James and I took an impromtu week of vacation and headed back East to visit family and friends. It was a whirlwind tour, but it was great to see everyone and spend a bit of time enjoying the Ontario summer.
The first stop was Toronto, where we met up with my family for the annual birthday party. It was the first time that all my family including Aunts, Uncles and cousins have been together since James and I moved out west. So we had a great time catching up with everyone. All my aunties gave me their baby gifts. We got all sorts of knit blankets and sweaters, and a homemade quilt. It was quite lovely.
On Sunday we stopped by my sister's new home to check it out before heading out to lunch with her and her new beau. Then it was on to Kingston for some rest & relaxation....sort of.
On Monday night, we went to Rockport to have dinner with James' family and enjoy the river. And unbeknownst to us, James' mom had arranged a surprise baby shower for us. It was a very pleasant surprise!!! We got loads of great baby stuff and best of all, I got to catch up with all the Huck ladies, which I haven't done in a few years.
On Tuesday we headed back to Rockport to celebrate our nephew's 4th birthday. It was a lot of fun to hang out with our neice and nephew whom we hadn't seen since Christmas. But the highlight of the day had to be flying the little motorized plane that we got for our nephew. It didn't seem to matter where James aimed that thing, it always ended up either stuck in a tree, or sinking to the bottome of the pond. We all found this quite hysterical.
Wednesday was Canada day, so James, Mom, Dad & I headed to Ottawa for the best Canada Day celebration that I know of. We decided to stop for breakfast at a diner that we used to frequent when we lived in Ottawa. And much to my surprise, when we arrived we were greeted by all our university friends who threw a surprise baby shower for me (James was in on this one). It was so great to see everyone, and I was so pleased and honoured to have such a large turn out, especially on Canada Day when everyone already has plans. And of course we got lots of great baby stuff; which we are very grateful for. I was also grateful that I brought an extra bag home, because we filled that sucker right up with all the baby stuff we got :)
That evening we went on James' family boat line for a Canada day cruise. It was nice to finally get to see the family business in action. And I don't think that there was a better place in the city to watch the fireworks than from the deck of the boat. During the cruise I even got to see storm clouds and lightning, both of which I miss terribly living in Vancouver. But happily the clouds rolled away from parliment hill, so the fireworks were a go!
On Thursday we hung around Ottawa for awhile, killing time unitl James' flight. We went to Kettlemen's bagels for breakfast, which is a real treat since we haven't been able to find Montreal bagels in Vancouver. After enjoying a coffee at Starbucks, and once James met up with his brother, Mom, Dad & I headed back to Kingston.
Friday was my rest day, I didn't have any plans whatsoever, and I just enjoyed relaxing. We went to 2 of my favourite Kingston eateries that night: the Brewpub for the best nachos I've ever had, and then of course to White Mountain for ice cream. No trip to K-town is complete without a visit to both of those fine establishments. Although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit sad to have to order a root beer instead of the delicious cranberry cider that I normally enjoy :)
Then on Saturday it was back to Vancouver. As always, it's good to get back home, but it's sad to leave Ontario and all my family and friends. But at least I got to see almost everyone on this trip home.
As always, click on the image below for a link to a photo gallery:
