liv.in.viv.: Welcome Back Home, Kristy.

Left to Right: Hangout @ MST; Me meeting Oreo; Breakfast @ Summerhays

The best part of the weekend was seeing my friends and going to Gatineau Park. Ah... some time to get away from a crazy city like Toronto - what better than to reminisce with Autumn leaves. That day I felt like a kid again - I blew some milkweeds and threw piles of fallen leaves in the air. The park was full of families and nature lovers who understood that Thanksgiving is the time to go to Gatineau. This time I finally visited King's Estate and saw some ruins. Apparently there's a stone house somewhere else in the ruins... that I have yet to find. Another adventure awaits.

I got to see a few friends over the weekend, but still others I didn't get the time to. I did bump into a few people along the way... but that's what's so good about Ottawa - you're bound to find everyone without purpose.

Home. I definitely missed home. We got an apple pie from my friend's bakery for Thanksgiving and some imported belgium eclairs! (I texted my brother a week in advance to buy these for the dinner.) We usually have friends over...that don't have Thanksgiving or don't have their families here every year, but this time it just ended up being the fam. For once, I finished my whole plate, which made my mom happy. I even took some back for the roomies. I missed my bed dearly... and I barely had enough TV to last the stretch of non-coach entertainment for the past 2 months. Ottawa is definitely my home. Everyone here is so friendly, and it's like I know everyone no matter where I go. A different story, for sure, in Toronto.

The last day, I saw the butterfly show with a friend. It was held in the greenhouse @ Carleton University. You actually see butterflies that can land on you.. fly around you. LIVE! Apparently, they really like oranges. It was amazing to see all the different kinds, and they're really interesting to take photos of. The day I left, we had some GOOD dinner at home - I had crabs, lobster, short ribs... oh the deliciousness that I missed so much. As I got back into the carpool to leave for Toronto, I felt the same level of homesickness I did when I first left. I debated all the way back to Toronto if I should come back at all before my internship ends...because it's always going to be that hard to leave Ottawa.