Monday, August 07, 2006
A lonely weekend
I've realized over the weekend that while I can manage on my own, as I have before. Life is very boring when you don't have someone to share it with. I miss having someone to talk to, someone to make decisions with, someone to argue with, someone to sit silently eating breakfast with and someone to pray with.
Reuben, you are loved and missed, come home!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Travel Bug
Soon after I was born, my dad took my mom and I to Switzerland for 2 years. He was doing is post doctorate at the University in Zurich. My mom and I also lived in Holland for about 3 months while Karin entered the world. After we moved to Ottawa, I don't know how many times my father has been to England, France and Germany to colaborate with colleagues, sit in on thesis exams and give lectures at various universities in these countries. My parents have also been to Israel, Hawaii and San Francisco. My father has also travelled to many different cities in the United States and Canada, all in the pursuit or recognition of scientific discoveries. So, as you can see travel was a big part of my growing up.
As a family, we drove to Winnipeg and Taber, Alberta coming back by way of the northern States. We also drove back and forth to Burlington, ON countless times to visit relatives and friends. In highschool, I had the privelage of visiting Quebec City, Toronto and Boston.
When I finished University, I rewarded myself with a month long trip to California. I spent quite a bit of money doing this. I had no job lined up for when I came back. I think this would be the traits of a travel bug or wait am I a travel bug or do I have the travel bug:) Ok, so to rephrase. I think these are the symptoms of the travel bug.
I guess it was inevitable that I began to work for WestJet, an airline, in the business of travel. Since starting here, Reuben and I have gone to Vancouver, Edmonton and Victoria, not to mention the many flights between Toronto and Ottawa. Since dating, we have also gone to Halifax but that was pre-WestJet. This year we are still planning to go to Winnipeg, Halifax(again) and Raleigh. But we are driving to Raleigh, as it's a lot cheaper and less hassle even with a good airline deal.
I love to travel. I hope we can keep travelling. Our big trip for next year is Paris, southern France and Barcelona. We hope to travel with my parents and my Dad's cousin, Ina. We also hope to meet up with friends who are living in Holland but will meet us in Paris.
I could go on and on about travelling, maybe I'll write some more posts at a later date on the joys and also the hassles of travelling.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Camping Round 2
Why is camping considered such a wonderful pastime? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Also, if my husband is so enamored with it does that necessitate that I become enamored as well?
What's the point of bringing modern conveniences to the woods, like trailers, when you are meant to be roughing it?
I find, even in myself, such a contradiction between loving luxury and conveniences and wanting to get away from it all by living in the country and doing things simply.
So, our camping trip. Well, it was fine. Except for having to use the Ladies Room in the middle of the night, 3 times the first night. The weather was beautiful. The scenery was beautiful. Our air mattress didn't deflate, too much. The water was warm. S'mores are yummy but messy. The mosquitos bit and bit and bit forcing us to go just a little bit mad. The food, provided by my mother-in-law was plentiful and good. We had a romantic, early morning canoe on the pristine lake.
I really hate to say this but I am glad I don't have to go again till next year. I just love my creature comforts too much. I love not having to share a bathroom with other people not to mention a gazillion different species of bugs. I love not having to wear bugspray and then hopping in to bed soaked in the stuff. Oh wait ...I promised myself I wouldn't turn this into a rant ...
Sorry, Reuben.
Please save
This just happened to me ... bear with me as I try to recover.
So, I beg and plead with you to please hit save if you are writing for longer than 30 seconds.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
A long time
So, for the Canada Day weekend, Reuben and I went downtown Ottawa and stayed overnight on Friday night at the Radisson. WestJet uses this hotel to board it's airline crew when they have to stay overnight, so they give all employees a really good room rate. It was a really nice hotel and we enjoyed our stay there. For dinner, we walked down to the market and ate at an Irish Pub. I had a chicken boxty, which was sort of a chicken stew wrapped in a potato pancake. It was really rich and flavourful! Afterwards, we walked around some more and ended up eating some really horrid dessert at Carmello's on Sparks Street. It was really sweet!!! oh well. On Canada Day, we went to Parliament Hill and sat on the lawn along with thousands of others and watched the end of the Musical Ride on a big screen because we were too far back to see it even though it was right there. And then Stephen Harper and his family came along with the Governor General and her family. We heard a couple of speeches and a couple of musical acts. Then we walked over to Majors Hill park and checked out the scene there. We were really hot and the sun was beating down. I was pretty spent by this time.
We were signed up to help out at the Ottawa Mission for Men at 2 so we had to cut the festivities short and walked over there. We served food and cleaned up in the kitchen till about 5:30. Then we walked back to our car and went home. My parents came over with pizza and we went to Dairy Queen for dessert. It was a nice evening! They were meant to stay and watch the local fireworks from our balcony but when they didn't start at 10 they decided to go home. Just after they left the fireworks started so Reuben and I watched them on our own. There was a really big tree in the way but we could see the really high ones. It was still really nice!!!!
On Sunday, we witnessed little Zachary Hart's baptism. It was a really hot day, again.
Last weekend, we spent Sat morning with some friends from WestJet. They had organized a morning at Thunderbird Miniputt/Driving Range and Go-Kart. So we did that. It was hard getting up early and heading out there. And then it was really hot and sunny!! We had fun. Reuben really enjoyed the go-karting. I got off the track after 3 rounds. It was sort of uncomfortable and I'm just not competitive enough, I guess. Oh well. So then, in the afternoon we went shopping, which was fun! Oh and on Friday we both got off work early and went to see Superman Returns. It was decent! Nice cheesy love story and not too violent or obscene. Yay!
On Sunday, we got up early, again and drove to Montreal with Mom, Oma N, Karin, Josh and Emma. We went to the ERQ church in Laval where my cousin's baby Ezekiel was being baptized. The service was in French but they had a copy of the sermon in English printed out so that was really helpful. It was nice to see our Jager family again! Unfortunately, Corrine had to head back to Raleigh right away after church:( Whereas, we went up to Derek's parents' cottage, just north of the city. We had a nice afternoon. Good food and good fellowship. The weather was hot and sunny, again and so I tried to stay in the shade. I would have gone swimming but apparently, the bottom of the lake wasn't too nice to stand on.
On the drive home, we stopped at the Chateau Montebello for drinks. They made a mighty nice sangria!:) Then we got on the ferry at Masson and crossed over to Cumberland, Ontario. It was only a 5 minute ride but fun nonetheless.
This weekend we are going camping at Bon Echo. It should be another hot weekend so hopefully, it will be a great improvement on last time we went!!! I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Sweater Sets
So, here's to comfortable sweatersets and Grandma's who wear them!!!!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Another baby!!!
Monday, June 19, 2006
New Hart Baby
Zachary Curtis Eelco Hart was born on Sat. evening. He is the son of Brian and Alanna Hart, there are more details and pictures on their blog.
Third Anniversary and Father's Day
We didn't do anything to celebrate our anniversary, just mentioned it. We're saving it all up for our one year. I'm wondering if anybody celebrates monthly anniversaries in their first year of marriage. I suppose it's sort of silly.
As for Father's Day, we planned a great evening meal including ribs, green beans, baked potatoes, coleslaw and the piece de resistance was my frozen chocolate mousse squares and frozen banana chocolate ribbon cheesecake. MMMMMMM!!!! It was all really good! Anybody want to come over for leftovers, we've got lots of cake left. This is because both my brother and sister, Diana, couldn't come. So it was just the 6 of us.
We got my Dad a personalized license plate for Father's Day. We've been planning to do this for about a year but just haven't got around to it. It says "dlta 4ce". This is what he calls his research group. Delta has something to do with enzyme activity. If you remember the delta symbol from calculas, it signifies change. Anyway, he was really, really surprised!! We can hardly ever surprise him but this time we got him. I think he really likes it too. It will come in 6-8 weeks. We also got him some golf balls for his upcoming trip to the Maritimes with Rich and a cell phone cover, which he desperately needed.
All in all, it was a fun day despite the heat!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Camping - UGH
Well, Karin and Josh have been going camping with their group of friends for the past 3 or 4 summers and this time they invited Reuben and I along. We thought it might be fun to hang out with these people and get some camping in. Reuben grew up camping every summer. He loves it, he's used to it.
The weather didn't promise to be very good and we just about canceled. At the last minute we decided to stick it out and go anyway. Even though as we were packing the car, it was pouring rain and 10 degrees. I was trying to be brave and stick it out for Reuben's sake.
The weather didn't get any better. Our air mattress didn't stay inflated. We couldn't go swimming cause it was too cold. We sort of wished we knew our fellow campers a little bit better as it would have made for better bonding.
The good things about the weekend (because I hate to complain about the whole thing) was that sitting around a fire really is very enjoyable (if you don't get smoked out). And hearing rain on your tent is quite soothing.
We nearly went home Sat night. It started raining again and I had just about enough of being dirty, cold and uncomfortable. I can't imagine camping for a whole week!!! But we toughed it out and stayed overnight.
We're scheduled to go camping with Reuben's family in July. What should I do? Any tips to make it more enjoyable.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
On Saturday, we got up around 8 and the guys went to play a round or two of squash while I got breakfast ready. Homemade waffles with whipped cream, bananas and blueberries. Mmmmmm!!! Then we got ready to go downtown and left around 11am. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very nice and it pretty much rained the whole day. But we trudged through and toured around the outside of the parliament buildings until we were allowed to go inside. It was an open door day so we could go wherever we wanted. We went up the Peace Tower, saw the Memorial Chamber, the House of Commons and the Senate. And last but not least we got to see the newly renovated Library of Parliament. It's been under construction for 4 years. But it was worth the wait. It was very beautiful! I will try to get some pictures up soon or get Reuben to put some on his blog. After this we decided to get something to eat as it was pouring rain. Our original plan was to walk around the Market but it wouldn't have been much fun in the rain. So we went to Darcy McGee's pub on Sparks Street. I had an excellent Summer Tomato Soup and some fries along with a warming cup of cocoa. The rest of the day was spent in our apartment warming up, playing games, eating pizza and watching a movie.
On Sunday, we went to church and between services we went for a nice walk by the river. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, warm with a slight breeze! After second service we went to my parents' for dinner with Mike and Diana, who were also down for the weekend. Josh and Dina left around 7pm. We had such a great time with them! We hope to do it again soon.
Monday, May 29, 2006
My amazing husband and babies
In Montreal, my Mom and Emma and I went to a baby shower for my cousin, Amanda. She is due on June 17. We had a lovely time but it certainly was a long drive just for an afternoon of fun. My aunt and uncle and other cousin, Corrine were there so we didn't have any excuse not to go (not that we wanted one) because we rarely get to see them. The shower was fun! We played some interesting games, the food was delicious and Amanda and Derek received some really nice gifts. I'm glad I got to see Amanda one last time before she has the baby. I also can't wait to see their baby!
Speaking of babies, I'm now allowed to inform the world that I'm going to be an Aunt. I wanted to start another blog dedicated to this so there is a link to it on my sidebar. There won't be much to say for awhile as she is only 8 or 9 weeks along. Oh, you're probably wondering which one of my family is having this baby! My youngest sister, Diana!!!! I'm so happy for her and Mike. It's so wonderful that God can bless them with the beginning of a bigger family. Anyway, I should let you read all about it at my other blog.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Our Second Anniversary
We've been married for 2 months now. It doesn't sound like a long time when you say it like that but it feels long. In a good way. We are really discovering the wonderful depth that is marriage. The saying that you don't know what it's like to be married until you are, is really true. I've dreamed long and hard about being married and now that I am it is so much more than I thought it would be. More wonderful, more precious, more intense, more fulfilling. When there is someone to come home to at the end of the day, it makes everything seem so much more worth it. (I'm not sure if that makes sense.)
Admittedly, it's not all sunshine and roses. There are an infinite number of things that annoy him about me and annoy me about him. But somehow it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, you just forget it, give eachother a hug and go to sleep.
We've done some more painting in our apt. I was really tired and sore the second night(it took 2 nights to finish) so I wasn't very enthusiastic whereas Reuben just wanted to do as good a job as possible. We got it done though, hopefully, we'll get a picture up here soon so you can see. It looks great! So much more cosy than the off-white they had in here. It's looking more and more like home!
We are heading down to visit my sister, Diana and her husband Mike tomorrow night. Then on Saturday, we are going to Waterdown to stay with Reuben's parents and to hang out with some of our friends whom we haven't seen in quite awhile. We are looking forward to it. It has been a long time since we have been to Southern Ontario. I hope the weather gets better.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
For the love of Airports
I will once again be a WestJetter starting on Tuesday, May 23. I'll be doing the same job as before only for the Airports department at the Ottawa airport. More thoughts on this to come ...
Friday, May 12, 2006
Pics
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
My Birthday
Speaking of Mother's Day, my sister, Karin and I were racking our brains for what to get our Mother and we couldn't think of anything. She seems to have everything. But then we came up with the brilliant idea to take her out for lunch. Pretty brilliant, huh? I'm sure it's been done before;) Then we are going to a ballet performance. It's just a children's ballet involving some of the girls in our church. It should be pretty cute!
We painted our apartment last night. It's called Copper Coin but it's more orange than brown. We have to do another coat tonight. With Reuben and I working on it together it only took 2.5 hrs whereas when I did our bedroom it took me 4 hrs. It's much more fun to have someone helping you. Some of our friends said that painting together would test our relationship but I think it just made it stronger. Although I did nitpick a little about Reuben's technique, as I've painted a few more times than him but in the end it went fine.
We'll be putting on the second coat tonight and then we'll take some pictures of that wall and our bedroom and post them here so that ya'll can see how our place is turning out.
Friday, May 05, 2006
The Ottawa Hospital
At first when I heard that I was going to be at the hospital, I was a little bit apprehensive because I, like most people, do not enjoy hospitals and the thought of being around sick people sort makes me nervous because I do not know how to deal with it. But I'm actually across the street from the main building and no where near any patients. It's called the Clinical Studies building and it's really old and run down but they have run out of room elsewhere for offices. Apparently, the building was supposed to be demolished but they decided to keep it up because they odn't have money to build something to replace it right now. At first I was a little leary about it but it's not too bad once you get used to it.
The job is very undefined. What they really need is someone to be a data analyst. For now I'm just filing and organizing and photocopying and taking some time to learn their database. They have a permanent job posted and they are wondering if I want to apply for it. I just looked at the job description and I'm not sure if it's a job that I would want. The pay is very good so that is one incentive but I am just not sure if it's the right job for me.
Besides the job thing, it's my birthday this Sunday. Reuben is taking me to Montreal tomorrow. And my parents are hosting a bbq for me. It should be a good weekend. I guess I'm in my late twenties now but that doesn't really bother me. I think I'm pretty comfortable where I am and Reuben keeps me feeling young:)
Well, that's the excitement from my life right now.



