Ok, it's been a month but I'm at it again. I'm realizing that I really do like this website business. I'm not ready to let months pass by without a little update. And really, my journal is blank. I don't take the time to sit and reflect anymore, besides this little website. So bear with me...

Just when I thought I'd be taking a break from the website, we had an exciting weekend with pictures we couldn't wait to share. We had the opportunity to travel up to Rhode Island as Patrick was invited to speak at a conference in Providence. We stayed at a friend's loft-style apartment in downtown Providence (and felt very young and hip again. Hold on, were we ever really hip?) Patrick had a great experience at the conference and we stayed long enough for a short visit to Boston and Newport. It was our chance to see more of New England and to spend some time with our friend Lisa. It was a great break from our routine at home and I have to admit that Boston is my new favourite American city. 

Sorry to rub it in. I can't help but burst with excitement when the cherry trees start budding. Plus, I think I'm a little more emotional about it this year because this will be our last spring living in DC -- our last Cherry Blossom Festival for a while. We are moving up to Ottawa at the end of May. Patrick is currently in the writing phase of his dissertation. He will continue to write and write and write during the next year, hopefully defending spring of 2010. The moving truck is booked so the move feels a little more real (and impending!). We made a trip up to Ottawa two weeks ago which helped us sympathize with you northerners (we braved -20ºC weather), and also helped us familiarize ourselves with the city and the neighbourhoods. We are still in the midst of finding a place to live but we have more hope now, having seen some potential homes.

We celebrated Patrick's 33rd birthday a couple weeks back. He was one spoiled guy with his very own gorilla-cake (as per Brigitte's request). It turned out less gorilla-like than I had originally envisioned but with a two-year old arranging the M&Ms... it was memorable!