Birthday!

It must have slipped my mind to actually post these pictures, I had them all ready the day after we celebrated Erika's birthday...but I must have been preoccupied.

A few weekend ago we surprised a friend on her birthday, it turns out however that those in attendance were not so skilled at throwing surprise parties. So it was a bit of an awkward SURPRISE initially, but it all worked out. There were party hats and noise makers involved, so of course it worked out!

Baily, the dog, was holding the birthday balloon...unbeknown to her:

Greg and I coloured matched, by accident of course:

Mardi Gras, Pictou County Style

After being postponed a week due to weather we were finally able to celebrate Mardi Gras in Pictou County! It was held at The Palace, above the Stone Soup Cafe (who catered the event) and was a super fun time.

Greg was decked out in the finest mish mash of Frenchy's attire and I was a bit more modest just wearing lots of purple and a mask. While I didn't make the mask I'm wearing (below) I learned that having a mask on a stick is challenging and it's best to go with a mask on a string. Thankfully our friends came prepared with extra masks:

Snazzy friends (top), we made up a game: who can get three strings of beads on their bottle the quickest (bottom) - endless creativity at this table:

Headbanging in his grandmother's wig, really just showing how well it stays on. I was impressed:

There was a band, so there was lots of dancing, the food was amazing and we paraded around the room showing off our costumes. A colourful and very fun night!

New Years Eve

After a wonderful evening with friends followed by fireworks I looked like this:

I was also wearing snowpants and monster big boots - I was prepared.

Happy New Year!

PS. None of the fuzz is real fur!

The Past Week in Instagrams

A beautiful view from my window, quite the busy day in the skies:

Beautiful flowers from my Drama students after they completed their final exam - a play they wrote, directed and starred in:

Purchased! Greg and I will be heading to Sackville, NB this August. Yippee!

Happy Second Birthday Blog

April marks two years I've been blabbing to the world via my blog.

I found this cute image to help celebrate:

Source

Friends, GASP, FRIENDS!

It's only taken a few months but Greg and I now have friends in New Glasgow, and its wonderful! This past weekend we celebrated one of our new friend's birthdays by heading out to Caribou Island and eating Thai food - we seemed to have lucked out in the similar interest department.

On Saturday evening/night it rained and rained in New Glasgow, over night the temperature dropped pretty quickly leaving everything coated in ice. Although it was a bit treacherous driving it made for beautiful ice covered trees!

Posing over a ice covered tree, bending under the weight

Ice-berries!

Ice-...tree things!

We went AROUND these stairs, they were a
bit to back-breaking for our liking

A view up the stairs from the beach

Lots of ice chunks made their way into the beach

Climbing over ice

It was REALLY windy on the beach, you can tell by my really
red cheeks

The park/picnic area at the top of the beach.

The Birthday Girl wanted to go out for Thai food, Greg and I were SUPER pumped to be invited since we have been really keen on trying this place out. So spending out first visit there with friends was a lovely perk.

Tak's Thai Kitchen is in Pictou and I learned that before it was a pretty large restaurant the owner, Tak, ran the show from a little hut on the waterfront. I'm glad she upgraded her digs.

DELICIOUS Panang Curry

New friends, lots of 'em!!
Photo: Erika...or rather the waiter via Erika!

New Glasgow's Greasy Spoon

This morning Greg and ventured out to explore our options for breakfast in New Glasgow. Most places were closed but we found Rita's Cozy Corner open and hilariously inviting with the most Valentine's Day decorations I've ever seen outside of an elementary classroom.

Each table had these 'centerpieces', if you notice the pink cards they are actually "buy 10 get one free fish and chips" punch cards. Rita must make some serious fish and chips:

I thought about asking Greg to pose for this picture (with the balloon looking like a thought bubble) but when I was lining up the picture it just seemed to work out - there were probably a dozen helium balloons throughout the pretty tiny restaurant:

It seems that decorating trees isn't limited to Christmas at Ritas, amazing:

Oh, and of course, the greasy spoon breakfast. My stomach is still mad that I ate it. I was surprised that the eggs weren't heart shaped:

First Day of School (again!)

Today was my first day of a long-term subbing position, I'll be working until the end of the school year. Needless to say I'm pretty pumped about getting a job in my field!

One of the nerdy teacher things I was excited about, my red book!!! I had to explain it to Greg, but I'm sure teacher friends you understand the need for excitement:

I have a lazy eye, out of excitement

At the end of my wonderful first day I was greeted with a homemade certificate for my awesomness  (literally, it's referenced on the certificate many times) and bubbly beverage from Greg. Oh, and he's also making dinner - amazing!

Now I have a weekend of unit/lesson planning ahead of me - weeeeeeee!

Anniversary Yumminess

Earlier this month Greg and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. And in the spirit of impressing me with his cooking talents when we first started dating, Greg put together a wonderful seafood spread.

Slow-baked salmon with honey mustard glaze and lobster risotto - omnomnom!

Christmas in New Glasgow

Since Greg and I have only been living with each other since August this is our first year we could have a tree together. We didn't want anything too giant, as you can see, we went with something more of our own height.

To get it in our car the guy at the tree lot used this plastic wrap to squish it together:

Greg was cutting the plastic off and was expecting more of a Griswald Christmas tree outcome, thankfully that wasn't the case and no windows broke:

Decorated tree

LEDs, they are growing on me

We don't own much Christmas stuff so I decided to make a few things, garland:

And a Merry Christmas sign:

The thoughtful cards we've received from our lovely friends and family! Also, the GIANT stocking Greg made for me a few years ago:

Since Greg and I are spending Christmas in two different provinces we decided to have our own Christmas earlier this week.  I made Greg an apron, he can finally stop using his clothes as a towel:

Greg gave me two skeins of yarn and a lot of tea, I was also wearing antlers:

So far, we only have one Christmas tradition: watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and drinking, this year we added Greg makes Ali a meal. So I was treated to one of my favourite meals - hooray!

I hope your pre-Christmas celebrations have been as fun as mine have been!

Halloween Birthday!

The downside to moving to a new town a few days before Halloween is that every store is sold out of pumpkins. But that didn't stop Greg and I! We bought squash to carve and it worked out pretty well:

Buttercup and acorn squash

The top of a buttercup squash is very similar to a cork

Greg started with the acorn squash...

But ended up with the buttercup...it turns out buttercup are
SUPER tough to carve, so Greg helped me out :)

My pumpkin! The top kind of looks like
this could be a Sherlock Holmes pumpkin

Despite these being squash there were a lot more 'guts' than
I thought there would be

Smiling buttercup full of candle light

YAY! Halloween is saved, by squash!

Squash by daylight, ready to go on Halloween

Some of you might know that Halloween happens to fall on my birthday, yes you read that right. So we pulled out the Happy Birthday banner I made for Greg's Birthday and hung it in our barely unpacked apartment, it worked:

Despite having just moved into a new place AND Greg having worked on Monday he pulled together a very awesome birthday complete with a yummy meal, drinks, desserts and presents:

Halloween cupcakes (and there was lactose free ice cream to
go along with it)

Part of my present...CANDY!

Greg also was thoughtful and remember WAY back when I posted about wanting a tripod and that's what he gave me - yay!!

Overall an awesome birthday and Halloween