another week...

Wooops! And another week has passed me by. I think my excuse this time will be.... will be... that I had no pictures to accompany my post until today, so just decided to wait for the extra colour and interest of the photos - otherwise words, just words, get a little boring after a while? Maybe not boring, but blogs are better with pictures. It's not like there weren't any picture-worthy events this week; we were in Toronto for the Canada-Cuba game and saw family, friends, best friends and teammates from bygone quads (Terry Martin, Dustin Reid, Peter Turpin, Tim Cooper, Paul Duerden - and many of their significant others and babes... so fun!). I hung out with my best best friend Lindsey on Tuesday before the game and it was awesome to see her... we went for coffee, shopped a bit and talked non non non stop. I bought a scarf that Uncle Ralph pointed out could double as a tablecloth (hadn't quite thought of that) due to its size - it's black with very colourful flowers and more flowers. Um, Tuesday night we went to the game and watched Canada get walked all over by a group of lackadaisical Cubans - it seemed like such a nonchalant non-effort to perform.... those Cubans! Anyhooo, we had dinner with Dan and Milka after the game at one of our favourite spots (Teronni) - which was amazing - and then drove home on Wednesday morning. That was not amazing; four hours is in between long drive and short drive, and it usually tends to feel ummm, well more on the long side. Meh. Thursday Bob and Marg joined us here and the four of us headed out to Kanata for the second CAN-CUB match of the three game series, and the show was a good one. Canada dominated and won 3-1, though it could have been done in three sets; the good guys were up 24-20 and somehow lost set three. Anyways, maybe good experience for later? Hopefully.



So, what else what else. Steve's knee is still on the mend so he didn't travel to game three in Quebec City, but made it to a pseudo-bachelor-party-gathering that involved skeet shooting - sounds interesting, no? Man goes skeet shooting and woman goes shopping. I spent most of my Saturday at the Rideau Centre where I looked at baby gear at Sears and The Bay. It didn't take me very long to come to the conclusion that there's way too much baby stuff out there and so I quickly escaped to the market and bought strawberries and broccoli and then felt much better. Buying and shopping for baby is going to be overwhelming, especially because I think I'm still in this mode of not wanting to accumulate stuff, not wanting to buy, get, have more stuff.... meh. Well... whatever. We're still looking for any and all recommendations on gear - so if any readers have any suggestions on strollers cribs necessities don't-buy-this buy-that, your comments are more than welcome. Um, okay! And today we drove up to the north end of Gatineau Park (beeeeautiful drive) and lounged and swam at Parent Beach in a perfect spot under a heavy oak tree. Some sun sparkled through, and the bits of shade kept us comfortable; it was a hot summer day here - fall is being kept at bay. And I'm 27 weeks! Less than 100 days to go. Eep. It will come so so so soon.....

family gatherings... and fall!?

Over the course of the past week or so, the changes are becoming more obvious - a mite of chill in the night air, darkness coming minutes earlier... and the tides of fall are creeping in. I'd like to say that I don't really mind, because I like the four seasons, but I love summer, and with fall arriving it means that summer is gone and three months are gone and time is marching faster faster faster. So, I have mixed feelings. Of course, this fall will be super exciting - the bebe is coming soon and our lives will change and I'm looking forward to meeting this little guy. Things I'll be missing? : the late light, the hot days and the energy of summer.

SO! The weekend was full of family events - one from my side and one from Steve's side. On Saturday, my aunt Zella and I drove out to Heckston (30 minutes east of Ottawa) to attend a gathering of my great great aunts' descendants. I'd never met any of these people before, and even with name tags and stars denoting what person/family/line you came from, each conversation started with the somewhat complicated task of determining how we were related. There were a few family trees on the wall, and it boggled - boggles - my mind just how large a person's complete family tree would be. Even just going back to my paternal grandmother's sister's side and seeing her lineage (and my great grandmother's, on a smaller, more compact spread) sprawl across the wall ... eeeeyikes. I'd love to see the same trees and twigs of my paternal grandfather and my maternal grandparents too, and see pictures and imagine the number of people that would be there at a complete family gathering. And eeeesh! that's not even including my new family, the Brinkmans. My mom and dad joined us on Sally McCrady's farm (my second cousin twice removed or ??) before the four of us drove back into Ottawa, and then on to Gatineau. Steve had the grill fired up and was rolling out the dough - pizzas on the grill for supper .... yum. Mom, Steve and I caught the last two sets of the gold medal game of the Junior NORCECA tournament, in which the Canadian guys got the silver medal handed to them by a stronger and more organized and mature looking American squad. On Sunday morning mom and pops took to the skies, and Steve and I to the roads, both going west. We made it to the cottage on the Crowe with plenty of time to spare before the Brinkman clan descended with food and kiddies and more food... these get togethers are always food-oriented, and I have NO problem with that whatsoever. We ate, talked, ate, ate ate ate ate and then everyone went home... it was nice, though, to see family AND to get some baby tips from some of the ladies. Unfortunately, my camera lived in the darkness of the purse in the car all weekend, and I don't have any pics to post, not even the bump at 26 weeks... woooops. Well, tomorrow I will take pics. There are no more family gatherings on the schedule but I am meeting up with my best best best friend Lindsey Bayne tomorrow, and I'll make sure that I take the Nikon out of its case... right, yes. I'll remember. Family, friends, fall.... moving baby in the belly... I do love the happenings and the changes, and all of these things - the best things - though coming and going, and coming and going again, are, thankfully, always around... or always around the corner.

books for mrs brinkman

And I'm a few steps closer to officially being a Brinkman. Well, I suppose that I am a Brinkman, having married one and all, but I'm finally getting around to changing all of my ID - bank card, visa card, social insurance number etc. I think I had to sort of ease into the name change thing (this might be a thinly veiled excuse; it has been over a year since the wedding) - going from Heather Osberg to Heather Brinkman? Sounds easy enough I suppose, but I've always been Heather Osberg... that's me! And Heather Brinkman is married and pregnant and, at least by those two accounts, a grown-up. Hmmm.... hm... grownup schmownup.

I had an awesome swim this morning, and in a brand new belly-less (two piece) bathing suit! The babe has made my regular attire a little bit uncomfortable, so Steve and I made it out to Aquasport where there was a great selection of two piece suits designed for swimming. It's kind of funny, that most bathing suits aren't really meant for swimming... they're more for lounging or tanning or hanging out - for bathing? Bathing suit not swimming suit.... right. Anyways, we got the suit and then spent close to an hour in rain and traffic trying to get home, which was interesting. Steve likes to point out the many similarities between Winnipeg and Ottawa, one of which is the drivers; people have issues (or aren't familiar with the action) merging, and there are SO many people that, when making a left turn, don't pull out into the intersection on a green light. It made for minor frustrations (our fault for trying to run errands too close to rush hour) for us, but bigger ones for others. I had to honk at someone attempting to either cut me off or get rammed by our big red truck, which prompted a short but vitriolic outburst from a seriously incensed man (driving with his wife/girlfriend), who stuck his head out the window and screamed with every ounce of vocal power in his body, "FFFFF***&&^%%%%K YOUUUUU!!!!". Eeeeeeep! It was so ridiculous it made me laugh a little - maaaaan! people get worked up about stuff.

And I'm going to finish with a short list of books that I've been reading... or plowing through. The plowing through applies to Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series which I am loving... as soon as I finish one I want the next. Having said that, after finishing four fabulous accounts of Mme Ramotswe and her trials and triumphs, I may be ready for a one book break before I go for number five. I tried reading Yann Martel's newest, Beatrice and Virgil, but couldn't do it... I gave it my best effort and decided that there are too many good books in the world to slog it through an unenjoyable one. And one of these days, I swear, I'll get around to all of that pregnancy reading. ;)

Sudbury and back again.....

the big nickel...!!

After a successful fourth place finish at the Ontario Summer Games, coaching is over for the summer - it's a wrap! We got together today to volunteer at a junior national team tournament that's taking place at the new centre sportif in Gatineau; girls mopped and wiped and helped out, and then we had a quick meeting and a cheer and... c'est tous. The games were really fun, and despite a great team effort from beginning to end, we couldn't quite make the medals. We were, however, not only rewarded with a commemorative pin, but with a dis-play from assistant coach John; he showed evvverybody that he'd been wearing his v-neck, too-small Grix TMNT (Green-Six Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) t-shirt all along, under his conservative green coaching polo. It definitely lightened the mood, and left everyone laughing and happy... it was a good one.

the team at opening ceremonies

the coaching staff: Linden, me, Deb, John and Sandra

after our last game - note John in the front sporting his T!

From there, Sandra and I made it to the big nickel before hitting Highway 17; we managed to maintain most of our sanity for the first part of the drive, but the last bit sure was a struggle. The week left me tired, and I feel like I'm still catching up on sleep; it was busy, but great. Some really good friends of ours from Winnipeg, Pascal and Angela, were in town and we got to meet their new babins, little Elise Clair... and she is adooooorable! It was so neat to see our friends as parents, and of course to meet and hold their wee one. In the afternoon, we girls went for a walk around the market, and then headed towards Parliament hill, arriving just in time to catch Fortissimo, a musical and military spectacular. And it was spectacular; there were dozens of performances, featuring bands and bagpipes, dancers and military displays... it was definitely worth seeing. I love being in Ottawa - it seems like there's always something going on... yay. What else what else.... Sunday we went to an all day prenatal class (maybe not so much FUN, but definitely worthwhile and informative - something I'm glad we did) before driving up yonder to Wakefield where we met my parents, my aunt and a few cousins at a family time-shared fishing camp. It's really more of a rustic cottage, but it was previously used as a fishing outpost (I think). Anyways, it's located on a beautiful lake in a beautiful spot - just the place to relax and appreciate the quiet. Which is just what we did after a delish dinner of spring salmon (brought from BC by les parents) and potato salad. Sadly, Steve had to head back to town for an early Monday morning practice, and happily, I went to bed early. We had a slow and easy Monday - there was eating, swimming, lounging, reading, walking... and then the trip back to town on Monday night. My mom and dad are on a bit of a whirlwind Ontario tour, visiting friends and relatives all over the place over the course of the next five or six days; we'll see them again on Saturday before they jet off on Sunday morning. So, oooouf. That's about it. I do not have any updated bump pics, but I'll be sure to get on that some time soon - he's growing in there, and kicking and moving more and more and more. Okay, pics....

Angela, Elise and me on Parliament Hill

Mom, Pops and Heather! at White Pine

good job girls!

This will have to be a fast and furious update, as I'm fading... well, fast and furiously. I write from beautiful Sudbury, where the 2010 Ontario Summer Games are taking place, and so far, so good! Assistant coach Sandra and I drove up here on Tuesday morning to meet the three other coaches, and then the team, before the whole lot of us headed to the opening ceremonies where, to be honest, we were bored by speeches, speeches and more speeches. For the athletes I think the boredom levels were lower and the excitement levels higher - there were very few complaints from the girls under the sunny, early evening skies. Day one (yesterday) was full, and we finished 2-2, with some good performances, but not our best. Today, however, was amazing... This is the first time in quite a few years that I've coached a team - usually, my summer sees me running week-long camps for individuals that get together to work on skills; there is no culmination-tournamentation that follows the learning process. And so, as a coach, I've had an amazing time with these Region Six girls, and was sooooo proud of how they played today! It has been so rewarding to see the group come together and execute... and do so in such a focused and mature way. We were 3-1, and are set up to play a very win-able quarter-final game tomorrow morning. Busy, busy, busy. PLUS, at dinner tonight the girls gave me my very first BABY GIFT! It was soooooo so so so sweet, and really - ready for cheese? - made me smile all over. They asked me in mid-card-read whether I was going to cry... and I said (in all honesty) that no, I wasn't. However, I did tell the girls that I almost cried when, after a convincing win against a strong team - a win that involved every single member of our team - that I was very, very proud of them. I was! Sure, it could have been the pregnancy emotions talking... but... nope, actually it wasn't. These girls have done me proud!!

baby bumps!

Woooops! And another week has almost gotten away from me. I write after a fabulous few days spent with a great friend - Amer! Anne-Marie was in town for the Quebec Games, and we picked up right where we left off (January 2008) yesterday afternoon and didn't really stop talking until I put her on a bus back to Montreal this afternoon. Amer and I played on the national team for three (or four?) years (she played for a total of ten years, ee!) and on a professional team in Portugal; both experiences have suitcases full of memory to accompany them, and it was great to catch up, laugh and reminisce. PLUS, we have one growing, exciting, new thing in common - we are both baby bumping. She's three weeks ahead of me, and it was sooooo good to talk to such a good friend about the past, present and future of this amazing experience. I did realize that perhaps I should put down the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency books and pick up one of the many pregnancy livres that are on my list - she is definitely more than three weeks ahead of me in reading and research... woops again. Ach well... So, we talked almost non-stop, ate a few super yummy meals and walked and wandered around Ottawa this morning. It was so good to see her, and I'm excited about making the trip up to Montreal for more (yay), and I'm excited (I swear) to get going on preggers reading. One big step that we are making in that department is our first prenatal class, going down tomorrow in an all-day intensive format. School starts at 9:30 and breaks at 4:30 - let's hope we survive, and don't drown in information.

As far as coaching goes (well, and everything else I suppose), the week was a good one - the last chunk of training is done done done. We have one more practice on Monday afternoon and then leave for Sudbury on Tuesday morning in a coaches only rental van... should be good. I'm not really sure how the teams will fare, as I don't know the who's who of Ontario's other regions. However, I feel like we have the potential to do well, as long as individuals show up ready to have fun AND ready to focus and execute. Steve's team had a red and white match on Friday morning, and are now on a five days sans volleyball holiday. I think he's planning on heading up to the cottage on Monday for a few days to hang out with Poppa Brinks and do some fishing... father and son fishing fun it shall be. For now, we're rounding out the rest of our Saturday afternoon with the newspaper (love the Saturday paper) and a market-vegetable-y dinner... YUM!

update

Man with barbeque! Steve and Bob transported the grill from Freddy's place to ours... yum, BBQ

Activity central! We have been tourists in our own town, and it has been goooooood - the weather, the company, the excursions, the food... all of it, gooood. Hm, can I even remember exactly what we did and when? I returned home from practice on Thursday night and the gang was here, AND dinner was ready. I'd prepared and stuck a halibut florentine in the fridge, and the people were busy making salad and cutting bread and setting la table. We had a nice dinner and hung out around here - Steve and I were both tired from full evenings in the gym. While Steve was at work on Friday morning, Erin, Fred, Marg and Bob and I ambled on down to the Byward Market and cruised around, picking up goods and goodies for a fantastic Italian sandwich lunch (much like the one we had on my birthday, yum yum). The afternoon took some bike riding and others ... hmmm ... where did it take the others? I stayed around here, went for a walk and then Bob, Marg, Steve and I had dinner: corn on the cob, pork tenderloin and potatoes. Steve had the weekend off SO! we planned and did the touristy things - we went on a land and water tour of the city (Lady Dive tours) which was interesting and worthwhile; the highlight for all (I think), was driving in and out of the water in our amphibus... very cool. After we emerged from the back of the bus, we embarked on a tour of Parliament; I think we'd all been before, but it had been years for me. The last time I went was when I came to visit Grandma and Grandpa as an unaccompanied minor - maybe in grade 5 or 6? I remember sitting in the balcony above the House of Commons, and I remember the market and spending time with them and seeing different things, but the balcony in the House is all I can recall from the trip to Parliament. What I'll remember from this tour-trip is the library. If you love libraries and happen to be in Ottawa, you must see this collection, this building. It looks like something out of a movie, with the decor and the shape, the colours and columns and rows of books on display. If I could have a library like this, but have it be full of my favourite books - the ones I've already discovered and the ones yet to come - it would be one of my favourite places in the world. Ooooh, and if I could add a custom chair, and a top of the line espresso maker that churns out delicious americanos and soy lattes... Perhaps if I win the lottery, or find the trap-door to imaginary-land, this could-would come true. But, to be honest, I'm pretty happy with a good library, one full of books that are shared and enjoyed by many; it's just the decor and the history that makes this one so special.

Yesterday we jumped all aboard! the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train and journeyed, well, from Hull, through Chelsea to Wakefield. The trip was scenic and entertaining, and we enjoyed our travels on the train and at our destination, where we ate sandwiches and wandered through the quaint little town. After the trip back to Gatineau, we made for Meech Lake (where we had a very refreshing swim) and then the Chelsea Pub (where we stuffed ourselves silly). Back at home, I parked myself on the couch for the remainder of the evening, and we had a lazy night in, chatting, watching shark shows on Discovery and checking out the weekend's photos.


What else, what else. There's not too much new on the prego front, other than that the front is getting bigger. I still don't really feel like I'm almost six months pregnant (!!) (or feel like I look six months pregnant) but with the third trimester but a week away, I know I'm going to feel a lot more pregnant in the months and weeks ahead. The little guy is moving more and more, and my belly button is changing; I still love cake, but haven't had any strange pregnancy cravings; we have a few name ideas, but nothing that has stuck, or rang the bell at the top of the name-o-meter; I only wear stretchy clothes, and don't fit (legs :( or belly) in any of my jeans, and am starting to feel a bit more tired. There... an update! And with that, I'm going to sign off... before I decide to ramble further. Adieu!

23 weeks... time is moving on!