Easter Weekend in Ottawa

For Easter this year we got to go back to Ottawa. Because of the freezing rain Thursday night, our friend drove us in on Friday morning. We arrived too late to go to the Good Friday service, so we went to a GoodLife near my parents' to deadlift. (Yeah, not going back to that club, it's overrun with bros who wear cutoff Popeye's shirts and improper form.)

We had a relaxing day with my parents talking, colouring, crosswording, reading, and "watching" March Madness (I went on Pinterest and probably read more).

Saturday morningwe got to go see Kelsey (and her dogs!) then went to get coffee.



Where would we go for coffee except Suzy Q's for doughnuts! I had the carrot cake doughnut, the one in the middle. It was phenomenal.

It was so great to catch up with Kelsey and show her both our wedding album (she was my maid of honour, and we haven't seen her since I made the album) and the 2015 album.

Saturday afternoon Dad went for a bike ride, so Mom, Nic and I went to the Greenbelt for a nice walk. The sun was so bright, so the snow was slowly melting.

Poor squirrel was being chased down. He had to run for his life.

A bag of seeds had obviously exploded, and this chipmunk was LOVING it.

 
We drove to Nic's parents for dinner, and then went to Hogsback Falls with them for a nice walk. The sunset was beautiful.

Nic wore an adorable bowtie for Easter Sunday.

This is Flopsy. One of the youth brought his adorable bunny to church, and Mom and I were so happy to hold a bunny again.

Gypsy hated being held like that, but that's the only way Flopsy likes it!

Happy Easter from us! We had Easter lunch at Nic's parents', and my parents came over. It's so convenient having our parents live in the same city, and be friends! #InLawGoals

Sunday after my parents left, we went for a walk along the Ottawa river with Nic's parents. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. SO bright.

What a wonderful walk and a wonderful weekend!

Allan Gardens - Free Things to Do in Toronto

I have wanted to go the Allan Gardens in Toronto for a while. We rotate between two churches, Grace Toronto and the Downtown Meeting House, and Grace's newly purchased building is beside the Allan Gardens. One of my university friends (who attends Grace) often stops in after worship, and posts the most beautiful pictures on her Instagram. We finally decided to visit on a Saturday afternoon after my shift at work. 

We were not disappointed by the beautiful greenery!

It's very easy to get to the Allan Gardens - on line 1 of the subway, get to College station, and take the streetcar east to Jarvis.

The conservatory has many rooms, and they are themed differently.

I love turtles. So much.

My husband in the jungle

One of the ponds with beautiful (koi?) fish. Also, that massive white one.

The main room is gorgeous. They even have a little stage in the middle, presumably for weddings or performances. 

Nic said he felt like he was in Jurassic Park, and I completely agree, with those huge fronds. 

As expected, the cactus and succulent room was my favourite. 

Someday Nic and I hope to make a vertical garden like this!

Christmas in Ottawa

Nic and I were very thankful to go home to Ottawa for a week and a half over Christmas. Our parents still live there, so we had a lot of fun.

The Cobers

Nic's dad does Bonsai, and this is his gorgeous jade

Pileated woodpecker

One of my favourite aspects of Ottawa is the Greenbelt, which is a protected natural area surrounding the city. My parents live an easy drive away for hiking in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter.

It was surprisingly cold

Snow, at last!

Chickadee

I love feeding chickadees in my hand!

Mann stockings

My brother and sister-in-law arrived, so we had Christmas with them, next.

Nic's loving the foot of snow that dropped!

The Manns

National Gallery of Art

Deanna wanted to see the Art Gallery, which is always one of my favourite places to go.

Weekend Getaway to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake

The first weekend in December, Nic and I drove down to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake for a nice date.

What an adorable squirrel!

Love dat husband.

Our bed-and-breakfast room was real into the Captain theme.

Of course, I had to go into the Christmas store.

For dinner we went to Kitchen76, the restaurant of The Two Sisters Vineyard. We shared a margherita pizza and one with spinach, truffle oil, mushrooms (I didn't hate them cuz they were so small!) and pesto. The pizza was great, especially with the homemade chili sauce they provided. I also loved my Riesling, but that's almost always the case.

Every year in Niagara-on-the-Lake they have the Candlelit Stroll, where we donated some money to get candles in containers, then walked around the beautiful homes listening to carollers and other acts.

It was really great weather for it, especially since I was wearing a skirt and tights for our dinner. Afterward, I got a caramel apple spice from Starbucks.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at the B&B, then walked around the town to check out the waterfront.