Thursday, May 31, 2012

Short-Term Forecast

Emily writes her exam tomorrow! This month has flown by. Go Emily!

Me, however, I am not so lucky. I have a few days of studying ahead of me yet.

On the bright cloudy side, this is the weather forecast for the days ahead... (Then it improves, but that's beside the point.)


Good study weather, indeed. Might not get too much use out of my cooling contraption, though.

T minus ten days. Go me!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Underwater City

See? I wasn't lying. Bracketed are witty comments by yours truly. (I couldn't resist.)

A wall of rain collapsed onto Montreal in one torrential instant (honestly-- one second it was sunny; the next it was dark and hurricane-like!) that flooded city streets, closed subway stations, caused power failures (thankfully not here!), damaged private property and forced evacuations from public buildings Tuesday.

It took only a few minutes to transform downtown streets into miniature canals. The foul odour of overflowing sewage floated over the area near the port. (Yum! Fortunately only our sink gurgled a tad.)

Many thousands of people were affected. While some scooped water from their own basements (three cheers for living on the fourth floor!), much larger buildings were evacuated including a fancy downtown hotel, the Quebec provincial library, multiple university pavilions (recall: the McGill broadcast email), commercial centres and a large part of the metro system.

More than 28,000 people lost electricity in Quebec, with more than half those disruptions occurring in the province’s biggest city. All but about 4,300 customers in the province and 1,900 in Montreal regained their power later in the evening. (Dodged that bullet!)

The brief but powerful storm saw a sunny afternoon lapse into night-like darkness (dun, dun, dun...). A solid slab of water crashed through the air, eventually bursting sideways in what looked like puffy, swirling white clouds.

The rain overwhelmed the city’s aging infrastructure in some places
, with water pushing up through manhole covers and sometimes lifting them up.

People scrambled through the streets, some screaming as they were pelted and struggling to cling to umbrellas that seemed about to fly out of their hands. (Does anyone remember my windy day video filmed last year with Tori?! Montrealers have special relationships with their umbrellas...)

By the time it was over, there were cars partly submerged in what looked like little lakes, while a pool of water covered several subway stations.

The article continues here...

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

In Other Words...

Message from Professor Jim Nicell, Associate Vice-Principal, University Services
"Due to the severe recent rainstorm, numerous McGill buildings have experienced some water infiltration. Maintenance and security personnel are assessing the situation and beginning the clean-up."
i.e. FLOODING. Leave it to McGill academic types to invent new phrases to substitute for tried-and-true dummy-speak.

It's a jungle out there

Anyway, today Montreal experienced gale-force winds, lighting, thunder, and the heaviest rain I have ever seen (I was too engrossed in watching it all unfold that I didn't think to reach for my camera-- the very green shot of our "backyard" [above] will have to do). The streets went from dry to flooded in a matter of seconds, and apparently McGill's century-old buildings did too. Thankfully, Emily and I are high-and-dry up in Tupper, though we haven't escaped the heat and humidity! Fan to the rescue!

My new cooling contraption

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Scones!!

While I do love eating other people's baked goods, (particularly my roommates') I rarely do well baking them myself. When I'm not forgetting ingredients, I'm mixing them up or adding them in, completely out of order. Suffice it to say, I rarely bake. BUT this particular recipe for Cranberry and White Chocolate Stones is a piece of cake for all of you bakers and non-bakers alike. It's supposed to take 30 minutes, however, despite the additional 30 or so it took me after racing out last minute for a missing ingredient and misreading baking soda for baking powder... it was worth it!



(Notice the new hair cut!!)

Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries or 1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or pieces)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. In a bowl by hand or using an electric mixer, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter.
3. Add the half and half, beaten egg, cranberries (I like the dried ones), and the white chocolate chips, and stir until the dough holds together.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2 minutes.
5. Form into a 1/2-inch thick round, then cut the round into 8 wedges (you can also make two smaller rounds of smaller wedges, if you like).
6. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil, then transfer the wedges to the sheet.
7. Bake the scones at 400 degrees F for 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Read more here!

Ughhh

Counting down the days til I don't have to put up with this anymore: Pot-banging against Bill 78

Coffee Culture

This week, in order not to be too lonely in our little apartment I looked up the most popular cafés around and decided to spend time studying and reading at a different one every day.

1. Myriade: I enjoyed this lovely latte while waiting for the torrential downpour to end :) 
The café is fairly small but cozy and I'm sure people would have sat outside on the terrace if it had been nice out! 


 2. Café Lili et Oli: I almost missed it walking by! I loved the wooden shelves on the walls with books and china. It has a really unique atmosphere and I treated myself to a delicious and refreshing iced coffee. I'd definitely go back there again, next time with a friend. (Malorie!?)


3. La Bistrote: Absolutely adorable! They served me my very own thirst quenching PITCHER of lemonade and a generous piece of carrot cake and that super cute bucket for cutlery! (I realize this doesn't seem like a café but I saw lemonade on the menu and just couldn't turn it down). The decor in this place was really neat - a great place for a girls lunch date I think! ...couldn't quite figure out why it was absolutely empty the entire time I was there...


4. I'm sad to report that Toi, Moi et Café was under renovation (or closing?). Either way it was all papered up so I couldn't go in :( 

5. Nocochi: LOVED it! I chose to sit outside to enjoy the warm sunshine but inside were white comfy booths, lots of scrumptious cookies and teas and cute gift ideas!   

 

And that is how far my money lasted me...just in time for Katie to return tomorrow! 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

1 Million Lives Transformed

At our church, Initiative 22, Pastor Dwight often encourages us to join him in his prayer for one million people in Montreal to meet Jesus. I hadn't really thought about the magnitude of this prayer until this week. Being alone in the big city this week I've come to realize the depth of the brokenness in people's lives here. As I lay in my bed trying to fall asleep I couldn't block out the shouts of most likely a homeless woman shouting curses and using God's precious name in the same breath. I think about the large student population and the ongoing protests and violence and the man that walked with me half way to work begging for friendship. These are the people I'm praying for and I'm praying that God will use me to be salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt 5: 13-16). I pray for opportunity to share God's love and His Good News and that He will give me the words to speak and guide my actions.

I am reminded this week of the Chris Tomlin song:

You're the God of this City 
You're the King of these people 
You're the Lord of this nation 
You are 

You're the Light in this darkness 
You're the Hope to the hopeless 
You're the Peace to the restless 
You are 

There is no one like our God 
There is no one like our God 

For greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater thing have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Parks, Markets and Paddle Boats

This year on the May long weekend Jared was able to make a last minute visit! I am so thankful for the beautiful weather we enjoyed and the time we got to spend together! With June just around the corner I am looking forward to finally being in the same city for longer than 3 days! Two more weeks! 


On our walk from Westmount Park to Atwater Market Jared snapped this beauty!


So many beautiful flowers at the Atwater Market! 


We enjoyed a lovely paddle boat ride on the Lachine Canal. Jared lovingly sacrificed his shirt for my shoulders which were getting a little rosy even after I ignored his suggestion to apply sunscreen before we left in the morning.  :) 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Elm Street Life

I am enjoying some alone time this evening in our 100 degree apartment with the fan blowing straight on my face. I've hunkered down with my computer, opened a new tab and clicked "elm street life"- a favourite blog of ours. I have only recently begun to keep up with Whitney Newby's posts but tonight I decided to start from the very beginning of her blog. With every post I am more and more encouraged and I admire her and her husband's faith in God so much. They are such an inspiring young couple! So, I strongly suggest checking out her blog! Enjoy!

http://www.elmstreetlife.com/

Sunday, May 20, 2012

United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, & China

Believe it or not, we have followers in all three of these places... Creepy? A little bit. But also pretty cool. Shout out to you, whoever you are, and hello from Montreal!  


Flashback to First Year!


Old Port & Igloofest, January '11

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Open Road Project

1900 Tupper hosted some special guests Sunday night: the boys of the Open Road Project. They're just starting out on an East Coast road trip, and we were lucky enough to be one of their stops!

Check out their blog here.


It was so fun to meet you, Jeremy, Dylan, Jordan, and Calvin. Come back soon!

PS - Thanks for the photo ;)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

My Favorite Lunch

Now that school is out and I have settled into a new, slower-paced study routine, I have made a point of putting some effort into my meals. I love to cook, but the stress of school tends to mean that I settle for less elaborate and more freezer-friendly meals from September to April. While I had the intention of making my favorite lunch alllll year, the chopping-intensive preparation deterred me-- until this week.

I bought the summer-fresh ingredients and set out to make my favorite lunch: lentil-bulgur salad. If the name freaks you out, I'm sorry. But you truly could not ask for a healthier, more protein- and vitamin- packed single-bowl dish. The colorful veggies make it especially tasty. I go heavy on the fresh mint, splurge on good olives and feta, and roast my walnuts to perfection. I find a big batch keeps well for about five days in the fridge, if you leave out the tomatoes.

Zoom the picture to read the recipe, from Mollie Katzen's The Moosewood Cookbook.


Bon appétit!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Living the Life

We may not have a balcony, but we have a fire escape... and a bean bag chair...

Emily, in the lap of luxury.

Honestly, it doesn't get better than warm spring days...

Supermoon


I snapped this pic of the perigee moon out our fire escape window on May 6. Unfortunately my photography skills could hardly do it justice. I hope you were able to see this spectacular cosmic event for yourself!

Blessed

A few weeks ago now, my dear friend Riley came to Montreal to see 1900 Tupper for herself and officially meet both Katie and Emily! The four of us girls had been looking forward to this school-free weekend for months, so naturally, amidst endless studying, we had plenty of time to plan for a perfect 72 hours...

From banjos & boys...

...To breakfasts...

...Biking...

...Beef (and TONNES of it)...

...To baking & boutiques...

...To bars (of the nail variety)...

...And beautiful dinners...

...Here's to best friends and what a blessing they are in our lives– and many more Montreal weekends to come! See you in September, Tupper... You will be missed. 

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

We are ever so thankful for our mothers. We love you and wish you a very happy day! 
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do! 
xoxo, 
Kinsey, Katherine and Emily 




It's Fun to Stay at the...YMCA!

The past couple weeks have meant lots of time spent working at the pool. Working the same shifts every week usually means seeing the same swimmers every week so I'm enjoying making friends with the regulars. I think my favourite part of the job is watching the young families in the kiddy pool. It's heart warming to see young fathers take their adorable baby daughters swimming and play with their sons and it reminds me how my dad used to swim with my sister and me and let us jump off of his knees and throw us in the air. So much joy and so much fun!


Monday, May 7, 2012

Just Keep Running

This is what I discovered and ran through today-Westmount Park. Everywhere I looked couples were enjoying picnics, musicians were strumming guitars, children were playing on the playground, kids were running around on the soccer field, bikers were biking... and everyone was happy, including me. It was absolutely gorgeous and I smiled the whole time. Needless to say, I will be running more often. Especially since Kinsey may have convinced me to run a 15k in August! (but more on that later). Enjoy the beautiful weather everyone!


Thursday, May 3, 2012

April Showers Bring May Flowers

May has officially arrived and we have welcomed it warmly! The last few days of April were well spent with Riley, which Kinsey will give you more details about shortly I hope. As well, I had the opportunity to babysit the most adorable little boy. We had fun swimming, watching Bob the Builder and playing with Woody and his friends from Toy Story.

Now that May has arrived and we've said a teary good-bye to Kinsey, Katie and I have hit the books again! Katie is busy studying diligently for the LSAT and I am back in the classroom taking a statistics course just a couple of hours each day. So far we've both been good about going to the gym (I'm hoping to make that a routine) and I've spent the last couple of days getting myself organized. I have a nice long list of things to do with my extra time this month! Today I did a big grocery shop to buy all the ingredients for all of the cooking and baking I have planned for the next while. Today I started with "cheddar broccoli chicken supreme" for dinner and red velvet cheesecake brownies for dessert! YUM.

I also have been reading quite a bit for pleasure. I've started Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers which is a retelling of the book of Hosea from the Bible and I just cannot put it down. I highly recommend it.


Bean bag chair, blankie, tea, peanut butter cup and a good book. I think I'm gonna like this month. :)