The first of June post

I didn't know what to call this post, so it's just going to have to be dubbed "the first of June post".

I haven't been online or blogged in a while cause this past weekend was mine and Brett's anniversary. We decided to not do too much this year, since this year alone already consists of several milestone occasions for my family...such as my first Mother's Day, Brett's first Father's Day, Brett's 30th birthday, my own 30th birthday (eee...I can't believe I just admitted that!), and the little one's first birthday. So this year we decided to take it easy and not go all out. We even decided to not get each other gifts, since our birthday presents will/have been pricey already. Instead, we decided our gift to each other is to start up that herb garden that we've been wanting and talking so much about lately. More on that later when we get it set up and running.

Another reason why I haven't been online/blogging is because I didn't feel like doing much after hearing the news that an uncle of mine had passed away. His funeral was on Friday and I feel guilty that I wasn't able to make the trip to Vancouver to pay my last respects and to say my goodbyes. That's all I have to say about that...before I get all emotional and upset again.

To get my mind off things I did some baking. This time I made carrot-coconut cupcakes with cream cheese and white chocolate icing. I fell in love with these when my cousin Tracy served me one after dinner when I was there last. I liked them so much that I begged her for the recipe. She had made them so many times and had changed it up each time she baked them, that the recipe was embedded somewhere in her brain. These cupcakes were loosely based on the cake recipe from the Rebar cookbook, which you can check out here.
Since Tracy had no idea what she had done to the recipe this time 'round, I just made the Rebar version instead. And w-o-w...they did not disappoint!!! After one bite Brett claimed that these cupcakes were the best baked goods that I have made to date. That took me by surprise. Before I gave birth to my son I was baking at least once a week, so trust me when I say that I have baked a lot of goodies. So for him to make this claim...well, I guess I'll be making these again!
I basically made these according to the recipe - except that I added only half of the amount of dates called for so that I could throw in some raisins. I have to admit, these bad boys were pretty darn tasty. And by "were", I mean they were all gobbled up within 2 days!

Yesterday we went on our first of the year topless drive in the truck. Brett had been waiting to take the top off ever since he had to put it back on last fall. Since the weather has been amazing and quite warm lately, he felt now was the time to take it off. So he did. And he couldn't be any happier because of it.

Brett's baby: his 1987 Toyota 4Runner that he's lovingly named McClean

We had to do a test drive, with me in the back, just to see if the little one was ok with it. Yes, we got a lot of dirty looks. We did, after all, have a 7 month old baby in the back of a convertible truck. But as Brett put it, people ride around on bicycles with their little babies on the back, and just because we have a truck doesn't mean people with convertible cars don't also drive around with babies in the back. I just hope that Brett gets his soft cover made soon...hopefully sooner. But don't worry, we took every precaution and Brett rarely drove above 45 clicks.

Anyways, we drove around the 'hood for a few minutes and it turns out that the wee one loves driving around in a roofless truck! I'm assuming it's like being in a stroller, only faster. Not to mention that he can see way more stuff than he usually does in his stroller. So with that said, we manage to run a few errands (Fabricland was having a huge sale) and go for a little drive before calling it a day (Brett didn't want to stop driving just yet). So we took the scenic way home.
We went along Dallas Road, through Oak Bay, around Beacon Hill Park, and along the streets of James Bay before arriving home. The munchkin fell asleep pretty early into the drive, and so I was able to fully enjoy the ride. I have to admit that I love driving around in the truck when the top is off and I actually do miss sitting in the back seat, where it's so open and the wind is swirling around you, and the view really is that much better.

On a completely different note, I saw the trailer for New Moon last night. The MTV premiered the trailer during their Movie Awards (which I kinda watched while Brett and I played with the wee one), and I have to say, I can't wait to see it!! I don't know if I can be patient enough for it to come out in the theatres in November. The suspense will kill me!

Anyhoo, the little one is getting tired of his Jolly Jumper so I must rescue him and get us ready to go. We're picking up some herbs today!

**Edit: The very first photo of this post is of me and Brett at Mount Tolmie. Brett did some PhotoShop magic and made it all romantic and gushy looking.