Family Weekend

We have had a bit of a go. Joel had a busy rotation, followed by his major exam, followed by a busy rotation, followed by his research project, followed by a busy rotation. We had a family weekend planned a while back, it was literally the first weekend in months that Joel wasn't working, or studying, or putting together his research project. But then there was a family emergency, and he had to go home, and like twelve hours after he got back, he started his cardiology rotation and was on overnight call every third day or whatever (which is when my parents swooped in, so that I didn't murder my children).

Anyway. We finally had our family weekend. I mean, we had to cancel Family Event the First because of some last-minute scheduling conflicts, and Family Event the Second was Raych and the Girls Go To the Farmer's Market, As Is Their Custom Of A Saturday, While Joel Gets Administrative Things Done.

But Family Event the THIRD was a hike at Beaver Creek, which went swimmingly.

We found the good hiking loop, it takes like fifteen minutes to walk so we did it twice. Eleanor walked and DECLAIMED the whole way. 'This is a FUN hike, I LIKE this hike, it is SO BEAUTIFUL on this hike, that is a tree that a BEAVER ate, probably, hey look a BEETLE.'

And then we went downstairs and played in the beaver dam until they kicked us out.

I had picked up some picnicky things at the farmer's market - a few veggies, an enormous ham-and-cheese-stuffed foccacia bread.

And Joel was like, Hey, there's this greenish area I drive past sometimes that always has a lot of cars parked at it.

It was a dog park. DOGS. Dogs for miles. It went about as well as you'd expect and also I guess we own this dog now?

He would not leave, even after his owner was like, Well, bye, and rode off on his bike (and then came back to leash him up and be like, I'm so sorry, and we were like, We are so sorry we brought this giant meat sandwich to a dog park).

So that's one for the books.

Sunday morning, we drove to Diefenbaker Park for the Mogathon 2K, which you may remember Eleanor and I running last year because Joel was at a conference all weekend and my parents and sister were on their way for a visit and we were dyyyyyying. Anyway. Same deal. Same face painting.

Same bouncy castles.

Bonus balloon man.

And then Joel wrangled Geneva in the rain while Eleanor and I held hands and ran, and ran, and ran.

And then we got to the end, and danced with the Finish Line Gorillas.

And got our medals, of which Eleanor is almost incoherently proud.

And then the girls went for a nap and Joel went to Costco and I chopped a million things, because we were having dinner guests for table-top grilling.

We've never done it with Eleanor before, but she LOVED it, the frying stuff, the putting veggies and cheese into little trays and letting it melt and then sliding it all onto toasts. And then the girls went to bed and we had grown-up chats with grown-up persons and then they left and Joel and I finished off the wine and loaded up the dishwasher and scrubbed down the grills and all in all, it was a good weekend and worth the wait.