April started off with a trip to Montreal to have lunch with my Vice President downtown. I traveled by train from Ottawa - a relaxing ride with some nice scenery - and I had the chance to spend a few hours with my boss one-on-one which was awesome! I was very tempted to pull an April Fools Day prank on him, but I didn't know how well that would go over and I like my job...
The weather was amazing on Friday and Saturday. It got up to a sunny 28'C! I spent some time wandering through my neighborhood on Saturday poking into the little shops and getting some sun. Then, it was off to Thamesford! I flew out of Ottawa at 5pm Toronto-bound and got into the little T-dot at 9pm. Home for a week! Mom and Dad are cruising the Mediterranean, but Grandma Rinn is staying with me and I have been with Susan and Leah every day too :)
Here is some more of what I've been up to this week...
The weather was amazing on Friday and Saturday. It got up to a sunny 28'C! I spent some time wandering through my neighborhood on Saturday poking into the little shops and getting some sun. Then, it was off to Thamesford! I flew out of Ottawa at 5pm Toronto-bound and got into the little T-dot at 9pm. Home for a week! Mom and Dad are cruising the Mediterranean, but Grandma Rinn is staying with me and I have been with Susan and Leah every day too :)
Here is some more of what I've been up to this week...
Adventures in Al's Truck
Alec and Susan came into the house on Sunday afternoon with a suspicious look on their faces - scary at the best of times! Susan took the lead and asked if I could do them a favour and drive the truck out to Alec's Uncle's place so he wouldn't have to make 3 trips there and back. No problem, I have driven Dad's truck many times and am perfectly comfortable in it. But there was a catch... the truck would have attached to it the trailer with the skid steer on top. I have never pulled anything behind me while driving, but I thought I have become confident enough in my driving that I could probably do it and I said sure - to Susan's surprise (as she said to me later that day "I wouldn't have done it!")
So after some quick instructions from Alec, our little caravan of trucks headed out to Uncle Rob's place outside Ingersoll. For those of you who have never pulled anything, here are some tips:
1. When you back end weighs more than your front (i.e. For you mathies out there Me + Truck < Trailer + Skid Steer) you need to brake early and often...
2. ...Except when trying to get up a hill on a country road, then you need to accelerate hard to make it up then brake quickly at the top so you don't go flying down the other side.
3. The small bridge on Putnam Road seems even smaller in a truck with a trailer behind it, but you will make it - just aim for the centre of the gap and close your eyes
4. People do not expect to see young women driving large trucks with trailers and skid steers attached - you will get a lot of open-mouthed stares from passing vehicles
Despite these challenges, I did just fine! Not a scratch on the truck and saved my brother-in-law a lot of time. Plus, a new experience to add to my list of accomplishment in 2010!
So after some quick instructions from Alec, our little caravan of trucks headed out to Uncle Rob's place outside Ingersoll. For those of you who have never pulled anything, here are some tips:
1. When you back end weighs more than your front (i.e. For you mathies out there Me + Truck < Trailer + Skid Steer) you need to brake early and often...
2. ...Except when trying to get up a hill on a country road, then you need to accelerate hard to make it up then brake quickly at the top so you don't go flying down the other side.
3. The small bridge on Putnam Road seems even smaller in a truck with a trailer behind it, but you will make it - just aim for the centre of the gap and close your eyes
4. People do not expect to see young women driving large trucks with trailers and skid steers attached - you will get a lot of open-mouthed stares from passing vehicles
Despite these challenges, I did just fine! Not a scratch on the truck and saved my brother-in-law a lot of time. Plus, a new experience to add to my list of accomplishment in 2010!
Leah-Bunny
Leah's little Easter outfit definitely had the cutest bunny feet!
Seriously, my niece is gorgeous - it's gotta be those good genes :)
Eat Your Heart Out Martha Stewart!
The girls were coming over for some wine and a good gossip catch-up session. I had been dying to try the penguin appetizer that Mom had told me about so I took the opportunity to try it out on them. Black olives, cream cheese, and carrots are the only ingredients you need and they look awesome! Simply Google "black olive penguins" and you'll find this little gem.
Oh, it was great to see the girls too... but the penguins were the stars of the night :)
Oh, it was great to see the girls too... but the penguins were the stars of the night :)
A Visit to the Day's
Susan, Leah and I went for a long overdue visit to Dorchester to see Mel and Shirley. As only baby's can bring out the softer side of people, I love this picture of Mel holding Leah. He looks like a kid on Christmas morning.