Wow guys, it's already been 3 weeks since I last posted... I kept meaning to turn on my computer and put a post into action, but it seemed like there was always something else calling my name (or an excuse not to complete a post). I just got so concerned that I wasn't going to be posting at the right time of day, or that I wasn't following any kind of schedule, that I just ended up not posting at all. Silly, right?

Fear not, as I settle back into some kind of normalcy + routine, my posts shall too.

Just to give you an idea of what we've been up to around here (because we have been up to a lot), here are a few updates!

We were pretty busy putting the finishing touches on our apartment and preparing for what I will fondly remember as the month of house guests. I will share photos of our apartment later this week! I'm excited to share our completed spaces with you. It has been a lot of fun collecting pieces that reflect our personal styles to fill our home with.

My parents came to visit from YYZ (it was their first time in Boston). We did some touristy things like visited Fenway Park, and ventured to the North End for a little (or rather large) pre-dinner snack from Mike's Pastry. I can't say I've ever waited in line for a cannoli before, but these guys were well worth the wait!

As someone who always lived within 40 minutes of their whole family, the whole moving away thing has been sort of different (who knew it was so hard to make friends at 25?)... So it was really nice to have family in town for a few days. This is my parents on the tourist trolley. It was rainy that day and I didn't snap too many photos.

Pedro and I roasted our first turkey and hosted our first (Canadian) Thanksgiving - and somehow, we actually managed to pull it off. The turkey was tasty and even had some bacon on top to make it extra juicy (thanks for the tips G-Ramz).

After my parent's left, a family friend of ours, Marina, stopped by Boston on the east coast leg of her adventures. We had a blast exploring the city, and indulging in lots of delicious eats (our visit to James Hook & Co. for lobster rolls and chowda was definitely a highlight)!

We meandered around Cambridge, spent an afternoon at the Boston Common, spent too much money on Newbury Street, stayed out late in Allston, and went to Church in Fenway (hehe.. for brunch silly! Try the truffle fries, yum)! And we stopped by the Kate Spade Saturday 30% off sale at the Prudential Center last weekend, and scored some serious goodies.

My yoga space is not complete, but is certainly functioning! I still need to purchase some props, candles, some plants and maybe a find a little buddha for the space - but it's really nice to have a designated area to practice. My new Manduka Pro Lite mat arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I love it. Every time I unroll it, it makes me smile. #Soulmat indeed!

AND THEN!!! Sunday was Pedro's 28th birthday! We celebrated on Saturday with his brother, Daniel, and his sister, Laura, was with us via Skype. I baked my first cake from scratch (it was a brigadeiro cake at Pedro's request), and it sort of turned out.. haha.. I used a recipe from the internet that called for far too many eggs. But that's one thing off my list of goals for this year!

Pedro and I then went to see Boston ska veterans, Big D & the Kids Table, play Operation Ivy's, "Energy", at Brighton Music Hall. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday was Pedro's actual birthday. We had brunch at Deep Ellum in Allston, and spent a quiet afternoon at home watching Thelma & Louise, and chatting with family members via Skype + Facetime. I gave Pedro a homemade card (with a badly drawn version of a photo from our e-shoot), a new wallet, and an awesome Fred Perry polo.

We found out some big news regarding our upcoming honeymoon, but that's another post, for another day when we have more concrete plans.

So yes, while I've been away from the blog, I have certainly been busy. And while with the upcoming holidays, our travel plans, work, yoga, life, etc, it certainly doesn't look like things are going to slow down - I promise to be around here a lot more often. Whether it be at 10:30 AM, 7 PM, or 2 in the morning.

Peace + love until next time,

Alex

Hey guys. It's been a long while since I've posted. I also know it has been even longer since I have posted regularly. This summer was kind of a write-off. First of all, if you've been following along despite my absence - thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me. And if you haven't been following along - well, I certainly don't blame you. I've been about as absentee a blogger as they come. But I once read that you should never apologize for your absences/lack of posting. So I won't. This is my space, and I'm sure you all know how difficult it is to commit to daily blogging. Though, I thought maybe you all may be wondering what I have been up to, or maybe not. Either way, I guess I will share.

1) I was preparing for my interview with Air Canada rouge. Whle I failed to get the job (I know, sad face), it was an excellent learning experience - and it forced me to set a goal and do my best to make it a reality. I've been doing that more and more in my life, and it makes me really happy. I will, without a doubt, take the experiences from the flight attendant interview process, and apply them towards my next attempt (in a few months). On the plus side of not being asked to the flight attendant training session - I get to go to Brazil in December!

2) I have been trying to learn to speak (Brazilian) Portuguese. Kind of related to my airline interview, as well as my trip to Brazil. One of my major disadvantages (at least I thought) at my interview was the fact that I have no second language. My French skills are barely passable (I know, I'm a horrible Canadian), though I can understand when spoken to in French (and Italian actually). Learning another language is an idea that's been in my head for years. It's another thing that I've always talked about but never put into action. And so, this is me making good on promises to myself. An honest attempt at learning to converse in a language other than English.

Considering I live with a Brazilian, I thought what better language to learn than Portuguese. Now, I can annoy him with my terrible pronunciation :) Haha, but seriously, Pedro has been an excellent tutor. Thanks for putting up with me Pedro!

3) I started running/training/doing yoga/going to the gym. This is new for me. Going to the gym 5x a week is definitely not something I am used to. I spent the summer trying to change my lifestyle, and it was about time. I feel about 10 000 000x better these days, with a lot more energy. Though with all that energy, sometimes the last thing I want to do is sit at my computer after I've finished work and blog.. Sorry guys. Running wins (sometimes)!

4) Pedro's parents were visiting from Mozambique. While Pedro's family is Brazilian, his parents are currently living in Mozambique (a Portuguese speaking country in Africa, which shares a border with South Africa). They were here for a week, and Pedro and I got to spend a lot of time with them, which was wonderful. We even went to Niagara on the Lake, and the surrounding wine region (with my parents as well), which was a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We spent the week wandering the city, and indulging at some of Toronto's finest restaurants (Momofuku Daisho, and Patria were our favourites). We even had a chance to catch a film at TIFF (The Toronto International Film Festival - which is on right now), before they jetted off towards home.

5) The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is on right now! Pedro and I have been to see 3 films in the last week. All were fantastic in their respective ways, but my favourite so far was, Brazilian Western. I don't know, call me old fashioned, but I guess I'm a sucker for a story, and dialogue. Haha.. which the first two films kind of lack. I mean, I went to art school, I understand strange, conceptual, and wanting to explore various themes or new techniques. However, when I go to the movies, I like a story. Sue me.

6) Client projects, rush projects, big projects, small projects. Even though the summer was a little slower than the rest of the year, I managed to keep busy with client projects, and a little revamp to my business (though that will probably be changing again quite soon - more on that in a minute). Hopefully I can share some of what I have been working on with you soon :)

7) This blog needs to change. I don't really know what I want this blog to be anymore. I do know, that I don't think my design studio should really be associated with it. Polka Dotted Pixels will be the blog, and A.K. Pettinato Designs will be my studio (as it was, and pretty much always has been). It's confusing for my clients, and I don't think the two are related enough to coincide with each other. I'm ok with this. While I've made it a practice to not share TOO much of my personal life, I feel that if the blog is going to serve as a business outlet, the personal info needs to be next to nil, and focus mainly on design, photography and culture. If I want it to be about my life + experiences, well maybe it should be something else entirely. I don't know, I am very confused at this point. Hence the lack of posting.

Sincerely, this blog just hasn't felt right for awhile. I don't like to commit to doing things, to then only give them half of my energy. I set a pretty high goal for myself - trying to post everyday, and then 4 times a week, then 3 times a week. But even that is too much. I kind of became obsessed - checking my stats all the time, constantly being on social media promoting. AGH, it's stressing me out just thinking about it. I have over 1000 blog posts to read on Bloglovin'. I just can't deal with that - it gives me anxiety. And I really want to read everything everyone has to say - I really do! Because I've met some really wonderful people from across the globe through this blog. BUT, I'm running a one-woman operation here. Between my design work, dealing with clients, working out, taking care of my dog, taking care of myself, my family/friends/boyfriend, and trying to improve my life - I just don't have time to do everything.

I needed a break. Badly. And I got it. But just bear with me as I try to find a place for Polka Dotted Pixels in my future.

Love and polka dots,

Alex