Soaking in the last drops of summer

I hope all of you enjoyed your final summer long-weekend!  Derek and I did our best to soak up as much summer as we could.  And I think that knowing cooler temperatures and busy weekends are on their way helped us appreciate it a bit more.

We kicked-off the weekend by participating in The Canadian, Saturday at Mooney's Bay.  It was a jam packed day full of various types of races and events.  Derek ran an 8km and I did my first try-a-tri.  We both really enjoyed ourselves, did pretty well for first-timers, and will definitely participate again.

Here's a photo of Derek stretching it out before his race.

And here I am prepping for the first leg of my tri: the swim!  Super attractive, I know...and this is before the nose plug and goggles!

On Sunday we spent the day at Lac La Peche in the Gatineau Park.  Derek had read an article earlier in the summer about this specific lake and how it was not as busy as others in Gatineau Park.  It is an awesome lake and beach, but a little farther from the city, so I can see why people may not make it all the way out there.  

The lake is really big, with a nice cordoned off swimming area with lifeguards.  You can rent kayaks and canoes for a reasonable price, parking is only $10 per car for the day, and I don't think it's ever very busy!  

It was the perfect setting for a relaxing Sunday.  We enjoyed a picnic, some wine, canoed around the lake and discovered little private beaches.

That's me!  The water was so warm, and I loved it after having craved a swim in a fresh water lake all summer.  

Completing our little Canadiana outing, was the discovery of a huge beaver dam and a pair of loons!  

Derek and I will most definitely be taking another trip back to Lac La Peche, maybe even this autumn to take in all the changing colours from a canoe!  Seeing as it is only about 40 minutes from downtown Ottawa, it is the perfect day trip destination for family outings, romantic picnics or a get-together with a bunch of friends.  

What did you guys do over the long-weekend?  Anyone participate in a race or other type of outdoor activity?  

The great glebe garage sale

The GGGS did not disappoint!  The weather was fabulous, buyers and sellers were in good spirits and both Ashley and I found some great items without breaking the bank (at all!)  We saw some amazing musicians, belly dancers, enjoyed some street meet and even witnessed a flash mob!

Here are some pics from our day:

The day is about more than just a garage sale raising money for various charities.  It's a big street festival, and it's awesome!

Here is the flash mob.  It was organized by The Community Cup.  

No outdoor fest is complete without some spicy street meet.  

Here's Ash, rockin' her new 10 cent shades!

As for what I purchased, I didn't go overboard, but I think I did well!

As I mentioned, I was looking for an old antique briefcase/suit case to use as a card box at our wedding.  I love the look of all these ideas:

My budget was $30 and so I was totally pumped when I found this gem for $25!

Not bad, eh?  I haven't decided if I will used it to hold some of my favours (coffee, I think) or use it as my card box.  I am envisioning some type of fabric (a tea towel or a pillow case, even) draped along the bottom to create a lining, and some pretty wooden letters strung at the top.

You probably thought that chest (trunk? box?) was the greatest find of the day.  Well, I'll tell you - I was pretty excited about it, but NOT as excited as when I saw this adorable moose head staring up at me from the a table!

Isn't he the cutest ever!?  I'm not sure if you know that faux taxidermy is quite chic and trendy in nursery decor these days. 

Did I mention my moose head is brand new, with his price tag on and everything?  For $8 he was in my bag quicker than I could pay the sweet lady.  

If you think I'm just crazy, with no design sense at all, here are 2 beautifully styled nurseries featuring this fun trend, along with some beautiful (and expensive) animal heads for sale.

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This lovely yellow deer head is $150.

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This adorable elephant is $139.

Mr. Papier-Maché Giraffe is $79.

Is my moose not looking amazing to you right now?  If not, that's ok.  Derek loved him, or maybe just loved how much I loved him?  Ashley made fun of me for an hour after I purchased him, but hey, to each their own, right!?

My other purchases were gifts.  The GGGS is a great place to buy gifts, by the way.  And really nice baby/children's clothing.

Here's a pack of 50 Beau's Beer coasters for Derek's brother.  He loves Beau's beer and is moving into a new condo he purchased in about 9 months.  I'm planning on including these in a gift basket for him.  Don't let me forget about them!  They were $2.

I purchased this 15 pack of recycled golf balls for our friend Ted.  He lives in the country and hits balls into the field behind his house.  For 20 cents/ball I'm sure he won't care if he never sees them again.

I must have had our Brockville friends on the brain, because the next thing I picked up was this adorable fork and spoon set for our friends' Karen and Ryan's little munchkin.  

Conveniently, we were heading to Brockville for the night so were able to give our gifts right away as opposed to forgetting about them in the back of the closet.  I definitely do that sometimes.  Reminder: Don't let me forget about the beer coasters!

We wanted to buy this cute little puppy, but he wasn't for sale.

It's too bad I didn't take more photos of the beautiful homes in the Glebe.  This one, for example, was renovated beautifully and the second level has a garage-like door on the balcony that opens up to their kitchen/dining/living room.  Hello dream home!

Ashley and I spent a good 5 to 6 hours at the GGGS and were parched by the time we got back to the car. Thank goodness we parked near a pub so we could rehydrate.

Did anyone else visit the Glebe last Saturday?  If so, did you see or buy anything amazing?  We definitely saw some pretty happy shoppers and a ton of happy people.  I can't wait for next year!

The greatest weekend since last weekend

Did everyone have a great long-weekend last weekend?  I hope so.  But not to worry if you didn't because this weekend is one of the most exciting weekends in Ottawa, and one of my personal favourites.

Our beautiful city is hosting Ottawa Race Weekend which creates so much buzz and energy.  

I've participated in the Ottawa Race Weekend's half marathon twice.  The first time was in 2009 with my best bud, Ashley (yes, those are matching outfits) and my other girlfriend, Jenny.  It was a first half for all three of us.  Since then I've done one more, Ashley's become a super star and completed 4, and Jenny had had enough after her first!

I was at the race in 2010, but had a different perspective.  It was still exciting and I loved cheering on my girl, but I missed the actual running part.  

Last year, I was back in the race!  Ashley and I decided to wear different hats ;)

I had to include this picture because it really shows what type of man I am marrying.  Derek is the most supportive and encouraging person.  He was so proud of me that day, and clearly, very excited!  Here he is coming in for a hug - so glad my sis caught it on camera!

So now it's 2012 and thought I should stick with the pattern I have created and take the year off.  Obviously I only run on odd number years.  

I will enjoy seeing the running spandex everywhere and feeling the energy in the air as thousands of inspirational athletes prepare for the big day. As a nice, flat, picturesque qualifier for the Boston Marathon, there are many elite runners gracing our city this weekend.  I am sure I will miss being a part of those pre race jitters though, so next year the plan is to run again!

You think that's enough excitement for one Ottawa weekend?  Well, it's not!  There is debate on whether this second event is ranked higher on the scale of amazing-ness.  For me?  It's a tie.  

I know some people who are as excited about the Great Glebe Garage Sale as kids are about Christmas morning!  This local garage sale is legendary.  If you are not familiar with Ottawa, The Glebe is an upscale neighbourhood just south of downtown.  It is known for it's main street which is full of trendy boutiques, great restaurants, coffee (and tea) shops, a plethora of spas, and art galleries.  

It's a very desirable (and expensive) place to live; many of the beautiful large homes on the tree lined streets are a century old, and are walking distance to downtown, the Rideau Canal, farmers markets and lots of green space.  

All that to say - these rich people sell nice stuff!  People have been known to walk away with anything from rare pieces of fine art, traffic lights, bicycles, antique jewellery and loads of kitchenware.  So tomorrow, Ashley (who is also taking a year off from running the half) and I will be participating in another type of sport - garage saleing.  

My favourite purchases from the past are: 

• our outdoor wooden bistro set seen in the background here:

• my vintage pyrex mixing bowls seen on top of my fridge, here:

• And thirdly an awesome tennis racket that Derek is now calling his own.  

Tomorrow I won't be going in with much of a plan, which is just fine by me.  It makes for a less stressful garage saleing experience.  It's when your mind is clear and open that the real gems shine through.

I will be keeping my eyes peeled for one specific item though, and that is - an antique briefcase/suitcase to use at our wedding.  Something like this charming case from etsy, but that doesn't cost $60 plus tax and shipping.  I'm thinking more like $30.  

Other than that, I'm just planning on enjoying the day with my friend, and strolling through those lovely tree-lined streets to see what catches my eye.

If you are planning attending but don't have much experience I would suggest checking out this site for more information and helpful tips.  You can also search #gggs for twitter updates.

From my experience, here is what I think you should know: 

• arrive early (like before 7am), and pick up a coffee from Bridgehead 
• bring a travel mug which you can then use for discounted lemonade (there are kids selling lemonade EVERYWHERE!)
• if you are driving, park outside the Glebe, as it will be a nightmare to escape the madness

I'll definitely let you know what Ash and I end up purchasing.  If anyone finds something really neat, I want to hear about it!  

And if you see a wicked antique suitcase tweet me the location @loveleehoneybee!

Have a great weekend and good luck to all the runners (and garage salers!)

Happy birthday Derek

Derek turned 31 January 17!  Since then it's been a lot of this....

• cleaning the apartment 
• buying food
• preparing food
• hosting parties
• eating
• drinking
• drinking
• dancing
• laughing
• drinking
• eating
• sleeping
• cleaning the apartment 
• dinner with mama June 
• eating
• drinking
• dinner with papa Terr and Heather
• eating 
• drinking
• ................................so much for my new year's "cleanse"....

It's never ending!  I can't blame Derek - I celebrate my birthday for the whole month of August, so one week of birthday celebrations is nothing.  

Last night we celebrated Derek's birthday with just each other and it was perfect.  We had a lovely evening enjoying some of Ottawa's restaurants and pubs and saw a great movie, The Descendants.  The weather wasn't too cold, so we walked in the softly falling snow - it was romantic.  

Happy Birthday best friend!  xoxoxo