an amazing birthday surprise [cedar row farm sanctuary]

 

my birthday this year was amazing. it was perfect - full of friends and family and brunch and animals...

that may sound a little strange, so let me explain.  

last saturday b had a birthday surprise for me. he told me very (very!) little . we promptly left our little home at 9am and headed out of the city.  

two hours later we had arrived...at the cedar row farm sanctuary.  

a little back story...i'm a huge animal lover. when we drive around in the country, i always ask b to stop so that i can go see the cows (here is proof). i also really want to move out to the country and have a little farm of our own - somewhere to keep way too many pets and grow our own veggies.

this farm only offers work visits (you volunteer a few hours helping out around the farm), and they all end in a group potluck. so we grabbed our wellies and spent the rest of the morning helping out.

after the potluck i got another birthday surprise.  my gift from b was sponsoring an animal - chickpea, the black and white cow.  rescued from a vet because she was born very premature, she is such a beautiful, kind, gentle creature. 

thanks for letting me share my birthday adventures!  it was such an amazing experience. one that i will cherish forever.

[d]

vancouver [british columbia]

i was so excited to take b to vancouver this year.  we were going out for my brother's wedding anyways, so we stuck a few days on to do some exploring (only had 3 days in the city since we were in whistler for the wedding).

even though it rained every day (we arrived at the same time as a major storm), we still had a blast celebrating new family, birthdays, & catching up with old (university) friends.



vancouver is an amazing city, & 3 days was just not enough!  here are some of the things we ate, drank & did on this trip:

> vancouver aquarium. the two beluga whales, aurora & qila, are adorable!

> walking along the sea wall in stanley park. it's just beautiful.

> vancouver has a growing craft beer scene.  we did a self guided "beer hop" with an old university friend.  on her recommendations, & b's research, we started at tap & barrel, continued on to the steel toad brewery, & finally to 33 acres brewing company )which was so awesome we decided to spend the rest of our evening there).

> eating lots of taco's at la taqueria. this place needs to come to toronto, it's amazing.

> brunching at spot cafe - great eggs benedict!

> shopping along main street (between 2nd & 25th).  loads of cute, unique clothing, stationary & home decor shops.

> eating, drinking, shopping & antiquing in gastown.

> dipping fries in the coconut curry sauce (from the green beans dish) at chill winston. a restaurant with a focus local, sustainable & responsible dining, the food is really delicious.

> the greedy pig makes a mean whiskey sour.

> i did not know so many types of whiskey existed, until we had a drink at shebeen whiskey bar.

> ...and a few places that were on our list that we didn't get a chance to visit this trip: suspension bridge in lynn canyon, hiking up grouse mountain, checking out the public market & brewery on granville island, wreck beach, & commuting along the water with the false creek ferries.

any vancouver recommendations that i missed?  i'd love to hear!  comment below or send us an e-mail.  i always love a good recommendation.

thanks for letting me share our trip out west!

[d]

whistler [british columbia]

my baby brother got married...and (now) i have a sister.  how crazy is that? 

it was a wonderful little ceremony, taking place in the gondola between the peaks of whistler & blackcomb.  even though it rained most of the time, the sun came out for a tiny bit, just in time for some lovely photos between the peaks.  

congratulations d & f!

[d]

balcony tour

we spent some serious time cleaning up the balcony last weekend.  it was disorganized & needed a little t-l-c.  plus we finally had the chance to pick up the bench we had ordered, which inspired a morning of assembling, sweeping, re-potting & then excessive coffee drinking & relaxing.

balcony fun facts:

- the flamingo law ornament in the plant was a souvenir from our trip to florida earlier this year; i found it at a flea market.  it got a little mangled in our luggage, so only one side of his wing spins when it's windy.

- our mint plant is of the mojito mint variety, & is delicious in mojitos!  it has been the main reason why just about every cocktail i make has mint in it.

- the rug is from an adorable little shop we found on our day trip to st. jacobs.  i love the little pops of colour it adds to the cement floor.

- herbs are really hard to grow in little pots! they dry out so fast from the summer heat.  they have also taught me that i can bring a nearly-dead plant back to life.

- the furry babies love to roll around on the cement. both of them. they will sit at the balcony door & stare out at it until we let them outside, then they aggressively roll around for the next 10 minutes.  they are strange.

this space has become a place that we both look forward to relaxing in after a long day of work.  it's the perfect spot to sit & eat dinner or relax on a friday after a long week with a glass of wine.

thanks for letting me share our little balcony oasis!

[d]