August Long Weekend 2019

Saturday: This August long weekend was a busy one! Unfortunately, Blake was working this weekend, so I was going to be on my own. Lucky for me, my parents love coming to visit us and jumped at the opportunity to spend the weekend in Peterborough. They came up on Saturday morning and we spent some time together before heading out for a late lunch. Many people have raved about a local restaurant called Two Dishes Cookshop, so I figured that this weekend would be the best time to try it out. My dad ordered a $25 Reuben sandwich while my mom and I shared the $20 "country chicken with biscuits and gravy". I had high hopes since, as I said previously, everyone had praised the cook shop and the prices were outrageously high, so it HAD to be good. I was expecting a gourmet southern lunch - a perfectly crispy piece of chicken with a fluffy biscuit. What we got ... was a mediocre chicken pot pie over a maple biscuit. Neither my mom nor myself enjoy maple-flavor and, since it wasn't what we were expecting, we were incredibly disappointed.

After our lunch, we checked out a local used bookstore called Knot-A-New Bookstore. I found the book that I had been looking for, which is always exciting.

After we had hit the bookstore, we headed home. My dad’s original plan was to install the curtain rod for our front window. His plan was derailed when he realized that it was a two-person job. He then offered to do some weed-trimming in our backyard, but, again, his plans were derailed when he couldn’t find the weed-trimmer. He eventually just gave up helping and decided to finish binge-watching his latest television show craze, “Spartacus”.

Meanwhile, I have been restless as I wait for my bridal appointment in September, so my mom and I decided to visit a local second hand bridal store called Second Story. I have an idea of what I want in a wedding dress, but I thought it would be best to try some styles on to get a better idea before my official bridal appointment. The lady in the shop was amazing. She made my mom and I feel incredibly comfortable and stress-free. She let me try on many different styles and encouraged me not to feel the pressure that some consultants push onto brides when they are shopping. She wanted to ensure that I knew exactly what I wanted so that I would be 100% happy. I won’t give too many details as to the style that we decided on, but I felt beautiful in all of the dresses. Later in the evening, I kept telling Blake how lucky he is and how beautiful I will be on our wedding day. I was feeling pretty good!

I was feeling on cloud nine and I wanted to keep this high going, so I suggested that we visit another bridal store in Peterborough. This store, which shall remain nameless, has a poor reputation. It’s known for unpleasant staff, poor alterations, and manipulation of their brides by displaying dresses that have no price tags. You are probably thinking - Kaylin, why would you go to a store like that? … Like I mentioned, I was not thinking straight and wanted to continue playing dress-up with my mom. Either way, I told myself that I would never buy a dress from this store because I’d hate to support a business like that.

I tried on a couple of dresses and … as my unfortunate luck would have it … I absolutely fell in love with a dress. A dress that was at this horrible store and was over my budget. Now I can’t get the dress out of my mind and it’s the one to beat, which infuriates me. Sigh, I did this to myself and now I have to live with the consequences. I still refuse to support that store, so we shall see what happens. As I said, I have an official bridal appointment booked for September, but now I’m stressed/anxious that I won’t find a dress to top how I felt in this other dress. It was perfect and I had to hold back emotions. However, at least I know that if I don’t feel those emotions, then the other dresses aren't for me.

Okay, let’s forget about that dress...just forget it! We’re moving on.

When we got home, we started dinner. We had souvlaki with rice and a summer salad that Blake and I would eat every day if we could. I just throw together spinach, bocconcini, cherry tomatoes, peaches, and genoa salami into a big bowl and shake it up until it’s mixed. It creates a beautifully presented salad that is to die for!

Once Blake got home, we all sat down for dinner. I have a co-worker had shared with me a tradition that he has begun with his young family. Every evening, before dinner, they share what they are grateful for that occurred that day. Blake and I have adopted this tradition and shared it with my parents this evening. We shared our graces and dug in to a delicious meal. After dinner, I was exhausted, so I joined Blake for an early bedtime (Blake goes to bed so early because of his work schedule).

Overall, it was an eventful and good day … mostly (we’re forgetting it!).

Sunday: The following day, since Blake had to work again, my parents had stayed overnight. We all woke up fairly early and had a delicious breakfast of crepes. Crepes can be a lot of work, but I love them! After our bellies were satisfied, my dad suggested that we go for a drive. We decided to head to Ennismore Beach which is approximately 20 minutes north from Peterborough. The beach was a little smaller than expected, but it would be great for a day of tanning and dipping your toes into the, surprisingly warm, lake. We walked around briefly before heading east to Lakefield. My parents always love exploring the towns/areas around the Kawarthas and Lakefield is always a nice place to go for a stroll. We parked at the Foodland in town and started our walk down the Lakefield main strip. My dad and I wanted to stop for lunch at the charity BBQ that was happening outside of the Foodland and enjoy a $1 hotdog, but my mom has higher standards. We stopped at a cafe called The Nutty Bean Cafe and had a coffee/hot chocolate/italian soda ... can you guess who had what?

After our brief stop, we continued to the end of the mini-strip and circled back to have lunch at The Thirsty Loon. My mom had wings with a side of some of the best onion rings I've ever had. My dad had a burger and I had a chicken caesar wrap. It was a good if somewhat expensive lunch, but we enjoyed it. Before we headed home, my dad embarrassed my mom by asking the waitress if he could take home the chicken fingers that the table next to us had left. He let the waitress think it was for him until she came back and he clarified that he was taking them home for the dog. Both Stormy and Lily enjoyed the chicken fingers. (Note: we don't normally allow Lily to indulge in "people food", but it was only fair since Storm was getting to enjoy them)

After our day of travel, we went home and relaxed. Once back to my place, both of my parents took a nap before they decided to head home. Shortly after, Blake came home and we were excited to finally spend the following day together.

Monday: Since Blake works so often, we don't get to spend a lot of weekend time together. So, we were very happy when the long weekend allowed us some much needed quality time. I let Blake sleep in and, while he slept, I went over to Mollie's for the morning. I came home around 1 p.m. and we did the chores around the house that desperately needed to be done. This included finally putting up that pesky curtain rod. While Blake did most of that work, I got the chance to finally catch up on my blog writing and have already completed 3 blogs that will be out in the following weeks. We eventually took a break from work and spent time outside drinking beer (I had a root beer) and playing a game that our friend Taylor gave us for an engagement gift called Slammo. Slammo is technically a 4 player game, but, since our friends are coming up this weekend and might play, we figured that we should try it out ahead of time. It's like volleyball with less rules. It was fun to be logged off of our phones/computers and just spend some quality time together outside enjoying the sunshine.

The rest of the day just blended together, but the whole weekend was filled with new experiences and I loved it! The summer is fading fast and I want to soak up every moment of it before we fall into autumn. I can't wait!