Safe and Sound

We had a rather uneventful trip and made it to Minnesota safe and sound. The unspoken plan was to switch drivers every ank of gas and it worked well for the first two fill-ups. When we were in Kalispell, Montana (about 9 hours into the trip) Erik ordered a beer and the waitress kindly told him his license was expired. Woops.

So, I had the pleasure of driving the rest of the way to Minnesota. The weather was simply gorgeous! Beautiful puffy clouds and bright blue skies. What more could you want?We ended up driving 16 hours on day one and 14 hours on day two. I had just come off a night shift when we left Kelowna so I was t.i.r.e.d. Especially because I had only slept for 2 hours between my two night shifts. Not the safest scenario.

I had to pull over on the side of the road once and take a 15 minute cat nap because I was so tired. As I was turning the car on to proceed with our trip a cop came up behind me with his lights flashing. He just wanted to see what was going on and to make sure we were ok. What a nice guy.

We ended up rolling into Minneapolis at 11:30pm and spent about an hour and a half catching up with Erik's sister before getting some much needed sleep. In the morning we got to see these rug rats, our adorable nephews.

And this below is a very common scene. Erik loves playing with the boys especially because they think he is hilarious. And he is.

We decided to make the trip to Minneapolis because Erik's cousin was getting married. The wedding was yesterday and it was absolutely beautiful! I got to meet some of Erik's aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time too which was nice. I finally get to put some faces and personalities to some names. We are all having brunch in a few hours so I will get to spend a little bit more time getting to know them.

Erik only has five cousins on this side of the family. Actually, he only has five cousins on the other side of the family too. That's something I'm just not used to. Let's put it this way, I have more brothers than he has cousins (on one side). It's nice though because I feel as though I actually have a chance to talk to each one of them.

I also love being here because my father-in-law gets to share some of his history with me. He grew up here and all of his family is here so he has plenty of stories for me.

We are only in leaving Minneapolis sometime later today for Erik's sisters house in south-west Minnesota. We will be there for a few days and then we'll make the long trek home. I think we're going to take at least three days to make our way back -- especially since I'm the only one driving. I want o break it up a little bit more. We'll see. I may be pretty busy in the coming days so there may be an onslaught of posts when I get home, but I will try sneak away for a little bit each day to keep you updated.

Hope you are all having a wonderful long weekend!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a lovely long weekend!

*** *** ***

 

I Need Your Help.

Mandi and I are going on a road trip in a couple weeks. We are leaving the not-so-baby with Kevin, jumping in the car, and driving to wherever we end up.

I have taken it upon myself to make the very best road trip soundtrack. Erik and I are driving to Minnesota on Friday so you'd think I'll get some practice in the awesome-road-trip-music department, but Erik holds a monopoly over music played in the car so I'm out of luck. And that, my friends, is where all of you come in. I need you to help a sister out.

What is your favourite road trip music?

Now This is Love

I know I have said it many times before, but these two really do adore each other. I regularly find them cuddling, chatting, and playing together. They are so sweet together.

Maelle has recently started loving drums -- it's pretty adorable to watch her. Erik loves it too cause he can play with her.

Man, I haven't seen enough of this girl lately. I'll have to remedy that.

Music Monday

Good day.

Today I have to put up who I've been listening to for the past two weeks. I didn't like them at first but they've grown on me which is how all the bands that I really REALLY like have started. So that's a good sign. Actually it was Ashley's friend Daniel who tipped the scales for me when he posted a song by them on his blog; thanks Dan :)

These guys have really gained a lot of steam lately with an excellent follow up album just released. This is "Michicant" by Bon Iver



20 points goes to anyone who can spell out the correct pronunciation of "Bon Iver"

Ready... go!

Until next week.

EO

Three.

It isn't uncommon to hear me spontaneously profess my love for my husband. In fact, it is a very regular occurrence. At first people responded by saying "Good. You did marry him after all." But now they just accept it. Ok, they roll their eyes and laugh at me. 

I do though, love him, I mean. And sometimes I just need to say it out loud because I can't keep it to myself. I wish everyone was as happy as I am.

I love this time in our lives -- just being married. Just being the two of us and enjoying each other. Our third anniversary was on the 24th and we didn't actually celebrate it. I did make us a mushroom risotto and salmon dinner the next day, which was absolutely delicious, but that's all we did.

Erik, I love you. Here's to three blissful years -- I hope this "honeymoon period" never ends.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

*** *** ***

Now That's Service

I was just baking muffins in the kitchen.
I heard a honk so I looked up and saw the friendly neighbourhood garbage collector waving at me.
I had forgotten to put the can out this morning. Woops.
He was pointing at the can beside the house so I quickly ran to get it for him.
He met me halfway and tok my garbage can from me.
He brought it to the road and emptied it into his truck.
Then he honked again and waved and off he went.
What a nice guy, eh?
Now that's service.

I just wish my muffins were finished so I could bring him a couple.
Maybe next time.

Kelsey Finally Tied the Knot

Kelsey is one of my closest girlfriends from nursing. During our four years of schooling we studied for every single test together, did every single group project together, ad ate lunch together every single day. She is the beautiful blonde who came to Ghana with me.

Erik and his brewing boyfriend Matt.

Kelsey and Josh were married this weekend in a beautiful ceremony in her parent's back yard. I naturally teared up throughout the ceremony. I couldn't help it! When fathers cry walking their daughters down the aisle I'm done for. And then when brothers are bawling their eyes out.... I jut can't help myself. Not to mention the fact that weddings are just absolutely beautiful and a constant reminder of my own wedding and the commitment Erik and I made to each other and to God.

The reception was also held in Kelsey's parent's backyard. It was an amazing setup! The backyard is basically a giant hill with various flat spots so tables were scattered throughout. It ended up looking awesome! Josh (the groom) even built a dance floor off of the house in a very hilly backyard - not an easy feat. 

I don't need to say it, but Kelsey looked stunning. The only downfall of an outdoor wedding is that it's hard to get photos when the sun goes down. Kelsey was pretty busy prior to the sunset so I didn't get many photos of her. She had the typical bridal glow -- she was breathtaking!

Between the ceremony and reception a couple of us helped out setting up the tables and benches for the reception while everyone else was invited to the front yard and the neighbours houses in the cul-de-sac to eat snacks, have some drinks, and play games at their leisure. It was an awesome set-up.

It was such a fun reception. We spent danced the night away. We spent a literal 5 hours dancing -- I think Erik may have left the dance floor for two short spurts. The photo below was from the beginning of the night... he got a whole lot sweatier. A whole lot sweatier.

Of course, at least one photo of me and the beautiful bride.

Congratulations K-Dizz. I love you!

Music Monday

Hello everyone. It is Music Monday and I am very excited to bring to you this band for your listening pleasure. They are a new folky type band from Ontario and have a number of very creative songs with an impressive sound and writing ability. They are also part of a project called the National Parks Project which is a collaboration of bands who going to National Parks throughout Canada and making music inspired by them in hopes of garnering more support for the parks. On top of all this her voice is completely enchanting

All in all a thoroughly good time with the good ol' granola cruncher's association. Without further ado here is Snowblink with Ambergris.



In case you are wondering I did do a bit of research to find out what Ambergris is. You should do your own research too but the summary of it is the following. Ambergris is a solid, waxy piece of whale excrement. When a whale eats something that irritates its intestines it deals with it by producing this substance to help pass the object. It is either passed normally or if it gets too large, is vomited out. It floats on the ocean conditioning and eventually washes up on shore. When found Ambergris is a very expensive substance which humans use for a variety of different purposes including perfumes and cooking recipes. It has always been an extremely rare substance and therefor has always been extremely expensive to purchase. It is all but extinct in our culture but has been making a comeback in our time.

Until next time, I hope you find your expensive whale excrement.

EDO

P.S. I love when and how she sings "the speed of a quail!"

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

*** *** ***

Trust Me On This One

Another P-Dub Recipe.

It sounds a bit strange, but it is so delicious. Trust me on this one. And if you can't trust me, then trust the Pioneer Woman. She has never let me down. Not even once. 

Erik had this pizza ready for me when I came home from work on Monday and I thought I had died and gone to heaven (which was nice after the 12 hours of hell I had experienced in the hospital). If Erik can make it, you can make it. We inhaled it and then sat smacking our lips wishing there was more. 

I am even copying and pasting the recipe directly here so you don't have to click if you don't want to. 

Eggplant and Grape Tomato Pizza

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):
• 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• _____
• FOR THE PIZZA:
• 1 whole Large Eggplant (or Two Medium Eggplants)
• Kosher Salt, For Sprinkling
• 1 pint Grape Tomatoes
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Very Thin
• 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Drizzling
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It's best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA:

Preheat oven broiler.

Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.

Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic.

Slice mozzarella very thinly.

Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler.
Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove HALF the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin.

Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Lay mozzarella slices over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately!

nothing much

I'm in the middle of a set at work so I have no current updates. I never know what to do on my switchover day. You know, switching from working days to working nights. It can't be good for you. It isn't good for you. I usually just have a super lazy day. I read and watch shows online. I try to prepare enough food for the next two days because there is nothing worse than trying to plan and prepare healthy meals when you're exhausted. I usually try to get outside for a little while too, but I find I have a harder time "resting" when I've been out and about. Yeah, I haven't quite figured things out, but I'm working on it. And I have my entire career to work on it.

These photos are from last week. I can't believe how big Sawyer is getting. She looks huge sitting in my lap in the photo below. She's getting so tall!

I love living within walking distance of the lake. And I love how many lakes and beaches there are within 45 minutes of our place. Mandi and Sawy live within walking distance of a lake too. And their nearest beach has a huge field, a playground, a picnic area, and bathrooms. It's awesome. And we can walk there within 3 minutes so it's perfect for anything from a five minute cool-down swim, to a picnic, to a relaxing morning/afternoon/evening, or even to get a fussy babe out of the house and calmed down. I love it.

Erik had a bunch of our friends over on Sunday after church (I was at work) and he was gushing about how cute Sawyer was. He even took a couple pictures so he could show me. He loves how interactive she is now. And how much she enjoys entertaining. She is very aware of how we respond to her and she loves being a ham. If she sees us laughing at her she will repeat whatever elicited said response over and over and over again. And then she will howl along with us. She especially loves when her Momma laughs at her -- it's pretty cute.

Oh! And she has started being spontaneously affectionate. Two week ago Kevin (her dad) was lying/laying on the floor relaxing and Sawyer went over to comfort him. She even went and brought him his hat then came and cuddled up with her cheek against his and babbled. It was pretty adorable. And she'll give random hugs (mostly to her parents). And, when I was on the couch she climbed up on a box and began playing with my hair. I love her.

Well, I best be getting outside. I hope you all sleep well tonight. If you don't, be comforted knowing that I am awake all night as well.

Music Monday

Today I bring you a good song and a good bit of useless information. Some of you may know already but I did some research and I must share.

There is a sound effect that is used throughout many Hollywood movies. It is a man in such great pain and fear that all he can do is let out a wail which perfectly captivates the moment. This has been dubbed the "Wilhelm Scream" due to its use in one particular movie. Originally it was recorded post-production to give voice to a man who is being bitten by an alligator and dragged under water. Apparently many of the 130+ movies and many more tv shows and video games it has been used in have been a weird mix of special effects sound engineers paying homage, being sneaky, or making an inside joke. It has become a big hit to try to sneak this scream in to a movie without anyone realizing it. I recognize it immediately but couldn't quite place it. Until now.



That was only a fraction of the movies that it has appeared in and I'm sure it will show up in many more. It would not be my greatest achievement to be remembered for a scream. Good thing no one actually knows who first voiced it.

Here is James Blake with "The Wilhelm Scream"



Until next time, may you fare better than these screamers.

EO

the lake!

How do you spend your summer days??

I spend most at home doing housework/crafting/wasting time because everyone else works and I'm on call. The few weekend days I have off I spend with friends by the lake. Look at that water? Doesn't it look tropical? So nice.

In My Dreams

Today I bought a book with patterns way beyond my knitting ability. I couldn't resist it though!! I can usually talk myself out of buying anything (and I do mean anything), but I hardly fought the urge to purchase this beautiful little book.

It is rare (read: has never happened) that I have like every single pattern a book offers. But I loved every single pattern this book has to offer. Every single one. And I can just envision myself snuggling my sweet little babes in handmade knits (in the not-so-near-future).

Take this little number, for example. So cute! It would be a bit of a pain to change a baby in this, but it the cuteness well makes up for the nuisance.

And look at this little hat! Precious!! Erik says our babies are going to have giant heads so I'll probably have to skip the newborn sizing, but this little thing may be the only pattern I will have any hopes of tackling at this point in my knitting journey.

And look at all of these! I especially love the purple colour. But look at the itty bitty clothes. Those sweaters are magnificent. Now picture a chubby little cherub in them.

And this sweater. I have got to learn how to knit this. I love everything about it. Look at the colours! And the pattern!! And does it come with the baldy?? Cause if it does, I'll take seven.

And finally, this little number. I don't know why I love grey so much, but I constantly find myself drawn to grey things. I think babies should be in bright colours because, let's face it, infancy and childhood are really the only times bright colours can be pulled off. That being said, grey is so classy. So so so classy. And this outfit is made for snuggling.

So my goal is to knit at least one article of clothing from this book. Thankfully it was only $9 so I didn't splurge too much, but I would still love to put the book to good use. Oh, and that hat from earlier doesn't count as an article of clothing... I wanna make one of the other breath-taking pieces. By when, I'm not sure. Let's say before Baby #1 makes his/her appearance. So that gives me five years.

That's 1,825 days.
Or 43,800 hours.

But who's counting? 

Snail Mail

Who doesn't love snail mail? My heart skips a beat when I open the mailbox to see a card or a letter from a loved one. It is much nicer than an electronic message of whatever kind. My SIL is so good at sending mail -- we regularly get letters and drawings from our nephews. They always make me smile and often make me laugh out loud. The things that go through kids minds amazes me!

We recently received drawings from the boys complete with these explanations:

From Truen (age3): "Monarch Caterpillars. The caterpillars are eating milkweed in a glass container. Poop and leaves are there too. They are having lots of fun. Their names are Nappy and Nippy."

From Diego (age6): "Uncle Erik in the Library During a Tornado. Uncle Erik, you're in the library during a tornado and the bookshelves are getting blown down. You look pretty strong in that picture. And you look strong now. Ashley, you're a stinky head. Ashley was at school during the tornado. You were in the nice cool spring and because of that you were in Africa. I don't know if there are tornados there because I have never been to Africa. That is pretty strange."

Those boys... I love 'em.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

*** *** ***

bbysttn hailey jade

My brother and SIL were in town for a wedding so I got to spend the day with my niece, Hailey Jade. I wish she lived closer so I could play with her more often. She is an absolute gem. An itty bitty little gem.  She is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 95% of the time.

She has these adorable sunglasses that she actually leaves on.... a little baby with sunglasses is comical and precious. Hailey is lovely -- she is talkative, bright, giggly, and easily excitable. Also, she pounds it... you know... punches your fist. It's hilarious and so cute. And she thinks she is funny -- also very cute.

We hate a play date at the water park with Milena and Maelle. The little girls loved it. Like l-o-v-e-d, loved it. Hailey squealed with delight as she ran through the water. And it kept her entertained for much longer than I thought it would. I ended up forcing her to get out because her hands, feet and lips were blue. Oh, and her teeth were chattering.

Look at how little Hailey is compared to Maelle! She is one month older than Maelle and nearly half her size. She is such a petite little thing. The girls are still too young to actually play together, but they did seem fascinated by each other.

I knew it was time to bring Hailey back to Lindsey's to put her to bed when she cried for 10 minutes for no reason. She hates cuddling, but she didn't want to be put down so she just sat in my lap and cried. Poor little thing. Oh I love her.

Poor Hailey was scared of Erik. I think her dad has trained her to dislike boys with long hair because she really did not like Erik. Anytime he tried to hold her or play with her she would wail. The only good thing about her hating Erik so much was that I got some snuggles out of it, and getting snuggles out of a baby who hates snuggling is awesome.

Oh Hailey Jade, you are welcome at Auntie's house anytime! I will hopefully get to hang out with your parents a little bit more next time too.

Lightning.

I swear a lightning bolt almost hit our house today. I actually ducked and shielded my eyes because it was so loud and bright. My ears were ringing for a solid 45 seconds after the lightning struck (which is actually a long time if you think about it). And everyone came out of their homes and into the street to inspect the damage. Everyone. I seriously would not have been in the least bit surprised if my house had gone up in flames. It was that close. And that loud.

It was a little bit terrifying, but very cool.

Music Monday

Hello,

Today is the day that I post music that I really like. I have not come up with a way of picking songs yet. Usually I pick them the morning of, or the evening of based on what is stuck in my head at the time. Some songs stay in there a lot longer than others. Today I thought I'd attempt my first double header.

I was going to put up some trivia about famous baseball double headers of history but I don't have the time right now and I got bored really quick. This is Sufjan Stevens with "The First Full Moon"



And this is Sufjan Stevens "Great God Bird"



I love Sufjan's ability to tell stories through his songs. Each one has its own tone, pace, and mood. I also like the fact that he doesn't write about how rich he is, how many females he could get to have sex with him, or how much he is going to party tonight. Every time I listen to pop music I become a little sadder and a little stupiditer... stupidider... un-smart.

Until we meet again, happy trails

EO

P.S. I forgot to mention how much I love Sufjan saying the sewing machine is the industrial god. Love it!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

*** *** ***

Sleep Issues

I have a friend who is having trouble getting her one year old to:

a) fall asleep
b) sleep in her own bed 
c) sleep through the night.

I think she has been breastfeeding her daughter to sleep, but the little one wakes up anytime she tries to transfer her to her own bed. She wakes up and wails and then stands in her crib and screams. She also wakes up multiple times a night to feed some more.

I have never been a mother so any advice I have... well I really have no clout. I know my girlfriend is not the only mother to ever have sleep issues with her kids so I thought I would see if any of you have any advice I can give her. What worked for you? What didn't? What have you heard that may work?? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Long Weekend

I don't think I will ever like working casual. I have only had 3.5 solo shifts, but I hate not knowing when I will be working next. I have a shift booked tonight and then nothing until the 14th. I'm sure it won't be so bad when I have built up my seniority and can work when I please rather than whenever I happen to get called.

I feel as though I can't make plans because I always need to be available. I feel like it's a competition to get shifts. I hate it. I want to go camping on the weekends. I want to make plans to have picnics at the lake with my girlfriends. I want to have plans or even spontaneity, but I can't because 'I need to get home to bed in case I get called in' or 'I can't leave town because I may have to work' or 'yeah I can come float the channel tomorrow... unless I get called in'. And, of course, the few shifts I have received have been on days I had plans. And, like a good employee, I cancelled my plans to work.

This weekend was a bit of an exception. I had a shift booked for Saturday night so I knew I could hang out Saturday during the day. I went raspberry picking in the morning and hung out at the beach with friends in the afternoon. 

And I knew I wouldn't be called in on Monday because it was a holiday (who would pass up overtime) so I made plans to hang out with friends again. We spent the day poolside and it was wonderful! We played some bocce, ate some food, and lounged around in the pool.

And now I'm booked to work again tonight. My last night shift was awful! I was painfully busy and ended up sending a patient to SCCU at 0600. That's not my idea of fun. I was called in last minute for a 7 hour day shift yesterday that went much better. I even had a second year student with me. I hardly felt qualified to teach her, but I felt like I could actually answer most of her questions.

Here's to hoping for more weekend evenings off to hang out with my friends. And maybe a couple plans I get to keep.

Music Monday

Music Monday strikes again!

My song choice for today is one of those songs that my subconscious realizes is fantastic before I actually do. It is the perfect pick if there is any paperwork, book balancing, researching or general busy work to be done around the home or office.

I would also like to point out that this is a drummer's heav... NIRVANA! All the percussion and a beat that never drives the speed limit contribute to this being a song that will keep you going during that afternoon drowsy time that seems to happen daily. Shouldn't we implement siesta's into our culture? A 2pm naptime for everyone would be wonderful, think of the health benefits and stress reduction.

This is the Jaga Jazzist with "Touch of Evil"



If you are someone who doesn't like a song if it doesn't have words in it then Beethoven just gave you -10 points. Good luck explaining that loss of points at your next job interview.

Fair-well friends and until next time, keep your ovens beething.

EO