Going Away Present

Well he's gone... basically.
My little brother is all packed up and headed to Japan for 3 years to teach English!
I'm pretty jealous of his adventure - it's going to be amazing to be so familiar with another language and culture the way he will be.
Luckily there is always skype, which is basically how I talk to him right now (being 3 provinces away), although I don't know if the 15 hour time difference will make it too difficult for me to talk to him regularly.
It's a great opportunity and I wish him all the very best! 

What do you buy as a going away present for someone heading overseas?

Can't buy anything heavy, or large because of the suitcase. 

The gift needs to be semi-useful, and also (from my perspective) semi-meaningful too. 

Well, my brother had the idea of asking for a scrapbook of Canada to share with his students in Japan. 

I had less than a week before I saw him, so this was a bit of a daunting task, but I went for it! 

Here's his have-fun-overseas/good-bye-for-a-while Canada & Family scrapbook:

Hope you liked it Nate! We will miss you!!
See you in Japan in a year or so (hopefully!)
Lots of love from our family in Alberta :)

{adios}

Post Strawberry-Picking Treats

Now that the berry-picking is done, time for some delicious berry filled treats! 

Aside from eating berries everyday for lunch, and putting them on ice cream, here's what I did:

Delicious Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp :)

(recipe found here - not exactly the same, but close)

Scrumptious Strawberry Jello Pie :) 

(recipe found here)

Easy Peasy Strawberry Lemonade :) 

(recipe: blended up strawberries, plus juice from 3 lemons, plus 1/4 cup of honey - adjust to taste!)

{xoxo}

3. Go Berry Picking - Check!

This was a great goal to accomplish on my 13 of 13 list. 

Who doesn't love berry picking?? 

Brings me back to my memories of picking berries with my family as a child - and usually eating more than I picked :)

Dunvegan definitely has some lovely berry fields. 

Unfortunately, I was only able to get to the fields at the bitter end of the picking season 

(which fyi is about 3 weeks long here!),

but my friend and I still braved the rain to pick at some of the few remaining glorious red wonders. 

After sifting through some bushes and throwing away a few duds, I managed to walk away with two full pails (thanks to my friend's helping hand) and felt pretty accomplished when we left. 

It may have been a wet day - but it was still very fun and worth the drive!

Another goal crossed off my 2013 list!

{yumm}

There's No Place Like Home for the [summer] Holidays

I had a very quick visit home last weekend - I'm talking 2 days of flying, and 4 days at home short. 

But it was well worth it! 

I got to see all my brothers together. I was on national television (at the baseball game!). I got to show off my baby belly to family. I visited with friends I haven't seen in ages. I said good-bye to my brother who leaves for Japan in a week. 

Lots of amazing memories in just a few short days. 

Here are some snippets from my whirlwind weekend at home:

{xoxo}