Laughter: Who Needs Free Time?

   Good morning dearest readers! My writing pattern seems to fall into posting once or twice a week, which I think generates enough content to keep you interested without overwhelming my creativity either! Today's post is once again about my adventures over the weekend (since apparently it's the only time that fun things happen to me). The irony of the situation is that I think my parents actually worry that I spend too much time by myself and quite literally applaud me when I do go out. Well this weekend I went out with the intention of staying in.
   I took a train and went to visit both my grandma and grandpa (my mom's parents), as well as my oma and opa (my dad's parents). I had a good two days with each and it surprised me by how much we got done in so little time. I practically came back more tired than I went in, but hey, I got good stories to tell now! My trip started with an early train ride that got delayed (because something ALWAYS has to happen when I take the train) and had a great breakfast when I finally got to my grandma and grandpa's place. I think there's a kind of instinct embedded in grandparents to want to spoil their grand kids and give them some of their own things to carry on traditions. I entered this weekend with two almost empty bags, and returned home with them full. There's still a box left behind and my coat in my dad's truck. What are you going to do when the love is overflowing as much as my luggage?!
   We went shopping, and I got books (wow, that's shocking isn't it?) and then we spent the night hanging out at home, browsing netflix for another comedy to watch. My grandpa is one of the funniest people I know, and he wasn't letting up the whole time I was there (except when he was napping). What was funnier for me, was the fact that I had been up early that morning, and I am used to going to bed early to wake up early, but my grand parents forgot to tell me that they're party animals. I started nodding off near the end of the second episode of the show we were watching, and I had to tap out since I needed to go to bed. I slept in late the next morning, and I woke up feeling like I had the best sleep of my life. The day itself was great. We went ruffling through old memories and VHS tapes (all of which I got to pick which ones I wanted) and went out to lunch at this great restaurant. We then went to mass, came back home for dinner and a movie. It was just so much fun, because being the middle child in the grand kids, I never really got much alone time with anyone so this was truly something I was grateful for.
   I was then driven to my oma and opa's place where more quality time was had. We went for coffee (which is something I truly did enjoy) and went to visit a community garden. I never had the gift of a green thumb but I'm always amazed by people who do. It was raining a little, but it didn't take anything away from nature's beauty. We went back to their home, had lunch, talked and spent some time together. I even had the chance to write which was incredible since I've had writer's block pretty much since school ended (something I hope you didn't notice too much). The stories were flowing through my head and when I tried to explain them, I realized that for people who don't know me, and hear me talking about my stories must think I'm a grade A crazy person; (even people who know me think that from time to time).
   Anyways we ordered in chinese food for dinner which was delicious and proceeded to the entertainment part of the evening. My oma played the piano and I tried as best as I could not sound like both of my hands were in casts when I played the black and white keys. We watched TV for a little while, and contrary to my grandma and grandpa, my oma and opa like going to bed a little earlier, because they wake up earlier as well; (I must have gotten that from their side of the family). I spent the morning trying on things in my oma's closet as she unloaded some of her vintage clothes and I accepted it with a smile. We had lunch, my opa went to a doctors appointment, and I had time to talk with just my oma; a memory I will not soon forget. As the time approached for me to take the train, my dad was in town for work so he came to pick me up and drop me off. It was some more quality time that I usually don't get to have often because of work and the overall distance of the province of Ontario.
   On my way back on the train (something always has to happen) and I was graced with the presence of not one, but two crying babies who were nice enough to sit beside me, and behind me. I heard their unhappy cries in surround sound for four hours; just lovely. I got home, and Riles was at work, and we've both been so busy that I haven't seen the poor kid in more than a week. He must be so happy that he isn't forced to socialize for a while.
   So all in all, by the obvious size of the entry my dear readers, this should hold you off until the next entry I write (which will probably be about my weekend since my dad is coming to visit)! A vacation doesn't always have to be at a big destination. Sometimes it can be a small town with great people; most of the time, those are the most memorable ones.

K.P.H.

Love: Why Not Weekends

   Good morning my dearest readers! I have not forgotten that I said that I started up the blog again, because I did, however my posts will never be as frequent as when I initially started this whole thing simply because I need to pace myself with all of the great adventures I have to tell. Well this weekend my mother came to visit, and do I ever have things to tell you!

   We started off things slow with her arrival on Friday where we literally just talked and went to bed; we were both in need of some serious rest. We got up early the next morning to go workout and do groceries; starting our day a healthy way is always a good choice. We then got ready and made a little road trip down to a town called Williamsburg where some good friends of my mother's own a B&B. I've had the privilege to go there with her three times already, and every time the food we're served is absolutely DELICIOUS. They have a team room where they serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea; definitely my kind of place. After good food and good laughs, we continued to head downtown for some shopping and a quick coffee break.

   On our way back, we checked into my mother's hotel and got ready for dinner. We didn't exactly know where we wanted to go, so like rational people, we went exploring. We went up and down all sorts of streets but nothing really stuck out. On top of that, we were desperately trying to find a place that we had never been to before. My mother has this mind set that she has to do something different every single day, and that way she is sure to live her life to the fullest. I'm proud to say that she's kept that for two, going on three years now. The fun part for me is when I get to tag along. So we finally found a restaurant in an area of town we hadn't really explored before and stepped inside a small restaurant called Fraser Café. We were seated at one of the last spots open which was right next to the kitchen in the back. It's a seasonal menu, so you know that whatever you're going to get is going to be fresh; and that it was. I can surely say that it was probably in my top 5 best meals of all time. Yes, it was that good. A bonus to that was that since we were so close to the kitchen, we got dinner and a show since we got to see how all of the food was being prepared.

   But wait, there's more! Sunday came around the corner and my mother and I went shopping in the morning (and got some really nice things for the places we are both going to visit throughout the summer) and then proceeded to have brunch at my aunts place. More good food and good laughs. We then went to the activity my mother had chosen for the day; visiting the Diefenbunker (which was something that had been on my To-Do list for the past five years now), and so we took the drive. It was on the outskirts of Ottawa, in a place with a small-town vibe. It was Doors Open Ottawa which means that almost all museums, embassies and public places are open for free. So we went and we waited until the very last tour and got to see it all with a veteran tour guide; it was very cool. We then headed back to town at a places called Alice's Village Café where it was my turn to treat my mother. Once more, I was not disappointed by the food, nor the atmosphere. This was probably one of the best weekends for me when it came to the food (and the company too). After that packed day, we went back to the hotel, ordered some food and rented a movie. A good end to a good weekend.

   So this is a long post to say that every time people visit me, it truly is never a dull moment. The best part of it all is the fact that even if we didn't do all of the things I mentioned above, we would still have had a great time. It is one of the things that I've come to realize by living away from home for the past three and a half years: time is precious and more so are the people you decide to spend it with. Therefore chose wisely dearest readers because you only have a limited supply and it is not to be wasted.

K.P.H.

Love: Going Green

   Good morning my dear readers, I hope you are all doing well and that the weather is just absolutely gorgeous. I had a good night last night since I went to a VIP movie with Riles. Not only did we see a really good movie, we had food delivered straight to us; can't get any better than that! I've been trying to go out more often and to spend time outside of my apartment. Don't get me wrong, I love to stay inside with a good book, or have TV show marathons, but a little fresh air never killed anyone.
   Since I had so much fun yesterday, there is another fun event happening Saturday night AND it's on my university campus. This event ties back to the title of the entry. No it is nothing about environmentalism but actually with my identity. It is a franco-ontarian night that celebrates our 400th anniversary. Some of the most famous and dedicated franco-ontarian performers are going to perform at a coffee shop where one of them is a group of indie singers, another is a comedy duo and the last is a spoken word poet and rapper. I'm going with some people from work, and though last summer I had my group, this summer is different, but just as good in its own way.
   I used to say "j'ai le sang vert" which directly translates to "I have green blood". I don't say it as often now, but it doesn't mean that my pride in my franco-ontarian identity has diminished; no, quite the contrary. But now I pride myself on my bilingualism as well. Being part of something does not diminish your value or reduces you to the norm, it adds to your identity and makes you unique. We are who we are, regardless of who we know and what we do.

K.P.H.

Laughter: Restrictions Do Apply

   Good morning my dearest readers and I hope you all had the chance to rest a while yesterday. Today is the first day that I haven't woken up before 6:00am this whole week and I'm feeling quite refreshed. I would describe myself as being a morning person, and I don't think there's a more beautiful time of day than sunrise, but a girl still has to sleep.
   I figured I haven't told you all a funny story in a quite some time so I thought that my first morning back would be a good time to start it off. And wouldn't you all be surprised to know that this funny story includes my roommate Riley. Summer has officially started and Katie has gone back home as well as going on a trip so that she can practice her french. Riles and I are both working in Ottawa for the next three and a half months; I'm at the university like always, and Riles works at a VIP movie theater (fancy right?) so things are busy, and there are even weeks where we barely see each other because our schedules are opposites. As unfortunate as that may be, there are perks that come with his job. One of the perks is that he has a little adorable hat that he has to wear as part of his uniform and it makes him look like little kid going to the park with his parents. Aside from that, he also gets movie passes that allows us to go see free movies. Before we went to see our first movie, Riley made me agree to certain terms and conditions that I must follow every time we go out to a movie. When it's all three of us during the year, I don't have to follow his rules because Katie is there and if he gets embarrassed, he can just pretend that he doesn't know me, but when it's just the two of us, that excuse doesn't exactly work anymore.
   The reason Riles established rules for our public movie viewing is because I am a person who is intrigued easily as well as confused relatively easily when it comes to story plots; (the most ironic statement from an avid reader yet). I'm also a person who is used to making small comments with Katie when we're at home watching shows together, so that tends to transfer to films (whether public or at home). And finally, I have very distinctive laughs (that's right, I've been gifted with many) and I have a tendency to laugh at the most inappropriate moments. You roll all of that into one movie, and you have one very embarrassed Riley. Katie on the other hand, loves my quirks and loves to see Riley embarrassed so she encourages me. I'm getting much better so that people around me (other than Riles) don't get annoyed, so usually I try to pick a spot that's far away from everyone if I can. And so the rules that I have to follow are basically making me do the complete opposite of everything I usually do during movies or shows. It's going to take practice but I'm already much better. I've never had to work so hard for a free movie in my life!
   Anyways, I do what I can with what I have and it's the effort that counts, right? It might be more tempting to embarrass people in public (especially if they're like Riley) but know that whatever you do always comes back to you. On a last side note, these rules do not apply to the previews and believe me when I say that I use that to my full advantage! Until I write again my dearest readers;

K.P.H.

Literature: And Thus It Begins

Good evening my dearest readers and I must say that I've missed you dearly. It is a difficult thing to not write when it is engraved in your being but the wait is over. Summer has started and the jitters of the new job are slowly rubbing off freeing up more of my time for you! 

I'm starting off small with the "L" I've been dedicating more of my time to, and that is Literature. I love my program at school and I do love to read, but reading for school and reading for fun are two very different experiences. Now that I've started to read for fun again, I've managed to complete three books already since May has started, and have already gotten a start on my fourth. I do have the Reading Challenge that I want to complete so the more I can do this summer, the better it will be. The one thing that I do love about this reading challenge is that it forces me out of my comfort zone and makes me read stories I might not have picked. I'm getting a larger look on life, and thus adding to my own.

I'm glad to be back and can't wait to keep writing this summer. It's been a pleasure and I can't wait to tell you all about the adventures ahead!

K.P.H.