Yesterday, the three of us motored over to Kingston to visit the eldest at Queen’s and have an early birthday dinner for our youngest daughter. You see, it’s family tradition that the four of us have dinner together, so we couldn’t let a bit of distance get in the way, right?
I snuck out to Strawberry Blonde Bakery before we left Ottawa and bought some of their amazing (AMAZING) Nanaimo bars. They’re vegan and gluten-free, which is now something we have to pay attention to in our family. (Long story, but a couple of family members have issues with gluten.) I also tucked a candle in my pocket as well as our BBQ lighter for an impromptu pre-birthday treat for the youngest upon arrival.
Once we hit Kingston we stopped to get coffee. It seems wrong to have Nanaimo bars without coffee! The youngest got a chai latte.
Of course, it’s always a sweet reunion, with or without Nanaimo bars. The eldest lives in Leggett Hall, which has a really nice common area on the ground floor with huge windows and comfy leather couches. While the girls were out of sight I whipped out the candle and stuck it into one of the bars and lit it.
Have I mentioned how delicious those Nanaimo bars are from Strawberry Blonde? I didn’t even have time to take a photo, that’s how quickly they were eaten.
We hunkered down with our treats, chatted for a bit and then dropped off some stuff in her residence room. We also had to drop off an emergency parcel for a friend, which we did, and then parked and wandered around downtown Kingston. I bought a dollar’s worth of moss (YES. MOSS.) and a little bunny figurine at a cute little shop I always look forward to visiting called Minotaur. It’s a very fun little gift/toy/card/puzzle/kid/adult/plant store. They have all sorts of doodads, and it’s hard to leave without buying anything.
They have cute cacti, for example:
FYI, I used my new moss (it’s dead, dead moss, ok?) to cover the base of one of my orchids, whose roots are getting a little unsightly. I hope this doesn’t kill it somehow.
Anyway, wandered a bit more and later enjoyed a really nice family dinner at Kingston Brewing Company – I would recommend that place to anyone – and all too soon it was time to drop her back off at school and head back home.
It’s hard to believe that the eldest is actually DONE her classes and is studying for final exams. (Some of you fishies may remember when she left and how I felt at the time.) Her first year is almost done! The good news is that she’ll be home for the summer and the four of us will be together again. I couldn’t be happier.