tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40225125444984705752024-02-19T05:30:55.100-05:00(Abiding) Life in Indiana, PAabiding life: depending on Jesus for strength and grace, looking at life with an eternal perspective, knowing that because of Him I'm more than "just a mom"Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.comBlogger446125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-80670898350622344302013-08-19T22:11:00.001-04:002013-08-19T22:11:33.418-04:00Outdoor FunFriday afternoon we celebrated the end of our first homeschooling week (which I should write about, huh?) by going outside to play in the sprinkler. We even set up the water table for the babies. They have finally gotten over their aversion to grass (do all babies hate sitting in the grass at first or just mine?) and loved playing in the water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't think we got the water table out at all last summer so it was like a brand<br />new toy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jude's first reaction to the sprinkler</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who needs a pool?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin's antics with the sprinkler reminded us of<br />the fountain shows at The Grove in Los Angeles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin was trying to refill the water table with the sprinkler...Joshua fell victim<br />for a few seconds.</td></tr>
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Notice the beautiful fence in the backyard. It was built a few weeks ago and now our yard is a much nicer, safer place to play.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-56119857826168931682013-08-18T08:17:00.001-04:002013-08-18T08:17:06.525-04:00Magic in the Morning<p> Overheard while the kids were playing this morning...</p>
<p>Austin: "Esther, cast a spell on the baby and turn him into a frog!"</p>
<p>Esther: (tapping a twin with her princess wand) "I spell him! F! S! H! F! A!"</p>
<p>The baby is still a baby. Maybe she misspelled him. ;-)</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffmR4npVlGlWT0k4ffRFCBvexyZOOixrqTsH1MPZ_IyCLdmpv1s0xJ7UKT51bzwNQ7ektp51shAUfxAP20T13RjqfGRrwv-DOiFMxZq3jymu-es7yKdkMtwkUXVzxODCJ63CM_q9sXb0/s2048/Photo%252520Aug%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A06%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffmR4npVlGlWT0k4ffRFCBvexyZOOixrqTsH1MPZ_IyCLdmpv1s0xJ7UKT51bzwNQ7ektp51shAUfxAP20T13RjqfGRrwv-DOiFMxZq3jymu-es7yKdkMtwkUXVzxODCJ63CM_q9sXb0/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A06%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1376828225782.1692" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></div>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-67195262817752839552013-08-12T14:37:00.001-04:002013-08-12T14:37:21.915-04:00First Day of School!<p> We decided to homeschool when Austin was about one and a half. Since then we've done a little bit of preschool at home, a little bit of preschool away from home, some math, some phonics.... Now it's time to make an official start.</p>
<p>I've spent many, many hours reading about homeschooling philosophies and researching curricula. From the moment I discovered the classical approach I knew it was for me. The emphasis on reading, writing, and thinking; the centrality of history and language; studying subjects in depth even at a young age...so much appeals to me. Not to mention the priceless opportunity to weave God's wisdom and beauty into every subject.</p>
<p>So what exactly will we be doing with our time? Here's what we're starting with; I plan to add more subjects in a few months after we (hopefully!) settle into a nice routine.</p>
<ul>
<li>Both Austin and Esther will be using <a href="http://biblestudyguide.com" target="_blank" title="">Bible Study Guide for All Ages</a>, the Beginner version. What I love about this program is that it is designed for the whole family to study the same parts of Scripture together; they have different worksheets and activities for various ages but everyone can work together. There are 416 lessons in the complete program, enough for three or four years!</li>
<li>Esther will do Confessions of a Homeschooler's <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/letter-of-the-week" target="_blank" title="">Letter of the Week</a> curriculum just as Austin did a few years ago. She knows her letters pretty well but I think she'll benefit from practicing writing and scissor skills and the like. And it is just fun.</li>
<li>Austin and I will continue to work through <a href="http://www.dorbooks.com/phonics.html" target="_blank" title="">Phonics Pathways</a>. We started it ages ago and for awhile it was rather rough going. But at some point everything clicked (I can't take much credit for it) and he became a reader. We'll finish the book, though, just to make sure he gets all the main phonics rules. And like we have for five years now, we'll read read read. Independent easy reading for him and chapter book read alouds. We just started <em>Little House on the Prairie</em>, having read <em>Little House in the Big Woods</em> and <em>Farmer Boy</em> in recent months. We have also read <em>James and the Giant Peach</em> and <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> just since returning from vacation. I'd love to hear more ideas for good read-aloud books!</li>
<li>We will use<em> </em><a href="http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/LN/HWT" target="_blank" title="">Letters and Numbers for Me</a>, the Handwriting Without Tears kindergarten level book. Austin's preschool used the HWT preschool book last year and I really like the approach.</li>
<li>We will finish <a href="http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/products/default.htm?level2Code=M0006" target="_blank" title="">Saxon</a> Math K, which we started last year and are about halfway through. Then we'll move on to Saxon Math 1. I love math, of course, and it is a joy to see Austin enjoy it so much so far. The kindergarten level has seemed like play to him, I think: teddy bear counters, pattern blocks...so many colorful pieces to touch and manipulate. One of my great frustrations in my crowded LAUSD classrooms was that using any kind of manipulative was so difficult to manage. Either you didn't have enough pieces for everyone or kids stole the pieces or you just plain didn't have the manipulative you wanted. Not a problem at home!</li>
<li>I don't feel like we're ready to dive into studying history yet so we're going to work through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608236765/ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_OTYgqb1WGN689" target="_blank" title="">this</a> simple geography book. It covers basic map skills and teaches about the oceans and continents. It's just worksheets, really, so I'll try to supplement with more fun, hands-on stuff. Maybe learn more about the places mentioned in some of our favorite books. Pretty low-key, just a little bit a few times a week.</li>
<li>Science will be similarly light for now. Just exploring our environment. I found a great <a href="http://www.teachpreschoolscience.com/index.html" target="_blank" title="">website</a> with about 75 ideas for simple pre-k/kindergarten science activities. For example, this week we're going to dig in the dirt, talk about what it's made of, maybe make some mud, shake dirt and water up together and watch the sediment settle. I think the kids will love it. And when you think about all the big concepts that could potentially come out of the conversation (erosion, decomposition, insect habitats, etc)...pretty cool.</li>
</ul>
<p> Here are my adorable little students!</p>
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<p> And the little ones who are along for the ride.</p>
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<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-38775854448521151692013-07-12T19:18:00.001-04:002013-07-12T19:18:47.119-04:00Another Esther-ism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkhxDOcmwfC4AcnKMuPIOD21FCY6flw8bRJKCDlsWBy6efritbCyMiiAnEwW6hYvfrNWa_a22rMPH2yRfGYFpX3MKJCHh31suLAKwOpOd_6RGd3nBEo_cY5fHUbVd_V6ECd7CB9xy060/s300/Photo%252520Nov%2525205%25252C%2525202005%25252C%2525205%25253A33%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkhxDOcmwfC4AcnKMuPIOD21FCY6flw8bRJKCDlsWBy6efritbCyMiiAnEwW6hYvfrNWa_a22rMPH2yRfGYFpX3MKJCHh31suLAKwOpOd_6RGd3nBEo_cY5fHUbVd_V6ECd7CB9xy060/s300/Photo%252520Nov%2525205%25252C%2525202005%25252C%2525205%25253A33%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1373671126131.6184" class="aligncenter" width="300" height="225" alt=""></a></div>
<p> Know who this is? Mr. Sneeze, of course.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-51974173892786110032013-07-01T22:34:00.001-04:002013-07-01T22:34:38.608-04:00Castles<p> "I see that some people even live in castles in the middle of the river." (Austin)</p>
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<p>We saw these "castles" as we crossed the Mississippi River on our way home from my parents' house. I love how at Austin's age, anything is possible. Live in a castle in the middle of the river? Sure, why not.</p>
<p> And he was sort of right, as it turns out. In my search to find an image to use here, I learned a little bit about what we saw. Read it <a href="http://www.dallasimports.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=84151" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-66422004884984041682013-06-23T23:51:00.001-04:002013-06-23T23:54:28.874-04:00Esther-isms: A Picture Dictionary<p>1. <strong>Yergoat</strong> (n.): a favorite snack</p>
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<p> 2. <strong>Go-merry-round</strong> (n.): a fun thing to ride, often seen at the mall</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhTNeUzcyVXZYdaJs4VPnUsX-iiSN66FRlsKw-Mmo__eFzdgX-7ZBLvd9IJe7YJJSPPvaU7A46BI3BcTG96JjIJuMn8t8oUcPjh0ySGxUWli0AKlXa9fLqMcun5GAfyJb-MxY1sJiuVQ/s1600/Photo%252520Jun%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhTNeUzcyVXZYdaJs4VPnUsX-iiSN66FRlsKw-Mmo__eFzdgX-7ZBLvd9IJe7YJJSPPvaU7A46BI3BcTG96JjIJuMn8t8oUcPjh0ySGxUWli0AKlXa9fLqMcun5GAfyJb-MxY1sJiuVQ/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1372046048637.303" class="alignnone" alt="" width="383" height="575"></a></div>
<p>3. <strong>Finger toes</strong> (n.): the things at the end of Mommy's toes that she paints in the summer</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwotxmSYORakfmyku_dZncd25pRhUnOgdzlj_Dz8s7lIZ4Uvf_c_rTUft_-FZYzdB4zoxQjI31bpvERShbTiTbEXTLyzT6shkhmy4rwJi0Vbh8ryqoVCASwDeVdSFFJqDtRg7a_x0DLk/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A47%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwotxmSYORakfmyku_dZncd25pRhUnOgdzlj_Dz8s7lIZ4Uvf_c_rTUft_-FZYzdB4zoxQjI31bpvERShbTiTbEXTLyzT6shkhmy4rwJi0Vbh8ryqoVCASwDeVdSFFJqDtRg7a_x0DLk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A47%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1372046048562.7766" class="alignleft" alt="" width="383" height="283"></a></div>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-79126723209333884002013-06-21T10:55:00.001-04:002013-06-21T10:55:13.250-04:00My Super Kid<p>"Now I really look like Superman."</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOcp0kejLKXdZl3U6NQBGerQ16UnBtLydeQtJHo8TnC3NnTBcYfP66pPNX0WGsumgNpqcTRTSbcxkiFze8fL9SoxxLqLU-rrxo_1EHTSO7D_xxCzUMEDvdFg7vlTF03bbyNoousexQ34/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252021%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOcp0kejLKXdZl3U6NQBGerQ16UnBtLydeQtJHo8TnC3NnTBcYfP66pPNX0WGsumgNpqcTRTSbcxkiFze8fL9SoxxLqLU-rrxo_1EHTSO7D_xxCzUMEDvdFg7vlTF03bbyNoousexQ34/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252021%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371826513195.0332" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-17089399115083595212013-06-18T22:13:00.001-04:002013-06-18T22:13:34.373-04:00Day 6 in Montreal<p> Ah, our last full day in Montreal! We did our best to make it a good one.</p>
<p>Breakfast was a little different this morning, not because of the food, but because it was the first time we ate with other guests at Le Terra Nostra. I think there was a family there our first night who left before we got up the next day, but otherwise we have had the house to ourselves. This morning we met a couple about our age from Lyon, France who are spending two weeks in Canada, although only a day or two in Montreal. Mireille introduced us but I didn't catch their names. The woman spoke some English and I speak some French (Zach commented later that our respective foreign language skills seemed about equal) so between the two languages we managed to have a nice conversation about what we've seen and plan to see around town.</p>
<p>Zach and I went back to Vieux Montreal one last time this morning, mostly because we needed a return visit to olive + gourmando and we decided to have lunch there. But to pass the time before lunch we visited Château Ramezay, the residence of the first governor of Montreal. It was built in 1705, I think, although it has undergone many changes since then. The building has served many purposes, so unfortunately there are no original furnishings. Instead there are exhibits and artifacts tracing 300 years of Canadian history in this area. Something I learned: Benjamin Franklin attended meetings there to try to convince the Canadians to ally themselves with the colonies against the British. Otherwise, I learned that my knowledge of the colonial period is lacking--I look forward to studying history with Austin so much.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheF6ezKgVloITl_D2KbBRgdGhnCVcNbFkp1WPynl4iXOtpCoKj9uTFf_0ccnTqtfb69omuhcG8921nEuXIF-rbB8bnBxzbJlhP4Is-A9K_6dGQyigM62syeo-gWB48QTpEj1GLw26wcog/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A59%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheF6ezKgVloITl_D2KbBRgdGhnCVcNbFkp1WPynl4iXOtpCoKj9uTFf_0ccnTqtfb69omuhcG8921nEuXIF-rbB8bnBxzbJlhP4Is-A9K_6dGQyigM62syeo-gWB48QTpEj1GLw26wcog/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A59%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608013006.2644" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of Château Ramezay, which looks down toward the river.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Next, of course, was olive + gourmando. We got a table for lunch today. Zach had a Cuban sandwich and I had a <em>chèvre chaud</em> sandwich, goat cheese with caramelized onions. Wow, was it rich. They served it with a yummy homemade ketchup, though, which eased the richness of it. Of course we didn't let ourselves get too filled up with sandwiches; we made some requests at the pastry counter before paying our bill! Zach had an "everything cookie" and I had a snickers square. It was basically a cookie bar with chocolate chips and peanuts. Good, although not quite as good as Thursday's chocolate brioche. That may be the single tastiest thing I've had on this trip.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxzsel2PbdWUymnLCEj6uezS6_O6sykuDlmzAA3tLLLrsnypz9uPDq7Hnnt-TSMUsLzyPRb87BFnXutj5IfLY8qo0jkmlgN6xKFZGjFO79YqCj1qT4l58FWcvSpXiABIR3xLpyZEoH0c/s1280/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A59%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxzsel2PbdWUymnLCEj6uezS6_O6sykuDlmzAA3tLLLrsnypz9uPDq7Hnnt-TSMUsLzyPRb87BFnXutj5IfLY8qo0jkmlgN6xKFZGjFO79YqCj1qT4l58FWcvSpXiABIR3xLpyZEoH0c/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A59%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608013009.5369" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not easy to take a self-portrait while holding baked goods and coffee</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>We decided to make a stop at the Musée des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum) this afternoon. Their permanent collection is free so it's a nice place to pass a bit of time. My favorite room was the one full of Impressionist works; there was a Monet that I enjoyed as well as a few works by a (new-to-me) artist called Signac that I loved. Zach, on the other hand, preferred the Medieval and Renaissance collections. So plenty for both of us to enjoy.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns1J_FHB00q5ZSOUKkoHgo43bXEo8g5pA6FIKSM_YMNmDF-9WkaaqVbz2qmEVys4gK_MSWQjk3teaNR0g4pMb1GoEF5Yv4GiXHdbHJp0adzPDH_rFWBZE4wzcFcJVFbZmjsFRulWMfoM/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns1J_FHB00q5ZSOUKkoHgo43bXEo8g5pA6FIKSM_YMNmDF-9WkaaqVbz2qmEVys4gK_MSWQjk3teaNR0g4pMb1GoEF5Yv4GiXHdbHJp0adzPDH_rFWBZE4wzcFcJVFbZmjsFRulWMfoM/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608012990.3838" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monet</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnSVk5cDYUhtqzufaYnlSPsQ7_Vc4BpUdczR6rL_vwDTj9glFoc-8fZc7CrqgrPkBa1I8zPfNLZSNw6NietpTQxqOcE_e9e1JdW5_0YxumoOetHSMImNjFPxaIgnjduQrJ2iqCSWn8jw/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnSVk5cDYUhtqzufaYnlSPsQ7_Vc4BpUdczR6rL_vwDTj9glFoc-8fZc7CrqgrPkBa1I8zPfNLZSNw6NietpTQxqOcE_e9e1JdW5_0YxumoOetHSMImNjFPxaIgnjduQrJ2iqCSWn8jw/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608012960.9277" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signac</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> We changed our evening plans somewhat based on a recommendation from Mireille. She told us about an upscale neighborhood around rue Bernard with restaurants, shopping, and some nice parks in an area we weren't familiar with. She said it's a place she recommends if people are spending a more extended time in the city (like us) and have already seen Vieux Montreal and the more common tourist sites. So we trekked over on the metro and spent some time reading on a bench. So peaceful.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1Z4Dm5Fv8VR_utP04VC6BlIZgYF79qli7wUbayFlXO-_5RLQJ7YUh5fSDiHe1Ir80JvKe32MmQ17kPqCY_vWs-KDobslsQM6HxsRnvfSC2chhWUm3YnOOdmq1sXf_YoNX1AQBrzxddw/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A24%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1Z4Dm5Fv8VR_utP04VC6BlIZgYF79qli7wUbayFlXO-_5RLQJ7YUh5fSDiHe1Ir80JvKe32MmQ17kPqCY_vWs-KDobslsQM6HxsRnvfSC2chhWUm3YnOOdmq1sXf_YoNX1AQBrzxddw/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A24%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608013013.751" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our bench</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> We ate dinner in the same neighborhood. There were lots of choices; we settled on a place called Café Local. We had a table overlooking the street which was nice for people watching. (You get good tables pretty often when you eat so unfashionably early like we do.) Zach had a bison "black and blue" burger with poutine on the side while I had fish and chips. We liked this more upscale version of poutine better than the street version, I think. The gravy was less salty. We both loved our entrees. It was certainly not exotic and not particularly Canadian or québécois but just plain tasty food.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfz4ndBCZYvFTYh8GXKS6tnQBOfb8uSADWvx9kbTD0npK_YT7QDgq7oZ9cjA-xaPLuCZIK8LUjqr5_X0kAPmdLNNg-sKO1zjFZHsuzDIusbAR4okXHoKjV7GChKumt2ktlglSf9XdYW2Y/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfz4ndBCZYvFTYh8GXKS6tnQBOfb8uSADWvx9kbTD0npK_YT7QDgq7oZ9cjA-xaPLuCZIK8LUjqr5_X0kAPmdLNNg-sKO1zjFZHsuzDIusbAR4okXHoKjV7GChKumt2ktlglSf9XdYW2Y/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252018%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371608013055.9934" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's poutine in the middle</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> We got some pastries to go from a nearby bakery, then headed back to Le Terra Nostra to pack. What a week it's been! It has been so much fun to spend time with Zach exploring a new place and talking as much as we want without interruption...reminds me of the years before the kiddos came along...but I miss those kiddos. I will be so glad to see them when we get off the plane tomorrow!</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-2305542861342127292013-06-17T21:59:00.001-04:002013-06-19T09:00:39.959-04:00Day 5 in Montreal<p> Much like yesterday, today was a day without big plans. We ended up doing a lot of little things; another day of many metro trips! First we visited Archambault, a huge music and bookstore. Zach had heard they had lots of sheet music. And indeed they did have a selection of tuba music, but it was either high-priced or something he already owns. But (shh, don't tell), we did get some presents for our kids.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kot-p1y8W3agohOo8mIsIc43NPurNfabGiA_FpHtKHVnxfmAKY4gl0gwVwtg_Pyvk5iQSTno6UCDGrHrYHvmgZ-Rpqq_fhlkn8Ixhb2euNJUgWhLNFLEKhLBSZd2MRVTNBVfBfviBrE/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A32%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kot-p1y8W3agohOo8mIsIc43NPurNfabGiA_FpHtKHVnxfmAKY4gl0gwVwtg_Pyvk5iQSTno6UCDGrHrYHvmgZ-Rpqq_fhlkn8Ixhb2euNJUgWhLNFLEKhLBSZd2MRVTNBVfBfviBrE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A32%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371646812312.2185" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was across the street from Archambault. I think someone was actually playing a game at the left.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Next we visited the Jean Talon market. It's a lot like Marché Atwater which we went to Friday, only bigger. We again shopped for an assortment of lunch items and ate at a picnic table in the middle of the market. We bought a baguette, some Manchego cheese (another excellent discovery, thanks to the nice guy in the cheese shop who gave us the recommendation), some strawberries, and some cashews and maple syrup candied pecans. We finished our lunch with gelato from Havre aux Glaces, yet another place I pinned way back. Although they had some rather unusual favors (strawberry and pepper?) we played it safe: espresso and milk chocolate for me, hazelnut and dark chocolate for Zach. Tiny portion for a big price but awfully tasty.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Qe6XJ7g5U4jgQsz-yBlE31M77ajNuVttVyl_K_LVwH0nPlT1hs8je3fRV1kYgabPL3FDmZdIDsf5ppWu78uAFgLEt1_W_RYL7ljtC08N_Bw4idrbSxecU5M0NZoLtFpSDAu27oFbR2M/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A41%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Qe6XJ7g5U4jgQsz-yBlE31M77ajNuVttVyl_K_LVwH0nPlT1hs8je3fRV1kYgabPL3FDmZdIDsf5ppWu78uAFgLEt1_W_RYL7ljtC08N_Bw4idrbSxecU5M0NZoLtFpSDAu27oFbR2M/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A41%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371646812366.724" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple but delicious.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Stop number three took us to Pikolo espresso, a coffee shop Zach found through online research. I believe he said it's the best coffee he has had in Montreal so far. The shop was rather crowded but we did manage to snag a table so we hung out and read for awhile. Relaxing and reading is something I am sure we have meant to do more of on this trip but we find ourselves going here and there. It was great to slow down for a bit this afternoon.</p>
<p>But then we moved on. Our next destination was a bit disappointing, to be honest. We went to Parc Jean-Drapeau, which is located on two islands in the middle of the river. (You can take the subway from Montreal to get there.) It is not a terribly large park but big enough to have lots and lots of paths going off in many directions. We wandered for quite awhile and never saw anything very interesting. There are a couple museums, one that we knew we didn't care to visit and one we never found, plus some facilities from the Olympics that are open to the public now (a pool, the rowing basin), and the track that the recent Formula One Grand Prix was run on. But nothing was going on today and there were hardly any people around. So we just took a long walk, basically.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3MpdUYEDU2Zp1uZ-A_2oB4TfH30hS6MyERV9Uet5SthnxZfciGXqyjExSlA4XKdxP3EVk7rZZfTZkogSEIBam73InSTgWi0J9IfsCNsf_y3SRQ8OVhNGAkZ-9zvYQG0I2f38lGPUDmc/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A35%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3MpdUYEDU2Zp1uZ-A_2oB4TfH30hS6MyERV9Uet5SthnxZfciGXqyjExSlA4XKdxP3EVk7rZZfTZkogSEIBam73InSTgWi0J9IfsCNsf_y3SRQ8OVhNGAkZ-9zvYQG0I2f38lGPUDmc/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A35%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371646812385.532" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did get to see some wildlife up close at the park. Or maybe not so wild.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOuBYBaTKnSE2aPE4ANf4BSj63qfAH2C4R17M7ZM-FQmXg8dgmrxvDdZjRim-zX8uqwtfgAREAyVgmiDLTDaKRLKYKGfbDjZDmBjYXrcPtsJfiKJAFVdAVa7QFg03hvM5rXGFQTo_EVA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOuBYBaTKnSE2aPE4ANf4BSj63qfAH2C4R17M7ZM-FQmXg8dgmrxvDdZjRim-zX8uqwtfgAREAyVgmiDLTDaKRLKYKGfbDjZDmBjYXrcPtsJfiKJAFVdAVa7QFg03hvM5rXGFQTo_EVA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A42%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371646812341.1826" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't resist climbing on this. Our kids would have liked the playground behind me.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>We went back to Vieux Montreal for dinner and to do some shopping. We ate at Papillon, a restaurant whose menu we saw the other night and liked. Zach had linguine primavera which he enjoyed and I had a pork loin stuffed with cranberries and blueberries. It was not as outstanding as I hoped it would be but still good. Somewhat unbelievably, we did not eat dessert tonight. In fact, we did not have a single pastry today. Never fear, we have a return trip to olive + gourmando planned for tomorrow.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-33746247510606528002013-06-16T23:02:00.001-04:002013-06-17T22:02:57.647-04:00Day 4 in Montreal<p> After three fairly nonstop days, we decided that today should be a lighter day. Hmm, now that I'm at the end of it I'm not sure we achieved that goal. At least we didn't spend as much of the day on our feet. We spent a lot of time on buses and the metro and a lot of time eating crêpes in lovely restaurants. And a few other things.</p>
<p>This being Sunday we decided to find a church to visit. We found the People's Church of Montreal online and spent the morning worshipping with them. The pastor preached an encouraging Father's Day message from Psalm 128 and I had cause to give thanks for the wonderful husband and father at my side.</p>
<p>We went to another Pinterest plan of mine, Muru Crêpe, for lunch. Wow. As Yelp told me it would be, the service was kind of slow but making individual crêpes takes time. We had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely meal. Zach tried one of their waffles, which they only have on the weekends. At the waitress' suggestion, he had one with condensed milk, peanut butter, butter, and sugar. She (the server) explained that it's a common street food in Hong Kong where her family (the owners) are from and they wanted to bring that taste to Montreal. Sounds like a pretty crazy combination, right? It was crazy good. I had a savory crêpe with chicken, veggies, pesto, and tomato sauce. Also good. Then we shared a strawberry, banana and Nutella crêpe. Because you can't go into a crêpe restaurant and not eat Nutella. Or at least I can't.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hC5bkTpqutfX1wMMK5Woi8GooNoTpoMwGd426FhiQKZ0sKPEs2t_W4H5bGE8JRr8vG1MH_vy9VJMhynR8pMRQaUZNElfhtn2LlxnZErxUw_63gIm-pZVPPpIbsf_bLXa-a19gaUNtdk/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A36%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hC5bkTpqutfX1wMMK5Woi8GooNoTpoMwGd426FhiQKZ0sKPEs2t_W4H5bGE8JRr8vG1MH_vy9VJMhynR8pMRQaUZNElfhtn2LlxnZErxUw_63gIm-pZVPPpIbsf_bLXa-a19gaUNtdk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A36%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371520961352.6365" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacations are made for crazy eating like this.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>We are not really into visiting big ornate churches (of which there are several around here) but we made an exception today to visit St. Joseph's Oratory because they are hosting a weekly Bach festival, to show off the recently-restored organ I think. We unfortunately arrived late and missed a few pieces but still got to hear some amazing organ music including that most famous of organ works, Toccata and Fugue in d minor. The way the last notes of a piece resonated in the room was unbelievable.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ8dt_AgfBnTWGszwXycdj2MlhOOT6q1kq7vaXnYwrvmYFeD0raEVh67YxKOv9q-ERtfqMixlT2lUEeUoOQwyyvdLGVwAbgI68wprxoMO6bH-wFuY2V5dojvn_pT0hPsueKepE10t4_M/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ8dt_AgfBnTWGszwXycdj2MlhOOT6q1kq7vaXnYwrvmYFeD0raEVh67YxKOv9q-ERtfqMixlT2lUEeUoOQwyyvdLGVwAbgI68wprxoMO6bH-wFuY2V5dojvn_pT0hPsueKepE10t4_M/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371520961391.2659" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The organ, obviously. I wish I had taken a picture of the rest of the basilica because its style was unlike anything I'd seen before, sort of Art Deco. You can see a bit of that in the shape of the ceiling here.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> The Oratory is waaaay up on a hill. Pilgrims go up the steps on their knees; there is even a section of the stairs reserved for that purpose. So thankful to know the truth that God does not require works like that to please Him; Jesus' work on the cross is enough.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYrOk2_TRCN_9phR0XTSlCOtnPEjCQDkdJ9r9P0CrXfhAUgsMsZOPAZMOR6I7n_IXViQrH9icqpQahqZh5PJLk02k0Rs8UWxaYXkiLW45j32Zf_mZUTLFL9eQBIQ1KtHmPmEUHQ37oiM/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A26%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYrOk2_TRCN_9phR0XTSlCOtnPEjCQDkdJ9r9P0CrXfhAUgsMsZOPAZMOR6I7n_IXViQrH9icqpQahqZh5PJLk02k0Rs8UWxaYXkiLW45j32Zf_mZUTLFL9eQBIQ1KtHmPmEUHQ37oiM/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A26%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371520961362.1719" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking up</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPizk-006G8nZ99k5udCBHVnpZaq_iRdVqkL1_l4_LHPI7saxaiVwoiYzgqGpgI6YxqN6mfcHKWcInB9-bQ0s-iVGpztDgIsx4IJClP_aL6Tm6xkFNL7nSFpOSuhEJ1r48O5N9ke37Yk/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A13%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPizk-006G8nZ99k5udCBHVnpZaq_iRdVqkL1_l4_LHPI7saxaiVwoiYzgqGpgI6YxqN6mfcHKWcInB9-bQ0s-iVGpztDgIsx4IJClP_aL6Tm6xkFNL7nSFpOSuhEJ1r48O5N9ke37Yk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A13%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371520961351.6262" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking down</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Lest you think that we climbed all the way up to the basilica, there are escalators inside the building once you get past the initial stairs. Still a lot of climbing. <strike>Fun</strike> <strike>unusual</strike> disturbing fact of the day: Father Andre, who had the desire to build this church in honor of Joseph...well, his embalmed heart is on display. Got to see it on the way out. Ugh.</p>
<p>After a late, long, filling lunch we decided to have an early, light dinner at juliette et chocolat. (Knew we'd be back.) I had another crêpe, this time with ham, potatoes, and cheese (I love them, what can I say) and Zach had a salad with ham, eggs, potatoes, asparagus, cheddar crisps, and a sort of crêpe-batter lattice on top. Not as light as we hoped, but really just a warmup for the main event at this eatery. Zach came back specifically wanting to try their drinking chocolate. They prepare their chocolate beverages the way coffee connoisseurs do, by isolating beans (cacao beans in this case) from different regions and even single plantations so one can taste the unique flavors of the beans. Zach chose a dark chocolate from São Tomé which the waiter told him was interesting because the volcanic soil in which it is grown imparts a smoky flavor. And it did. Pretty cool. I, predictably, chose a much sweeter chocolate and caramel hot chocolate. Not exotic but so yummy.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCijCmYEGvua6_VJrlT6XRMNbBRjp5PepIJRB5ZNPH-7kFf2IRATwIBUJIyCVXiomtX8Td3eokp-YA6IG-W3buW00B4NC7uxqmkttq6pCuNkg2CIuk8-TgSTwSsdgYQ035MUqgPYiLMwM/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A20%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCijCmYEGvua6_VJrlT6XRMNbBRjp5PepIJRB5ZNPH-7kFf2IRATwIBUJIyCVXiomtX8Td3eokp-YA6IG-W3buW00B4NC7uxqmkttq6pCuNkg2CIuk8-TgSTwSsdgYQ035MUqgPYiLMwM/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252016%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A20%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371520961421.0942" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></div>
<p>So maybe you've realized, as we did, that our day was not nearly as restful as we'd hoped. We love our lodgings but they are enough off the beaten path that going home for a midday rest is just not practical most days. We end up just going going going. And did I mention that it rained most of today? So being tired and damp, we decided that our wonderful bathtub was calling our name once more and we headed home straight after dinner.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-78520390388796822612013-06-16T21:18:00.001-04:002013-06-16T21:22:13.264-04:00Day 3 in Montreal<p> We enjoyed breakfast in the garden for yet a third time this morning which, according to our hostess Mireille, has been almost unheard of this spring! Rain and clouds have been the rule in Montreal and they are supposed to return tomorrow but we have been blessed with three perfect weather days so far. Our meal this morning consisted of warm apricot-cranberry-almond bread, followed by a ham and cheese crêpe with fresh fruit on the side. Mireille told us that in this region people consider maple syrup and ham to be a great pairing so we dutifully poured it on our crêpes. They definitely know a thing or two about good food around here.</p>
<p><em>Hey guess what, Zach just showed me how to make accent marks with my ipad keyboard! So forgive the lack in previous posts; I'll try to do better now.</em></p>
<p> We decided to visit the Biodôme-Jardins Botaniques-Planetarium area today (several major attractions in one area) but we made a pit stop...well, a really out of the way put stop...at a bakery I'd read about online, Le Fromentier. It was in a neat neighborhood filled with families out strolling around, and nice-looking cafes and shops on every corner. Le Fromentier's cases were filled with delicious-looking items. We opted to get a small loaf of chocolate bread and an Empereur pastry, which was pastry dough twisted up with chocolate chips, basically. Both good, but I kind of wish we had bought a baguette. Just to see what their traditional bread was like.</p>
<p>We took this picture on the way to the Biodôme. It's the Olympic stadium and tower, built for the 1976 games. You can go up in the tower (see the little elevator thing on the right side?) but it's kind of expensive and we figured the view would approximate what we got yesterday climbing Mont Royal for <strike>free</strike> the price of sore legs. :-)</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3F4gcRjp3xzH-TcSQA-ZFQ39gRZlQc5shyvR8i4kTFjqHWY9hrCC1KwJ2aCpB1elyEPZXFK9_quhtjIiRbfuE5wcWxFgSF9rjV2Mfx8b5KqcgDn8Cs2I36rw4n2nEX6yAk1OFgLcmC8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3F4gcRjp3xzH-TcSQA-ZFQ39gRZlQc5shyvR8i4kTFjqHWY9hrCC1KwJ2aCpB1elyEPZXFK9_quhtjIiRbfuE5wcWxFgSF9rjV2Mfx8b5KqcgDn8Cs2I36rw4n2nEX6yAk1OFgLcmC8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109622.5154" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> So we headed into the Biodôme. (Say Bee-oh-dome if you want to sound more local.) It has exhibits highlighting four ecosystems; at least a couple are those found near Montreal. There are live animals and plants so I guess it's like a small, indoor, locally-focused zoo. It's not a large place but we enjoyed it; my favorite part was the penguins and Zach's was a porcupine in a tree. Most of the pictures I took are ones I thought my kids would like. And Zach's porcupine.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLSQHJQGc_lYS0ZyFGEvkvSG6pnv7xUo46e2d4QP2n9nYAIg20lVlBlEV7k1szQmMwE52WUo5fHzVaLdC52FQUB4eSb0dyha7AxR9Knfh6dJ8NVIcDWid8kbDgVX4W-minLR_i_p_mz0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLSQHJQGc_lYS0ZyFGEvkvSG6pnv7xUo46e2d4QP2n9nYAIg20lVlBlEV7k1szQmMwE52WUo5fHzVaLdC52FQUB4eSb0dyha7AxR9Knfh6dJ8NVIcDWid8kbDgVX4W-minLR_i_p_mz0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109621.7053" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful birds</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZKIrdXSv_I3uIUup0lGTtrbM1D4Cd2F7lMYwtvRhMascuf5-xmt6wYjfNwwS5EGZPNWI0CMpvT3UVyQONhjpX0Mzm4UshpazoAinHmtQDABdzhkjXsZjx5XCzDTESCzZx7hIRVx8GjE/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZKIrdXSv_I3uIUup0lGTtrbM1D4Cd2F7lMYwtvRhMascuf5-xmt6wYjfNwwS5EGZPNWI0CMpvT3UVyQONhjpX0Mzm4UshpazoAinHmtQDABdzhkjXsZjx5XCzDTESCzZx7hIRVx8GjE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109687.8555" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther, this monkey's for you</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_zmuaLgoqUpxYwaB2hFgXkMSx7p6L9zZ2L1mSBNR7COq7entmV2q6bQ8iY3E-BOXo6BZ6Q12PZWokvkNPx-WNViiuK_p-TvY5LoCHGfjDUYHMCogRlCiWD-w8gLilU4bIM6N_0xgFLI/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_zmuaLgoqUpxYwaB2hFgXkMSx7p6L9zZ2L1mSBNR7COq7entmV2q6bQ8iY3E-BOXo6BZ6Q12PZWokvkNPx-WNViiuK_p-TvY5LoCHGfjDUYHMCogRlCiWD-w8gLilU4bIM6N_0xgFLI/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109669.7537" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure if this is an alligator or crocodile, but in either case I can hear my little girl informing me that "it's fendley"</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y6TeIY7_sI-Ye9hVNVSJoJfauF4J24BWVkmBN6tS0uAzDWepfS0u3O00d5g7s3Hcq2wQuwZYn_Krz8cotulRzEawIYcriW3jBG-hhMsXkzE57XNMalfB-fvIgx8L2bH4kL2QDFM9bys/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A01%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y6TeIY7_sI-Ye9hVNVSJoJfauF4J24BWVkmBN6tS0uAzDWepfS0u3O00d5g7s3Hcq2wQuwZYn_Krz8cotulRzEawIYcriW3jBG-hhMsXkzE57XNMalfB-fvIgx8L2bH4kL2QDFM9bys/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A01%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109688.5515" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> We ate lunch in the little cafe inside the Biodôme. Once again, I was just blown away by the quality of the food at a location like this. Perhaps Americans are a little too willing to tolerate mediocre food...this was nice stuff for about the price you'd pay for a hamburger and fries at a similar attraction in the States. They even threw our pre-made wrap and sandwich on a panini press to warm them up and give them a nice crispy exterior. And veggies on the side--extra nice!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLkhZNfICKIvpG6Fy7WxSYVCIIRghTXjIqD5gJNn45t-O4DJC5XlDz4tvpcOGbI5u_QnUNv5sfPcfcn7Hr_PhNv5qZOpg3dpF71kJuuq12EXI0pZ7vOSet7l4D3wlGSCkDUWqjsaD9-Y/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLkhZNfICKIvpG6Fy7WxSYVCIIRghTXjIqD5gJNn45t-O4DJC5XlDz4tvpcOGbI5u_QnUNv5sfPcfcn7Hr_PhNv5qZOpg3dpF71kJuuq12EXI0pZ7vOSet7l4D3wlGSCkDUWqjsaD9-Y/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109683.9412" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> Next we went to two shows at the planetarium. Both were in domed rooms and we sat in chairs that were tilted back. (Maybe this is standard? I've not been to a planetarium before.) The first show was just images and music, not very scientific but cool to watch. The second was more informative; a guide showed stars and constellations visible in Montreal's night sky during this part of the year, then turned the theater into a "spaceship" and took us out to see the solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond. "The heavens declare the glory of God" reverberated in my head the whole time. (From Psalm 19) The universe is so vast and so complex...I don't think there is a logical framework for understanding it except as the product of a creative, powerful God. We tiny humans, just a speck in the enormous breadth of creation, don't merit His attention or favor but He bestows it out of love. Wow.</p>
<p> The last stop was the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium complex. I think we picked an unfortunate path when we first set off into the gardens; it was just trees and bushes and frankly looked like our backyard. But then we got to the good stuff: flowers, ponds, Chinese and Japanese gardens. (I have a fond spot for flowery botanical gardens since Zach proposed to me in one.) The peonies were especially nice here. Lots of color everywhere. And the Chinese garden...wow. There were several pagodas overlooking a little pond, might have been my favorite part of the entire garden.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ntCOB-QcoLxp54qVcqlNWwWZ_CbJNyESCPigX08Z5DmAQ6wWxmt5f1tLXhuVoDR_Z8-iOzsGOg3J6mWUG9cDg8gOA5bMz7ZZ0-75jFeZqfvDCvSTt950bI5NESCh6bbNQKnPHVJwFho/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ntCOB-QcoLxp54qVcqlNWwWZ_CbJNyESCPigX08Z5DmAQ6wWxmt5f1tLXhuVoDR_Z8-iOzsGOg3J6mWUG9cDg8gOA5bMz7ZZ0-75jFeZqfvDCvSTt950bI5NESCh6bbNQKnPHVJwFho/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109616.456" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLsj0D-r5MY5w2DnVrak2xByQiWtScwpSUQoFb4Vbqe0eivyxIeomrbXkDbdIYErs2f3YGGsp0u8EXNstIiCjdBSVq70s2cfV6f8kB5Ybvqwi1u0Ry4oz2XWr1skDye4kwfWkmMFF5LE/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLsj0D-r5MY5w2DnVrak2xByQiWtScwpSUQoFb4Vbqe0eivyxIeomrbXkDbdIYErs2f3YGGsp0u8EXNstIiCjdBSVq70s2cfV6f8kB5Ybvqwi1u0Ry4oz2XWr1skDye4kwfWkmMFF5LE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109602.65" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rvkEqQonqmEGXV8ji3iQhHmGhNUk4D9HRzF9m6PYPDWdjMCshRIvUJbjjpGjbJvFawSeb9ZmJ3qb8xnwk-o_ImIZe6cNql2hVMvLLpfxcpSt3jPHx11Mmx5r6huoboo_vRj9h0OkkeA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rvkEqQonqmEGXV8ji3iQhHmGhNUk4D9HRzF9m6PYPDWdjMCshRIvUJbjjpGjbJvFawSeb9ZmJ3qb8xnwk-o_ImIZe6cNql2hVMvLLpfxcpSt3jPHx11Mmx5r6huoboo_vRj9h0OkkeA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109676.9043" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> One other cool part of our visit was watching preparations for an upcoming horticultural exhibit. We got to watch giant plant sculptures being created at several stages from welding the frames to detailed placement of the greens. We saw a few completed pieces as well. That was quite eye-opening for me; I had no idea so much work (like building a frame) went into something like that.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87mDknko3XJLMZOZePCpXOAUK5icCTolRMKrKuNh1nS_b0BwH10H5kihwI2WXG30kun1VmyDMhZHvfNW0D8FqJHpcFFPSOL1HtFLjts2prCQr8btRTysMTh1wzF-sZrKIZvrcbFohxWk/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87mDknko3XJLMZOZePCpXOAUK5icCTolRMKrKuNh1nS_b0BwH10H5kihwI2WXG30kun1VmyDMhZHvfNW0D8FqJHpcFFPSOL1HtFLjts2prCQr8btRTysMTh1wzF-sZrKIZvrcbFohxWk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109646.6975" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6wQY-u1WorT5_t-WcsB-EVn1qd5v2CkB6SzOanfwC2YT8Ymut-GTqesUVLJGhFciTAfgHhAalhCtWrXBvI5E4O8ZxFahYxqplYiBy9bDkLUimbgf1aSPEGep4ZpiiTabp-AOt0N4HtA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A29%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6wQY-u1WorT5_t-WcsB-EVn1qd5v2CkB6SzOanfwC2YT8Ymut-GTqesUVLJGhFciTAfgHhAalhCtWrXBvI5E4O8ZxFahYxqplYiBy9bDkLUimbgf1aSPEGep4ZpiiTabp-AOt0N4HtA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A29%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109668.2305" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep...</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmhpwldsuS-QK1ywqoT0v-UKdE-kRg0gggUMWC3zuKPiUWWuDGye13uaG_7Qs5BeZzt4zvMN9HtLVFzFJl4jlum1hZax9n-JYJhlAoOoGh1qLCEB7Lh0DN-xjuZVeIX5DvwRrE_rS2_E/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A30%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmhpwldsuS-QK1ywqoT0v-UKdE-kRg0gggUMWC3zuKPiUWWuDGye13uaG_7Qs5BeZzt4zvMN9HtLVFzFJl4jlum1hZax9n-JYJhlAoOoGh1qLCEB7Lh0DN-xjuZVeIX5DvwRrE_rS2_E/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A30%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109680.6707" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and their shepherd. And sheep dog, I guess.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> We had very little time to spend in the insectarium as it was closing in less than an hour. Let's just say there are some truly large and scary-looking bugs out there. It was kind of cool to watch a stick insect eating a leaf. I can see how a group of these bugs could destroy a tree pretty fast.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunovUU24hbLrdsOv9eNLAHZL5uc6Q6et2zMBvkrLRLtZcPEhUXmv1oJJCZFIdYA7RoaxakSdqFn6TQiILEpqdHk2UsOAPUnQDnOm3Urb5tdiQx-HH7uaDat5MQ7sjyaywvBehT0MI7KY/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A43%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunovUU24hbLrdsOv9eNLAHZL5uc6Q6et2zMBvkrLRLtZcPEhUXmv1oJJCZFIdYA7RoaxakSdqFn6TQiILEpqdHk2UsOAPUnQDnOm3Urb5tdiQx-HH7uaDat5MQ7sjyaywvBehT0MI7KY/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A43%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371432109699.5015" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> We headed off to dinner at the Dominion Square Tavern. I don't remember how I found it online but I pinned it way back as a place we should try. Even though it was on the early side by local dinner standards, we nearly didn't get a table; very few were free since they were being held for reservations. As the name implies, much of the menu was pub-type food. We had corn fritters with homemade ketchup to start, then variations on pork and potatoes: homemade bangers and mash for Zach, a pulled pork sandwich with fries for me. We ended up splitting both entrees because we each liked what the other had quite a bit. But the corn fritters were the best part of the meal.</p>
<p>Our last stop was to go back to Vieux Montreal for something rather silly: Eepybird's Coke Zero and Mentos Spectacular. (Have you seen the YouTube video? It's how they became famous.) Basically they drop Mentos into coke and it makes a geyser and they do a kind of choreographed fountain sequence. It was fun and we got there early enough to have a great view.</p>
<p>Another exhausting day. We keep telling ourselves we want to take time to relax but there is just so much to do here!</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-89688681747347376372013-06-14T22:55:00.001-04:002013-06-17T22:04:50.670-04:00Day 2 in Montreal<p> Today's weather was again nicer than anticipated so we got to eat breakfast in the garden again. We got a lovely fruit and yogurt salad today and a frittata with veggies and bacon. Perfect start to the day!</p>
<p>We took the metro to the Marche Atwater, one of Montreal's major farmers markets. (Random aside: When we got off the metro we looked at some street signs and looked at a map to make sure we headed down the street in the right direction. then we simultaneously made references to Dora the Explorer. What can I say? we have a two year old.) Anyway, part of the market is outdoor stalls, part is indoors. We were searching for picnic components to take with us. We bought a tray of locally-grown strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries (which turned out to be some of the best berries I've ever had), a loaf of artisan bread, and two cheeses from a fromagerie: Conte 3 ans and Epoisses Perriere. The first was an aged hard cheese that had a texture like Parmesan but a flavor somewhat milder; reminded me a bit of Gouda. Quite a complex flavor. The second was a soft runny cheese that we spread on slices of bread. I thought I didn't care for soft cheeses very much but this one was great.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUekQY162nMMaYiSe7oYGQvh6EN1D8cqhxhdWnxNCc5PwmUGBTQC935tt6JEjzqXlFk6hBriE-n9IIFa70p8Fuj64GkzRMzggKxLVOjSVaH8cC1ehEamelce_-MlH0V6qQyRExBC5ixx0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUekQY162nMMaYiSe7oYGQvh6EN1D8cqhxhdWnxNCc5PwmUGBTQC935tt6JEjzqXlFk6hBriE-n9IIFa70p8Fuj64GkzRMzggKxLVOjSVaH8cC1ehEamelce_-MlH0V6qQyRExBC5ixx0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371521076951.4233" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got the pain grains anciens on the left.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjASs2J8afjWsyExCGYVvx67qZxMop8XwB9tKLvW-gBsPzsB0jNv_BW9lUEqJa2r0OyI8Mdo862fXovjzUqYtNjkkRZ87c-aDUDcbOul032UmyCg6dP_KUIgy5o7EOGwDYD36pa4Hw2jo/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A03%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjASs2J8afjWsyExCGYVvx67qZxMop8XwB9tKLvW-gBsPzsB0jNv_BW9lUEqJa2r0OyI8Mdo862fXovjzUqYtNjkkRZ87c-aDUDcbOul032UmyCg6dP_KUIgy5o7EOGwDYD36pa4Hw2jo/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A03%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371521076959.327" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fruit stall. Everything looked so delicious!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> We hopped back on the metro to head toward Mont Royal, a big hill (which you hear referred to as a mountain) right in the middle of the city. You can drive to the top but we opted to hike. There is a trail that zigzags up the side of the hill or you can take some stairs as a shortcut. We mostly walked so add another mile or two to our walking total for this trip. We were more than ready to enjoy our bread, cheese, and berries when we found a bench near the top.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxLtRxQdmgF34Allkl8MSojZag_q8gl7Fkxuar21Fz2tIfQIDVFv_b6imr09Cq5lAbAri5gpLMvNiBrS50C6kcUWkvbqwVmUjc_NToScQPOVHddidddMNC2nJyrABE0LnaJvUJNyeaEs/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A38%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxLtRxQdmgF34Allkl8MSojZag_q8gl7Fkxuar21Fz2tIfQIDVFv_b6imr09Cq5lAbAri5gpLMvNiBrS50C6kcUWkvbqwVmUjc_NToScQPOVHddidddMNC2nJyrABE0LnaJvUJNyeaEs/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A38%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371521076918.4753" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rg23HSooPuG5c9JlO2oHVu58KU9onC1a1CAt2pFOdrE0OHIO-opvCwgJqx0xGJiVXfjZcK0LbQQtlbvZ6-Z53fKmYt5e-ClSMNpzb-Fg4yf6fwYCgq0v7uLxlgQTr6SmsH_FiE6NT4M/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A01%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rg23HSooPuG5c9JlO2oHVu58KU9onC1a1CAt2pFOdrE0OHIO-opvCwgJqx0xGJiVXfjZcK0LbQQtlbvZ6-Z53fKmYt5e-ClSMNpzb-Fg4yf6fwYCgq0v7uLxlgQTr6SmsH_FiE6NT4M/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A01%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371521076897.1687" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are nicer paths but we took a few shortcuts on steeper, rougher trails like this one.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> The view from the summit is worth all exertion to get there.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwziHI6bXkqvCYCS8FSc2DTql1iubfi1Q0q15vdSdmXdnG1vKlmtZROYI0geQ_GmXZ28fgnIJSUF394D_HHWj4yQeFR6kMCJ8x90LlI7XrCB5R9Tjlg6s0OP8567DBxHSOqB9BG1RRx8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwziHI6bXkqvCYCS8FSc2DTql1iubfi1Q0q15vdSdmXdnG1vKlmtZROYI0geQ_GmXZ28fgnIJSUF394D_HHWj4yQeFR6kMCJ8x90LlI7XrCB5R9Tjlg6s0OP8567DBxHSOqB9BG1RRx8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A03%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371521076930.0176" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></div>
<p> We were tired when we reached the bottom again. I'm not in bad shape these days and my legs felt a little shaky! So after a brief stop at a coffee shop we headed back to our B&B for a late afternoon rest. So nice. Just stopping to relax in the middle of the day almost never happens at home.</p>
<p> We jumped on the metro once again in the late afternoon (getting our money's worth for our 3 day pass!) and headed downtown to get some street food and see a movie. We found a stall selling poutine, which is the quintessential Montreal food. French fries topped with cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Pretty tasty. Salty, as you might expect. Good for a quick bite when you have further plans. Then we found a theater (took some looking, it was inside a sort of mall that didn't look anything like a theater from the outside) and saw <em>The Great Gatsby</em>. Good movie. Makes me want to read the book again cause it's been, oh, seventeen years or so. Pretty sure I remembered about 1% of the storyline.</p>
<p>You'll be shocked to hear that we ate dessert after the movie. Wonderful pieces of chocolate cake from a patisserie IN THE MALL. American malls have Mrs. Field's chain store cookies, Québécois malls have real pastry shops. Sweet!</p>
<p>And that was day 2. :-)</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-26321882118722700322013-06-14T10:32:00.001-04:002013-06-14T10:32:29.962-04:00What I Did on my Summer Vacation (or, Day 1 in Montreal)<p><em>Note: This was written Thursday night but published Friday morning because of Internet trouble at our B&B.</em></p>
<p> If you will be bored by lots of details about our time in Montreal, you might want to tune out for the next few blog posts. When Zach and I took a trip to France and Italy six years ago, we bought a little journal and every night I wrote what we had done, where we had eaten, etc. We have enjoyed reading it since then and reliving those wonderful memories. So I want to do the same thing for this trip, only via the blog.</p>
<p>The weather was unexpectedly nice this morning so we got to have breakfast in the back garden. It is like a little secret garden, surrounded by tall walls. Delicious food: French toast with freshly-made raspberry jam and fresh fruit. Not too heavy, leaving us feeling perfectly entitled to stop for a mid-morning pastry.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihyphenhyphenpw2OFtjkQb1S9ImjEU1X0OFHebJ0ixCKFNtMp0QqN9yT-gze_yEXVqLpEPD5N3gQBe-lShPLHi4uQPjTjqte47-Jnd8ZTWhlYJnN_YMFlcrH0FjTz1dpFA2rVuN0BPn_9bKlAQIt0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A34%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihyphenhyphenpw2OFtjkQb1S9ImjEU1X0OFHebJ0ixCKFNtMp0QqN9yT-gze_yEXVqLpEPD5N3gQBe-lShPLHi4uQPjTjqte47-Jnd8ZTWhlYJnN_YMFlcrH0FjTz1dpFA2rVuN0BPn_9bKlAQIt0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A34%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347680.0217" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMsazVaMScZG2HthULBUjycS9dkMCOZ-zg6h67bDD-E4yjxtEU-DdmMGaiLstdnSck9-77sDA9lEcherkO-Bf0WqJ4A3g-vMgiMiyl1R5vmycrrtIZTAXGLk_DYoKW-40wwID5Zv4KjA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMsazVaMScZG2HthULBUjycS9dkMCOZ-zg6h67bDD-E4yjxtEU-DdmMGaiLstdnSck9-77sDA9lEcherkO-Bf0WqJ4A3g-vMgiMiyl1R5vmycrrtIZTAXGLk_DYoKW-40wwID5Zv4KjA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347616.1313" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mid-morning pastry: brioche de chocolat valhrona</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> olive + gourmando was a place we had read about online and it did not disappoint. It was kind of hard to choose what to get. Gee, maybe we'll have to go back.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSD2hPCa4O5Hg7mGKq0VmiEyM9fGiiQiygGKv04GqB_fz3Lzg4eyEtygiOck2oS_4KsYwa3YNtYgXWDaJBPebnbSGf9hIo9HnHy66szgVzr_nCbA0spd85pw1Mo03AYisdu5P2plS1TnA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A48%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSD2hPCa4O5Hg7mGKq0VmiEyM9fGiiQiygGKv04GqB_fz3Lzg4eyEtygiOck2oS_4KsYwa3YNtYgXWDaJBPebnbSGf9hIo9HnHy66szgVzr_nCbA0spd85pw1Mo03AYisdu5P2plS1TnA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A48%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347685.0735" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will know what a snickers square tastes like by the end of this trip.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>After successfully purchasing metro passes and navigating the subway, we spent the first half of our day in Vieux Montreal, the old city. Narrow, cobbled streets and beautiful buildings everywhere. We will probably go back there for dinner once or twice because there were so many amazing looking restaurants.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkncopkr3SgD_JWXhNjh4_AgwJdKNFxW5_3FzfVMWckH0mUi1WXKgIudxT1lubGbDnd0zPLnqF1fXp24HgdOmO_N7nNOkeOTtBUg_HGVsfIcJpigTgiZHYMuAQAktUUHnze9toL9hHpe0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkncopkr3SgD_JWXhNjh4_AgwJdKNFxW5_3FzfVMWckH0mUi1WXKgIudxT1lubGbDnd0zPLnqF1fXp24HgdOmO_N7nNOkeOTtBUg_HGVsfIcJpigTgiZHYMuAQAktUUHnze9toL9hHpe0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347641.7139" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to believe we're not in Europe!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFKZRijTIUvkef0Y2QhC-1daGoqigy9EzE_-s0DfCLDU47BaqGX91ToZjCI8usVKlODnSB9W68EXleP-GOZb4xUq_kEFnNY4G_Xpi-EB6oV9BdkikzqAcwdV2Hc9KxHpPG0iRNCvdqHA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFKZRijTIUvkef0Y2QhC-1daGoqigy9EzE_-s0DfCLDU47BaqGX91ToZjCI8usVKlODnSB9W68EXleP-GOZb4xUq_kEFnNY4G_Xpi-EB6oV9BdkikzqAcwdV2Hc9KxHpPG0iRNCvdqHA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347643.3894" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> In the picture above you are looking down at Vieux Port (the old port) and that's where we headed next. A science festival is happening there this weekend so we might go back; they were setting things up today and some of the exhibits look entertaining. We grabbed a small lunch at a food court near the science museum and decided to take a boat tour. Well worth it--I feel like I have a much better sense of how the city is laid out now, at least the side along the St. Laurence river. We got to see some container ships being unloaded and learn about Montreal's advantages and disadvantages as a port city. Call me a nerd if you like but I found all that kind of interesting.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ-aHF6dj5zQxgcCRG1R5JaYSfABnna9dwO0Oykqx5zq_mzPb47Fhd-VfJW_cCDBHeQLeAv-wKXBdx00-9X6r-5fwXnuzj898GYl6_wRRlL1biBS3t2l73wN1jfGclZ19fCnb_3JoXMA/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A23%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ-aHF6dj5zQxgcCRG1R5JaYSfABnna9dwO0Oykqx5zq_mzPb47Fhd-VfJW_cCDBHeQLeAv-wKXBdx00-9X6r-5fwXnuzj898GYl6_wRRlL1biBS3t2l73wN1jfGclZ19fCnb_3JoXMA/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A23%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347679.4038" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tour boat</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTF0cOW2V1fOTqh62mYMYVLRtSaNGyoQCatV4W5igOwXBT3bETBvfqaFcMjXSIll0LL2C6d0ptjx0RJo8BbK7XxI0vHByujBo98fnuxl70ZKy0_rbtN3la1Sgshb9r7OGzCyIxC18n2o/s1280/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A47%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTF0cOW2V1fOTqh62mYMYVLRtSaNGyoQCatV4W5igOwXBT3bETBvfqaFcMjXSIll0LL2C6d0ptjx0RJo8BbK7XxI0vHByujBo98fnuxl70ZKy0_rbtN3la1Sgshb9r7OGzCyIxC18n2o/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A47%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347675.093" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cute couple on the tour boat. Who then went downstairs because they didn't want to get sunburned.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsICdivmrTwXGgKA-qnVgy9aOVfhZe3i5Fa-4gyT_H0HvaLMsVHob3YfKuBwO7_eRqsFTa6yAM2pwUI1NiGuEf6nu86AhfQ2fF14hkkAdOIoMWGyrJUrg2rltOlkHP9ej_e0mZJbgE3o/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsICdivmrTwXGgKA-qnVgy9aOVfhZe3i5Fa-4gyT_H0HvaLMsVHob3YfKuBwO7_eRqsFTa6yAM2pwUI1NiGuEf6nu86AhfQ2fF14hkkAdOIoMWGyrJUrg2rltOlkHP9ej_e0mZJbgE3o/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347603.0935" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool cube-y apartments. They were built for the 1967 Worlds Fair if I remember aright.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfCjiZrbr7tUqpC1vXwZVB-qi80Zt5LUa8-bAijcNt-TrNh95DWTiXZa0ZzmONYuHcoL0zehj3LPJ_CFqWda2OqMAtHCFKDLXhAFtXX77NDCk4GIPFRYtGUnRSZCX3vN7ng8Irtb0EZY/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A37%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfCjiZrbr7tUqpC1vXwZVB-qi80Zt5LUa8-bAijcNt-TrNh95DWTiXZa0ZzmONYuHcoL0zehj3LPJ_CFqWda2OqMAtHCFKDLXhAFtXX77NDCk4GIPFRYtGUnRSZCX3vN7ng8Irtb0EZY/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525202%25253A37%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347662.6755" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought Austin might like a close-up of a container ship that was passing by.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> After the tour we headed up Boulevard St Laurent, which is sort of at the heart of the cultural life of Montreal. Theaters, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. go on for blocks. We stumbled across not one but two more festivals while in that area. First, the Francofolies, which I believe is a celebration of francophone culture in Montreal. There was one band playing and we saw several stages--I bet that place will be packed this weekend. Second, a festival of murals. Walls were being painted as we walked by.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdnEOMLYLRhN5cYCYGjeGyp1YCU3xmOWG51DO9N_-_sDgSk_DvYkoYMUlAT1_w8cGYDnrJJn-v20DIrnRhr_-aNRoT1amEUs1wPsjV_zJ4AcSF4G7mjJ2BbYOijlWS1llJherKXWRqfM/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A36%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdnEOMLYLRhN5cYCYGjeGyp1YCU3xmOWG51DO9N_-_sDgSk_DvYkoYMUlAT1_w8cGYDnrJJn-v20DIrnRhr_-aNRoT1amEUs1wPsjV_zJ4AcSF4G7mjJ2BbYOijlWS1llJherKXWRqfM/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A36%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347659.642" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> And a car.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp-YcUFzCh8sXDx3HToMB8QCchYos1YlfUUVVlIpR8ZcPSABitJplPFAX4vxx4cVIY94LvwQLY-ioMb_MjKo-Us6Mqdr6BvnLYFUUqZHMQLSxglrj1p5O31XXcxtuz4dqm3ywJpBvpMY/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A43%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFp-YcUFzCh8sXDx3HToMB8QCchYos1YlfUUVVlIpR8ZcPSABitJplPFAX4vxx4cVIY94LvwQLY-ioMb_MjKo-Us6Mqdr6BvnLYFUUqZHMQLSxglrj1p5O31XXcxtuz4dqm3ywJpBvpMY/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A43%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347607.4485" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></div>
<p> We ate dinner on a little street off of Blvd. St. Laurent that was just beautiful. Charming buildings that absolutely reminded me of Paris and a little fountain that was right behind me as we ate on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. The restaurant was a French place called Le Square. We had asparagus gratin for our <em>entree </em>(which means appetizer in French), then Zach had a pork chop with honey mustard sauce and ratatouille while I had tilapia with mango-pineapple sauce. Oh, and they served wonderful bread that they got from a bakery right around the corner.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnm86mcqUeIXsA1xDeRAkOWZwcyXGHvYwSTR3SXYpoS29y4RILJd9CJtfhBKJIIvIviuq818qgEgKeDF9fDH_PplV1h9hYRFYAWdpEW5xD942uZy-eW4RWDRzBtFg1Fk3jVNgqTG1aRg/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnm86mcqUeIXsA1xDeRAkOWZwcyXGHvYwSTR3SXYpoS29y4RILJd9CJtfhBKJIIvIviuq818qgEgKeDF9fDH_PplV1h9hYRFYAWdpEW5xD942uZy-eW4RWDRzBtFg1Fk3jVNgqTG1aRg/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347617.607" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy plating! But a few bites are missing...we dove in so eagerly that I forgot I wanted to take a picture first.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Our last stop was another place we'd read about online, Juliette et Chocolat. (Can you tell how much research involving coffee and sweets we did prior to the trip?) Their menu was full of incredibly decadent chocolatey goodness. I had a trifle with brownie bites, whipped cream, caramel, and a little cup of chocolate sauce I could pour on at will. Zach had a brownie with ice cream and the same sauce. Wow. That's another spot that I have a feeling will get a return visit from us.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJnim8O44T7ZQybrplEJ_ljFGzL_1BFwwL6MWlER45WkZJhGyR9y5bXcHZVx5df_nHNzhLdD5e-SF9FUzYgtunw2PdyFVl1-9ky3xXuyVr1lC8tSoIdellrrbPBIkuywCXQTHdVoBbkE/s1280/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" " title=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJnim8O44T7ZQybrplEJ_ljFGzL_1BFwwL6MWlER45WkZJhGyR9y5bXcHZVx5df_nHNzhLdD5e-SF9FUzYgtunw2PdyFVl1-9ky3xXuyVr1lC8tSoIdellrrbPBIkuywCXQTHdVoBbkE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252013%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371220347685.4763" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="375" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> So, overall impressions of Montreal after our first full day? It's a beautiful city where old and new live side by side. The population is quite diverse...it is interesting to hear people of all ethnic backgrounds speaking French around you. There is a large population of young, hipster-ish types. I felt welcome everywhere we went despite our weak language skills; people kindly spoke English to us after an initial French greeting. I like this city!</p>
<p>Boy are we worn out, though. We must have walked four or five miles today, maybe more. I am so glad we splurged on lodgings with an enormous bathtub. I think it's calling my name.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-26555915939251021142013-06-12T22:03:00.001-04:002013-06-12T22:03:00.410-04:00We're Off!<p> Thanks to our amazing parents (who are brave enough to take on our four kids), Zach and I are headed to Montreal today! It's an 11th anniversary trip; we were a little too busy with newborns last summer to take a trip for the more traditionally-celebrated 10 year mark. Why Montreal? I've wanted to visit ever since high school French class, it's international without being overseas, and well, it just looks like a fun place to visit.</p>
<p>In the five years since Austin was born, I have only spent two nights away from my kids (not counting nights in the hospital because they hardly qualify as a vacation). It is not that I am against leaving my kids with someone else so I can spend concentrated time with Zach, but rather the logistics of willing babysitters (family) living hundreds of miles away. But we decided months back that we wanted to make this a priority. Our marriage is a priority. We love love love our kids but having four of them so young has made for a crazy year. So we saved our pennies, made arrangements with the grandparents, and now it's time to go!</p>
<p>Saying goodbye to the kids this morning was emotional, as I knew it would be. Austin was so sweet, he said he hoped we would have fun and assured us that he would have fun. Esther was pretty sleepy this morning and I doubt she really processed what was happening, but I got a sweet I love you from her last night and that's enough. Joshua and Jude gave me some snuggles this morning. Little moments to treasure while we're away. This is the farthest physical distance that has ever existed between me and my kids and it's bringing out a lot of mixed feelings. <span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">Every kid I saw in the airports made me think of my own. </span>Part of me is embracing this freedom with Zach, enjoying how carefree one can be on a trip like this, and then thoughts of the kids pop into my head and I miss them so much. I guess this is all to be expected; I am not going to let myself feel guilty about this, though.</p>
<p> ****<em>Insert here hours-long interlude of air travel which is really too boring to write about****</em></p>
<p>Aaand we're here in Montreal! We made it through customs, hopped in a cab, and the first thing I saw as we left the airport was...Walmart. Seriously. (Shaking head.) I came all the way to Canada to see Walmart? Okay, maybe I should back up and say one cool thing about the hours of travel. As the plane was descending into Montreal we got a great bird's eye view of several areas we've read about like Mont Royal and the Olympic Stadium. So I'll think of that as my first Montreal memory instead.</p>
<p>We are staying in a bed and breakfast in the Verdun neighborhood of Montreal. We wandered around a bit before choosing a restaurant for dinner and it is most definitely a neighborhood, not full of tourists at all. Houses, apartments, sketchy-looking convenience stores, a surprising number of secondhand shops, some restaurants. It reminds me of Paris and New York at the same time.</p>
<p>We chose to eat at a place called Woodland Pizza because we saw people eating delicious looking Italian food through the window. In my opinion, walking into a restaurant in a foreign country is perhaps the most uncomfortable part of foreign travel. (I've done an incredibly small amount of international travel, mind you.) The person who greets you doesn't yet know you're not comfortable with the language so you get asked something in that language which you do your best to process and respond appropriately, but invariably your deer-in-the-headlights look reveals your foreign identity. And then (fortunately for me in the places I've visited) they smile and start speaking English. Our server tonight was quite kind; she and the bartender even gave Zach some tips on getting around in the area while he paid. But man, I wish I remembered my high school French.</p>
<p>Our room at the B&B is beautiful and happens to be the only thing I have a picture of tonight.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw4z2u_Hn6V4UVwJghyranSeOv7NLk7WZuwwe5wOcvXsIcpjzeXO_ahnNQ4CAslZn4NMaq6neA6DISY9waEQWDIcYR_lBLvTZNNQ_nrZV1E4yV7U4yDHdisFh20WQZOVQTJZGIW5-T0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252012%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hw4z2u_Hn6V4UVwJghyranSeOv7NLk7WZuwwe5wOcvXsIcpjzeXO_ahnNQ4CAslZn4NMaq6neA6DISY9waEQWDIcYR_lBLvTZNNQ_nrZV1E4yV7U4yDHdisFh20WQZOVQTJZGIW5-T0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252012%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1371088980094.2346" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></div>
<p> Hmm, wonder what time we'll wake up tomorrow without kids around? I'm excited to find out empirically rather than hypothetically. :-)</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-33932513037517024152013-06-11T20:30:00.001-04:002013-06-11T20:30:02.969-04:00Texas Fun<p> If you didn't catch it in my last post, we are in Texas right now, in the middle of a nearly month-long trip to visit both families PLUS Zach and I are taking an anniversary trip in the middle of it all! It has been a great trip so far...even after almost 2000 miles in the car together.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDSnzEFypFT1RKDLb1q2sOcIprJKGdEckgVL2mVZR3GarztGBSTciYdvKHYerHv006EjkPcqeGyHidsl9TlmqT2MRIjMd3oARHz6AEpf2LZPh2bl3InBT3Bw_uWRLauMFFFpimwYPRuY/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525207%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A34%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDSnzEFypFT1RKDLb1q2sOcIprJKGdEckgVL2mVZR3GarztGBSTciYdvKHYerHv006EjkPcqeGyHidsl9TlmqT2MRIjMd3oARHz6AEpf2LZPh2bl3InBT3Bw_uWRLauMFFFpimwYPRuY/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525207%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A34%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003162.6428" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's start with some stereotypical Texas sights: livestock.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">On Saturday Becky organized a little family reunion of sorts...we got to visit with extended family that I haven't seen in a few years.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP-TBiE0DGE5kIEhmqY4QwcmuogbYwhcl7iyNnQtpp-q5G_HjyPvKQmCshD4P_24myevm-eRew0_CPl71jMzttN6flBQJUC07NvXYhad8m4QhEJwCzOHZwdA9WmlHkEY9U3DcgmHNzDE/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A48%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZP-TBiE0DGE5kIEhmqY4QwcmuogbYwhcl7iyNnQtpp-q5G_HjyPvKQmCshD4P_24myevm-eRew0_CPl71jMzttN6flBQJUC07NvXYhad8m4QhEJwCzOHZwdA9WmlHkEY9U3DcgmHNzDE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A48%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003195.4028" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids, especially Austin, LOVED playing with Zach's cousin Faith.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCBwY6KfqQMEgOcCTwYvGFzi5Qc0QfodvPZymqsCGJ33CAIyKd7vcfHHFe3SbbRm3q2hpS7wD6386NyQ5yTF1pRAqmhB-ZU91iOOOwQZuz0j0wOCxcT4TnSXqmY0KJDjWA4e-FpRVhU8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCBwY6KfqQMEgOcCTwYvGFzi5Qc0QfodvPZymqsCGJ33CAIyKd7vcfHHFe3SbbRm3q2hpS7wD6386NyQ5yTF1pRAqmhB-ZU91iOOOwQZuz0j0wOCxcT4TnSXqmY0KJDjWA4e-FpRVhU8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252012%25253A51%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003188.4712" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us + Gran and Pops + Uncle Heath</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuXEVZRxPYAGp1495mmFNOc3LKVR2fqSTVyqm7pzZdWWnWenngZZhwNNLOoOVuC1pQHQ597Mof_xExpllpgyx4xQtzcLlJzoebkL7jzChxQJhi8hgXQ5ww5JE92AKlrt4d_hNz9i57b8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A00%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuXEVZRxPYAGp1495mmFNOc3LKVR2fqSTVyqm7pzZdWWnWenngZZhwNNLOoOVuC1pQHQ597Mof_xExpllpgyx4xQtzcLlJzoebkL7jzChxQJhi8hgXQ5ww5JE92AKlrt4d_hNz9i57b8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A00%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003143.5269" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther adores her Pops and he adores her right back.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPHfOSSA77FLHt_Jj57bWuX3q3kPYnmgjb7fyP27k-s11Em9wDT2amBF94CsLylzhEFc5c42kqFTg2zlUdjgh_PB8gJsqRiu7rpocNRofWAsujCpbH4kmQtkYJ5ATp2TrJAA6n26rmeE/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPHfOSSA77FLHt_Jj57bWuX3q3kPYnmgjb7fyP27k-s11Em9wDT2amBF94CsLylzhEFc5c42kqFTg2zlUdjgh_PB8gJsqRiu7rpocNRofWAsujCpbH4kmQtkYJ5ATp2TrJAA6n26rmeE/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A44%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003208.531" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A baby (sorry, don't know who) attempts a little coloring.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP294zrC5pEgBFmOn03bcalD2VIv5kDKYEY0YpJ82sflofbWVJJVWhA7PWP1j-cF2m41T2LUvIqLmcTy74gKIOf2SD2QAoiviwTr91FJ-n-IWIXDr1RsCzd7PgaJizj5Zh9rUNTOpJso/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A14%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP294zrC5pEgBFmOn03bcalD2VIv5kDKYEY0YpJ82sflofbWVJJVWhA7PWP1j-cF2m41T2LUvIqLmcTy74gKIOf2SD2QAoiviwTr91FJ-n-IWIXDr1RsCzd7PgaJizj5Zh9rUNTOpJso/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A14%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003154.0066" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product. Haha, just kidding...Austin has colored many pictures like this one from his newest coloring book. He is developing a distinct style. Love it.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25GWYKm6R3HiMIVRkdNWAfyxWH3v3kC6xagkVeCDmCyE4_bPdJrYzF4lvafK6ac6jLY5Hp9SsIR-6wjA0f9qYqnzBzDREvsgNu84LhFmEOfBdagAxWMnc3aKhAAhYhx1Buq9OLRsyBR4/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A13%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25GWYKm6R3HiMIVRkdNWAfyxWH3v3kC6xagkVeCDmCyE4_bPdJrYzF4lvafK6ac6jLY5Hp9SsIR-6wjA0f9qYqnzBzDREvsgNu84LhFmEOfBdagAxWMnc3aKhAAhYhx1Buq9OLRsyBR4/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A13%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003226.8464" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All four pretending the cots are mountains.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuFxx4Pb04MKC3pv4GqaE2jY5C32TP-KYDj185EUFalRXqWRWg3ohHbWtArdlmj8q2GPy5WkamOQcHa0q8kO8Y1YkelS7o1zSK0vINaHxSNNKVl6fWeeHAwC0M7cFm7uNIc9-a-5I_oM/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252010%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuFxx4Pb04MKC3pv4GqaE2jY5C32TP-KYDj185EUFalRXqWRWg3ohHbWtArdlmj8q2GPy5WkamOQcHa0q8kO8Y1YkelS7o1zSK0vINaHxSNNKVl6fWeeHAwC0M7cFm7uNIc9-a-5I_oM/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252010%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A11%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003206.8352" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making soft-serve with Gran. Mmm, Blue Bell ice cream.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTNShyq7L0DtvjU3iTO__Q1tB_3zsqidVLEPh4t-TNb_E1f-4E_khEflxwyWTcZ2Vu6HYMm6sbmH0KNjyIrvWlsRaNs_QmWIu2rbqdosb1tbSUN_SJtLkCE8735A9EDascEcDewWeg0c/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A16%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTNShyq7L0DtvjU3iTO__Q1tB_3zsqidVLEPh4t-TNb_E1f-4E_khEflxwyWTcZ2Vu6HYMm6sbmH0KNjyIrvWlsRaNs_QmWIu2rbqdosb1tbSUN_SJtLkCE8735A9EDascEcDewWeg0c/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A16%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003183.3162" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua learns how to make breakfast pizza.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif7EM41ACgQnl01JTwC9wQ6fgjIxdcS0O7OLvOHlO6ZGWeHwj_-uAGTrwuB8ky1bOLf0CqMgmpLaZPmwY_ybfoR5CeVGybRFYJeeuGq6NGSiJpXhey0kMgKbQl8QkmycLMpLajn3I0Vc/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A04%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif7EM41ACgQnl01JTwC9wQ6fgjIxdcS0O7OLvOHlO6ZGWeHwj_-uAGTrwuB8ky1bOLf0CqMgmpLaZPmwY_ybfoR5CeVGybRFYJeeuGq6NGSiJpXhey0kMgKbQl8QkmycLMpLajn3I0Vc/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252011%25253A04%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003150.073" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gran and Pops have lots of books for our little bookworms.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7ratSrfT2kluaxH4rKELK2F_VmevSwqQ1zEt0XKG7ehrhhW2TI411BAs12Cek6Yzj486byBkhLAnNWo8WBDpzQ6jz4S-3EghQT82lzrBAzczjaavmFMbkGl4_TIky0MoyVuPeveDNto/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252010%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7ratSrfT2kluaxH4rKELK2F_VmevSwqQ1zEt0XKG7ehrhhW2TI411BAs12Cek6Yzj486byBkhLAnNWo8WBDpzQ6jz4S-3EghQT82lzrBAzczjaavmFMbkGl4_TIky0MoyVuPeveDNto/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252010%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525201%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003201.5198" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When packing for a big trip, don't forget to take your children. ;-)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ujIAA9BVoxzp8uECDpTW1A2pubsDBcrfFpr6qDGd_kk2eaVn_vTe_-ue9oYvK3cQk6Xvfu8Yxo91zTYrrbFWGGw8ZM84taBaLz_hNhXbt5xR1tNjb7qLSrXIAmBDDz-SrrwXUo86EY8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ujIAA9BVoxzp8uECDpTW1A2pubsDBcrfFpr6qDGd_kk2eaVn_vTe_-ue9oYvK3cQk6Xvfu8Yxo91zTYrrbFWGGw8ZM84taBaLz_hNhXbt5xR1tNjb7qLSrXIAmBDDz-SrrwXUo86EY8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003235.0657" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="373"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard at work. Esther had the biggest grin on her face!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zGuYRCUCA_mJGDHl4Te7q7TwS10G8YEeM5AnMOx1qDBF8bs3VdTh2d0yJesw3dRgyJU_uG3L9PIqL9EkoyxQ-J1tm3OKj9to8DyUM-NgY42iQBatqVup1_LO9qnY9n6md0BzK1FdtQs/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A35%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zGuYRCUCA_mJGDHl4Te7q7TwS10G8YEeM5AnMOx1qDBF8bs3VdTh2d0yJesw3dRgyJU_uG3L9PIqL9EkoyxQ-J1tm3OKj9to8DyUM-NgY42iQBatqVup1_LO9qnY9n6md0BzK1FdtQs/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525205%25253A35%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003157.8706" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kind of blurry, but this perfectly captures the mood when we went to a hibachi restaurant. Austin watched with glee, Esther frowned, covered her ears, and snuggled with Gran or Daddy through the whole meal.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR51-krH6HOEx72uksPOu9kJlXff0hSnTJA9zLrlgp7mXA0zAMtywphYjki9SorRjDn0Kv5UU7MKGxJXoDVGXPm6Kkqcqy5s4VevKwKa7ZxB6-JzjU-LTQmD3rg7uN8N7naI_vOP12WC8/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A59%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR51-krH6HOEx72uksPOu9kJlXff0hSnTJA9zLrlgp7mXA0zAMtywphYjki9SorRjDn0Kv5UU7MKGxJXoDVGXPm6Kkqcqy5s4VevKwKa7ZxB6-JzjU-LTQmD3rg7uN8N7naI_vOP12WC8/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525204%25253A59%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003217.319" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to go to the Rangers game</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcL7NVNjVn10NTfhnLW8oxp6NRYLFqAKnU5q_VoMqYZgCEKWdGgyDXOVP2cATzw1dYzzEVcnSkXM3RNmsJ-HBg08fpTn_95bFGPx-CBiPCW2V1dSUEa1o2oUcngl_3qycdGFMe1C6QGZk/s1600/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A54%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcL7NVNjVn10NTfhnLW8oxp6NRYLFqAKnU5q_VoMqYZgCEKWdGgyDXOVP2cATzw1dYzzEVcnSkXM3RNmsJ-HBg08fpTn_95bFGPx-CBiPCW2V1dSUEa1o2oUcngl_3qycdGFMe1C6QGZk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A54%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370997003169.0542" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="667" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the game</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Next stop for me and Zach: Montreal!</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-75318822984475942882013-06-08T11:16:00.001-04:002013-06-08T16:40:47.130-04:00Eleven<p>Eleven years ago I woke up early with a sense of happy anticipation. I spent the morning preparing with family and friends, then at 3pm I married my best friend.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwjJ9EaDFqtN7OQvaL3elzKBJ9_kZm3P6xk6q_eEBcL17IhzdjrJ9ZVQxMaNQ_Q5wGv_zPuERMAa1XNDhqlpqM6cX58f6M7kAbNz_E4wGcHMiAIbPL5XDn4pvq-HDPlvPBR0tNM5XhSk/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A22%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwjJ9EaDFqtN7OQvaL3elzKBJ9_kZm3P6xk6q_eEBcL17IhzdjrJ9ZVQxMaNQ_Q5wGv_zPuERMAa1XNDhqlpqM6cX58f6M7kAbNz_E4wGcHMiAIbPL5XDn4pvq-HDPlvPBR0tNM5XhSk/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A22%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370723791225.376" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="702"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQoGXQG6hoyJwsKq9JRo6lh6fBVkFpJHSmet9LLLOo_ZvLVL-fcG-7oeYCabPnY4JAGUGS5Ih1wmZsJHmdZP8_IW-YrCmDv_j3SEPdNflxF01Fw2rI-iGzeKo5n7vdWmElB30WX5uhnc/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A23%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQoGXQG6hoyJwsKq9JRo6lh6fBVkFpJHSmet9LLLOo_ZvLVL-fcG-7oeYCabPnY4JAGUGS5Ih1wmZsJHmdZP8_IW-YrCmDv_j3SEPdNflxF01Fw2rI-iGzeKo5n7vdWmElB30WX5uhnc/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525203%25253A23%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370723791252.1257" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="345"></a></div>
<p><br>
This morning I also woke up early with a sense of anticipation, with my beloved in the bed next to me. We spent a short time preparing, then at 8am we ran a 5k together! The Joe's Run in Fort Worth was my second race and Zach's first. We got cheered on by our kids and parents, ran<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> the whole thing, and crossed the finish line together in 33:29. Together...our favorite way to do most things.</span><br>
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RCHRPO6-tk969cqrvJys5emxdcL853Ahtz7lXHQUVGgYtPj2uBMZEh4DiEIlx512YYm0wqcBK3NDiDXwpJlW1N1XQZUHo-d7Or67yLVqyMlU2TbrI_ZLWzGbEdWfxIa1vRph-TKMUt0/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A21%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RCHRPO6-tk969cqrvJys5emxdcL853Ahtz7lXHQUVGgYtPj2uBMZEh4DiEIlx512YYm0wqcBK3NDiDXwpJlW1N1XQZUHo-d7Or67yLVqyMlU2TbrI_ZLWzGbEdWfxIa1vRph-TKMUt0/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A21%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370723791231.3503" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheered on by the kids just past the halfway point</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEpZ6kWjT5AnOV5n8cqhDURESt4hABLvMedERSfcW-Q1eaqRMwpkwfL9h8MUpbjuZa_xNrPB2z7V5TGq8PYO7DgMNeYsNoaybBcVjT2EhBUb-hzuXFCLRWC7qtAYLoyixKOecSuT8Fpo/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A19%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEpZ6kWjT5AnOV5n8cqhDURESt4hABLvMedERSfcW-Q1eaqRMwpkwfL9h8MUpbjuZa_xNrPB2z7V5TGq8PYO7DgMNeYsNoaybBcVjT2EhBUb-hzuXFCLRWC7qtAYLoyixKOecSuT8Fpo/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525208%25253A19%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370723791267.1465" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The race had a parrot mascot who actually ran the race. He took time to pose with our kids, though.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_u5mfbAu-Lgw8gY-APsoI2RrtsJ5t3Fyx2UiMNvqsVWKxTIGFyBdWRnwV5RehPvMpMnuH5UZRNOjEH4o_38pRsfZLMhQ7p1rLc0ENGn4SBDu2dQ-M6PGM9XujfTEZX7TmVV8RNv81fw/s2048/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=" "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_u5mfbAu-Lgw8gY-APsoI2RrtsJ5t3Fyx2UiMNvqsVWKxTIGFyBdWRnwV5RehPvMpMnuH5UZRNOjEH4o_38pRsfZLMhQ7p1rLc0ENGn4SBDu2dQ-M6PGM9XujfTEZX7TmVV8RNv81fw/s500/Photo%252520Jun%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1370723791314.6624" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="373" alt=""></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race picture. What a cute couple!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p> Life with Zach is not much like I thought it would be eleven years ago. It is so much better.</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-72530209543665396372013-05-29T18:39:00.002-04:002013-05-29T18:39:53.369-04:00Sweet sleepyheadsThese babies have been asleep a loooong time and I should probably get them up but I'm going to sit in this peaceful room and blog about them instead. :-)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnkp6FnCYzT7nwZV4f6tEotQya5iHRnOw6nxy5cjvUCX3iMyYtBDNowzFSGX5k8iZs9yDhu88VZXBKi5A0vqIL5WeNRQiTFMco1B7tKO0jQOBNxQEvZC5Z-83MEcfZgFZAVtDNTu2wy8/s1600/452DBF91-F554-421A-ABCB-762585BAB5EC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnkp6FnCYzT7nwZV4f6tEotQya5iHRnOw6nxy5cjvUCX3iMyYtBDNowzFSGX5k8iZs9yDhu88VZXBKi5A0vqIL5WeNRQiTFMco1B7tKO0jQOBNxQEvZC5Z-83MEcfZgFZAVtDNTu2wy8/s400/452DBF91-F554-421A-ABCB-762585BAB5EC.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhblWY4jIABPbTmNFpx6-VarloCLA26EM6wZgGX69SEnJ2EOZPCTJmlpn-mHiYaXE6NH9gbCOH_O-aLpfOQpLdK-AWT9-6rX2WkyCFNNAe9mk7Ks_3bQr75hZJ_NlMpBuKqGisqvXiv50/s1600/45C37CE2-74CB-4C35-9721-705413A7BCBB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhblWY4jIABPbTmNFpx6-VarloCLA26EM6wZgGX69SEnJ2EOZPCTJmlpn-mHiYaXE6NH9gbCOH_O-aLpfOQpLdK-AWT9-6rX2WkyCFNNAe9mk7Ks_3bQr75hZJ_NlMpBuKqGisqvXiv50/s400/45C37CE2-74CB-4C35-9721-705413A7BCBB.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jude</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-36691122676958704562013-05-26T16:36:00.000-04:002013-05-26T16:36:15.524-04:00EndingsThree of my four children experienced a significant ending of one sort or another this week. First Austin's Pre-K4 class completed the year with a pizza party on Monday and a graduation program on Wednesday. I got, if not exactly emotional, at least reflective when I saw his backpack on the floor near the front door Monday afternoon. He dropped it when he came in and took off his shoes, and it struck me that I need to find a new home for it. Picking it up and hanging it in its usual spot on the doorknob of our coat closet is no longer the right thing to do because I won't be sending a child out the door to school any more. Possibly ever. Wow.<br />
<br />
An aside...I've been wondering how much Austin really understands about what it means to be homeschooled; after all, we've done some math and phonics at home this year even as he's gone to preschool three mornings a week. Would he think that hybrid will continue? But Mrs. McCullough, his teacher, told me when other children went next door to visit his school's kindergarten class, he matter-of-factly said that he'll have school at home with Mommy next year. So he gets it, I think.<br />
<br />
I am so satisfied with our decision to send him to Seeds of Faith this past year, though. He made huge strides in his writing and coloring, and he made lots of little buddies...I hope we can maintain those friendships. Wednesday's program was cute, as nearly all programs involving eleven four and five year olds are.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O2vfjj4kRb84AjryJfEPnGPBY9nu4523-eAUt-y5lAACOGpTBbCNjc8p1lWRYQ7CKK_ho0cr_RiC8sJIgWeoxdXFkjB-k-K9SowrJQg12-a7tRcLTPFyaWeM5Qmc73nHWxnbG5jKOZ4/s1600/IMG_5121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O2vfjj4kRb84AjryJfEPnGPBY9nu4523-eAUt-y5lAACOGpTBbCNjc8p1lWRYQ7CKK_ho0cr_RiC8sJIgWeoxdXFkjB-k-K9SowrJQg12-a7tRcLTPFyaWeM5Qmc73nHWxnbG5jKOZ4/s400/IMG_5121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing "I am a promise" with their capital Ps.</td></tr>
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The second ending is of an entirely different sort. This morning I nursed Joshua and Jude for the last time. I'll admit, I cried a little bit. I was somewhat sad when Austin and Esther stopped nursing but they seemed ready; Joshua and Jude on the other hand have seemed to depend on their morning feeding quite a bit. And knowing that they are my last babies, the last little ones who will depend on me in such a physical way...gosh, I'm crying again. The twins are not snugglers so breastfeeding them has provided a few minutes of snuggly time each day that I treasure.<br />
<br />
So why stop? The primary reason is that Zach and I are taking a just-us trip in two and a half weeks so weaning has long been a goal prior to our departure. And they are thirteen months old. My goal with all the kids was to nurse them to a year and I did it with all four. But it's still hard to give up.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-49583145317904175682013-05-21T09:10:00.001-04:002013-05-21T09:10:33.745-04:00Don't Let the Door Hit You...The twins spent some time playing with the front door this morning. Amazingly, no one got injured, and we caught it on video. I believe Joshua is on the left for those of you keeping track.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DS0jSu_N6eA?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-1063410611409491522013-05-18T10:28:00.001-04:002013-05-18T13:58:55.079-04:00CloseAs in, close to walking. Joshua, at least, is very close to walking. He pulls up on everything, scoots around the edges of his playard, and tonight did this:<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Fun. Scary. Mostly fun. :-)</span>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-47048781007151479882013-04-13T21:35:00.001-04:002013-04-13T22:47:05.159-04:00Getting a Little Crazy Around HereI've been feeling a little crazy lately. And it's not the kids' behavior or Zach's schedule or any particular set of circumstances. It's crazy ideas I've had (and carried out) while Zach has been out of town this weekend and last.<br />
<br />
Weekend #1--Zach took Austin to Houston on a 48-hour trip to celebrate Grannie Hardy's 100th birthday. Taking the whole family would have been expensive and stressful so I stayed home with the three littlest.<br />
<br />
So Saturday I decided to change the sheets on my bed, and since I got going on that early in the day I figured it was a good time to wash the mattress pad, pillow covers, and pillows. Then I decided to rotate the mattress because it had been a long while since it was done. Then I decided, as long as I was heaving around the heavy top mattress, I might as well experiment with a new location for the bed. Been wanting to do that for awhile. So I took advantage of the twins' morning nap and did it.<br />
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Hey, one thing leads to another.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrPwk19zB63wAWrez7lERzIesifBei5_52XNpc0EzIWUgQfUw883J8nU7rpIPzWqKymx9IIzm1_DhkgF4qE45zfnV7JIQuPW_ZQWdSXR65bAxW2ZxG5E-1mcTAkZT6xOlSFfTWkFjliU/s1600/DSCN1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrPwk19zB63wAWrez7lERzIesifBei5_52XNpc0EzIWUgQfUw883J8nU7rpIPzWqKymx9IIzm1_DhkgF4qE45zfnV7JIQuPW_ZQWdSXR65bAxW2ZxG5E-1mcTAkZT6xOlSFfTWkFjliU/s400/DSCN1557.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before (Picture from 2007...pre-kids...I don't bother with throw pillows<br />
and other non-essentials anymore)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After (Picture from today...yep it's a bit messy...on top of everything<br />
else I'm working on a bunch of Women's Club of IUP paperwork, hence<br />
piles on the ironing board)</td></tr>
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I really like the new room arrangement! We're not sure we'll keep it when the weather turns cold again next winter (might be chillier in our bed against an exterior wall) but for now it's lovely to have a change.<br />
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Weekend #2--Zach has been in West Virginia since Thursday; he comes back late tomorrow evening. Knowing this trip would take him and our family car away for four days and knowing therefore that we would not be going anywhere for four whole days, I decided to potty train Esther. Yeah, home by myself with Austin and the twins.<br />
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Background: we made a potty training attempt in January. A completely unsuccessful attempt. By the middle of day four, when we were having just as many accidents as the beginning of day one, we decided to give up. So I was understandably a little nervous going into this second attempt, but determined to see it through. I used some new strategies that a MOPS mommy told me about and prayed a lot.<br />
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And...SUCCESS! Most of day one (Thursday) was pretty rough, but things started to click in the evening and since yesterday Esther has had only one accident. Today she even took herself off to the bathroom completely independently a few times and was finished before I realized where she was. Hooray!<br />
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So...Zach has one more out-of-town weekend this month. What craziness should I get into next?<br />
:-)Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-89327219023603136802013-03-31T21:44:00.000-04:002013-03-31T21:44:31.953-04:00Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD1TObmvWnIJtKEY3ifxRitcoh2bENGnceTDHoykD06Dbv4IhUQZxm_nSWFWIwl4vJE9Ew4kAdpKWxKPTAfkbvEtabQl7Dq9kfxEjKNrkITForAs6GroAHUXXey24JrPuQCJroIL_hWos/s1600/IMG_4714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcD1TObmvWnIJtKEY3ifxRitcoh2bENGnceTDHoykD06Dbv4IhUQZxm_nSWFWIwl4vJE9Ew4kAdpKWxKPTAfkbvEtabQl7Dq9kfxEjKNrkITForAs6GroAHUXXey24JrPuQCJroIL_hWos/s400/IMG_4714.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Easter clothes=mandatory photo ops, right? Not bad results...you know how hard it is to get pictures of four wiggly kids! As I looked at the many, many shots we took, it struck me that there were some beautiful pictures of individual kids that were worth a little cropping time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDNyRhX66vLP8F2kOWaRn2yh8Hjjm7vy4ltKapJ940SqM_5wGN5t1hy5BchTCp-vw7hL2xozEJJwxwzBcDFYnszPha9TgEstc_ro7RvuTBtG6OtQtYTr_yjWgJrxc9FugEXX3jvD10hNt/s1600/IMG_4731Austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDNyRhX66vLP8F2kOWaRn2yh8Hjjm7vy4ltKapJ940SqM_5wGN5t1hy5BchTCp-vw7hL2xozEJJwxwzBcDFYnszPha9TgEstc_ro7RvuTBtG6OtQtYTr_yjWgJrxc9FugEXX3jvD10hNt/s400/IMG_4731Austin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin, 4 years 11 months</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg6XJBLUJ-S_FEp4UakgXkvK8qXXxM-fUBOcjJT3ntpUoxvGGZ0AV20zvUUnu3udUUwrVs21ZuLz0yP1WfsXJsOtXD_NFptPNstRTp7GB0WlMbFBOysBZ81L8V-z4UrC-3eA7qyeq3k3M/s1600/IMG_4756Esther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg6XJBLUJ-S_FEp4UakgXkvK8qXXxM-fUBOcjJT3ntpUoxvGGZ0AV20zvUUnu3udUUwrVs21ZuLz0yP1WfsXJsOtXD_NFptPNstRTp7GB0WlMbFBOysBZ81L8V-z4UrC-3eA7qyeq3k3M/s400/IMG_4756Esther.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther, 2 years 9 months</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyyWrPxT99b08owN9-YxYjzEuoPBwaKKbY7VONytkoXn1-HsjidpoBhaU-_Q7uIsmqnr0nGecc-oF0Iqi6D0JXaezwt425OUXMYqwa3N1i01pZGTTs-qI9gFE4Xqka493036-4TmJwoLD3/s1600/IMG_4750Joshua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyyWrPxT99b08owN9-YxYjzEuoPBwaKKbY7VONytkoXn1-HsjidpoBhaU-_Q7uIsmqnr0nGecc-oF0Iqi6D0JXaezwt425OUXMYqwa3N1i01pZGTTs-qI9gFE4Xqka493036-4TmJwoLD3/s400/IMG_4750Joshua.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua, 11 months</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mPK5eLxG4t5_ZZ4eJmdA734l8bGczxfQ_R6SOcIYET8EVbKefUS5k9ljR_tgY2p50TPcyYQADTxRn2zSlGr84Qi7b9DCj7rTmU-VOLlPwp2u2p6cRhmRtIOKF4sTpDmR1DbT_cXEVcox/s1600/IMG_4684Jude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mPK5eLxG4t5_ZZ4eJmdA734l8bGczxfQ_R6SOcIYET8EVbKefUS5k9ljR_tgY2p50TPcyYQADTxRn2zSlGr84Qi7b9DCj7rTmU-VOLlPwp2u2p6cRhmRtIOKF4sTpDmR1DbT_cXEVcox/s400/IMG_4684Jude.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jude, 11 months</td></tr>
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We even got a pretty nice picture of the whole family, thanks to Aunt Megan!<br />
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Happy Resurrection Day! We are having a wonderful day around here celebrating our risen Savior. Traditions like eggs and Easter baskets are fun, but I have really been trying to include more focus on Jesus this year. We searched for and opened two Resurrection Eggs each evening this week and read the biblical accounts of Jesus' last week. (And the kids got to search for an extra egg with candy in it...that was a big hit of course.) Then today after lunch we put a different spin on our Easter baskets, an idea I got from <a href="http://ohamanda.com/2011/04/19/easter-basekt-alternative/" target="_blank">Oh, Amanda</a>. I'm not sure how much of an impression it made on Austin but hopefully some more seeds were planted. Read the post I linked to and the pictures will make a lot more sense.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeNXhkXxFWmrYzkxuoRht_ckE3v4X9moVY_xhdJdcM-hbkQDIjEVmbOic9ejXMs5xl7ekzq8FWctyAdHRChZqyvfwX_xo6wsOEi1uDzbZw5eeIFEhDlbLYnX88r7nuNT0sgkiC2HEjggj/s1600/IMG_4793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJeNXhkXxFWmrYzkxuoRht_ckE3v4X9moVY_xhdJdcM-hbkQDIjEVmbOic9ejXMs5xl7ekzq8FWctyAdHRChZqyvfwX_xo6wsOEi1uDzbZw5eeIFEhDlbLYnX88r7nuNT0sgkiC2HEjggj/s400/IMG_4793.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our baskets (previously full of rocks) now covered by Jesus' "blood," while<br />Jesus' basket has our rocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our gifts...stuff we don't deserve but are freely given because someone<br />else paid a price, just like salvation.</td></tr>
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One more picture, just because. It is crazy how often we find the twins in similar positions or doing similar gestures like they are here. Fun twin stuff!<br />
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-19713982658739564662013-03-30T21:35:00.000-04:002013-03-31T15:08:32.721-04:00Race Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I ran a 5k today! I started running in September, have spent a lot of time on the treadmill (thank you, winter) and FINALLY ran a race! The best part was that I got to run with my sister Megan. She started training a few months before me and has already run a few races. Her Christmas present to me was a trip to Pennsylvania so we could complete my first race together! (Read her account of our race <a href="http://lenexicon.blogspot.com/2013/03/we-ran.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTwSjcuOCpUsdLKSu58LgATOtY9ipRxSvO2tHr4BPlsnDMixJNaVquf7nW7zYSdP9_v75MDgtIF5yCsK9StvjibdoMJZ2dg6MrZmIkd9x9xWG6x1g0NdSqKAYWJkSOAgX1rVKxfS4rKvU/s1600/IMG_4652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTwSjcuOCpUsdLKSu58LgATOtY9ipRxSvO2tHr4BPlsnDMixJNaVquf7nW7zYSdP9_v75MDgtIF5yCsK9StvjibdoMJZ2dg6MrZmIkd9x9xWG6x1g0NdSqKAYWJkSOAgX1rVKxfS4rKvU/s400/IMG_4652.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to head to the start. See the fun shirts Megan made for us? C.E. MAJor, Inc.<br />
was a "business" we started in our playroom circa 1989. We answered phone calls,<br />
wrote checks, made signs...helped us become the women we are today. :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a little chilly before the race started; can you tell I am wearing four layers? But it was a beautiful sunny day (sunshine! too rare in western PA) and we were plenty warm by mid-race. We trekked an hour and a half north of Indiana for our race, to Cook Forest. The course ran alongside a river with trees and hills all around. So scenic.<br />
<br />
When I started a couch to 5k program in the fall, my goal was to be able to run an entire 5k, no walking. And we did it! We do not have an official time yet but we're thinking it was in the 32:30 range.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1xdxgz50TF0jl_y1lPV1n-mWPBDLgyBvVdBkXv1dxjy1TUrqR5KhgzC33TX21iQN5itb6i2IugI6dCphuA20CuneCPH6PhMKAWCCGGu4Q5YsLY3rGRQsu49jQhoR5B1w5X-SM6Bk8dR6/s1600/IMG_20130330_103845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1xdxgz50TF0jl_y1lPV1n-mWPBDLgyBvVdBkXv1dxjy1TUrqR5KhgzC33TX21iQN5itb6i2IugI6dCphuA20CuneCPH6PhMKAWCCGGu4Q5YsLY3rGRQsu49jQhoR5B1w5X-SM6Bk8dR6/s400/IMG_20130330_103845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appropriate signage!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The only thing that could have made today better would've been having all four of my kids there. After we got an email on Thursday with some details about parking, the possible need to take a shuttle to the start, etc. we determined that it would be really tough to take the twins. So we hired our beloved Miss Anne to babysit. But I was thankful to have Zach and my two oldest babies there to cheer us on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0K1ckt3mGfGZBi8zhtI5Uwds-Emslo0-Istb20v_fj7SJky23Of3gpm22gMqEFESMNkjb2htewt4QoAsUSqJesTdtOf1A6sQ6Td3jKva3VprmZSfvvWQZx53QcO5m_dSHc3Y2VlRC8O7/s1600/XIMG_20130330_111004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0K1ckt3mGfGZBi8zhtI5Uwds-Emslo0-Istb20v_fj7SJky23Of3gpm22gMqEFESMNkjb2htewt4QoAsUSqJesTdtOf1A6sQ6Td3jKva3VprmZSfvvWQZx53QcO5m_dSHc3Y2VlRC8O7/s400/XIMG_20130330_111004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at this great sign! It made me cry a little when I first saw it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47_ULWiKbmLNj66_AP0f8iUCPhFoTqeEwy1cKij8XSnAMwEIS1fULhy6ltooxjTPRROMWmIouIjdSLr8pQ0ilKGYoAUxFt8WVldLk4qfROlUwdQHRN_kkXvFEVTLegWQ1xoMcYqQL0VEd/s1600/IMG_4667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47_ULWiKbmLNj66_AP0f8iUCPhFoTqeEwy1cKij8XSnAMwEIS1fULhy6ltooxjTPRROMWmIouIjdSLr8pQ0ilKGYoAUxFt8WVldLk4qfROlUwdQHRN_kkXvFEVTLegWQ1xoMcYqQL0VEd/s400/IMG_4667.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearing the finish line, coming in to give my kiddos a high five. Sure we're a<br />
little blurry...we're running FAST! Well, sort of fast. :-)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrleOt0G2pODFJYMQPmajVSJRsopLjNy8ooCRR1crbsY2Yx6SeoBB7AlgYK8jVDh9XavMOfGcGhNzVkFmPjvhkQUraL2FmyDjjkBXKFJtjEuj_H8NmrqkVsj2DpvMj1_0qacy_LWS-n2tF/s1600/IMG_4675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrleOt0G2pODFJYMQPmajVSJRsopLjNy8ooCRR1crbsY2Yx6SeoBB7AlgYK8jVDh9XavMOfGcGhNzVkFmPjvhkQUraL2FmyDjjkBXKFJtjEuj_H8NmrqkVsj2DpvMj1_0qacy_LWS-n2tF/s400/IMG_4675.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty girls in pink at the end of the race.</td></tr>
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It felt pretty amazing to complete this race. I'm not sure I had cumulatively run a mile in the decade preceding September, and today I ran 3.1 miles with a smile on my face. So I can say it: I'm a runner! I am 32 years old, have four little kids, and am in the best shape of my life. Feels good! Thank you, Zach, for supporting me through all the time I've spent at the Y. Thank you, Megan, for coming so far to run with me.<br />
<br />
I've spent a lot of time pondering this new identity I've made for myself as a runner. You see, this is the last thing I would have imagined myself becoming. Back in high school, I was a complete non-athlete. Orchestra, Scholars Bowl, and French Club were more my thing. One of the happiest days of those four years was when I walked out of P.E. for the last time knowing I would never have to take the class again. But thankfully we are not locked into our high school identities for life!<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is Easter. A day for celebrating new life. A day to celebrate that because of Christ's death and resurrection I can have a new identity that is so much more than being a runner or a mother or whatever else defines me. Thank you, Jesus, for this new life!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature ; the old things passed away ; behold, new things have come. </i>(2 Corinthians 5:7)</span></span></blockquote>
Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-55588057042939248192013-03-16T11:17:00.000-04:002013-03-16T11:17:26.331-04:00This Week's AdventuresThis weeks's adventures, as documented by my iPod camera.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMaSTvPxFm1th07t5p9Zmbn5rg0dV8cgdPMWWTWMYdkMNrheh6RYtl-NvTZf4Ig2PxJnYomnM4v-cTzk9pjtOt2WYXk5GVxQjyxQxAHQ9f0DRl_dfu_buQ1IbZOuhuO1U_Sg6-qZ2f6zc/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMaSTvPxFm1th07t5p9Zmbn5rg0dV8cgdPMWWTWMYdkMNrheh6RYtl-NvTZf4Ig2PxJnYomnM4v-cTzk9pjtOt2WYXk5GVxQjyxQxAHQ9f0DRl_dfu_buQ1IbZOuhuO1U_Sg6-qZ2f6zc/s400/photo+(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pirate treasure hunting with a buddy who came over after school. I hid necklaces<br />and bracelets, they searched with sword in hand. Fun stuff.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a_dtmcDHSKJ0xIH-wqgZoFg6xFu8fR6xrPBq6CBJsqTxDWonLjj0lAzvCnG3jQZBtH0xZrdUsnVtxzeInGbZAbdKIKv99g8B5W3U12UaCzIlgFOLdi1uVOvpFRbYdPr7GNqE-yR2XGr7/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a_dtmcDHSKJ0xIH-wqgZoFg6xFu8fR6xrPBq6CBJsqTxDWonLjj0lAzvCnG3jQZBtH0xZrdUsnVtxzeInGbZAbdKIKv99g8B5W3U12UaCzIlgFOLdi1uVOvpFRbYdPr7GNqE-yR2XGr7/s400/photo+(2).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grocery store trip with the three littlest. I have been doing my shopping alone<br />on the weekends but with Zach busy with work last weekend and out of town<br />this weekend, a mid-week trip was a necessity. Thankfully the boys can sit up in<br />a cart now. It's like this cart was made for twins, huh?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pmwSI_ycYFZgzNOKb_W1aFCkd-SRE_YwcUR71a_2GPnHTa4HnfmZT9A8MW0UMaFmeN6FFWc96wcCtHId5jQm2pUujVrLElV2p_0dqghDR69XgAdpT5FBstDb7166rAQb_Sj-fv0KYbJu/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pmwSI_ycYFZgzNOKb_W1aFCkd-SRE_YwcUR71a_2GPnHTa4HnfmZT9A8MW0UMaFmeN6FFWc96wcCtHId5jQm2pUujVrLElV2p_0dqghDR69XgAdpT5FBstDb7166rAQb_Sj-fv0KYbJu/s400/photo+(3).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua's first cheerio</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6pfiVzW2X7WhiDlfUPSgTblnzahJ5-pWNnbp5iETkDqM3lnO25zzvr6-r1XMcuqR9zQgeMCzM7C-Q9RBeB3Ku09hSbBz2JpSgWfYiHM49TmMbuWTA42AlTruepS5SRAMd3bkU1zEX3f7/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6pfiVzW2X7WhiDlfUPSgTblnzahJ5-pWNnbp5iETkDqM3lnO25zzvr6-r1XMcuqR9zQgeMCzM7C-Q9RBeB3Ku09hSbBz2JpSgWfYiHM49TmMbuWTA42AlTruepS5SRAMd3bkU1zEX3f7/s400/photo+(4).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jude's first cheerio. He makes this face with every new food. I pulled out<br />the camera just because I knew he would. :-)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-UPzHhFag-OINVZClRkTmartQwdiVUOKRFKOrfT7TTPH5P5bq5xC5stR8QD9qV-GfLAmd9K0FNeFgpVu2DTwGONm-D03pl7YQ98VZEH3o_WjcYr3PBxwCSteC4P0FQtA-QdheKq36Q-2/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-UPzHhFag-OINVZClRkTmartQwdiVUOKRFKOrfT7TTPH5P5bq5xC5stR8QD9qV-GfLAmd9K0FNeFgpVu2DTwGONm-D03pl7YQ98VZEH3o_WjcYr3PBxwCSteC4P0FQtA-QdheKq36Q-2/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Finger painting." Except a certain child doesn't like using his fingers (too<br />messy?) so we use brushes. This was just the beginning; we now have two<br />VERY soggy pieces of paint-covered paper.</td></tr>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4022512544498470575.post-74087829508054121502013-03-02T15:44:00.000-05:002013-03-02T15:44:11.896-05:00Three Months of Moments<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSjEgr_CiD0JGHwfb5eo8H8BzcoDmmNvWVD57zv28Q3y6sXTQyRdMHjV13NBgA3dU4_kma-PlfPwKsZy_qAjWpgntqYbxscEBUFlmZPAHfiBwhMpcPsdRYRnTGru4QrldUjXc_yX3VgGx/s1600/IMG_4341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSjEgr_CiD0JGHwfb5eo8H8BzcoDmmNvWVD57zv28Q3y6sXTQyRdMHjV13NBgA3dU4_kma-PlfPwKsZy_qAjWpgntqYbxscEBUFlmZPAHfiBwhMpcPsdRYRnTGru4QrldUjXc_yX3VgGx/s400/IMG_4341.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My big kids are my snugglers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW43B1HrnXKPyldkHh-QyedzVw76iJsKIJv61E6YgpeZBhK1-7ULv4u-bjROz85eeUimC-ddbzMW0PxO-SA72BPTWHa_-x7VRQP42ydPT0U704YebqMuPcMPtFKr3xhzayfZk1A7r7bps0/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW43B1HrnXKPyldkHh-QyedzVw76iJsKIJv61E6YgpeZBhK1-7ULv4u-bjROz85eeUimC-ddbzMW0PxO-SA72BPTWHa_-x7VRQP42ydPT0U704YebqMuPcMPtFKr3xhzayfZk1A7r7bps0/s400/IMG_4428.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love our grandparents.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYU0kGYPmUEk_UCrKlcaQNfRv-WfxCJdcQrxSCnLAbiscu5OenIUNu_D1-_DBcieGGXyKhzhyphenhyphenlpfMomSHt_VRagQ7ys16r_dRj0vXN59RKm8gFe68ILqkhV6VPA52EytN7sbXVttfIH3SY/s1600/IMG_4329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYU0kGYPmUEk_UCrKlcaQNfRv-WfxCJdcQrxSCnLAbiscu5OenIUNu_D1-_DBcieGGXyKhzhyphenhyphenlpfMomSHt_VRagQ7ys16r_dRj0vXN59RKm8gFe68ILqkhV6VPA52EytN7sbXVttfIH3SY/s400/IMG_4329.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book sharing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6n0s2UdsUlIprk7xliw7aYXkzUt-3pONGp-Pk_Fz3Pg785Pj9KmRhrjiN0cLOt6J-onmdxfTdR7uwlZoe1wCPMKTLIOcCfYszyyis2aZ8osQUioK82f_WC8LQhG7VQvOaGQ7NLG0hz77/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6n0s2UdsUlIprk7xliw7aYXkzUt-3pONGp-Pk_Fz3Pg785Pj9KmRhrjiN0cLOt6J-onmdxfTdR7uwlZoe1wCPMKTLIOcCfYszyyis2aZ8osQUioK82f_WC8LQhG7VQvOaGQ7NLG0hz77/s400/IMG_4332.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you know who's who? (Answer: Jude on the left)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcfmZicxWRCv4BUVTqviJ2aN8ajc0VMQobAFxq2Re8yLWnIeEbREDpfwCmq6H2UqAWFjZuU-hHsFYR1dbAThzZqsSk3YgcPuLiFYF9IgIHDzbkUuLucz9GTRNPvUy2ST-YTl2jh_S4snY/s1600/IMG_4489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcfmZicxWRCv4BUVTqviJ2aN8ajc0VMQobAFxq2Re8yLWnIeEbREDpfwCmq6H2UqAWFjZuU-hHsFYR1dbAThzZqsSk3YgcPuLiFYF9IgIHDzbkUuLucz9GTRNPvUy2ST-YTl2jh_S4snY/s400/IMG_4489.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girly-girl mechanic :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-eAHCZFNlZSi-3NyxRBfYGj5p-15va2UpfOavl2pzQYg_UvcUdpaCD4gNTPy4E4Or7QpRrhX3wZT46jothKHWz5ZXP4KJnLuKeb3h3sL7nbXBAJSmjfJn7brsXtZtEN4DUx5Sqtk3hU2/s1600/IMG_4538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-eAHCZFNlZSi-3NyxRBfYGj5p-15va2UpfOavl2pzQYg_UvcUdpaCD4gNTPy4E4Or7QpRrhX3wZT46jothKHWz5ZXP4KJnLuKeb3h3sL7nbXBAJSmjfJn7brsXtZtEN4DUx5Sqtk3hU2/s400/IMG_4538.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time sitting up for a bath (It's Jude)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2sKgTSkAWJnwtzs_uRQjWEkQsUfmAwN4USjUnfVvfN9IgVe56D_hxx6a0cvudCIk25cMYBipP43NDwjowCDXCzIPh1AnJBwzI1h9bF5cnZwmDaTV8HiiFLCa0yTWcj8FFMe6vm6ZzEEC/s1600/IMG_4550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2sKgTSkAWJnwtzs_uRQjWEkQsUfmAwN4USjUnfVvfN9IgVe56D_hxx6a0cvudCIk25cMYBipP43NDwjowCDXCzIPh1AnJBwzI1h9bF5cnZwmDaTV8HiiFLCa0yTWcj8FFMe6vm6ZzEEC/s400/IMG_4550.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laughing with Joshua</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWreq3KhrxakMHRYa8M7vz_HJRwBM3S49iorFIeATNMusbHHmKSaQ4lUnb9RVYCWKaEqE2wnYVQPI9Ztod4hGi79hh1RDZSNAFwKLRlGxcUYvGQnbU4HeEm5LE_a3bCqfewsVFF18WvGZ/s1600/IMG_4583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWreq3KhrxakMHRYa8M7vz_HJRwBM3S49iorFIeATNMusbHHmKSaQ4lUnb9RVYCWKaEqE2wnYVQPI9Ztod4hGi79hh1RDZSNAFwKLRlGxcUYvGQnbU4HeEm5LE_a3bCqfewsVFF18WvGZ/s400/IMG_4583.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apart from the food on her face, am I right that Esther looks awfully grown-up<br />here? Where is my baby?!</td></tr>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623562428502419337noreply@blogger.com2