Category Archives: Personal

July 1, 2015

Back to Nature Family Camping in New York

Happy Canada Day everyone! It’s raining this morning, so I’m blogging, but you can bet that this afternoon I’ll be out celebrating living in this awesome country! And what could be more Canadian than blogging about our camping trip last weekend? Our camping season has had a very late start this year. Usually this would be our third trip of the season! But between having house guests, weekend photo shoots, and trying to get work done on our backyard, we found ourselves at the end of June without having been out. And to be honest, I was going a little stir crazy. I’m an outdoorsy girl, and working in an office this time of year — when we only get a few months of good weather — is very mentally challenging for me! After a week of spending great weather indoors, I’d had it: it was time to get back to nature!

April 27, 2015

Living without a Car The journey to our new vehicle

From as early as I can remember, I loved the independence that having a vehicle brings. I got my drivers license days after turning 16, and my first car (an old clunker my aunt generously gave me for just the cost of getting it road-worthy) shortly thereafter. For six years I drove my own vehicle, and then Rob and I moved to Korea… without so much as a scooter. Three years later we moved back to Canada, bought a minivan for just over $1,000, took the rear seats out, loaded it within an inch of the pavement, and drove precariously across the country to Edmonton. A year and a half later in January 2012 we sold it for $700 and drove a U-Haul to Ottawa, which we had decided was going to be our home. We’ve been living without a car ever since.

April 21, 2015

Travel Tuesdays | San Gimignano, Italy

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Once upon a time, before we had a mortgage to pay and a roof to re-shingle in Ottawa, we travelled the world. We did it knowing that one day we would have commitments that made it more difficult to see the world (though we had no plans to stop entirely… and we still don’t). I am so glad we took advantage of that time in our lives when we weren’t yet in our careers. We knew a house loomed on the horizon at some point, but having a few thousand less for the down payment was worth it to us. I’ve never once regretted that decision.

April 16, 2015

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Yesterday I posted about my dad’s outdoor birthday celebration. You may have noticed the yummy cake in a couple photos. It’s the second time I’ve made that cake, and it turned out really well both times, so I decided to blog it! This Chocolate Guinness cake is moist and dense. It’s almost like a thick brownie. And with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting (and some vanilla ice cream!) it’s a very quick and easy treat that anyone will enjoy – especially stout lovers!

April 15, 2015

A Birthday for Dad

With spring comes my dad’s birthday. He was born on a Friday the 13th, a point of pride that made #13 my favourite number for sports jerseys whenever I could get it. My dad is still the most athletic person I know. He plays hockey like a fiend (often on more than one team), and on the weekends you can find him in the Gatineaus skiing in the winter and biking in the summer. He’s taken me on midnight skis while a full moon is out, and he taught me to swim and to keep my eyes open and my mitt up when a fastball’s coming at me.