Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Special Woman in Your Life

Yesterday was my mum’s birthday, and in three weeks we’ll be celebrating her again on Mother’s Day. Last month, I got a photo pillow with a picture of London from CanvasPop, and my mum is constantly telling me how much she loves it. She’s super subtle about it, naturally. *wink?* But her obsession has given me so many ideas of what to get her for Mother’s Day.

We have a large canvas print from CanvasPop with a picture of two of my nephews that hangs over our TV in the living room. We love looking at it, plus it’s a great conversation piece. People always remark on the great quality and want to know where we got it. My mum has often said she wishes we had a special keepsake that includes a picture of my niece, which has got the gift-giving wheels in my brain turning. Mum loves the canvas print we already have and she loves my pillow, so I know she’d be happy with either.

My mum, like so many other mothers, does so much for our family. She’s the heart and soul of our family, and has made countless sacrifices for us over the years. She rarely buys anything for herself and doesn’t do much for herself, so I figure the least I can do is get her something extra special for Mother’s Day. Flowers and a card are well and good, but flowers fade away and die. Don’t you think our mothers - or grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and the other special, hardworking women in our lives - deserve something that will last, something with sentimental meaning that they can keep and enjoy forever?

Treat the mother or mother figure in your life to something special this Mother’s Day. Take one of the pictures she loves and turn it into something beautiful like a canvas print, photo pillow, or photo collage. Show her the recognition she deserves and let her know how much you appreciate all she’s done for you.

Get started making a beautiful photo gift now!

Do you know what you're getting your mother this year for Mother's Day? If you're a mother, what's the best gift you've ever received? What would be your ideal gift?

 

 

 

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2017: A Year in Review

I just read 2016’s recap and ugh. Emotional. I spent a lot of 2016 in a very dark place; by the end of the year, I was seeing things in a different light after a lot of self-reflection, but it’s still really painful to read. For 2017, I’m doing something different: I’m going to focus on the good parts of the year and do a highlights/best of. 2017 wasn’t all sunshine and roses by any means. A lot of the things I struggled with in 2016 carried into 2017, but I want to focus on the good parts. The things - and the people - who made me happy and made it a memorable year. So here we go!

My Mum and The Littles
Every single day spent with my mum is a day I consider myself truly blessed. She’s not only an amazing mother, she’s the best friend a girl could ask for. We have so much fun living together, and even the most mundane task (like grocery shopping and hauling tons of bags home on the bus - blech) can turn into an adventure.

Then there’s the Littles (my youngest niece and nephew, 4 and 7 respectively). They brought so much joy and laughter to our lives in 2017, as they’ve done since the day they were born. Those two tiny humans are so incredibly intelligent, creative, imaginative, hilarious, and sweet. I cherish every snuggle, every funny/sweet/ridiculously smart thing they say, and every memory we make together. I’m so lucky I get to spent so many days with them drawing and colouring, snuggling, playing games, watching movies, and going on adventures around our neighbourhood.

Writing
In 2016’s recap, I wrote this: “Professionally, 2016 was a joke. All the crap going on in my life took up so much time and energy at the beginning of the year, I basically had to put my career on hold.” I wish I could say I spent 2017 writing my heart out, but there were still quite a few distractions, and my lack of motivation carried through the year. BUT...I did write a Christmas novella at the beginning of the year, which I published in November, and I finished writing the romantic comedy I started writing the year before. That feels like a huge accomplishment, especially considering I felt like such a failure after 2016.

Mistletoe Kiss was the first new book I’d published in two whole years, and the response to it was better than I could have hoped for. I talked about how I was afraid people had forgotten me and I had become irrelevant in the publishing game, but the support I received was overwhelming (in the best way possible). I owe a lot of this to the bookstagram community, and a good chunk of my sales I owe to my childhood best friend, author Athena Wright, who mentioned the book in one of her newsletters, which prompted dozens of people to buy it. (*insert me crying like a baby*) I have a lot of writing plans for 2018, and I sincerely hope I get such an enthusiastic response for those projects as well!


Travel
I didn’t make it too far from home this year, but I did take an amazing trip to Toronto with my friend Krista. We got to explore Cabbagetown (a gorgeous part of Toronto I’d never seen before), and we shopped at the Eaton Centre and Curiosa (the second being somewhere I wanted to go from the moment I heard about it but figured I’d never actually get to go...also, I still have to write about our experience and what we bought there. I mean it's only been, like, two and a half months since we visited *facepalm*). The ultimate highlight of that trip: attending Jacquelyn Middleton’s launch party for her sophomore novel London, Can You Wait? Held at the Wickson Social, Jackie’s party exceeded all my expectations. Amazing food and drink, fun people, and meeting Jackie in personal after a year of being friends online was one of the high points of 2017. Plus it was great to spend two whole days with Krista since we didn’t get to see each other much last year.

Blog Highlights
Some of my most popular posts in 2017:
Writing and Publishing: 
☆5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Publishing
☆6 Mistakes Authors Make and How to Avoid Them
☆7 Things Every Author Should Have on Their Website 
☆Instagram for Authors: Everything Authors Need to Know About Using Instagram
☆Everything Authors Need to Know About Beta Readers
☆5 Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo

Book Recommendation Posts:
☆Books Set in England
☆Books Set in France
☆Books Set in Italy
☆LGBTQ+ Books
☆Book Recommendations for Romance Lovers

All the Rest 
☆I spent some super fun days with my friend JaimeKristal while she was home between travels. She arrived back in town in November 2016 after 2 years of living in London, and left again in August 2017, this time for 2 years in Ireland. In the months we had together, we went to a Harry Potter event at Chapters, saw a local production of Pride and Prejudice, had a fancy tea party, watched the Canada Day fireworks by the bay, and spent hours chatting, watching movies, and shopping (mostly for books and Funko Pops, naturally). I enjoyed my time with her so much and was sad to see her go, especially since I’d initially hoped to go with her. It puts a lump in my throat just thinking about it, so I won’t get into it again, but I talked all about it in a post called Pity Party: Table of One. This wasn’t an easy post to write, but the response I got to it made me feel so much better, and the embarrassment and shame I felt over potentially coming across as a whiner was completely washed away by the support I got.

☆I saw my college best friend Missy for the first time in almost ten years. We spent the day with our mums and her three kids at the park. It was an unexpectedly emotional experience seeing her again after so long, and we unpacked a lot of baggage and reminisced about our college days, plus caught up on a lot of current news.

☆I read a lot of great books in 2017. Added several new favourite books to my shelves, and discovered new authors. I hit my GoodReads goal of 85 books read in 2017 (completed this goal 2 hours before midnight on the 31st!). If you’re looking for some recommendations to kick off 2018, I shared my 17 favourite books of 2017 as my last post of the year.

☆Bookstagram continued to be a great source of pleasure for me. I’ve made so many friends in that community, and I love that I get to share my passion for books there, and that I can be my nerdy self. It’s also been an absolute joy to continue being a rep for NerdyGrlDesigns (who’s in the process of moving from an Etsy shop to a standalone webite, which is why I linked her Instagram rather than the shop; you can keep an eye out there for updates) and seeing Melisa branch out and turn her business into a thriving one, plus she created a Society6 shop with her designs. I also co-hosted my first ever photo challenge in December with my wonderful friend Caryn, which exceeded all my hopes and expectations. We had so much fun, we’re hosting another challenge for January. I also had a lot of fun with my personal/author/blog Instagram in 2017. I posted there more consistently and created more of a focus for my feed. I did most of this with the help of Helene Sula’s blog, Instagram, and her course Instagram for Success. Her tips and advice helped me more than double my following on my personal account, and I’m continuing to grow and learn and improve slowly but surely, as well as apply those things to my bookstagram account. Let me just say, one thing that was a massive game changer for me: Lightroom.

☆I changed the direction of this blog from a book blog to a more general blog...but still with an emphasis on books! I know some people say having a niche is important and there are all these things you ‘should and shouldn’t do’ on your blog, but you know what? Screw that. I want to talk about what I want to talk about. I want to help other writers (especially those who choose to self-publish like me), I want to gush about books, I want to talk about travel and photography and life, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I basically just want to be my nerdy, quirky self, and hope I find other nerdy, quirky people who will appreciate what I have to say.

So, that’s my 2017 in a nutshell - the good parts, at least. It was a year of ups and downs, as most years are, but it was certainly better than 2016! I have a lot planned for 2018, which I’ll talk about in an upcoming post. Watch for that soon!

What were some of the highlights for you in 2017? Did you travel? Read some great books? Start a new hobby? Have great things happen in your personal life? I’d love to know! Tell me in the comments below, and if you posted a yearly recap, feel free to leave a link so I can check it out. Wishing you a wonderful 2018 full of laughter, light, hope, and love.

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Previous Yearly Recaps:
☆2016: A Year in Review
☆Looking Back on 2015
☆Reflecting on 2014 and Looking at the Year Ahead 
☆2012: A Year in Review
☆2010: A Year in Review

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Fantastic Friday #2

Fantastic Friday is a new feature here on Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Each Friday I'll showcase fantastic things from the past week - could be things I've done, places I've gone, a new song I like, a movie I've seen, books I've read, blog posts from around the blogosphere - anything at all!

• I hit 60,000 words in my current WIP, Something in the Air! I've been writing this book on and off for almost two years now and there are times when I feel like I'll never finish, but after hitting that milestone, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

• Tuesday was my mum's birthday. One of our favourite restaurants does a promo for a free meal on your birthday, so Mum, my sister-in-law, and I went for a girls' lunch. The restaurant is right by the bay, and we usually sit outside, but it was too cold, so the waitress took us to the back where we had a great view of the water from two sides. Mum ordered escargot for us to share (before you get grossed out, yes, they're snails, but no, it's not a big deal, at least not to me. My dad was French, so I grew up eating them and they're delicious) and we all got the restaurant's specialty, fish and chips. YUM. We usually have my almost-2-year-old niece with us, which makes meals out loud, chaotic, and rushed, so it was nice to relax, talk, laugh, and take our time. We had a great time. That night, my brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece came for dinner and cake (the birthday girl is so special, she got two cakes). It was a great day, and my mum felt really special and loved, which she is!

• Weekly Europe Countdown: 8 more weeks! Time is going so fast, it's unreal. I had a bunch of banking to do this week and the Euro was down a bit, so I got a bit of cash for the trip. The British pound is still a bit higher than I'd like (well, a lot higher, at $1.90), so I'm going to continue to keep an eye on it and hope it goes down even a few more cents before I get some pounds.

• I finally joined Pottermore and got sorted, and I'm in Ravenclaw! I guess I always thought I'd be Gryffindor, but really only because Harry, Ron, and Hermione were. Ravenclaw actually makes more sense since they're known for being clever and quirky, which is accurate for me. I wanted to know before I go to London, because when you visit Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross, you can wear a scarf to have your picture taken, plus there's a gift shop and I'd like to buy something with my house emblem, so now I know! I told my friend Krista (who I'm going to Europe with) to join and get sorted and she was Ravenclaw too, which didn't surprise either of us since we're pretty much brain twins.

• I saw my first spring flowers this week! Last week was gorgeous - sunny and warm - but this week has been cold and windy, and it even snowed a bit yesterday. *gag* Spring is taking her sweet time coming, so when I saw these lovely, sunny daffodils I squealed and got unreasonably excited. I'm so ready for buds and blossoms and blooms.

So that's my fantastic week. What did you find fantastic this week? Tell  me in the comments below, chat with me on Twitter, or feel free to link me to blog posts, articles, pictures, songs, videos, or whatever you thought was fantastic that you want to share! Don't forget to enter to win a personalized 16x20" canvas from CanvasPop! I love my canvas, and I'm excited to share the love to one other lucky person.

   
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November 2013 Recap

November has been a pretty crazy, amazing month. I can't believe how fast it's gone by. It feels like it was just Halloween and now all of a sudden it's the second last day of November. I'm doing this a couple days before the end of the month because I'm leaving on a trip Friday morning, and I've scheduled this post ahead of time. A bunch of friends and I are taking off to New York State to do some Christmas shopping. It's my first time doing Black Friday and I'm terrified. I'm not a big shopper to begin with, I don't like crowds, and I'm not aggressive, but it's the only time everyone else could go so...say a little prayer for me! lol

Here are some of the highlights of November:

I went to the 3rd annual Ontario Blogger Meetup on November 2nd. It was my first time going, and I had a blast. I went with Kathy from I Write, I Read, I Review, and got to meet a bunch of bloggers I've been talking to for years, plus even more bloggers who were new to me. We exchanged books, talked about books, had a great meal, and it was just overall a fantastic, memorable day. 

Kathy and me

On November 5th, I released my fourth book, a Christmas novella called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I wrote this book last December and waited anxiously for months to finally release it into the world. This story is really special to me, and I hope people will enjoy it.

My sister-in-law, mum, and I took my nephews and niece to have professional pictures done. We were supposed to do family photos but decided last minute just to get pics of the kids done. I've wanted to go to a specific photographer for years, and I finally got to go to her. She was definitely worth the wait - the pictures turned out amazing.

Noah (11), Logan (3), Maddy (5 months)

On November 16th, my sister-in-law and mum told me we were going out for dinner and that it was my brother's surprise birthday party (his 40th birthday was November 26th, my 30th birthday will be December 16th). When we arrived at the restaurant, I was the one surprised - it was a party for me. A bunch of my friends, including my childhood best friend who I hadn't seen all year, were there. After dinner, it was my brother's turn to be surprised - we went to a friend's place and had a surprise birthday party for him. How many siblings get to celebrate their birthdays together? It was pretty special, and a lot of fun.

Top: Me and my mum; my cake (my nickname is Mimi in case you were wondering who Mimi is lol). Middle: The gifts my sister-in-law gave me (a cupcake stand, and a huge set of kitchenware - utensils, knives, measuring cups, etc); me and my brother. Bottom: my childhood best friend and me; everyone (13 in total - my lucky number!).

My sister-in-law and I went to see About Time. I adore Rachel McAdams and anything to do with time travel, so I was really excited about this movie and it lived up to my expectations. It made me laugh and made me cry, and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can watch it over and over. It's from the creators of Notting Hill and Love, Actually, which are two of my all-time favourite movies. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

I also got to see The Day of the Doctor (the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special) in the theatre in 3D (!!!!!). I thought I would miss it entirely because I don't get Space or BBC, and I didn't think it would come to my city, but it did! I preordered tickets, and I ended up getting to watch it on a live stream (thanks to Patricia Lynne) Saturday afternoon. Getting to see it in 3D in a theatre full of Whovians was an incredible experience. I had no idea how many people to expect - I saw a special one day only U2 concert in 3D in the theatre in January and the theatre was only about 1/3 full. When we arrived at the theatre for The Day of the Doctor, there was a huge line-up in front of the auditorium. When we finally got in and got seats, the theatre filled up quickly, and it turned out to be a sold-out show. There were quite a few people dressed up - one girl was wearing a Tardis dress, a guy was dressed as Ten with red and blue 3D glasses, a couple guys were dressed as Eleven, and one guy was dressed as Four (people applauded when he walked into the theatre). Several people had Doctor Who t-shirts on, and even more people seemed to have sonic screwdrivers. 

As for the show itself...I was so excited to see that there was a special theatric preview of sorts with Eleven and Ten. Eleven talked about theatre etiquette, and then Ten came on, warning people about how things in 3D were often alarming...like Eleven's chin. *snickers* It was hilarious. PLUS...David Tennant on a giant screen in 3D. *swoons* It was like heaven. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered and clapped along with everyone else at the end. The only thing that sucked was that there was a making-of featurette at the end, but my mum and I had to leave early because we had to catch the last bus. It was either that or pay a fortune in cab fare, and I'm saving every cent for my trip to the States (plus the tickets were pretty expensive to begin with). I'm sure the extras will be on the DVD, but I was bummed because I wanted to see it on the big screen. 

It was still an amazing experience, and I'm incredibly grateful to my mum, who has absolutely no interest in Doctor Who, but who went with me because she's the best mother ever.

On my brother's actual birthday, we had a small family party - dinner, cake, and presents. He really appreciated it. 

See the cupcake stand? That was one of my early birthday presents from my sister-in-law

And finally, in November I participated in NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. I 'won' on November 27th, hitting (and surpassing) 50,000 words. My WIP is called After the Storm, and it's a standalone companion novel to my third novel Waiting for the Storm. I still have about 10,000 words to write, but I'm hoping I can finish in the next week or two. You can read a teaser from the book and find the GoodReads link here.  

So that was my month in a nutshell. How was your November? What were some of the highlights? If you did a recap, feel free to post the link in the comments!

 

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Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving the second Monday in October, but I’ll gladly use any excuse to talk about the things I’m thankful for. This is a bit long, but I have a lot to be thankful for!

*I’m thankful for…my brother, Jamie

Normally I’d lump my family all together and say I’m grateful for all of them (which I am, my family is my life), but today Jamie gets his own special mention. Why? Because it’s his birthday! My big bro turns 40 today. We’ve always been very close. I always joke that he claimed me in the womb and has been my guardian angel ever since. He really wanted a baby sister; how many ten-year-old boys actually want a baby sister? One of my favourite stories that my mum likes to tell is this: the day I was born was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays. My parents went to the hospital, I was born early in the afternoon, and a couple hours later, my mum got a phone call from Jamie’s school. They were holding the bus because he refused to get on until he could tell all his friends he had a baby sister. I often wonder what would have happened if I’d been a boy lol. When I was a toddler, his school was attached to my preschool and he used to bring his friends over at lunch time to show me off. I was only ten when our dad died, and we became even closer after that. We’ve always had this unspoken bond - we can have an entire conversation without saying a word. He’s also brought me a sister-in-law, two nephews, and a niece that I love to death.

Jamie and me over the years

*I’m thankful for…the rest of my family

So I mentioned Jamie, my sister-in-law, nephews and niece. They and my mum are pretty much my whole life. My mum and I weren’t all that close when I was little (I was a total daddy’s girl), but we grew closer the older I got and now we’re best friends. We have so much fun together - she’s the kindest, most loving, generous person I know, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. Also, being an aunt is the greatest privilege and pleasure of my life, and I love my little people so much it feels like my heart could burst.

Logan (3), Noah (11), and Maddison (5 months)

*I’m thankful for…the blogging community

I started Ramblings of a Daydreamer three years ago last month. It’s been one hell of a ride. It hasn’t always been easy - I’ve gone through reading and blogging slumps, times when I wondered why I kept going, and times when it seemed like my head would explode if I had to write one more blog post on top of everything else I had going on in my life. But overall it’s brought me a lot of joy. It’s made me a more critical reader, it’s made me a better writer, and I’ve made some fantastic friends. I get to talk about books - my favourite subject - with people from all over the world who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Plus a lot of my friendships have gone beyond just books, which is pretty special. Speaking of which...

*I’m thankful for…Molli and Jessica

I could have lumped these girls in with the blogging community but I thought they deserved a nod of their own. I met Molli (from Books and Whimsy) and Jessica (from Thoughts at One in the Morning) early on in my blogging days, and it was the friendship equivalent of love at first sight. Molli is my brain twin, and Jess is my kindred spirit. I talk to these girls every day and tell them everything. They know more about what’s going on in my life than any of my ‘real life’ friends do. When something exciting or sad or maddening happens, they’re the ones I turn to. I know I can rant, be silly, ridiculous, nerdy, and just ME, and they'll love me no matter what. They’ve also been huge supporters of my writing from the very beginning, and I’ve gotten to be part of their budding writing careers, which is both exciting and humbling. Even though I’ve never met either of them in person, I consider both of them part of my family and I love them dearly.

*I’m thankful for…being mobile

I hurt my back really badly early this year and could hardly walk for several months. I was pretty much housebound, and even after all these months, I’m still recovering in some ways. I’m so thankful I’m able to get around and that I’m finally mostly pain free. *knocks on wood* It's something I'll never take for granted again.

*I’m thankful for…getting to live my dream

My lifelong dream has been to become a published author and that happened almost two years ago. I’ve published four books since January 2012, and even though it hasn’t always been easy, I’m living my dream - how many people can say that? I know I’m incredibly blessed to love my job and to be doing something I’m passionate about.

*I’m thankful for…BOOKS

This one’s pretty obvious. Reading is my escape, it’s what keeps me sane and happy. Books are also the reason I get to be part of this incredible community.

*I’m thankful for…authors

I’m so thankful for the authors who tell the stories in their hearts, bravely send them out into the world to be adored or hated, and who live this crazy, lonely life. They entertain us, they break out hearts and put them back together again, and they make the world a better place.

*I’m thankful for…publishers

Does this surprise you since I’m a self-published author? I have nothing but love and respect for publishers. They’ve brought me almost all my favourite books. Plus, it’s really fun to get to work with them as a book blogger. I’m especially grateful for Simon & Schuster Canada and HarperTeen who have been incredibly good to me this year. It’s been a pleasure and an honour to work with them.

*I’m thankful for…my library

I’ve struggled a lot financially over the last few years, so the library has been a godsend. I’ve always used the library but I’ve used it so much more since I started blogging. Not only do they have a phenomenal selection of books (especially considering the size of my city), but I also love to go there and hang out. I usually go at least once a week to sit in my favourite comfy chair by the floor-to-ceiling windows and read. I’ve also started getting ebooks from the library which is super handy!

   

What are you thankful for?

Also, happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

 

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More Than Books #1: Weekend Away

Last year I started a personal blog. I wanted a place I could talk about things other than reading and writing, plus share some of my (very amateur) photography. Even though I kept telling myself it didn't matter that only a handful of people were actually reading it, it seemed like a waste of time to put all kinds of effort into posts that didn't get read. Granted, I don't have a very exciting life, so posts were sporadic and probably a bit boring. So I decided every once in awhile I'd share some personal things here on Ramblings of a Daydreamer. I know I love when my blogging friends and acquaintances share little bits of their lives so I get to know the person behind the blog. We're more than just book lovers, and although talking about books is one of my favourite things in the world, sometimes I'd like to share other things. I still have my personal blog, but it's on hiatus until I have more exciting things to talk about! ;-)

In high school, I had two best friends, Suleena and Krista. I'd been friends with them since the beginning of elementary school, and we stayed friends all through the years. I don't know where we fit in the hierarchy of high school - we weren't nobodies, but we definitely weren't popular. People generally knew who we were, but we sort of flew under the radar and we liked it that way. Krista and I were both total nerds but we never admitted it to anyone, even to each other. I've talked about this before, but being a nerd is something I didn't admit to until recently.

Anyway, after high school, Krista and I drifted apart. We had a bit of a falling out when she started her first year of university and I started my second year of college. We'd been best friends until then, even though she'd gone to college for a year and was several hours away. As soon as she started university, she started making new friends and got a boyfriend and I was jealous and possessive and my feelings were hurt because I didn't feel like a priority anymore. I'm sure a lot of people have been there. When you're 19 you don't necessarily make the smartest choices or have your shit together, and you're still at that point in life where every problem seems like the end of the world.

If my memory is correct, we saw each other a total of four times in the last ten years. We Facebook messaged a few times but things were never the same between us. There were a lot of hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and a few mutual 'friends' exacerbating the situation. Then a few months ago, Krista messaged to tell me she'd just finished a rewatch of Buffy (*our* show during high school) and she thought about me a lot. We started messaging back and forth, and discovered not only did we still love the same things we loved as teens, but we even loved the same things as adults. We both have lives that are a bit lonely, our families are our top priority, and we're both unapologetic nerds and introverts. A lot had changed, and yet in some ways, nothing had changed.

After a few conversations, we made plans for me to come up to visit her for a weekend (she still lives in the city where she went to university). I looked forward to this for several reasons: 1) I couldn't wait to see and reconnect with my former best friend, as an adult (and therefore with a completely different outlook on life than I had 10 years ago); 2) 2013 has been a rough year for me with several health issues that have prevented me from doing a lot; 3) I haven't seen a single one of my real life friends this entire year, and the only people I really talk to are my family and my online friends (without whom I know I'd completely lose my mind).

Because I don't drive and because the bus schedule is ridiculous and nonsensical, I asked my sister-in-law to drive me. We decided to make a family outing of it and have a picnic by Lake Ontario. So, my mum, sister-in-law, nephews Noah (11) and Logan (3), niece Maddy (11 weeks), and I met Krista for our picnic. We were in a park near a tourist attraction that kept drawing the boys' interest, so Krista very generously paid for us to go inside and take a tour (she says she's lived in the city for 10 years but has hardly done any of the many touristy things because she doesn't have anyone to do them with). The boys were so excited, and we all had a lot of fun (even Maddy who got strolled around the main level by my mum while the rest of us toured the downstairs then the upstairs).

When we parted ways with my family, Krista and I went back to her apartment and spent hours talking about everything and anything. The last ten years completely melted away and I felt like a teenager again. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. I literally gave myself a headache from talking and laughing so much. We went out for pizza then I took her Doctor Who virginity and IT WAS AMAZING *snickers*. I feel like I've now done my part as a fairly new Whovian since being recruited by another of my besties, Molli, several months ago. After two episodes of DW, we went to a pub for a drink (such a grown-up thing to do and so novel for me since I have no one to do that with, plus there are no places around here to do it anyway), then wandered around downtown and then down by the water before going back to her place to talk some more. The next morning, we had pancakes and leftover pizza, and she took my Firefly virginity. We decided that during my next visit (next visit!) we're just going to lay around and do nothing but watch Doctor Who and Firefly since neither of us has anyone to watch those shows with (although I 'virtually' watch Doctor Who with Molli and a few other Twitter friends).

It was hard saying goodbye, but we did it knowing we'd recaptured something amazing and special. Childhood friendships often don't last, but I figure when you've known someone for almost 25 years, and have a boatload and a half of shared history, memories, and secrets, that's pretty damn special and you should hold onto it with all your might.  

Now if you've managed to read this far, thank you! Also, I'm going to reward you with some cuteness. ;-)

 

They had SO much fun. As soon as we got in, the guy asked how old Noah was and said if he were a year older, he'd have been signed up for the British Army in the 1800s and sent to fight. Isn't that insane?!

The kids got to dress up in British Army clothes, hold a 35-pound canon ball (which a 12-year-old would have had to carry and load himself in the army), and carry around wooden guns. The only picture that really needs explanation is the bottom right one: Noah aimed the gun at Logan, said 'bang' and Logan automatically fell down dead. Poor kid's been trained well by his older brother lol

There's just something about this picture that's so evocative to me. The colouring, the stone wall, the uniform and gun, the serious expression on Noah's face. It looks like he could really be one of the poor children who were forced to join the army back in the 1800s.

Have you ever had a situation like I did where you lost touch with a friend and then reconnected after a long time? If you moved away for college or had friends who moved away, did you lose touch or stay in touch?

 

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Update Thursday #12

I got the idea for Update Thursday from the amazingly wonderful Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning. Every Thursday, I’ll be posting an update on my reading, writing, what’s going on at the blog, and anything else I think is worth mentioning. 

READING

FINISHED READING:

CURRENTLY READING:

I haven't had much time for reading this week. I didn't read at all Monday or Tuesday, and only a little bit yesterday. I'll explain why in a minute.

ON THE BLOG

I reviewed Cicada by Belle Whittington

Jessica and I are having a read-along for Scarlet by AC Gaughen starting November 1st. I have a linky up now so be sure to sign up here!

I'm giving away 1 of 16 ebooks in the Book Love Giveaway Hop

This week's Music Monday song was The World We Live in by The Killers

I talked about Teen Read Week and the books I would recommend to teen readers

 

WRITING

After last week's Update Thursday when I mentioned the problem I'd had with beta readers for The Game Changer, my friend Kathy (who, by the way, is releasing her debut novel next year - I'll be doing a cover reveal tomorrow, so be sure to check back) emailed and offered to read the book and give me her feedback. She worked on it over the weekend and got her notes back to me right away, so I've finally started the second last round of revisions! I had Monday-Wednesday off from babysitting Logan, and had hoped to get the revisions done, but it was slower going than I anticipated, even though I worked almost non-stop Monday and Tuesday, and a good part of yesterday (I had errands to run in the morning). I'm going to get back at it today as soon as I'm done with this post (Mum's watching Logan so I can work), and hopefully I'll be done by tomorrow and I can have my alpha reader go over it one more time before going over it again myself and then finally send it out to reviewers. *phew* I can't wait to be done, because I'm hoping to participate in NaNoWriMo this year (which I know is insane considering how much I have going on, but book #4's main character is yelling at me to tell her story). Regardless, I can't wait to get started on something new.

LIFE AND STUFF

So you know how I spent Monday-Wednesday. Friday was our annual trip to the apple orchard, even though it was an altered version of our usual trip - with my sister-in-law working every weekend, we couldn't go on a Saturday for the wagon rides, which is my favourite part, but it was much less busy on Friday and the kids got to play and I got to wander around and take some pictures. We didn't get to pick apples or pumpkins, but we got to choose pumpkins that were already out. I got some really great pictures, which I'm hoping to work on soon and post on Lost and Found. 

I finished watching the final season of Angel last night, and let me tell you I'm not a happy girl. I'd heard the ending wasn't great, but it was THE WORST ENDING EVER. I'd like to kick Joss Whedon in the......head. I cried so hard and screamed at the TV (something that happened a lot while watching this show, especially during the last season). Ugh. And yes, I get ridiculously invested in TV lol. Anyway...I was surfing eBay one day last week and came across all 7 seasons of Supernatural for an insane deal, so I got them. I don't get the CW so I've never seen it, but everyone raves about it, so I'm pretty sure I'll love it. I'm still waiting for them to arrive, and if they don't come today, Joss Whedon won't be the only person getting a kick in the head....

I guess I should stop here since I'm currently using this as a tool to procrastinate. The Game Changer won't edit itself!

How's your week so far? What's new? What have you been reading, writing, blogging about, listening to, watching on TV, etc?

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