Happy Birthday, Em

My darling best friend, looking beautiful, December 2012... just a few months before she died

I miss you. Wishing more than anything that we could have a chai tea latte together today and celebrate your 39th year. No one does birthdays like you did.

Love you billions.
E xo

The first week of summer vacation

School has been out for a week now, and what a busy week it's been. We've had Sawyer's sixth birthday party {with thirteen kids in attendance!}, a night out to see a favourite comedian {just me & Alan}, Canada Day celebrations, piles and piles of laundry to wash and hang out on the line, continued deck and bathroom renos, and as if that weren't busy enough, I've had to pack up my entire classroom and move it down the hall to a different room {ugh! have you any idea how much stuff a primary teacher has?!} So far, it's been pretty exhausting. But also really productive, a little bit relaxing, and quite a lot of fun.

Birthday morning

Fancy four-layer birthday cake I baked

Make a wish!

Sawyer and a few of his loyal subjects :)

Downtown at the Empress Hotel 

A heatwave calls for oodles of ice cream

Hanging out at the museum

This is the time they didn't climb in the fountain!

At the beach with Grandpa

Some much-needed "me time" at the water park {the kids are in there somewhere!}

Red, white and roasting hot! {check out that limp, sweaty hair...}

Boy in a bucket {this provided hours of fun if you can believe it!}

Langford Lake, a ten minute walk from our house after dinner last night {we're going to need to do that more often...}

Coming soon, my Summer Bucket List! Until then, happy Thursday. And Happy 4th of July to all my American readers and friends! I'm wearing red, white and blue in honour of you...

Bittersweet

It was my birthday on Friday. My 39th. My family and friends showered me with love and presents and I did my best to savour each happy moment. But it was such a bittersweet day.

Em and I have been planning for years to meet in Paris next summer, in between my 40th birthday and hers. We'd spend at least a week, celebrating that milestone {and 20 years of friendship} in sidewalk cafes and museums and parks, drinking wine and eating baguette and cheese and visiting all of the places that she'd told me about so often. It would have been perfect, being in Paris with my very best friend. Would have been...

It will never happen now. I don't know if I will ever even want to go to Paris. Em is gone. She passed away on the 16th of March, after such a long and bravely fought battle with cancer. My heart is broken. I don't know how to express just how much she meant to me, how much I loved her. She was my favourite and my best, and it was so difficult to celebrate my birthday in a world without her. Surreal, really. I still can't believe it.

This is the card that Em sent me last year for my birthday. I put it up on the mantle with all of this year's cards.

Em always, always sent me a card, and she never let a birthday go by without a phone call, no matter where she was in the world. I missed that this year, sort of waited for it all day, even though I knew it wouldn't come.

My sweet friend Micaela has been such a help to me these past few weeks, sending flowers and a book and words of support whenever I needed them. And on my birthday, when I was suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the sadness, a parcel arrived. In it was this necklace. Isn't it beautiful?

E & me... our hearts will always be together, even though we can't be anymore. I will hold every memory of my dearest friend close to my heart forever. And maybe one day, I will go to Paris, with this chain around my neck, these hearts close to mine. We'll see...

For now, I'm going to bed.

Scenes from the weekend

This weekend was full of all sorts of good things: family movie night, a dusting of snow, bright blue sky, breakfast out, a pile of birthday presents and a tasty chocolate cake, a good workout, roast chicken and a crock pot full of soup, catching up on Fringe, an afternoon at my sister's house, and finally...a long, relaxing bubble bath on Sunday night, followed by the newest episode of Downton Abbey. As far as weekends go, it was pretty much perfect. I think I'm ready for Monday now.

Alan's birthday presents, all wrapped up and ready for Saturday morning

Breakfast at the Fountain Diner

Happy birthday boy

Pugh boys' chess tournament

A chai tea latté and some cozy fingerless gloves

Happy things with which to end the week

I made it! It's Friday night. After a long and busy first week back at school {oh, that 6 o'clock alarm is awful}, the weekend is finally here. I've been on the couch since I got home. We watched Harry Potter and ate cheese on toast and cuddled up in fleecy blankets by the fire. It's freezing cold outside and inside really is the nicest place to be {I went to the gym twice in the past three days, so I've got no guilt about a bit of lounging}. Actually, you know what? I'm thinking maybe my bed is the nicest place to be. I'm totally sleeping in, too. Just before I go, here are a couple of happy things with which to end this chilly week:

There's snow in the forecast! Since it has to be January {blah}, it might as well snow.

The view through my classroom window this morning

Alan's birthday is tomorrow. The boys are pumped! We've got a pile of presents for the birthday boy, and I have made an awesome cake. We're going out for birthday breakfast in the morning and I can't wait! Breakfast is the best meal to eat out, don't you think?

Spoiler alert! Presents all wrapped up and hidden in my office until tomorrow

Night-night, loves. Have a happy weekend.

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Thursday birthday 3BT {say that five times, fast!}

via here

I love Thursday. It's my day off. My day to get stuff done around here, to meet up with friends, to get some extra exercise... and to recover from the first few crazy days of the week in Grade 1. This Thursday is especially nice, and here's why:

1. It's my {fantastic, fabulous, awesome} sister's birthday today! We're going out for lunch. Soup, sandwiches, hot beverages, birthday presents, and lots of laughs. I can't wait.

2. I get to help out with the Terry Fox Run at the boys' school this afternoon. It's a beautiful autumn day {blue skies, sunshine, temps around 20 degrees}. Perfect for a run around the school fields, and it's always a good day to feel grateful for the amazing thing that Terry Fox did. He is truly one of our greatest Canadian heroes. And now I'm going to cry.

3. I've got a phone date with Em this morning. Next best thing to seeing her in person. Which reminds me... just 13 days to go!

Happy Thursday, friends. Are there three beautiful things making you smile today? Do tell! I'd love to catch up.

Happy Birthday/Joyeux Anniversaire!

image via here

I'm skipping my usual Scenes from the weekend post this Monday for something far more important... to wish Em {my very best friend in the whole wide world} a very happy birthday! 

Currently Em is far away in France, so we can't celebrate her birthday together. But soon she'll be here in Victoria for a visit {hurrah!!!} and we'll make up for it then, with breakfasts out, daily pumpkin spice lattés at Starbucks, late nights spent watching movies and chatting for hours, and {weather permitting} an autumn picnic {we are big fans of the picnic, Em and I, and we're rather fond of fall, too}. It's going to be a fabulous belated birthday celebration, and I can hardly wait. In the meantime though, won't you pop over to Rue de France today and join me in wishing my beautiful friend her happiest birthday yet?

My dearest E, Joyeux Anniversaire! This year, may every wish you wish on every single candle come true. I love you! See you soon,
E xo

Scenes from the weekend {Sawyer's 5th birthday/Canada Day edition}

This weekend we leaped headfirst into summer. School got out Thursday, and Friday was Sawyer's birthday! It was an exciting day {as birthdays always are in the Pugh household}, involving a hunt for birthday presents, a dinosaur birthday cake, and a big old barbeque with family and friends. The birthday boy enjoyed every single second, which is just as it should be.

Sounding out the clues which lead to hidden birthday presents

 Last minute change of plans: "Mum! I want a dinosaur cake, okay?"

 Making a wish

When the birthday fun finished {until his party next weekend}, the Canada Day fun began! We spent a good part of Sunday at Fort Rodd Hill at the Great Big Canada Day Picnic. We had a lovely, festive time.

 Men and women in uniform

 Red flip-flops are a must on the first of July

 Exploring the fortress

Heading for the lighthouse

 Love those shutters

 Row, row, row your boat...

Canada flag on the clothesline

The weekend continues Monday as the boys and I head up-island to meet my aunt, sister and family for a few days of camping on the Haslam River. Looking forward to swimming and s'mores and sitting round the campfire. It's hard to believe that summer vacation is finally here, but oh boy... am I ever ready for it!

PS: Happy, happy birthday today to my lovely friend Karina in NYC! {Wish I were there to celebrate and eat cupcakes with you, Kary!} Won't you please stop by her blog to wish her a wonderful 31st birthday?

Scenes from a birthday weekend

Oh, hey there. Remember me? Did you think I'd completely abandoned my little blog? I was gone for way longer than normal, I know, but I had a really good reason. It was Dylan's birthday! My baby boy is seven now, and we celebrated big time.

Birthday banner + birthday boy

Dino cake from the bakery for birthday dinner

He insisted on carrying his own cake in. "Because, I am seven..."

My feet in the front yard 

Lego dinosaurs assembled... now it's time to try them out outside!

 T-Rex Trapper in action

 Yet another daffodil

Sittin' on the front step

 Morning cuppa

 Amazing sky

Royal Roads, my Sunday morning run destination

 Birthday party pirate island cake

Making a wish {check out those rosy cheeks, post-Playzone party!}

One more visit with our darling Kelly before she heads back up north

Just one weekend left before I'm off to New York City for spring break! I've got a lot to do between now and then. How about you? Have you got any plans for the week ahead? And before I forget, how was your weekend?