Edwin and Sharon's Wedding

My cousin Edwin married Sharon on October 13th in the picturesque town of BobCaygeon.

Four Dutch relatives travelled to Canada for the ceremony: Henk, Anneke, Ria and Jaap.

Uncle Jaap and Henk

Uncle Jaap is usually very good with children!

Sharon and Edwin looked so lovely in their elegant wedding attire.

Although the weather was not very co-operative, we had a very good time at the reception. Before it started, Andrew and Dylan took in a game of bowling.

Andrew and Dylan enjoying a game of bowling before the reception

Children were welcome to the dinner and dance which made this a very fun evening for our family. One six-year-old girl came up to Dylan (who was dressed in a shirt/vest/tie) and told him that he was "handsome" and insisted that her family sit with us during the ceremony so that she could be with him. Later, he and two girls danced the night away.

Dylan tripping the light fantastic

It was very appropriate that one of the songs played was "BobCaygeon" by The Tragically Hip as we danced the night away.

Aunt Greta gave a very nice speech. She and Anita looked lovely in their finest.

We all stayed in BobCaygeon for the night and went out for a family breakfast the next morning. It was a cool crisp fall morning.

Hockey Night in Canada

First, I must preface this blog by stating that I don't like hockey. I don't like watching the sport, I don't like playing the sport, I don't want Dylan enrolled in a hockey league. But, growing up Canadian means having a certain degree of respect for the sport and of course, loving the Saturday night 8:00pm hockey song. Who does NOT remember the opening lines of the hockey song played on CBC every Saturday night. It is such a catchy tune and every Canadian kid knows it by heart.

So, when our neighbour offered us 4 Leaf tickets to the pre-season game...we jumped on the opportunity. These tickets were worth $640 (and these are our new FAVOURITE neighbours). We invited one of Dylan's friends to go with us.

Dylan improvising with a Pizza plate instead of a foam finger

Dylan and Toby

We had an additional bonus at this game. MIKE MYERS (fellow Canadian) is filming a movie called The Hockey Guru, and they used our audience for film segments during the intermission. As my mother-in-law once said, Andrew just has a special knack for running into filmshoots when he least expects it.

Filming "The Hockey Guru" for Mike Myers

Thanksgiving Dinner

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house. She cooked a fantastic meal for us as well as my brother's family. Turkey, yams, salads, pumpkin pie....all the traditional Thanksgiving foods were served. It was fun to see all eleven of us at one table enjoying dinner together.

Vic and his son Ryan

Afterwards, the kids enjoyed several rousing games on the Wii station. It was hilarious to watch them in their virtual environment.

Dylan and Sarah "boxing"

The only low moment of the evening was our trip home. A car accident had happened one kilometre before us and the highway we were on was shut down for 1 hour. Dylan had fun walking around the stationary cars.

Standing on a major highway

I Have a Personal Trainer!

I have joined the ranks of Hollywood celebrities such as Madonna, Sylvester Stallone and Pamela Anderson by employing my very own Personal Trainer (PT). Just like these celebrities, my PT is gorgeous, fit and encouragingly cheerful. However, unlike the PTs of the celebrities, my PT is only 8 years old--Dylan

I recently tried to start jogging again but I found the exertion and the timing (for babysitting purposes) to be exhausting. So, the other day I challenged Dylan to go for a jog with me. As out-of-shape as I am, I still thought I would beat Dylan at a distance run. Boy was I wrong!! As I jogged along the boardwalk, Dylan was leaping from bench to bench. As I was plodding my way up a hill, Dylan literally ran circles around me shouting encouragement. And as I could barely manage a whisper (for lack of breath) Dylan was chatting nonstop throughout our run. Well, colour-me-pink, was I embarrassed. And what do you do with such fitness expert within your household? You hire him of course. I have offered Dylan $5 a jog and it is his responsibility to schedule our sessions, push me to go out, and keep me jogging on our course. Dylan is loving the idea. He plans to ask his phys ed. teacher for more cool-down stretches.

I love the idea because 1) I don't need to worry about a babysitter 2) Dylan and I spend quality time together in a healthy way.

Edwin's Stag

My "baby" cousin Edwin just had his stag. Gosh....he is now 32 years old (and that make me how old??)

Of course girls weren't allowed to come but Andrew went for dinner at the Keg followed by bowling. Edwin and Sharon will marry on October 13th in the scenic town of BobCaygeon.

Family Camping Trip in September

We went overnight camping in Presquile Provincial Park with my sister and family. Of course, we had decided on this arrangement in July during a heatwave. However, camping in September when the temperature goes down to 1C at night is a whole other ballgame. But, we all dressed appropriately and huddled beside a roaring fire to make this a very enjoyable weekend. At night time as we lay in our tents we could hear the howling of a pack of coyotes in the distance. This was a little intimitating in our paper-thin barriers.

We went for a nature hike and enjoyed watching the sunset over Lake Ontario.

Cousin "It"

We roasted JiffyPop popcorn over the campfire as well as marshmellows.

Rainbow over the Marshlands

Hansel and Gretal Woods

We went on a nature hike and we saw many species of fungi. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen as many types of mushroom in one park...ever! These photos are just a small sample of what we saw. Of course we were careful not to touch any. An emergency physician that I work with, Margaret Thompson, is also the head of the Poison Control Centre and had issued an alert this year reminding people not to eat mushrooms from the forests as a husband/wife were in need of a liver transplant due to hepatotoxicity from their mushroom foraging expedition. It reminded me of my childhood when my babysitter and I would go mushroom picking at the cottage. It was a delicious rite of summer to eat these sauteed mushrooms fresh off the bark. Now, I would never consider picking my own mushrooms.

The Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place over the past week. As usual Andrew staked a spot off the red carpet over several nights and captured many stars on film (his film).

Clive Owen Working the Crowd
Reese Witherspoon

Cate Blanchette

Many of the stars were gracious and inviting towards the audience. Some were not...(we won't tell who).

Ewan MacGregor

Colin Farrell

Donald SutherlandThe Very Talented Ben Kingsley

The Not So Talented Paris Hilton

Jimmy Smits

Chanteuse Artist Chantal Kreviazuk

The Circus Comes To Town

A travelling circus stopped off at the park beside our house for the weekend. Admission was free although gratuities were appreciated.
Trapeze Artist

For three days we were treated to acrobats, tightrope artists, jugglers, clowns etc...
Two Contortionist Artists


Russian GymnastsThey reminded me of a band of gypsies....setting up tents and then moving to the next town...always on the road. Well, I guess Dylan knows where to go if he ever wants to run away from home to join the circus.

Risk/Soccer/Kite Surfing

Dylan's Beach Soccer League had their final game. I had to admire his coaches who are all parent volunteers and who really fostered a fun yet challenging atmosphere. The soccer field is right at the end of our street beside the Beach which makes it an easy trek for us.
Dylan defending his territory

While Dylan played soccer I watched 11 kite surfers playing by the Beach. There was a lovely wind in the early evening and they sure looked like they were having fun. It made me think of Andrew's brother Greg who loves this sport. This would be a great way to unwind after work!

Dylan's grandparents had just left after spending a weekend babysitting Dylan (while Andrew and I were at a camp reunion). Dylan was recently introduced to the strategy game, RISK. I had never played this game as a child and I was quickly defeated. Grandmother, however, held on for considerably longer during her games with Dylan.

Grandma challenging Dylan at RISK

Meanwhile, Grandpa was in the park playing with his own surfkite....now to add some motion!

Grandpa working his kite