Weekend Recap: Friday

Now that I’ve had some time to settle back in and rest a little, I’m ready to give a full account of what transpired over the weekend. It’s going to be a bit of a long entry, but I’ll do my best to break it down into days so make it a little more organized. So I’ll start off with the day we flew into Toronto… which was Friday:

6:00am (4:30am EST): We all woke up around 6am with Ethan, and started the day pretty much the same we always did. The only difference really was our destination, which was the airport. Our goal was to get there two hours prior to boarding so that we’d have time to make any changes in our tickets should that be necessary. I learned the hard way a few times that delays and cancellations can happen, and the more time you have to make the changes when that happens, the better.

9:30am (8:00am EST): After packing all the final stuff and getting ready. Ethan had rice crispies for breakfast and was doing rather well with the fact that we were leaving the place for a while. I set out some extra cat food bowls and Leah did the litter so that the cat was good for the weekend. No need for a babysitter. Was only going to be gone for the weekend. I heaved the luggage down four flights of stairs to meet up with the cab and take off for the airport.

10:05am (8:35am EST): We arrived to the airport and check in our luggage. There was hardly anyone in line, so that went by fast. There was a pirate ship set up in the lobby which was a playground for kids. Our plan was also to let Ethan run around and drain all that energy he had in him so that we could let him nap on the flight… so we let him loose on the ship which he had a good time with. Leah got herself a coffee and also heated up a bottle for Jonathan. Boarding was to take place at 12 noon so we had a little time to get both boys settled and ready to nap.

11:15am (9:45am EST): Ethan spent most of his time running around the terminal which was good cause I could tell that Ethan was going to have a good nap when he eventually crashed. At this time however, we moved things to the inner part of the airport, passing through the security checks and parking in the right gate to wait for the announcement to board.

11:45am (10:15am EST): It was a good plan cause Ethan passed out in my arms and fell asleep on my shoulder very close to the announcement of boarding.

12:05pm (10:35am EST): It was time for boarding. While it was a tad tough to carry Ethan and our bags onto the flight, it was worth it cause Ethan was going to be very little trouble. I settled him into his seat and used my coat as a pillow. We all got buckled in and I held Jonathan in my seat for takeoff.

12:20pm (10:50am EST): We were up in the air and on our way to Toronto.

The Flight: Ethan was sleeping beside me, and Jonathan was nice and quiet most of the trip as well. Leah and I had to pass the child between us when our arms started to cramp or if I needed to get something from my bag, etc. We had a good trip and because we were on one of the cheaper flights (known as the Tango airline), we knew that you have to pay for food to get it on this flight. So what I did was pack my own snacks and food for everyone. When Ethan eventually woke up, he had apple juice and goldfish crackers waiting for him. That kept him occupied for the last thirty minutes of the flight. He had actually slept 2.5 hours of it and did really well.One thing that made this a good flight was the entertainment. Infront of each seat was a small TV screen. it was a touch screen with an in flight on demand system. I could have watched movies like Capote or Walk the Line, but instead to watch a few old episodes of C.S.I and House. After that I spent some time with Ethan before eventually arriving in Toronto.

2:35pm EST: There is no more island time to post anymore cause we had successfully landed in a new timezone. We taxied back to the terminal and departed from the plan.

2:40pm EST: Mom and Dad were waiting for us in the baggage claim area and Dad had a cart waiting and helped me fetch all our bags. Mom and Leah took car of Ethan while we got our bags and left for the car.

3:00pm EST: We left tha airport and were on our way back to crash at my cousin’s house. This lovely lady was the sister of the bride, but since she was out all week with preparations, she let us use her home to crash that night. The next night would be at the hotel with the rest of the wedding party.

3:30pm EST: Before stopping at our cousin’s place to crash for the night, we have a few errands to do. Leah had broken her glasses the night before and couldn’t see anything. So we had a good friend who was an optomitrist and paid him a visit. He fixed Leah’s glasses in less than 30min and didn’t even charge us for the work. He was a good friend of my Dad’s and was just happy to see us. While he was working on them, I went to another part of the mall and picked up some supplies, like diapers and formula for the baby.

4:10pm EST: After driving around in a car for about an hour packed like sardines, it was nice to finally get to our destination and squeeze out and relax.

5:30pm EST: Dad and I went out and picked up some fast food for supper. Burgers and Poutine for everyone. I actually skipped the poutine and had onion rings but everyone else loved the food. We hit one of my favorite places that I miss a ton: Harvey’s. The best fast food burgers in Canada… hands down.

6pm-7pm EST: During this time, we tried on our new outfits to make sure they fit and were ready for the wedding. The good news was the Leah’s dress fit really well and looked absolutely stunning. Now the bad news: my new suit didn’t fit and was no where near the measurements the auction had stated. We thought this might be a problem, so Dad and I had to hit the closest suit shop and deal with this, ASAP.

7pm – 9pm: During this time, Dad and I spent the better part at a suit shop getting fitted for something new. We went with a simple piece. Black Dress pants with a nice blue sports jacket and that combined with a white shirt and spiffy tie was enough to cut the mustard. I also got sized and fitted by this really cute lady, so that was cool too. When it was all said and done, we finally went back home and called it a night.

Bedtime: Mom and Dad took the main bed, Leah and Ethan crashed on one of the other spare bedrooms, while I took the couch and Jonathan took his carseat right beside me in the chair beside the couch. I kept the little guy with me in the living room so when he woke up for his late night feeding, he didn’t wake Ethan or anyone else up with him. So that was the first day in Toronto. Pictures of that trip are available in the previous entry… with more to come later.

Peter