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Two years.

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Two years ago Dan and I promised each other that we’d never spend our anniversary in the same ‘place’ twice, and so far we’ve kept our promise. Last year we actually spent our anniversary apart.  Dan had to leave town for work (on that day) and I, unfortunately, stayed home.  A trip overseas together would have been fantastic, but it wasn’t in the cards at the time.  This year, we decided not to waste an easy local Ottawa anniversary, so we trekked over to Chelsea, QC to have lunch on a patio and finish with ice cream at La Cigale.  It was a bit of a cheat, considering the drive to another province took us all of 35 minutes, but it worked for us.  And it was wonderful.

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Our other plan was to go camping.  We’ve always been avid campers, but had not been one (or two) with nature since the summer of 2005.  And now that we’ve adopted Humph and have a teeny lady with us, the opportunities are not as frequent as they were in our previous life.  Our intention was to go to a campsite that was within 30 minutes of home just in case disaster was to strike.  But the more we thought about it, and after visiting our friends Kris and Kurt at their campsite on the weekend and were attacked by hungry skeeters as the sun started to set, it made more sense to stay closer to home.

But rather than give up on the camping idea altogether, we did what any self-respecting campers would do and we set up the tent in the backyard.  It was the perfect test.  If Humph or Jaia were to object, we could just go inside.  But they didn’t.  Neither of them.  Humph slept quietly in the vestibule and Jaia slept through the night.  And I’m happy to report that Humph didn’t even flinch when the coyotes started to howl at 4 am.  (Yes I’m serious.)

Looks like we’ll be doing some ‘real’ camping after all this year.  Anyone else game?

 

May 28, 2007 - 8:30 am

Kristin - We’re in! August long weekend, anyone?

May 28, 2007 - 12:59 pm

dan - Two great pics for the 2nd anniversary 🙂

Confession.

I consider myself fairly literate, but every so often I come across a word that I have been spelling wrong.  Forever.

Latest find: Connecticut. Not that I spell it terribly often. But I’ve been spelling it without the 2nd c.

Another bad one was definite. I had been spelling it “defenite”. Sure it’s a common mistake, but when you discover that you’ve been doing it, it’s cruddy.

May 26, 2007 - 2:41 pm

Shannen - Is it worse when you find out you’ve been pronouncing the word wrong? Like a good friend of mine (you know who you are) who pronounces *Rideau*, *Ridoo*. Justifiably, he’s not from around here and hadn’t heard the word on a regular basis like most Ottawans have, but it still makes me chuckle.

Ridoo.

May 27, 2007 - 7:44 pm

Jen - Gary!

My weekend away.

It started on Friday May 11, when I headed out to Mont Tremblant (alone – meaning no husband or baby) to meet up with some of my girlfriends.  6 of them, in fact (sadly, a few girls were absent, but very missed).  These are girls I went to high school with and have known for over 21 years.  We were regrouping to head up north for Monica’s bachelorette celebration. 

After a few hours of sitting around catching up and drinking colourful concoctions (à la Sarah), someone pointed out how unique this situation was.  Not everyone can boast of being so tight with friends from high school (and elementary school) to the point where they leave town at least once a year to spend multiple days together without the distractions of everyday life.  We certainly are lucky to still have each other and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

The shenanigans ensued:

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We had a blast.  And after a year of avoiding alcohol, the day after proved to be a bit of a challenge.  I again found myself making promises that if I made it through I’d never drink again.  And it somehow paid off because I was able to make the 2 hour trek home unscathed and without any emergency stops on the side of the road. 

And though I had an amazing time away, I was more than happy to walk back into the house and see these faces:

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May 25, 2007 - 7:10 am

Coline - It looks like you all had a blast! I miss you all. Hopefully…actually I WILL make it the next time around. 🙂

May 25, 2007 - 2:02 pm

Lisa - I just wanted to say how incredibly jealous I was to see a beer in your hand…and that pink yummy looking shot. I haven’t had a drink since Nov. 23rd.
i know it will be worth it, but with months still to go I just wanted you to know I was jealous. A nice cold glass of white wine on my back deck would be great…..
p.s. on the bright side I have been hangover free that entire time!!!

May 25, 2007 - 6:36 pm

Shannen - I feel your pain, Lisa. It had been over a year for me. Well worth the wait though.