Eight and still ticking.

Eight years ago today, Joel and I got together to make faces with our nearest and dearest, all while impossibly well-dressed.

Seven years ago, we were living in Abbotsford and going to 80s parties because that's what you did in 2008.

Six years ago, we were living in Victoria and going on accidental staycations because we are bad at maps.

Five years ago, we were STILL living in Victoria and I had cancer and then I didn't and then we went to the Olympics. It was a big year for us.

Four years ago, we were STILL living in Victoria. Bonkers, right? We felt super Victorian by this point.

Also, you'd never know it (I didn't know it) but I'm like three weeks pregnant in that photo.

Which is how, three years ago, we ended up living in my parents' house, being all like HOW DO YOU BABY.

Eleanor isn't sure either.

Two years ago, we were living in Calgary being like, HOW DO YOU BABY WITH ALL THIS WINTER THOUGH.

Last year, we had moved to Saskatoon and were like, HA HA THAT WASN'T A WINTER THIS IS A WINTER THOUGH.

Also, I was mega pregnant. Like, really very huge, at this time.

Since then we have added a whole other person to our family.

And had the longest, hardest summer, baaaasically all of which is a blur.

And we went camping and it was great, and then we went camping again and it was insanely cold.

And my parents and my sister and her baby came to visit.

And Joel's parents came to visit, and fall did its fall thing where it's just super warm and pretty and you're like, What winter.

And we boiled Geneva in a cauldron because October is basically one long Halloween celebration up in here.

Also we went to Cuba just like real quick, and brought Geneva but left Eleanor and it was AMAZING and TRAGIC and AMAZING.

And then we had Christmas and then Eleanor turned three and how is she even that old, I ask you.

We went home for visits,

we went to Palm Springs,

and between one thing and another, we have made it to spring.

Now summer lies ahead of us, with all of its glory, and summers and summers and summers to come. Eight years married! Not yet divorced, and neither of us has died. We are doing so well by ourselves.

Seven and feeling lucky

Seven years ago today Joel and I were not winning any high jump competitions but hey, check out my garter.

This time last year we were living in Calgary and remember how bald Eleanor was in those days?

Sometimes we'd take jaunts to Drumheller with Aunty Boo and Uncle Darren to see the dinosaurs

and sometimes we'd go to BC where Eleanor had constant fever and rash and we were at the clinic like four times because we are never not sick when we go to BC.

And then the Bow River flooded and everyone we know was evacuated except for us.

And then we took a trip to Saskatoon to find a place to live because we were MOVING TO SASKATOON.

Which was too bad because Calgary had a truly amazing zoo

and we had some fantastic friends there. HOWEVER. Saskatoon has amazing festivals.

Many of which are food-based.

And we have a proper house here, with a garage and a garden.

And parks and pools just EVERYWHERE.

And some pretty alright friends here, too.

And we went camping and it was full of sunshine and dirt.

And then we went camping again and it was full of rain and mud and also a weird amount of elk.

And I did the Color Run and armpits are like color magnets.

And Tante Tina came to visit

and Grandma and Grandpa came to visit

and Eleanor took up piracy for an evening

but Joel and I ate all her pirated candy.

And then we visited BC but we missed our Early Morning Flight and had to take a Late Evening Flight and I thought Eleanor would lose her mind but she was actually great that entire trip and didn't get sick until the very last day.

And then it snowed and...just...winter forever.

That was a serious edge Calgary had on Saskatoon, the chinooks and the sudden weeks in January where it'd be 10 degrees out and all the snow would melt and you'd all get a reprieve. This year the only reprieve we got was the MUCH REQUIRED week we spent in Mexico.

Oh yes and also I got pregnant again. As one does. Look how reasonable-sized I am there.

And then we had Christmas and Eleanor turned two

and winter.

SUCH WINTER. So we went to BC where the winter is rainy but habitable.

And then to Edmonton where the winter is equally as bad but there are indoor things to do that we hadn't totally exhausted.

And then it began (slowly) to thaw and we could do things like ice skatering

but the PROCESS of a Saskatoon spring is simultaneously exhilarating and demoralizing. I am more exited than any of you about today's 14 degrees

but it's supposed to snow again on Thursday. And Sunday. MY GARDEN IS GOING TO LIVE ON THE WINDOW SILL FOREVER.

But. Seven years after we promised to always stay married, Joel and I have lived in six cities and made almost two other people, one of whom is amazing and one of whom needs to keep her pointy fetus elbows out of my kidneys, and are (most importantly) still married. Which is not nothing.

Six and going

Six years ago today, Joel and I, looking impossibly young, ate an astronomical amount of pie.

Like, really a lot.

This time last year, we were living with my parents and trying to figure out what you do with a baby.

(You do a lot of this.)

(But also a lot of this.)

Joel graduated and became a Real Doctor

and we acquired ourselves our first human-niece (our other nieces are puppies, as are all our nephews).

We left Tiny Baby Eleanor with my folks for two days and went to a wedding on a beach like fancy grown-ups

but we brought her with us when we went camping, and it was sunny for the half-hour depicted here.

We went to Seattle and Portland and saw the sights

Gotcher nose, Troll Under the Bridge.

and visited the zoos

and ate at the food trucks.

And then we moved to Calgary and went to the Stampede

It was 1000 degrees in the shade that day

and did rather a lot of hiking

Come on, sign.

and went to every food festival we could find.

There were many.

And then it became winter and we were like, I don't understand this mess.

So we went to Mexico, for warms.

And BC visited us and we visited BC and one time we even DROVE

but we try not to pine for it. We've found lots of indoorsy things to do in this City of Actual Winter, and we spend a lot of time in the Africa exhibit at the zoo.

We've done a round of the holidays with a baby now, and it's been every bit as good as I imagined. Joel's pegging away at residency and I'm hanging out with Eleanor and working on the internet, writing about my twin loves of books and food. Birds keep getting in our house and there's still snow on the ground in APRIL, but today we taught Eleanor what indoor picnics are

and what ice cream is.

So many more things to learn.