though late, i'm still in a smirk (and headspin, due to catch up from being away the whole time) over this weekend. it was filled with good conversation, outdoor time, fires and photos.
chat by the fire; the gang pre-dinner; alex and i, dinner prep (she takes after me a bit); desperate times call for desperate measures; no wine opener calls for all the tools pre-dinner; dinner for 5 - gourmet style; a sunday afternoon walk; fall clothes are my favourite; weekending with 2 photographers is tough to remember to look good at all times - it's like the paparazzi; people used to mix us up, or think we were sisters - people are generally missing parts of their brains; denim crew (me, jeff, alex); one last look around the church; working on some concept jewelry for my dear friend jamaal.
friday: i finished up work, and raced to the GO station to get jeff, who had finished work early. we headed home, i had a quick shower and we went over to get some vietnamese food for dinner (cheap and yummy). then, as we knew we had a late night ahead, we had a 2 hr nap while waiting for thomas to arrive home from san jose. once we woke up, we packed the car, and met up with thomas and
alex - our partners in crime for the weekend. we all headed out, and completed the drive up north in good time - arriving fairly late to the renovated church that is in thomas' family. we spent the rest of the night having a couple of drinks, unpacking, organizing food, making beds, and all those things that come when you arrive in a place for a weekend.
saturday: jeff and i woke up early, and spent about 15 minutes trying to make coffee - him being a tassimo user, and me not having ever had a cup of coffee in my life. after throwing a bunch of tablespoons of grinds, and some water into the maker, we crossed our fingers (and later found out it was great!). we then enjoyed the outside, and the amazing weather for a bit while waiting for alex and thomas to wake up (we did manage to fit
dexter season 4 season finale in too - as jeff hadn't seen it, and i wanted him to watch it with me to see his reaction). once everyone was up and moving - thomas putting us all to shame by going for a run up and down the hills of the country - we worked on making breakfast for everyone. we all sat down for a huge breakfast - not conducive to the photoshoot that followed. then, after cleaning up,
alex and i choose outfits ("
it's like real life polyvore!") out of every single piece of clothing that we collectively owned, and then headed out for photoshoot fun, while the guys headed out for some 'supplies' (soap dishes and axes) some lunch, and a walk around the water. alex and i spent hours (and 4 or 5 outfit changes) trying to push through the rain and cold to get some good shots in... and finally admitted defeat around 5:30 in the afternoon. we arrived home (i washed the layers of photo makeup off my face), and we had some snacks, marinated steaks, and sat around the fire that the men so wonderfully put together. we spent the evening hanging out - including a guest visit by thomas' cousin nick - cooking dinner all together... steaks, potato latkes, a huge, hearty salad and some wine that went through the ringer when we found we didn't have a wine opener (i'm talking power drill, coffee filter... it was scary for a while). after dinner we all cleaned up, and sat around chatting all night. some music, some drinks, a long burning fire... perfect. for the first time in my life i was the first to bed - exHAUSted... from the weather i'm sure.
sunday: woke up fairly early, feeling good, and again headed out for some fresh air. then, made another big breakfast, reviewed some photos from the day before, and then the 4 of us headed out for a long walk along the rolling hills... to really get as much countryside in as possible. once we returned, we packed, cleaned, and headed out - stopping briefly for some disgusting(ly good) harvey's on the way home. upon arriving back in toronto, we unpacked, and then i dropped jeff off at the GO train, and spent the rest of the evening making a small dinner, and some jewelry for a friend who i was meeting with the next day to consult.
it was a good, busy, fresh-air-filled weekend... much needed. hope everyone else had a great one!
