The reigning symbol of love and emotion has always been the heart, with it's rich crimson hue representing the passion of all feelings. The symbol that decorates sweet greeting cards and shapes chocolate boxes during Valentine's Day is supposed to be the same as the organ that beats in our chest and provides us with the energy and vitality to live our everyday lives. So why is it that they've come to look so different? One with it's simple triangular shape and a small arch in the middle (♥), and one with visible veins and arteries that seem so much less dainty and so much more aggressive. I tried finding the answer, and it really isn't as clear as you'd think. 

Banff National Park is Canada's most visited National Park, and for good reasons. I visited Banff and nearby town Jasper in the Summer of 2014, and it was stunning. It has something for everybody: vibrant blue lakes, snow-peaked mountains, waterfalls, glaciers... you really can't go wrong as a tourist in Banff. If you're planning a vacation, keep Banff on the list!
*note: all pictures are mine!

Unlike the colorful bills of other countries, the United States has the same green bills for all values of it's currency, and there are a lot of different denominations: $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. But whatever happened to the $2 bill? It existed more famously at some point, but is a rare sight nowadays, although still legal to use. I still think it would be useful to have a $2 bill, so why aren't they ever used?

Welcome to the first post of 2018! Get ready for a year of awesome posts!

I've recently discovered that the blogging community has a number of awards to recognize small bloggers and help them gain exposure to interested readers. A fellow blogger, Hannah Pasquet, recently reached out to me to tell me that she enjoyed reading the blog and would like to give me the Liebster Award! These small stamps of approval are extremely helpful in making bloggers feel good about their little contributions to the world, and I'm grateful to be apart of all this.