Life turned into a movie ~ and we were the stars~!
I am grateful for this deep, rich friendship.
I was in awe of her relentless ability to network, weaving webs of connection of people.
I was in awe of her ability to bring up flaws to people’s face with such friendly humour that we got our foibles while laughing at ourselves.
Jackie was completely unencumbered with boundaries. A joke that reminds me of her: “When I make you breakfast in bed, …a simple thank you is all that’s needed. None of this, ‘How did you get in my house business?”
And so my sweet sister of years ago, now you are gone.
Ball of energy, spinning from light to dark. Flashing Love. Then Vendetta.
Oh, Jackie Feldman! Rich Frolic and Dark Star ablaze!
Twisting Tornado. Rainbow
Spontaneous Creativity
Spontaneous Combustion!!
Fireball – All That!
I love you, I honour you, and I sure will remember you.
I salute you, Jackie Feldman. 
WANTED:
Searching for a new DRAMA QUEEN. No experience necessary. Must be able to create chaos on que, read people uncomfortably well, have a sick sense of humour, know how to work a room, be scarily intuitive, equally at ease hanging with the super famous to the homeless, cry easily, laugh a lot, love music, treat friends like family, give advice (usually right) even if no one asks for it, never take “no” for an answer and above all listen well, fight, forgive and then rise above it all. Candidate must be aware that they have pretty big sparkly boots to fill – you’ll be taking over for someone who is basically irreplaceable. Only those brave enough need apply. If you are not already intimidated by all these requirements then you are not the one for us! Forget about it.
Prairie Couture
Prairie Couture is the brainchild of my sister’s longtime gorgeous friend, Marina Perilli.
After a long stay in Vancouver she decided to return to her hometown in Alberta and with a cute set of wheels she’s bringing quality, fun & fashion via her mobile boutique who by the way, goes by the name LIV. My sis went to her opening last week at Rainmaker Rodeo & said it was tons of fun. Sorry I missed it but I love the photos. And I want a cowboy hat and boots.
Such a great idea!
Don’t break too many cowboy hearts Marina + posse!
You can follow Marina on Instagram @PrairieCoutureMobile to find out where her next pop-up location will be – you never know!
Website: https://www.prairiecouture.ca/ See SPECIAL below:
CANADA DAY is coming up!
From pale pink to dusty rose, rosé wine can be a perfect patio summer sipper. 
With warmer weather and summer just around the corner it’s nice to have a rosé on hand for unexpected guests. There are so many varieties to choose from and so many wineries now offering rosé which makes it difficult to choose. So why not go to the source. Here is a little bit about rosé which can be anything but blasé from where it all began – Provence, France.
About Wines of Provence:
Provence is the oldest French wine region and Rosé is the oldest known wine. The region has a rich Rosé tradition (over 2600 years long), and winemakers today are the beneficiaries of the region’s collective knowledge and time-honoured techniques.
Since Rosé is a delicate wine and one of the most difficult to produce with success, these long-established traditions remain entirely relevant. The area’s deep-rooted Rosé culture goes a long way toward explaining why the world’s best Rosés still come from Provence.
A Rosé wine can be made from red or white grape varietals, but most commonly red. Traditionally, the skins of a red grape have brief contact (2-20 hours) with the grape juice but not enough to impart the colour or tannins that would qualify it as a red wine. Provence Rosés are fresh, delicious and affordable. Find out more at www.vinsdeprovence.com/en/
Do you have a favourite?
What time is it?
Where Are We?
“Art instigates, but it also brings solace…” A perfect quote for these difficult times by David Breslin; curator of the collection at the Whitney.
Focusing on works made from 1900 to 1960, Where We Are traces how artists have approached the relationships, institutions, and activities that shape our lives. Drawn entirely from the Whitney’s holdings, the exhibition is organized around five themes: family and community, work, home, the spiritual, and the nation.
Beach Vibes
This is a new series surrounding health related mind/body/spirit posts of things that inspired me to share them with you. Because accepting the way things are now can be either healthy or detrimental to your health depending on the circumstances. Read on.
I’m starting off with an article written by Brad King; the founder and chief tribal leader)of Metabolic Warrior, a website that gives you the tools to help rebuild your body’s metabolic potential, improve your present health and regain your true life capability – for the best is yet to come.
@ http://www.metabolicwarrior.com/
Mediocrity – we’ve all been there at one time or another. We’ve felt the weight of societal pressures and the burden of our own lives. We’ve found it difficult to carry on, and when we eventually did, we settled. We settled for things that we knew we didn’t deserve, and took life as it came, accepting the negative and keeping it that way.
The Human Brain is a pattern recognition storage machine that is programmed to default back to a place of least resistance. In other words, your brain feels most comfortable when things are familiar to you, even if that familiarity isn’t positive. This is one of the reasons people who have addictions keep falling into their addictions over and over again. The addiction is most familiar to the brain. And so it is with acceptance.
Once you agree to accept a less than optimal life as the way it is (I call this the Disease of Acceptance), it becomes difficult to break out into something greater. It’s easy to fall into a depression and believe you aren’t destined for anything special, even when that is a flat-out lie. You are destined for great things, but you can’t just sit back and expect great things to come to you without working to achieve them. So if you’re ready to dig yourself out of this slump called mediocrity, then read on.
You’ve Got to Move it – Move it
If you’ve been feeling sluggish, like you’re not all there, then there is a great lack of energy in your life. This usually comes about because of poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Without good health it’s impossible to feel great, and without feeling great, we can’t bring ourselves the happiness and abundance that we truly deserve.
If this lackluster feeling is getting you down (and it should), you have to take the time to move your body and tease some life back into it. Start by getting your ass outside. Try walking, running, or whatever you like to do and take the time to observe the world around you. I mean really look at the scenery; the grass, the trees, the sky; feel the breeze; experience the way you are breathing in and out. Work those limbs and lungs and keep moving forward, both in your walks and in your life. You’ll be thanking yourself once those feel-good endorphins start whizzing through your body.
Eat Well, Live Better
If we aren’t giving our bodies the right amount of nutrition, then we’re bound for bad feelings all around. Sure, junk food is nice once in a while, but without proper nutrients from real, whole foods, our stomachs feel empty, our minds feel fuzzy, and our bodies move slowly.
This is no way to be, and if you want to get rid of mediocrity and move forward into a life of true happiness, you have to take care of yourself. There’s no other way around it.
So make sure that you’re getting enough food-based vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Without proper health, we are doomed to live a life of acceptance, of mediocrity. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. Love your body. It is stronger than you think and does so many things for you. It’s only right that you treat it well, because it deserves nothing less.
Believe That You Are More
Mediocrity comes about because we don’t believe we are worth more. When this happens, it can turn into a downward spiral where things seem to be going wrong left and right, and we feel powerless to stop it. Is this you? Do you believe that you’re not worth the best in life?
You have to start thinking differently. In a world where self-deprecation is treated as a joke, we need to continually remind ourselves that we are worth so much more than what we believe we are.
Moving forward without first coming to terms with that truth that we are more, will lead to nothing. Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are worth more than what you had previously thought. Tell yourself this daily.
You are worth it, you are special, you are wanted, and you are more.
I’m off to the walk for CF (cystic fibrosis) this morning in beautiful Van Dusen Gardens. But not before the pancake breakfast! It’s a beautiful day for a beautiful cause.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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