As Lapster said, last weekend we went up to Vancouver Canada for a Valentine. The weather was sunny (well, not rainy — which in the Pacific Northwest is by default a sunny day), we had a beautiful hotel, and spent a day or two walking city streets shopping and drinking coffee. Honestly, it was a great relaxing weekend.

One of my favorite secrets of Vancouver Canada is Granville Island. Lapster and I always go to the Public Market on Sunday morning for a potluck brunch before the drive home. They have unlimited varieties of food — fish, Chinese, gelato, baked treats — anything goes. This time I had Coffee, Chinese noodles, Orange chicken, and Lemon Merangue Pie. It was heavenly.

But even more secret is a little shop tucked in the back of the market. Each time we hit the city we have to go and visit. It is called Paper-Ya. I don’t even know why I like it so much. I’m not a stationary fanatic or anything, but the shop is filled with beautiful cards, notebooks, organizers, and journals. It makes me believe in the possibility of getting organized, and I live in the illusion that I would write better poetry in a beautiful notebook.

So I treated myself and bought the prettiest little wallet. The company is called ESPE a Canadian company out of Ontario that makes accessories. I’ve always been a fan of bags and purses, but these wallets are adorable. I wish I could have bought one in every color. Check out Paper-Ya and ESPE for more of their products. I, of course, had to buy the wallet with the giant orange on it. Ya gotta love a good weekend.