Pre-Party-Prep

Making party posters for the driveway.

As many of my dear readers know, our eldest daughter eloped back in March and married her American boyfriend.  Molly and Jordan flew out to see us during Spring Break and that trip quickly turned into their honeymoon.  

During that visit Joe and I asked if they'd like us to throw them a party to celebrate their marriage.  They said yes.  I asked them if they'd like to invite the east coast people to join us west coast people.  They said yes.

And so the #MoJo party was born.  The date was set for August 20th.

We quickly sent out invitations to their friends and to close relatives of each family.  The responses started to pour in as soon as the invitations were sent.  We were expecting 70 people to grace our backyard come summer.  We could hardly wait!

As the date quickly approached, we also began to receive offers of help from all corners.  I accepted any help I could get.  Jordan, his siblings, Molly, her siblings and a few friends congregated at our house two days before the reception.  I put them to work right away.  There was no job too small or too large for these fine folks.  Mowing fields, stringing lights, delivering tables and chairs, hauling crates of plates and glasses.  I had a 'to do' list that was three pages long.  You name it, they did it.

I cannot thank these fine people enough for all they did for us.

Squamish was the hot spot in Canada for several days leading up to the party.  The temperatures hovered between 37 C and 39 C.  A hose is always a good way to cool off.

Stretch!

Team work.

Lunch in the shade.

Getting the back field ready for tenters.

Stringing lights.

For the past 10 months Joe has had a pallet of patio stones sitting in our driveway.  I have wanted the stones moved since they arrived.  A work crew was paving our street and I asked one of the guys if he'd move the pallet for me.  He happily obliged, hopped into his bobcat and pushed the pallet of stones into our garage.  I ran into the house, grabbed him half a dozen beers and with a wave he was off.  Oh, the kindness of strangers. 

  

The Akselrad kids frolicking in our friends' pool.

Thank you Scott family for letting us cool off in your pool.  It was much appreciated.

Family reunion!

Once the work was done, we had a wee celebration the night before the backyard reception.  We got to relax for a bit and meet some of the Boston contingent.

Molly and Barkie.

Larry and Jami.

Evan, Maytal, Robin and Paige.

Janet and Casper.

 Harper, Maytal and Robin.

Big Daddy Joe.

Mike and Neil.

Boston buddies.

Maytal, Jordan and Robin.

Corey and Neil.

Four in a row.

One more dip in the Scott's pool before the big day.  Here's Adam showing off his mad diving skills.

Brotherly love.

"Islands in the stream..."

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Molly, Jordan, Robin, Janet, Maytal, Evan, Jami, Paige, William, Adam and Harper for helping Joe and I make this one of the best parties we've ever thrown.  I adore each and every one of you.  Thank you all.

Oh, Baby!

One of the baby shower activities was to write inspirational or motivational messages on baby diapers for the new parents to read during those 3:00am diaper changes.

Girlfriends threw a joint baby shower for Molly and one of her best friends Danielle last week.  This group of women are some of the finest people I know.  Smart, fun and fun-loving.  Beautiful inside and out.  Generous, warm and loving.

Re-enacting their high school prom photo 11 years later.

I have been told by countless people how much I am going to enjoy grandparenthood.  I cannot wait.  It is quite something to see my first baby expecting her first baby.  

I was extremely emotional when I walked through the door and first laid eyes on Molly.  I hadn't seen her in five months.  We fell into each others' arms and sobbed.  It really hit home just how far away Toronto and Boston are from Squamish.  

This trip will be the only time I see Molly with her baby bump.  She is radiant and beautiful and healthy.  The next time I see her she will be a mother.  Unbelievable.

There was food, there were gifts, there were crafts.  But the best part?  THERE WERE GAMES!  My favourite!

The tried and true 'ring' method of finding out the baby's sex.  The mother's wedding ring is dangled on a chain over her belly.  The way the ring sways is the determining factor.  The ring foretold that Molly's baby is a boy.

BFFs.

Grandmas-in-waiting.

A wool baby blanket I brought back from Sweden for my sweet grandbaby JJ.

Very happy and excited aunties-to-be.

I taught this little angel when she was in kindergarten.

Let the games begin!  The games master, Julia, explained the first race.  Egg babies had to be carried on a spoon through an obstacle course.  The 'parent' had her eyes closed and was guided by her team members.

"Where do I go now?"

Bobbing for soothers.

The 'diapering-with-toilet-paper' relay race.

Not as easy as it looks.

Marie was overcome with emotion while playing this game.

This team had a wee bit o' trouble with their diapering method.

The gang's all here.

Nine of the most beautiful souls to walk the planet.

My mom, who has been in the hospital twice this summer, was not well enough to attend the shower.  So we took the party to her afterwards on our way home to Squamish.

Thank you girls for organizing and hosting this party.  It was the best baby shower I've ever been to.  So much love.  So much fun.  You are an incredible bunch of women who have forged remarkable friendships with each other.  I adore you all.

Good-Bye Stockholm!

We are leaving Sweden and heading home tomorrow.  I can't believe how quickly these 4 weeks have passed.

Once again, we have had a very memorable experience and I encourage everyone to consider a house exchange!  This year's home swap partners have been nothing short of generous, welcoming and kind.  They have hosted us in their home (and cottage) both at the beginning of our trip and at the end.  We have made lifelong friends.

Here are a few photos of our last days in Stockholm.

Cheers to new friends who feel like old friends.

There are more spaces to park a bike in this country than to park a car.  
(Uppsala, Sweden.)

Seen on the streets of Stockholm.

At first we weren't keen to go to the Vasa Museum.  A museum about a warship?  How interesting could that be?  Well, my friends, it turned out to be EXCEPTIONALLY interesting!  The Vasa was built in the early 1600s and sank in Stockholm harbour minutes after she was launched.  There she sat upright on the ocean floor for 333 years.  She was brought to the surface in 1961 and her rescuers were amazed at how perfectly preserved she was.

  

A selfie with Vasa.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Meeting the locals is one of the best things about travelling.  These fine folks invited us out for dinner one night and we enjoyed an evening of Swedish food and laughter.

What to buy?  What to buy?  A kid in a licorice candy shop.

Our friend Marie is now living in Stockholm.  We got together with her and Kasper for an evening of fun.

Swedish street food.

Sometimes sight-seeing is hard.

ABBA!

Princess cake.

"Fika is a concept in Swedish culture with the basic meaning 'to have coffee', often accompanied with pastries or sandwiches."  Thanks, Wikipedia!


The weather has been so sunny and warm in Sweden!  We spent several evenings paddling about in Järla Sjö.

Bathing beauties.

Joe knows which side his bread is buttered on.

Every time I come around this corner in Gamla Stan I stop and take a photo.  It is such a beautiful view I can't help myself!

Best thrift store in Old Town.

Joe took me out for dinner on my 58th birthday.  We stopped for a photo shoot along the way.

Laying on the couch.  Where I blog best.

'Home Exchange 2016' is now a wrap.  Thank you Mats and Elizabeth for agreeing to swap homes with us.  Our summer has been fantastic.  We have loved every minute of it.  (Well, maybe not when the apartment building in Kraków caught on fire.)  We look forward to seeing you again when your family comes for a Whistler skiing holiday one winter!