the last drive

One thing that I will not miss from our time living in Hamilton is the long drive to and from Ottawa. It's a drive that lasts anywhere from 6-8 hrs (depending on Noah's mood) and it involves one very long stretch on 4 oh 1 hwy...YUCK! This is absolutely the one thing that I will not ever miss.
I look forward to the wide open roads of the Yukon, where all I will see is mountains and trees and wilderness, oh yes!
But because it was our last time, and I was bored on the drive, I decided to get out the camera and take a few shots. And yes that is an avocado plant that I am hiding behind. Yup, our little avocado plant was making the trip too and it sat at my feet the entire trip. There is no way I'd leave that plant behind, I started that from a pit that I got out of an avocado that I was having for lunch one day. True story. That's not bad though. Once I sat in a car for 2 hrs with my Japanese fighting fish in a bowl on my lap. Poor thing. He actually lived for like 4 years I think. That's a true story too.

our last day

Friday was our last day in the house. It was a busy day with movers and cleaners coming and going, and of course many errands to run.

It started off with a coffee date with my neighbours, continued on as the boxes were loaded onto to the truck that is Whitehorse bound, and ended with empty house that echoed when we were talking.

It was definitely mixed emotions for me to leave our little house. We were only there for one year but in that year so many things happened and more importantly so many memories were made there.

While I know that we are about to embark on one very exciting adventure and I am very much looking forward to it, I just can't help but feel sad about leaving the Hammer....the little city "that could".

When we first arrived in Hamilton nearly 3 years ago, I think it's pretty safe to say that I wasn't very impressed. It's no secret to those that know me, that it took me a very long time to make friends and for the first 2 months of living in Hamilton we drove back to Ottawa nearly every weekend (that's a 6 hour drive!).

But slowly and surely, life went on. Good times and sad times were had and we grew up a lot in those 3 years. We went from being young newly weds who were setting up our first apartment together, to young parents who were setting up our first baby's nursery. So much happened in those 3 short years and I will never forget all those changes that took place during that time.

As well, I can't ever forget the people that really made Hamilton home for us. I really truly think that my perspective on living there changed once I started to make friends. It wasn't easy by any means, but by getting out there and doing new things, like aqua fit for pregnant women, I started to make some wonderful friends. Friends who ended up being a life line for me as I entered into mommyhood. I'm going to miss you guys more than anything.

And so here are some pictures from our last day in our house. The ones of me were taken by me, something I don't do too often. But at this point our phone, cable and internet had been cut off and Noah was sleeping on me because our bed was packed away. I was stuck in one place for at least an hour and was taking pictures just to pass the time...that's when I turned the camera on myself.

I realize that I never let you know what my friend Laura and I ended up doing last week.....the big adventure was a day trip to Buffalo to go shopping. We had a lot of fun with each other and the babes. The pictures sadly won't be up for a while, as my cord was boxed up and is on it's way to Whitehorse.

That's it for now....

We are in Ottawa for a week to see family and friends. Be in touch soon with more details of our adventures.

Thank you for all the love and support dear friends.

xox

au revoir

Au revoir to Hamilton. Au revoir (for now) to the dear friends that we have made here.

Au revoir to such an important chapter of our lives. You will all be missed.
Much is going on these days. With the sad news that has come to us and our own changes that are taking place, I'm going to be taking a few days off from blogging.
I hope that you are all well my dear friends. I'll see you soon.
xox

a bbq, good friends and thoughts on leaving

It's a beautiful day here and it's been a beautiful weekend. We've been spending lots of time with our friends and family (who came to visit), and I am feeling thankful for the time we've been spending with them.
It's been a bit of an emotional couple of days for me. Yesterday our dear friends Allison and Danny held a goodbye bbq for us, and boy did it hit me. I just can't bear to say goodbye to all of our friends here. As much as I am happy and excited for the changes that are about to happen, I'm also sad that we are leaving. I'm feeling very "in between" about this all. Excited for the adventures, but sad to be leaving. It's just how it is.
But that is the beauty of life right? Living in the moment and embracing all the emotions that come with it. Enjoying every day and looking for the beauty in even the most challenging of circumstances.
I hope that wherever you are today, that you are enjoying today for today. I hope that the warmth of the summer (or winter for the "down under" readers) sun is shinning down on you. Happy weekend dear friends!
xox

p.s. Oh and we have a winner for the giveaway! Congrats to Kerry who will be wining the animal cookie cutters. Since discovering Kerry's blog a while back, I have enjoyed checking in on her daily and seeing what her and her family are up to. Yay for blog friends!

ruby red vespas, poppy pods, and family time

Today was a beautiful day. Our Saturday included a delicious breakfast at our favourite joint ( we both ordered the eggs benny) and a walk down by the waterfront.

On our walk we saw some beautiful sights. We saw... a ruby red vespa, sun glistening water, poppy pods, lovely gardens, some signs that read Hamilton, and sunflowers. It was something that I so wanted to do, take one last family walk down through that neighbourhood and spot that we love so much. It's going to be so hard to leave this place that I have grown to love.

* The giveaway winner will be announced tomorrow. Thanks for being so patient.
xox

in search of inspiration

As you may have read in my previous post, yesterday was a bit of a stresser for me. Put one very energetic lil guy and one over tired mama together and you get, well, you get a not so amazing day. But luckily bedtime came early, that's what happens when naps aren't taken in the day....yes it was a "no nap" kind of day. But all this is beside the point of this post.
So as I was saying, I was feeling stressed yesterday and needed for us to get out of the house. I kept an eye on the stormy clouds outside and when it seemed to clear I busted out our stroller and decided to go on a walk in search of inspiration. I wasn't looking for the type of inspiration that one might need if they were trying to make a piece of art, but rather I was in search of beauty and things that would make me happy.
As I started to walk and pick up my pace I listened carefully to all the beautiful birds calling out. If I haven't said this before, I should mention it, our specific area in Hamilton (right along the escarpment) is actually a world biosphere for all kinds of creatures. There are so many birds here in this region....I will surely miss them when we move. I also listened to the wind blowing in the trees. Oh how these sounds were such a welcome change from all the crying that took place earlier that morning in our home.

Then as I walked I just kept my eyes open for anything that might stand out to me. These are the beautiful things that I saw....

• a couple's initials carved into the concrete, a permanent memory of their relationship. I wonder if they are still together.
• some gorgeous plump dew dropped roses. So vibrant and lush.
• some birds on a wire....just like the name of my blog :o)
• my planters that I filled back in May....they are looking full and cheerful.
• and the most amazing find....a cherry tree on someone's front lawn with ripe cherries, which I helped myself to. I have never seen a cherry tree. Again it's the region, it's known as Ontario's fruitland.

And so my little ploy to find happiness worked. I find that more often than not, taking a walk helps me get out of a bad mood or helps me clear my mind. It must be something about the fresh air and the change of environment.

I'm hoping that today will be a better one on my end and that your day goes fabulously for you.

Happy trails dear friends.

xox

a friday afternoon walk

Yesterday Noah and I took a little stroll along James Street North. It was so nice to finally have the sun back and I was more than happy to window shop and people watch. James Street is a great multicultural community in the downtown of Hamilton. You can find all kinds of indie art galleries and shops, fish and fresh produce markets, Portuguese and Italian cafes and more. Beautiful churches, interesting old buildings and lot's of ghost signs (old advertisement signs painted on the sides of buildings).

This is definitely one of my favourite neighbourhoods in the Hammer. Gotta spend as much time as I can enjoying my favourite hot spots before we move.

here, there, everywhere!

When the sun comes out I just can't stay inside and yesterday was no exception. What a gorgeous day it was!
Yesterday I met up with some of my mama friends, the babies ate their lunches on a blanket in the park, we walked along the Lake Ontario path, had delicious icecream (mine was white chocoalte raspberry and St. Jacobs apple pie!) and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Lately life feels like it's been zooming by so quickly and sometimes finding the time to sit and collect my thoughts gets overlooked. My days have been packed with walks to the park, making batches of baby food, taking photos for friends, editing photos, hanging with the hubby, meeting up with friends, taking trips to the library for baby time and basically just getting out of the house as much as we can.

Yesterday we found out that our health clearance went through for our transfer up North and this means that we are one step closer to getting some news as to when we will be moving. This news didn't come as a surprise and of course I am really excited for this big adventure but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I will be sad to leave our life here in Hamilton. Over the past almost three years here we have seen so many changes, made so many friends and have grown as a family (in more ways than just in numbers). I guess the news of our health clearance going through just reiterates that I need to enjoy every minute of everyday while we are still here in Hamilton.
So while I will still be blogging away just as I do most days... I may, just may be a little more absent than usual. You understand right?
xox