Trip to Victoria, Part 2

After Craig and Katie headed back to the mainland, we settled into an extremely relaxing routine of putting in studying and work, and then visiting with family and friends. We were able to visit with lots of friends and I was able to drop in at AbeBooks to say hi. Belle was also able to swim in the Commonwealth Pool and in the pool in my parents’ complex. We caught a matinee of the final Harry Potter and ran lots. Scott, Sarah and Michelle also conspired to throw an amazing 30th Birthday BBQ for me at Scott and Sarah’s and I had one of the best birthdays ever, with tons of amazing people. There was even a mini-keg from Phillips Brewery (my fave) and a cake shaped like a giant mug of my favourite beer. Thanks so much, guys!
On our last proper evening in Victoria, we took my parents out for a sushi picnic in Beacon Hill Park, and relaxed on the grass in the sun while taking turns chasing Belle around the greens.

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Trip to Victoria, Part One

While Michelle does need to be in uber-study mode lockdown for her final exam, she realized that she could be in uber-study mode lockdown in Victoria (and Langley in August) just as easily as here in Edmonton, so we booked two, two week summer trips to BC, starting with the Island.
We arrived in Victoria and set ourselves up my parents’ basement. Well, we didn’t set up all of us in the basement… We put Isabelle upstairs in the bedroom next to my parents’ room, and every morning we were there, they picked up Belle when she woke, changed her and fixed her breakfast! Heavenly! Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Michelle set herself a study schedule, and we spent many evenings and afternoons out with friends, visiting our favourite restaurants and old haunts, and generally basking in Island living. We made it out for runs almost every day and despite weather that was fairly cool for the summer, had a fantastic time.
The first weekend we were there, Craig and Katie came over from the mainland and we went out to Spinnakers Brew Pub and then out to Butchart Gardens to catch the fireworks (which were awesome!). The next day, we met up at the Beacon Hill Petting Zoo (though Belle did not seem that impressed by any of it), then grabbed lunch at the Blue Fox Cafe. It was a great visit, and we can’t wait to see them again in August!

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Muttart Conservatory

Here are some pics from a rainy afternoon spent exploring the four gardens of the Muttart Conservatory. Belle loved the fountains and water features (not surprising, since she’s a definite water baby) and trooping up and down the paths and stairways. Michelle and Belle also signed their name on a pink wall outside a Breast Cancer Foundation themed garden for a special G3.

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Around Edmonton in June and July

This should be the beginning of a flurry of blog posts! I’m starting with just a few pics from around Edmonton as we start summer, including some of Belle and her friend Eric, Belle and her ladybug roller thing, Belle swimming at the local outdoor pool, and Belle and Michelle in the backyard. The summer heat has been pretty good, but for awhile the mosquitos were absolutely ridiculous. Luckily they seem to have tapered off.
Also, in very important news, as of June 30th, Michelle finished her residency! She still has one more teensy exam (three days long!) in Toronto in September, but on July 1st she had her first shift as a staff emergency doctor. Despite her jitters about being the newbie on the floor, she’s been doing fantastic!

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Newfoundland!

In June, Michelle and I went off to St. Johns, Newfoundland for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physician’s Annual Conference! Michelle had won her airfare, hotel and entry by publishing an amazing creative non-fiction story in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, so it was a no-brainer for me to tag along and visit the East Coast! We had an absolute blast and we both totally loved St Johns.
Back in Edmonton, our friend Julie took care of Belle for the weekend, after which my parents took over for the week, and then stuck around to visit when we came back. Thanks so much for taking care of Belle, guys!

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Father’s Day!

Is it Bath Time, Belle?

Grandmama and Grandpapa Visit

As many of you know, this visit was supposed to be the visit where Guy and Shirley brought Cooper back from Vancouver after looking after him for us, however while in Vancouver, Cooper succumbed to what was most likely brain cancer. The day after that, Michelle’s grandfather in Quebec passed away, so despite no longer having a dog to deliver, the visit was very much needed and I think helped everyone through a tough time. We had a great time just relaxing and it was a fantastic visit, despite the tough circumstances.

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Edmonton in May

We arrived back home in Edmonton at the beginning of May to find that all the snow was gone! Perfect! Especially because Belle decided that she would always like to be outside and will leap at any opportunity to get out there. We figured then it was a good time to take some pics. We were also able to tie her hair back for the first time, so she’s looking a little more like a girl, which is nice, especially when she’s wearing her Canucks jersey.

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Round and Round