Toronto is truly a gem. It was my first time ever to step foot in Canada, and it couldn't have been a better experience. Like Marfa, J and I were also attending a wedding, but this one was particularly special because it was his cousin who was getting married so I finally met his family! I can't even begin to describe how incredible this trip was, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more thanks to this sweet family.

We flew into Toronto on a Thursday night and were dropped off at our Airbnb located in the Palmerston and Little Italy district. That same week in Texas, it was raining everyday which made the humidity unbearable so Canada provided a bit of fresh air that was much needed. The cherry on top was that the mornings always felt crisp and cool, which at the time made me anticipate autumn more. 

On our first official day, we started with lunch at a taco shop because we were so curious to see how Canadians interpreted what Austinites consider their pride and joy. In case you're curious, we were pleasantly satisfied. The rest of the day was spent lounging outside the porch while we waited for more family to arrive in town. Since the week was mainly dedicated towards the wedding, we also had some family events sprinkled into the schedule, such as a barbecue hosted by the bride and groom and the wedding itself on Saturday. 

Nothing we did on this trip was particularly "tourist-y", but J's cousins were wonderful enough to show us the shops and neighborhoods that gave us a better glimpse of what Toronto is made up of. From the artistic streets of Kensington Market to Yorkville's wealthy neighborhoods and shops, each had its own uniqueness that attributed to the city's charm. It was certainly a place for everyone. I was particularly surprised by how everything is walking distance. I legitimately think I got my year's worth of exercise in those two days of walking, haha! 

Prior to this trip, I was hearing endless raves about how amazing Toronto's food scene is. Since I was coming from a city that identifies as one of the leading food scenes, I couldn't help but feel extremely excited to broaden my experiences. Toronto did not disappoint one bit. In fact, the sheer diversity of the city's food scene was a bit overwhelming to navigate through. I just had too many choices, and it's always funny whenever we spend half an hour simply deciding on where to go eat. Overall, it was one of my favorite experiences, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more without the company and recommendations from J's family. 

Stracciatella & Boquerones

Bread and Cockles

Croquetas

Morcilla & Egg: Bread topped with blood sausage and quail egg

Shishito Peppers

Jamón

Sweet Olenka's Ice Cream

Imanishi Japanese Kitchen

Grilled stingray fins

On our last day in Toronto, J's cousin took us to the islands, more specifically Ward's Island Beach. It was by far one of my favorite places that we visited because we went just as the sun was setting, when the waters were barely sun-kissed before dusk. Every corner we turned at was simply picturesque. As we rode the ferry across, I think my jaw just kept dropping lower and lower. The further we sailed from the city, the more grandeur the city skyline became. Just to show off a little more, nature decided to give its skies a cotton candy gradient with blush and purplish hues just before hitting the rich blue waters. What a sight, eh? 

Aside from the tourism in Toronto, there was no doubt that the heart of this trip revolved around family. While we certainly had our fun throughout the week, nothing was better than sitting around the porch every afternoon chatting away the time through stories and nostalgia. In moments like that, I was reminded of how important it is to slow down our lives sometimes. I often find myself tangled in a culture where we race through life because there's a fear of missing out if we slowed down. My own life in that moment was also a mess in itself, but my soul was filled when I had the chance to unplug from social media and connect deeply with the people around me. I barely touched my phone that week, and I slept in without a care in the world. There were no "rules", no one was judged for sleeping late or in, and it didn't matter if we didn't do anything productive. It almost felt like I was a rebel against something... whether it's my own rules or the standard that life has set in this generation. All of this gave me a renewed understanding of quality time and the importance of balancing between work and personal life.

Personal note: To the Yang family, thank you for hosting everyone with such love and kindness. There wasn't a moment where you didn't include me as part of the family so thank you for going above and beyond to make my trip in Canada so memorable. 

West Texas is a beaut. The idea of spending a weekend getaway in Marfa couldn't be more romantic and fitting for the summer. J and I traveled here for his friend's wedding, but we decided that it was a good idea to also make a vacation out of it. Afterall, I can't imagine the next time we have the opportunity to do something as unique as this, especially with our work schedules being so crazy. 

We left Austin on Friday morning, and while six hours on the road sounded a little daunting, I couldn't have spent it better. Of course, I had J to keep me company with great conversations and Nicki Minaj rap battles (hardly. I chickened out), but it was the view that truly captivated me. Mountains and plateaus majestically stretched across the Texas desert, and lush green trees and wildlife were scattered so beautifully throughout the land. 

We managed to get there before it became dark so we unpacked in our Airbnb and started our first adventure with dinner at Pizza Foundation. You can bet that I did extensive research for this trip, which was extremely helpful because I found out that it often takes up to two hours to order a pizza there. To avoid that, we called in way ahead of time to ensure that we weren't eating dinner ridiculously late. 

By Saturday, we were rested enough for our real adventure. Since this was our vacation, we obviously have the freedom to do anything we want, and it was just so tempting to sleep in until noon. Good thing we didn't. A place like Marfa is certain to have breathtaking sunrises so I didn't want to give up that opportunity. On top of that, the weather was insanely good. I feared that the heat would discourage us from adventuring, but there was actually a breeze and the mornings were crisp and cool. 

First stop was Do Your Thing, a coffee shop. J and I had some bonding time over breakfast before we headed off to walk around the town. The thing to appreciate about a small town is how close everything is to each other. A ten minute walk could take us anywhere, from breakfast to shopping. Not only that, the southern hospitality was out of this world, which is ironic for me to think since I grew up in Texas. Everyone that we walked past either gave us a nod or greeted us with a "Hello, how are you?". 

We browsed around some of the more well-known locations, such as Marfa Bookstore located inside Hotel Saint George. By noontime, we were hoping to hit up Food Shark for lunch, since it was clearly a must on everyone's go-to list, but J and I fell upon Squeeze Marfa and decided to go there instead. It was one of those moments where we could've made that extra effort to do what we planned, but we were just so darn tired from walking around. Plus, there's nothing wrong with flexibility, right?. We're on vacation, not a field trip. After cooling down with a smoothie and filling up on sandwiches, we spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Since we had a wedding that evening, it made sense to save our energy for that. 

When Sunday came around, J and I slept in. To be fair, we stayed up 'til 3AM the night before talking, but the rest was also much needed. We managed to make it out the door by noon for lunch at Marfa Burrito. It was tricky because we couldn't find any information about it online, such as hours and a telephone number, but fortunately, it was opened and not crowded. The attraction about this quaint little place is that their burritos are homemade and fresh. It's authentic and guaranteed to fill you up for sure. 

Further down the road is the Chinati Foundation, a contemporary museum based on the ideas and foundations of Donald Judd. Most of our time and energy were spent looking at Judd's fifteen untitled works in concrete. They're spaced out across the field and each set is positioned uniquely. Though the weather was hot and harsh, we managed to make it worthwhile experience and one that is memorable. 

When evening came around, we celebrated our last night with dinner at Jett's Grill, located in the heart of Hotel Paisano, and then we drove west to Valentine, Texas to see the classic Prada Marfa exhibit by Elmgreen & Dragset. It was easy for us to assume that it wasn't worth driving 40 minutes to an "over-hyped" attraction that offers very little besides an opportunity to photograph next to an iconic landmark. But if we put those thoughts aside, the very essence of travel is to explore with genuine, unpretentious curiosity. To appreciate and learn about the treasures that characterize and make up the place. 

Who knew our little escapade would create some of my proudest frames, and that's what I love so much about photography. I love being captivated by my artwork. I like to envision how I want my pictures to look after post-processing and especially how it would look like when I decorate my home. I want to keep these pictures alive by giving it a home in frames and albums instead of storing them away into my hard drives without a second glance. 

And just like that, our trip was over. It concluded in one of the most beautiful ways, with the sun setting in its fiery orange glow in the backdrop of our view. As dusk continued to darken, the purple and blush hues grew richer and deeper. It pretty much had me fall in love with Texas all over again.