Here is more of my recollection of my trip to Nova Scotia!!
Day 2 -
Wednesday morning I woke up at 10:30 am (7:30 am Alberta Time) because I was DETERMINED to get onto Nova Scotia time. I had enough time to get up read my book for a while, shower and visit with Uncle Al (He worked the 1-10 shift that day) and laze around the house before Jenni even showed an inclination to wake up. She finally was dragged out of bed around 12:30pm and then went down again around 2. She was a tired girl, that's for sure. I also was extremely addicted to Plants vs. Zombies at this point, so I didn't mind that there wasn't really much to do. Emily, and Aunty Brenda were having fun looking after Jenni, so I just kind of chilled around the house (playing my game of course) while others looked after my precious girl. Alice was still afraid of Jenni at this point (and by afraid I mean REALLY uncomfortable around her), so her and I visited a lot and continued to get to know each other. By this point we were pretty much inseparable, and we were in all sense of the word insta-superbuds!
Grammy and Grampie were going to be coming for dinner that night, after Grampie's dialysis. Grampie is 80 years old with only 1 semi functioning kidney that gets dialysis 3 times a week...most of the time in Berwick, but every now and again they have to go to Halifax. Today was a Halifax day, so Grammy and Grampie (G & G) didn't get to the house until about 5:00ish. The last time that I had seen G & G was when I was 9, so 17 years prior. CRAZY!!! I was a little nervous, but everything worked out really great.
G & G went NUTZO over my precious little girl. Jenni really liked them, and they really LOVED her. Grampie immediately started to look better once that little girl was within arms reach. So Cute!!!!
Dinner was amazing (although I don't really remember what we ate) because Aunty Brenda is a wonderful cook. Maybe we had Kabob's that night...oh I don't remember. It was yummy though, because everything that I ate was yummy!!! Also, one thing that I am not really used to, is that there is dessert almost every night. That was a treat that my hips REALLY didn't need, but it was so yummy, and as Alice reminded me, when you are on vacation, calories don't count. I wish!
Jenni being her tired, jet-lagged, not normal self, was so tired, and really ready for bed, so she went down early. I think just after 8 ish. (that is 5:00 AB time). She slept clear through the night, but I was not smart enough to go to bed at a decent hour. Oh no...I think I was up until 11:30 talking with Alice, and because I wasn't really paying attention I had regular tea with dessert (CAFINE) and so even though I was in my bed decently enough, I think I read until 1 am. Stupid. Oh well, that is what vacation is for. When I did sleep though, it was great.
Day 3 -
Jenni woke up at 9:00 this morning (6 am AB time). This was a pretty good thing for her because that meant that she was on her way to being on NS time. I came out of my room, rather groggily, and Aunty Brenda took my baby from me, asked me what to give her for breakie and told me to go have a shower. Not that I really smelled bad or anything, but I just needed a serious wake up call, and what better than a nice hot shower for that. It was really awesome that I was able to not worry about Jenni. I knew that she was in good hands, so I was worry free. Yay for me!
On this day, I was still slightly addicted to Plants vs. Zombies, so I did spend a lot of time goofing off on the computer. The good thing is though, that I did not play this game at all after this day. I thought to myself, "self, what are you doing playing video games on your awesome Nova Scotian vacation. STOP IT!" So, that is what I did. I did happen to finish the game, but I did not play any more after this day.
Anyhoo. After Jenni went down for her nap Alice, and I went into town (Aunty Brenda was on baby duty). Uncle Al was working the 9-6 shift at Home Depot and Emily was working the 9-1 shift at Michaels. Emily got a ride into work with Uncle Al, but had no way of getting home. So, Alice and I went to go pick up Emily from work, and to get some stuff for Aunty Brenda and for Scuba.
We had to go to Michaels to get a refund on a class that Aunty Brenda was going to take, but it clashed with something else on her schedule (I think Choir) and we also had to pick up some "storage solutions" from Home Depot. We did that, and then we got Em, and then we went to a pet shop to get some flea powder and a flea comb for Scuba. Oh yes, I haven't told you about this yet. The people who were staying with Brenda and Al brought their cat with them. Well, this cat had some little friends (fleas) with it, and those friends decided that the house was a GREAT place to live. So, unfortunately there was a flea infestation in the GIANT house that Brenda and Al live in. Sucky! And, having a dog, of course they got on him as well. So, after much searching, we got what we needed, plus a little more, and we headed home.
G & G were at the house to visit, and the light in Grampie's eyes had returned. Jenni was up from her nap and was joyfully playing with G & G. She would tease Grampie, because she would walk right towards him, and then just before she got to him, she would turn and go in a different direction. Grampie thought it was funny, so it was all good. Jenni also learned that playing with Scuba was a fun thing to do. She loved to play ball with him, and he would be VERY gentle with her. It was really great, and super fun to watch.
*Side note* You will see in some of the pictures that Jenni is playing with Scuba's tennis ball. I, being the lax mom that I am, didn't care that she was chewing on the ball, or anything like that. BUT...Aunty Brenda cleaned out this Ketchup bottle, and it had a little bit of water and a tiny bit of residue in it, and I almost threw up when Jenni put that in her mouth. What a dork I am. I am fine with a slobbery dog ball, but not a clean ketchup bottle. CRAZY!!!!
Day 4 -
This day was a very special day for me, because I got to see the Atlantic ocean for the very first time! YAY ME!!!! Oh was it ever pretty. Pretty pretty pretty!
So, Alice wanted to do some resume dropping off, and so about noonish we left for Chester. Alice did get an interview, so we had to be home by 4:30 because the interview was at 5. Uncle Al had the day off, but he still needed to go into work, so he wasn't able to come with us. So, it was a GIRL'S DAY!!! Emily was feeling totally run down from her shift the day before so she also stayed home and I do believe, she made dinner.
Alice was starting to warm up to Jenni because she even held her for the first time. Jenni loves jewelry, and Alice was wearing a necklace with the Main crest on it. Jenni like this necklace and she put it in her mouth. Jenni then put the necklace into Alice's mouth, and Alice thought this was quite amusing. Unfortunately Alice didn't think "Jenni has a cold, this could be a bad idea. I could get a cold too." And so started the runny nose of Alice.
Our hour and some-odd drive to Chester was good, a little eventful, but good. See, I was driving, so I could know where I was going, and I needed to pass a vehicle, and the car didn't do what I wanted it to, and so we took a little longer to get past the car then we wanted to and it was just a little scary. Not dangerous per-say but still scary.
Once in Chester we went to a wonderful bakery/cafe for lunch. I was struggling to decide what to get and then learned, shortly, that I didn't have to decide. I could get both things that I wanted and we would all share all the food. I think we had 5 different things from the menu to share, and it was quite the dining experience. Although, as for portion control...forget it!
Lunch over, we got dessert to go (did I mention that it was a bakery with yummy pastries...yeah...pastries) and we walked down to the water. I got some pics of Jenni in her Norwegian sweater that Toril sent us, and then we walked over to this infused glass store. Oh my goodness. It was so gorgeous! Completely unattainably expensive, but gorgeous none the less. There was this really cool bowl where it looked like the ocean. I would love to explain it more than that, but I can't because it was just that cool looking. So picture a fused glass bowl that is at least 3 feet in diameter, and make it look like the ocean in your brain. That is what it looked like.
We then HIKED back up to the car, and we got in the car to go to the beach. It was this cute little beach in a place called Gold River (no, not the one of Vancouver Island). It was so beautiful!!! The water was even not freezing. It was cold, but not ridiculously cold. So, we went in. Both Aunty Brenda and I are yoga junkies, and so we were doing some of our favorite poses in the water. It was lots of fun, and apparently Alice had lots of fun taking pictures. (Although, none of the ones with me doing poses ended up turning out. Oh well...Aunty Brenda can look silly, and I will just pretend that I didn't) Jenni full out sat in the Ocean, and so it was a good thing that I brought some extra clothes for her, and I removed her pants before I even let her venture out on the beach. I know you are all thinking it, so I am just going to say it...I'm a smart mommy!
Alice had her interview, but did not get the job. That was okay in my mind because that meant that she could hang out with me more while I was in NS.
When we got home Uncle Al came in the house shortly after we did, and Jenni went up to him and gave him the best snuggles EVER. It was so cute to see her love on him because she didn't know him at all, really, but she knew that he was good people. So cute!!!!!
After dinner we went to Perault's (sp??) for ice cream. Holy cow! These ice creams were HUGE!!!! I got a baby cone and it was the size of a regular sized cone at any normal place that sells ice cream. It was awesome...and really inexpensive. Then we went to the lookoff at night (pretty view spot on the way to G & G's), and we went to visit G & G. G & G have a beautiful property right off the Bay of Fundy. It is so gorgeous there. Grampie was a little sad that Jenni was at home in bed (with Emily) and not with us, but he was happy to see us.
So, after a great day, we went back home and I sat downstairs and visited with Uncle Al for a very long time. He is a really incredible man, who has really gone through a lot and come out way better off on the other side. I am very lucky to have him as my uncle!
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| Pretty Nova Scotia Sunset on the way to G & G's |
The morning went by quickly. Jenni went down for her regular nap, and I decided that I was going to help Aunty Brenda. I offered to sprinkle the flea powder in the house. So, I did Emily's room and the Attic. I did have to go into New Minas to get 2 more cans of flea powder, and I went on my own and DIDN'T get lost! Yay for me! So, in total it took 4 cans of flea powder to cover Em's room, and the stairs up to the Attic, and the Attic itself. Crazy!!! After my stint of helping it was time to get ready to go to Grammy and Grampie's (G & G) house. There were a whole bunch of people there, and they all were loving on Jenni and her cuteness. Grammy went through a whole lot of trouble to baby-proof her home as well. Their home is such a beautiful place to be, and as you are driving up the driveway there is a sign that says, "Honk if you are happy to be here!" Needless to say, we Honked. 
As I am sure I mentioned before, Alice is rather afraid of small people, especially babies. Jenni was going to have nothing of that, because she really rather liked Alice. So, Jenni made her affection known throughout the vacation, but none quite as obvious as this day. Jenni just loves showing people how much she loves them! 
Grammy is always really awesome about remembering birthdays and such, and after we had dinner, there was a package at my place, and a bag for Jenni. G & G got Jenni a little barn with animals and letters, a couple of onesies, and Grammy made her a beautiful blanket. I got a book of photography of all the wonderful places in Nova Scotia! 
After the service we went to this beautiful beach to use the washroom of all things, and so I got some really awesome pics. It is amazing how pretty a scene can be. Kind of like my own special little painting from God. Every now and again, I seriously think to myself, I live in a postcard.
After our lunch, we went back to Aunty Brenda and Uncle Al's house. We got to chat and visit a little more and Alice, Josh and I went for a walk down to the grocery store to get some milk. We all have so much in common. Before they left we got some pretty good pictures, that oddly enough really show how much alike Josh and I look. Can't deny those genes. 
