In Sargeant Bay Provincial Park on Sunday morning



And it's already Wednesday? Say what? The beautiful west coast has given us more than a few memories in the past week, and many were made this weekend - at the Sharmellini wedding extravaganza on the Sunshine Coast. It wasn't looking so much like a sunshine coast when we arrived on Saturday to rain and drizzle and greyness, but somehow, miraculously, blue skies welcomed Sunday, and we were showered with sunshine from morning to night. We made it over to our bed and breakfast in Halfmoon Bay on Saturday afternoon, and had time for a quick nap before driving up to the wedding venue in Secret Cove for dinner. Our bed and breakfast was amazing - the space was great, there was homemade baking waiting for us and ? the people were super nice and not at all intrusive. Dinner was great - the scheduled barbeque was moved indoors because of the blustery weather, but most (or many?) guests made it down to the waterfront bonfire for hot chocolate, beer and marshmallows before the elements (mostly wind, then rain) convinced us to make for home. Sunday was gorgeous, and we made it out to Sargeant Bay Provincial Park in the morning for some beach time and a short hike. We walked around Halfmoon Bay little bit, had some friends over for a beverage, ate lunch and then back up to Rockwater Secret Cove Resort we went... just in time for the nuptials! The bride - Miss Barb Bellini - looked stunning, as did the groom - Mr Jeff Sharma - and the rest of the wedding par-tay. It was a super fun event, and it was great to see so many former teammates - there were more than a few of us that played together on provincial teams when we were 15/16 (Barb, Mel, Mackenzie, me), and a the same goes for national team as well. PLUS a friend of mine that is also pregnant (and only 10 days ahead of me...) was there, so it was fun sharing stories and gabbing about our giant bellies and the preparation (and unknown) that lies ahead. We ate we danced they drank, and it was a blast... I love weddings! Love love love. It made me think about our wedding, and how amazing that was too.

Barb and Jeff ... beautiful!

Me, Griff and Leah

Down by the bay... and an artistic shot by Steve


The girls! Such a fun group...

Monday brought us back to the mainland AND back home to a big bird roasting in the oven! My mom and dad had planned a dinner, and the kitchen was on the go - yams, bird, veggies, salad... the whole meal-deal was there, and it was DELICIOUS! Yum, turkey dinner gobble gobble. The combination of turkey smell and being here in my parent's house made me think and feel Christmas; we're never here for Thanksgiving, and 20-odd years of this combo almost time warped me to December. And today is another beautiful, sunny October day, so I'm a bit more inclined to be outside than on the computer up here in my old room. I feel like I have more and more to write about, but our time here is short, and sunshine is calling...

Turkey DINS!


ps - 33 weeks!

family, friends and cake = love!

I have been having the best time here! My days have been fabulously full of catching up with friends that I haven't seen since May OR since I was here last fall... eeee! It makes me wish I had a machine that would just zoom me here, so that I could visit and see my friends and family whenever I wanted. I arrived super early on Tuesday and spent the whole day with my sister Sarah, which was aaaaawesome... even though we ran errands and were kind of all over the place. Wednesday was more catch up time with friends (I love my friends I have the best friends) as was Thursday, and today has been ... yup! a bit more of that. I had time yesterday to bake a cake - to bring over to Hanno and Tally's house for dessert - and I'm finding time right now to make pumpkin loaf with the leftover puree from recipe #1. This is the only thing I've taken pictures of (woops), and it tastes even better than it looks. From the cover of Fine Cooking, here comes Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake.... it was amazing! The cake was so good that I'm not sure that the cream cheese icing was completely necessary, so hence the loaf-with-topping trial today.



Steve arrives early tomorrow morning, and then we're heading over to the Sunshine Coast on an early afternoon ferry for a weekend of wedding festivities. A good friend of mine that I played volleyball with when I was 15 (Team BC) and then in my early 20s (Team Canada and Portugal) is getting married, and I'm so excited! I love love love weddings, and it will be so good to see her and her husband-to-be tie the knot AND to spend a solid weekend with a great crew of friends. Again, the zooming - zoom machine where are you? SO... that's all I've got for now. Besides the recipe of course...

Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake (slightly adapted!)

3/4 cup butter - melted and cooled just a bit
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk

Topping:
1 1/2 tbs butter
2/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs chopped crystallized ginger

For the cake: combine wet and dry ingredients separately (minus the butter) - mix the two together, adding the melted butter as you go. Bake at 350 in two 9 inch round cake pans for approx 28 minutes... or until tester comes out clean. For the topping: melt butter, add nuts, sugar and salt, and remove from heat once pumpkin seeds start popping a little. Add ginger and let cool! ICE the cake with your favourite cream cheese icing (I used this one), top with the topping and then... ENJOY!

cross it off the list

One of the things on today's list (and yesterday's) was - BLOG in big capital letters (and underlined) and here I am finally getting around to doing it. Not that the day was sooooo jam packed with activity but, well, maybe it was? It was productive to say the least, and the more things I can cross off of my list(s) the better. We bought and set up a crib, bought a few things for baby, we cleaned, we went swimming, we picked up and installed roll-down blinds, did laundry, cooked, baked (two different zuchini bread/muffin recipes), I went for a walk with Diane, and I put away some summer and unpacked some fall/winter clothes. And with leaves changing (/changed) and flying all over the place, I'm okay with the onset of the new season - it's been beautiful around here! On Friday we went for a drive up into the Gatineaus; we had lunch in Wakefield and continued east on the 366 to do a little loop around some lakes and through some small towns. As far as the baking goes, my only explanation is this: with two zuchinis, three eggs, and two people leaving for 10 days... uh ummm what am I trying to say here... yup, you get it. Maybe any excuse for baking will do - I think that's about right.







Other happenings over the course of these past few days: I volunteered at a consignment sale for baby stuff on Saturday morning and bought a few clothes and shoes for the little mister - there were such good deals! As a volunteer, I was allowed to pre-shop before the ahem, general public arrived, and I picked out a few things - maybe four or five - before I took my spot at cash. And then the people started flowing through and the stuff - the good stuff that I was ringing in made me want to take a second, more aggressive look. And so finally during the lunch lull I went back and found more and then a bit more. There was everything - toys, books, clothing, cribs, bouncers... diapers, buckets - you name it and people were selling and buying it. In retrospect I could have purchased more BUT... I feel good about the fact that at least I bought a few things; we've both been a bit tentative because there is SO MUCH stuff out there - it's overwheeeelming. But it was fun talking to other moms and pregnant women as they came through about baby, buying for baby and what works for them. Yesterday I made a massive lasagna that we took over to my aunt Zella's for a bit of a potluck family dinner, and it was goooooooood. It also almost killed Steve - it sat on his lap just-out-of-the-oven-warm and wafting deliciousness all the way ALL THE WAY from Gatineau to Ottawa.... good thing the man wasn't toting a fork. And tomorrow I head to Vancouver for 10 days - YAY! I'm super excited to see my sister and mom and dad, and my friends! Steve will join me on Saturday and then we'll head to the Sunshine Coast for a weekend wedding - yay again. I haven't been in Vancouver since we were on our way back here from Japan in May, and it will be so good to see people and catch up and hang out... can't wait. SO! On that note I should pack and probably go to bed, since we're waking up in oohhhh about six hours.....

history

Even though it feels like just a few weeks ago, it must have been mid-August that my aunt Zella gave me a box of old, unsorted family negatives. Not the negatives that fit, in plastic strips, into a plastic foldy thing, but larger, rectangular black and whites of a time before. It was early this summer that I decided that it could be my spare time summer hobby job to scan and catalogue old family photos, so that everyone could access and enjoy.... and finally, now, I am getting around to things. I'm faced with a bit of a conundrum with the box of negatives; I don't want to develop all of the pics (expeeeeensive!) and nor do I want to buy a contraption that will convert them to digital pictures. I suppose what I DO want is to find the cheapest alternative, and that means looking into options with a little more gusto. Anyways, so there were a few bits and pieces of paper mixed in with the pile of negs, and I wanted to share a few things... if only for myself.


From my Grandpa Larry to Grandma Edith, "With all my love". I have tags that are almost identical to this that I've saved...

Calendar, 1948. And lists! I make lists like nobody's business! On Grandma's list: take negs in, buy lovalon rinse, buy presents for B, L, J, Baby food, desserts, rice, tie, flowers for Mrs J, thermometer, pancake flipper

This looks a lot like my Sonicare...
I had to google lovalon rinse, and this is what I got:



While I figure out just what to do with the pile of negatives, I am going to try to get through an album that Zella gave me on Sunday night. It's filled with a semi-chronological hodge-podge of photos of my Grandma as a young girl, and then as a young woman and then about a third of the way in Grandpa comes into the picture, and then there are kids... young ones. There are also a few articles and newspaper cutouts taped in here and there, and it makes me think a bit of scrapbooking... but minus the fancy paper and creative time. Anyways, it's super cool to go through these pictures of my grandparents, and see them in these stages of their lives; their wedding invitation is in there! and there are photos with my uncle and my pops as newborns. It will take a while to get through it all, but here are a few of my favourites from last night's first scan session.



Written on the back: "Warwick Farm Alberta about 1923, H Zella Spencer, Ella the mule, Edith Hope" - my great-Grandma, a mule, my grandma and my great aunt...


My Grandma Edith playing tennis... where and when exactly? not sure. On the back: "Those shoes are crepe-soled so are not ski-boots as you might think (p.s. I got that shot)"

Dessert Mania

First there was Denver and then there was dessert. Dessert has pretty much dominated the last five days of my life and... and, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I might need a break. Steve and Bob and I made a super yummy birthday dinner for Marg which was followed (of course) by cake - cheesecake. And, it was pretty much the best cheesecake I have ever eaten - ever. Not that I'm a cheesecake connoisseur or anything, but, like pizza, there are variations galore, and you never really know which one you're going to get served up unless you cook it up yourself with four blocks of cream cheese and four eggs. But when it comes to this decadent dessert, why go half-cal? This is one of those best enjoyed as the real-deal desserts. No whipped topping, no "light" business... unless of course, you want to leave the table thinking eeeeeeh, meh... that wasn't really that good. Here is the link to the "perfect recipe" ("if it fails for you, it's your fault, not the recipe's" - see first comment) - if you want cheesecake, this is for YOU.


On Thursday night we both passed on dessert (which is actually a bit unbelievable, seeing as how we ate at Terroni, home to the best gooey in the middle flourless chocolate cake ever) but had an amazing dinner with amazing friends in the city. In t-3 days Dan and Milka are moving to Calgary, so, sadly, our visits are going to be fewer and farther between than they have been as of late. SO, we had our last supper - but certainly not our last Terroni supper - and got away with a dessert break.

Friday night we were subjected to sticky toffee pudding cake at Pam and Bob's as part of Uncle Ralph's surprise 70th birthday extravaganza - it was also amazing... amazing and delicious. The plan was this: a small crew of us were to gather at Bistro 238 in Courtice at 6:30 to lay in wait for Sir Birthday and his wife... but unfortunately, the man of the hour arrived with his escort about 30 seconds before everyone else did, SO! The effect was a bit lost, but he was still quite surprised. After a delicious meal, presents and some good catching up, we headed back to Bowmanville for dessert. YUM. I'm not sure that this is the recipe that was used, but it seems to me like it would be something similar - also something I would recommend to dessert eaters.

Marg, Bob, Ralph, Rod, Justin, Steve, me, Bob, Laura, Pam, Barb, Paul and Steph - a good crew!

Last night we ate out with Steve's cousin and his wife, Ryan and Shauna (at Fresco on Elgin - great food, but a bit pricey) which, as per the dessert theme of this post, included dessert. I opted out but shared Steve's chocolate hazelnut tart (which tasted a bit like a Mars-Skor hazelnut-speckled hybrid); Ryan had chocolate banana cheesecake and Shauna picked the organic carrot cake. And then - nope, the dessert bonanza isn't over - tonight, we had lemon loaf. My aunt Zella had us over for dinner (which was AMAZING - bone-in ham, rice, roasted veggies and green beans) and it was my job to bring the dessert. My mom makes a mean lemon loaf but I didn't want to bug her for the recipe so picked this one off of food.com - it was alright, but Mom's is better. And now I'm done. We're done. We're both ready for a dessert break, but we'll see how long that lasts. If I change my mind tomorrow, can I blame it on the baby?

family and friends in Denver... awesome!

Bieber fever? Don't have it... but this guy sure does. A friend of mine sent me this link this morning and I have to share - so so soooo funny.



So, Denver! I had an AMAZING time there! It was soooo great to see my sissies and hang out - it makes me a little blue that we don't live closer to each other. Thankfully I didn't get harassed at the border, and the trip there was a breeze. Karin picked me up from the airport Wednesday night, and we headed back to her sweet cute cute little house before picking up Claire and heading out for dinner. It was good times: a rooftop patio, cold drinks, a view of the city and patio lanterns strung around the warm air of a still-summer September night. We caught up, laughed etc., and got the trip off to a stellar start. Thursday everyone had to work (boo) but Karin snuck away early, and we met Claire at the hospital for lunch. It was awesome to see her in her scrubs as a working real-world NURSE... so that was fun. What else... We shopped and wandered and were treated to a SUPER yummy meal by Karin's husband Rob who cooked for the three Osberg girls - pre-game meal before beach vball time at a somewhat sketchy bar. I cheered and drank water, and the athletes pounded it out and drank Coors Light making it a win-win situation for all. I preg-designated-drove everyone home, and that was that, another day done and gone.



Friday and Saturday took us up to Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park AND the hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining... for real. We stayed at the historic Stanley Hotel where the movie plays on a non-stop loop on channel 42. It wasn't filmed there, and it wasn't dark when we arrived; for these two reasons we vegged and watched the movie after we checked in. It had been a looooong while since I'd subjected myself to this flick, but it was still creepy and a little scary and ... yup, not a movie I'd choose to watch at night, in one of America's most haunted hotels. The town of Estes Park is very small town mountain-y, with art galleries, cute little shops and more than a few tacky junk shops (two year-round Christmas stores in one town? that tells ye something). Friday we had drinks and appies on the grand front porch of the 100 year-old whitewashed central building, and then had dinner outonthetown. On Saturday we attempted a hike, but only made it 30 minutes in - we didn't all have the most appropriate footwear AND the hot beating sun was trying to melt me alive. SO! On with things; we took Trail Ridge Road up up up and up across the Continental Divide, winding and curving through Rocky Mountain National Park's peaks and plateaus. We gained more than 4,000 feet in a matter of minutes, and topped out at 12, 183 feet - eek! The views were amazing.... super super beautiful, and much better witnessed in person. It seems like an amazing park to spend some time in - camp, hike, wander, explore... but it was so super hot, and we were Denver bound.





On Monday while the sissies worked I drove down and met up with Jess Waltz, a basketball teammate and best friend from university. It had been six years since we'd seen each other, and even though much has changed (kids, husbands, houses, cities) it was as though it was just yesterday that we were in Spokane, drinking beer and procrastinating. It was great to meet her kiddies and spend the day together; it made me wish (again) that I had some Star Trek beam-me-there machine that would allow me to see her whenever I wanted. Hmmm.... where do I find one of those?


And now is when I talk about how completely and totally spoiled I am - spoiled with gifts! Jess and her family, and the sissies - everyone showered me and the little one on the way with presents, with cute cute CUTE presents! Outfits, books, stuffed animals... I am so grateful and so looking forward to meeting our little guy, and wrapping him up in all of his uber-cute new clothes. I also sort of spoiled myself and bought new boots and a pair of black pumps (I love you Nordstrom Rack) - !!! Super cute too, hurray. And so it was an amazing trip, and I should have taken more pics. I should also have a week 30 pregnancy pic to post! Woops. I'm still feeling fine and am not (yet) enormous... I think all is as it should be. We're in Bowmanville and Toronto until Saturday, and until then I'm looking forward to more time with family and friends!

perfect vehicle, where are you?

How did we not realize that a Japanese (or Asian) vehicle would not could not will not ever be big enough for us? Today was day one of car browsing, and after reading about Hondas and Hyundais we decided to walk down the street to the megablock of dealerships less than half a kilometre away from our abode. CRVs have been catching my eye left right and centre, BUT... it turns out that I won't really like sitting in them because Steve won't really like sitting in them; toooooo small. We test drove the Honda Pilot and thought it was okay; more truck-y than our dead and buried Expedition, and not quite as easy to handle, surprisingly enough. It was passable - no axe on that one - but not a huge hit. Over to Hyundai (we've been checking out cars in Phil Edmonston's Lemon-Aid books, and these two automakers have been given top marks) we went to check out the Veracruz and the Santa Fe, and again - fail. Perfect for small(er) folk, but not so much for nous. I had to head home and crash (a full morning of futon-searching and swimming caught up with me faaast), but Steve continued on to Nissan, Mitsubishi and.... hm, maybe that's it. Maybe Mazda? Anyways, he got home and said something like "And so the conclusion is this; Japanese cars aren't very big." How is this a revelation? We just spent eight months there in the land of small, compact mini-ness.... were the cars supposed to be any different? I think it's time to move away from Asia in our search for the next voiture.

Dinner is in the oven (Cool Curry Chicken), and a list awaits: I have 20 tabs open in my browser and an empty suitcase that needs filling. Okay, so there are 7 other tabs open, and they are:
- Apartment Therapy | SUPER cool website I want to spend hours on ... Design, Technology, Children, Green Cooking; "saving the world, one room at a time"
- re-nest (also apartment therapy) | 49 creative reuse ideas that will inspire and surprise you
- the crafty crow: a children's craft collective | the giant marble art painting/art project = hoping to have time, energy and space to try this...
- ehow | how to do marble paintings
- chez beeper bee | haven't had time to check this out yet, but the pics are neeeeat. no idea how I got here.
- NHTSA Defects and Recalls: How to file a complaint | :(
- Apartment Therapy (again): Stylish ideas for displaying family photos
- Apartment Therapy (aaagain): 5 unconventional ways to display family photos

Our walls are still bare, and I've found some inspiration in some of the Apt Therapy posts; now the question is this: WHEN exactly, will I get around to it? Hopefully, um, soon. Some time in between Denver and Vancouver and baby. I fly to Denver tomorrow on the milk run (Ottawa-Toronto-Winnipeg-Denver - that's what Aeroplan gave me in exchange for minimum 25,000 points... ugh) to visit two of my sisters for six days, and, besides the travel, I'm super excited! It's been over a year since I've seen Karin, and neither of them have seen THE BUMP... and I've never seen where they live or work etc., so it will be good. PLUS I'm planning to get together with one of my best friends from uni, Jessica Waltz. She's now a Bird, and has three baby birds; much has changed since we last saw each other 10 years ago (or something like that - eeeeek) and I can't wait to catch up in person. So I must pack! As per usual, I've been slacking in the photo department... stay tuned for some shots from Denver!

strollers and such

I have found some amazing websites, and some crazy people. "My name is Naomi and I'm a stroller addict." Strollers anonymous? There are a bazillion strollers out there... actually. I think there are a bazillion, and they range in price, fanciness, gloop and glee. A $1300 strolller? Yup, it exists. Steve pointed out that it's a bit like buying a Ferrari, the Ferrari of strollers, and we both realized after the comment escaped that not only are we presently shopping for a stroller, but we may also be shopping for a car. Wait, we are shopping for a car. After some hemming and hawing about what to do, we've come to a decision and are going to get on with things - sell it as is and move on. With the only available replacement engine on the horizon clocking in at almost 130,000 kms, we decided that it's not worth it - not worth the money, the future complications and the lack of guarantee. What a shame though... we both got a little attached to that big red beast. Ach well! Shopping for a new car will be fun, right? More fun than shopping for a stroller? We'll see.

This might actually be the Ferrari of strollers - this "luxury" stroller comes with an iPod dock and a DVD player (um, why?) and will set you back at least $3500...

The Silver Cross Balmoral Pram is a handcrafted traditional English carriage - $2900?...

... I don't think this one's for us.

Uppababy Vista - one of a few strollers that we are actually considering.... but ?? I dunno!!

Another stroller on our to-consider list: the Baby Jogger... best folder, super compact...

And I'm coming up on 29 weeks! I've been feeling fine and normal for the most part - pregnant, of course, but not too huge or anything, thankfully. The little guy is moving around much more these days and it's soooo cool to watch my belly move this way and that, and see baby movements poking out here and there... amazing. I had to get a fit to fly form filled out at my appointment on Wednesday - I leave for Denver to visit my sisters in five days - wheee! This is one of my excuses for not having bought anything; wait for a trip south, and stock up where it's cheaper. Of course, I'll need to make a list and organize before I go, and that's yet to be done. We were kind of hoping to have made a decision on the wheels so that I could order online and pick up and bring back... but as of maintenant, that hasn't happened.

What else... ooh! I went for a super nice walk the other day with Diane, a friend that I met last summer through a Vancouver friend. We parked near the Museum of Civilization, and did a 5 km walking loop along the water, starting in Quebec, middle-ing in Ontario, and ending back in Gatineau. It was a beautiful day, and I managed to snap all of three pics. Wooops... my streak of bad news camera work continues. We chatted the whole time - about anything and everything, and finished things off with a beer on a patio in an older part of Hull. It might just be that I haven't had a brew in 9 months, but my non-alcoholic Beck's actually tasted okay. I don't think I'll be running out to buy my own stash of beer or anything, but for as long as the weather lasts, I think I'll take advantage of beer-on-patio lounging...

labour day?

Labour Day has been an official holiday in Canada since July 23, 1894, and I feel like I haven't done much labour to deserve it. Well, I suppose that it's like any other day for me... a day that I don't do much labour. I labour around the house I suppose, but I don't feel like I deserve a holiday. Meh. One day though, I'm sure I'll be wishing for these days of unemployment... maybe? I just can't see when that day will come. Perhaps in a few months when baby is born I'll wish for a lack of work to do... hmm, probably. As far as a career goes, I still need to make that first step in deciding what it is exactly that I want to do - I still don't know. Anyways! Our weekend - which wasn't actually a long one - was good. We made it into Toronto on Friday night and went to Rob and Charlie Janson's wedding reception on Saturday. I wore the same dress and the same shoes to the same venue as Dan and Milka's wedding - we were the only repeat guests, but looking at the pictures it seems a little funny; same room same environment, same outfit ... fashion faux pas? I think so. But I was the only one who noticed. Well, besides Steve, but ? whatevs.



We had a few delicious brunches with Dan and Milka at Le Select, a super cute little bistro close to King and Spadina, and by a few I mean two - Saturday and Sunday. I feel like I love the idea of going out for brunch, but whenever we're at home I always can the idea the next morning; breakfast at home is so yum too. And you can stay in your pyjamas and you can eat on the couch. The meals there were great though - it's definitely a spot I'd recommend, for breakfast, brunch or dinner (we've also dined there - dinnered there? supped. We've also supped there.). And now we're back in Ottawa, sans car. There's been no resolution on that front as we're waiting to hear what we could get for the thing if we sold it as is. Once we can compare the pros and cons of fix and sell vs. sell as is, we'll make a decision. Until then, we are a pieds to the store and the gym, and on the bus for longer trips. At least I am; tomorrow I'm taking the bus into Ottawa for an appointment. I have my route mapped out and my faresaver tickets... so hopefully I don't get too lost. And hopefully it's not raining - my raincoat is the worst raincoat ever (being that it's not waterproof) and we have no umbrella. EEEsh, what do we have? No baby stuff yet either. Well, we're slowly maybe making our way there, I think. Anyways. I do have dinner on the go and it smells delicious; on the menu: greek potatoes, chicken and pork souvlaki, home made pitas, greek salad and tzatziki. I think that's it. On that note, to the kitchen I go....

ups and downs

Sigh.... what a week... Our truck has died (how often does an engine just go on a well maintained, regularly-serviced, low-mileage 2005 vehicle?), the tax man is asking questions (all of which can be answered, thankfully) and - here's the biggie - it doesn't look like Steve is going to World Championships. Boo and blues... His knee has been getting better and he's started training more, but the coach has decided to not risk putting him on the 14-man roster in case he's not healthy enough to play come the big dance in a month or so. SO! The week has had its challenges. But... the glass is half full, and most of theses things are fixable - maybe expensive and disappointing, but fixable. PLUS, we've had some good things happen this week too. On Tuesday night we rushed rushed out of the house to the Dairy Queen in the Rideau Centre; Steve ran in for caloric ice cream treats while I parked, and we met on Parliament Hill - I had my arms full of blankets and he had his hands full of melty blizzards. It has been hot here, and there is no doubt that summer is still alive and kicking... it's been in the low 30s, but getting up there close to 40 with the humidity, ugh. Anyways, we found a spot on the lawn in front of the Parliament buildings and watched Mosaika, an amazing sound and light show played on the backdrop of the centre building. It was awesome! Awesome show, awesome to lie in the warm summer night on a blanky, and awesome to linger there until long after everyone else had left.


And I'm not too sure if this is going to fall into the good things/great things category, but it does match with productivity: last night, for the first time, we were kicked out of a store... a baby goods store. The good part of the story is that we learned more about strollers and car seats from the most knowledgeable salesperson I have ever met in my life. Pera talked for an hour about the features and pluses and minuses of almost every stroller in Kiddytown, and then did the same for every car seat in Kiddytown, and information flowed in and filled in the baby blanks upstairs. Her manager had to come around and tell us that the store was closing... and that we had to ummm errrrr, maybe come back another day? So, progress is slowly being made on the babins front. The second bedroom chez nous is almost empty enough for a crib purchase, and we're planning on making it to Ikea one of these days for a dresser that will double as a changing table. That is, as long as we have a vehicle to get us there and back. We have Steve's parent's voiture here now, but are returning it this weekend. Another trip to Toronto tonight - for a wedding tomorrow.... eee! I'm excited. Maybe not so much about the drive, but it will be good to see friends and family and hopefully get a few things sorted out vis a vis our truck. The little engine that could? We'll have to see about finding one of those....

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. ;)