Even with a ton of items left on my Summer Fun List, I think it's going to be hard to top the weekend in Ottawa I just had.
I prioritized Ottawa's Canada Day celebrations over Toronto's Pride festivities this year (though I love both), and ventured to our nation's capital on Thursday evening to join my friends in celebrating this awesome country of ours.
Coincidentally, William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had the same idea!
So Friday at 8 a.m. my friends and I headed over to Parliament Hill to wait in the sun for a few hours as a woman threw bread, a sock and coffee at us, anticipating the arrival of the Royals to kick off an amazing day of festivities.
(Side note: a sunburn on the back of my neck and calves from this morning has allowed me to cross #58: Tanlines! off my SFL).
Now I'm not even a huge Royals-enthusiast. But I am an excitement-enthusiast. So it was easy to get right into the high-energy hype as Will and Kate arrived to Parliament Hill at noon, Kate in a fab white Reiss dress with an awesome maple leaf-adorned fascinator and matching red pumps. Oh Canada indeed!
I hooted and hollered and clapped as if Kelly Clarkson had just arrived at my birthday party. I love a good Canada Day celebration, and the presence of Will and Kate only elevated the positive vibes on the Hill that day. It did indeed feel like something special.
Will, Kate and I then got comfortable to enjoy a variety of musical performances showcasing Canada's vast talent, including Dan Mangan, Les 7 doigts de la main, Jenn Grant and Pierre Lapointe. Some spectacular dancing was also featured throughout the performances.
After Big Will took the mic to say a few kind words about Canada, my husband Sam Roberts performed a song from his latest album Collider, and Great Big Sea closed the show with the ever-catchy Up.
If you thought the action ended there, you are sadly mistaken -- it was only 1:30 p.m. by that time!
After a brief air-conditioned rest, it was off to as many socials as we could cram in. A ton of friends from Carleton days were back in Ottawa for Canada Day, so the weekend made for a thrilling reunion.
Drinks in the park led to a kegger, before heading back to the Hill for fireworks. And I must say, these fireworks were yet another indicator that no one does Canada Day like Ottawa. Just spectacular.
From there we all reconvened in Renee and Conor's backyard to party into the evening. Conversation was G-rated at all times, obvz, and we all woke up the next morning feeling fresh, healthy and remembering every detail of the night prior.
Sunday was lower-key, but equally enjoyable, as friend-time started at brunch, led to a park bench, and Renee and Conor's living room. After a solid catch-up session we headed outside to cross an item off Renee and Kristen's Summer Fun List: Bring back double dutch.
Saturday night consisted of a couple throwbacks to our undergrad days, with dinner at Clocktower, an old favourite pub. There, some of us quickly learned it's best to stick to the pub food on the menu as opposed to, say, curry.
Back at Kristen's house a rousing game of Trouble led to a rousing dance party, where everyone but Miss Jackay sang along to Defying Gravity, and where we subsequently raised our glasses multiple times while dancing to Pink's Raise Your Glass.
Then, it was off to Zaphods, a favourite bar from our Carleton days. "Get ready to feel old," I warned as we ventured out there. I was pleasantly surprised to see a mix of ages, and while we were definitely on the older end of the spectrum, I didn't feel completely out of place. Also, the DJ played Robyn and Florence + the Machine, which made for happy fun dance times.
Finally, we ended our night at Zak's diner, another Ottawa staple, where we enjoyed water and poutine over intense debate about the Liberal Party of Canada. (Do you think the federal Liberals are bitter? Sound off in the comments below!)
I was truly sad to head back to Toronto on Sunday, after spending two days with some of my favourite people, enjoying the sun and sharing many laughs. Turns out Ottawa didn't have to work so hard to be considered Hottawa -- it sure knows how to kick off July.