Confession: I love Canada Day.

Happy Friday, friends…and a very happy long weekend to those of us who will be celebrating Canada Day this weekend!  Woo Hoo!!

Before we jump in to the weekend fun, let’s confess…

Linking up with Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love :)

I confess… that there are few days on the calendar that I love more than Canada Day.  The official day is July 1st – Monday – but my little town always celebrates a day early, on June 30th.  And as I’ve mentioned here before, time & time again… our celebration is kind of epic.  Can’t wait for Sunday to paint the town RED & WHITE!!!

I confess… I’m proud of our Canada Day Committee for pulling together yet again, and I’m fairly confident this year will be a success!  So looking forward to the Community BBQ, parade, flag raising ceremony, Little Ray’s Reptiles, FIREWORKS!!! (my fave part), and of course the bash afterwards!

I confess… that I’m also looking forward to the Bretzlaff Family Reunion this weekend.  I have relatives coming from Toronto and out West for the Reunion, and I’m excited to see them all on Saturday afternoon!

I confess… the only issue with all of these fun & exciting events this weekend is… I have no idea when the HELL I’m supposed to work out.

I confess… that last night I cut the grass and pulled weeds in my flower bed after Zumba class, and it was almost dark out when the mosquitoes finally chased me inside.  My flower bed in front of the house was an embarrassment… jungle-like, and overgrown with weeds.  I yoinked everything.  This morning, my mom said, “Oh, I hope you didn’t pull those poppies that were just about to bloom.”  Why, yes, Mother.  I did.  I pulled everything.  Sorry, poppies, but you look like weeds!!!

I confess… that I hate weeding flower beds.  Not my thing.  At all.

I confess… that I kinda got choked up reading Lindsay’s blog post this morning, dedicated to my boy Cowan, who graduated from high school on Wednesday night!  Isn’t he handsome?!  I haven’t got my pics uploaded yet, but I loved looking at all the pictures Lindsay took.  Very proud of you, buddy!

I confess… I’m exactly one month away from turning 30.  I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to feel about this.  But I’ve made up my mind not to feel glum about it.  It’s too easy to sit around and think, “Man, I’m not where I wanted to be when I turned 30…” I am where I am, nothing can change that now.  And I’m feeling pretty good these days, so let’s just embrace 30 and look forward to what it may bring!!

I confess… that despite that little pep talk I just gave myself, I’m planning on fully enjoying the last month of my 20’s!!  I’M NOT 30 YET!!!!

I confess… that I LOVE the new Blake Shelton!!!!!  And it feels like the perfect song to kick off the long weekend with!!!

I confess… that this day is going by reeaaaallllly slowly.  But I guess Fridays before big weekends always do, don’t they?

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Happy Canada Day to my Canadian pals, and Happy early 4th of July tp my American friends!

WWTKW: Bucket Lists & Wishes

Happy Wednesday, friends!

There’s so much to look forward to in the days ahead, starting with Cowan’s graduation tonight, and then heading into the long weekend with a family reunion and Canada Day celebrations… But first, a little Wednesday Q&A to distract me! haha!

Linking up with Scriptor & Kenzie.  Here are this week’s questions:

1. What are a few things on your bucket list that you hope to accomplish this year?
2. What would you rather have, a short order cook or a maid?
3. Are there any projects you hope to do this summer?
4. What do you want your next big purchase to be?
5. Why did you start blogging?

My answers:

1. What are a few things on your bucket list that you hope to accomplish this year?  Funny you should ask!  I’ve had a 101 List that I’ve been slowly chipping away at for the past few years, and my 1001 days is almost up (on June 28th).  But there are still a lot of things on that list that I haven’t accomplished that I’d still like to do – so despite the looming “deadline”, I’m going to keep working on it in the days, weeks, & months ahead – simple little things like “go to a museum”, “read Wuthering Heights”, “write a song and play it on my guitar”, “spend a day being a tourist in Ottawa”, and “order something whacky off the menu at The Works.”  Nothing big, but things that I’ve just always wanted to do.

2. What would you rather have, a short order cook or a maid?  I’ll take the maid, any day, any time.  House cleaning is not a chore I enjoy, and I put it off usually for as long as possible.  Not even a doubt in my mind, the maid would be my choice.

3. Are there any projects you hope to do this summer?  I suppose the biggest one I have on my mind is to muck through the house, and hopefully get it ready to paint by fall.  I can’t believe how much my junk has overtaken every nook & cranny!  I’ve been wanting to paint my bare old white walls ever since I moved in to this place, but there needs to be some serious purging and cleaning done first.  That’s one project I’ll be working on.

4. What do you want your next big purchase to be?  Ohhh how I want a new TV!  And a new dish!  With a PVR!!  Maybe even a Blu-Ray player!!!  A new entertainment system.  It’s been on the wishlist forever.  Maybe someday I’ll get enough cash saved up… *sigh*

 

5. Why did you start blogging?  I’ve always loved writing.  I used to write all the time, always coming up with ideas and working on “my next novel”.  I never got very far with any of them, but at least I was writing.  And then I reached a time in my life when I just wasn’t doing it anymore.  I missed it.  I decided to start blogging in 2006 just to have a space to write, about the things I cared about.  Like an on-line journal.  That was back before I had any followers, or even knew there was a blogging “community” out there; before I knew anything about link-ups, or got any comments from anyone who wasn’t already a friend or family member I knew in real life.  It all just started with the desire to write!

Finally feels like summertime :)

This past weekend just screamed summer.  Perfect timing, I suppose, with Friday being the first official day of summer and all!  The weather tried to ruin the good times, but I feel like we all persevered, and made the kick-off weekend of Summer 2013 a very memorable one!

Here’s how my family & friends celebrated…

What better way to end the workweek than with a Friday afternoon backyard BBQ in honour of one of my fave little girls??

My niece Neve turned ONE in style – sporting a snazzy bathing suit while she played with her pals at her new water & sand table, and we all chowed down on BBQ’d burgers & dogs, salads, fruit, chips & of course… birthday cake!!

Nevie LOVED her first taste of cake, and even stole her friend Grace’s piece! ;)  She was absolutely adorable as always, and was just a  real superstar all evening long.  Happy 1st Birthday, baby girl!

 

After Neve’s party, I met up with my friend Brenda, and we made our to my cousin Donna’s for “Wing Night at the Wingnut’s”.  We hung out on the porch, chatting, laughing, and listening to great tunes, enjoying the warm evening & celebrating the arrival of SUMMER!!! :)

On Saturday, I was up early to go for a jog/walk, and then spent the rest of the morning doing another closet-purge (seems I have to do them every few weeks now!), before getting ready to head out to Lindsay’s for an afternoon bridal shower in honour of Amanda.

 Photo stolen from Lindsay’s blog

I spent a great couple of hours visiting with the girls, enjoying delicious snacks, and showering Amanda with gifts & good wishes! Her wedding is less than a month away now, and it was obvious that she’s getting VERY excited for her big day :)

After leaving Lindsay’s, I went straight to Brenda’s to meet up with her and Sarah.  The plan for the evening?  To head out to the Market in Ottawa for dinner, drinks, people-watching, and to see friends of ours who play in a cover band.  Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t really co-operating, so the “strolling around the Market” part didn’t really happen.  We opted instead to head right to Fatboys Smokehouse - the restaurant where the guys were playing – for dinner and to hang out there for the evening.

We had a blast!  We stretched out the food over the whole evening – everything from deep fried dill pickles, onion rings, fried green tomatoes, sausages and cheese,  french fries, a Chicken Club wrap, deep fried Oreos, pecan pie, and even a brownie WITH BACON ON IT.  I kid you not.  (And it was pretty good, too!)

It was our first time being out to hear The Young Bucks – we’ve seen Randy, Troy, Rory & Mitchell play in several other bands over the years, but I was excited to see them now, together again and doing country and rock covers that were right up my alley.

We also dragged Brenda’s son – and my Godson – Cowan along with us to Fatboys, and I had so much fun hanging out with him too.  Hard to believe my boy is graduating high school this week!  For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you’ve seen pictures of Cowan here before.  Brenda just recently sent me a picture she found of us when he was just a baby… Check out the comparison from then til now…

 Circa 1997

Saturday June 22, 2013!!

All I can say is… WOW! hahahaha!!  We’ve come a long way, buddy!!! ;)

It was so much fun to just hang out with Brenda, Sarah & Cowan, trying crazy things off the menu, listening to great music, and visiting with the guys in the band too! 

And that brings us to Sunday.  It was our annual church Sunday School picnic at the Alary Farm, and though the skies were overcast, we gathered to worship in the muggy outdoors, enjoy delicious food, and had an awesome time playing games like potato sack races and egg races!

Nancy leading worship in a relaxed setting :)

My buddy Tanner!

Potato sack race… it appears my butt is getting whooped by a bunch of kids!!!

Nancy & the Sunday School kids, who presented her with a plate with all of their fingerprints along the edge – as a gift for her Ordination.  She was also presented a quilt from the whole Congregation.  Congratulations again, Rev. Nancy!

After such a fun, busy weekend, there was no better way to cap it off than with a relaxing trip down the Ottawa River on Jeff & Kerry-Lynn’s pontoon – and I got to do exactly that when she surprised me with a text that afternoon asking if I’d like to join them! Of course, I gladly accepted.  I LOVE being out on the water, and it was my first time on their boat.  The skies had cleared, the sun came out, I got my first sunburn… but man, it was worth it!!

Seriously… could it have BEEN a better kick-off to summer?!  I really don’t think so… GREAT times with family & friends, and so much to celebrate!

Unfortunately, the only problem I had this weekend was sticking to my “healthy eating ways” – and that was reflected on the scales this morning.  For the first time in months, I had no weight-loss to report on my weigh-in day.  In fact, it showed I have gained 1 pound.  But you know what?  I wouldn’t trade that pound for any of the great food & fun I had this past weekend!!  And I was proud of myself for sticking to my work-outs, jogging on both Saturday and Sunday, and getting several strength training sessions in, too.  As I always say… you win some, you lose some!

Hope you’re all having a fantastic Tuesday… and CHEERS TO SUMMERTIME!! :)

Linking up with Impulsive Addict and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday…

…as well as with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!

Happy 1st Birthday, Neve!!!

I’m passing up on Friday Confessions today, because I have to dedicate this post to a very special little monkey…

Today, I’m sending Happy 1st Birthday wishes to my beautiful niece, Neve!!!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since Nevie came into our lives.  It’s been a wonderful year watching her grow & learn, and I have to say she’s one of the smartest little cookies I know!!

It was a bit of a surreal experience, watching my little brother become a dad.  Luke & Amanda have done an awesome job as first-time parents, and today we celebrate their happy, inquisitive, funny little girl who has developed SUCH a personality!!

Nevie, I love snuggling with you. I love your big smile, and the way wrap your left hand up in my hair while you suck your thumb.  I love your big blue eyes.  I love that you say “woof” and roar like a bear, and when someone asks you what Grandma says, you still roar like a bear!  I love watching you with your cousins and seeing how much they love to play with you and help to feed you. 

I think it’s safe to say… I love EVERYTHING about you!!

Tonight, we’ll gather to celebrate Neve’s first birthday, and I’m sure there will be lots of picture-taking, present-opening, and cake-eating… and lots of love and snuggles for our little moneky!

Happy Birthday, Nevie!  This proud auntie loves you so much! xoxo

Mah new kicks.

Last night, I went shopping with my ma.

There were many reasons for our shopping trip – birthday presents, shower gift, graduation gift – but one of the main things I planned to buy was a new pair of running shoes.

Dudes.   I hate shopping for new running shoes.  But, since I’m now sort of half-assed running on a regular basis, it had become something I needed to do.

The last time I bought a new pair of sneaks was over a year ago.  They were New Balance cross-trainers, which I ended up with because I wanted them for both walking and Zumba class.  That shoe shopping expedition wasn’t the best experience of my life.  I went to the sports store in the Plateau shopping area in Hull, dealt with a salesman who spoke very limited English, had zero personality, and when I left, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d ended up with the pair of shoes I really wanted.

Jump ahead over a year, and those shoes have been put to great use, even though I wasn’t madly in love with them.  They’ve seen me through many a Zumba class, as well as carried me through twenty weeks of TurboFire.  They became my “indoor shoes”, though, so when I went walking, and now in the early stages of my jogging, I’ve been using an old pair of Skechers that I bought in Midland three years ago.

THREE YEARS AGO.

I’ve been told time and time again that someone who uses their athletic shoes regularly should be buying new ones at least every six months (if not, more often than that) because they break down quickly.

Those Skechers, and then the New Balance cross-trainers?  They’ve been WELL used.  I may not have been as active in the past as I am now, but I’ve always been a walker, and I’ve taken Zumba for over two years now.  And then, with twenty weeks of pouncing around doing the TurboFire workouts…

Well.  Let’s just say it was definitely time for new sneaks.

I was dreading that part of our trip, though. 

I knew I wanted a pair of shoes meant specifically for running.  I knew they had to have some good heel support, as my heelspurs have been getting worse since I started running.  And I knew I wanted them to be a rad colour, because it seems that everyone has cool, wild coloured footwear these days.

I was going back to the same store that I purchased that last pair of shoes, and I was prepping myself all day.  I googled the word “heel” in French in case the salesperson only spoke limited English.  I made  a mental list of all the things I wanted in my pair of shoes, and tried to practice saying it all in French in case I needed to parler.

I have to say that this time, I really lucked out.  It was a completely different experience from the last one.  Moments after approaching the wall of shoes at the back of the store, a young guy came over and asked me in French what I was looking for.  When I replied in English, he instantly switched too, and had no trouble communicating.  I explained that I had just started running in the past month, but that I have sore heels and I was looking for something with good heel support.  He asked me how my feet land when I run, and when I said I seem to land rather flat-footed, he instantly scanned the wall, reached up and grabbed a super-cool hot pink Nike shoe that was on sale – regularly $129.99, marked down to $99.99.

 They kinda look like this, except maybe even a hotter pink

He snagged a pair of 8.5’s from the back, I tried them on, and they felt like I was walking on pillows.  I loved them.  I could instantly feel how much better they were for my heels. Even my mom, who was at first very skeptical of the loud colour, agreed that they were pretty awesome.

In and out in less than 10 minutes.  Done deal.

When the girl at the cash rang them up, though, she said, “That’s $145.something” and it crossed my mind that holy crap, taxes sure make a pair of $99 shoes expensive.  But I handed over my debit card, she handed me back my shoes and my receipt, I jammed the slip in my wallet without looking at it, and off we went to our next stop.

I didn’t think about it again until I got home, and went out for a walk to break in the new kicks.  As I walked, the price of the shoes floated back across my mind… $145?  Doesn’t make sense… 15% of $99 shouldn’t take it up to $145…

When I got back in, I rummaged through my wallet for the receipt, and sure enough, discovered that they had charged me the regular price of the shoes instead of the sale price.

Son of a bitch.

When I told my mom about it this morning, she insisted that I have to take them back.  But I really don’t want to.  Sure, I was jipped $30, but to drive all the way back to Hull just to tell them that and possibly have them say, “Sorry, too late.” ?  Doesn’t sound like fun to me.  Ugh.

I guess you win some, you lose some.  Maybe having a much friendlier, accommodating, intelligible salesman was worth the extra $30.

I’d just really like to go buy shoes some time and not have an issue.  Ya know?

But hey.  I have pretty shoes.  And I’m gonna go super-fast now because of them.

Of course I am. ;)

WWTKW: Thrill-seeker?

What a nice, sunny Wednesday it is out there!  Hope you’re all enjoying your day so far. :)

Taking a mid-morning time-out to join in the We Want to Know Wednesday fun, with Scriptor & Kenzie.

This week’s questions:

1. Are you an amusement/theme park kind of person? (Yes or no)
2. If yes, where have you gone? If no, what makes you dislike those kinds of places?
3. Do you like to go on roller coasters?
4. Does your answer to #3 directly correlate to how you are about life experiences?
5. What was the last scary and/or risky thing you did?

My answers:

1. Are you an amusement/theme park kind of person? (Yes or no)  I’m going to say YES – even though I haven’t been to one in a million years!

2. If yes, where have you gone? If no, what makes you dislike those kinds of places?  I profess to love amusement parks, but I can honestly say I’ve never been to one but smaller county fairs.  And at that, I haven’t been on the rides in the Midway since I was in high school.  I’d love to go to a big one – like Wonderland, and of course the dream is Disney someday.  My problem has always been finding someone to go on rides with me.  I love the rides, and the scarier the better – but it’s not always easy to find a partner in crime! LOL!

3. Do you like to go on roller coasters?  Again… I’ve only been on rinky-dink ones at small fairs.  FAR from scary.  The scariest one I’ve ever been on was the rusty ol’ rattle-trap that I cut my knee on at the now-defunct Quyon Fair when I was a kid.  I still have a scar from it.  It was super-safe, I’m sure…

But I’d love to go on one of the big loop-de-loop ones.  I’d probably crap my pants, but I think it’d be fun!

4. Does your answer to #3 directly correlate to how you are about life experiences?  Well… not really.  I’m generally more of a play-it-safe girl who likes routine, and hates change.  I’m happier without the big loop-de-loops life throws our way.  But we really have no choice, do we?  Life really is one big rollercoaster.  Enjoy the fun parts while you can, because the scary parts are bound to happen, and all you can do is roll with ‘em.

5. What was the last scary and/or risky thing you did?  Totally drawing a blank here, folks.  Does buying my new car count?  It was scary in that it was the first time I’d ever bought a new vehicle and I had no idea what I was doing – thank God I had my mother helping me – and I was super stressed out over it all.  Risky, in that I knew the car payments were going to make things tight for me financially for a while, but in the end, the benefits of having a new car that will hopefully be problem-free for a good long time (knock on wood) outweighed the risks.

How friggin’ lame.  No jumping out of planes or bungee jumping or tattoos or anything.  Son of a gun.

So… how about you guys?  Are you a thrill-seeker, or more of a play-it-safe kind of kid like me?

A weekend of celebrations :)

Oh my gosh, has it really been almost a week since I last wrote a blog post?!  What the heck is going on here?!?!  Days are just flying by it seems!

How about going a little random today?

• This past weekend was a great one!  It started on Friday when I got off work a little early, was able to get my grass cut.  Then  I headed to the Fun Fair at the local elementary school to pick up some supper at their fundraiser BBQ for Mom & I.  The cheese burgers were soooo gooood… I also split a little snack-sized bag of Ruffles All Dressed chips with Mom.  I don’t remember the last time I had Ruffles All Dressed chips.  They were heavenly.

• Don’t worry, folks.  Yes, I had a cheeseburger and chips for supper.  (And trust me, that wasn’t my only treat of the weekend.)  BUT.  I also got my arse out and continued my C25K training.  I ran Friday evening AND Saturday morning.  (At 7 AM.  Decreases the chances of anyone seeing me when I go that early.) Last night, I started Week 3 of the app.  I’ve graduated to the section of the program that has me alternating 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking.  It’s funny how each week, I think, “I don’t know if I can do this…”  The three minute stretches were especially daunting.  And then, it just happens.  I do it.  And it really isn’t as hard as I anticipate.  I love that feeling.
• On Saturday, I had eight billion things to do other than run.  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I was going to get it all fit in.  And yet, somehow, I did.  I guess the fact that they were all wonderful celebrations helped!  It’s good to be busy when it’s all happy things, right? :)
• At noon on Saturday, we gathered at our neighbour’s to shower Steph with good wishes & gifts, as she and her hubby Troy are expecting their first baby in July.  Steph is my sister-in-law Amanda’s twin, and Troy grew up down the road from us, so we are all very excited for them!  I’m really rooting for Baby Cote to arrive on July 28th – I’m thinking that would be an awesome 30th Birthday present, don’t you?! ;)

Don’t have my pics from the shower uploaded yet… but I swiped this one from Facebook, here’s the momma-to-be at the Golf Tourney a few weeks ago! ;)

• After hanging out with the fam for the rest of the afternoon and squeezing in a little nap (getting up at 7 AM to run suddenly seemed like a bad idea!), I was off with my friend Kerry-Lynn to not one but TWO more celebrations.  First, we headed to Aylmer where my childhood friend Erin was having her wedding reception.  I was so happy to be there to see Erin on her big day – she looked GORGEOUS, and there was such an upbeat party atmosphere in that reception hall!  Congratulations to Erin & her new husband, Dan! :)

Photo credit to Lestanto Photography

• After visiting with friends and congratulating the newlyweds, Kerry & I were back on the road and headed in the opposite direction – up to Shawville for a Stag & Doe party in honour of Josh & Amanda.  I’ve known Amanda all my life, but I would say we got to know each other so much better last year when we were both bridesmaids in Lindsay’s wedding.  It was great to see so many people out to wish her & Josh well, as their wedding date is fast-approaching!  Again, Kerry & I visited with friends, congratulated the bride and groom to be, and I was even lucky enough to win a bottle of Long Island Iced Tea Mix!  Woo hoo!!

Amanda & Josh last May at Linds & Ryan’s wedding reception

• Sunday was Father’s Day, of course, and while it makes me sad to not have Dad with us here anymore, I didn’t feel the same ache that I did last year.  Instead of that heavy-hearted feeling, we shared funny stories – in particular, giggling over the year my mom served Angel food cake for dessert, and he was not a fan! haha!  He thought he needed a pair of scissors to cut it, and lamented over how much better good ol’ chocolate cake would’ve been. lol!  What a guy!
• Last year, I felt like a got a “sign” from him on Father’s Day, when I found a penny lying right before me on the picnic table at Mae’s when I went to pick up dinner for Mom & I.  This year, we went out for brunch after church and had dinner at my sister’s, and all day I wondered if I’d get another sign this year from Dad.  I had all but given up on it happening, until Mom and I were almost home.  We turned on to Stanton Road, and there, standing in one of her neighbour’s yards not far from the road, was a beautiful, statuesque doe.  It stood stalk-still and watched us slowly drive by, as we both marveled at it.  Not very often we see deer that up-close, and I smiled remembering how excited Dad would get on the rare occasion he spotted a deer in the neighbourhood.  I’m pretty sure that was my Father’s Day “sign” this year… :)

I hope you’re all having a wonderful Tuesday!

Linking up today with Impulsive Addict & Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday…

…as well as with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!