New Blog, Road Trips & A Tribute to my Aunt Colleen

Warning: This post is gonna be a little long. You might wanna go grab a coffee first.

Hello friends! Good Morning & happy weekend. I hope you’re doing fabulously. I’m a bit overdue for a post on here, I guess it has been awhile.

I hope all of you who are Moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day this past weekend. It was my first one without my mom, so it was a bit of a tough day. Thanks to those of you who sent me note to say you were thinking of me, it meant so much xo. If your parents are still alive, hug them often, and spend as much time with them as you can. You’ll always remember all those precious times together. I’d give anything for another moment with either of my parents …

It is finally spring here in Ottawa (we had snow as recently as a couple of weeks ago!) but last week we got so much rain that our City recently declared a State of Emergency due to flooding warning– especially west of Ottawa (Dunrobin & Constance Bay), and also Gatineau.

I went to help with sandbagging last week in Constance Bay and it was amazing to see all the communities coming together to help out. As we filled the sandbags, the guys were taking them away as quickly as we were filling them!

We’re supposed to get some warmer weather and maybe even a little sunshine this weekend so that should help provide some relief to flood-prone areas.

Our famous Tulip Fest also started last week. It’s the (only) festival that I really look forward to in my hometown so I’m pretty excited to see the tulips. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet but I probably will this weekend. I wasn’t rushing because there aren’t a lot of flowers yet -as we’ve had a cold spring. But I’ll check out the tulip situation and report back soon…

My new blog is almost ready! If you recall from my last post, I’ve decided to go back to a travel blog as I didn’t have much luck with the food blog thing. I’m travelling more than I am baking these days, so it’s the perfect time for a change. 

Getting back to travel writing is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, so I’m excited about this new change. I’ve written several travel stories, but I’ve hesitated to share them because this was supposed to be a food blog 😀 

Thanks so much for sticking around and following me in my blog adventures, everyone. I can’t wait to start sharing my road trip stories with you all again.

Now I’ve got some sad news to share…

You might recall in my last post I’d mentioned that Christmas had been kinda tough this year as I was really missing my parents. So I was extremely thankful for my friends and for my Aunt Colleen for including me in the holiday festivities. I got to spend Christmas Eve with Colleen and we also did a fun potluck dinner with my cousins at her retirement home as well. I don’t think I would have made it through the holidays in one piece without her.

On the same day that I shared that post (early March), my Aunt was rushed to the hospital and, sadly, she passed away a few days later.

I was absolutely devastated.

There are no words to describe how much the loss of my Aunt has affected me. I actually started to write this post over a month ago, just after her passing, but I had to step away from it because it was just too hard for me to write (or talk) about– with anyone. My coping mechanism at the time was to avoid thinking about her while I tried to process everything, especially since her passing was sudden and rather unexpected.

I know that talking about a loved one can help you cope with your grief, but I just wasn’t ready yet. I guess in my own warped mind I kept thinking she was coming back and it hadn’t fully sunk in that she’s really gone. Since Colleen was like a 2nd mom to me, I feel like I’ve lost another mom–and it was so close to my own mom’s passing as well. What a crappy year! I’m dealing with it as best as I can, but my Aunt’s death has really taken a toll on me–especially since I’d only just started to cope with the loss of my mom.

After my mom passed away last summer, I was super busy getting her house ready to sell. It sold rather quickly (thanks to our dear family friend & real estate agent extraordinaire–the lovely Wanda!) and the closing date was mid-December. Then the holidays were upon us and I got swamped with Christmas baking for clients and orders. When things slowed down in the new year, I’d finally started to process everything and deal with my grief –but the dark, dreary days of winter didn’t help. As mid-February rolled around, I started to feel a little less depressed as Spring was finally around the corner.   

Just after Valentine’s Day I went to see my Aunt at her retirement home. I hadn’t seen her in a while since I had been battling both a bad sinus infection & the flu, and I didn’t want to pass anything on to her or any of the other residents. So we were long overdue for a catch up and I knew that seeing her would definitely cheer me up. I don’t get down or depressed often, but I knew that if anyone could help me snap out of it, it was her. Sure enough, we had a great visit and I felt much better afterward.

As I got ready to leave, we made tentative plans to go to her favourite restaurant (Robbie’s) soon for spaghetti as she was getting really sick of the terrible pasta they served at the retirement home. I gave her a big hug and told her that I loved her and that I’d see her soon. When I walked out of her room that night I had absolutely NO idea that it would be the last time I’d ever see her.

Two weeks later, she was gone.

Colleen was an amazing, vibrant, & wonderful woman who always had a smile for everyone. She was my rock and she supported me so much over the years, especially the loss of my parents. Also, if there was a huge milestone in my life, or any big news, she was one of the first people to know about it.

Until the last few years, when she started having issues with her legs (which affected her mobility as she had to use a walker, and then eventually a wheelchair), we met weekly for dinner and a movie. It was rare that a week would go by without a visit, or at least a chat on the phone to catch up.

When we got together we’d talk about everything under the sun and most of the time we’d be laughing so much my ribs were sore afterward. Although we were a generation apart (she was actually 10 years older than my dad), we connected on so many levels and it was almost like we grew up together–even though we grew up in a much different era. But that made for fun conversations as well though. 

I didn’t see her much when I was a kid, actually. Since she lived out in the country, our families usually only saw each other at Christmas.

I think I was about 5 years-old when I first remembered meeting Colleen. We were visiting my grandparents when this vibrant lady with dark hair sauntered into the room with a huge smile. I didn’t know who she was so I whispered to my mom: “Who is THAT woman? She looks like a movie star!” My mom then told me she was my dad’s sister which surprised me because she looked nothing like my red-haired father. I told her this story years’ later, and she got a real kick out of it. 

This is Colleen when she was in her early 20’s–along with my cuz. (photo stolen from cousin Greg). I love her smile in this photo.

When I was a teenager, Colleen had moved back to Ottawa as her kids had grown up and moved out, and she wanted to be back in the city. She then started coming out for dinner with my family every Saturday night so I got to know her a lot better. Not long after, her and I started doing things together (movies, dinner etc) without my parents.

Although we don’t really look much alike, a lot of people thought I was one of her kids because we did a lot of things that mothers & daughters do together such as brunches, shopping trips, beach days, coffee visits, road trips, movie nights etc.

Being related though, we did have similar (kooky) personalities and a lot of the same mannerisms.

She was a really good sport about being teased—mostly because she grew up with 4 younger brothers who LIVED for teasing her.

This was them on their best behaviour (if that was even possible)…

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my friend Al (an honorary member of our family) who also took great joy in teasing Colleen relentlessly. Especially when she’d show up for dinner in her polka dot ‘Wonder bread” shirt (hehe)

But she didn’t back down at all…no, siree. That woman could fire insults right back– as fast as you could dish ’em out. And if she couldn’t think of anything to say, she’d just ignore you. She was an incredibly strong, independent woman and she also had a heart of gold.

When she moved into a retirement home a few years ago, I’d visit her regularly—usually with a pie in-hand. As night owls, we’d often hang out in the lobby drinking coffee and chatting until after midnight. The staff got a kick out of our late-night chats and a few of them would even join us if they weren’t busy. I think they liked that someone else was still awake since all the other residents were in bed by 8pm 🙂

I also got my love for baking from my Colleen. Neither my mom, nor my grandmothers, enjoyed baking but Colleen was a baking fanatic. As a stay-at-home mom, she baked almost daily and she also enjoyed baking pie–which most people hate to bake. We could talk about pie recipes for hours’ on end and she also really loved my fun-themed pies. Yep, even the ones with Darth Vader on them.

I made this apple pie for her when she was really missing a good homemade pie while in the retirement home. I figured the staff would read it and leave it alone (not sure if it worked though 🙂

She enjoyed Star Wars and actually came to see a couple of the (more recent) movies with my friends and I. She was definitely was one hip lady! I remember one time I’d called her to invite her to see the latest ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie but she’d already been to seen it…twice! It’s not too often your 75-year-old Aunt beats you to the latest geek/fantasy movie (HA!). My friends and I had a good chuckle over that one. 

Collen also inspired me to start travelling. When she’d come back from her travels to Italy, Greece, and various road trips around the U.S etc, she’d share her adventures with me. I was a teenager at the time and since my parents weren’t big travellers at all, the furthest I’d travelled was to Toronto or Montreal. After hearing her travel stories, I couldn’t wait to start travelling.

Her and I eventually started travelling together, mostly day or weekend trips, but we also did a few bigger trips together, too. We went to Florida one winter to escape the snow and we had a blast! She was actually already in Florida with her tour bus group so I flew down to meet her in Daytona. It was my first time going somewhere hot in the winter, so I was super pumped to hit the beach.

As luck would have it, it was unusually cool when I arrived– about 15 degrees- so not exactly beach weather. But we enjoyed touring Daytona and Colleen took me to all her favourite spots in the city.

I also managed to sneak onto her tour bus (such rebels) a few times, too. On one of those outings we went to Blue Springs National Park to see the Manatees. I enjoyed getting a chance to finally see those beautiful creatures (it’s not a zoo or anything, rather it’s a National park and they’re in their natural habitat). The scenery at this park was absolutely gorgeous, too. It’s the perfect spot for a walk/hike.

It was slightly cool while we were there (hence the jackets) and all of the locals said they were “freezing”, but because we’d just had a huge dumping of snow in Ottawa the day before I left and it had been -20, this felt like summer to me. I’ll take this over Ottawa winters, any day!

Colleen and I had a wonderful time in Daytona together, I’m so grateful that she invited me to join her down south for a few days.

We also went to BC a few times together too– along with my parents. In 2004, we all went to Vancouver for my brother’s wedding.

Here we were at the Ottawa Airport on our way to Vancouver. We were pretty excited for our trip! Full of smiles…

Now weddings are always a blast, but they’re especially fun when you’ve got a crazy family like mine. Not too surprisingly, our visit there together was chock-full of shenanigans. It was straight out of one of those crazy family wedding movies—more of the slapstick comedy kind (think Steve Martin or Danny DeVito) rather than the sappy Hallmark ones for sure.

With Colleen and my Dad together for a whole week, I knew it was going to be entertaining. I don’t think we stopped laughing and cracking jokes all week.

Between my brothers’ and my Dad’s shenanigans, Colleen just decided to give up being normal! (it wasn’t working for her anyway)

We enjoyed going out for meals often (we were on vacation) and there was never a dull moment. Thank goodness for strong coffee… and wine!

Since I never got around to getting married, I’m even happier that my brother tied the knot because we got to have that fun family wedding— before our parents and Colleen passed away. It was our one shot, really (as we have no other siblings) and man, did we ever do it right. My brother’s wedding was wonderful, as was the rest of our week on vacation together.

Being with my family in Vancouver that summer was one of the best times of my life, I’ll never forget it. Just thinking about that trip makes me smile (and maybe a little teary-eyed, too).

A few years’ later, we went back to Vancouver and we did a road trip to Nelson. Unfortunately my brother couldn’t come as he had to work, but we got to spend a couple of days with him first.

We rented a car in Vancouver and then hit the road for my FIRST road trip ever with my parents (and Colleen)—with the exception of our trips to the cottage growing up. But this was a 9+ hour road trip which was much longer than the 45 minute drive to Carleton Place.

Plus I got to sit in the back with this fun lass. We were ready for an adventure!

We decided to stay overnight in Kelowna (the Okanagan).. SUCH a gorgeous town. The B & B we stayed at was absolutely fabulous as well. It was hard to leave the next morning with views like this:

It’s not often that I ever witnessed either of these two (my Dad and Colleen) speechless. (I very much enjoyed that moment, albeit it was rather short)

After leaving Kelowna the next morning, we were off to Nelson! Both Colleen and I had been there before, but this was my parents’ first time in Nelson so we enjoyed showing them around.

My Uncle Gary enjoyed having us visit and he did a great job playing tour guide as well. On our first morning in Nelson, he brought us to one of the popular brunch spots. Well, it was actually after noon by the time we dragged my Dad out of bed. We were all starving by that point.

Sitting in a row like this while dining was a much safer option when Colleen and her brothers got together, trust me. You’re less likely to get hit by flying limbs…. (I only wish I were kidding :D)

I actually found this photo (above) in my Dad’s camera after he’d passed away. I love that he captured this one of us, especially since my dad rarely ever took photos. That makes this one extra special.

We all had such a wonderful time in Nelson. Colleen and I had been pushing my Dad to go there for a while, especially since he’d always wanted to see the town where his brother moved to in the 70’s. I’m so glad we convinced my Dad to finally go because the following year he started to get sick, and then he passed away a couple of years later.    

My Uncle took us on ferry ride which was a great way to see some of the scenery around Nelson.

I really love this photo of Colleen and I as it shows the gorgeous Kootenays in the background and we actually both look normal(ish) for once.  

We stayed in Nelson for a couple of days and then we were back on the road toward Vancouver (stopping again in Kelowna for the night). Colleen visited with her grandson Mark (and her great grand kids) who was living there at the time, while my parents and I went to a winery for a tour and dinner.

My dad had really wanted to check out one of the Okanagan’s wineries while we were in the area so this was our only chance.

I don’t think I’d ever seen either of my parents more relaxed….

As we left for Vancouver the next morning, my mom told me that her and my Dad loved Kelowna so much they would consider moving there. I don’t think either would have ever left their hometown of Ottawa as that’s where their roots were (and they both liked the familiar–neither were very adventurous), but when you’re in this lovely part of Canada it’s hard NOT to fall in love with it.

We never went back to BC together after this trip, unfortunately, but Colleen and I did do a fabulous weekend road trip to Prince Edward Country the following summer (2009). It was just her and I, and the trip was completely spontaneous and last-minute–which made it a lot more fun.

This was us at the famous Sandbanks. We almost didn’t leave the beach until nightfall… and I literally to drag my Aunt out of the water (I seriously think she was part-fish).

Since this post is already ‘kinda’ long (ha!), I’ll save that adventure for another time. But don’t worry, it’ll likely be one of the first posts on my new blog.

Back in February, (nope, not done quite yet) when I’d made the decision to get back to my travel blog, my Picton road trip with Colleen was going to be one of my first posts. I’d actually planned to bring my computer to her retirement home so she could read it, and then we could laugh about that trip all over again. I thought the fun memories of our travels would help cheer her up as she wasn’t overly happy in the retirement home.

Sadly, I didn’t get it written before she passed away.

At first I was upset at myself for not getting it done sooner so that she could have read it. But then I realized that it’s far more important to have gone on the trip together and have those memories than just writing (or reading) about it. Plus we talked about that trip often and we always laughed about how everything worked out– for a spontaneous & unplanned road trip, anyway. I can’t wait to share it with you guys, it’s a fun story. Especially when you got two kooks like us together roaming the countryside.

I wish we would have travelled together more but as she got older (she was already in her early 70s when we did the Picton trip), she started having more issues with her legs, which made it difficult for her to get around. It was really tough to see her being forced to slow down as she had always been such a busy, active, & independent woman– with a zest for adventure. 

But I’ll always treasure those memories of our travels together, as well as all the other great times we had over the years.

If you’re still here, thank you SO much for reading. I know this one was extra long but because my Aunt was one of the most important people in my life, I felt she deserves this fun tribute! I am the luckiest niece in the world to have had such an amazing Aunt for as long as I did. I miss her every day xo

I hope you’re doing great and enjoying Spring so far. Stay tuned for my new blog…coming soon! 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Love,
Dana xo