Canada Day Weekend 2013

 

I survived.

To say that this weekend was jam packed would be an understatement. I feel like I collapsed in bed last night (at 7 PM). It was a big weekend for us Canadians as it was Canada Day! Friday evening was spent with fellow Canada Day Committee members setting up for an epic weekend to come.

Saturday morning I went to a shower for bride-to-be Amanda who’s wedding date is getting VERY close!

The day was very gloomy but Ryan and I hit the road anyways to go for the yearly pick of fresh strawberries. The farm that we visited had such a great supply of berries that it only took us about 30 minutes to pick 3 giant baskets of berries!

Since we were only a short drive away from Johnston Lake, Ryan made arrangements to go and visit friends Rebekka and Josh, who were staying in a cottage there for the weekend! We had a great time catching up with friends and then headed for a quick bite to eat in Ladysmith.

Sunday was the big day! Quyon (my small town) celebrates Canada Day the day before the actual holiday. In the morning I cleaned my strawberries and then finished making Jell-O shooters for the party ahead!

It was finally time for the big event to start! We loaded up the car with supplies and got decked out in our red and white attire!

We arrived at the hall to finish some last minute prep with other committee members and start the day off with a BBQ!

The BBQ was a huge success but it was time to rush down to get ready for the parade!

The Quyon Canada Day parade was always a highlight of mine as a kid! Now that Ryan and I are official Canada Day Committee members, we get to be in the parade every year! We finish off the parade carrying the giant Canada flag.

Ricky and Ryan getting all ready for the parade!

There were big floats full of people…

And little floats as well! But one thing was clear, Quyon had lots of Canadian pride!

The parade finished off at the docks for the national anthem and flag raising ceremony. The kids headed off to the park for a reptile show and the band started inside the hall!

Here are some of the committee members at the base of the flag. Such a great group of people to work with!

At 10 PM the fireworks started and it was what we had all been waiting for. After a year of fundraising it was time for all of that hard work to pay off. To hear the reactions of all the spectators is what it is all about. Basically the whole town got to enjoy such a beautiful display of fireworks. The excitement continued on till early in the morning as the drinks were flowing and the band was rocking! Such a great party!

Monday morning was rough as we had only had a few short hours of sleep. But we headed down to the hall to clean up from the night before! It was great sitting around laughing and reminiscing about the night before!

The rest of the day Ryan and I puttered away to try to stay awake. Gardening, laundry and general cleaning took the better part of the day. We also got to use our new BBQ for the first time with some homemade pizza.

I was also able to fit in making my homemade jam as well! Recipe found here.

Ryan and I were discussing all that happened this weekend over supper last night! We squeezed so much into those last 3 days that we wanted to make sure we didn’t forget anything! It was an amazing weekend making lots of memories and celebrating Canada!

xo