16 October 2011

Moose Jaw Minute #61: Happy Thanksgiving From Canada

One of the best reasons to live in Canada?  The holiday season kicks off that much earlier!  It is no secret among friends and family that I am a sucker for the holidays...twinkling lights, good food, a chill in the air...my bliss!  Yet another Thanksgiving has come and gone in this fair land that I currently claim as home.  The leaves have turned, and the wind is blowing stiff and cold from the north.  We made the most of our holiday with a hike in the Nicolle Flats with one of our best friends, two (that's right...TWO!) weekend dates at our favourite places in Regina, 13th Avenue Coffeehouse and La Bodega, and a yummy Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us.  Since then, it has been "bake central" here in the Jaw with vegan pumpkin loaves and a vegan Christmas cake.  I'll include recipes in my next post, but for now, some pics!

Hiking in the Flats
Thanksgiving Tree
A pause in the hike for some love...
YUUMMMY T-Day Dinner!
Fresh cranberries for the vegan pumpkin-cranberry loaf!
SO good!
Christmas Cake anyone?
C-cake baking aftermath...



08 October 2011

Moose Jaw Minute #60: Celebrations and Getaways

On Arcadia Beach in Oregon
What do a surprise wedding on a beach, a move from Chicago to Moose Jaw, and (un)bachelorette party in Atlanta, a wedding shower/celebration Pennsylvania, and a hen-do in Moose Jaw add up to?  Well, our second wedding and renewal of our vows in the amazing state of Washington of course!  Yes, my friends, the Dave + Heather Wedding World Tour Extravaganza came to an end in September with one of the most lovely, beautiful, and meaningful things to happen.  Dave and I renewed our vows with friends and family in this amazing space just outside of Seattle. 

Our friends officiated, our parents, family, and dear friends surrounded us as we recited the same words we did on the beach last May.  We had the most creative team assembled around us to capture the sights, deliver the music, and coordinate everything.  In short, we are feeling pretty darn fortunate with all this love and happiness surrounding our sappy hearts!

The week before and after offered us time to soak in Seattle and Oregon.  We did a boat tour with Argosy Cruises, ate at the same restaurant as Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner did in that oh-so-famous movie, enjoyed wine in our favorite little spot just behind Pike Place Market, ooh-ed and aah-ed over the flowers and goodies at said market, and spent quality time with all of the people that traveled far and wide to be there. 

After the wedding, we traveled down the coast into Oregon (oh...how I love Oregon!) to check out the beautiful seaside towns of Manzanita and Cannon Beach, to go inland to visit the Oregon vineyards and fall into a serious crush with the town of McMinnville, and then on to Portland where the city and its sights wooed us into a honeymoon stupor.  We met amazing people along the way, found some incredible gems, and, well...let's be honest, did not want to come back to reality. 

We are grateful for the time we had to spend with our favorite people, are feeling pretty lucky that we have one another in our lives, and are just darn excited about heading back to Oregon when time allows. 

I've included lists of places we visited along the way below the pictures...these are highly recommended!

















































Seattle, Washington
Manzanita, Oregon
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Wheeler, Oregon
McMinnville, Oregon (and surrounding area)
Portland, Oregon

It was an amazing trip...