5 on Friday: See My City Link-up

Good morning, and happy Friday!! This week was a chilly one in Halifax, but might warm up a bit on the weekend. We're only 2 weeks away from Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like that here!!!

I saw a link up hosted by Jess this week to share 5 things about your city, so I decided to post about Halifax today for 5 on Friday!! For those who don't know, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, has a population of ~380,000 people and is located on Canada's east coast. It is the largest city in the Maritime provinces of Canada, and the provincial capital of Nova Scotia.

I didn't grow up in Halifax, but Brian did, and he has lived here most of his life. We visited Halifax countless times as children, however, because my mom is from Nova Scotia. I went to University about 2 hours away in a very small university town, and then I moved to Halifax in 2007 to do my Master's at a university here. Considering that Nova Scotia only has about a million people total, the province also has 10 major universities/colleges that attract students from all over the world and other parts of Canada.

1) The Harbour and the water everywhere

Halifax has a huge natural harbour that conducts a lot of shipping and trade. In the summer/fall there are many cruise ships that visit daily. There are two large bridges that connect Halifax to Dartmouth (they used to be separate cities but are all the same municipality now).

View of Halifax from Dartmouth

A cruise ship arriving in the Harbour

Sunset over the MacDonald bridge

Fireworks off the MacDonald Bridge (source)

The Harbour is also home to this awesome guy:

Theodore Tugboat at Christmas time!!

Halifax also has many beaches nearby and many natural lakes for swimming in the summer or skating in the winter. Here's the view off our back deck (this morning), where you can see a popular beach, Rainbow Haven.

2) The live music scene

A classic Halifax song:


Many of the bars and pubs downtown have live music every day, or at least a few days a week. There are also Highland Games held in the summer and a Royal Canadian Military Tattoo with countless pipe bands in July. The live music scene also usually involves some delicious adult beverages, and there are many festivals and outdoor events with beer gardens in the summer.

My favourite Irish pub downtown (source)

(Source)

A friend's pipe band at the Halifax Highland games a few years ago

3) Citadel Hill

Citadel Hill is a National Historic site with employees/re-enactors in period-appropriate costumes. They do demonstrations and have educational activities. It is a great place to visit to learn more about Halifax in the 1700s-1800s. Here's the view from Citadel Hill:

And the aerial view:

(Source)

4) Delicious seafood

There are many places to get fresh fish and seafood in Halifax, from lobster fishermen to food trucks to fancy restaurants. I always highly recommend trying seafood chowder (not the same as clam chowder) from a restaurant downtown...it is SO delicious :) Molly also loves looking at the lobsters in the grocery store here...I think that she thinks they are pets ;)

A popular place to buy lobster (Source)

5) Fantastic Parks

There are many parks to enjoy in the city and on the outskirts. Point Pleasant Park is right on the water, and I used to spend time there almost every day when I lived downtown. They have a large trail system so it's great for kids and for runners. Here are some views from Point Pleasant Park:

Heather Road!!!

There is also a great little park downtown that is only open Spring-Fall with beautiful flower arrangements (think of a very miniature Central Park!!!) It's called Public Gardens and it is a relaxing place to spend an afternoon.

(Source)

Halifax is a great place to raise kids and a fun place to grow up (according to my family and my husband) ;) We love it here and probably won't be leaving too soon!!!

What do you love about your city?! 

Linking up here, here and here today.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead on Saturday night/Sunday morning!!

Friday's letters

Happy Friday, everyone!! This has been a busy week and I am very glad to see the weekend!! We're looking at above-zero temperatures in Halifax this weekend too, so I can't help but smile at that! Hopefully we'll get some time outside with our favourite little munchkin.

On top of it being a busy week, Brian and I both have this weird affliction which is a BRUTAL cough/sore throat every morning but no other real symptoms (as in, neither of us are really sick, and it's not necessarily getting worse, but it is SO weird!) We are thinking maybe we should invest in a humidifier, but it's pretty humid in Halifax every month except winter...I'm not sure! For me, it has usually gotten better by the afternoon but my throat is perpetually a bit tender.

I have also put on my shirt either backwards or inside out 3 times since Monday. The first day, I noticed it around 10 am. The second time, I noticed it around 3 pm...and yesterday, fortunately, I noticed before leaving the house. Oooops. It was definitely noticeable to someone around me that my tags were on the outside of my shirt...haha.

35 weeks

Today, instead of doing my usual 5 on Friday link up, I wanted to write a post in letter format. I'm sure there is a link up for this somewhere, but I couldn't really find one so I am just doing it all on my own :)

Dear Friday, I'm so happy to see you!!

Dear Brian, please try to take a look at my shirts before I leave the house next week. I hope we kick this throat sickness soon and get to do something fun this weekend. Thanks for your help around the house this week and for playing with Molly a lot so I could get things done.

Dear Molly, I am so happy to see my sunshiney toddler back in action this week after a month of being sick and popping your 2 year molars. Thank you for being sweet and helpful and happy to see me. I love watching your excitement when you feel the baby move.

Dear in-laws, we are so grateful to have you so close by to help out with our little munchkin.

Dear Mom and Dad, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me on the phone anytime I call, no matter the time change or what you might be busy doing. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD :) 

Dear Spring...please come soon!! Molly wants to wear her rain boots instead of her winter boots...and I prefer them too because she can put them on herself better!

Dear daylight savings time, please don't mess with our sleep schedule too much next weekend!

Dear blog readers, thank you for being here and for your lovely comments. I have very much enjoyed getting to know people from all over the place :)

Dear Baby # 2, I seriously appreciate you letting me sleep well most nights this week. Please don't get too too much bigger or I might not be able to bend over at all!!!

Dear February, see ya later, gator!!!

Dear Whitney, thanks for the fun link up on Fridays!! Here's a song that always puts a smile on my face on Fridays.












Have a great weekend, everyone!!

5 on Friday :)

Hope everyone survived the week!! It was another snowy one in Halifax, but I realized today that spring is just one month away!!! Can't wait!!

I'm linking up today with the 5 on Friday girls...Check out the other posts with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha!

--ONE--

Go Team Canada!! 
We had a nail-biting game against the US Women in hockey yesterday, and today's should be the same for Canada vs. US in Men's hockey. Overall, I am so proud of how my country is doing at these Olympics though! I'm not sure if we will get the same number of medals as we did in Vancouver, but I think our athletes are excelling and some lesser-known players achieved great things!! I really think we need to medal in men's hockey though...just a personal opinion. :) My hubby is considering taking the afternoon off work to watch the game today...haha I might just do the same ;) Day date?! I could get on board with that.

I think this picture on Twitter sums up our feelings about today, but I'd rather the men make it a little bit less stressful for us than the women did yesterday:

(Via)

--TWO--

I am seriously considering adopting the no-shampoo method sometime this spring/summer. I don't feel like I can try it yet, because I know my hair is going to go through some crazy changes after I have the baby, but I am pretty intrigued by it. I've read a lot on Amanda's blog about her experience with it, and although my hair is really OK right now, I definitely think it could be fuller and healthier. I have always steered away from trying this because I am scared of the transition phase, but I'm thinking that if I give it a go while I am on maternity leave, it won't be as big of a deal to have gross hair for a week or 2 (I will be spending time mostly with a 2 year old and a newborn who don't care how my hair looks!). Has anyone tried it? I'm going to look into it more, but I am really very interested in the method. In case you aren't familiar with it, you basically "wash" your hair with a baking soda mixture/vinegar rinse every 4-5 days, and the natural oils take care of the rest. It's very interesting :)

--THREE--

Molly had her first dentist appointment this week and she was so good! When it came time to pick out a "prize" at the end, she OF COURSE picked a bouncy ball out of all the toys. She actually wanted to take about 6 things home (she's a bit of a hoarder), but settled on a ball (we only have about 500 balls at home - no big deal, haha).Our new dentist also has a TV screen on the ceiling for kids (and adults) to watch while they are getting their teeth cleaned. Unfortunately, no Bubble Guppies, and we (apparently) have very little interest in My Little Pony, so Molly was still very squirmy but she did well!!

Having fun :)

--FOUR--

I found this Buzzfeed list about 30 things everyone does that you'd never realized and it made me laugh. I don't do all of these things, but Brian does A LOT of them, and it is funny to realize that we are all alike in some ways!!

I also saw this list on Pinterest this week and it totally cracked me up. The things that make toddlers cry or throw tantrums are hilarious and I can completely relate this photo roll to the random events that make Molly melt down sometimes.

--FIVE--

Molly had her supper one night this week in a muffin tin. I used to do this for her all the time, and it's great because now she is old enough to understand that she has to try at least one food item from each cup. There are tons of ideas for muffin tin meals here on this blog (a resource I had totally forgotten about!). This one wasn't my most creative muffin tin, but it is oranges, whole grain spaghetti, strawberries, and meatballs :)

The baby bump appears in this pic too - so I didn't edit it! haha

Hope everyone has a great weekend - any fun plans?? We are getting together with both of our families, which will be nice, and it's supposed to go up to 6 and 7 degrees Saturday/Sunday, which Brian considers to be "t-shirt weather" (haha!) so I'm thinking we will do something outside!!

Linking up with Whitney this week too...here's another Canadian song for our hockey men today!!!

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Five on Friday #TeamTeddy...Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine's Day! AKA my half-birthday!! I actually did celebrate it once with friends in University...but I think we all know how much "celebrating" happens in university anyway ;)

For 5 on Friday today, the hostesses (Darci, April, Christina and Natasha) are raising awareness about a little guy named Teddy, who suffers from Menkes Syndrome. You can read more about his story HERE. They are asking that 5 on Friday participants put up a picture with a #TeamTeddy sign as the first in their post.

---ONE---

#TeamTeddy photo (mostly just editing) with Baby Molly circa Mother's Day 2012.

---TWO---

A Canadian blog friend of mine, Melissa (who blogs at Dreams and Colour), looooooooves David Myles who is an East Coast musician. When I saw that you could send Valentine's including one of his songs from his website, I knew I had to send her one. Today is her birthday today too, so perfect timing! Send your own Valentine (with mp3 download) here!!

---THREE---

We don't really do much for Valentine's Day besides usually exchange cards and have a nicer-than-usual dinner or something, so that's our main plan for this evening! I'm making fettucine alfredo with shrimp, caesar salad, garlic bread and chocolate eclairs (not homemade) for dessert. Then I think we are going to watch About Time after the little munchkin goes to bed. Speaking of which, isn't her Valentine's shirt adorable?!?! (It was a Christmas gift, not actually purchased for Valentine's Day, but does suit the occasion!!!)

This picture isn't from today because someone was crying while I tried to take a picture this morning

We are also going on a double date tomorrow night with some friends of ours who have kids...and all the kids are going to sleepovers at their grandparents' houses...so I'd say that's one way to "celebrate" Valentine's Day!! :)

Here's the card I made for Brian this year, which I think is HILARIOUS:

(It says "I don't just like you, I love you...LOL)

My boss (who is awesome) also brought in heart-shaped cookies for us today:

---FOUR---

I am loving the Olympics (obviously) and the fact that hockey has started!! It's been difficult to keep up with the Olympics at work, so I've just been checking Twitter whenever I get a chance. One of my favourite pictures from the week (via John Lehmann) is of Canadian Dara Howell, who TOTALLY rocked her slopestyle run and easily won gold. It was amazing to watch (even though I didn't catch it live) and if I were her, I'd frame this picture at home!

(Via)

I am also loving this Buzzfeed list about Canada winning at the Olympics. :)

---FIVE---

I saw this quote on SparkPeople this week and it's a good one to remember moving forward. :)

I'm also sharing our wedding song for #BackThatAzzUp Friday with Whitney today!!

Happy weekend!! Hope everyone has a good one! And for those of you lucky Canadians (and all Americans) with a holiday on Monday...enjoy it! We get one in Nova Scotia starting in 2015...which does me NO good this weekend, haha ;)

5 on Olympic Friday!!

It's the time of the week that everyone loves...the day that your Bloglovin' feed is full of fun lists of 5 things! Check out the other posts here with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha!

{ONE}
Today is my baby brother's 24th birthday. I won't be anywhere near him to celebrate (Him = Calgary, me = Halifax, 6 hour flight & 3 time zones), but I'm definitely thinking of him! I can still remember when he was born and he was also the cutest baby ever (until Molly came around, that is! ;) j/k). He is a wonderful person, and I am so glad he is in my life. Hopefully he's coming out to visit us in NS this summer, because I haven't seen him in a YEAR now!

Excuse the blurry scanned picture from 1990!

{TWO}
Today is also the start of the Olympics in Sochi! We are going to have a nearly impossible time watching events live because Sochi is 8 hours ahead of Halifax, but I still can't wait to watch some hockey (of course!) and figure skating. Here's the official CBC link for Olympic updates (Canada based), but I think I'll be following along on Twitter instead. Go Canada Go!! Here's me cheering for Team Canada in 2010 :)

The little guy on my shoulder is Quatchi and he was one of the mascots (in case you were wondering ;))

{THREE}
I know I'm not the only one out there who loves Google, and I really like the Google doodles that teach you a little something about someone. Google ran a contest this year in Canada in which kids drew a doodle and the winner will have their Doodle posted for a day (along with other cool prizes). If you're in Canada (or maybe in the US, not sure!), you can go HERE to vote until Feb. 14; they have been narrowed down to the Top 5! There are also awesome descriptions about the invention that each Doodle represents...they made me smile :) I like this one best:

(Via)

Speaking of Google and the Olympics, check out Google's Doodle today, which also encompasses a few lines from the Olympic Charter and another reason to love Google - they are showing their support for all athletes, straight or gay, etc. etc. 

"The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." –Olympic Charter

{FOUR}
On this weekend in 2013, we moved into our house!!! It's hard to believe we have been living here for a year! Here's a funny picture of what happened to one of our (two) sheds on our first night that we slept in our house (note: it was during a blizzard!):

It wasn't really funny at the time, but it sure is now!

{FIVE}
In our house, we have all been battling a bit of sickness (of varying types/degrees) this past week, including the dreaded MAN-COLD which caused hubby to actually take a sick day today. Because of this, I am going to be pumping THIS concoction into all 3 of us to curb the coughing this weekend (posted by Kathy at Vodka and Soda- a hilarious fellow Canadian). I also highly recommend using a Neti-pot if you find yourself sick and you're looking for a natural solution...definitely clears the sinuses :)

Exact words (mostly) from Kathy's blog post

And finally...I'm linking up with the wonderful Whitney because it's Friday funday!! Here's what's in my head this week...a little Joel Plaskett (from Halifax) because my hubby and I both love this song and it's an upbeat one for the weekend!!