sushi at sapporo

When we first came to Hamilton, we were given a list of favorite restaurants by the orchestra manager. One Sunday after church we decided to go out for lunch. So we grabbed the list and looked through the options. Sapporo Japanese Restaurant stood out. So we went. And we've been back. It was one of those places that we 'had to go again before we left'. The service is great, the food is very tasty, the presentation of the food is impeccable and the atmosphere is nice. And we always have really good talks with each other when we were there. It's buffet so you just order which dish you want off the menu and they bring it to you. They keep your tea 'clothed' and recommend which sushi is good to try. I like it because you can have one piece of sushi to try it then order more if you like it. 

We often start with their soup. It is so tasty. This was the spicy beef udon soup and it was spicy! I downed a couple mugs of tea while eating the soup. But it was good! 

Jared went with a noodle dish that looked really tasty. 

 Grilled salmon and asparagus! The salmon was wrapped around the asparugus spears and then drizzled with a sauce. Delish! 

 

The real reason we came- sashimi and sushi! I actually tried some sashimi this time and it was okay, not one of my favorites. It's just a mental thing of eating raw fish! I love the sushi though, so yummy dipped in a bit of soy sauce. 

Kilmeny was happy for about half the meal, then the restaurant began filling up and she was getting more and more tired. So we took turns holding her and entertaining her. Jared is reading her favorite book to her, only he made up a story based on the pictures which of course made me laugh which made me eat even slower. =) 

The other reason why we go here! Their ice-cream is the perfect cap on a sushi meal and is served in such lovely bowls. 

All snuggly and ready for bed! Reading her book again. =) 

It was a lovely evening out, it even rained which made our little apartment all cozy and the lamplight shine brighter and the blankets warmer. 

the last day

Tonight is the last concert of the Brott Festival. After tonight, there will be no more rehearsals, no more concerts, no more get-togethers with musicians and  no more crazy schedule changes. Our summer in Hamilton is almost over. Summer is almost over. Change is everywhere. I have a love/hate relationship with change. I like things to remain the same and be dependable. But I also crave the change. It keeps life from getting stagnant and makes it interesting. 

We will be moving to Montreal in September. To one of the most French neighborhoods in Montreal. We don't speak French, yet. It'll be another change. I'm not as overwhelmed by the thought as I was a couple weeks ago. I am actually excited. 

I am anticipating tonight's concert. It will be good. They're playing Beethoven's 9th symphony. It's the end of a time. And every end means the beginning of something new. 

family time

The whole reason for this trip was to visit our families. Well, actually it was to shoot a wedding which paid for my ticket which enabled us to spend some visiting time rather then just Jared flying out to shoot the wedding. It was so special to see both our families and both sets of Jared's grandparents. We packed a lot in a short time but it was worth every crazy minute. 

We got to have supper in my family's new house. It's been 5 months since the house burned down and now they have another home to call their own. God is good. It's even the 'right colors' on the outside. Every house that we've lived in has been white with green trim. And we've often painted over boring brown and grey houses to make them the Funston colors. This one was already the right colors. 

We all wore flip-flops. There was a really good sale at Old Navy.  And American Eagle.

 

 More uncle time! =) Kyle was so good with Kilmeny, he kept her entertained and was very gentle with her. She loved the kittens!

 Abel is the one from my family that everyone thinks Kilmeny looks like. I just think they're both cute. Abel's been my 'brown boy' ever since he was born. I taught him how to read so we have a special bond that only comes from laboring over phonics together. 

  It's the smile. Oh and the eyes that I get lost in. Seriously, he's amazing. 

After spending a few days with my family, we drove back to Edmonton to celebrate Benji's birthday, Jared's youngest brother. Fun times. A table filled with family and Mom M.'s legendary Mexican meal. 

 Mr. Adorable turns 3! 

 My amazing mother-in-law. So grateful for her!! 

  It was really special to see Josh and Ariana again. They drove in and spent the night so we could see them. =) 

 We made the local Starbucks happy. 

 Kilmeny with her 'favoritest' uncle, Josiah. She really digs venti frappachinos. 

 And then we flew home. Ready for the next set of adventures. 

the Sunday School picnic

 Every summer my family's fellowship has a 'Sunday School picnic' complete with foot races, water balloon toss, three-legged races, tug of war and slog races. . It's always a lot of fun for those watching and participating. This year's just so happened to be on the Sunday when we were visiting and it was held at the Fehr Farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fehr, the gracious hosts! They're getting ready for the married couples three-legged race.

 I love this picture for many reasons. =) Kilmeny with her Nana and Papa Funston. 

 More three-legged races. My all-time partner wasn't there so I didn't do it. Caleigh and I have rocked this race for many years. We take it seriously.

 Abel getting psyched for the water balloon toss! 

Drew and Seth. After the water balloon toss. The point is to see what team can toss a water balloon the farthest before it pops. The other point is to get wet.

Karina Fehr. Such a little doll!

 The pyramid

And the pyramid before it fell. I think Seth had an elbow in his back or something. 

 The highlight of the afternoon for me was visiting. I talked and talked with good friends. It was so good to see everybody again and to visit and to catch up with them. I love these people dearly. They're like my extended family. Watching Naomi with her daughter, Morgan (who is now 6) always made me look forward to having my own daughter. Kilmeny was quite willing to go to whoever on this visit which was really nice. =)

She spent a lot of time with her Nana.

Ooh-la-la! Two of my favorite men in the whole world. Love that they are such good friends! 

This is the way to do the slog race, folks. Slow and peaceful. No nasty falls. No scraped up ankles. For those who don't know what a slog race is, you have five people with a foot in each of those burlap bands and you move together-chanting 'left, right, left, right'. That helps you stay together. You are racing another team on the other set of slogs. If you do this bare-footed, it will hurt. If you happen to fall, it will hurt more. And you will once again promise yourself that you will never, ever, do that race again. They just needed one more person. It's that whole girls vs. boys thing. It gets me every time.  And I thought I wasn't competitive....

We didn't win. We fell flat on our faces. But it was fun.

more to come.....

so we went on a trip

Last week we flew to Alberta to spend a week with some of our favorite people and to shoot a wedding. We left at an very early hour of the day (or was it just a really late night?) and did our first flight as a little family. I did not take any pictures of Kilmeny's first flight. I know, can you believe it? I took lots of other pictures though. Here's a glimpse. 

  
Kilmeny was loved.

Sometimes it was too much for her. 

So her Auntie Virginia rocked her to sleep. 

When she woke up, we had a mini girls party. We painted our nails and took pictures and laughed. I love that I married a man with younger sisters. They are perfect.

 the before shot

the after shot

My feet would be the white ones, I'm spending this summer in the city and wearing shoes outside. It does make a difference! Oh and I'm Irish. ;-) 

Then I spent some time with the three youngest Moshers, just hanging out. Can't you feel the love?

"Okay, Justin, now I need the camera back?"

We tramped around Mom and Dad M.'s new property, seeing where they will build their new house and their plans for the land. It was really nice to have that time in the van with them to talk. We went through our stuff in storage in Moshers' barn, getting clothes for Kilmeny and some winter clothes for us. We went through a lot of bins, laughed a lot and got very dusty. It was fun. 

 I also introduced Kilmeny to a tradition I started with the girls before Jared and I started courting. I fell in love first with his little sisters. ;-) 

We went swinging. On a swingset. Singing Rodgers and Hammerstein at the top of our lungs. Doubled up on the swings 'spider-style'. Priceless memories. 

Then we drove to Jared's oldest sister's home and had a delicious supper with her, her husband and little boy. It was so good to see them again. We visited over cherry pie and ice-cream in their farmhouse. Jared and Josiah were off early to shoot the wedding. I came later with Josh and Rachelle. It was so fun spending that time with them. They are a really fun couple. And we are eagerly waiting for news of their little one due any time now! 

My family was waiting for me as soon as I walked into the doors of the church. It was so good to see them again! So good. 

I didn't take any pictures of the wedding. Sorry. Jared got the best shots at the best times from the best locations. Hundreds of them. (He'll be posting them on facebook, not all of them. Just enough to give a taste)

 Hanging out with Uncle Layne between the ceremony and reception. 

 She spent most of the night with her Nana. And was totally fascinated by her dress from her Grandma. =) 

more pictures to come..... 

Sometimes....

Sometimes babies wake up at night, after they've been snuggled and kissed and said goodnight

 Sometimes they have fevers and spots on their tummy and sometimes it's more then just teething. It's teething and baby measles. 

Sometimes mommies need to be hugged and a strong shoulder to cry on and to be pointed to God.

Sometimes perfectionism creeps in and there is only One Perfect One. 

Sometimes to-do lists need to be ditched and only the really important things remain. 

Sometimes cuddles, walks in the park, story time and love are really only ever the important things.