This weekend some of our favourite people came to Montreal to visit. I've mentioned them in previous posts (Billy Elliott and Wonderful friends). We always have such a great time together and this time was no different.
They arrived on Friday night and we were able to enjoy some of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies together. I found them quite enjoyable, especially the Queen and James Bond part! Their 16-month-old girl LJ got acquainted with Taco. She was nervous and cautious at first, but they became good friends by the end of the visit.
On Saturday, we left the men in charge of the young toddler while we went out shopping. We got good teaching clothes and were able to catch up on much needed girl talk! In the afternoon, we went for a walk along the Lachine canal towards Atwater market. We then had veggie burritos for dinner and my sister came over, which made it special.
Oh I have to mention our weekend was interspersed with a LOT of Olympic watching. All four of us enjoy it tremendously, so it was always on in the background. We were able to watch Canada's first win live (synchronized diving)!
On Sunday, we took LJ to the park in front of our house and then to the wading pool. She loved both! In the afternoon, we went to the Old Port where my sister joined us once more. We walked around for a bit and then had drinks (delicious rose sangria and beer) on a terrace right on the Old Port quay. We then had dinner at Giorgio's and enjoyed the Italian food.
On Monday, we went to the Biodome, and LJ loved watching the penguins swim and waddle. We had a pretty relaxed afternoon and ordered Chinese for dinner.
Memories from this trip that we cannot forget:
- LJ getting into Taco's cage and finding it hilarious (my nephew really liked the cage too, I wonder what it is with toddlers and dog cages?)
- LJ's vocabulary: daddy = all adults she trusts, including (much to her dismay) her mom!; bus = almost any form of transportation from cars to trucks to bicycles to trains and even the metro (she experienced for the first time this weekend!)
- LJ greeting Taco with 'There he is!' in the morning = soooo cute!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Trip to Calgary
This is going to be a long post, since I jotted down everything that was noteworthy during my trip to Calgary and already have more than a page of point-form notes!
My friend Audrey was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and have us stay with her for a few days. She has two adorable Boxers that we were both very happy to meet. After a good night's sleep, we took the C-train downtown. We got off at the first station and started walking aimlessly, and soon stumbled upon the Stampede parade.
We continued our walk and had a coffee from the Good Earth Cafe, which used to be small and quaint in Eau Claire Market and is now super commercialized and everywhere. A bit of a bummer, but the coffee still tastes as good! We then ended up on Stephen Avenue (8th Ave) and my husband pointed out a man who was eating breakfast on a terrace and said: "Isn't that guy that deputy or something?" I looked in the same direction and saw someone who looked a lot like Justin Trudeau but I said: "No, that doesn't look like his wife." As soon as I had said it, his wife started waving at us. I guess we had been staring more than we thought! They both waved and I think it was my first run-in with a celebrity (it's kind of weird that most of the 'celebrities' I know are politicians! haha).
At the end of the street was the Olympic Plaza and City Hall. We took touristy pictures in front of city hall:
As we continued meandering along the streets of downtown, we ran into a part of the Stampede parade that had Mexican cowboys (charros):
We went to the base of the Calgary Tower but decided not to go up, and continued towards what is now known as 'The Core' (thanx Tara!). The Core consists of downtown shopping centres such as TD Square, Scotia Center and Banker's Hall. Nothing much had changed other than the Devonian Gardens, which used to be a lush tropical rain forest type of area on the top floor of a shopping centre, and which is now just a walkway with a few trees here and there. Perhaps my childhood memories are skewed, but I remember it being so much nicer!
Another disappointment was Eau Claire Market, which used to be the only market in Calgary (that I knew of anyway), and housed all kinds of funky stores. Now it looks like a run-down, has-been mall. Not so nice.
We then walked around Prince's Island. We had dinner at Joey's with Audrey, which was very fun! All that in one day!
On Saturday, we drove to Banff with good friends and went to the wedding ceremony. The entire bridal party was stunning! As soon as Tara walked in, I got all choked up. She was more beautiful than ever, and her dress was just perfect! The priest was great and I enjoyed all of his anecdotes during the homily.
After the ceremony, a few friends and I went to Boston Pizza for a snack and a drink. We then changed for the reception and made our way to the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel (if you've never seen it, it's worth clicking on the link). The food was amazing, the speeches made me cry, the dancing and catching up with friends was awesome. All in all, I'd say it was a perfect wedding!
We weren't finished partying when the wedding finished, so we went out to Aurora's and played some pool. We then went for a late-night meal at McDonald's and found a secret VIP room, which made everyone laugh.
On Sunday, we woke up fairly early considering our late night and went for breakfast at Phil's with a bunch of friends. We also ran into an old high school friend, which made the whole trip feel even more like a high school reunion. It's so great to catch up with old friends.
We drove back to Calgary with good friends once again (really, who would want to be stuck in a car with bad people? we choose our friends wisely, haha!). Though we were tired, we met up with Paul's cousin and drove down 17th avenue and then went for coffee in Kensington.
That night we went to my friend's new boyfriend's house near Okotoks (South of Calgary). He has 4 acres of land with an amazing view of the mountains, on which he has built the coolest loft! We enjoyed ourselves and ate some of the best burgers I've ever had!
Monday started with breakfast at a cute little cafe on MacLeod trail called London Fog. I really can't recommend it enough, if you are in Calgary, you should go check it out. The owners are just too sweet! We then walked over to Heritage Park and enjoyed the historical aspects as well as the cute animals:
We then had a late lunch at Rush, where Paul's cousin works. Oh my goodness, the food was delicious! A lot of you know I have a soft spot for carbonara, and this one was so yummy! Later that evening, we had pizza and beer with friends. It was once again, so nice to catch up with old friends. They are all so awesome and loving and I'm sad we don't live closer to each other. Thank goodness for technology!
On Monday, Ashley picked us up and we went to meet Tara and Rich's dog. He is a huge Mastiff and is just like the friendly giant. He has the cutest face and is so sweet. I joked that with our three dogs I could easily teach my Kindergarten students the words big (Mastiff - Tara's Feo), medium (Golden Lab - our Taco) and small (Chihuahua - Ashley's Louie). We then went to visit my old house - the one I grew up in. The trees have grown so much! I was hoping to go in, but no one was there to open the door. It was still nice to see it and think of all of the memories that were made there.
We then went to the Stampede. If you haven't heard about it, it's a big deal (in Calgary). Seriously though, it's a ton of fun! We went to the BMO centre where you can buy all kinds of different things (we actually bough the magic mesh which sucks - don't buy it! ours fell off 15 minutes after we installed it). We ate corn dogs, walked around the grounds, ate mini donuts, watched the hypnotist, went to the Big 4 where I worked when I was 15 years old and had some pizza, walked around the midway, went to the Agriculture tent and ran into another high school friend, went to a random horse event and then went to the Casino to rest our legs (and get some cool air). We had tickets to the Chuckwagon races and to the Grandstand show but standing room only, partly because we bought them at the last minute and partly because we are cheap. The Chuckwagon races were cool, I was glad Paul got to see some 'real' Stampede action! The show was awesome. I really loved the involvement of many Native American dances throughout the show. The dancing and singing by the Young Canadians was good, as per usual. Paul Brandt was really good, though I didn't really know many of his songs. The one song that really got to me was Alberta Bound.
This whole trip made me realize that no matter what happens in my life, a part of me will always be Calgarian/Albertan/cowgirl. My husband really enjoyed the motorcycles, there were many incredible acrobats (some were even from Cirque du Soleil) and of course, the fireworks at the end of the show were impressive.
The flight home was an adventure as an unruly passenger got kicked off the plane! We were sitting fairly close so we saw and heard how it all went down. Basically, after the safety instructions he refused to put his seat up and was sitting with his feet all over the place (in the aisle and in the other passenger's space), so the flight attendant asked him oh-so-nicely three times to sit properly for safety reasons and he was putting up such a fuss that the plane turned around and went back to the airport. The 'sheriff' came to kick him off (I call him the sheriff because during Stampede week basically all of Calgary dresses up in cowboy gear, so this security officer was wearing cowboy boots, jeans and a cowboy hat).
Taco was so happy to see us again it was really cute! Nothing like a dog to make you feel loved! He is so tired from playing with his friends all week, and is super cuddly.
There you have it! That concludes the story of our trip to Calgary. As I said, I loved reminiscing and renewing with old friends, and nurturing that side of me that needs the wide open spaces and mountain air. Calgary continues to grow, there is construction everywhere and I did feel like there was a lot more diversity than ten years ago when I lived there, which to me is a good thing!
I keep wondering: Who would I be if I still lived there?
My friend Audrey was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and have us stay with her for a few days. She has two adorable Boxers that we were both very happy to meet. After a good night's sleep, we took the C-train downtown. We got off at the first station and started walking aimlessly, and soon stumbled upon the Stampede parade.
At the end of the street was the Olympic Plaza and City Hall. We took touristy pictures in front of city hall:
As we continued meandering along the streets of downtown, we ran into a part of the Stampede parade that had Mexican cowboys (charros):
We went to the base of the Calgary Tower but decided not to go up, and continued towards what is now known as 'The Core' (thanx Tara!). The Core consists of downtown shopping centres such as TD Square, Scotia Center and Banker's Hall. Nothing much had changed other than the Devonian Gardens, which used to be a lush tropical rain forest type of area on the top floor of a shopping centre, and which is now just a walkway with a few trees here and there. Perhaps my childhood memories are skewed, but I remember it being so much nicer!
Another disappointment was Eau Claire Market, which used to be the only market in Calgary (that I knew of anyway), and housed all kinds of funky stores. Now it looks like a run-down, has-been mall. Not so nice.
We then walked around Prince's Island. We had dinner at Joey's with Audrey, which was very fun! All that in one day!
On Saturday, we drove to Banff with good friends and went to the wedding ceremony. The entire bridal party was stunning! As soon as Tara walked in, I got all choked up. She was more beautiful than ever, and her dress was just perfect! The priest was great and I enjoyed all of his anecdotes during the homily.
After the ceremony, a few friends and I went to Boston Pizza for a snack and a drink. We then changed for the reception and made our way to the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel (if you've never seen it, it's worth clicking on the link). The food was amazing, the speeches made me cry, the dancing and catching up with friends was awesome. All in all, I'd say it was a perfect wedding!
We weren't finished partying when the wedding finished, so we went out to Aurora's and played some pool. We then went for a late-night meal at McDonald's and found a secret VIP room, which made everyone laugh.
On Sunday, we woke up fairly early considering our late night and went for breakfast at Phil's with a bunch of friends. We also ran into an old high school friend, which made the whole trip feel even more like a high school reunion. It's so great to catch up with old friends.
We drove back to Calgary with good friends once again (really, who would want to be stuck in a car with bad people? we choose our friends wisely, haha!). Though we were tired, we met up with Paul's cousin and drove down 17th avenue and then went for coffee in Kensington.
That night we went to my friend's new boyfriend's house near Okotoks (South of Calgary). He has 4 acres of land with an amazing view of the mountains, on which he has built the coolest loft! We enjoyed ourselves and ate some of the best burgers I've ever had!
Monday started with breakfast at a cute little cafe on MacLeod trail called London Fog. I really can't recommend it enough, if you are in Calgary, you should go check it out. The owners are just too sweet! We then walked over to Heritage Park and enjoyed the historical aspects as well as the cute animals:
We then had a late lunch at Rush, where Paul's cousin works. Oh my goodness, the food was delicious! A lot of you know I have a soft spot for carbonara, and this one was so yummy! Later that evening, we had pizza and beer with friends. It was once again, so nice to catch up with old friends. They are all so awesome and loving and I'm sad we don't live closer to each other. Thank goodness for technology!
On Monday, Ashley picked us up and we went to meet Tara and Rich's dog. He is a huge Mastiff and is just like the friendly giant. He has the cutest face and is so sweet. I joked that with our three dogs I could easily teach my Kindergarten students the words big (Mastiff - Tara's Feo), medium (Golden Lab - our Taco) and small (Chihuahua - Ashley's Louie). We then went to visit my old house - the one I grew up in. The trees have grown so much! I was hoping to go in, but no one was there to open the door. It was still nice to see it and think of all of the memories that were made there.
We then went to the Stampede. If you haven't heard about it, it's a big deal (in Calgary). Seriously though, it's a ton of fun! We went to the BMO centre where you can buy all kinds of different things (we actually bough the magic mesh which sucks - don't buy it! ours fell off 15 minutes after we installed it). We ate corn dogs, walked around the grounds, ate mini donuts, watched the hypnotist, went to the Big 4 where I worked when I was 15 years old and had some pizza, walked around the midway, went to the Agriculture tent and ran into another high school friend, went to a random horse event and then went to the Casino to rest our legs (and get some cool air). We had tickets to the Chuckwagon races and to the Grandstand show but standing room only, partly because we bought them at the last minute and partly because we are cheap. The Chuckwagon races were cool, I was glad Paul got to see some 'real' Stampede action! The show was awesome. I really loved the involvement of many Native American dances throughout the show. The dancing and singing by the Young Canadians was good, as per usual. Paul Brandt was really good, though I didn't really know many of his songs. The one song that really got to me was Alberta Bound.
This whole trip made me realize that no matter what happens in my life, a part of me will always be Calgarian/Albertan/cowgirl. My husband really enjoyed the motorcycles, there were many incredible acrobats (some were even from Cirque du Soleil) and of course, the fireworks at the end of the show were impressive.
The flight home was an adventure as an unruly passenger got kicked off the plane! We were sitting fairly close so we saw and heard how it all went down. Basically, after the safety instructions he refused to put his seat up and was sitting with his feet all over the place (in the aisle and in the other passenger's space), so the flight attendant asked him oh-so-nicely three times to sit properly for safety reasons and he was putting up such a fuss that the plane turned around and went back to the airport. The 'sheriff' came to kick him off (I call him the sheriff because during Stampede week basically all of Calgary dresses up in cowboy gear, so this security officer was wearing cowboy boots, jeans and a cowboy hat).
Taco was so happy to see us again it was really cute! Nothing like a dog to make you feel loved! He is so tired from playing with his friends all week, and is super cuddly.
There you have it! That concludes the story of our trip to Calgary. As I said, I loved reminiscing and renewing with old friends, and nurturing that side of me that needs the wide open spaces and mountain air. Calgary continues to grow, there is construction everywhere and I did feel like there was a lot more diversity than ten years ago when I lived there, which to me is a good thing!
I keep wondering: Who would I be if I still lived there?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
last minute disorganization
Compared to many people, I am very organized. Compared to my colleagues, I am not. The whole school year, they teased me for having a messy desk. Today, all of their classrooms are packed and clean for the summer. Mine is a mess. I've emptied out my closet to try to re-organize everything and am in the process of washing the toys. Oh boy. Along these lines, during the last few weeks of school, I kept being surprised about the various projects we were working on, as if I had never been around when they were planned. So to keep within this theme, I am letting you know about a great give-away over at Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten, but you only have one day to sign up for the draw! This is last-minute, but better late than never right??? Now please send strong organizational vibes for tomorrow's clean-up day, hopefully I can get it all done and be ready for summer vacation!
Awesome giveaway!
Awesome giveaway!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Condo updates
We finished the curtains!!! We also started working on the guest room, on the patio, and on my reading corner... but unfortunately, my SanDisk card isn't working on my computer, so if anyone has a solution, it would be appreciated! That way I could show you the pictures of what I'm talking about.
In the meantime, here are a few pictures to tide you over:
In the meantime, here are a few pictures to tide you over:
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| OK, this is before the curtains were finished, but there were a few novelties, such as the cushions, table runner and plant. |
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| The stools and light fixture are new. |
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| Taco's cage is new! haha |
Saturday, June 16, 2012
May long
For May long weekend, we went to my uncle's cabin. It was a great time. Eight adults and three dogs made it interesting! We canoed, spend time in the hot tub, went for walks, read, went for a boat ride, ate great food and chatted about life.
Here are a few pictures:
Here are a few pictures:
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| We tied the dogs together since we wanted them to have some freedom, but knew that the older dog would come back if called. It worked really well! Taco is stubborn, but they played well together and didn't run away! |
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| My parents enjoying the view. |
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| Taco enjoying the view. |
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| He has grown so much! |
MIA
I have a blog? Did you forget about it too? This end-of-the-school-year has been crazier than most. I will update you on a few things that happened during the past months.
First of all, on April 25th, 2012, I took pictures all day to represent a day in my life. I did this for my friends who do not live in Montreal and wanted to know what my walk to school was like, what the library looked like, etc. Here are a few of the pictures:
Stay tuned! I'll be updating more today to catch up for lost time!
First of all, on April 25th, 2012, I took pictures all day to represent a day in my life. I did this for my friends who do not live in Montreal and wanted to know what my walk to school was like, what the library looked like, etc. Here are a few of the pictures:
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| 6am: Take Taco out |
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| Breakfast = maple syrup in coffee always! |
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| Where Taco sits as I eat breakfast |
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| Going down the stairs in the Metro |
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| Hospital by my school |
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| School - very urban setting, as you can tell |
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| Classroom |
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| End of the day - back up the metro stairs (isn't the lighting beautiful?) |
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| I love the knot in this tree. This is in the park on my walk home from the metro. |
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| The library right by my house (I'm in love with it!). |
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| Outside view of the library. |
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| Park across from my house |
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| Graffiti wall by my house - the paintings change almost daily and some are truly breath-taking! |
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| The church I go to and sing in every Sunday. |
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| The canal along which I take Taco for walks after school. |
Friday, April 13, 2012
Semana Santa 2012
I won't be able to remember everything, so I will just jot down what I remember:
Friday = day of travelling, nothing too exciting to report, but the trip is so long. Bus to the airport, flight to Houston, then to Mexico then bus to Puebla. On the bus a little boy was throwing trash on the floor and Paul and I told him not to and helped him clean up. I can't remember if we did anything cool that night. I think we were just really happy to see Paul's family and hang out with everyone.
Saturday = went to parque ecologico, and to the aviary, which was really cool. It's nice to see such green spaces in Mexico and it was nice to be out in the hot sun! In the afternoon we went to Angelopolis to walk around and see the new Luxury hall they had built (which has stores like Burberry). We ran into one of Paul's high school friends and had coffee with him and his wife. That evening was one of Paul's friend's birthday so we went to Cholula and had some beers. I felt really hip to be going out on a Saturday night!
Sunday = We went to Easter mass and I ran into an old colleague of mine! Afterwards, we all went to eat at a restaurant in Angelopolis which serves many different cuts of beef. Luckily for me, they had tuna. It was good, but the portions were HUGE!
Monday = Paul and his family went to Africam, which is a great big zoo/safari here. I had plans with friends, so I didn't go. First, I went to Triangulo to have sushi with Kristen and Rachel, and then we got our nails done (a simple French manicure on hands and feet for me). Afterwards, we went to Starbucks to see Lenya and Camille. It was so great to catch up with old friends and to meet her daughter. She is absolutely beautiful and so lively and fun!
Tuesday = My friends and I had organized a 'day of fun'. First, Paul dropped me off at Nicky's. Caitlin had come up from Mexico city for the day (thank you Cait!!!) and Cynthia was also there. Then we met Shannon, her daughter AV and her mom Gigi at Casa Reyna, a great restaurant downtown. We had breakfast there (I had the chilaquiles I'd been dying for!!!). Afterwards, we went shopping in the centro (downtown) because there was a store there where I had found the best pair of jeans. I found the store and got a new pair of jeans, and we also went to Woolworths (Nicky's favourite store) and I got a colourful T-shirt there. After that, we headed to Cholula to go to Tiki, which has always been one of my favourite places. It has a really cool beachy atmosphere and is really cheap. We stayed there all afternoon, ate some food, drank some beers, and shared lots of gossip! Then Caitlin had to catch her bus back to mexico city and we drove really quickly to drop her off at the capu. Nicky, Cynthia and I decided to continue our day of fun and we went to Starbucks and stayed until late talking about life and all sorts of things. All in all, we were together for 12 hours and had not run out of things to say!
Wednesday = In the evening, we went to Paul's grandma's house to talk and it turned into a little family reunion! Paul's uncle stopped by, all of his sisters and parents came up (Paul's grandma lives one floor above them), and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching my nephew walking around a round table.
Thursday = I woke up feeling sick so I immediately took Imodium. We went to the UDLAP to get a letter stating that I won't be finishing my Masters there because I want to transfer the credits I did there and use them towards my Masters at Mcgill. My goodness it is easier said than done. Because they don't have a pre-formated letter, they had no idea what to do. Finally, one guy was nice enough to help us and drafted a letter that looks like it will work. While the letter was being prepared we went for breakfast at Conchita's and I had chilaquiles again (very bad idea on a bad stomach). At lunchtime, I was really ill so I just slept all afternoon and drank ginger ale. I guess it wouldn't be a trip to Mexico without a bit of stomach sickness! At night we went to see American Reunion in the VIP theatre that I LOVE! They have reclining leather seats, you can reserve your seats, and you can order food from inside the theatre. Cynthia and Nicky and their husbands came too. The movie was good, it was exactly what I expected! Afterwards, we all went for dinner at Chilis and Kristen came too! Once again, it was awesome to catch up and hang out with everyone.
Friday = Mostly hung out at home enjoying time with our nephew. Had lunch and then went to the UDLAP to pick up the letter. Tonight Paul's aunts and uncles are coming over and we are having tacos. I'm very excited and super thrilled about our wonderful trip! We still have one day left, but I'm guessing we're just going to hang out and not do a whole lot.
Friday = day of travelling, nothing too exciting to report, but the trip is so long. Bus to the airport, flight to Houston, then to Mexico then bus to Puebla. On the bus a little boy was throwing trash on the floor and Paul and I told him not to and helped him clean up. I can't remember if we did anything cool that night. I think we were just really happy to see Paul's family and hang out with everyone.
Sunday = We went to Easter mass and I ran into an old colleague of mine! Afterwards, we all went to eat at a restaurant in Angelopolis which serves many different cuts of beef. Luckily for me, they had tuna. It was good, but the portions were HUGE!
Monday = Paul and his family went to Africam, which is a great big zoo/safari here. I had plans with friends, so I didn't go. First, I went to Triangulo to have sushi with Kristen and Rachel, and then we got our nails done (a simple French manicure on hands and feet for me). Afterwards, we went to Starbucks to see Lenya and Camille. It was so great to catch up with old friends and to meet her daughter. She is absolutely beautiful and so lively and fun!
Wednesday = In the evening, we went to Paul's grandma's house to talk and it turned into a little family reunion! Paul's uncle stopped by, all of his sisters and parents came up (Paul's grandma lives one floor above them), and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching my nephew walking around a round table.
Friday = Mostly hung out at home enjoying time with our nephew. Had lunch and then went to the UDLAP to pick up the letter. Tonight Paul's aunts and uncles are coming over and we are having tacos. I'm very excited and super thrilled about our wonderful trip! We still have one day left, but I'm guessing we're just going to hang out and not do a whole lot.
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