Grinning and Grateful

I had such a great Saturday. I started off my morning by driving around with my grandfather - practicing for my driving test Tuesday - and then had lunch with he and my grandmother. My young cousin came back to my apartment to spend the afternoon with me afterward and I was a little nervous. It's not like I interact with tween girls on the regular, you know? Everything was awesome though, I'm pretty sure I didn't bore her and I think she might have maybe even found me interesting haha... It helped I probably spoiled her too.

Cardigan - Thrifted from Value Village

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Leggings - No idea

Boots - Some shop on Sparks Street in Ottawa

Of course the first thing we did was get her introduced to all my pets. She met all of my snakes, held my crested gecko and even put my ball python Galen around her shoulders. She was totally comfortable with him, it was awesome. A lot of our conversations revolved around animals and pets.

After she was introduced to the zoo, we went out and got ourselves some bubble tea - a new thing for her - and then walked through Chinatown, through Little Italy, and to Dow's Lake. That's where the above outfit photo was taken, by my wonderful cousin. Now if only I could get someone to take my photos more often!

We did a little tree climbing - which is why my dress looks funny, the lining was hiked up crooked from climbing trees! Now's the best time in this freaky warm weather, the trees are bare of bugs or other ickies. Afterward, we stopped at an Italian pastry shop to pick up some desserts, and went back to my apartment to bake muffins.

On walls off Somerset in Ottawa's Chinatown.

For supper, I took her out for some pho since she'd never had any before either. I think she may have liked it, but it can be difficult to eat. I mean, it is a bowl of super long rice-noodle soup that you eat with chopsticks. That requires some form of skill to eat (or an absolute lack of self-consciousness). She didn't eat a ton, but I don't know if that was from dislike, or just because she doesn't eat a lot at once, or it being difficult to eat. I am so clueless about children.

We capped off our time together by eating our desserts while watching the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (I felt old trying to explain who David Hasselhoff is and why he's a thing). It was a very good day.

I'm so very thankful for my family, for these wonderful people I can love and be close to. These sorts of days for me, these are new experiences, brand new and shiny. And now I'm holding that shiny new thing in my hands, and I know once it starts to tarnish - as all things do with time - that I will only love and appreciate it in its worn beauty even more. I hope you're all having a really great weekend, I'm sending you all a little love. Cheers!