The P.N.E.

We had such an awesome day walking around the PNE (or in my case, waddling around). Even though I couldn't go on the rides, there was so much to see and do. I highly recommend catching live shows like the Evolution of Extreme or the Peking Acrobats. (In the photos above, you'll see one of the Peking Acrobats about to do a handstand on a stack of chairs balancing on four bottles that are sitting on a table - I couldn't breathe watching it!) Every night there are also free live music shows. Tonight's was Hall & Oates. I was too wiped out to last until 8 after all the walking during the day, but I would have loved to have caught a little Maneater action. Ah the awesome cheesiness of the 80s. 

If you feel like checking out the PNE this weekend, here are a few tips to save you some cashola:

Get your tickets in advance - either online here or at your local 7-11. If you get there early enough, you can score free street parking by Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary school, mapped out here. If you have to pay to park, it's much cheaper to park with one of the local families instead of using the PNE parking lots. You are allowed to bring in your own food and drinks to the fair. It's a big money saver. We brought a backpack with our own bottled water and iced tea - most drinks on site average $4 a bottle. After all, your money should be saved for more important things, like mini donuts. $5 for two bags. Money, very well spent. :) I hope you have a great long weekend! 

Fairhaven, Washington

Just over half an hour south of the Peace Arch Border, you'll find Fairhaven, Washington. It's a great place to spend the afternoon walking around checking out a wonderful variety of stores, coffee shops and delicious restaurants. I cannot do malls. The artificial lighting and Muzak combo do my head in. I prefer spending an afternoon walking outside in the fresh air and popping into shops that I like the look of. We had delicious tea and snacks at Tony's, stocked up on some things for the baby room at Wild Blueberries and fell in love with Village Books.  There's even a great REI outlet five minutes away. I highly recommend Fairhaven for a fun afternoon.

Sunday

Sorry this weekend's posts are so short on words, it was truly a whirlwind weekend. Saturday morning we set off at 9:45 to visit friends in North Vancouver for a scrumptious brunch (homemade cinnamon buns and fruit salad, yum!), took the dogs to Ambleside park, where we struggled to get our dog out of the water once she was in. The shore was lined with people throwing sticks in the water for their dogs. Seriously, the sticks never stopped flying. Our dog loves to swim out to fetch sticks, but doesn't actually return them. Because she's older, I started to get worried that she'd tire herself out quickly. She just swam back and forth fetching sticks, not a care in the world that we were losing our sh*$ calling her repeatedly from the shore. At one point I felt like shouting to all of the dog owners, "Can everyone please, for the love of god, stop throwing sticks for 5 minutes!!" My hubs eventually had to walk in the water in his sneakers to retrieve her. I am pretty sure he wasn't thrilled with my, "hey, let's let her off her leash for a bit" comment 45 minutes earlier. We drove home and after a half hour at home,  dashed off for a bbq with friends that didn't see us getting home until 11. I wish I had brought my camera because it was such a gorgeous night. The patio was lit up with lanterns  - it was such a pretty setting. This morning I had yoga from 9-11, in which a girl asked if I was having twins. "Just big," I smiled. Sigh. After yoga, we drove out to Aldergrove for my nephew's birthday bash . It was pretty funny, his cake had a tyrannosaurus rex on it and every kid at the party, all 15 of them, wanted a piece of cake with the T-rex head on it. Note to parents, buy plainly iced cakes. One the way home we visited the in-laws. In spite of it being a whirlwind weekend, one thing is for sure, I definitely felt so lucky to see so many faces I just love. I read a very moving post on a woman's blog this week that I think will make you think about how precious time is. I know since reading it I try to live presently with those I love and make sure I'm soaking in our time together and giving them my full attention. In Jennie's Kitchen, a blog filled with delicious recipes, suddenly took a terribly sad turn when her husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack a few weeks ago leaving her suddenly alone to raise their young daughters. Her simple words of "Looking for you, I was" brings me to tears. read this watch this

Saturday

the 25 week mark - a private moment

I felt like writing a few things down about what life is like at this stage of pregnancy. I definitely do not feel attractive, I feel like an apple waddling around on a pair of toothpicks. But that being said, I feel like my body is beautiful. Not in the sense that construction workers are going to be whistling as I waddle by, not that kind of beautiful. I just feel such awe in the transformations of the body. I can't believe the roundness of my belly and am fascinated to watch it as the little baby kicks inside. You can actually see sudden jumps in the skin. This has definitely been my favourite part of the pregnancy so far. There is something so comforting about feeling them move around. I feel like it's these private moments that are so bonding. I have felt a bit overwhelmed lately thinking that someone carried me around for nine months and went through all the trials and tribulations of pregnancy. Someone loaned out their body to me when I was kicking inside and probably making them nauseous. I feel so thankful that this person very selflessly decided that I was better off in the hands of another family. For whatever personal reason, they couldn't raise me and instead of subjecting me to a life that they weren't prepared for, decided to let me end up in the arms of an amazing family who were excited and able to care for me. I will probably go my whole life never knowing them - I've tried to search, but have come up empty handed. After experiencing pregnancy first hand, with all of its ups and downs, I am more grateful than ever to such a selfless woman for giving me a healthy start in life.

showing love

 

When I have the time, I love to bake. There is something so hands on and relaxing about it. The best part is sharing it when it's done. Sometimes my favourite way to show love is to feed others.

seeing things through a new lens

This is my first shot with my new lens. As you can see, she was super excited to have her photo taken.