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I totally forgot to mention what Dan got me for my birthday! We took a trip to the Humane Society and I got to pick out a cat! I chose this cute 2 year old lady.  She is getting spayed on Thursday, and we will bring her home on Friday or Saturday.  She had been at the shelter for a few months, so I am glad to be able to give her a home.  I nearly cried when I walked into the Humane Society and saw all of the cats and dogs.  I love animals so much, it breaks my heart to see them there.  If it weren’t for Dan and his sensible nature, I’d probably have left with a few more dogs and cats.

In honour of Canada Day, my favourite holiday of the summer, I’m offering $10 off my flannel Lumber Jack Panties.  Bring them Camping, save them for winter,  wear them on chilly nights, they make great sleep wear!

So, two weeks ago my dad, brother and husband moved the big, old piano from my parents house to my house.  We had to do a lot of re-arranging, but our living room, although a little more full, looks great with the piano, and I’ve had fun playing almost every night after work.  The room has become quite dark and traditional looking.  I’ve put up some old, stained prints of the war of 1812 that I got from my grandmothers house.  They are gory and macabre, but I always loved them.  The painting on top of the piano is one that Dan’s mom painted, and I absolutely love the winter scene.  The piano became the perfect home for Dan’s 1920’s Remington Portable Typewriter, which we got from his grandmothers.  The room is full of auction finds and hand me downs – the only new piece of furniture is our couch… a floor model from Sears.  I love a house full of old junk.

Anyway, my fingers are not nearly as limber as they were at 15 years old, but I’m picking it up again.  I’m not sure how much my neighbours will enjoy hearing me play the same few bars over and over and over again until I perfect it, but hey, at least I’m not practising my vocal exercises!

I was extremely fortunate to have an amazing music teacher in the “village” where I grew up.  I grew up in a very small area – we had a general store and a gas station, and there were about 500 people in the village itself, and lots of cottage folk.  Needless to say, there was not a whole lot going on.  My parents started me in piano lessons pretty young, and I took my first exam through the Royal Conservatory at 8 years old!  After that I studied guitar, voice, and played around with a violin (which I could never make work right!).

When I was a teenager, practising piano for an hour each night wasn’t always fun.  Scales were so boring, I hated music theory, but now as an adult I am so incredibly grateful for it. It’s awesome being able to lose yourself in a song.  Almost as good as losing yourself in a really beautiful ruffle or pintuck…

This weekend, my best friend is coming up from the city for Birthday Celebrations! Her birthday was yesterday, and my birthday is coming up next Sunday.  We are going for pedicures, a boat tour, beach-time, and a fancy dinner out.  I can’t wait.  It’s been so long since I had a day like that!  And, I miss my best friend so much, it’s the one thing I hate about being away from the city…

I feel like this birthday is a big birthday. I’m going to be 29.  For some reason, to me, this seems scarier than 30.  Twenty Nine is the last year of my twenties… I love my twenties, I have to make the most of it!  It’s been the best time of my life… though it does seem to be getting better, the older I get.

Vanilla Bean Cupcake Via Flour Loves Sugar on Etsy

I’ve learned a lot of important lessons in my twenties… Like, nothing is carved in stone.  Life is beautiful, but momentary and fleeting.  Don’t live life the way you think people expect you to, live the life you want.  Hard work is worth it.  And, money really does not buy happiness.

Twenty Eight has been an awesome year, and I have accomplished a lot!  I got married – I never wanted to get married, but I loved my wedding and I love being married.  I bought a house – my dream house, old and slightly falling apart but with lots of character and hidden gems.  My business grew, and I feel like I’m right in the spot where I should be.

So, I am very excited the meet the last year of my twenties, excited to see the beginning of my thirties and what they have to hold for me.  I’m very grateful to all of you who have helped me through rough times with your lovely, heartfelt comments, and cheered me on during the highs.  It really does mean a lot to me!

As I mentioned earlier, our first camping trip of the season got off to a bit of a rough start…

Dan and I, since we started dating, have always loved going camping.  Our first camping trip was real spur of the moment.  We packed some beer, hot dogs, ketchup, buns, a tent, sleeping bags, flash light, 2 chairs and headed out.  We totally forgot to bring pillows, and ended up sleeping with our heads on a change of clothes, and the camp ground was practically an open field, but it was so much fun.  After that, each summer, we’ve made a point of randomly heading out every few weeks…

This year has been tough to get away because Ohhh Lulu has been so busy and I am working a lot, but we finally got out for our first night last weekend.  We headed up to Georgian Bay for one night at one of our favourite parks.  We got there around mid-afternoon, set up the tent and realized that we had forgotten to pack a lantern or any flash lights.  So, while Dan went out to get flash lights at the park store, I introduced Oliver to the tent.  I guess, to him, it looked like a big bouncy castle, because as I laid down for a little rest and relaxation, Oliver started bouncing off the walls, and ended up kicking me in the face.  Dan came back to find me with a fat lip!  Something you should know about my “pug…” He’s not like any pug you will ever see.  He is a mixed breed, and absolutely gigantic – between 30-35lbs and very tall and very long.  That dog packs a punch.

After getting kicked in the face, I decided we had to head out and do some hiking.  I wanted to explore the Homestead Trail, which featured the ruins of a farmhouse and barn.  We headed out,  not realizing quite how hot it was outside.  We finally made it to the homestead, which was very small and very neat, and a few steps up from that was the remains of the barn. We stood there, surveyed what was left, read the plaque, and started hearing footsteps coming up behind us.  The trail was really over-grown, and didn’t look like it had been travelled much, so I immediately thought the chances of coming upon another hiker, in the rather empty park, was pretty slim.  We heard more branches cracking, twigs snapping, leaves rustling through the otherwise silent forest.  Immediately, I though “THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE DAY I MEET BIGFOOT!” (or Sasquatch as we call him in Canada).  My second thought was, “It’s the ghost of one of the farmers coming back to protect his property!” Then I thought, “I watch way too many horror movies for my own good…”

I glanced through the forest towards the sound and saw a big, hulking, black form way too close for comfort.  We walked up the trail a small way, until I got too chicken and worried that my little dog would become Black Bear Food, so we hustled back to camp.

Normally, a bear wouldn’t freak me out too much.  After all, they are more afraid of us than we are of them, right? But, bears are hungry this time of year, and it was making very little effort to get away from us scary humans, who were actually making quite a bit of noise…  It’s not even the first time I’ve seen a bear camping or hiking, but it is the first time that I’ve ran into a bear in such an isolated area. 

We ended up back at camp, hot and exhausted.  We took Oliver down to the dog beach later in the afternoon, and he played with some other dogs and we chatted with another couple and watched the sun set, which was nice.  Dan captured it beautifully on camera.  We had a camp fire, roasted marshmallows and hot dogs, and talked until midnight…

I guess overall it was pretty good, and will certainly be the most memorable.  It’s funny now, how scared I was at the bear – which I guess is some kind of primal, human, evolutionary fear.  It’s definitely a camping trip we will remember.

Dan and I both had an extended weekend, so we decided to fill it FULL of projects.  Now I’m exhausted and getting ready to go back to work.  We ended up going camping on Friday night, which started off with me getting a fat lip when Oliver kicked me in the face, then a run-in with a bear… Not the best camping trip ever – we both felt rushed and never really got into the swing of things.  We came home early on Saturday, moved my piano from my parents place to my house, and did a few things around the house (including finally finishing painting the bathroom vanity!).

I finally got the guest bedroom set up, after having it sit empty for the last 6 months.  It is the perfect home for my doll house, and will be home for my best friend, who is coming to visit for birthday celebrations next week! I can’t wait to have her here, and I am excited to actually have a place for her to stay.

 I even managed to fit in some sewing this weekend and got an order or two completed, and a birthday gift started.