Turkey Day

We spent our Thanksgiving in Canada this year with the stand-in Canadians and the Marylanders.  And we drove there.

We left on Tuesday afternoon to drive half way.  It also happened to be the start of a massive snow storm that pretty much followed us the entire drive.  What should've taken five driving hours took nine and we decided to stop at a hotel sooner than our original half way destination.  On Wednesday, we drove the rest of the seven hours and arrived in Ottawa around 3:30 pm.  Fortunately, the drive back was uneventful and we were able to leave midday on Friday and drive straight through arriving back in Columbus very early on Saturday morning.  It was a lot of driving for a short stay, but it was so nice to see everyone for the holiday. Including Leah, the cat!  I think Kate learned that a cat says "hissss" instead of "meow" though.  While Leah was on the steps, Kate walked over and Leah hissed.  Kate quickly hissed back without even batting an eye!  It was so funny!

We celebrated turkey day in style with delicious food, wonderful company, and snow!  We listened to music, played some games, drank some wine and other adult beverages, and just enjoyed being together.  This time next year will find everyone back in Maryland.  It is a much anticipated homecoming! 


Turkey Day festivities!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ottawa Adventure

We spent our long Labor Day weekend in Ottawa visiting my parents!  This was Kate's very first international trip and we even got the stamp in her passport to prove it!

There is too much time in between our visits.  This seems to be a common thing.  The last time we saw my Mom, Scott, and James was over Easter when they all came to Columbus to visit.  My, how things change in six months!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  We stopped at Saunders Farm, took a trip to Ikea, enjoyed some really fancy rock formations by the river, and had a picnic overlooking the parliament.  Saunders Farm was so much fun!  We must find a place like this near Columbus!

On our way home we experienced quite a few flight delays and re-routes.  Kate was an absolute angel the entire trip.  We expected to be home at a decent hour and ended up travelling much later into the night than anticipated.  We could not have asked for more from our darling girl.  She was such a sweetheart!

Anyway, without further ado, check out our Ottawa Adventure below!

Our Ottawa Adventure!

Canadian Bacon

After a week in North Carolina, I headed up north to Canada to visit my fam for a little while.  (Brian and Jack stayed in Ohio and held the fort down with Bun.)  From Saturday to Wednesday, I enjoyed warm, upper-80's sunny days, and cool, mid-60's summer nights.  Ottawa in the summer is simply spectacular!  (If you recall, the first and last time we visited Ottawa was last December.  We came back with a new appreciation of what "cold" really means.)

Ottawa in late June/July, however, is stunning.  There are so many wonderful green plants, the flowers are all in bloom, downtown is hustling and bustling with tourists and people - the fresh market was to die for, the weather is amazing, and being able to spend some time with my dear fam was priceless.

While we didn't take a ton of photos, but we did get to celebrate Canada Day while in Canada!  (Canada Day is Canada's "independence" day.)  Here is a small album from my Ottawa adventure.  (You've obviously seen the first photo from that album in the dressing room...)

YUM!

Until next year, Ottawa!

Niagara Falls

This St. Patty's Day weekend we met my parents in Canada at Niagara Falls.  Surprisingly, Niagara is exactly six hours from Ottawa, Canada AND Columbus, OH, so it is a great half way meeting spot!  Plus, we got to go to Canada for the weekend!

I had never been to Niagara Falls.  Brian was there, but apparently he only drove past the falls.  So, really, neither of us had ever been to Niagara Falls!

We met my parents and my brother, James, on Friday night and enjoyed a fabulous weekend of eating, laughing, enjoying each other's company, watching a really shoddy IMAX Niagara Falls movie (which led to many a discussions later and a few potential Christmas presents for laughs!), checking out the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Canadian Horseshoe Falls, going on a short hike in Niagara Gorge, and catching up!  We haven't seen my parents since Christmas, so it was really wonderful to see them!  Even though we're not that far away, it sometimes seems further.

Plus, the weekend weather was uncharacteristically warm and gorgeous for the area.  We were told that there is usually still snow and ice on the ground at this point!  We were all slightly disappointed that we couldn't hop on the Maid of the Mist, but that was because it hasn't even opened up for the season!  We'll have to catch that ride next time!

One thing that surprised us the most about Niagara Falls was how commercial it was.  I mean, it was like being in Vegas!  There were lights galore, casinos, vendors on the streets passing out coupons to every attraction possible, crowds, etc.  Now, we knew there would be crowds - this is a touristy spot, but we all thought there would be a bit more of a connection to nature since what we were there to see is 100% Mother Nature herself.  It was only when we hiked down into Niagara Gorge that it felt like what we thought it would.  It was a little disappointing to see such a natural beauty be built up to something so completely different, but it was nice to see areas that are still pristine and untouched by the commercial side of things.

We had such a fun St. Patty's Day this year, and it was amazing to see the fam!  We love you guys!

Got Any Barrels?!

Niagara Falls, here we come!!

When In Rome, Do As the Romans Do

Since we were in Canada, we figured it would only be right to celebrate Boxing Day like true Canadians.  Apparently, Boxing Day is a day saved to relax, eat left overs, and go shopping.  There are Boxing Day sales galore, and I suppose the amount of leftovers all depend on what was cooked on Christmas and the days leading up to Christmas!

Unfortunately, we only got to celebrate Boxing Day morning in Canada.  We did partake in a quick shopping rendezvous (at the airport while we were waiting for our flight to Detroit at the one store that was at the airport...after the guy at security had us chug the 25 ounces of water from the water bottle that I forgot to empty...oops!), and we brought a few leftover cookies and peppermint bark with us but we can't really say that we experienced Boxing Day to its full potential.

We will have to save that bank holiday for another year to fully enjoy, but until then, we'll say that we celebrated Boxing Day ... in Canada!

Christmas Canucks

This year Brian and I celebrated our first Canadian Christmas together with my Mom, Stepdad, sister, and brother (Jan, Scott, Amy, and James, respectively) in Ottawa!  It was cooold!

We joked that it was so cold that when you spoke out loud the words from your sentences would freeze right in front of you and crumble to the ground like they do in the cartoons!  In reality that did not happen, (in Erin's world it did, for those of you who were wondering), but there was one day while we were there that it was literally bone chilling cold!  And that happened to be the day that we were walking (a little) around downtown Ottawa! 

Despite the cold, however, it snowed steadily the entire time we were there!  This was also our first real snow of the season!  We haven't really had much snow to play in in Columbus, OH, but Ottawa gave us a taste of what is to come!  The snow fell perfectly and we ended up having a beautiful white Christmas and a good 6" or so when we left.  We also got to experience the superior snow removal services that are mandatory on Canadian streets.  The Canadians don't waste any time and really know how to clear some snow!  I suppose they have to with an average of 87" of snow per year, eh?!

Speaking of 'eh's', the very first legit Canadian that we spoke to when we got to Canada was the employee in the Canadian customs area.  The very first thing he said to us was, "first time in Canada, eh?"  Brian and I both looked at each other and smiled.  (That was before we were interrogated...)  Yes, folks, the Canadian 'eh' stereotype is true.  But in a very good way!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our presently Canuck family!  The house is amazing, the city is beautiful, the food was delicious, the company was fantastic.  We could not have asked for more, unless, of course, we had our entire family together!  Nonetheless, it was wonderful to celebrate with everyone that was there.  Plus, we got to have a few Skype Christmases with everyone that could not physically be in Canada! 

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas too!

659 Miles Closer to the North Pole

Dear Santa,

We've arrived safe and sound in Ottawa, Canada where we will be spending the Christmas holiday with our family.  We know that you have a very busy travel day coming up and are happy to be a bit closer to you so that we can cut some of your travel time in half - you can make one stop instead of two now!  You know, making your life a little easier from one Santa and Mrs. Claus to another!  Merry Christmas!

Yours Truly,
Brian and Erin (the 'Brian and Erin' on the nice list, that is.)

O-Town or Bust!

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

This weekend we celebrated my family's departure to Ottawa, Canada at my Aunt's house in Maryland.  In addition, I was able to spend some amazing, quality girl time with my best friend, Tamara, while Brian spent some amazing, quality boy time with his boys:  Than, Jeff, and Patrick.  (Boy time included, but was not limited to: "fishing" (I don't believe they caught anything), drinking, late nights, good conversations, good people, and buffalo shrimp...in Florida.  Girl time included, but was not limited to: laughing ... a lot, talking, drinking, reminiscing, shopping, and wonderful company...in Maryland!)

Brian and I both had wonderful weekends in two different states hanging with [some of] the people that mean the absolute world to us.  It was a much needed and nice break away from the every day stresses in Ohio, and I know it meant so much to our family to be there to wish them a wonderful journey to Canada.  The countdown is on; Thursday is the official moving day!  The next time we see my family we may be visiting them in the True North Strong and Free!

O Canada

My Mom, Stepdad, Scott, and brother, James, are all moving to Ottawa, Canada for three years at the end of August, so Brian, Jack, and I headed to Maryland for a visit home before they head north!  Fortunately, Brian was in Maryland for work all week while Jack, Bun, and I held the Columbus, OH fort down, so Jack and I drove to Maryland on Friday and spent the rest of the weekend with our wonderful family!

There's something so special about going home.  I grew up in Maryland, and 90% of my family still lives there.  We miss them dearly living in Ohio, so it is so nice to be able to see them when we can.  We always have so much fun together!  We are never short on laughs, hugs, moments, and inside jokes, and it makes the time that we can all spend together so meaningful. 

This weekend was too short as usual, but we packed our moments in to relish in each other as much as we could before our visits are in our home away from home in Ottawa.  We had dinner at Frisco Grille, we had sleepovers, we headed to Wockenfuss (this is the candy shop where I worked the majority of my high school career, and they have things that you can't get anywhere else in the world!  We had to stop and get a quick fix!), we got our nails done, played ball (of course), [some of us] saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, [while the other part of us] partaked in one of the greatest sporting events FedEx field has ever seen - the Manchester United versus Barcelona game, and enjoyed just being at home - where nothing else matters.

We drove back on Sunday reminiscing about the lovely weekend, the change of moving to Canada, the visits we can't wait to make, the family that we hold so close to our hearts, and the special moments we were able to share.  (Though I don't have a ton of pictures, I have more than I did the weekend we had to hand draw our pictures!  Check them out below, if you'd like!)