Meet the future Nolan

Nolan underwent a transformation, dyed his hair, and now looks like this:

Ok, maybe not. But the torture machine you see here is not an illusion. 

So back up a bit... We used to go to the gym a lot, but stopped going regularly last year, and opted out of a gym membership this year, especially after we started talking about perhaps purchasing a home gym. We both like to work out and lift weights and it is something we have been doing for years. Earlier this year we looked at some options, but never went ahead and bought something.  Both our birthdays are coming up this summer, and we wanted to treat ourselves to something that we would both use and like. Enter our new home gym. Admittedly, it was a bit of a rush purchase, and getting it downstairs was definitely the biggest challenge! But we managed, and after at least four hours of labour we were actually able to put the thing together.  Tonight we did our first workout, and we both realized how much we actually missed lifting weights. 

If all goes well (and really, when does that happen?), we'll both be fitness buffs by ... (fill in date on the dotted line). Therefore, to be continued. I do think I will be sore tomorrow though!

This past Friday also was Canada Day, a beautiful day this year with lots of sunshine. We decided to forgo the Royal Visit (William and Kate were in Ottawa), and enjoyed our annual pool party at JoAnn's place. We had a great time, but the pool was too cold to actually enjoy. All the sunshine didn't warm it up enough, just yet.

Sunday we went running, and by the time we were done at 10 am, we were all very close to catching a heat stroke. And there it was: JoAnn's pool! Still bloody cold, but it did the job of cooling us down!

Five more sleeps and my parents will be here in Ottawa! Pretty amazing considering everything we went through earlier this year, so needless to say I am really looking forward to it. It will be a fairly low-key trip, but I think that will be perfect for all of us. I won't be 'allowed' to plan too much, which will make some people happy :) And I am also looking forward to having some time off. Time to relax with the folks. Oh, and of course work that exercise machine!