Way back when ...

Above you see me, many years ago, with my dad's bird Sally sitting on my head. She loved to sit on my head, and only my head any time she was let out of the cage to fly around. So often times, you found me sitting around as you see below ... as a preventative measure. It makes me laugh now, but when I was a kid, I hated having that bird on my head. Why did she like me so much anyway ???



Is it Friday yet ?

I get to hang out with these lovely ladies this Friday night and I can hardly wait !! It's been too long - again - since we've gotten together. This time around, we are going bowling - which should be highly entertaining. Looking forward to our adventures ladies !! xo

Cheery !

I love, love, LOVE fall leaves. I love them. I wish we could have them all year round. Seriously. LOVE THEM.

Oinkers

Dan & I saw these cute not-so-little piggies at Bronte Creek on Sunday morning. They were just coming out of the barn, and this first gal came right up to the fence to say good morning to us !! They are pretty cute & highly entertaining.

Brunch !!

Most of our family was able to gather today to have a great brunch at The Water Street Cooker, and visit while my mom's in town. Traditionally we go here on Mother's Day, and we all thoroughly enjoy the buffet brunch including delicious waffles (see below) and a huge assortment of seafood, hot food, desserts, custom omlets, and much more !!

Visiting !!

My Mom is visiting Ontario for a week ... she came to see me at work and we had a quick lunch yesterday. I am really looking forward to getting to hang out with her all weekend !! The above photo is from her "Moving Away" party back in March, which was oodles of fun too : )

Rise & Shine !

Sunrise. I love it. I could watch it every day ... if only time allowed. This one is one morning last week. Right now, as I sit & type this, there is another BEAUTIFUL sunrise happening. I wish I could stop time, and sit and watch the sunrise. Instead, I will go pack my lunch and have breakfast, and then off to work for the day.

Mmmmmorning !

Good Morning ! Above is breaky from one morning a few weeks ago ... I had a bit of a craving for some pancakes, and Dan would never turn them down. Works out well.

It feels like Monday even though it's Tuesday, thanks to a enjoyable Thanksgiving Long Weekend !! I am up and rolling this morning, heading into work to kick start a 4-day week. I am very much looking forward to this upcoming weekend ... let's hope this weeks flys by !!

Finally !

I finally got to spend time outside yesterday. Dan & I went for an amazing 3 hour hike. It was the perfect day for it, nice and sunny, warm and breezy. Amazing. Then we headed to my Gramma & Grampa's for dinner, which was lovely !! Here are five photos from our hike, because I cannot choose just one : )

Family !!!

I am very much looking forward to hanging out with all of these people today !! Thanksgiving dinner tonight at Gramma's and almost everyone in the photo above will be there - I can't wait !!

Outside Tomorrow !!

Finally, I will get to spend tomorrow OUTSIDE enjoying this beautiful weather we are having in Southern Ontario. I can barely wait !! I just have to make it through at 12 hour day at work first, wish me luck !

On My Mind ...

Can you guess what's on my mind these days ? Where I want to be ?

I am jealous of Dan, he got to spend most of yesterday outside enjoying what turned out to be a really nice day. Sunday cannot get here fast enough !!

Pretty Colours ... of 2008

Is this what is's like outside? Are there pretty fall colours everywhere? I haven't had a non-rainy day off to go enjoy the fall colours, and it is making me sad. I hope to spend all of Sunday & Monday outside - with no rain please !! Keep your fingers crossed for me : )

Funny Fall Berries ?

I really am not sure what these are ... but I saw them last fall and kind of loved them. They are sort of ugly, and rather strange, but that's what drew me in to them. I am sure they are out & about again now ... I hope I get a good fall hike in before all the pretty colours are gone.

Rise & Shine

A photo of yesterday's sunrise from our balcony. Today it looks nothing like this outside, it is dreary and rainy ... which makes it the perfect day to stay inside, be very productive, and get ready for the week ahead !!

Rainy Market

Today Dan & I went to St Jacob's Market ... I had my heart set on taking lots and lots of photos  - of crowds, and flowers, and produce, and quirky folks ... and it rained all day ! So I took very few photos ... but we had a great day anyway, and now I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is beautiful tomorrow for our hike.

A Pop of Red

As I have mentioned before, I adore flowers. This photo was taken just over a year ago in a park in Toronto. I am looking forward to posting some new fall photos soon !!

On The Fence

This photo is one of my all time favourites. I took it about a year ago, when Dan and I spent the afternoon and early evening wandering around Toronto, shopping and enjoying the sites. I love the innocent hearts on the fence, in juxtaposition to the graffiti on the wall ... caught my eye and I have loved it ever since.

What else is new ...

Quick post before I get ready for work. Just some cute flowers I saw walking to the park the other day with Dan.

Gramma & Grampa

My wonderful Gramma & Grampa - on their 50th Wedding Anniversary, last July. We had a wonderful party with many friends and family. It was a night to be remembered.

Family

I see my Mom's side of the family all the time, usually once a month we all get together for a big, loud family dinner - and I love it. My Dad's side of the family on the other hand, I see very rarely. Some because they live in Alberta, some because we live busy lives, and some just because. It's complicated and heartbreaking at times ... but they are all my family and I do love them all so very much. Above is a photo of my Aunt Shelly, my Aunt Lorraine, Me, and my Mom - on a rare occasion a few years back. This weekend is another rare event - my Uncle Rob and his two boys, Nick & Karl, are coming to Ontario for the weekend and I will get to visit with them - I am pretty excited !!!

Heading Out

This photo was taken in the spring, on one of the first "warm" days we had. Dan is all geared up and is heading out for a short but surely satisfying paddle before heading to work for the day. Wouldn't it be great if we always had time to do something like this in the morning before work?

Empire Cookies.

One of my favourite Christmas Cookies. I stupidly choose them as the cookie I would bake for a Christmas Cookie Exchange 4(?) years ago. With the help of my amazing, wonderful Mom ... we baked and assembled nearly 200 finished cookies, which means 400 cookies in total. They are delicious, and well worth the hard work ... but my advice is to never, ever make that many.

I have no idea why I was inspired to share a photo related to Christmas today, but it was the photo that jumped out at me, and screamed "PICK ME" ... so enjoy.

Bright Lights

An old photo today ... It's from the Sound of Music Festival the first year I ever went, which was only a few years ago now. It was full of bright lights, loud music, lots of people, and oodles of fun.

Mom Visits !! YAY

Mom & Laurie came to visit for the weekend !! We had a fun party at Deb & Paul's last night ... it was a lot of fun, and great to get to visit with everyone !! : )

A shot of me taking photos on our hike to The Crack in Killarney earlier this week. Had a great day for hiking, a little rain on the way back down, but all in all wonderful. Dan obviously took this photo of me, which is handy because otherwise there might not be any.

Oh Joy !!

I realize I have been away camping all week, and should be sharing a photo of a beautiful scenic view or a macro image of a unique leaf/mushroom/flower/tree ... but I want to have time to select those photos, and I have been home for only long enough to shower and unpack.

Instead of that you get this ... The Joy of Cooking ... if you know me at all, you know I am by far one of the pickiest eaters in the world, and must be wondering why in the world I have this book ... well in my mind, this book is the STAPLE of any cook book collection. And while I do not eat the majority of what is inside, I certainly hope to be able to make a great deal of things for those who do, and those who I love. xo

My Meghan

My cousin Meghan was born when I was twelve, and I was over the moon to have another girl on my mom's side. I took to Meghan immediately and loved spending time with her, babysitting, and watching her grow up. Meghan just started grade ten this past week, and is definitely a young lady now. I love that we are still close and get to be involved in each others lifes fairly regularly. The above photo is about a year and a half ago, at Meghan's grade either confirmation for which I was her sponser. I have no doubt we'll be there for eachother's significant events for years to come. Love you Meg !! xo

A Nip In The Air

It's starting to feel a lot like fall around here. Socks and sweaters are now the norm one me. I switched to my fall purse yesterday (aka the greatest bag in the world), and have even made the move to my mary-jane birks instead of any sort of sandle-birk. I've started sleeping with the window closed, and all the blankets pulled up high. In the morning we open the windows, and I bury myself under a blanket while I eat breakfast and watch a little TV. It's taking a little getting used to, but I do love it.

Berry Nice

Just some berries in the woods. They look so vibrant compared to the dull, early fall colours. They popped, and caught my attention.

Growing Up ...

My cousin Ryan, who is now 9, this past spring dressed up nice for his First Communion. I still remember when he was born. And his Baptism (I am one of his 3 Godmothers). He's my little man, I adore him to no end, even though at times he can drive me a little bit crazy. He's overcome so much in his lifetime, and I knwo will go on to do so much more. He loves playing with my camera and often has some great ideas for where to take photos, like the photo above, his idea completely and boy did it turn out great : )

Addication ...

I think I have an addiction to flower photos ... they are often too pretty to resist, and I just can't help myself. This one was taken today on our walk down to & all around RibFest here in Burlington.

Fairy !

Who is that fairy in the woods ? Love, Me

Photo credit goes to H. Phillips, Miss you.

Last Splash of Summer

It is the last long weekend of the summer, with the temperature cooling down (for now), I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy one last splash of summer. I will working all weekend, store, market, & festival ... which means the chances of me posting are slim at best.

So in lieu ... here are a few more great pool photos from the past two summers at my grandparents. The pool is gone now, but boy did we have fun while it was there !!

PS - I took the bottom three photos, but photo-cred for the top photo (of me jumping in) goes to my cousin Ryan who is now 9, but was 8 when he took the photo ... not bad eh ?

Lift.

This photo is from September 2007, and is from the first time I used my digital slr camera ... It shows my mom in her early days of powerlifting, in the barn at bills inbetween lifts. I love it.

Don't Lose Your Pants

Set up outside one shop in Kensington were probably a few hundred belts for sale ... it caught my attention and I snapped a few shots.

Pedestrian Sunday

Today Dan & I spent the day in Toronto. We went to Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market, and then went to Buskerfest. It was a great day and I have far too many photos ... many more will be shared this week. Here are some cute skirts I saw hanging above an entryway.

At Mom's Request ...

Here's a look at my daily vitamin intake ... yay health : )

Love Is In The Air

There was a beautiful bright moon rising over the water this evening ... Dan and I hung out on the balcony for a bit taking photos and playing with the lights. It took me a few tries, but eventually I got a pretty nice heart !!

Today Is Special

Today gets not one but TWO photos posted, because today is special - Candice, Christina, Noelyn & I were together for the first time in just over 18 months !!! We had a wonderful dinner, laughed A LOT, and got all caught up. Thanks to Noelyn for the "long arm reach" on this photo ; ) xo's

More Baking : )

Fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls. They turned out perfectly, which makes me very happy !! I am going to share some with my aunt & cousins right now ... lucky ducks.