Week in Review: Friendship is Pretty

Earlier this week, I mentioned that my cousin Nicole was coming to visit. This weekend, I kept her busy. We visited the West Edmonton Mall because if you're from Ontario, when you mention that you've been to Edmonton it's the first thing everyone always asks you. We also attended the Edmonton Pop Culture Fair, and walked through the Muttart Conservatory.

Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and the herd of random others

The Pop Culture fair was amazing. If you're ever in the area for the bi-annual event, I highly recommend attending. The admission fee is $7, but there were comics, collectables, and original artworks for sale. There were also free posters but by the time we found the table, the Star Trek: Into Darkness ones were all gone. And there were so many ponies!!! There were a lot of other cool things too, but really, we all know I was there for the ponies. While Nicole was here, I managed to get her hooked hard on MLP:FIM, and now she's got a My Little Pony collection started thanks to the amazing stuff at the Fair - she's already got nine. Of course, my collection is swelling: 21 ponies and counting! I also purchased 3 MLP t-shirts over the course of the weekend so I can share my obsession with the world.

Tulips in bloom in the Feature pavillion

The Muttart Conservatory visit was the complete opposite of the Fair. While the Fair was loud, crowded, and a little nervous-making, the Conservatory was quiet, calming, and completely relaxing. Nicole and I took our time and wandered through the displays, taking many many pictures as we went. We enjoyed the smells and sights in each of the four pavillions. The feature pyramid was in full bloom and full of tulips and topiaries. It was so fragrant that we could smell the flowers before we had even rounded the corner or opened the door. It was spring-like and the colours were so refreshing to see in this city where the fallout from the snowpocalypse still covers everything.

The Arid pavillion held a Agave Americana which is only flowering for a few months, and it was definitely something to see the 30ft tall shoot reaching up through the middle of the pyramid to produce its yellow blooms. The Temperate pavillion was gorgeous and smelled of camellias and rosemary. The water feature held some koi, and the soothing sound of the falling water made it seem like we were walking through a Japanese garden. It was the pyramid I enjoyed the most. The Tropical pavillion was hot and sticky, but worth going in just to see the orchids on display. There was a water feature in this one as well, and the tropical flowers were blooming in the sun. The peach tree had just finished flowering and had produced tiny buds that will soon become fruit, and it smelled delightful. I am going to take my mother and grandmother back when they visit in June, and I'm hoping that the peaches even more wonderful to see and smell.

Nicole snapping away at the blooms

I'm happy that the visit went so well, and I'm really pleased to have been able to share my city with a person I care about. I'm sad to see her go, but today's walk through the Muttart was something I will remember for a long time. Also, I took so many pictures that the battery on my camera ran out, and once Nicole leaves tomorrow, I'm going to sit down with them in Photoshop and start prettifying my shots. For a point-and-shoot, my little camera took some fantastic photos, and I can't wait to share all the wonderful colours with you.

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Week in Review: Sad Face is Sad

It's early (for me) Monday morning. I'm sitting at the computer with a Timmies and sad face. I have been up for HOURS. Why? Because Matt has left.

Just for the week, and just to Wainwright, but this signals the first in a long spring full of time apart from one another. He will be spending 3 of the next 4 months in Wainwright, off and on, and while I have found many ways to keep myself busy and in good company, there's nothing like being held in Position 35 after a long day. (NB: Position 35 is where Matty lies on his back, and I curl up beside him with his arm around me; 35 Alpha is when I curl up on the other side and 53 is where I hold him. It's an us thing, established very early in our courtship.) So while I lament the lack of 35-ing, let's recap what went on this week.

After a wonderful, relaxing Family Day together, I spent most of my Tuesday-to-Friday in waiting rooms for various medical visits. I have a lovely bruise where they took my blood (in gills, remember?). I also had a gratifying visit with my psychiatrist, and headway has been made on the subject of getting a therapist to see weekly, which is something I have been lacking since my move to Edmonton last July. We went out on Friday night to a friend's birthday party, and though we were having a great time, had to come home early because I was edge-of-tears exhausted. The party was themed "ABCs - Ascots, Bowties, and Cardigans", and Matt dressed up in his dapper bowler hat and vest combo, complete with an ascot that I sewed together from an old tie.

I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

Saturday and Sunday we focussed on getting Matt ready to go to the field, so trips to Walmart for last-minute supplies and a drive up to the base was on the agenda. When we left the house on Sunday, he promised me that he would get me one of the tiny My Little Pony figurines I've been collecting as a treat (I think he was already feeling guilty about leaving me alone). However, with each stop we made there were no ponies to be had. So Matt, who when he gets something in his head gnaws at it like a dog with a bone, drove all over the south end of the city in the search for 2-inch vinyl ponies. Finally, we ended up at a toy store, and he was so happy they had some that I got two instead of just one.


This week, to keep myself occupied, I have many aspirations, including cleaning the apartment. Yay. Also on the list are thank you cards from our wedding in September and an appointment to get the car serviced. My enthusiasm holds no bounds. If you're bored, remember: so am I. I just wasted 2 whole hours on the internet looking at clipart.

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