August and September

Finally....a long, long, long overdue blog post....be forewarned...this could be lengthy!! Summer was really really busy...hence the lack of posting, but not lack of picture taking!! Hard to believe it's almost the end of September already, but as long as the sunshine holds out a bit longer before the rain arrives and sets up camp, i will be a happy girl!!

So, what follows is a summary of summer since my trip to Winnipeg at the beginning of August.....I have tried to be very selective with my photos, just to give you a sampling of my adventures, and to not make this the longest blog post in history!!

Back in mid-Aug, Pammer and I went to Vancouver to celebrate Jen's bday. We did what we normally do when we stay with Mike and Jen...ate good food, stayed up late, played games, and made waffles for breakfast!! Here's the birthday girl with her late night ice-cream cake (no calories after midnight, right??!!)
And the birthday waffles the next morning!

Tagged on to the weekend of birthday fun was a somewhat nostalgic experience...Matt Epp, who i worked at camp with, back in the late '90s, is now a real-live-touring-musician, and was playing a show in Vancouver. Pammer and I went to check out his show, at Cocoa Nymph cafe, which is a cool litte venue, at which you can indulge in chocolate, ice cream and red wine, while enjoying the show...now that is a concert atmosphere i can get used to! I hadn't seen Matt, well, since those camp days...so about 11 yrs or so ago... but it was great to see him. He's a pretty talented musician (and check out that beard!!!!)

The following weekend (we are now at the end of August) 3 friends from work and I went over to Bowen Island for the weekend (you've seen some photos on facebook already). We had a great time relaxing, taking in the view and kayaking! This is the view from the house we stayed at...we were lucky enough to be housesitting, so got to stay for free!!

Beautiful day for kayaking!Patricia's got her skirt on and is ready to go

Ceiliah's got her skirt on too

Sue made sure we didn't get eaten by the orcas

and to prove i was actually there too, i stole this picture of myself from Ceiliah!

I could have taken pictures of the scenery forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The streak in the sky is a time-lapse of an airplane

And now...on to Labour day weekend...where i jetted off to Toronto for a couple of days, for my cousin Jen's wedding! My brother and sister-in-law have also recently moved back to the Toronto area, so it was fun to stay at their new house with them (my parents were there too). We all went for a little hike on the Escarpment and enjoyed the sunny weather.

Wedding day!!!! The weather was perfect for the outdoor ceremony at the Old Mill (amazing place for a wedding, by the way)All smiles!! Congrats Jen and Shawn!!

Cousins!! Jen (the bride) and my other cousin Susan (who, lucky for me, left her kids and husband at home in Winnipeg for the weekend and so was my date for the wedding...lol!!)After my whirlwind weekend in Toronto, complete with jetlag, do you think i came home, worked a couple of days and then just chilled out for a weekend? Noooooooooooooooo!!! Susan (the cousin you just saw in the photo above), flew back to Wpg after the wedding, grabbed her kids, and flew out to Courtenay to visit her sister (Karla...the one who i often go to visit too). So rather than spend a weekend relaxing at home...i hopped on a ferry and went to join in the fun (and chaos...!!) The weather was beautiful, i must say....which made the ferry ride even more enjoyable...i can't get enough of the scenery, and i think i take the same pictures every time i go to the Island...but whatever.However....this ferry ride was cooler than most, because we were lucky enough to have a pod of whales frolicking nearby as we set sail! they move pretty quick, so i didn't get any really good shots, but at least this shows more than a splash of water!

And here are my favorite kids! It was May when i last saw the Zan-Man...and he grows so fast (and his hair is cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurly!!!!) The sailboat on his cheek is courtesy of the children's festival they frequented earlier in the day

I saw Susan's kids when i was in Wpg earlier this summer, but i'm sure they've still grown since then!!

cousins!!!! For a brief moment, they all got along and no one was crying!!!!!They even shared some love!!!

And that brings us to this current weekend.....Pammer and i went hiking yesterday but pics of that will come later...i didn't lug my big camera up the mountain, so a few pics are on Pam's camera, and i will get them from her at some point. Today, I've flopped myself on my couch...it's my first full weekend at home since July (meaning that this weekend, i've slept in my bed both Friday AND Saturday night!!!!)....did some much needed housework and laundry, and lets be real, it's mid-afternoon and i'm still in my pj's....i needed a day like this!! So there you have it...a brief synopsis of life over the last while...busy but fun!!!