bittersweet sunday

I've been kinda looking forward to this day so that I could finally stop saying, "last week at this time we were sitting on the balcony sipping a heineken" or " last week at this time we were eating delicious nachos at Bikini Beach, Orient Bay, St. Maarten" or " last week at this time we were with the best of friends and oh so happy"!!! Sad.

We keep looking at the pictures and thinking about just how lucky we are. We have great friends. We had so much fun. It's not easy to travel with others for so many days. We just kept squeezing in more day, one more opportunity to be together- right up to the final farewell moments in the Orlando airport. Gosh- that was hard. Gavin had been crying all morning; worried that we would miss them and then we finally catch up to the Fillmore's and I lost it! I was an emotional wreck. The thought of being apart again was heartbreaking!

But I've survived because I know it won't be that long until we can all be together again! Best part is... we're already thinking about next year!

Third times a charm!

I've managed to be pretty organized this time around. Two weeks ago I planned all the outfits that we each could wear. I laid out all the clothes on the bed and sorted, stacked and matched all the possible combinations. Then I accessorized! I captured each outfit on a master list, counted and tallied. So then all I had to do was put them into the suitcases and that's that! Add some shoes and some toiletries and some pirate gear and we are good to go!

So, it's our third Disney Cruise but we are even more excited than ever! This is going to be an entirely different experience because we have our wonderful friends The Fillmore Family joining us. Needless to say, we are so lucky to share this experience with friends. It's the best combination of family time, friend time and couple time!

Tomorrow we are heading to Detroit for a nite-cap before heading out Friday morning. I'm bursting with bliss. Not sure I will sleep a wink!

Mad Love for Bahama Mamas

Each year, for like 6(?), we've been getting together for a Girls' Weekend! We've done the local bed & breakfast, the fabulous Toronto weekend (Leafs and all!), Niagara on the Lake, Ottawa, Sudbury, and then we decided to kick things up a notch and head SOUTH!

We're lucky. You see, Sue has perks. She works for WESTJET and we fly on her buddy passes, wherever they will take us. Sue is the ultimate planner. She takes care of us. She books flights, hotels and makes us snack-packs! God love her!

We've done the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and last year we did Cocoa Beach. Every year there are new memories and every year I am so grateful for good friends.

This year we headed back to the Bahamas for the long Family Day holiday weekend. Weather wasn't super hot but the shopping was fabulous and the straw market was an adventure. But we still managed to soak in some rays at the beach and by the pool. We lounged in the hot tub- playing the Survivor game. We met great friends like Tony + Jim from Little Rock, Arkansas! They were great company when we ventured out to Atlantis Marina for some shopping, casino and aquarium fun! But really... honestly and truly, it's just great to get away with friends. The sunshine is a bonus!

ELPH Inspriration

So, after losing my compact Canon last summer I figured it was time to replace it and get inspired to take more photos. I love my Canon XTI SLR but it is difficult to travel with the bigger lenses and I don't always get the shot I want because of how long it takes to prep and sometimes I just don't bother because it's work! There's a time and a place. So, today we bought this little brown baby! It's the newest in the Powershot ELPH line with a full touchscreen on the back. So love this little, tiny, easy camera. Can't wait to plunk it in my purse and await the inspiration that follows. See, I'm hoping taking more pictures will naturally lead to more scrapping. I figure our third Disney cruise is sure to kick start some serious photo taking!

I'm Dreaming of a NEW Kitchen!

So, if you haven't checked out the blog on my list- along the side- then you really must check out http://blog.urbangrace.com/ - specifically the "coastal and southern" post and then scroll down to the kitchen with the text box that says "Erika's Style Essential". Found it? LOVE it! Especially love the colour of the cabinetry! Love the wide-plank hardwood! Love the pendant lighting. Not so sure about open cabinets for plates though. Would likely change that. After looking again, I quite like all of her work in this whole layout. I would like her to decorate my house. Do you hear me Shawn?

Hello? Remember me?

Yep... it's been a month since I posted. Sure I've had moments in time where I could have posted but something always came up and I didn't. So, how to sum up a month? Well, we've been busy. Let's see...

We had a great date night! We shopped, we had a great dinner out at Fasooli's and we saw Avatar! Sometimes we have to force ourselves to take that time. We both love to stay home and be cozy on the couch but once we're out and about we are always glad that we did it! It was fun and it gives Gav that chance to hang out with Grandma and Poppa!

We have been in Olympic fever here! The past few weeks have been full of watching the Olympics! I had no idea just how much we would embrace the Olympics and the joy of hosting here in Canada. We couldn't get enough. I especially enjoyed curling. Wierd huh? Who knew? Never even really understood the game- even though Shawn says it's quite simple... get your rock closest to the middle- that just seems way too over-simplified for me. I loved watching both teams make it to the gold medal match and take home a gold and a silver for Canada. And who could resist that hockey game! Wooohoooo! That was fun to watch!

A little sunshine chased away the February blues on the long family day weekend. Nothing like a Girls' Weekend to make February roll on by and to soak up the vitamin d! That's right- we were a group of Bahama Mamas for the weekend and it was soooo great to feel that heat! We shopped, we ate conch fritters and drank Sands Lite and we relaxed on the beach and in the hot tub. Glorious! Simply glorious! If ya haven't eaten conch before, you don't know what your're missin'! Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

After that it's been getting ready for the cruise! Last weekend we did some last minute shopping and packed up all our cute outfits for the cruise! So exciting! It's our third time but it's like the first because we have friends! YAY! We are so lucky that the Fillmore Family are joining us on our week long eastern caribbean cruise! I cannot wait for them to see just how wonderful the ship is and what a great experience it will be for our families to be together to share in the magic of Disney. I simply cannot wait to get to Detroit to see them and to start this holiday!

So, where does that leave us? Crazy busy with work! As a matter of fact, so crazy busy that Shawn is off storm chasing in Vermont and New Hampshire! Flying solo at home makes for crazy days for us! We've been super busy at work with tons of meetings and lots to do. Phew.... good thing the finale of The Bachelor is over so I can get focussed on my work again! HA HA!

But seriously... where has the time gone? I cannot believe that it is March already! After the break... I will begin to start dreaming of all that summer holds- camping, camping and more camping! Til then, I have Disney and The Fillmores to look forward to!