Introducing...

The other day, Jeff called from work and said he was coming home for lunch and that he would bring something home for lunch for us. He brought home chicken (to eat) and a kitten! Now, we've always hesitated about getting a cat for many reasons, the least of which is not the tendency for some pet owners to treat their animals as human members of the family. To make a few what-should-be-obvious statements, our cat is not our baby; I am not its mother. Thus I will not refer to it or me as such. And I will never pay to have professional photographs taken of my pet. However, should you wish to do so with your own pet, please contact my husband and he'll gladly take great photos, and your money. That being said, we're quite delighted with our new feline friend. We named him Mitaines (French for Mittens, pronounced Mee-'Ten), to reflect his francophone heritage. Oh, and I also won't be spending excessive amounts of money on pet accessories. Check out the stylish scratching/climbing pole I made with a stool and a pair of old jeans. I'm glad I did, otherwise he'd probably be tearing apart some piece of furniture instead.

Life on the North Shore

We're now into the swing of a new fall routine, although I don't think "routine" is a word that ever describes our life for long! Nevertheless, Jeff has settled into his new graphic design job at a local print shop, as well as pursuing photography on the side. I'm home full-time for now. It's nice to feel like I can focus on doing one thing well (i.e., homemaking) rather than doing many things but feeling like none are done very well. We're in our new house near the beach and we've had the pleasure of many visits from friends and family. Here's a brief photo overview of highlights from the past few months.

Fishing trip up river (This was my first big catch...)


First family canoe run


Seafood feast with visiting friends


Jenny's folks enjoying the view from our swing


Sam being baptized in the very rough waves of the bay


Fall Beachcombing


Jeff heading to his first day at the new job


Jenny's creamy pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving


Fun in the leaves

Pressing on

I've obviously neglected our blog for a while now. And the longer I didn't update, the harder it was to be motivated to do so because of all I would have to squeeze into it in terms of what we've been up to. So, I decided to just continue from where we're at now because our journey over the past eight months would deserve much more than a few blogs could offer.

We recently sold our home in Ontario and moved back to northern New Brunswick, where we lived the first year we were married. I don't think either of us has been as excited about any of our moves or circumstances as we are about this. It's like a sigh of relief has come over us, like a bumpy part of the road has been travelled and conquered. And though we were wearied and maybe worse for the wear, refreshment is coming, and we are strengthened for the journey to come.

A summer of celebrations

Celebrating...

4 years of marriage...


with the in-laws!



A myriad of delightful guests in our first house, (e.g., Cousin Marty and Jeff jammin' in our living room)



Culinary explorations:

Jeff on the shiny new BBQ


Jenny on the yard-sale waffle maker (note: 100% whole grain and organic waffles from scratch)

Moving

Jeff and I move into our first house tomorrow. When I began packing seriously yesterday, my first thought was, "I wonder how much it costs to hire someone to do this?" Then I got into the swing of it, only the odd time becoming distracted by the newspaper I was using to wrap dishes and stopping to read an article or two. As I made it through the office and bookshelves this afternoon, I became increasingly thankful for all the people who have been a part of my life throughout the years, however briefly. Although it's a little frightening to see how much stuff we have, so many items trigger pleasant memories of times and places that would otherwise be lost in the dusty corners of my mind.

Eight Eyes

Jeff and I both have glasses now. I can't believe what I've been missing! Here we are after a Toronto Raptors basketball game last week. I'm not sure if I would have even seen the ball from our nose-bleed seats if I wasn't sporting the new glasses. Just another sign of aging, I guess.

Rockin' and Restin'

We escaped this weekend to a cabin in the country to rest and refresh. Jeff slept most of the time and I read, although we did manage a few games of Scrabble and a couple of walks.


Maybe we were tuckered out from all the celebrating... Last Friday, we had my colleagues over for a little birthday get-together. Here I'm putting the finishing touches on two delicious cheesecakes (if I do say so myself).


Jeff also took me out for a fancy dinner earlier that week. Check out the salmon on a potato croquette. The dessert was great too, but it seems like we post an awful lot of photos of us eating!