I miss Canada!

It's that time of year again.  May.  Mid May to be exact.

The two weeks prior to my report card deadline.
The time of the year when it seems like it always starts raining as soon as I walk outside.
And, of course - moving season.

Can you believe that I have not lived in the same place for more than 2 years since I was 18??  That was almost 10 years ago!  And it always seems like May...dreadful May...is the month for moving.

Moving, and May, make me homesick.  Likely because it is SO close to the time when I get to go back to Canada.  I'll be heading home on July 5 this year, just in time for Kerri and Jos' wedding!  But not in enough time for a lot of other things...

I know, all you Canadian friends and family are screaming at the top of your lungs, "you IDIOT!  Just come home already and stop all these travelling shenanigans!  Who do you think you are?"

People, I know.  Trust me, I know.  Sometimes I can be selfish, forgetful, unreliable, and always, always absent.  Maybe, for some of you, It's not even sometimes.  Maybe it's all of the time.

All I can say is that hopefully the time I am sacrificing now will allow me to have more time to spend with all of you in the future.  And I'm sorry that for some of you, that's not enough.

But don't worry.  Canada will always be my home.  Always and forever.  And right now, there are so many things I am missing....

The Jays: the enjoyment of going to a baseball game with a group of friends is truly unique.  And the baseball is pretty good too.  Hopefully Bautista can pull the team together this year!

This photo has a 50% pregnancy rate now!  Looks like wearing a jays shirt to the game is important!

PaneFresco:  The best bakery I have ever been to.  Whatever their soup of the day is, try it!  And their pizza...and bring some bread home for later because you'll love it...

Lilacs: Is there any better flower on earth?  I think not.

Lululemon: You are always on my to-do list.  I will tear through this shop like it's a boxing day, store-is-closing-tomorrow type of sale.

Canada Day: I will be too late this year!  Someone please have a Keiths, a stack of ribs, a shot of maple syrup and a sparkler for me!

Not to mention this....

And this...

And this...

Happy May 2-4 everyone!  Hope you take the time to enjoy something truly Canadian!  What did I do on my last May 2-4 in Canada?  Oh, a little bit of this...

Extremely Loud...

...and Incredibly Close.

What a weird book.  The premise seemed so interesting - young boy mourning his father's death (during 9/11) by going on an adventure throughout New York City.  However, there was also a lot of post-modern artsy business going on in this book too.  At one point, while reading beside Justin, he looked over and practically yelled at me "Did you do THAT to your BOOK?"  There were pages upon pages of text underlined and circled in red.  The reason why Justin was so shocked was because of how careful I am with my books.  I don't even like lending my books to him as he will inevitably break the spine and dog-ear all the pages.

That was just one of the unusual absurdities in this book that you will need to interpret for yourself as you read it. If you choose to.

I'll still watch the movie but only because Tom Hanks is involved with it - don't say I didn't warn you.  Keep in mind that the cover of this book makes no sense as the boy will only wear white.

By the way, what the heck happened to my blogger interface??  Why can't programs just stay the same forever?!  I hate change...

Recommendations

Happy Easter!

I'm on Spring Break and finally have some time to blog before I head off on my vacation to Bali!  I am really looking forward to a few days in the rice fields with nothing to do but read, eat, and occasionally dip in the pool.

But until Wednesday, I have a lot of catching up to do, in all areas of my life.  I'm in the midst of an online workshop for my job which I need to get cracking on, I have been way too lazy with my workouts lately, and I haven't really done any experimenting in the kitchen.

But I have cooked up some winners - you should try them too!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
This is kind of like the peanut, coconut, spicy version of the stuff your mom used to serve to you when you had the sniffles.  It's not too spicy, takes about 20 minutes to make, and you can honestly add in whatever veggies you have on hand.  I added onions, celery and mushrooms rather than let them go to waste in my fridge.

Flaky Crescent Rolls
These are the homemade version of Pillsbury crescent rolls.  They take forever to make, so it is kind of a project but they are soft and pillowy.  I made them a while ago and put a bunch in the freezer so I didn't have to feel obligated to eat them all at once (though with some salted butter, that's exactly what I wanted to do!)

Snickerdoodle Blondies
I made these for my class for winning sports day at school.  They are so moist and are definitely comfort food.  Perfect for when you're craving something other than chocolate.  Cinnamon sugar is a close second.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
This recipe turned out great just the way it was but I kinda want to play around with it in the future.  Though they tasted great, I was secretly hoping that they would taste like the coconut squares you get at M&M Meat Shops - those are amazing!  These didn't quite get there but they are a great easy dessert.

If you're looking for something to whip up this weekend, any of these would be great options.  Other than the rolls, they're easy and require few unusual ingredients.  For the squares, you probably already have everything you need in your pantry now.

Pasta recipe coming up tomorrow...