A Post Weekend Update..

This weekend was great. I decided to take an all out break from training and let some nagging pains heal. It felt wrong to not at least be doing some cardio, but since I start my Triathlon training in about 2 weeks, I figured I should rest up while I have the chance.

After Jacob's hockey game on Saturday, the kids and I drove to my parents place for dinner and a much needed visit. In the past I have been up to see them every other weekend, but with Jacobs hockey being on Saturday afternoons this winter, I haven't been going up as often, as it always feels rushed. I also wanted to see them this weekend because we will be getting our puppy on Tuesday and will not be going anywhere for a few weeks.
My parents were happy to see me and we had a great visit. It is always fun to be with my folks, but we haven't been together in a while, so there was allot to get caught up on. After dinner my dad offered me a glass of a port he made. It was a chocolate/orange flavoured port and man was it good! I am a big fan of port, but this was a whole new level of enjoyment. It has a wonderfully strong chocolate flavour and more of a hint of the orange, with a smooth, velvet-like texture. My dad has made his own wine for about 20 years and over time has become very good at it. This was the first time he had made a port and I loved it so much that I just had to have a bottle to take home. As always, my Dad was quick to offer me one and it was great to see the look of pride on his face as I discussed how good it was. For my solo trip this year, I plan to bring at least half a bottle with me to enjoy while sitting by the fire.

We watched the first period of the Leafs game and then said our goodbyes before loading up for the drive back to Newcastle. Tanyia now home from work, helped me put the kids to bed and then we watched the rest of the game courtesy of our PVR. I never talk about it here much, but I am a rabid Leafs fan and in 10 years I have only missed a handful of games. I am lucky that Tanyia shares this love of all things hockey and it is one of many things we love to do together. On this night the Leafs won in overtime when Darcy Tucker blew one past Ray Emery. Tanyia and I were screaming, exchanging high fives and jumping up and down like we had just won the lottery! I love my hockey wife!

The weather was awesome on Sunday, so I had the kids outside for most of the afternoon. I spent the day getting the house "puppy proof" and blew the dust off the old child gates stored in the basement that we will be using to keep our little Jack on the main floor of the house. I have to admit that I am a little apprehensive about bringing this little chewing machine into our "everything has it's place " home. I don't remember feeling this way about having any of our kids...well, maybe the first one I did. With everything I don't want destroyed now put in a safe place and the gate secured, the only thing left was to go over the "puppy rules" with the kids again. The main floor of the house is now referred to as "the Jack zone" and the kids really get that nothing can be on the floor in the J-Z unless you want it to be destroyed. We have been slowly teaching them the rules for months and although I expect some mistakes to be made, I feel the kids are as prepared as possible. We pick him up Tuesday afternoon and I will update with pics and video ASAP.

The weather has been spectacular for the past few days. All the sun and melting snow has me really looking forward to the quickly approaching canoe season and wondering how Gerry is doing. He is having a rough time personally and although I am still a little foggy on the cause, the last entry on his blog has an ominous tone and before he left for Florida with his family last Wednesday he dropped by the house, but still did not seem himself. I have had a feeling that something was wrong for a month or more, as we did not speak as often as usual and when we did, he seemed distracted. I am sure that some time with his family, away for the pleasure of work and home is just what he needs. When he returns I hope he is happier, because the last time I saw him, may have been the most unhappy I have ever seen him. Hope you are having a good time buddy and I look forward to seeing you when you return.