Pieces of us: January 2014

Leo's been somewhat hesitant all winter about heading outside in the snow. I wondered if his boots were too small, uncomfortable, or if his coat was too warm or too cold. It's impossible to really know. He has been talking much more lately and I can actually get information out of him so I've gathered that it was none of the above. I'm not clear on when his attitude changed, but he wants to go out all the time now. OUT!! he says.

The two of us went out yesterday while Ruby was visiting my parents. The wind was strong but Leo was determined to walk down the street. God, how I love watching his little body waddle. I convinced him to come with me into the backyard, hoping for a little relief from the - 27 wind chill and we ended up building the cutest, smallest little snow man. I didn't get any pictures but did snap these shots before we went around back:

Here we are making cards for Ryan who is in Austria at the moment:

Come home soon!

Love, Big L, little r and little l

From my perspective, the year 2014 came in like a lion! It started with a wild night in on NYE when Ryan and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary eating Chinese and playing backgammon. We stayed up well past midnight too. Our Skype call to Matthew lasted for almost two hours. Like I said, a wild and crazy night (of which the details cannot be shared with the masses).

A few days later we packed up and headed to Costa Rica for a much anticipated event (3 years to be exact) - Matt and Esther's wedding. The journey to get there was a little more than we had originally planned for but it was all worth it. The week was spectacular! The weather unbeatable. The wedding was perfect. The ceremony took place during sunset on the beach and there was not a dry eye in the house. All nineteen of us danced and danced and sang our hearts out for hours. I honestly don't think I've ever been to a better wedding or wedding reception. Everything about it was perfect, well, except for the fact that we all had to say good-bye a few days later with a huge question mark on the reunion date.

I had never met Esther's family before and it was indeed my pleasure to have finally done so. They have all made deep impressions upon my heart and I am truly enamoured by her two sisters in particular. I hope to see them again soon but I hope to see Matt and Esther sooner. I hate being so far away and having humungous pieces of my life completely unknown to them. It makes me very sad. In a perfect world we would all live close to our loved ones. But for now, we cherish the times we do get to spend with them and sob uncontrollably when it's time to say good-bye. Some of us may also inhale helium before making a wedding speech. I have no idea who would do such a thing, but I've heard this may have happened at least once in recent history.

Here are some pieces of our trip to Guanacaste, Costa Rica, January 8-15, 2014.

The Wedding Tree.

The Happy Couple.

The Boys.

Two families joined together.

Me, my brother and his lovely wife.

Matthew and I having one of the best times EVER!

The infamous bum dance is alive and thriving!

Bohemian Rhapsody in full swing.

Footnotes

1. Just in case somebody didn't get it, there are no wild and sorted details to share about our New Years Eve. I was being sarcastic. It was however a lovely night, thoroughly enjoyable, spent with two of favourite men on the planet.

2. The journey to Costa Rica went something like this: First flight to Toronto cancelled. Two hour drive from Moncton to Fredericton in hopes of catching flight #2 to Toronto. Flight #2 cancelled. Took a flight from Fredericton to Montreal in hopes of catching flight #3 to Toronto. Flight #3 cancelled. Really wanted to get to Toronto. Rented a car and drove for 5.5 hours from Montreal to Toronto arriving with an empty tank of gas at 2:30 in the morning. Slept in hotel for 2.5 hours. Caught flight from Toronto to Costa Rica on schedule.

3. Ryan and I didn't tote the camera around with us for most of the trip. Here are some shots of 'our' little vacation: