How to Spend Your Summer in Canada

If all that you know about Canada is that it can get really cold there during winter, or if your only mental picture of the country is that of a land covered with snow, then your knowledge of Canada is lacking. If you are interested in visiting the country, you should know that its summers can get just as hot and humid as those in the United States. Temperatures in parts of southern British Colombia (which usually has the hottest spots in the country) often get up to 35 degrees Celsius in the summer. That means that Canadian summers can be hot enough that you would want to stay at a beach and relax with a cold drink.

With this in mind, one can easily see how enjoyable spending the summer in Canada can be. There are so many things that can be done and so many places to see. Besides, summer is probably a better time of the year for older people than winter. Super Visa holders (this type of visa is only offered to parents and grandparents of permanent Canadian residents and citizens) will of course want to avoid submitting claims on their Super Visa insurance due to illness caused by the cold weather. Many people tend to get sick in the fall and winter, especially if they are not used to cold weather.

Here are just three fun things you can do in Canada during the summer:

  • Go to a river or lake or an ocean beach.

Canada has so many lakes and rivers, not to mention really beautiful beaches along the coasts of British Colombia, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. If you are looking for a white sand beach, Tribune Bay on Hornby Island along the BC coast is the place to go. Beach bums who are fond of making sandcastles and all kinds of giant sand figures will love Devonshire Beach on Lesser Slave Lake in northern Alberta. Annual sand castle building contests are commonly held here. You can also go kayaking along the coast of Prince Edward Island or on Gabriola Island in BC. Tourists have literally thousands of beaches across the country to choose from.

  • Get close to the wildlife.

There are two ways for people to get close to the wildlife in Canada. They can either go to the natural habitat of the animals they would like to see, or visit these animals in park reserves, zoos, and the like. The Vancouver Aquarium, for instance, is an awesome, family-friendly place where you can learn many things about sea lions and otters while watching the animals play in their pools. Along the northern coast of BC in towns such as Prince Rupert or Bella Coola, you can take a boat tours to view grizzly bears in their natural habitat feeding on salmon.

  • Go on outdoor adventures.

Take advantage of the warm weather, go for that long hike and get to know the Canadian outdoors. For example, the West Coast Trail is a six-day hike along the rugged Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island. You could also explore the trails that run through the Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, which is a UNESCO-designated world heritage site.

Posted in Travel, Vacation Rentals | Comments Off on How to Spend Your Summer in Canada

Types of Dresses That Make You Look Skinny

No matter what your weight, you deserve to look beautiful in dresses. Sometimes, creating a flattering look is about smoke and mirrors. Dresses should draw attention to the best part of you and cover the parts of you that you like least. Regardless of your body type and the dress you choose, make sure you choose the proper fit and wear undergarments that flatter.

Wrap Dress

Fashionistas and stylists agree that the wrap dress is universally flattering. Introduced by Diane von Furstenberg in 1972, the wrap dress is usually made in a lightweight knit print. It wraps around your waist, highlighting the smallest part of your shape. It also creates an automatic V-neck. A wrap dress with an A-line skirt gives the illusion of an hourglass figure. Select a small print, which is more slimming than a large print.

Dresses With an Empire Waist

An empire waist creates a line right under the bust, an area that is usually a slim part of your torso. Drawing the eye to a small part of your body will make you look slimmer. The empire waist will also draw the eye up toward the bust. Pairing the dress with eye-catching jewelry will draw attention to your neckline, too. You can find a dress with an empire waist with an A-line skirt or a pencil skirt that skims the hips instead of flaring out.

Dresses with Ruching

Ruching is a gather of fabric. You can choose a dress that is ruched from top to bottom, or you can choose ruching for the waist. It may seem counter-intuitive to wear a dress with gathered folds of fabric, but many figures are flattered by ruching that draws the eye toward the center of the body or toward a narrow part of the body. Ruching may also have the effect of concealing figure details behind the fabric.

Sheath Dress

Although you may think that a bigger dress will hide your body, it just makes you look heavier. The sheath dress skims your body and accentuates your curves. The sheath can be paired with a long jacket to camouflage wide hips. Or pair your sheath with a wide belt to further accentuate your waistline. Don’t be afraid to choose color when buying a sheath dress. Instead of basic black, a pastel or jewel tone that flatters your complexion will put the emphasis on your face.

Posted in Fashion | Comments Off on Types of Dresses That Make You Look Skinny

Relationships: How Can Someone Know When A Relationship Is Over?

One could be in a relationship that is going extremely well and out of nowhere, it could end up being on the rocks; leaving one in a place of uncertainty as to whether it will last or not. It could also be a relationship that is not going to well either.

However, just because something seems to be going well, based on one’s perspective, it doesn’t mean that this perspective is shared by the other person. To them, certain areas of the relationship could be creating conflict and be a sign that it is not working or they could have distanced themselves completely.

So physically they are there and yet emotionally they may have checked out. In their mind it has been over for many weeks, months and this could even be for many years, in extreme cases. And as there are two people in a relationship and not one and each of them have their own reality that includes different needs and wants, it is to be expected that there will be different outlooks.

Communication

This is why communication plays such an important role in what does or doesn’t happen in a relationship. It is often said that human beings are not mind readers and that another needs to tell them what is on their mind or what it is they need or want for instance.

And while some people are good at reading people and have a good intuition or sense, it is still important for each person to talk. If one has been with someone for a while, their ability to read them could be good, but this doesn’t mean they will always be right

Without each person talking about what is going on, information will have to be gained through other means and what is attained through these ways could end up being far from accurate.

Understanding

On one side there is the chance that one can gain an accurate understanding of what is going on for the other person and therefore how this is affecting the relationship. And yet there is also the chance that one could end up being way off and end up creating further problems.

So if there is no communication taking place in a relationship, one could start to form assumptions, talk to friends who have their own projections and create even more confusion or read magazines or books that don’t reflect what is going on.

These are just examples, but what they show is that it is very easy to form conclusions that have very little to do with the reality of a situation.

The Mind

Once the mind has started to form associations around what is going on in the relationship, it won’t matter if they are true or not. As the mind will project these associations onto the other person and can end up blocking out what goes against them.

So what this means is that one can end up seeing things that don’t really exist and believing what has no basis in reality. This is why gaining more information, no matter where or who it is from, can end up creating more problems.

Listening

While one may have friends who want to give their opinions on the matter and even tell one what they should be doing, based on what they think is happening, this can often make matters worse.

This is because they could have their own issues to do with the opposite or same sex or with the person that one is with and instead of seeing ones partner for who they are, they end up projecting their issues onto them.

Hearing from someone who is not emotionally connected and can therefore speak from a more subjective place can make a big difference though. And having someone who can just listen and allow one to get everything of their chest can also enable one to integrate everything.

Through this, clarity can appear and one can know what their next step is; without needing another person to express their own views.

Common Signs

So while other people’s views can create more confusion when it comes to whether ones relationship is over or not, there are common signs that can shed some light on what is happening. The most important thing is that one doesn’t just accept these and thinks about whether they are true or not, to avoid seeing things that don’t exist.

If communication has broken down, this could show that the other person has withdrawn and doesn’t want to continue. Just because one is with another adult, it doesn’t mean that they are emotionally an adult.

And so instead of them opening up about how they feel, they might end up retracting and using silence as a way to communicate that it’s over. If they were more comfortable with their emotions, this might not happen.

When communication does break down it is likely to cause one’s mind to fill in the gaps. So one can construct reasons as to why the other person is not getting in touch and what will soon happen.

Fantasy

And while some of these ideas could be accurate and have a lot to do with what is happening for the other person, they could also end up being completely false. If one feels as though their relationship is coming to an end and this is someone they appreciate or love, then it is only natural that they are going to experience emotional pain.

So as a way to avoid feeling this pain, the mind can come up with all kinds of scenarios. Here, one might imagine that they will get back together and everything will be fine, for example. These could cause one to feel better, but they might have nothing to do with reality.

Clarity

To be in a highly emotional state is not going to allow one to see clearly and so they may need to seek some kind of assistance in order to settle down. For if one feels settled, it is going to be easier to know what to do next.

And it can also make it easier for one to let go and to give the other person space. When strong emotions appear, one can become overly attached and this can end up pushing the other person away. As through one behaving in this way, the other person ends up feeling overwhelmed and is given another reason to end the relationship.

Awareness

Ultimately, the only person who can truly know if it’s over or not is oneself. No other can know what it was like before and what it is like now. And if one puts their fantasies to one side and gives up their wishful thinking, the answers will gradually appear.

When a relationship does end, it can be incredible painful and this is why letting go is not always easy. Emotions that match the current experience can arise, as can emotions from ones childhood.

This is why the assistance of a therapist, healer or a coach can be beneficial. Asking for help does not mean that one is weak; it is a sign of strength and the healthy thing to do.

Posted in Relationship | Comments Off on Relationships: How Can Someone Know When A Relationship Is Over?