Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Wishes I'd ask the Book Genie To Grant me

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly link up at The Broke & The Bookish and some of the prompts are really fun! This one really made me think and I am looking forward to reading some others' responses to it later tonight!! :)

TOP 10 WISHES I'D ASK THE "BOOK GENIE" TO GRANT ME


1) Prevent J.K. Rowling from killing off Sirius, Hedwig or Dobby...s(spoilers are in white ink in case you are the last person on earth to read Harry Potter!)

2) Also make Hermione come and be my best friend in life :)

3) Have J.K. Rowling write another Harry Potter book about their life as adults (no return of Voldemort though thanks)

4) Help encourage Veronica Roth to write the ending to Allegiant a little bit differently...

5) Get Rob Thomas to write more Veronica Mars books

6) Allow me to read books while I'm sleeping so that I can read every book I want to in my lifetime

7) Allow me to remember every book I read before Goodreads so that I can see how many Sweet Valley High/Goosebumps/teenage dramas from the library I read as a teenager

8) Give me a bookwormy career :) (Maybe someday!!)

9) Find a cure for book hangovers

10) Get Brian to read some of my favourite books with me

Check out the link up over here!!! What would you ask for from the Book Genie, if he or she existed?!?

Life Lately

Wearing Red in support of the fallen RCMP officers in Moncton last week

My two girls are both doing great. Molly is a wonderful child and I am feeling blessed to have this time with her at home at this age. However, she is also a very active child and she is curious which means that she is constantly chattering, singing and asking questions (this is NOT a bad thing but if I haven't had coffee yet and I was up all night, my patience can run thin ;)). Her favourite question is a variation of "what". For instance, if I tell Molly that we're going to a store, she will say "what kind of store?" or I tell her that we're going to play a game, she says "what kind of game?" or "what colour is it?" or something like that. It is hilarious and she gets so excited when we're going to Sobeys for groceries. Overall, she still desperately loves her little sister and she especially loves to make her smile. She also loves to comb her hair (gently) :). She started playing soccer this summer (See photo below) which has been great fun so far. I love watching the two of them together, and I am feeling so happy that our family has this beautiful additional member. 

Rocking Heidi braids a la What I Wore

Happy to be seeing the world from this angle :)

Lucy is a sweet baby who is already adored by all of our family and friends. She is still eating well and gaining weight - she is also over the 100th percentile for height (25 inches at 2 months) so she is mostly wearing 6-9 month clothing. She is starting to sleep for longer stretches at night most of the time, but some days she does not nap well. I find that the days where she naps for a 2-3 hour stretch are so much more relaxing because I can get cleaning done, or I can grab a quick shower with Molly right outside the door watching 3 wheels on the bus Youtube videos...or I can play outside with Molly ETC ETC. On some days, Lucy will only sleep for small snippets of time during the day and it is much more draining for me because I have to constantly console or feed her. However, overall, things are great and I can't complain because she is a very happy and content baby who is anxious to explore the world around her. She is fascinated by mobiles (we have one with bears that moves) and likes to play on her playmat or observe things overhead such as hanging toys or the ceiling fan. She is not fantastic at taking her bottle (expressed milk if I am away from her) but I hope she will get better at that. She also won't really take a soother yet, so we might just not bother with it. She is outgrowing her bassinet so we will be moving her into her crib in her own room in the next couple of weeks sometime (this kind of stresses me out but I know she will be fine and might even sleep better ;)).

Big smiles :)

2 months old May 31

The end of May until mid June is HUGE for celebrations in our family - Brian's dad has a birthday, then Brian's birthday June 5, our anniversary June 9, his brother's birthday June 14 and then Father's Day yesterday. I feel like I need a break from all the celebrating ;). Brian turned 30 this year which he was unhappy about (haha) but I think he is coping OK now. We went out for all-you-can-eat sushi for our anniversary while my mother in law watched the girls and it was great but we stuffed ourselves too much!!!

With the warmer weather, we are getting outside for walks a lot more frequently. I still usually walk with Lucy in the Ergo carrier and Molly in the stroller unless it is a shorter distance and Molly walks. I want to try Molly in the ergo on my back and Lucy in the stroller sometime because Lucy gets extremely warm in the Ergo and I can't really take her out if we reach a destination (i.e. playground) and she is asleep. Molly also really likes to "do exercises" with me in the mornings. I usually do 20 mins of HIIT with her and she is great - she loves to do jumping jacks and jogging in place and boxing moves etc. I also made her a set of "weights" last week with wooden sticks from the dollar store and pieces of a pool noodle:

I have been running a few times when Brian gets home from work at 3:30 before supper and that feels great, but I really need to get my fitness level back up. Now that I'm getting a bit more sleep some nights, I definitely feel like I can make this more of a priority.

Overall, when I get "free time" (such as right now), I have a list of 800 things that I want to get done (most of which involve organizing each room of our house now that I am in them all daily), but today I wanted to drop in here and blog a bit. Although I'm unsure where the blog is headed, I still want to record how things are going so that I can look back on it. I also want to get some of my planned posts up and write about some other interesting things happening these days :) I even have a fun recipe or two that I can share someday if I get the time.

So, in a nutshell, life is great here and I am very happy living it. I am also debating sharing my blog with our family and friends (most do not know about it at the moment), but I want to read through all of my old posts first. (Yes, I realize that anyone can find it at any time, but I doubt they would happen upon it unless directed to it!)

Until next time (whenever that is)...

The Boys behind the Blog - Boys' Questions Edition!!

I almost missed posting this link up even though I bookmarked it 2 weeks ago because we have been busy bees around this house. I finally tied Brian down tonight and got a few answers out of him though! It's such a fun link up that I'd hate to miss out!! Check out the other posts on Mal's blog or Stephanie's blog!!

He also agreed that I could share this hilarious picture that I referenced yesterday of my view when I came home from spending 30 minutes at the grocery store without any kids yesterday. Two little girls asleep on their daddy after crying for about 20 of the 30 mins I was gone. Ooops. ;)

1. Your significant other’s blog- a blessing or a curse? - Joe @ Another Clean Slate
Blessing. *thinks about it for a few minutes* That one's tricky. It seems to make her happy. (Nice safe answer Bri). 

 2. Do you read your wife's blog?- Brian @ Heather's Hurrah 
Occasionally. (Heather's note - he almost never reads my blog unless I tell him about an interesting post - he's just not much of a reader and prefers to spend his free time watching TV or playing video games. He was interested in whether most husbands read their wife's blog though!!)

3. What is one thing you can do better than anyone you know?- Justin @ Our Fairy Tale
Umm...grow hot peppers. (This is true - we basically have a "grow op" going on in the basement utility room right now and last year he grew TONS of extremely hot peppers which I did not consume. Right now, all of the peppers and other plants are in 203 Solo cups in the basement waiting to get planted outside when it gets warm out).

A panoramic view of our basement at the moment

4. What is your favorite TV sitcom from the 90's? - Sam @ Jessie Jo At Home  
Umm...a sitcom?? Is family guy there? (No...it's not a multiple choice question and that started in the 2000s). Probably Simpsons then.

5. If you were opening a small business or shop, what would it be? - Nate @Kate & Trudy
 Ummm...that one is hard...ummm something to do with hot peppers again I guess? (Truth - he actually wants to sell them but I think that might be biting off a bit more than we/he can chew these days).

So there you have it - my hunky husband isn't a big reader, can't remember many shows from the 90s and is obsessed with hot peppers. What about the boy behind your blog?! ;)
 

Hoping to be back tomorrow for 5 on Good Friday but we will have to see how it goes!! xoxo

The mouse and the very lucky Brian behind this blog!

I have been out of the blogging circle this week! I had 2 fun posts planned, but they weren't quite done and a few things got in my way this week (no baby yet though!!!)

Mainly, I am just feeling really exhausted...I haven't slept the best this week & Brian and Molly are both still a bit under the weather so I am just trying like crazy to avoid getting sick!!

On top of that, there is/was a MOUSE in my office at work. It was in a co-worker's office first, then ran into mine and I definitely squealed. I am not scared of very many things, but mice do not sit well with me at ALL. We had several in our house growing up, which you would think isn't a super big deal, but I didn't like seeing them (dead or alive). My dad also had this really torturous game that he played with me when I was about 9-10 in which he would hide a little stuffed mouse on me. I found it once on my seatbelt in the car, in my lunchbox, in my shoe, in my backpack, by my toothbrush...etc etc. I had a panic attack every time I saw the stuffed mouse, so now my stress level around mice is about a 15 out of 10. There are about 5 traps set up in my office alone now, although the little guy is probably long gone. It's pretty distracting, to say the least! When I told my dad about the mouse, he said "haha. You should name the baby Mickey, in honour of the mouse in your 38th week". Haha...ummmm no. 

However...none of that really has to do with the blog! Somehow, I managed to convince my loving husband to answer more questions for the Boys Behind the Blog series this month!! I love it! (And I love him too!) I'd even go so far as to say that I am LUCKY to have him during this lucky month of March. hehe. My responses to his responses are in blue :)

Reading to Molly last year

1. What's your lucky number? 8...it was my dad's baseball number, and I just went with it.
2. Do you have a lucky charm? Nope, can't say that I do (what he meant to say was that I am his lucky charm ;)) 3. Do you fill out a bracket for March Madness? Who do you want to win? I was supposed to, we do one at work but I was sick the day it was due and forgot to do it from home...(we don't follow basketball at ALL though) 4. March 10th is "Middle Name Pride Day." What's your middle name? Joseph, I guess I do like it, it's after my dad  5. Submit one question that would would like to see on a future The Boys Behind the Blog.  Do you read your wife's blog? (he is curious about this because he doesn't read mine unless I specifically direct him to a good post).
Check out all the other Boys Behind the Blog questions for the link-up on Mal or Stephanie's blogs today!! 

I'll be back tomorrow with 5 on Friday and some pictures of our week!!

Random 5 on Friday

ONE.

My baby girl is doing much better today after a bit of a rough week. Sick toddlers are NO fun, let me tell you. The only good thing is that I get a few more cuddles ;) I was also very grateful that I have *one* sick kid, and not two, yet.

TWO.

VERONICA MARS movie tonight!! I can't wait! I really thought more people knew about this show and were excited for the movie, but it turns out that it is a bit of an anomaly. Haha. I don't care...I am super excited! Team Logan! This also counts as one of my last "girl's nights out"s until after the baby comes - which will be great! I'm going with a good friend and her sister and we're doing supper first! The only tiny downside is that I won't get to see Molly until tomorrow since she'll be asleep when I get home...but I'm sure Daddy can handle supper and bedtime on his own ;).

(Via)

THREE.

Three fun links to check out if you're browsing around this week:

16 Things you need to do to live life without regrets (relates a bit to my Wednesday post)

Disney Princesses on Tinder (Tinder isn't really a big thing around here, that I know of, but this still made me LOL)

26 Ingenious Ideas for your Home - love some of these - especially the hanging plants because we have a LOT of plants!!

FOUR.

Yesterday, since Brian was home with sick Molly, he made supper (yum)! I stopped by the grocery store before coming home from work and picked up a little bag of Mini Eggs as a treat for him since he had a long day (lol)...he finished them all in less than 5 minutes after Molly went to bed. We also finished House of Cards and reviewed our taxes and found out we are getting WAY more back than we originally thought - bonus!!!

FIVE.

Molly says "I love you too" now when we say "love you!" to her. She has said this in the past when coached to do so (haha), but when she says it back without prompting, it totally warms my heart (and simultaneously makes me want to cry - again, with the hormones! haha). I love the age that she is at now...she has also started asking me why the baby isn't coming yet, and when it is coming. I can't wait to watch her as a big sister. :)

(Via)

In honour of it being Veronica Mars day, my song today to link up with Whitney is from the "Epic Love" scene in Season 2 (seen below). I'll be talking about the movie a bit on Monday, and also sharing all of my favourite Irish music in honour of St. Patrick's Day (since I can't celebrate it with a green beer this year!).



Linking up here and here today.
Happy weekend, friends :)

Homemade toys for kids (Tuesday's Tot Talks)

Happy Pancake Tuesday, everyone!! We are having pancakes, bacon and sausages for supper tonight with some fruit salad! I have been craaaaaaving fruit salad lately (Not the worst thing, really!) so I can't wait to have some of that with supper. We're having my in-laws over and it will be fun! I often try to give something up for Lent, or take something on. This year, I am not giving anything up (because it is going to be a bit of a weird Lent with having a baby right smack in the middle of it all) but I have thought a little bit about taking something on. My "thing to improve upon" is to stop keeping a tally in our marriage. I read this article yesterday and thought, hmm...we are happy, sure, but I definitely "keep track" of certain things without really intending to, and there's really no need for that. I know that I am really going to be needing Brian's help in the next 6ish weeks, so I need to trust that he is going to be able to help me without me nagging him to do so constantly.

And now, onto the fun stuff!!! I have been planning this post for awhile, and I debated splitting it up with tutorials for each toy, but I might do that another time if anyone is interested. As I've mentioned before, my lovely husband (the structural engineer) has enjoyed making toys for Molly since she was about a year old. Most of these projects have started off with something I saw on Pinterest and mentioned to him. Usually, I ahd planned to attack the projects mostly on my own, but he is just much more skilled at "building" so he has taken over a bit, and he has loved it.

Here are a few of the fun things Brian has made for Molly, with some links to tutorials we used for more information.

1) Cardboard mailbox covered in duct tape

I originally saw a cardboard mailbox idea on Pinterest with a link here and thought it would be fun for Molly to play with. Brian took it to the next level and bought different kinds of duct tape and velcro tape to seal the bottom flap. Molly still plays with this after a year and a half, and every kid who comes to our house plays with it too. The best part is that it cost us almost nothing to make, and that you can "mail" anything you want!!

Check out some other great ideas for things to make with cardboard boxes HERE, HERE and HERE. The possibilities are endless, really! I especially like the cardboard slide on the stairs on this site...I think Brian would like it as much as Molly ;)

2) Play kitchen from old cabinets

Fridge/freezer, sink, stove and oven

The stove and the oven - the stove portion was from another electronic stove toy, and was re-wired to work with this (obviously I had nothing to do with that aspect of it)

In my mind, a play kitchen is a prime toy for a toddler, and almost every "play place" that you go to will have one. It makes sense - if Mommy spends a lot of time in the kitchen (which many mommies do!), kids will want to do that too! We found these cabinets on the side of the road between our house and Brian's parents' house with a "free" sign on it. They were brand new, and I guess they just didn't fit in the person's renovations. We bought the tap and countertop for less than $10 at a great store with used home items, Restore (items donated to the store; all proceeds to Habit for Humanity) and the sink is a mixing bowl. The stove part is from a little stovetop bought at a Garage sale, and it lights up when the burners are turned on (so that you know that the burners are hot!). The oven has a cookie rack shelf and is spray painted metallic grey. Molly plays with this all the time now, but it took her a little while to get into it.

Here's a different tutorial for a DIY play kitchen (There are TONS on Pinterest too if you have a spare shelf etc!)

3) Barn for her 2nd birthday party (which I decided would be a farm theme 1 week beforehand)

It actually lived in our living room for about a month and now it is folded up in the basement

I decided to do a theme party for Molly's 2nd birthday about 5-6 days before her party. I saw this on a blog HERE and asked Brian if he thought he could make it for the kids to play in during the party. He exceeded my expectations, yet again!! Molly was over the moon excited when we brought this upstairs and showed her. She played in it and peeked out the window for days. She brought everything she owned in it. Brian made this from flattened cardboard boxes that were reinforced with more boxes (Very engineer-y of him). It is in two parts so that it can fit through doorways (the bottom part folds, and the roof turns sideways :)). We covered it with fabric and stapled the fabric to the cardboard. I wouldn't call it overly sturdy, but we kept it anyway because Molly loved it so much and might get use out of it as a playhouse again sometime (for now, it is in storage because there wasn't enough room in our living room to house it!)

Some cardboard barn/farm party tutorials from Pinterest are here and here.

4) Chalkboard easel

We decided that an easel would make a good Christmas present this year, and as soon as I suggested it, Brian said "I'll make one!" This one turned out to be a bit bigger than expected, but it's great. It is basically 2 sheets of MDF painted with chalkboard paint and a wooden frame. The only real regret I have with it is that it is really tall, so Molly can't reach the top, but maybe that means she will be able to enjoy it for longer. I also sometimes wish it was magnetic. She loves it and it's great for teaching letters and numbers :)

5) Stationary tricycle

Brian whipped this up in about an hour. It is just a very simple wooden frame, and the trike is completely removable from it. We obviously already owned the tricycle, and it is still a little bit too big for Molly so she hasn't gotten a lot of use out of it yet, but I'm hoping it will encourage her to stay off our exercise bike (which is WAY too big for her and a bit dangerous to climb on).

Some of my future ideas include a DIY dollhouse out of a bookshelf/cabinet (this one might not happen, LOTS of work), rain gutter bookshelves on the wall or on the side of a dresser (I am working to get Brian on board with this), a quiet book, and a tent for Molly's room or for a slumber party someday!

If anyone wants more information on how to make any of these items, just let me know!! I just wanted to share them today, but I didn't go into very much detail on some of the items.

Happy Shrove/Fat/Pancake Tuesday and see ya tomorrow! ;)

March 3 is a special day :)

Hellooo world :)

Back to the grind...I only have 4 weeks left of work until I'm off with two kiddos for a year (assuming that I don't have the baby before 4 weeks - in which case, less time at work). See how I made that sound like a total piece of cake? That's what I'm trying to believe!! :)

We had a pretty good weekend in which we got a lot of little things done as well as some nice family time and some laughs with our silly little toddler. I would have loved to watch the Oscars, but just wasn't able to stay up late enough. I am looking forward to browsing the red carpet looks today online though and reading about the acceptance speeches!!

Yesterday, Molly was overjoyed when I used a beer box to attach a "trailer" to her little car so she could drive around with her doll and animals behind her. Cute, right?

We also took her swimming yesterday and she was soooo excited. We don't take her often enough and I'd like to start taking her more because she loves it SO much and it's a pretty inexpensive activity. She is going to be taking swimming lessons and soccer this summer, so I know she will get a lot out of that.

March 3, 2010 is the day that Brian and I had our very first date. AKA the first time we ever met in person. (We had talked online/on the phone for about a month prior to this). We drove to the restaurant separately, met there, and ate delicious Greek food. We had a great conversation over dinner. He told me (months later) that I was awkwardly fidgeting a bit and adjusting my shirt. I don't even remember feeling nervous. He seemed more laid back, which is funny because he is definitely more shy than I am. He told me a lot of stories about his family and his childhood, and we felt pretty comfortable.

When we were done eating, I drove with him across the street and we played glow-in-the-dark mini golf. It was great, and a nice way to extend the evening. I had also brought him a cupcake with a happy face on it ( I had made a big batch for my cousin's birthday), and I felt weird about it at the time, but he loved it, haha. Overall, there was very minimal awkwardness, and I remember thinking that I was SO happy about that. He "let me win" at mini-golf (I won fair and square) and he texted me as soon as I got home saying how much he enjoyed himself and wanted to get together again. So we did, a week later, and then a couple of days after that, and the rest is history :).

Here's where we sat at dinner (under the tree!)

(Via)

I remember a friend of mine wanted me to check in with her once or twice on the date & definitely when I left/got home because it can be a bit nerve-wracking meeting someone from the internet. That was a very smart idea, but I was lucky to have nothing to worry about. I have been asked many times since we met how I feel about the fact that we met online, and truthfully, I mostly feel lucky. I didn't have the typical "online dating" experience because I was very, very picky about talking to guys on MSN or meeting in person or anything like that. I only met one person before Brian, and he was nice enough but just wasn't my type. I think it is extremely important to be picky in online dating. If you don't even like talking to someone over the internet when they can edit everything they are saying, why would you like them in person? (this is a personal opinion - obviously some people might be better in person than online.)

I also consider myself lucky because Brian and I likely would never have met if we hadn't connected online. When I first sent him a message, his profile had a few questions for people to answer so he could get to know them better (which I really liked because it gave us something to talk about and we instantly learned that we had a few things in common). It helped that both of us were open to being in a relationship, but not desperately seeking one at the time. We are both relatively serious people who weren't looking for a fling online. It's just the way that it worked out for us at the time.

I will never forget March 3, 2010 and the way it made me feel. It was a special first date, and I've mentioned to Brian that we should re-create it sometime. :) We actually had our wedding rehearsal dinner at the same restaurant, and we've been back there a few times, but not lately! I am so grateful for the "fate" that brought us together four years ago and brought us to where we are today.

At a friend's wedding December 2012

It is also my beloved grandmother's 80th birthday today! She is an amazing woman who I had the privilege of living with for 2 years when I was studying at St. FX. She is one of the most active women I know, and participates in a lot of different community activities. She also travels frequently and spends a lot of time with all of our family. She is like a second mother to me, and I am thinking of her today!

Hope you all have a great Monday!!

The Brian behind the Blog link-up!

Now that I am blogging a bit more regularly than in 2013, Brian is getting used to certain "blogger" habits...such as when I mention a comment someone made on a post I've written, or  taking pictures  to post on the blog. He is also (a bit) less reluctant to participate in fun posts like this one!! With the added incentive of a $30 Amazon gift card giveaway today on Mal and Stephanie's blogs, Brian was all for it (kind of) this month!  

Here are the questions for my lovely hubby. I told him to try to expand on one word answers, if possible :)
1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?   Umm...with you. (aww) I don't know, it would probably be here...maybe somewhere in Halifax with a bit more land than we currently have and an attached garage. (He lived in Edmonton for 2 years and desperately missed Halifax. I think he'll be here for good ;) Personally, I wouldn't mind living somewhere warmer...lol!)   2. Sand or snow?     Sand. It's ok if that's a one word answer, right? (this is probably because we are all VERY sick of snow right now...)   3. What Winter Olympic sport would you rock at?   Hockey (Spoken like a true Canadian (right, Alex?)...and he actually does play recreational hockey, but I had to laugh because when he watches the incredibly unique sports at the Olympics like slopestyle skiing, he usually jokingly says something like "pfffft. I could so do that.")   4. You're cooking a romantic dinner- what is your go-to dish?   Chicken stir fry (pretty romantic, right?) or maybe surf and turf...steak and shrimp. (Brian asked me to elaborate here - the first meal he ever cooked for me on our third date was "surf and turf" on the BBQ and it was pretty good, but he waaaayyyy overcooked our steaks and hasn't lived it down since ;))   5. Fill in the blank: This year, I gave Heather a ____________________ for Valentine's Day?   "A great time", which means flowers and chocolates and a haircut. (He actually also surprised me by picking me up early at work with the flowers/chocolates/card/long-overdue hair cut...and watched a chick flick with me that night <3).
Check out everyone's posts on Mal or Stephanie's blogs! 

Talking about a crossroad (Journal Prompt #1)

Danielle at Sometimes Sweet is hosting a link-up of sorts this week with a journal prompt. I found this prompt very interesting, and it is a topic that is on my mind constantly, so I decided to post about it today and link up with her HERE tomorrow when her post goes up. 

Here's the prompt:

Everyone has a time in their life they view as a crossroad. Sometimes you can see it as it's happening, and you're able to choose one way or another. Other times you may not realize you're there until you look back, and see what a turning point it really was. This week, write about a time you view as a marker in your life; a distinct place where things changed, for better or worse. 

I think that I have encountered two very distinct crossroads in my life that led me to where I am right now (albeit many other decisions/turning points).

The first of these was when I felt a strong pull to move to Nova Scotia to attend university at St. FX.

I had a high school guidance counselor who basically told anyone who’d listen that St. FX was the best university in the country, and that anyone who went there would agree (I have since found this not to be completely true- while I *LOVED* my time there, a few people did drop out or move away and not love it). I took a year of undergrad in Calgary at a small university college, which was great in many ways, and the courses that I took there were among the most interesting in my entire education. When I came to St. FX, I was a second year student, but I was new. It took me quite awhile to feel like I fit in, and I learned a lot about myself and who I wanted to become. 

(Via St. FX website - beautiful, isn't it!)

It was also at St. FX that I decided to pursue Psychology as my major, which in turn should have led me to an outstanding career by now (lol, kidding). Had I stayed in Calgary for university, I wouldn't have gotten to know my grandmother as a second mother. I wouldn't have made close friendships with some of my cousins and aunts and uncles. I wouldn't have met many of my current friends, and I probably wouldn't have moved to Halifax to start my life post-undergrad. I wouldn't have developed a passion for east-coast music or the Nova Scotia culture. I wouldn't have met Brian. 

Arguably, I could still be living a happy and successful life had I not moved out east. There is nothing wrong with Calgary, and I love it because it's my hometown. However, since moving out east, I have found that the pace of life and the size of Halifax are much more in tune with what I want out of life. It's hard not to feel happy walking down the waterfront in the summer, or listening to the ocean at Peggy's Cove. Although there are things (and people) I miss since moving here, I can't even imagine what I would have missed out on if I'd stayed at home for university. 

("My hometown" that will always hold a place in my heart)

This brings me to my second major crossroad, which I have discussed before (here). Meeting Brian changed my life, because our relationship was my first serious one, and it kind of came out of the blue in some ways. (You can read more about how we met here). However, the crossroad I’m talking about came after we’d been dating for 9-10 months and unexpectedly found out that I was pregnant (with Molly). This situation could have played out in more than one way, but we were fully in love, old enough and sure enough to commit to becoming a family and raising our daughter together. There are many times when I almost lament that we didn't have the same time as a “family of 2” before becoming a family of 3, but I never, ever regret bringing our beautiful daughter into the world. 

This time in my life (pregnancy/motherhood) was a crossroad because I did, understandably, drift away from some friends. Some friends had no idea how to relate to me anymore and could not accept the changes happening in my life. I was also fortunate to make new friends. Mommy friends. I also grew closer to my family, and to Brian’s family, who have been nothing but supportive of us since the day we found out about Molly. I don’t ever for a second regret the turning point that led me to this path in life. Even though it may not always be the life I’d imagined, in many ways, it has surpassed some of my hopes and dreams I’d had for my future. 

One of my close friends from university moved to Korea to teach English for 2 years in September 2009, just as I was finishing my Master's in Halifax. In March 2010, I met Brian. By the time my friend came back at Christmas in 2011, I was engaged to someone she'd never met and we were embracing life with a newborn. She had known that things would be different with me, but it was a huge shock to her (not in a bad way, but it took awhile for us to relate to one another the same way again). Sometimes life events change you, and I think this was the case with me. I was still essentially the same person, but my priorities had shifted, and I had a little person's life in my hands. 

I'm happy that these crossroads happened, and I'm content with the decisions that I made at turning points. I think there are turning points in our lives all the time. I often struggle with the "what if" aspect of making a decision. For instance, if I hadn't taken a certain job, would I be where I am now? If I had done such-and-such differently, would life be different now? It can be enough to drive me crazy, so I think it's better to just accept that life will always throw curveballs at us, and it is best to move forward with the support of those around us. I have to admit that I don't really agree with the phrase "Live life with no regrets", because I think that you can learn from regrets and move on. That being said, I think that dwelling on the past and dwelling on things that you regret can be a bit of a waste of time. If it's something that you regret and you can change, then change it! My lovely husband says that we always have two choices in any situation: You can accept it, or you can change it. (Isn't he wise? haha).

Peggy's Cove, NS

What crossroads have you encountered that changed your life? Do you regret them, or do you embrace them? 

Why we Work (Link up for Valentine's Day)

I find it interesting to reflect back on some of the reasons why Brian and I fell in love, but more importantly, what we have that makes us stay in love. I loooooved our early stages of dating (who doesn't love that part?!), but I am also proud of what we have now and what I know we will have moving forward. So today I'm going to share a lot of REALLY old pictures of us and talk about why we work as a couple. Taylor and Bonnie are hosting a link up about this over here :)

1) We work because we both love and place high value on our families and close friends

Brian introduced me to his parents and siblings out of the blue after we'd gone out for dinner one night to celebrate our "one monthiversary". We stopped by his parents house and talked for awhile. After that, it seems like I was invited to all family events, and he met my parents when they came out East for a visit after we'd only dated a month or two as well. It was really important to me that he like my family, and I know he appreciates how well I get along with his parents and siblings. (I appreciate it too - I am VERY lucky to have great in-laws.) We also understand how important it is for each other to maintain close friendships with other people. We have a lot of great couple friends who will support us unconditionally for the rest of our lives, and I really think this is an important aspect of any relationship.

2) We both (kind of) love being outdoors

We spent a lot of time doing outdoorsy things before we had Molly, and we can't wait to get back into it more when she is a bit bigger (we still do a lot of things outdoors with her now, but can't wait to take her camping). We used to bike a lot, camp as much as possible, hike, and go to the beach. We've still done all of these things since having a child/ren, but we can't wait to share these things with them in a few years. Brian also loooves to play sports outside (i.e. baseball) and I love playing ultimate frisbee in the summer. He joined our frisbee team and hasn't looked back ;)

Our cute uniforms

Apple picking in the Valley with Molly

3) We work because he builds things that I find on Pinterest.

This one might sound weird, but Brian is an engineer and when I come up with a "project", he can usually make that project better than I can. Here are two examples, but I have a whole post coming soon about DIY kids toys that he has made. Usually, I have planned to create the project myself, but he always does a MUCH better job than I ever could, and it makes me smile :)

A barn built for Molly's 2nd birthday (farm themed!)

"our" most recent project: a stationary tricycle for Molly to ride while we are using the stationary bike!

4) We work because we like to balance nights in with nights out.

Our nights out are a bit fewer and further between since having Molly, but we have still managed to make time for special occasions with friends and nights on the town. However, we are both MORE than happy to stay in with a movie and a board game more frequently -- even better if friends come over for board game night!

I have a whole post coming up about fun board games too :)

5) We both love being parents

Molly is our greatest blessing. We had both wanted to be parents since we were little and we warmed to the idea of Molly quite quickly. Brian is an amazing father and watching him with our daughter has increased my love for him tenfold. I know he feels the same way, and we both know how lucky we are to have been blessed with a wonderful child and another on the way.

We love being parents, but Molly didn't love being a baby...lol ;)

6) We both value honesty and loyalty

Brian's friends and family have always known him as a reliable person who will always stick up for them and be there when someone needs him. He is loyal to a fault, even if it means he can be stubborn about things at times ;) I know that he is always honest with me (unless he is trying to tell me that he didn't buy a donut with his tea this morning, lol)  and I appreciate this so much. I treat him the same way, and I think it really helps us to communicate.

7) We are OK with putting up with each others' quirks. 

I think over time you accept that the person you are married to might not do things the same way you do, but I like to think we have worked on accepting each other for who we are. This means that I am always going to turn to Google for answers, stress about things that always work out fine, and spend a lot of time talking about things that interest me or bother me. Brian will always follow his gut, only stress about the big things, and listen when I emphasize how much I need him to hear me :) This also means he will always try to understand why I love stuffed animals so much:

Brian bought me these when he was "courting" me - his words, not mine...haha

8) We both value where we came from, and have hopes and dreams for the future.

We are both lucky to come from parents who have been married for 29+ years, and who raised us to value kindness, music, sports, family, and education. I really think this has enabled us to relate to one another in a deeper way.

The big fiddle, Sydney, NS, home of 3 of our 4 parents

9) We love to celebrate

I love holidays, and one of my favourites is Canada Day. My least favourite is probably Halloween (I'm not sure why), but Brian loves that one so we usually put a bit of effort into dressing up. We also love to celebrate accomplishments, and birthdays are a big deal in our house. I think celebrating these moments gives us something to look forward to every year. It is also SO fun to celebrate holidays with kids!!!

Despite what you see here, Molly loves holidays too :)

10) We may have moments where we don't necessarily LIKE one another at all times, but we always, always love each other. 

Banff, 2011

My Valentine's card for Brian the year we were obsessed with playing Scrabble :)