THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life - August Edition
Updated: Jun 18, 2021
Alright, let's get started. There is a lot of ground to cover this month!!
At the beginning of the month of July I was still in Edmonton, which feels like forever ago now. Being reunited with the Core Four was easily the best part, and I loved how much time we all spent together!! Everything just felt normal and happy and right. I miss that part of being in Edmonton the most.
We celebrated Canada Day in Edmonton at the Legislature grounds and watched the fireworks. We did a ton of our favourite Edmonton eating. The Core Four spent 90% of the time hugging tighter than ever. And Tim considered stealing someone else's child (Amy's).
I also got to see Jaelyn and Susan, which was so awesome as well and great to catch up! Susan was 28 weeks pregnant at the time, and I was happy to get to see her in her ready-to-pop state!
We also got completely obsessed with escape rooms, if you haven't noticed!!! They're puzzle rooms where you have to solve the puzzle in a certain amount of time in order to win (each room is a different story/theme). They're exploding in most cities these days. We played three while in Edmonton at BreakOut; The Cube (failed), 1408 (failed), Secret Lab (SUCCEEDED!). And then promptly found one in Montreal upon returning home and played two more at A/Maze; Prison Break (SUCCEEDED!), Lost Temple (SUCCEEDED!). Our tract record of 3/5 is pretty good! We're obsessed. Everyone should try them! Most cities have them!
It was hard and sad to have to leave Edmonton again. But I am so thankful to have gotten the time there that we did. It was nice to get home in a way, just to be settled back into our lives after three weeks away.
Tim went to Vancouver on a business trip (yes, mere days after returning from our vacation that included a stop in Vancouver).
And we went to La Ronde (a Six Flags amusement park in Montreal) for the first time ever and went on all of the roller coasters. Tim's work gave us free season passes, so I was glad to actually use them this year (unlike last year).
Then Erin arrived, visiting from Vancouver! I have to say, our record of seeing each other this year is better than it has been in a LONG time!! It has been the best. Erin had never been to Montreal before, so we made her eat a lot, showed her the sights, and we had a lot of fun shopping too!
After that, Tim and I were off to Muskoka for our family long weekend at the cottage. It was a ton of fun and the weather was excellent. We spent every day relaxing on the dock and swimming in the lake. And of course playing with our niece Amelia, who is now 4 months old. We also learned an exciting secret! My Sister-in-Law Emily's boyfriend Matt asked permission to marry her!! (Tim was there when this happened, and obviously he reported to me!) So that means that all of our family members are going to be locked in on Tim's side of the family soon!
In my world of yoga, I did two new things that I could never do before! The first is Monkey Pose, which is a full split. I could never even do this as a cheerleader in high school, so the fact that I can do it now should tell you a lot about what yoga can do!! I also did my first Crow Pose on a SUP, which looks WAY easier than it is. It's almost impossible to find the right balance with everything below you moving around! So I'm pretty proud of those accomplishments.
AUGUST!
First we had Tim's friend (and mine), AJ visiting from Halifax. She was here for Osheaga which happened this past weekend and she stayed with us, which was fun.
Then in two days I leave for Regina! For two weeks! It's going to be a very busy visit, with the highlight of course being Enobong and Ian's wedding, in which I'm a Bridesmaid!! I can't even say how excited I am for all of this to become a reality for Enobong! It is going to be wonderful!!! We're also having Enobong's Regina Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party while I'm there. And they're having a Traditional Nigerian Ceremony (separate from the wedding) that I'm so excited to see and be a part of! I'm also very much looking forward to seeing all of my Regina ladies that are around while I'm there as well! Tim is coming for the wedding, but I'll be there for much longer than he will be. Plus, I haven't seen my family since Christmas, so it will be really great to have a bunch of time with them as well!
My one other piece of "news" is a pretty big thing, I guess. As of this month, I am going off of birth control.
That is pretty much the most terrifying sentence that I have ever said (typed).
We do not intend to start "trying" (and I use that term loosely) until 2016. But I thought that it might be a good idea to start clearing my system of the birth control now. I have been on steady birth control without ANY breaks or stops since I was 16 years old. That's 17 years. STRAIGHT. More than half of my life! (That's what happens when you're as anal as I am.)
I first started on Ortho Tri-Cyclen (the pill) before I even lost my virginity. I wanted to be prepared! Later on I did one year of Depo-Provera (the injection) and it messed up my cycles way too much (it was trendy, we were all trying it). And then finally when Evra (the patch) came to Canada in 2004, I got onto that immediately and have been on it ever since. At this point I have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER about what my body is like without birth control. None. Are my periods regular? Will things be different? No clue. I'm aware that by going off of birth control, in some cases people get pregnant RIGHT away. But I've also heard of other people who need several months to get the birth control out of their systems. Since I have no idea which I am, I'm going off of it now and we'll just use condoms until we actually intend to "try." Out of you guys (my friends), some of you got pregnant on the first try and others took years. I have no way to know where I might fall on that spectrum. This brings me to: I AM EXTREMELY TERRIFIED OF GETTING PREGNANT / HAVING A CHILD.
Obviously, before getting married, Tim and I discussed in great detail that having children was something that we wanted to do. We would not have gotten married if we weren't on the same page about this. (My fingers are crossed for one girl and one gay son!!!) :P I am not maternal AT ALL. You've seen how awkward I generally am around your kids. For me, having kids was never something that I needed to do in order to feel fulfilled in life, and if for some reason we could not have any, I would be completely alright with that. Tim on the other hand, loves kids and feels very strongly about being a Dad. While the idea of having kids isn't exactly a MUST on my life list... Getting to experience as much as possible in this life IS. And having kids is a part of that for me. Even if the thought of it is terrifying to me... Most of the best things in life are. I've been very grateful to have had so many of you pave the way before me, and I can honestly say that seeing people who I love and care about (you guys) being incredible Moms and raising amazing little people has given me just about every confidence that I could need. So thank you!!
So that's where we're at. I'm very glad that we didn't rush into having kids right away, and have instead made the most of our first few married years, just the two of us. But at the same time, I'm 33 and this is starting to feel like the right time. I still have a few more big things that I want to accomplish in the next 8 months or so, before this all becomes a real thing. But obviously you guys are the first to know when major life changes are afoot!
THIS MONTH'S SHOUT-OUTS!:
August 3rd is Zena Domanski's 64th birthday!
That's my Mom and that's today!!! I like this photo because it's from that time that we tried on matching velour onesies. Obvs! In light of the news I've shared in this entry, I'm more glad than ever that you're my Mom. You have really shaped my entire idea about having kids. You've always said that you didn't care if I had them or not. You've never been one of those Moms who asks for grandchildren (probably because the idea of being a "grandmother" grosses you out. I don't blame you.). You and Dad were together for 13 years (having too much fun) before deciding to have kids yourselves. You also never really wanted to have them... Until you did. And you have been the BEST Mom. If you turned out to be the Mom that you are, that makes me feel like I could too. I can't wait to see you in two days!!! We will celebrate your birthday in style!!! I LOVE YOU!
August 5th is Krystie Coutu's 3rd wedding anniversary!
I absolutely loved your funnest wedding ever in Abbotsford!! I would never have missed it! I hope that you and Trevor get to celebrate on your trip!
August 8th is Lacey Suttie's 6th wedding anniversary!
Time has totally flown because it feels like your wedding in Calgary was only yesterday. You and Dallas have a TON to celebrate and I know that you guys will!
August 11th is Crystal Maffenbeier's 8th wedding anniversary!
Again, it seems unbelievable that this much time has already passed since your Kenosee wedding! Make sure that the kids give you and Jared the night off for some romance!
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