As I mentioned in my last post, my parents planned their yearly trip to Virginia to coincide with my college graduation. They left the slightly colder temperatures of Quebec to come spend a week with me. I hadn’t seen my dad in two years and my mom in one year so this was some much-needed family time. Once the graduation buzz over, it was time to enjoy the beautiful Virginian weather. I took my parents to Humpback Rocks for a hike, and despite the difficulty of the path, I was extremely proud of them as they made it to the top. We also spent a day at the National Harbor and enjoyed a ride on the water taxi, to spend a little bit of time in Old Town Alexandria.
We ended their vacation with a sushi night, one of the surprising things my picky-eater dad likes to eat. My parents did struggle with the chopsticks but, thankfully, we had the kiddie ones! To be fair, they tried out the kid ones first but ended up using real chopsticks by the end of the evening. Gotta give credit where credit is due!
The other perk of having my parents visit (other than their wonderful company) is the stuff they bring me. And by stuff, I mostly mean food. This time, they brought me some of my favorite desserts, Vachon cakes (Ah Caramel, Jos Louis & Roulés Suisses). We used to eat these for desserts every night when I was growing up. Although I try to avoid daily dessert now, I still love to eat my little cakes whenever they’re available. So much better (in my opinion) then anything similar in the U.S.! I also got my yearly dose of maple products: 3 cans of maple syrup, plus 2 extra bottles (made by a family friend) AND maple butter! Oh, the sugar high I will be on for the upcoming months! 🙂
As well as the sweet goodies, they also brought my favorite “pimp cup”. Alright, not quite a pimp cup. Actually, it’s even better. It’s a Lion King cup! I know it used to be for juice but I have a feeling wine would work just as well! 😉 Oh, the good times ahead, shaming my husband by acting like a child. Hah!
As my parents went back home, I sat in my messy house, eating a Vachon cake and wondering “What now?”. After a week with my family, with no specific plans other than spending quality time together, getting back to reality was not easy. I was exhausted but would have definitely been happy to have more time with them. I finally got out of my Quebec bubble and came back to real life: cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, vacuuming, grocery shopping, etc. As boring as these tasks might seemed, they were exactly what I needed: a good dose of regular routine. All I can say is thank you Internet for bringing Skype into my life!
The Hungry Quebbie 