The first and last time I was in Ottawa was the summer of 1998, I was well into my third trimester with our first child. As I waddled through Byward Market area, over Parliament Hill and through the Governor General of Canada’s mansion (the Queen’s rep here in Canada), I thought for sure we’d be back sooner than this.

The kids have never been, so of course when we departed from my parents and their GMC Classics crew, we had to make a detour through our Nation’s Capital.

The day before we arrived I sent out a tweet that I would be passing through Ottawa and I wondered if anyone was free for a late lunch. I am so thrilled that at the last minute and on the Saturday of a long weekend… these fabulous people were free!

Stephanie and her daughter, Shannon and her daughter, Nolie, her husband and two little boys met up with us at was to be a short meet-up that went on for a couple hours! 🙂

This shortened our tour of Ottawa a bit, but to me, the buildings will always be there. It’s more important to invest in your relationships!

After our late lunch, Stephanie and her daughter became our personal tour-guides. They took us to the mall so my daughter could get the back-to-school jeans from Forever 21 that she’d been hounding me to buy her, down by the locks leading up the Rideau Canal and up around Parliament Hill.

1871 ~ British Columbia joined Canada

Soon it was time to say our good-byes to Stephanie, who by the way, knows a LOT about Ottawa and loves her hometown. We enjoyed visiting and spending the extra time with them, that’s for sure!

On the way back to our truck, via the Byward Market, I saw this T-shirt in the window of a local shop. I had to stop and take a picture. 🙂 It made me smile. Only certain people will know why….

Look!! It’s @SharonDV

Finally our tour of Ottawa came to an end at the gorgeous home of a great friend and BlissDom Events co-worker whom I admire and respect deeply. Our evening was filled with laughter, glasses of wine and a whole of snuggling with a Beagle.  Thank you for your hospitality Shannon!

Thanks Ottawa for the Memories!