out & about

we are on baby watch over here expecting the little one's arrival in about two weeks but while we have been busing ourselves with the nursery, doctors appointments and my final days at work (now officially on mat leave!) we have still tried to make of the most of our days sans baby to see friends and hang out with each other as much as possible.

a few weekends back we took a stroll to kensington market to see our friends of ESCALATE play for pedestrian sundays. they are regulars for pedestrian sundays and really just a great listen for a summer sunday afternoon with a beer (or h2o for this one) on a patio with friends. or really just a great listen in general.

we were pretty happy to make it out successfully that day seeing as each new day brings more frequent trips to the bathroom and just general comfortableness. below are a few photos snapped of our day there. originally we wanted to go for an hour so we could get back home to get back to work but we ended up staying for about three hours. i blame the music, our friends, the sun, and a particular aussie who was in town for a short bit that i didn't think i would be able to see!  

some of the band's youngest fans supporting their dad in matching fedoras

 my favourite aussie below and a view of the crowd pedestrian sunday's draw.

if you venture to toronto in the summer, this is for sure worth checking out! 

hope you are enjoying your summer too!

a surprise baby shower

a few weeks back i was surprised with the most amazing baby shower! and on a tuesday too! i think weekday surprises are key because no one would ever expect a celebration mid-week. i knew a surprise shower was in the works because that is just how jay's family rolls, but when, where and to what caliber...clueless. 

we originally went up to jay's mom & dad's for what i thought would be a birthday celebration for jay's two sisters and our youngest niece who just turned three. was it the rented cotton candy machine upon arrival that tipped me off? nope. what about the street filled with cars. also nope. seriously i can be so dense sometimes. what did tip me off was the front door fully decked out to be what looked like a vintage circus tent (i mean floor to ceiling!), little circus flags that lined the walkway saying "baby doerksen" and "admit one", and a room full of familiar faces just staring at me until i clued in. then when i saw my mom and sister standing there smiling after just having flown in that day i just about burst! 

lucky for me jay was taking photos and video the entire time so when i got home i got to let the evening sink in. even more lucky for me are the family and friends we have that pulled this all off! from broken peanut shells on the ground, to hand decorated cookies and cake (honestly, hand done by jay's super talented sisters), the hand sewn tent fabric (by jay's super talented mom- sensing a theme here?) to my friends who avoided me all day/week and made the trip out of the city on a tuesday night via train, or video messaged in from korea, to my colorado family who travelled up that morning hauling beautiful gifts from my aunts and grandmother....seriously the above doesn't even crack the surface of how amazing this shower was.

i can't say enough how fortunate i feel to be bringing boleslaw into a mix of wonderful people like this. again, this is one lucky baby with one very grateful mama.

thanks again to all of you who came and contributed, we will never forget that night!

 

sunday at kensington

we took a little afternoon trip to kensington market yesterday to catch up with friends, bump in to other friends, stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and discover the best bagel that ever was! it was a pretty packed afternoon but great to get out and feel the sun on our faces. plus we got to catch up with a friend of mine {also mama of the cute babe below} and see two other friends who recently got engaged!

kensignton is great because it is such an eclectic little spot in the city where you can find some pretty amazing vintage finds, great produce like the photo above and specialty goods like lizano- our fav salsa from costa rica. not to mention is has some pretty stellar restaurants, one of which we hadn't been to in a long time. you can read all about that spot here.

i also have to thank our recently engaged friends {kelly & carlos} for introducing me to nu bugel. and at the same time not thanking them because since eating one of those bagels i can't stop thinking about them. i seriously want one right now.

hope you had a great sunday too!

poker faces

ottawa

another stop on this whirlwind summer tour i have been on lately has been my first trip to ottawa!

a few weekends ago we headed up for a quick jaunt to see our friends nick and sue get married!  sadly, none of my photos of the wedding turned out well.  why?  i don't know, but i am pretty sad about it.  perhaps i was flustered running out of the door to make the shuttle on time {thank god i packed flats as heel alternatives to run in!}  or maybe it was the weird sunburn i got from an afternoon of site seeing?  whatever it may be, it's pretty disappointing i wasn't able to grab a descent shot of the day.  lucky for me, we know their photographer, so at the end of the day, not all is a lost cause.  

the wedding was beautiful- of course!  the bride and groom were stunning-also, of course!  the venue, the attire, the food, all really well done, plus we met new friends who live close by which is always a bonus in my book.

ottawa was...interesting.  for some reason i expected the capital of canada to be this bustling metropolis full of history, old buildings, and red and white ice cream at ever turn.  it's a pretty tiny capital if i do say so myself, but even in size there were still a few fun things to see.  i saw my first lock system...which was neat, really!  it was a pretty big lock too!  if you don't know what a lock is, you should because they are pretty essential for long boat rides.  i also saw a beautiful war memorial dedicated to three past wars and the unknown soldier.  i also somehow managed to be kicked off of american soil at the us embassy which i thought was pretty funny.  thanks for welcoming me back with open arms canada!  and by canada, i mean jay- thanks handsome for the big hug after being kicked off "my" land.

i've been told to head back to ottawa in the winter for winterlude, which is for sure something i want to do!  skating around a city on a frozen canal with giant ice sculptures and hot cocoa- sign me up!   

  

brooke's bachelorette :: part II

if you care to know our winery route scroll to the bottom- there are links to all vineyards!

tour order:

no.1 rosehall run

no.2 norman hardie

{a brief visit to wellington heritage museum- too cute!}

no.3 karlo estates {my fave!}

no.4 hinterland

a bachelorette for brooke

last weekend i jetted off to prince edward county for a few days full of bachelorette celebrations!  it was such a nice girls getaway and for a big group of girls spending an entire day tasting wine, i am surprised how sober we all stayed- really! 

brooke and i met a few years back and because of her i have gotten the chance to meet so many wonderful people here in toronto!  the company brooke keeps truly is something special and i have always felt really fortunate to know her.  come november, she will be getting married to one of jay and eric's friends, who happens to be one of the first friends of jay i had ever met in toronto {as in circa 2003}.  the bachelorette girls and i reminisced a little about it on saturday, but i personally still remember how smitten shandy was with brooke from the start! being one of the people who will see them exchange vows in just a few months makes me pretty happy.  it is one of many events this year i am super excited to be a part of!

there will be many many more pictures to come, and a bit more about which wineries we went to, but for now, here is a little cheers to brooke before she marries her love!

a bit of last weekend...

last weekend our friends (who are getting married in november!) invited us to their family cottage for a few days of sunshine, horseshoes and singing on the lake!  

it took me awhile to post these pictures because really, there are just so many i love!  below are some of the scene and company from a great weekend!