#Used Cars Ottawa

[tubmanchev]

Emissions Test in Ottawa - Jim Tubman Chevrolet

Here at Jim Tubman Chevrolet, we offer Ontario’s Drive Clean Emissions Tests. Drive Clean is an emissions control program implemented by the government. It checks if your vehicle is running the way it should be and not emitting harmful emissions into the environment. If you would like to get more information about Etests, visit us today.

[httpsserene]

𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 - 𝐥𝐬. 𝟏𝟖 | 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝟒𝟎𝟒: 𝐏𝐍𝐅 |

𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝟒𝟎𝟒: 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 - 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨

summary: if you love her, you have to let her go. who the hell came up with that? content warning: vacation romance. profanity. a couple of suggestive lines. one line of dark humor (toaster bath). fluff and angst. sibling dynamics (bullying). friendship. hard launch (but sad). emotional support esteban ocon (shrugs). heartbreak. this might count as getting together/breaking up. pairing: lance stroll x fem!black!reader

from serene: i feel like i have to reiterate that this does have a happy ending (in the next part). i think my tags are over dramatic asl but, i’m not trying to getting jumped in my inbox for miss tagging anything. also, i know lance isn’t a “popular driver” (whatever that fuckin means) but i’m in love with this smau, and i will not be accepting any judgement xxx

⌕ prev | join taglist | requests & feedback | table of contents | series toc | next ↻

instagram • ynplays • december 14th • cozy in a cabin ⚑

liked by valkyrae, yourbestie, segagenesisthedawg, and 43,879 others

ynplays: falling love with canada🇨🇦🍁🏒⛸️🌨️

tagged yourbestie, segagenesisthedawg, nhl

view comments

ynplays: sega cries after he walks us back to our room at night and leaves 😫

➥ user1: she’s just a liddol girl 🥹

➥ user2: the puppy has spoken u have to keep him i don’t make the rules 🤷🏿‍♀️

➥ user3: so...you have no choice but to run away with him into the sunset.

yoursister: booooo we get it you've been brainwashed by a canadian man 🙄🙄🙄

➥ ynplays: when was the last time you smiled today

➥ yoursister: it's difficult when ALL you do is yap about your crush on this hockey-core man 🤢

➥ ynplays: he gives himbo hockey player IM TELLNG YOU !!!

➥ user4: so he's canadian 😶

user5: his name starts with an L, he's approx 6'0, is brunette with brown eyes, and he's canadian with hockey player vibes👐🏻

➥ user6: i could walk two (2) steps outside of my house in ottawa and i'd run into a man who fits this description 😭😭

➥ user7: he sounds like every other bitch???

➥ user8: let's go through every minor and major hockey league roster again

➥ yourfriend1: "again?" who TF has time for that

user9: tagging THE nhl is crazy 💀

➥ user8: i'm telling you he's a hockey player

➥ user10: idk man he doesn't look like a hockey build in either of these photos🤔

igstory • yoursister uploaded!

[caption1; me and sis] [caption2; fuck. i guess they're kinda cute together 😒]

yourfriend2: did you see them doing snow angels together 🥺🥺☹️ yourfriend2: that had me smiling ngl...they're adorable yoursister: yeah, i'm just happy there's no red flags she's ignoring, he seems like a genuine dude

user11: do you improve of this lance? 6'0, brown eyes, brunette, canadian hockey player 🙂 yoursister: uhh i fear for his life,,are u gonna put a hit on him or smth yoursister: also he is not a hockey player lol user11: oh🫣 yoursister: i'm pretty sure he's like a car engineer or smth? i think i heard him say that

twitter • december 16th

instagram • ynplays • december 16th • sanctuary ⚑

liked by nhl, yoursister, yourbestie, yourmom, and 42,313 others

ynplays: i don't want to leave.

view comments

nhl: not me crying 😩 - admin

➥ user12: huh

➥ user13: nhl admin relatable

yourbestie: aw babe. enjoy your last five days here :)

➥ ynplays: i only have five days left 😟

➥ yourfriend1: oh girlie...it'll be alright

➥ yourfriend2: i always hate this part of the vacation

yoursister: please ask lance if he's willing to take you off my hands. permanently preferably.

➥ ynplays: are you familiar with the term sympathy?

➥ yoursister: oh you're sad for real

➥ yoursister: 😕 therapy session in the hot tub now ladies

➥ user14: this is depressing me

user15: hey, you can just elope? i don't think you've added that to your toolbox yet

➥ ynplays: too sad to even consider it rn

➥ ynplays: nvm he invited me to his cabin later 👅✌🏽

➥ user15: use protection 🙂‍↔️

user16: i feel like this should have a sensitive content warning

➥ user17: my day is ruined

➥ user18: and my disappointment is immeasurable

➥ user19: THERES 104 DAYS OF SUMMER VACATION🗣️🔊

➥ user20: read the room man @/user19

twitter • ynplays • december 21st

instagram • lancestroll • december 24th

liked by estebanocon, chloestroll, astonmartinf1, and 2,109,764 others

lancestroll: winter break has never felt so short. i missed you the second you stepped away from me. happy holidays, baby.

tagged ynplays

view comments

estebanocon: it’ll get better eventually mate ❤️‍🩹 believe it or not

➥ lancestroll: finding it hard to believe rn

chloestroll: come have some hot cocoa with me

➥ lancestroll: yn liked hot cocoa

➥ scottyjames31: oh mate…

➥ user21: okay, i'm concerned for my health. there's some sort of clear liquid leaking from my eyes

➥ user22: FUCK man this is sad 😕

astonmartinf1: chin up lance - admin

➥ alpinef1team: feeling for you mate - admin

➥ mercedesamgf1: sad it ended up like this for you lance - admin

➥ user23: the f1 teams are assembling like the avengers in infinity war for this

➥ user24: an unforgettable day in f1 history

yourmom: fix this. liked by lancestroll

➥ user25: w mama 🤩

➥ user26: tell him ma'am ‼️‼️

yourbestie: thank you for being good to her when you had her

➥ lancestroll: don't thank me for that.

➥ user27: cooking up my toaster bath actually

user30: well this is not the hard launch i wanted to confirm our theory.

➥ user31: brb about to create them in the sims and make them get married and have 6 children, sega, two cats and let them get old together

➥ user: realest cure for heartbreak

user28: no way they decided not being together at all is worse than being long distance

➥ yoursister: that's what i sad but nobody listens to me

➥ user28: why'd they do it???

➥ yoursister: my sister can be incredibly stupid about returned feelings. and for some reason she chose now to "protect her heart"

➥ user29: she deserves her happy ending and needs to allow herself to have it 😭😭😭

twitter • ynplays • december 25th

imessage • lance -> yn

© httpsserene 2024

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1973 Dodge Monaco

On this date, August 7th, in 1980, "The Blues Brothers" was released.

"It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas."

The film used 13 different cars bought at auction from the California Highway Patrol to depict the retired 1974 Mount Prospect, Illinois Dodge Monaco patrol car that would affectionately become known as The Bluesmobile. The vehicles were outfitted by the studio to do particular driving chores; some were customized for speed and others for jumps, depending on the scene. For the large car chases, filmmakers purchased 60 police cars at $400 each, and most were destroyed at the completion of the filming. More than 40 stunt drivers were hired, and the crew kept a 24-hour body shop to repair cars.

According to Dan Aykroyd, the horn-shaped loudspeaker atop the Bluesmobile was actually a duplicate of a massive Cold War-era air raid siren (CLM Model 92729DP) installed in the schoolyard at Our Lady of Annunciation where Aykroyd attended elementary school while growing up in Ottawa, Canada. The siren was manufactured by a Canadian company called CLM Industries, and Aykroyd specifically requested the same CLM model be used in the movie to portray the loudspeaker the characters affixed to the top of the Bluesmobile and used as a public address system.

Director John Landis has claimed that the portion of the final chase sequence beneath the elevated train tracks, which briefly showed a reading of 118 miles per hour on the car's speedometer, was actually filmed at that speed, a testament to the Monaco's police car heritage. He has also stated that he re-shot some of the scenes with pedestrians on the sidewalks, so viewers could see that the film had not been sped up to create the effect of speed.

For the scene when the Blues Brothers finally arrive at the Richard J. Daley Center, a mechanic took several months to rig the car to fall apart.

At the time of its release, "The Blues Brothers" held the world record for the most cars destroyed in one film until it was surpassed by a single car in its 1998 sequel. (Wikipedia)

[nicohischierz]

a street interview: mason mctavish

tagging: @ivy-34, @francesfarhadi, @hzstry8, @cixrosie, @itsnotgray, @estapa94, @trevs-swiftie, @heartz4hischif you want to join the taglist let me know!!

mason was walking through the mall with trevor and jamie when he got stopped by a girl holding a microphone.

"hi i have a podcast and this weeks theme is sports so I was wondering if you guys would be interested in answering a question on one of america's major sports," you spoke.

"what do you mean?" trevor asked, looking between his friends.

"well, i'll ask you a question from either the nhl, nba or mlb and if you guys answer it you can win a prize if you're interested," you explained.

the three boys looked at each other and nodded.

you turned to your friend and started rolling the camera. “okay choose a category, nhl, nba or mlb,”

trevor answered first “nhl.”

“the nhl is comprised of 32 teams with 7 of them being canadian. can you name the 7 canadian teams in the nhl?” you asked.

“toronto maple leafs!” mason exclaimed first.

the three then huddled into a group to think of the rest. “what about cole’s team?”

“montreal canadiens!”

“hey isn’t hughes in canada?” jamie asked

“omg the vancouver canucks!” trevor picked up on quickly.

“you guys have a minute to name the other four,” you prompted.

trevor looked at you appalled “hey, you never said it was timed!” he argued. you shrugged at him “now you know,”

“edmonton oilers and calgary flames,” mason added.

jamie and trevor tried their hardest to think of the last two teams but failing short they looked to mason.

“ottawa senators and umm i think the winnipeg jets,” he added.

you smiled at mason and nodded. “congratulations you guys are correct! and you’ve got a little prize. the three of you are the owners of the coffee hours podcast new merchandise and these tickets to the long beach indy car grand prix!” you handed the three their prize.

mason put his beanie on and smiled at the camera as trevor inspected everything.

you signalled to your friend to switch the camera off before turning to the three boys again. “you guys don’t have to keep the merch if you don’t want to but please use the tickets. my cousin gave them to me and i don’t know if i want to go,” you explained.

“i think my sister listens to your podcast,” trevor spoke. you smiled, your eyes twinkling at the realisation that people actually liked your content.

mason thought it was adorable.

"can i get your instagram," mason blurted.

jamie and trevor snickered at the boy as you gave him a warm smile. "sure," you held out your hand for his phone and put in your username.

it took mason three days to gain the confidence to message you. the boy stared at your profile for a whole hour before trevor forced him to say something.

"look she's half swiss and you were born in Switzerland, make conversation about that," trevor suggested.

mason shrugged. there wasn’t much to go on with that conversation starter and he knew deep down trevor also knew that.

zoe.fraser shared a video

zoe.fraser: you’re a hockey player?

“she messaged me!” mason exclaimed showing trevor and jamie his phone.

at that time, trevor’s girlfriend walked in as the boys discussed how mason should respond.

“i think you should send a shrugging emoji” - trevor

“maybe say you weren’t sure if she was a fan and didn’t think it was necessary to mention” - jamie

“girls like it when you’re a bit cocky” - trevor.

trevor’s girlfriend promptly hit her boyfriend over the head and asked mason for his phone.

“holy shit, that’s the host of the coffee hours podcast. i love her content, i always listen to her in my car,” she explained.

“mils, can you help mason?” jamie asked.

millie smiled and formulated a response.

masonmctavish: guilty 😅

zoe.fraser: well then i think you guys cheated

“you were in one of her video?!” millie exclaimed. trevor nodded and asked his girlfriend to continue her work.

masonmctavish: how about i make it up to you?

zoe.fraser: are you asking me out on a date?

masonmctavish: only if you say yes

zoe.fraser: friday 9:30, after your game

masonmctavish: you’ve got yourself a date

mason hugged millie before she moved over to trevor. millie patted the boys shoulder before settling in next to her boyfriend.

“i cant believe you met her. i would actually die and that’s saying a lot cause i’ve met fernando alonso and sebastian vettel,” millie mumbled.

trevor squeezed his girlfriends cheeks “i’ll give you the sweater she gave us. she said it was her first official merch,”

millie kissed her boyfriend before turning to mason. “you better not screw this date up,” she threatened lightly.

mason nodded, gulping hard.

that threat did not help his nerves. at all

[tkachuktkaching]

After the Florida Panthers lost Game 4 in Edmonton, Tkachuk was looking to celebrate at home:

"We were either winning in five or winning in seven."

He thought would be fitting to win the Panthers' first Stanley Cup in front of South Florida fans.

He is from a hockey family: His dad kept playing for many years and was a great player. His brother Brady is currently a star winger for the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk's family spends a good amount of time in South Florida that is house. In the playoffs, the moments with the family were special. Especially before the decisive game 7.

"Having my parents at the house, my fiancee was there...getting walked out to the car by my dad and brother, getting game 7 pointers...I wanted it for them," Tkachuk said. "That was a really special moment."

His team delivered winning Game 7 with the score 2-1, sparking a week-long celebration. Tkachuk made it a point to celebrate as much as possible with the fans.

"To see how happy they were when cups around and to see, like, like the hours they put into the games and all the practices, at the airports," he said. "Their support is the best"

For himself, nothing will match this week.

"It's the craziest, most memorable, best week of my life," Tkachuk said. "It's going to get better with the parade coming this weekend. It's a week I'll never forget for the rest of my life." 

[zegrasdrysdale]

[ i’ll be home for christmas ] m. mctavish

day ten of malia’s christmas fic marathon

paring : Mason McTavish x fem!reader

summary : Mason brings new girlfriend (Y/N) to dinner at his parents’ house for Christmas

warning(s) : none

author’s note : first time writing for mason so i hope it isn’t terrible

༺═──────────────═༻

The idea of going to Canada with Mason was exciting.

Now it’s just terrifying now that it’s reality.

They’ve only been dating for a handful of months but he has been wanting to introduce (Y/N) to his parents since they made everything official. It was a four month talking phase slash situationship then in September when he came back to Anaheim for the season, things were made official.

That’s how she ended up in a town near Ottawa on Christmas Day.

She currently sits in front of Mason’s childhood home. It’s the house the McTavish family moved into when they moved to Canada from Switzerland when Mason was eight. Her eyes are on the house as Mason turns the car off.

“What if they don’t like me?” she questions as she turns to look at her boyfriend. “Do they even know about me?”

Mason looks over at her when she asks the second question. “Yeah, they know about you,” he replies. “My brother knows too. He’s the one that let it slip to our parents that I was bringing you home for Christmas. I can tell you that they’re excited to meet you.”

She isn’t convinced.

(Y/N) knows she isn’t like the other girls that Mason has brought home. She knows she isn’t even like the girls he has dated in the past. She isn’t even a blonde haired, blue eyed Instagram model. She doesn’t have some cool job and she lives in a shoebox apartment that had a very small closet for a bedroom.

His parents aren’t going to think she’s right for him. Hell, they might even think she’s trying to use him for money.

She didn’t go through a four month situationship just for money.

“I just don’t think they’ll like me, Mase,” she repeats. She decides to voice her concerns. “I barely have enough money to survive. I’m not as beautiful as the other girls you’ve probably brought to dinner to meet them. I doubt they’ll think I’m right for you. They’ll hate me.”

Mason shakes his head and leans on the center console. Their eyes meet and Mason’s are soft, sincere. “I know you know that I don’t care about how much you make as a bartender,” he tells her. “You know I don’t care what your job is. You’re more gorgeous than any other girl I’ve brought home. Once they see how happy you make me and how in love with you I am, they’ll think you’re perfect for me.”

A pout forms on her lips and Mason traces her bottom lip when he reaches across the console. “I still don’t believe that,” she admits.

“If you feel uncomfortable at all, then let me know,” he says. “We’ll leave and go back to my apartment, okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

He smiles and kisses her pout. “Ready to meet my parents and brother?” he asks.

“No, but let’s go,” she replies. “Hopefully they drink wine because that’s the only gift I brought for them.”

Mason laughs, “I promise they like wine. They’ve always liked wine. It’s okay.”

Again, she isn’t convinced.

Ready or not, (Y/N) grabs the gift bag that contains the bottle of red wine that she bought for Mason’s parents and gets out of the car. She walks around the car and grabs her boyfriend’s hand with her free hand.

Together, they walk up to the front door. The cold wind hits her in the face and whips through her brown hair. It’s so cold and there’s snow on the ground. Two things that an Anaheim born girl is not used to. She’s very much out of her comfort zone right now.

Mason knocks a few times on the door before he opens it. He walks inside and pulls his girlfriend in behind him.

“Hello?” he calls out. “We’re here.”

Mason’s older brother comes running into the foyer from the living room as they take their coats off. “Oh my God,” he gasps. “She’s real. I didn’t think she was real.”

A couple comes into the foyer right after his brother says something. Definitely Mason’s parents. The four of them all look so similar. “Mason,” his mother says. “It’s about time we got to meet her. She’s beautiful.”

“Hi,” (Y/N) says. “I, um, have a gift for you. Mason told me you guys really like wine so here’s a bottle. I’m not sure what kind of wine but it’s I’m a red wine drinker so I got you guys my favorite.”

Mrs. McTavish smiles and takes the bag from her. “That is so sweet of you,” she says when the bag is in her hand. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.”

(Y/N) takes a step back and stands against Mason’s side. “It felt weird to not bring something,” she admits. “Hope you like it.”

“Come in,” Mr. McTavish says. “Get comfortable. I’ll pour us glasses of wine while dinner finishes up in the oven.”

Mason’s parents walk into the kitchen. His brother follows them while Mason guides (Y/N) into the living room.

They take a seat on the couch and Mason scoots closer to his girlfriend. He drapes an arm around her shoulders. She looks up at him and settles against his side. “Feel any better yet?” he asks.

“A little,” she sighs. “Ask me when we leave.”

Mason’s family walk into the living room. (Y/N) is handed a glass of wine, and so is Mason. She forgets that he only needs to be 18 to drink in Canada so his parents are okay with their 20-year-old son drinking a glass of wine in the house.

His brother sits with them on the couch while his parents sit adjacent to them on the loveseat. “So, how did you meet Mason?” Mrs. McTavish asks.

“His friends introduced us earlier this year at the end of the season,” she tells them. “We became friends then a few months ago when he came back to Anaheim for this season, he asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest is history.”

“So you’re from Anaheim then?” Mason’s dad questions.

She sips her wine and nods in response until she swallows the sip. “Born and raised,” she tells them. “I’ve lived there all 21 years I’ve been alive. Went to school at UCLA too. I’ve lived in California my whole life.”

His parents get into how Mason was born in Switzerland and how they moved back to Canada when he was eight. She pretends to listen because she heard all of this from Mason himself when they started talking in May. Mason even chimes in a couple of times.

Dinner is ready soon after, followed by dessert. (Y/N) tells them about her life and what she does for work at the moment. She tells them about her future plans to go into education one day and teach at a middle school or high school.

They seem very impressed.

“Glad to see you found a girl who knows what she wants, Mason,” his mother says to him. “Goals are a great thing to have. I hope you can go into education, (Y/N).”

She smiles and looks up at Mason.

Maybe she’s convinced now that his parents like her.

Her nerves got the best of her, and a past of dating multiple guys whose parents didn’t like her. She’s glad that Mason’s parents actually like her though. She sees Mason in her life until she dies.

She isn’t like the other girls Mason’s brought home, but that doesn’t mean that his parents wouldn’t like her. They absolutely do.

“Thank you both for coming,” Mr. McTavish says while (Y/N) and Mason gather their things to head back to his apartment a few miles away. “(Y/N), you’re welcome here any time.”

“Thank you for having me, Mr. and Mrs. McTavish,” she replies.

His mother pulls her into a hug. “That’s Dale and Christine to you,” she tells (Y/N) with a laugh. “Maybe we‘ll come see you and Mason down in Anaheim one day.”

“We’d really like that,” Mason says. “Maybe we’ll come by in the morning before we head back to California.”

“Of course,” Dale says. “See you both soon.”

They head back to Mason’s car and (Y/N) is giddy with happiness. Mason notices because he asks, “Good visit?”

She looks at him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She might be slightly tipsy from the wine she has consumed over the last few hours. “Best visit,” she replies. “I love your family.”

“They love you too,” he tells her. “My mom was so happy to talk to you. My dad was so interested in how you became a hockey fan. They adore you, (Y/N). Just like I said they would.”

“Can we come home for Christmas every year?” she asks as she gets into the car. “I mean, your home. Canada.”

Mason smiles and says, “We can come home for Christmas every year.”

Home. Canada might be her second home at this point. She better get used to the snow and cold wind.

༺═──────────────═༻

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[mikerickson]

Lifting my self-imposed embargo because I'm weird and don't like posting on social media when I'm on vacation.

I'm at a point in my life where I can financially justify at least one international vacation a year and figured I'd finally cross off the Great White North from the bucket list. I'd never been and Andrew hadn't been back in a very long time despite having dual citizenship. Anyways, just got back, and a bullet-point breakdown of the highlights is after the cut:

I wish every international flight was under two hours; EWR to YQB was almost comically fast.

Had my first French conversation with the very nice lady at the car rental counter for about ten minutes. She complemented my pronunciation and grammar, and wished me luck on the trip. Every French interaction after this point was a linguistic battle for my life that I lost (Toutes les Québecois parlent trop vite pour moi).

We had some time to kill before the hotel check-in so we went to a mall in the suburbs just so we'd have a food court with some options. Turns out shopping malls are not only alive and well but fucking thriving in Canada. I haven't seen a mall that packed with people outside of December since the nineties.

Quebec City was very dense with old architecture which made it feel very European. It was also apparently built on a fucking cliff with streets at 60 degree inclines, which also felt very European.

Took a tour of the Quebec Parliament building (beautiful structure), and apparently they used to be bicameral, but voted to abolish their Senate in the 60's and they were the last Canadian province to do so. What a concept.

It's one thing to know on paper that Canada has about 1/8th of the population of the US, but I was not prepared for just how empty the countryside felt. For someone like me, living in the northeast my whole life, the idea that cities in close proximity to each other not having continuous stretches of suburbs and other smaller cities connecting them was completely foreign.

On the highways I kept thinking I was speeding because I'd look down at the dashboard and see the number "100", but 100 km/h is only like 62 mph, which is nothing.

Similarly, I kept getting sticker shock every time I spent money, and kept having to remind myself that $1 CAD was like $0.73 USD while we were there.

It was really cool to see that the complex for the 1976 Montreal Olympics is still maintained and actively used (we stumbled upon a skateboarding competition and I did not feel cool enough to be in that crowd). Sometimes you hear horror stories about Olympic villages bankrupting cities and falling into disuse afterwards, but that's definitely not the case here.

Montreal is apparently known for their local bagel culture, but their bagels have enormous holes in the middle of them, so you have less cross-sectional area for spreads and they don't really work for sandwiches. My faith in NJ/NY bagel superiority remains intact.

Every city we went to had dedicated bike lane infrastructure and young families with kids, but Montreal definitely had the most of both. Tons of parks, too. Simultaneously felt like a larger and smaller city than I was expecting.

Poutine is okay, but I wasn't prepared for the cheese to squeak when you bite into it. Very odd sensation.

The main Parliament building for the federal government in Ottawa (Centre Block) is stunning, but closed; apparently it's been under renovation since 2019 and isn't expected to be reopened until 2032! In the meantime, we took a tour of where the lower House of Commons is currently meeting. We learned that their electoral districts are routinely re-drafted by a non-partisan committee and that they occasionally add new seats to the legislature to account for changes in population. I had to seethe jealously in silence for the rest of the tour.

Also toured their Supreme Court building (way more Art Deco than I was expecting). We learned that there's currently a vacancy because a Justice recently retired because they're required to step down when they turn 75. I had to seethe jealously in silence for the rest of the tour.

Every single city had automatic/self-serve parking garages where you didn't have to interact with a human (which I was very thankful for), but in Ottawa they have this little jingle that the machine sings at you when you take your ticket, which I found very amusing.

On the drive to Toronto we took a quick detour into the Thousand Islands (yes, like the salad dressing) and visited Boldt Castle, which is technically in New York state. After seeing it in practice, the idea of living on your own private island is more appealing than ever.

Toronto feels like an exercise in what happens when a nation's largest city is allowed to grow without being hemmed in by ridiculous geography. As someone who grew up in NYC, this is another concept foreign to me. The GPS did get very tripped up navigating a particularly gnarly interchange however.

Toured the Ontario Legislative Assembly (yet another beautiful building). At this point we were really good at asking tour guides stuff like, "so if happens, do you guys have a plan?" To which they would reply, "well, no, but let's just hope that never happens!"

I now understand why the Great Lakes are effectively freshwater inland seas; you really cannot see the other shore, and Lake Ontario isn't even the biggest one!

YYC to EWR was under an hour. That's definitely going to spoil me for future trips going forward.

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Long one this week so I've broken out giving into two segments, "Personal" for individuals needing help and "Organization" for orgs that are fundraising.

Ways to Give, Personal:

mousedetective has been homeless since January; until recently she was in a safe parking program with her mother and trans daughter, but is now in need of safe housing and has been divided from her family, plus can't save when they're having to pay for short-term housing. They have a number of ways to give and an Amazon wishlist for supplies available; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here or give via KoFi here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for sobeautifullyobsessed, who has been homeless for some time and is raising funds to secure even temporary housing; she often has to sleep in her breakroom at work for the warmth. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here or give via KoFi here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for fatiguesupreme, who is facing eviction with her mother and needs help to fund a move as soon as possible; they have had to pay for car repairs and been unable to work without their car, and are just now getting back to work doing food delivery. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here or give via KoFi here.

risingtograce linked to a fundraiser for a close friend, Erin, who was recently hit by a bus; they are currently in recovery and need to raise funds for living expenses while they are unable to work, plus medical bills. You can read more and share on Facebook here or give at GoFundMe here.

localdorkincombatboots is raising funds for help with bills, medical expenses, and housing for them and their family after several financial blows; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

winteryserpent has had to take unpaid time off for illness, and is behind on bills; he's working again but struggling with bills and anxiety over bills, including an overdrawn bank account and a late internet bill. You can read more and give at GoFundMe here.

like-the-midnight-sun is a queer, multiply disabled Jewish conversion student; she and her wife, also queer and Jewish, are currently living in the US, are trying to move somewhere safer, and are fundraising for an international move to Norway. You can read more and give at GoFundMe here.

Ways to Give, Organization:

mxbuster linked to No Surrender, an Ottawa-based pet rescue which is raising funds for community support; they've collected dog coats that are being distributed to community members through a mutual-aid and food-sharing kitchen, and have the opportunity to buy bulk cold-weather clothing for dogs if they can raise $450. You can read more and find giving information at Facebook here.

melayneseahawk linked to Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company, a socially distant and socially responsible digital theater which is going into its fourth season; their 2024 fundraiser is about to begin, and in the meantime they have several ways to support the theater one-off or on an ongoing basis. Giving supports production expenses, paying cast and crew, and fees for things like maintaining their nonprofit status legally. You can read more and give to the theatre here.

Recurring Needs:

mid-nighttiger linked to a fundraiser for a friend, Katherine, a cosplayer (501st and Rebel Legion, among others) who was in a serious car accident and has had a gofundme set up for her medical expenses; you can read more and reblog Mid-Nighttiger's post here or support the fundraiser here.

chingaderita's partner's family house recently caught fire and completely burned, killing his grandmother and causing extensive property loss; they're raising funds in part to help support their partner, who is understandably in a bad place emotionally and has since last week been laid off from his job. They're also in need of money for medications. You can read more, reblog, and support the fundraiser here.

rilee16 is raising funds to cover utilities after having to use bill money to cover rent and late fees; Rilee also needs to be able to pay for medication. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

gwydion's very elderly car broke down in late October; the repair, to a cooling hose, has cheap parts but expensive labor, and ate most of zir budget for the month. Ze can't do without a car, being disabled, but can't afford to replace it either; ze's raising $280 to help cover bills and the repair. You can give via PayPal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for Squirrel, a good friend who has recently lost his job and needs to raise about $800 to cover bills and food; Squirrel has had a lot of interviews and believes he will have an offer but won't start work until December. You can give via paypal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for a friend, whose dog Rosie needs medical care, dental work, and special food; you can read more and give here at gofundme.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[thomasschabot]

bet all i have on that furrowed brow

jakob chychrun x fem!oc

isobel has a workplace crush and healthy dose of loneliness that jakob is more than willing to cure

word count: 3.1k

warnings: mentions of spending the holidays alone, cursing, partial nudity, alcohol consumption

a/n: for @wyattjohnston 🩷 thank you so much for putting together yet another incredibly successful event, and for giving me the best gift of all - getting to write for you! i hope you enjoy x (we're just pretending hockey works like american football and the sens have a bye week over christmas okay? okay!) many wonderful thanks to @matthewtkachuk for singing my praises via text and fluffing up my ego

The string of days between Christmas and New Years always feels like purgatory. One holiday bleeds slowly into the next, and there’s a general consensus no one knows what day it is or how long it’s been since they ate something moderately healthy. For most it’s time well spent with family and friends, but for Isobel it’s a sentence to near solitary confinement. She has no family remotely close, few friends, and is much too stubborn to take up her co-workers’ invitations to join them on holiday getaways to ski chalets or sandy beaches. Isobel refuses to be more of an inconvenience than she already feels like she is, but it isn’t necessarily best for her mental health.

She spends as much time as possible at work, researching rising social media trends to present to the team and making sure all paperwork is up-to-date. The team will be able to start with their best foot forward in the new year, something Isobel is extremely proud of, and it keeps her going into the office even when she’d much prefer to stay in bed and wallow in the intense loneliness she feels. There isn’t a pressure to produce new deliverables, which is a slight stress relief. The analytics department isn’t needed as much with the bye week and most of the incoming reports can be run by Isobel alone. A number of years ago the NHL implemented bye weeks in addition to the all-star break, which allows each team to not have scheduled games during the regular season. This year Ottawa got lucky, with their break over the Christmas holidays, and players and support staff alike took the opportunity to get the hell out of the snowy capital.

As far as Isobel’s aware, very few members of the Senators organization stayed in the area. From social media she could see co-workers posting from almost every continent, enjoying all the world has to offer. Many roster players were in tropical destinations, hungry to get away from the ice and snow that ruled much of their daily lives. Claude Giroux has taken his family to the Caribbean and posts a rare snapshot of his young boys enjoying the water. Brady, ever the gracious captain, has taken what seems like half the team home with him to St. Louis in order to cheer on his sister’s university tournament being hosted in the same city. Only Jakob’s whereabouts are unknown, his absence from her life palpable, but Isobel’s sure he isn’t in Ottawa. Why would he be? There are a thousand different people and places vying for his attention, and one of them was sure to be the lucky winner. 

It’s her most guarded secret, the fact that Isobel has an almost debilitating crush on who is technically a co-worker, but she’s also sure everyone has figured it out, even Jakob himself. Working with professional athletes means there’s a serious lack of personal boundaries, and one’s private life isn’t exactly private, no matter how well guarded they may be. The boys Isobel works with will stop at nothing short of blackmail to get information out of her, even if it’s only ever used for in-house teasing. No one has said anything yet, which she’s incredibly grateful for, but Isobel can’t help but think it’s the main topic of conversation when she’s not around. 

The suburbs of Ottawa are desolate as Isobel winds through the streets to the Canadian Tire Centre. No car is on the road except her own, and there is only one in the parking lot when she pulls in. Badge in hand, Isobel treks up the steps and pulls open the large door at the back of the arena, one that isn’t used by anyone except members of the organization. Jamie, one of the building’s security guards, is face down in a book — it must have been his sedan parked beside her own sensible compact SUV. 

“Isobel Walker,” he says, surprised to see another person. The offices were open upon a technicality in contracts that is now grandfathered in, but it’s likely Jamie hasn’t seen anyone since he started his shift.  “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready with friends? The New Year's festivities start in a few hours.”

Isobel shakes her head. “Just wanted to square away a few things before the weekend. Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do. It’s just me this year.”

The attentive man doesn’t miss the sad downturn in her voice, or the longing for companionship in Isobel’s eyes. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get invited somewhere.” Jamie sounds resolute in the statement, but she knows it must be easy for him to think when once his shift is over he’ll return home to a wife and kids. When Isobel is done putting in work there’ll be no one waiting at home. 

The elevator dings then, signalling its availability to deliver a human to the floor where the data and analytics department is located. Isobel waves goodbye in an almost timid fashion, insisting she’ll take good care of herself and promising to at least look into doing something. Nothing will come of it, this she’s sure of, but a small white lie has never hurt anyone. In fact, Isobel deals almost exclusively in little white lies, whether it be to scouts who want to hear a specific player is doing bad so they feel less guilty about not advising the general manager to draft them or to teammates when they ask what she’s doing on the weekends. Telling Jamie one more won’t cause the world to fall apart. Isobel is sure of it.

Her cubicle is tucked just inside the glass doors that shelter the front office from the rest of the floor, but Isobel doesn't head there. Instead, she tiptoes through the space until the corkboard of Senators and their individual season stats is right in front of her. The photo of Jakob immediately catches her attention — not an official headshot but instead a picture from the charity gala last season — and Isobel notices it’s a cropped version of one she has on her desk. In the photo he’s posing with the analytics staff, goofy smile plastered on his face as he stands three people from Isobel. She also remembers that in the photo she’s not looking at the camera, but at him. Eventually she forces herself to stop looking at the gorgeous specimen that is Jakob Chychrun and accomplish what she intended to do. Taking one last look, Isobel places a distant memory that their eyes had locked seconds after the camera’s shutter went off. 

⭑⭒⭑

It’s long past sunset when Isobel returns home, and there’s no sense trying to scramble downtown to an overcrowded bar. She hadn’t been planning on it anyways despite what she told the only person she’s interacted with in a week. Things at the office didn’t take long to complete, despite the frequent distraction of Jakob’s gorgeous portrait in the background, but Isobel couldn’t bring herself to return to her empty home. Since the conversation with Jamie in the lobby she’s been dreading the silence that would greet her when the door rocked on its hinges. Instead of immediately returning home, Isobel drives eastward towards more connected areas of the city and marvels at the tourists in town to ring in the new year surrounded by history. Each street sign passed amalgamated into a mushed series in her brain, and once she could no longer tell what was real or imaginary Isobel turned and headed for home. 

As expected, the modest craftsman house Isobel occupies is dark and silent and lonely, as well as a million other words she can’t think of to encapsulate how isolated she feels. If she had been thinking clearly Isobel would have picked up take out on the drive back, but she wasn't in a completely sound frame of mind, therefore being resigned to heating up three day old broccoli pasta and drinking room temperature beer. She can’t even be bothered to change into comfortable clothing, instead throwing her blouse and slacks over the back of a dining room chair seconds before crashing onto the worn leather sofa inherited from a college roommate nearly a decade ago but that she can’t seem to get rid of. 

The television turns on at the press of a button, and Isobel briefly watches the sports highlights for updates on potential trade targets before deciding she’s done more than enough work for the day and switching to a New Years special. This one seems to be taking place in New York, a place she’s never been nor cared for, but at the moment Isobel would give anything to be there amongst the suffocating crowd. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so earth-shatteringly alone. 

Hours pass by and more beers are consumed, but Isobel can’t seem to reach the buzz she’s so desperately chasing. The performances and countdowns meld together but if questioned there wouldn’t be a detail missing from her recollection. No one could do that inebriated, further proving that getting drunk isn’t in the cards for her tonight. A chill settles over the room and Isobel struggles to wrangle a throw blanket free from its perch on the back of the couch. Though comfortable, sitting in only undergarments doesn’t provide much protection against the drafty windows she should call a repairman about. Some pop star, whom she doesn't particularly care about, is thanking fans for helping them reach a milestone this past calendar year and she zone out. Nothing and everything floats through Isobel’s brain all at once, swimming in circles and causing a beautiful confusion. 

The dull thud of a fist against the front door shakes Isobel from her stupor and possible slumber. Panic encroaches and her sharp survival instincts set in — the baseball bat normally kept in the corner of the living room grabbed and work clothes are haphazardly tossed over frame. The person on the other side of the wood slab is the last person she’s expecting to see, and the fact he’s standing there with a sheepish smile is astounding. Jakob Chychrun is on her doorstep, shifting his weight between the balls of his feet and carrying a large bottle of expensive champagne and a bag of garlic bread. 

“Hi.”

“Can I help you, Jakob?” she asks, but immediately backpedals when she realizes how ill-tempered the tone of the words made her seem. “I just wasn’t expecting any visitors and am wholly unprepared.”

He smiles even more, as though Isobel can actually solve a problem he’s been faced with, and gestures to the objects in his hands like it’s obvious. “Jamie mentioned you were spending the evening alone when I went into the rink this afternoon, and I had no plans, so I thought we could watch the dumb special programs and drown our sorrows in alcohol.”

The answer is so Jakob, so perfect and friendly and warm, Isobel can’t help but return his grin. “I told him I’d look into going out. What are you doing in the city?”

“I wanted a relaxing week.”

Isobel arches her eyebrow. “The beach isn’t relaxing?”

“Not as much as staying at home.”

“Oh.”

Jakob doesn’t skip a beat in bringing conversation back to his original proposition. “Well sweetheart, what do you say?”

All the air leaves her lungs at the pet name, but she manages to nod semi-enthusiastically and move to the side. Jakob slips off his shoes while Isobel closes the door and treads into the living space carefully, inspecting-without-inspecting the decor. She quickly plays the role of gracious hostess, getting her handsome guest a crystal flute and asking if he’d like anything to eat. Jakob declines, saying he had leftovers before coming over, and urges her to sit down and ‘stop fluttering around like a hummingbird’. She obliges, turning to face him and tucking her legs underneath her center of gravity.

Jakob rakes his eyes over Isobel, once, then a second time, before coughing rather aggressively. It rings through the quiet like a gunshot and nearly makes her jump. Unsure of what could have caused such a reaction, she looks down to find the previously hastily buttoned shirt has shifted, revealing a rather large patch of red lace that hints at what’s underneath. Surely that can’t be the reason the normally suave man across from her is a blushing mess?

He respectfully looks away while she adjusts, and Isobel finishes quickly before placing a tentative hand on her shoulder to let her know everything is back to normal. She’s desperate to dissuade any awkwardness. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Jakob laughs, but it comes out a little strangled. “Happens to the best of us. Well not me, in that exact way, but I’ve been caught in my fair share of wardrobe malfunctions.”

Isobel focuses extremely hard on not thinking about what that means, and unsure of where to go from the moment that was somehow vulnerable and impersonal at the same time, she reaches across Jakon to grab the bottle of champagne and doesn't even bother getting a glass. The cool liquid does wonders to soothe the fire in her insides, exacerbated by the fact that Jakob came to her, wanted to spend time with her. Some alcohol misses Isobel’s mouth, dribbles down her chin, but before she can even lift the bottle from her lips it’s being wiped away. 

It’s Jakob, she realizes, stroking his thumb across her skin tenderly and making sure there isn’t an opportunity for the champagne to stain the silk button up that she can never remember to take to the dry cleaners. Clouds immediately form in her mind and Isobel closes her eyes — this has to be a dream. An incredibly elaborate fantasy. Under no circumstance is Jakob Chychrun sitting on her couch staring at her with longing and centimetres away from her lips. She must have fallen asleep, and her dreams are vivid due to the beer. 

“Iso, sweetheart, hey,” Jakob says barely above a whisper, eyebrow furrowed with concern and the slightest bit of amusement. “You alright?”

Her eyelids flutter open, a bit heavy from all the alcohol she’s consumed, but her gaze is met with his blue eyes so close to her own and his fingers fiddling with the hem of her pants. Apparently this is in fact real life, and while Isobel had been trying to convince herself otherwise she’d missed Jakob inching closer and resting his forehead against her own. 

“Yeah,” she sputters, nearly choking on air for the second time that evening. “I drank a bit before you got here and I think it’s all catching up to me.”

Jakob smiles softly, like he already confirmed this, and it’s then she clues in to the fact there are four empty beer bottles on the coffee table. “Are you drunk?”

Laughter trickles from her lips. “I wish,” Isobel confesses, “It would make the loneliness a lot easier to ignore.”

Again, Jakob smiles like he understands. It’s a bit surreal, the way the two of them are so similar, but Isobel can’t help but enjoy learning about him  through these small glances. If she could keep her cool around the man for longer periods than the handful of minutes long interaction they’d shared, Isobel is almost sure they’d be friends, but the universe is cruel and unyielding. She’s destined to never know Jakob all that well, watching from the sidelines as he jokes with Brady and Tim, marvelling at his beauty and resigning herself to the fact he’ll never be yours. 

“Can I kiss you?”

The question steals every ounce of air from Isobel’s lungs. Jakob is looking at her intently, studying her features for clues or transgressions he unknowingly committed. She’s never been good at keeping her emotions steeled away, and Isobel knows everything is splayed on her face for him to decipher if he wants to. The most prominent one is shock. Isobel is beyond surprised he’s asking the one thing that’s been on the tip of her tongue  and whispering in her mind for years. 

“Are —” she struggles to find the words she wants to say. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

It’s Jakob’s turn to laugh. It’s a beautiful sound, his deep rumbles as he nods his head, and Isobel does her best to imprint it to memory. If this is the last time she’ll ever hear it she wants to give herself the best shot at remembering. 

“Pretty damn sure, sweetheart. I’ve wanted to do it since I joined the team.”

Isobel is now beyond shocked. “You’ve wanted to kiss me for three years?”

Jakob smiles in a way that allows it to reach his eyes. Beautiful, Isobel thinks, but doesn’t allow herself much time to focus on it, too eager to catch his next words. “Four if you count the time I got lost when Arizona was the visiting team and you held the door for me to get back to the locker rooms. You were wearing a black turtleneck that made your eyes look even more angelic than normal. I didn’t know that at the time, of course, but I did know I wanted to kiss you senseless.”

“Fuck me, you never thought to say anything when I was so clearly pining after you?” she whispers, emboldened and growing more confident under the confession and moving even closer until her lips are so close to Jakob’s she can feel the breath he inhales. 

It takes a moment, but Isobel gains the courage to tilt her head slightly upwards and slot her lips against Jakob’s. Time stops with the flourish of a cheesy romance novel, though she can’t find it in her to groan internally even if she would under normal circumstances. Nothing about what’s happening is normal, however. Kissing Jakob is perfect in ways Isobel could never accurately describe — all plump lips and gentle touches and whispered sweet nothings. She never wants it to end, but eventually he pulls back. 

He doesn’t stray far, just tucks her into his side with a hint of possession if Isobel squints , and cards his fingers through the matted ends of her hair. Jakob seems to have quite an affinity for the strands, allowing them to keep his attention while Isobel processes the fact that the man she’s been secretly in love with for years has also been in love with her for just as long.

“You know,” she says breathlessly, still in a surreal state from the kiss, “Maybe ringing in the new year won’t be so lonely after all.” 

Jakob giggles in the same warm and gleeful way that made Isobel fall in love with him all those years ago. “I hope not.”

The pair of them spend the remaining hours of the night eating, drinking, and talking about what the future holds. When the television program begins the countdown Jakob looks at Isobel with a gleam in his eyes, and waits until the ball drops to kiss her into the next year.

⭑⭒⭑

enjoy this fic? give it a reblog :)

[allthecanadianpolitics]

"A Calgary cab company has fined and temporarily suspended one of its drivers for refusing to give a ride this week to a blind woman and her guide dog.

Kim Kilpatrick is from Ottawa and just so happens to be in Calgary with her guide dog, Ginger, to perform a show downtown about living with guide dogs.

"It's a really sort of shocking experience," Kilpatrick said. "I don't just have a dog in the car for the heck of it, she's going to get me from the car to my destination."

Kilpatrick said she used an app to book the taxi after her show last Sunday afternoon at Lunchbox Theatre, located at the bottom of the Calgary Tower.

She said when it arrived the driver told her the dog wasn't allowed in the vehicle because he didn't want any dog hair inside.

Kilpatrick said she told him that was illegal and he had to take the service dog.

In response, she said, the driver told her the dog could go in the trunk -- a suggestion she called "appalling."

Kilpatrick eventually cancelled the ride and booked another taxi from the same company without any problems.

Kilpatrick said she later called dispatch to complain and was told to order a pet-friendly taxi next time.

"Like it was my fault," she said."

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[tubmanchev]

Best Place to Buy Used Cars in Ottawa - Jim Tubman Chevrolet

Looking for the best place to buy used cars in Ottawa? Look no further than Jim Tubman Chevrolet. We have a large selection of quality pre-owned vehicles at competitive prices. Come check us out for a hassle-free car-buying experience.

[jackhues]

back to toronto - mama's backstory

note: mama's nickname before she was mama is peach! there'll be a few chapters of this, just to give some backstory on mama and aus' relationship / life before peanut was born! and ik the game mentioned here is an away game, but for the sake of the story, we'll pretend it's a home game

peanut's world! au masterlist || peanut's world au! request rules

gif not mine!

the energy in toronto was different than anywhere else. it was why peach loved the city.

she grinned to herself as they made their way through the downtown traffic. while almost everyone hated toronto traffic, it wouldn’t ruin her good mood. it was the day before opening night for the toronto maple leafs, and peach was back in the city she practically grew up in. it was going to be a good day, she could tell.

william nylander parked his car outside his house, ushering peach and the hughes inside.

just a few years ago, willy had been living with peach and the hughes in their toronto home, and now peach was here with her younger brothers to spend the week with him.

“oh! that’s so cool!” jack grinned, immediately dropping his bag on the floor and going to a framed and signed jersey on the wall.

peach rolled her eyes, clearing her throat and motioning to jack’s duffel bag that he threw on the floor.

“oh yeah,” jack muttered, coming back and shouldering his duffel bag.

peach laughed, flicking her younger brother lightly, before addressing willy. “where do you want us to put our bags?”

“just right here,” willy led them to the back, where he had two spare rooms available. 

peach took the smaller one, while her brothers shared the other room. peach spent the first day back in toronto exploring kensington market with her brothers. she missed that one burger restaurant more than she’d like to admit.

before any of the hughes had realized it, they were gearing up for the toronto maple leafs first game of the season, against the ottawa senators. peach had her ‘nylander’ jersey on, seats near the glass, and was impatiently waiting for puck drop.

the game was intense — the battle of ontario always was. with the leafs new rookie, auston matthews, scoring all four goals for the team, the leafs had managed to push the game to overtime.

“i hate overtime,” quinn muttered from next to luke.

peach was too busy trying not to tear her hair out to answer.

“matthews is scoring the game winner,” jack grinned from next to her, bouncing in his seat. “i’m calling it from now.”

“he already has four goals,” luke said from between quinn and peach. “you think he’s gonna score the ot goal also?”

“it’s auston matthews!” jack emphasized. “if anyone will score the fifth and game winning goal, it’s him.”

“careful, jack,” peach joked. “your man-crush is showing.”

quinn and luke laughed, while jack merely rolled his eyes. 

it was true. jack had gone to the leafs store and bought an overpriced auston matthews jersey before the game because they were all sold out online. he had this idea that matthews was going to be the saviour of the franchise.

peach had to admit that he was probably the leafs’ best chance in a really long time.

the puck dropped for ot, play continuing on both sides. it didn’t last very long, considering the senators scored less than forty seconds into the first overtime.

there was a chorus of groans from the fans in the arena as the goal horn sounded. 

the game was fun to watch, and the leafs played good, but ottawa just got a good goal in at the end. 

“i hate this team,” jack muttered, shaking his head to himself.

“no you don’t,” quinn rolled his eyes, the four siblings waiting for the crowds to empty a bit before heading to the tunnel.

willy trudged out a few minutes later, managing a smile at the sight of the four hughes kids. peach hugged willy quickly, the rest of the boys exchanging fist bumps as they began talking hockey. peach rolled her eyes at the boys, leaning against the wall as she waited for them to finish so they could go get some ice cream. peach loved hockey, but she wasn’t like her brothers where she needed to talk about it twenty-four/seven.

it’s jack’s unusual silence that drew peach’s attention back to the boys’ conversation.

luke and quinn were talking to willy about a play in the third period, one that led to ottawa’s goal. surprisingly, jack remained silent during this, breathing funny as he tried to stay calm.

“what’s wrong?” peach nudged jack’s foot.

jack motioned towards his right, where two leafs players were talking to each other. peach narrowed her eyes, recognizing auston matthews and frederick anderson, the goalie, deep in conversation. 

“quit fangirling,” peach tried not to laugh as jack ducked his head when his favourite rookie glanced over.

willy whistled towards freddie and auston, smiling as they came over. 

“guys, this is auston and freddie,” he motioned towards them. “these are the hughes kids. they were my billet family when i first came to toronto.”

peach put a hand on jack’s shoulder to keep him from bouncing, smiling at the two leafs players.

“you guys played a good game,” peach said to the two, hoping to raise their spirits somewhat.

being part of a family of athletes, peach knew it was hard to console yourself after an overtime loss. she appreciated words of comfort from her friends after those games, and even if she wasn’t ‘friends’ with these two players, she hoped they could still find some comfort in her words.

auston smiled back quickly, “thanks.”

peach noticed jack’s breathing beginning to go funny again, and she patted him as inconspicuously as she could on his back, reminding him to be normal.

“can i get your autograph?” jack asked auston.

“uh… yeah, sure,” auston blinked, taking the marker from jack and signing his jersey.

he was still new to toronto, and not at all used to giving autographs and taking selfies with fans.

jack grinned happily, and peach already knew he was planning on framing the jersey somewhere back home.

auston walked away as the hughes siblings and willy left as well, trying to get the pretty one and her smile out of his head.

-

tags : @woodruff-edwards , @austinbutlerscaresme ,  @svechnikovvv ,  @hockeyboysarehot , @emptyflowerpots ,  @mysticaldonkey , @lam-ila ,  @babydollmarauders , @starjoyyy  ,  @kjohnson-91 , @gavinbrindley, @hischierdevils , @jackhughesily  , @panarin10 ,  @equallyshaw ,   @power2myheart  ,  @lynnismypseudonym , @beccaiscold , @akengii , @nowandkei , @cinnamonpancakes , @mitchymainer , @lifeofpriya ,  @marshmallow-babe, @hughesx3 ,  @emsully2002  ,  @starsandhughes , @huggy-hischier73 ,  @doglady5678 , @thatoneblog , @exonct07 @hughesmedicine , @qwanelledingele , @mindless-rock , @ireadthensuetheauthors , @huggy-hischier94, @slaythehousedownboots , @diary-of-jj

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tags: @deviltsunoda , @hughesmedicine , @maddie-naps , @h0e4fictionalme-n , @redpool , @whenmypartysover , @trevzeags11 , @fulla02 , @alwayshughes , @julieluvsme , @puckmaidens , @sosweetsofinesonice

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[oldbutnotyetwise]

My Last Happy Birthday To My Dear Elizabeth

     As my ALS marches on stealing more and more from me, the lists of my “Lasts” continues to grow.  In the past few weeks I had my last Christmas and my last New Years.  This week I shared my daughters birthday with her, the last one I will ever share with her.  Next year by the time her birthday rolls around I will be long gone from this earth.

     I enjoy my time with Elizabeth, this year for her birthday Robin and I ordered in food from her chosen restaurant, had desserts from an area bake shop, watched a movie and then played some Mexican Train Dominoes, which is a bit of a family tradition.  It was a quiet but nice afternoon and evening.  As much as I was enjoying this time I will admit that I was struggling a bit, but I managed to hold it together until after Elizabeth had left to go home.  Elizabeth had just gone out the door to go home when the emotional floodgates burst open, the devastation of knowing that I will never again be with her on her birthday sharing the joy of her reaching another age milestone.  No more birthday cards or gifts to buy for her, it’s done, it’s over, she will carry on without me as she should, just as I have after losing my own parents.  I suppose it’s this whole circle of life thing.

     While Elizabeth was here I had joked with her that I was struggling with this whole having a Middle-Aged Child.  Earlier in the day I had shared this lament with my Step-Mother, but I gained little sympathy from her as she pointed out that all of her offspring are well into their senior citizenship.  Intrigued or perhaps depressed at this thought when I shared it with her, Elizabeth pulled out her phone and goggled the average life expectancy of a female in Canada, and learned it is 84.47 years, so having just turned 42, she was indeed “Middle-Aged”.  There is no disputing that she does actually look 10 or 15 years younger than her actual age.

     There was a time Elizabeth and I would plan adventures for her birthdays.  For her twenty-third birthday I flew to New Zealand to spend three and a half weeks touring the south island with her in an old rental car we named Sputter.  On her actual birthday we were backpacking across lush green mountaintops, going from warm sunny weather into an ice storm and back to warm temperatures as we came down out of the mountains.  This was only time I ever had Elizabeth all to myself on her actual birthday, it also lives on as one of my favourite memories.   For her twenty-fifth birthday I picked her up in Ottawa and we drove to Quebec City for a few days, this also coincided with a brutal cold front that was setting record low temperatures for the month of January there.  We booked a walking tour and the poor guide must have thought us crazy, it was only the two of us on the tour, he added a lot of church interiors to the tour just so we all didn’t freeze to death.  When Elizabeth’s twenty-seventh birthday was rolling around she was living in England and we decided to meet in Paris for her birthday adventure.  I met her at the Charles DeGaulle Airport and together we hauled our suitcases onto the subway and found our way to our rented apartment for the week.  Okay if I’m being honest here, Elizabeth found our way to the apartment, I just followed along like the well behaved parent I was.  We walked all over Paris for the entire week, and on Elizabeth’s actual 27th birthday were standing on top of the Eiffel Tower together, another life highlight for me. 

     I would like to introduce you to the amazing woman who has the good fortune, or perhaps misfortune of sharing half my DNA,  Elizabeth Louise entered this world on a cold January day at 3:58 p.m. at the Niagara Falls General Hospital.  She was named after two of her great-grandmothers.  If memory serves me correctly she was 6 pounds 8 ounces and measured 17 inches tall.  I was there when she made her entrance, but in all honesty it’s all a bit of a blur to me now.  

     She grew up being a happy child, an active child and a pretty well behaved child, yes and dare I say it, a very cute child. 

          We moved to a country home where Elizabeth stayed with my wife and I, until she moved to her Mom’s the summer she was fourteen.  Elizabeth and I always got along very well, she was a good helper and like to learn so she and I would be building or fixing things in the workshop, or changing electrical fixtures in the house or working on the truck or tractor.  I was a runner and when I would go for a run Elizabeth would often join me on her bike, carrying my water bottle.  During the run we would have the nicest conversations, away from all other worldly distractions.  It is one of the things I am very grateful for, that Elizabeth and I were always able to talk.

     When she finished the University of Ottawa she went to New Zealand and Australia living in each country for six months.  Later she moved to England and lived in Leeds for a year, using her grandparent’s British Lineage to get her a work Visa.  After returning to Canada she lived in Toronto before meeting a partner who she followed out to Victoria for several years, and then down to Colorado for several more.  

     She has worked for Ikea in four different cities and three different countries.  Then in her thirties she decided to go back to school where she qualified as a welder which is the career she continues to pursue.

     Elizabeth has always been somewhat fitness oriented, maybe she thought it looked like fun all those years earlier when she rode her bike beside me as I ran.  One year she gave me the gift of running with me in a Father’s Day 5K in Ottawa, it was her first race.  It was cold, it was raining and there was a large hill on the course.  We finished that race side by side but she was in tears and physically spent.  I thought that might have been both the start and the end of her running pursuits, but it turned out she was no quitter.  We ran numerous other races together over the years, and in time I no longer had to wait for her, it was her waiting for me.  In time she has beaten just about all my running records, and done several marathons compared to my one.  If that wasn’t enough she then took up Triathlons and eventually completed an Ironman, finishing under her goal of fourteen hours.  Now days she is also competing in fitness competitions through her gym, in her last one she won her age category and was the third female overall.  She was, and continues to be a fitness machine.  

     Now the person behind all these achievements also happens to be one of the nicest, kindest, most thoughtful people you could ever meet.  Yes, you’re right I am very biassed, but I’m also right about this.  She makes me so very proud, she will live on long after I am gone, and where she goes, a part of me will always go with her.  

     Sometimes in life we search far and wide for inspiring people or great stories, but sometimes we should stop and look a little closer to home, because sometimes those around us have stories just as amazing as those we seek out.  Such is the case with Elizabeth, this beautiful, kind, wise, world traveller, adventurer, athlete and all round incredible person.  She also happens to be my daughter, my legacy, and my best contribution to trying to make this world a better place.

[weirdestbooks]

Tulips (Wattpad | Ao3)

Canneth requested by azaleacloud. It’s a bit short, as I’m not the best at romance, but I hope you like it. I think they are a cute couple, but they aren't canon to my universe; this is just me doing a request.

Waiting to pick up someone from an airport always seemed to take longer than it should. Canada had been waiting for his boyfriend for an hour, even though his flight had landed 45 minutes ago. 

“Basile! Sorry to keep you waiting. Baggage claim took forever,” Netherlands said, as Canada saw the Dutch nation approach him in human form. Canada laughed.

“That’s why you don’t check your bags, Willem,” Canada responded, getting out of the car to help him put his bags in it. Netherlands rolled his eyes.

“Okay, genius. I’d like to see you visit my country for a month and have so little luggage that you don’t have to check the bags.” He shot back, placing his backpack on top of his suitcase and moving to the passenger side door. Canada smiled, walked to the driver's side, and entered the car. 

“So, Neth, what plans do you have for this trip? Aside from the usual?” Canada asked. Blushing slightly, Netherlands then stammered out that he wanted to visit some more of Canada’s national parks and go hiking there.

“I was reading up on some of them, and Georgian Bay Islands National Park looks really cool. It’s in Ontario, so it shouldn’t be too far away. Beausoleil Trail seems like a cool hike, and it’s only 8 kilometers. It’s an easy hike, so I think it would be fun for us to do.” He rambled. Netherlands loved hiking and spending time in the wild, so he always made it a goal to visit and hike in at least one National Park while he was in Canada’s country.

“That sounds wonderful. We can stop at my house, and I can pack a bag for that trip. We can go there now and try to get a hotel room, or we can stay in Ottawa for a little while and then go to Georgian Bay,” Canada suggested. 

“Can we go to the park first? I can call hotels while you pack?” Netherlands asked, his face alight with joy.

“That would be great. It’s probably better if we try to get a hotel reservation before we arrive there.” Canada said, honking his horn at an idiot driver who cut him off. Netherlands nodded and pulled out his phone.

“I’ll start making calls now.” He said. 

“Thanks, Tulip,” Canada said, which caused him to get flustered. Netherlands always got embarrassed easily about pet names, which is why Canada loved to call him by them.

“Nada, stop doing that!” He groaned out, causing Canada to laugh. 

“Why? Are you embarrassed, petite tulipe?” Canada asked. Netherlands turned red, buried his face in his hands, and dropped his phone onto his lap. He groaned, and Canada laughed loudly at his reaction.

“Nady, I won’t be able to make any reservations if you keep doing this to me!” He said. 

“Fine. Once you make the reservation, I’ll get back to embarrassing you, ma tulipe.” Netherlands groaned again but quickly went to look up hotels. 

Canada turned his focus back onto the road, smiling smugly at his successful efforts of embarrassing his boyfriend. 

He was amazing.

[autoglassottawa]

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