Almost everyone...

  A few weeks ago, we were able to have a family barbecue at my sister in laws home.  She lives on a rural property just outside of the city, so barbecues at her home definitely have a country charm.  I mean, I can have chicken at my barbecue, but it would be on the grill, not running around the backyard.

  I planned a sleep over, because hubby was on call and I didn't want to drive home in the dark.  Okay, let's be honest here, I didn't want to drive in the dark AND, I wanted to drink - what's a family barbecue without alcohol?

  Everyone hoped that John would be able to make an appearance.  It turned out that for some reason, his on call was super busy, and he was only able to pop in for an hour or so, get some food, and head out again.  But for an hour or so, we were able to have almost everyone together.

  Almost everyone.  Missing was the family that started it all.  Gramma and her family.  Gramma's daughter, Gail, my mother in law.  Gramma's son, Gary, and of course her husband, Grandpa.  I looked out the window while I was washing up some dishes, and felt an overwhelming pang of sadness.  I couldn't help but think how much the "original" family would have loved to be there, and how proud they must be of the family they have left behind.

Dance Nights

I'm a terrible dancer.


Not kind of bad, really bad.  Think Kate from Dancing with the Stars, or Elaine from Seinfeld and you'll get an idea of my dance ability.  Not being a great dancer has never stopped me from breaking out into random dance moves.  Often times, I will put on my IPod, or turn the stereo up and have my own dance party. 

My husband isn't a great dancer either so I don't feel that I am holding him back.  On our wedding day, we stumbled through U2's All I Want is You.  As awkward as it was, it was the best six minutes of my wedding day.  Because even though I can't dance, I love to dance.

Early in our marriage money was tight.  Music and dance became a way for the family have fun and connect.  We would have Friday night dance parties with the kids.  It was so cute to watch our little blond ragamuffins dancing to their favourite songs.  Later, once the kids were put to bed, the tempo would slow, and the music would get turned down. John and I would have the dance floor to ourselves.  Our Friday night dance parties are some of my sweetest memories of our life together. 

We still have family dance parties, they are just more random now.  Just the other evening we cranked up the tunes and danced for an hour or so.  My boys and I cut up the rug.  The Kid and her Dad didn't get up to bust a move, but I could tell that they were both enjoyed the nostalgia of the moment.  The evening ended with a slow dance.  Charlie and I danced to  U2's One. 

Our dance parties that remind me how sweet life is.  I will hold these memories close to my heart forever.  I have blessed - with two left feet and a family loves my quirky moves.

99+ bottles of beer....

On our way to my sister-in-law's house for dinner on Sunday night, we saw this convoy of  massive beer vats.  The vats are en route, slowly inching their way  to the Molson brewery near Pearson airport.  Their average speed 1.5km/hr.  Part of the reason they are moving so slowly is because power lines and traffic lights have to be moved to allow passage of the convoy. 
I had heard about this on the news, and was hoping to catch sight of it, but I was still surprised at just how enormous the vats were.