Moments D586: Girls' Night In

Tonight I had my best ladies over for dinner and drinks.  It's the last Saturday night of 2013 for me here in Canada and I couldn't resist spending the time with my favourite ladies celebrating each other.

It was a night filled with much wine, fun and laughter!  It`s hard to filter down the awesome moments!  That said, there were two moments that really stand out for me.

The first is an app that Heini introduced us to.  Vivino.  Wow.  How much fun is this wine app??  I loved it instantly and I think the more I use it the more likely I'll end up buying the pro version.  FINALLY a way to manage my fridge of wines!  AMAZING!

The second awesome moment was when Bunny shared a bath time story with the group of us.  It was of her youngest son pooping in the bath.  Of course, there were rounds of laughter as Bunny acted out the scene.  Shortly after the first rounds of laughter were dying down, I asked when her youngest had done this.  Her reply?  Just minutes before she had headed out to meet up with us!  Another round of laughter ensued.  And then we learned that her hubby actually picked up the feces bare handed.  After a room going eeeeeeew....we all laughed again.

So much laughter tonight.  Yup.  Amazing time with the ladies tonight.

Moments finding an app that really is perfect for you.

Moments enjoying your friends in 2013 and looking forward to many more in 2014.

Moments D565: Southern Love Ice Breaker

Today was a very lazy start to the day, but given my cold it needed to be so that EQ & I could keep our date with Bunny & Bear this evening.  Thank goodness for that because it was the first meeting between my love and my friends and what fun we had!

Not everyone knows this, but EQ is actually pretty darn shy.  It's interesting because he's quite comfortable teaching in front of a room full of strangers,  but one-on-one in a more intimate setting, not so much.  I know he was a wee nervous tonight as it was a first date with new friends.

Today's moment happened almost the instant that Bear opened his front door.  The first thing that we experienced when we entered their home was the delicious aroma wafting to their front door from the kitchen!  Divine! We immediately knew we were going to love the Southern fare that Bear had been preparing all day.  Just as quickly as our noses were taunted, we were briskly enveloped into hugs.  EQ remarked how all my friends are "huggers" and how much he liked that.  The ice was broken!

With a drink swiftly placed in our hands, we sat to chat before digging into dinner.  Bear and EQ quickly fell into conversations about work (technology geeks!) and Bunny & I just laughed and smiled at each other knowingly.  So much so, that at dinner Bunny & I rearranged our seating so they could sit side-by-side.  It was intense!  The Southern fare (pulled pork, collard greens, mac & cheese, baked beans, corn bread) was delicious (as expected), but it was the conversation and laughter that I really loved.

It's great to see EQ fitting in so well with my friends.  It's also so wonderful to see how well my friends are receiving him into their world.  The excitement, the positive energy.  It's all so tangible and frankly, pretty incredible.

Of course, I have awesome friends.
AND
Of course, I have an awesome man that I love.

I shouldn't be so surprised that they mix well, should I?

Yes - I'm still learning.

Moments anticipating a meeting.

Moments enjoying tasty Southern food and watching new friendships form.

Moments D545: Autumn at the Zoo

I spent the afternoon at the zoo with two very dear friends of mine (Bunny (this is her favourite animal) and Bear because he's as loveable and squeezable as a teddy bear) and their two beautiful boys.

It was a perfect autumn day; a bright sunny day that warded off the hint-of-winter chill in the breeze.  That being said, I was happy to have had the wherewithal this morning to have dug out my hat for the day's outdoor adventures!  It was quite beautiful to be walking through the coloured paths.  Here's one of them:

The backdrop of colour was incredible and seemed surreal when we watched the tiger or the zebras or the giraffe or rhinoceros.  After all, one of these things didn't belong!

As we walked, Bunny, Bear & I chatted away catching up on the past two months.  It was a day of fluid conversation and giggles as we were always keeping an eye open for the different animals.  The boys were extremely well behaved and such a delight to share the day with.  And, I must share:   the youngest missed out on his afternoon nap and though he was obviously tired, he was still so very easy to enjoy.   Even when he decided to take a break:

All we could do is chuckle and pick him up.

An autumn day at the zoo was delightful.  I loved that it wasn't so busy and it being cool meant that going into the exotic warm buildings meant warming up a touch instead of going from hot to hotter as in the summer!

Random share: one of my favourite pictures: 

And,more randomly, my cousin's wife was working today.  We saw her explaining the biology of a giraffe.  How curiously fun!  

Bottom line, I love autumn and today only reinforced that.  Layered up, I loved the crispness on my cheeks and how my scarf flittered in the chilled breeze.  

Moments enjoying a family day outing.

Moments soaking in the sights of autumn's colour as the backdrop to exotic animals.