STITCH LINES...... Ramblings on life as a quilter, stitcher, traveler, photographer, gardener and lover of books, cats and fine chocolate....

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Update Time



I'm back! Oh wait, you didn't even know I was gone, did you? Well it's time for an update... family news, travels and such!
On May 23 I headed off to Ontario to visit my two kiddos. Yes, two! I haven't told you that Mark moved to Toronto at the end of March. With his girlfriend there and him here... well... they could only keep WestJet in business for so long....  I could see what was coming... He was very fortunate and got the first job he interviewed for!! He now works for the largest international company in the world that produces human
vaccines. They operate 24/7 and distribute more than a billion doses of vaccine per year, making it possible to vaccinate more than 500 million people across the globe. He is still training, and will be for a while yet, which means he currently has weekends off. Once he starts "working" it's shift work Thursday to Monday, and he'll be working on acellular pertussis vaccine. He is loving his job and big city life! It was great to see he and Maggie and their new place, a 25th floor condo at Yonge and Bloor. The big city is not for me, but it's wonderful to see them happy with their careers and lives.



I was proud of myself for doing the long drive alone (all 1368 km.) navigating busy highway 401 without incident and driving right to Mark's building without a wrong turn once! From Toronto I continued on to Kitchener Waterloo area to take in a bit of the Waterloo County Quilt Festival and visit some dear friends in New Hamburg. More about that in a later post.


On Friday, May 27 I headed to Hamilton to visit dear daughter. She didn't know I was coming. Another big piece of news: She is expecting, due mid July. Yes! We're going to have a grandson! One of the main reasons for the trip was her baby shower on Saturday the 28th. I just couldn't imagine not being there! So I showed up at her workplace at noon Friday and surprised her with an invitation to lunch! I do love a good surprise, don't you? I was there 4.5 days so got to know the city a bit, help Laura with a few things, etc. She is well organized and pretty much all set up for baby's arrival. The baby shower was lots of fun and it was so nice to meet the friends I have been hearing about.






The photos are of Laura at the shower opening the baby quilt I made - more on that in the next post.
I flew home Tuesday night and have been busy ever since trying to catch up, mostly on gardening. I must say, after the big city and the noise, people and traffic, I sure do love and appreciate my quiet green spacious backyard...  :)

Peace,
Linda

"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again."
~ Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

7 comments:

kath001 said...

I love that kind of surprise! So glad you had a good trip.

Jennifer said...

Congratulations on the new addition to the family! It's hard having your family so far away, but at least your children are on the same continent. Still - if our younger son didn't live in Canada we wouldn't have had some wonderful trips!

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Terry and I passed through Hamilton on our honeymoon on our way to Niagra Falls. (The Canadian side was so much prettier and clean). Gosh, you had a lot of surprises for readers today!! When I was younger I could have easily lived in a big city. I was born in Chicago and met and married a country boy. Living in the country was an adjustment that I admit I love. Our area had grown too much and sadly is not as quiet anymore. Sad that your kids live so far from you, but that's the way of the world now. Luckily technology allows us a click to see them on a phone or computer screen.
xx, Carol

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You are very brave! But it sounds like a wonderful trip! I'm trying to imagine a condo on the 25th floor! Wow! And congrats on the new baby. Happy times ahead! Hugs, Diane

GailM. said...

Yippee. Oh, that's awesome on all counts. That is an awesome job for Mark. And wow, a baby boy. Congratulations. A baby brings new energy into a family... Love that sweet quilt.

2dogs2luv said...

what a wonderful story. so glad yourr trip was successful, in lots of ways. I love the look of your quilt & I'm sure this won't be the last trip to ON for 2016!

Pamela Gordon said...

Whohoo! Lots of exciting news for you Linda. Congratulations to Mark on his new move and job. I'm so excited that you will soon be a grandmother. And to a baby boy at that! Laura looks just glowing in that photo. What an exciting time for them. The quilt you made for baby is really sweet and I like the simple pinwheel pattern and the blue/grey theme. I'm glad you had a safe trip and found your way around. I could not do that! I couldn't even drive to the NB Quebec border without needing a nap. LOL Well done Linda! I bet you can't wait to meet your new grandson but the days will go by fast.

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