Our Family & Our Life

I write this the evening of our return home. Colin and I left Isla overnight with Mom and Dad and we escaped to "cottage country" for a very short break but as short as it was, I was happy to see my baby again. This was the first time I have left her and the first time she spent the night away from us. She did very well with Mom and Dad and they were able to keep up with 19 month old. Thank you! We didn't go to far, just to Gravenhurst and we stayed in the brand-new Residence Inn Marriott . It was lovely and we had a small kitchenette in our room but trust me, we didn't cook, we needed a break! Our afternoon drive took us to Gull Lake just outside Gravenhurst. The weather was great both days, sunny and dry but today (Friday) was a bit cool especially on the boat. This weekend there is an antique boat show and boaters from all over N. America have taken over the hotel and the marina. Our "cruise ship" - The Segwun - is 120 years old so appropr

One of the reasons I really wanted to come back to Canada was to spend more time with family. Most of our Canadian family is from my side but for those who don't know, Colin's aunt and uncle, Lynn and Jim, live in Ontario and we paid them a visit last weekend ... Isla slept well and for a very long time Saturday afternoon. After Colin woke her up she needed a few cuddles from Aunt Lynn. What a baby! I think the last time I got to hold her like that she was six months old -not fair! ;-) By now Isla thinks everyone has cats and she got to meet Blondie and Minnie (below) who turned out to be very brave. Most cats would have disappeared when they saw her but not these two, they are far too curious. I think I may look into the "cat condo" for our furry lovelies because Minnie sure looks cozy in there.... Thank you Aunt Lynn and Uncle Jim for a great visit and some good craic. We hope to see you again soon.

Well, where do I start? It's been a long month to start with. One problem after another and in the process I lost the motivation to blog but things are better again or at least are in the process of getting better. Moving so many times in a short period of time is emotionally, physically and financially exhausting. Trust me! I guess the best place to start is several weeks ago. It was only after about three date changes did we arrange the moving date and we left on Sept. 9 at 5 a.m. We were loaded down to say the least.... .. the top row of photos was taken in the apartment when we were packing up. That stuff left with the movers. ... the bottom row is a photo of our van and it went with us, obviously. It was squishy in there because we also had the cats but we made it to mom and dad's in 2.5 days - 1468 miles completed! Nebraska and Iowa are big states even though you may not believe looking at the map but just try driving through them. They go on and on and on.

We've arrived! Crossed the border into Canada at 11 o'clock this morning, hit the first Tim Horton's at 12 noon and arrived at mom and dad's at 2:15 p.m. All is well but we're all very tired. Will post about our journey with photos sometime soon...

Dear Diary, ... and can't be bothered to add much commentary about our day today.... We drove into the mountains to a little town called Estes Lake, Colorado after stopping in an even smaller town called Lyons, Colorado for lunch .... Go ahead, look it up on a map - they are both close to the Rocky National Park which we didn't visit today but have in the past. Colin showing off his new hat which of course Isla had to try on too! It's such a pretty town and it was a great escape from the ugly city landscape. If I could live in the mountains, I would!

Dear Diary, While in New York Isla and I visited the American Girl Place . There are only a handful of stores in the country so I was sure to visit while in New York. I enjoyed it, Isla wasn't overally impressed but maybe that will change in a couple of years. I bought her a doll with some of her birthday money and in a few years when she can appreciate it, the doll will come out of the box. She's really cute and it's part of the Just Like You series where they mix up skin tones, eye and hair colour. The store also has a shop where they sell the dolls and clothes, a cafe where you can have lunch with your doll and even a hair salon. I was watching them do the dolls hair in the salon and I think the girls who worked there have a great job - they get paid for playing with hair! She was also spoiled on Canal Street where we bought her a onesie and a hoody. Canal Street is unique because you are expected to barter with the merchants - Mom, I really needed your garage s

Dear Diary, I promised the photos of NY and now that Colin is safely home with the camera, here they are. Enjoy! 5th Avenue The plaque above is located on this cross which is made of the remains of the towers This station house is located across from the Towers and was first to respond This is part of the memorial to the five men lost Sept 11 We weren't able to get to the Statue of Liberty as it was sold out for the day but we still had some great views from Battery Park. Family photo in Battery Park Stock Exchange Colin and I in front of the Brooklyn Bridge View of Manhattan from the observation deck of the Empire State Building

Dear Diary, We came home last night at midnight. What a week! Where do I start? First off, no photos in this post because the camera is in Connecticut (more on that later) so I hope Isla doesn't start walking this week because I won't be able to take a photo of her first steps! I'll recap our trip. We left for NYC on March 21 driving our van. We couldn't have asked for better driving conditions for which we are VERY thankful since last week was a severe weather week throughout the mid-west States. It was a bit windy, OK very windy, and I was concerned about the ugly roof box blowing off but Colin assured me it wasn't going anywhere. Still, I made him tighten it up as I had visions of my pillow and his suit blowing down I-80! Nebraska and Iowa are the longest states, they just don't end. Pennsylvania we LOVED and if I could've stayed there I would. It has loads of trees, green grass, just beautiful, I felt right at home. We arrived in NYC on Wednesday

Dear Diary, On Monday we drove into the mountains to visit Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park . I can't help but sing to myself "Home, Home on the Range, where the deer and the antelope play.." No antelope, just deer and a lot of elk. It is a beautiful park and we have plans to bring a blanket, a bottle of wine and sandwiches with us this summer.

Dear Diary, The ski resorts in Vail, Aspen, Copper Mountain and others opened today for the new ski season but we didn't go skiing, instead we spent the day driving through the mountains looking at the snow from the comfort and heat of the van. The first snow storm of the season came earlier this week so there was still some nice white stuff further into the mountains. Denver, unfortunately, is snow free albeit the temperature is noticeably falling. The drive along I-70 is lovely and relaxing. It travels right through the valleys and the ruins of old silver and gold mines dot the mountain sides in the little towns of Idaho Springs and Georgetown. Georgetown was our first stop, again. We made a previous visit on July 4th when it was about 100 degrees warmer! Today the lake was frozen over although I don't think the ice was very thick so no ice skating or games of shinny. After a break we travelled through the Eisenhower Tunnel where it was like another world from