Well, havent been this way in a long time!
I am just not feeling it. Just blah. I have no energy to do anything. Dont want to read, dont want to scrapbook, dont want to watch a movie, dont want to do anything. Just blah.
Had a great weekend in Great Falls this past weekend. Did a little bit of shopping - only spent about $160US (mostly on DVDs) so I am proud of that. Bought some cool stuff for Squid if he is a boy or girl lol Man, I was always against finding out what the sex of the baby was - some things in life should be a surprise, but this is killing me! LOL I need to know! I need to do colours and outfits and toys and stuff! Oh well. Patience grasshopper. (not one of my strong points!). The girls were over their limits. Good thing I was WAY under to help them out. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and we were all pleasantly surprised by the room and the comp breakfast. We had supper at Applebees one night nad oh goodness it was awesome! Funny thing is that the stores totally werent crowded at all the entire weekend. It was very cool to stop that way.
I am off to Calgary this Sunday with Kari. We do this annual trip to Ikea and some of the malls so she can finish her shopping. Why? Cuz we are crazy. I hate hate hate crowds. As long as we can get in and out quick I am ok. As soon as I have to wait around and get pushed around by people I am not. Wendy gave me a list to shop for at Ikea so I guess I should actually go in hahaha
I think that is about all. I am going to organize all the gifts I have for everyone to make sure I have everything.
Hopefully that will make the blahs go away.
That is all from the Cheap seats!!!!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
23 pages, Christmas cards and a craft show
That is what happened last weekend and this weekend coming up!
We headed out to the Bloomin Inn last weekend for our bi-annual group of 7 weekend. It rocked! We went a day early and does that ever make a difference!!! We didnt feel pressure to rush, we didnt feel the need to "have" to get up early. It was nice. We all really needed the time away with friends.
I got 23 pages done - my DT stuff for Embellished and most of my layouts from my Canada/New England cruise. Most of my time on Saturday was spent teaching classes. We made a really cute coaster book thing out of Basic Gray Figgy Pudding. I got home Sunday and on Monday started my Christmas cards. I have about 20 done so far which is good.
This weekend mom and dad will be here for the Christmas Craft show. Hopefully the roads are good for them. I think they are coming up earlier as mom only has to work until noon-ish. They were only here for a bit a couple of weeks ago on their way to Great Falls. It will be nice to see them for longer.
Found a cute little Edmonton Oilers jersy at Zellers tonight. I am going to show mom and see what she thinks. It only comes in 12, 18 and 24 mths, but I think I might get it for Squid anyway. Wendy and Kevin are such huge Oilers fans that they will probably dress Squid in it before "it" is that old anyway! hehe
Not much else to update you on. Not much happening. Have to use up a ton of banked hours so I had a short week last week (3 days) and this week (2 days) which is nice, but sucks cuz I work 6 next week lol
There is a surprise 20x the points event at Shoppers on Dec 1. If you would like the email to register for it, let me know. I will be happy to send it to you. 20x the points adds up quick. Better yet - they should be having the bonus redemption soon too! YAH! Stocking stuffers LOL
We headed out to the Bloomin Inn last weekend for our bi-annual group of 7 weekend. It rocked! We went a day early and does that ever make a difference!!! We didnt feel pressure to rush, we didnt feel the need to "have" to get up early. It was nice. We all really needed the time away with friends.
I got 23 pages done - my DT stuff for Embellished and most of my layouts from my Canada/New England cruise. Most of my time on Saturday was spent teaching classes. We made a really cute coaster book thing out of Basic Gray Figgy Pudding. I got home Sunday and on Monday started my Christmas cards. I have about 20 done so far which is good.
This weekend mom and dad will be here for the Christmas Craft show. Hopefully the roads are good for them. I think they are coming up earlier as mom only has to work until noon-ish. They were only here for a bit a couple of weeks ago on their way to Great Falls. It will be nice to see them for longer.
Found a cute little Edmonton Oilers jersy at Zellers tonight. I am going to show mom and see what she thinks. It only comes in 12, 18 and 24 mths, but I think I might get it for Squid anyway. Wendy and Kevin are such huge Oilers fans that they will probably dress Squid in it before "it" is that old anyway! hehe
Not much else to update you on. Not much happening. Have to use up a ton of banked hours so I had a short week last week (3 days) and this week (2 days) which is nice, but sucks cuz I work 6 next week lol
There is a surprise 20x the points event at Shoppers on Dec 1. If you would like the email to register for it, let me know. I will be happy to send it to you. 20x the points adds up quick. Better yet - they should be having the bonus redemption soon too! YAH! Stocking stuffers LOL
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Things are looking up
I cant believe this week!
All the Europe tour brochures are in. Linda and I got together today and went through them. I think we are going to go with the Insight tour around Ireland. We just have to figure out a date that will work for both of us.
I kicked ass in sales last month and surpassed my 2 month quota in just October alone *woot* That means bonus at the end of November!!!! Also had my review last week and things are going ok. I got a small raise so that is cool. (it will probably just go to taxes so that kinda sucks, but it is cool to get one).
I think I may have found a roomate! That is awesome. That will help so much! I also got my notice that my rent is going up $200 effective Feb 1 which sucks but whatever. The new owners dont care that I am a great tennent that has been here for 3.5 years.
Linda spoke to her mom about me getting one of their places which would be awesome. They have one just around the corner from me for abotu $550 a month and another on the West side for about $600 a month. It wouldnt be for a couple of months, but we will see. If I can move and save some $$ I will. If I get in the one around the corner, I may not even need a roomie.
Mom, Dad, Wendy and Kevin are stopping for the night next Friday. Apparently she is pretty pregnant looking! hehe Squid isnt so much a squid anymore, but that will always be my pet name for him/her. I can see the layout already! They are heading to Great Falls for the long weekend. They are going shopping for baby stuff. They have so much better selection down there. Hopefully they are able to find some good stuff.
Going grocery shopping tomorrow after meeting Linda at Costco to pick up her photos. Have to try to find sheer brown ribbon too if at all possible. I am going to try Walmart. We will see.
I think that is about all from the cheap seats. Clocks have been turned back. I am off to go through Jessica and Lindas pictures from San Fran to see if they got any that I may have missed. Other than that I am off to do nothing for the rest of the evening!
All the Europe tour brochures are in. Linda and I got together today and went through them. I think we are going to go with the Insight tour around Ireland. We just have to figure out a date that will work for both of us.
I kicked ass in sales last month and surpassed my 2 month quota in just October alone *woot* That means bonus at the end of November!!!! Also had my review last week and things are going ok. I got a small raise so that is cool. (it will probably just go to taxes so that kinda sucks, but it is cool to get one).
I think I may have found a roomate! That is awesome. That will help so much! I also got my notice that my rent is going up $200 effective Feb 1 which sucks but whatever. The new owners dont care that I am a great tennent that has been here for 3.5 years.
Linda spoke to her mom about me getting one of their places which would be awesome. They have one just around the corner from me for abotu $550 a month and another on the West side for about $600 a month. It wouldnt be for a couple of months, but we will see. If I can move and save some $$ I will. If I get in the one around the corner, I may not even need a roomie.
Mom, Dad, Wendy and Kevin are stopping for the night next Friday. Apparently she is pretty pregnant looking! hehe Squid isnt so much a squid anymore, but that will always be my pet name for him/her. I can see the layout already! They are heading to Great Falls for the long weekend. They are going shopping for baby stuff. They have so much better selection down there. Hopefully they are able to find some good stuff.
Going grocery shopping tomorrow after meeting Linda at Costco to pick up her photos. Have to try to find sheer brown ribbon too if at all possible. I am going to try Walmart. We will see.
I think that is about all from the cheap seats. Clocks have been turned back. I am off to go through Jessica and Lindas pictures from San Fran to see if they got any that I may have missed. Other than that I am off to do nothing for the rest of the evening!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
How about an update?
> Last night was Croptacular at Embellished Memories. We had 2 sessions (day and evening) and both were full! We had such a blast. I didnt get much done - spent a lot of money on paper/embellishments for my Drumheller layouts but its all good. Did a little mini paint tin as a make and take so that was fun. Everyone said that they had a great time which is awesome! On to plan National Scrapbook Day in May now :)
> 25 sleeps until we head out to the Bloomin Inn again. Cant wait to see the girls and have a bit of time to get some stuff done. I have a few thing planned - Canada/New England cruise, Drumheller, Margies wedding and Squids lullaby album. Hopefully I will get some done lol
> FINALLY got my fridge. A month later. Good times. It was an expensive month. Blah. It is way smaller than my old one too so it is taking a bit to adjust to that, but whatever it is working and that is all that matters I guess.
> Went to buy groceries today! WOW! A month without anywhere to put them to keep them cold makes you appreciate it. I had fun. It feels good to have some food in the house again - I was really tired of eating out. blah. Didnt spend as much as I thought I would have either Yah me! Considering I had to replace a lot....
> Wendy has less than 3 months to go until Squid arrives. She has begun the countdown! LOL She is on the search for a nursery set that she likes. Hasnt found one yet, but we have come up with a great idea to paint canvases one colour each to add colour and texture to the walls. That way they are easy to repaint and to change up as Squid grows up hehe
> I write my CTC exam next Saturday. It is a certification for a job I have been doing for 11 years. If I fail it (you have to get 80% to pass) I will be so freakin' embarrassed lol It is 2 parts - 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. We get 2.5 hours for each segment. I am ok with most of it - the pricing, the package info, the tour info, the pros/cons and benefits/features of all inclusives, tours, cruises etc......I am worried about the detailed maps. We dont know which one it will be - could be Europe, Canada, US, Africa, Asia or Caribbean. Crap. So we basically have to memorize all of them.......which isnt fair cuz really you always have a map, atlast and the computer at your desk.
> I finally have one of my classes going on Wednesday - it is a Christmas Card class so that is exciting. I have planned so many of them, but I guess they arent too techniquey bc they have been popular with questions at the store, but not for signups (I am assuming that people have figured out how to do it at home). Oh well. Excited to teach again. It will get me back into the swing of things for my make and take class at the Bloomin Inn
Hmmmm what else? I think that is all. Off to watch reruns of So You Think You Can Dance lol Yup, the excitement of my life is something to be envied eh? That is about all from the cheap seats for now!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Too fast!
I cant believe it is already Oct 10!!! Where is the time going?
Work has been so busy. We are short staffed again and so it is hard to take time off. That being said, I have a ton of banked hours I have to use up incase we get audited (I am currently at 35+ and am only supposed to be holding 21 max!).
I AM TAKING TOMORROW OFF! Dont get too excited. I have a ton of stuff I have to do. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I have to call the Dr and make and appointment. I have to do DT stuff. I have more cleaning to do.
I did run to Costco tonight and picked up some family photos from Margies wedding. I am going to do up a canvas for the Christmas gift class on family. "I also ordered my Canada/New England photos on Friday. Cant wait to scrapbook those. I picked up some papers on Saturday but I need to get a few more for layouts. Should be fun!
I was supposed to have a nail appt today. Had it down for 530pm but it was at 515pm so they moved me to tomorrow night. Whatever. Kinda
That is about all from the cheap seats for now. just wanted to update quick. Sorry there isnt too much exciting going on.
Work has been so busy. We are short staffed again
I AM TAKING TOMORROW OFF! Dont get too excited. I have a ton of stuff I have to do. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I have to call the Dr and make and appointment. I have to do DT stuff. I have more cleaning to do.
I did run to Costco tonight and picked up some family photos from Margies wedding. I am going to do up a canvas for the Christmas gift class on family. "I also ordered my Canada/New England photos on Friday. Cant wait to scrapbook those. I picked up some papers on Saturday but I need to get a few more for layouts. Should be fun!
I was supposed to have a nail appt today. Had it down for 530pm but it was at 515pm so they moved me to tomorrow night. Whatever. Kinda
That is about all from the cheap seats for now. just wanted to update quick. Sorry there isnt too much exciting going on.
Monday, October 01, 2007
October already?
Where did September go?
I was hardly around for the month of September! I was working, doing DT stuff, classes, flew to Regina for Margie's wedding, flew to San Francisco with the girls, put on an amazing trade show with the office this weekend. Lots of hours, lots of work, lots of busy busy but a good month.
Now it is October! I cant believe it!
Guess what - I am Guest Design Team member for The Nook for October. Check out my challenges throughout the month. Join in the chatting. The girls are great!!! Patti and Elia rock my socks off. They are so amazing! I was going to post a bunch of challenges today but decided to break them up throughout the month for the girls to work on. Dont be afraid! Come on and join us :)
Hope you have a great October 1. That is all from the cheap seats today.
I was hardly around for the month of September! I was working, doing DT stuff, classes, flew to Regina for Margie's wedding, flew to San Francisco with the girls, put on an amazing trade show with the office this weekend. Lots of hours, lots of work, lots of busy busy but a good month.
Now it is October! I cant believe it!
Guess what - I am Guest Design Team member for The Nook for October. Check out my challenges throughout the month. Join in the chatting. The girls are great!!! Patti and Elia rock my socks off. They are so amazing! I was going to post a bunch of challenges today but decided to break them up throughout the month for the girls to work on. Dont be afraid! Come on and join us :)
Hope you have a great October 1. That is all from the cheap seats today.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
I left my heart in San Francisco!
Seriously I loved that city! We had such an awesome time (minus the sea sickness on the whale watching tour, but good drugs took care of that eventually lol). So for anyone out there that still might read my blog, here is a quick summary of the trip.
As per the excel sheet I did up prior *hey, 6 women were travelling together, we had to stay on course
Thursday I drove up to Calgary, picked up Linda in Okotoks, Susan in Calgary and then we drove to Lauras. Her husband (who is a cutie) drove us in the Hummer cuz we needed the room! LOL) Checkin was smooth, Customs was a bit of a wait, we had a quick bite to eat (Harveys sucks ass, they are so sloooooooooooooooooooooow!) and away we flew. Watched Shrek 3 on the plane. Missed the last 10 min.....oh well
Got a cab for 6 and luggage.....very rare! Got to hotel, checked in. They put us on the Club floor "away from the peasants" lol that is what the guy said to us! hahah if he only knew! Room ok. basic but in need of an update. We get to the room and unload then off to the lounge for a quick drink and some appies.
Friday - up early and on the go. Hop on Hop off tour. They gave us the old address for it so we hightailed to the new address for it lol got on. Our guide was kinda a dork, but what can you do. We did the entire loop and then went for lunch in Fishermans wharf. So yummy! I had a dungeonous crab salad sandwich. We then went to the cable car and took it up "Rice a roni street" hehe that is what they call it the commercials were filmed there! all the way down to Union Square. Got off, checked out some of the stores then walked down Maiden way (used to be brothels) and then up to Chinatown.
Had a Bubble Tea (ummm mine was a Strawberry smoothie with pearls) SO YUMMY! I want to find a recipe now L:OL Some of the girls didnt like the tapioca in it but I *heart* tapioca. Walked through Little Italy and to the church where Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe had their photos taken. Had supper at the Stinking Rose - world famous garlic restaurant. It was a good time. The Vampire bite drink sucked ass though lol and the girls ordered garlic icecream to try. ew but some liked it lol
Met up with Jessicas dad (he was in San Fran working! How cool) and he joined us for the Ghost tour. It was kinda hokey, too much history not enough ghost stories. I wasnt scared at all. I expected more out of it. After he drove us back to the hotel.
Saturday we were up early and off to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz tour. We were booked on the 930am (missed the 9am tour as it was full when we booked). It was raining when we got there and while on the boat ride over but all cleared up once we got inside and it turned into a beautiful day! The tour is AMAZING!!!! They give you an audio tour to follow which is so nice. It is narrated by one of the gaurds who used to work there and some of the old prisoners speak on it too about their life there. It has background noises (cels shutting, dishes rattling and chairs on the floor, etc). It was eerie.....I wouldnt be able to do the sunset/evening one that is forsure! I didnt realize that families had lived there - gaurds and their wives and children lived in a spacial part of the island.
After our tour, Jess' dad met us at the pier and then we walked to Pier 39 for lunch at the Hard Rock cafe. So yummy! Then we walked around and saw the sights and then checked out the Sealions. They are Seal-ebrities hahaha He then drove us all over!!! Without him, we would have been limited and missed a few things!
We drove down Lombard street (the crookedest street in the world), we drove out to Golden Gate bridge and took photos and then out to Alamo Square to take photos of the 6 sisters (which you will recognize from the beginning shots of the Full House tv show). We also saw a cop chase and we think it was the guys running through the park yelling GO GO GO and removing their jackets........interesting! LOL He then dropped us off at the baseball game where we watched the Giants beat the Reds 2-0. Fun times! The girls had never been and enjoyed the atmosphere. Oh and we had pretzels, cotton candy, hot chocolate, $5 cokes and chiros. Cabbed back to the hotel....some were wanting to walk, but once on the drive they were like glad we cabbed it! NOT a safe area to be walking!!!
Sunday we were up SUPER early for the sleeper cruise.......ummm I mean whale watch! Cabbed to the Yahat club and met the group then onto the boat and weellllllllllllllllllllllll you know the rest of my day - I have never had an issue with boats before and I think it was the lack of horizon to watch since it was so cloudy. I was sick and took really good drugs which knocked me out! LOL I saw 2 whales spybot and then some tails and some fins. That is about all. We did get some tshirts made up that say Tourists are Friends not Food cuz it is the peak of Great White shark season there (although one of the other boats saw some we didnt). After our tour, we counldnt get a cab so we walked 45 min to Fishermans wharf.
We did a small amount of souvenier shopping (10 min) and then met the other girls for supper. We were only and hour late! Oops. Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.......omg and lobster ravioli omg yum. Serious yum! We then took the streetcar again to the end and walked to our hotel. Not a good idea if we were alone, but in a group of 6 it wasnt too freaky! LOL We made it. Saw lots of homeless people wrapped in newspaper and sleeping in the store front alcoves. Sad. But reality. I went to sleep right away after I did our online check in. The other girls stayed up and had some wine. I couldnt keep my eyes open.
Flew home Monday. About an hour delay due to the Montreal flight getting there late. Got home around 9pm and to bed early! Dad was still here. Apparently Ditsy moved out completely on Friday and is gone. Locks are changed and I have the place to myself - until I find another roommate.
Next year, we are planning New York City! *woot*
As per the excel sheet I did up prior *hey, 6 women were travelling together, we had to stay on course
Thursday I drove up to Calgary, picked up Linda in Okotoks, Susan in Calgary and then we drove to Lauras. Her husband (who is a cutie) drove us in the Hummer cuz we needed the room! LOL) Checkin was smooth, Customs was a bit of a wait, we had a quick bite to eat (Harveys sucks ass, they are so sloooooooooooooooooooooow!) and away we flew. Watched Shrek 3 on the plane. Missed the last 10 min.....oh well
Got a cab for 6 and luggage.....very rare! Got to hotel, checked in. They put us on the Club floor "away from the peasants" lol that is what the guy said to us! hahah if he only knew! Room ok. basic but in need of an update. We get to the room and unload then off to the lounge for a quick drink and some appies.
Friday - up early and on the go. Hop on Hop off tour. They gave us the old address for it so we hightailed to the new address for it lol got on. Our guide was kinda a dork, but what can you do. We did the entire loop and then went for lunch in Fishermans wharf. So yummy! I had a dungeonous crab salad sandwich. We then went to the cable car and took it up "Rice a roni street" hehe that is what they call it the commercials were filmed there! all the way down to Union Square. Got off, checked out some of the stores then walked down Maiden way (used to be brothels) and then up to Chinatown.
Had a Bubble Tea (ummm mine was a Strawberry smoothie with pearls) SO YUMMY! I want to find a recipe now L:OL Some of the girls didnt like the tapioca in it but I *heart* tapioca. Walked through Little Italy and to the church where Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe had their photos taken. Had supper at the Stinking Rose - world famous garlic restaurant. It was a good time. The Vampire bite drink sucked ass though lol and the girls ordered garlic icecream to try. ew but some liked it lol
Met up with Jessicas dad (he was in San Fran working! How cool) and he joined us for the Ghost tour. It was kinda hokey, too much history not enough ghost stories. I wasnt scared at all. I expected more out of it. After he drove us back to the hotel.
Saturday we were up early and off to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz tour. We were booked on the 930am (missed the 9am tour as it was full when we booked). It was raining when we got there and while on the boat ride over but all cleared up once we got inside and it turned into a beautiful day! The tour is AMAZING!!!! They give you an audio tour to follow which is so nice. It is narrated by one of the gaurds who used to work there and some of the old prisoners speak on it too about their life there. It has background noises (cels shutting, dishes rattling and chairs on the floor, etc). It was eerie.....I wouldnt be able to do the sunset/evening one that is forsure! I didnt realize that families had lived there - gaurds and their wives and children lived in a spacial part of the island.
After our tour, Jess' dad met us at the pier and then we walked to Pier 39 for lunch at the Hard Rock cafe. So yummy! Then we walked around and saw the sights and then checked out the Sealions. They are Seal-ebrities hahaha He then drove us all over!!! Without him, we would have been limited and missed a few things!
We drove down Lombard street (the crookedest street in the world), we drove out to Golden Gate bridge and took photos and then out to Alamo Square to take photos of the 6 sisters (which you will recognize from the beginning shots of the Full House tv show). We also saw a cop chase and we think it was the guys running through the park yelling GO GO GO and removing their jackets........interesting! LOL He then dropped us off at the baseball game where we watched the Giants beat the Reds 2-0. Fun times! The girls had never been and enjoyed the atmosphere. Oh and we had pretzels, cotton candy, hot chocolate, $5 cokes and chiros. Cabbed back to the hotel....some were wanting to walk, but once on the drive they were like glad we cabbed it! NOT a safe area to be walking!!!
Sunday we were up SUPER early for the sleeper cruise.......ummm I mean whale watch! Cabbed to the Yahat club and met the group then onto the boat and weellllllllllllllllllllllll you know the rest of my day - I have never had an issue with boats before and I think it was the lack of horizon to watch since it was so cloudy. I was sick and took really good drugs which knocked me out! LOL I saw 2 whales spybot and then some tails and some fins. That is about all. We did get some tshirts made up that say Tourists are Friends not Food cuz it is the peak of Great White shark season there (although one of the other boats saw some we didnt). After our tour, we counldnt get a cab so we walked 45 min to Fishermans wharf.
We did a small amount of souvenier shopping (10 min) and then met the other girls for supper. We were only and hour late! Oops. Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.......omg and lobster ravioli omg yum. Serious yum! We then took the streetcar again to the end and walked to our hotel. Not a good idea if we were alone, but in a group of 6 it wasnt too freaky! LOL We made it. Saw lots of homeless people wrapped in newspaper and sleeping in the store front alcoves. Sad. But reality. I went to sleep right away after I did our online check in. The other girls stayed up and had some wine. I couldnt keep my eyes open.
Flew home Monday. About an hour delay due to the Montreal flight getting there late. Got home around 9pm and to bed early! Dad was still here. Apparently Ditsy moved out completely on Friday and is gone. Locks are changed and I have the place to myself - until I find another roommate.
Next year, we are planning New York City! *woot*
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
One more thing....
Can I just mention that it freakin' SNOWED today!!!!! LOL Yup, big white, heavy snowflakes were falling this morning.
I *heart* winter!
I *heart* winter!
Oh so much to tell you!
1. Ditsy is moving out this weekend. FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!! He has been so pissy lately - I finally told him not to be pissy with me since he brought this on himself. I have a list of things that have to be done before he moves out to get his damage deposit back and since I have done all his cleaning this week and redone all his dishes, I have started to charge him for it lol
2. I am off to San Fran with the girls this weekend. Oh wait, this weekend? Yup! We have a FULL schedule! Hop on Hop off tour, Ghost walk tour, Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf, baseball game, whale watching tour........whew. I have 3 memory cards, my battery charger and I should be good to go! LOL I cant wait. I have my comfy shoes and lots of layers. We even got shirts made up for our Whale watching tour - Tourists are Friends NOT Food! hehehe Should be a good layout and the title is already there for us!
3. My dad came tonight to stay at my place this weekend to watch over things! He rocks my socks off! Dropped everything to come and help me out this weekend!
4. Had the worst day in history today. I have a huge file that the cruiseline cancelled. ACK! Well usually not an issue............except that they are going over Christmas and they have their air booked and the ship is basically sold out. *sob* I had to deal with that all day today.
5. I am Guest Design Team member at The Scrappin Nook for October! I cant wait to come up with some great challenges and games. It should be a lot of fun!
6. Survivor China starts tomorrow. I will have to miss it since I wont be here, but it is usally just the one that goes through all the people. Maybe if I remember I can set the VCR to tape it.
7. H is back at school and doing well after the accident. She is still a bit tired but has been making it through the entire day. It is so wonderful that she has bounced back so quickly. She is going to be trying out for the drama club but may have to forego the cheerleading this year.
i think that is all from the cheapseats for now. I will be back Monday night with tons of stories I am sure :)
2. I am off to San Fran with the girls this weekend. Oh wait, this weekend? Yup! We have a FULL schedule! Hop on Hop off tour, Ghost walk tour, Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf, baseball game, whale watching tour........whew. I have 3 memory cards, my battery charger and I should be good to go! LOL I cant wait. I have my comfy shoes and lots of layers. We even got shirts made up for our Whale watching tour - Tourists are Friends NOT Food! hehehe Should be a good layout and the title is already there for us!
3. My dad came tonight to stay at my place this weekend to watch over things! He rocks my socks off! Dropped everything to come and help me out this weekend!
4. Had the worst day in history today. I have a huge file that the cruiseline cancelled. ACK! Well usually not an issue............except that they are going over Christmas and they have their air booked and the ship is basically sold out. *sob* I had to deal with that all day today.
5. I am Guest Design Team member at The Scrappin Nook for October! I cant wait to come up with some great challenges and games. It should be a lot of fun!
6. Survivor China starts tomorrow. I will have to miss it since I wont be here, but it is usally just the one that goes through all the people. Maybe if I remember I can set the VCR to tape it.
7. H is back at school and doing well after the accident. She is still a bit tired but has been making it through the entire day. It is so wonderful that she has bounced back so quickly. She is going to be trying out for the drama club but may have to forego the cheerleading this year.
i think that is all from the cheapseats for now. I will be back Monday night with tons of stories I am sure :)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
And now.....kicking the roommate out
After waking up this morning to the back door open and the lights in the living room on, I have had it. Gave Ditsy his notice tonight after work.
I came home and cooled off by checking emails online and then he came into the living room and turned off the light by my computer - while I was working. him "Oh that is what that does"
me "Yes, and you left the lights on last night as well as the back door open" him "No I didnt"
me "Ummmm ya you did. I got up, showered, got dressed and came downstairs for breakfast.....the door was unlocked. AGAIN. We had this conversation last Tuesday. I can not live with someone who doesnt respect me and my stuff. I am giving you your notice and I want you out by the end of Oct"
him "Oct? The courts will love that"
me "Courts? What do you have to stand on? I have a signed agreement that we only have to give 30 days notice to move out and I am giving you 6 weeks. You have nothing to stand on. I will have a chq for you for Nov and Dec rent that you have prepaid and if you find something for the end of the month, I will even give you Octobers, even though I dont have to."
him "But there isnt anything to rent. I have been looking for a new place."
me "Sorry that is my decision."
I was even nice enough to print off the off campus housing from the UofL and the Lethbridge Herald rentals :) See, I am nice!
I called my landlady to advise her of what is going on incase she gets a call or has issues. I left her a message. I adv that my friend Kari is coming in to check on my place this weekend as I am in Regina for my cousins wedding, and next weekend while I am in San Fran. She will have the number to my landlady and she has authorization to do whatever is needed (ie. if a party or something to call the cops). I have taken photos of all my stuff and all the rooms. Sad that that has to be done. I have also advised my land lady that I will call her once he is gone so I can change up the locks for the house since I dont want anything to do with him.
ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to my roommate hell!!!! I think I will take a break and try to do it on my own. I will get rid of cable if I have to and save $30 a month. I will save up on groceries and meal plan every day. I will stop eating out. I will stop buying extras and nonessential stuff. I can do this. Really I can! (God I hope I can!)
That is all from the cheapseats........thanks for listening to me whine!
haha ps next weekend we are going to a ball game in San Fran. Hilarious that we are sitting in the cheapseats as we want to go for the experience not the game *giggle* that made me laugh!
I came home and cooled off by checking emails online and then he came into the living room and turned off the light by my computer - while I was working. him "Oh that is what that does"
me "Yes, and you left the lights on last night as well as the back door open" him "No I didnt"
me "Ummmm ya you did. I got up, showered, got dressed and came downstairs for breakfast.....the door was unlocked. AGAIN. We had this conversation last Tuesday. I can not live with someone who doesnt respect me and my stuff. I am giving you your notice and I want you out by the end of Oct"
him "Oct? The courts will love that"
me "Courts? What do you have to stand on? I have a signed agreement that we only have to give 30 days notice to move out and I am giving you 6 weeks. You have nothing to stand on. I will have a chq for you for Nov and Dec rent that you have prepaid and if you find something for the end of the month, I will even give you Octobers, even though I dont have to."
him "But there isnt anything to rent. I have been looking for a new place."
me "Sorry that is my decision."
I was even nice enough to print off the off campus housing from the UofL and the Lethbridge Herald rentals :) See, I am nice!
I called my landlady to advise her of what is going on incase she gets a call or has issues. I left her a message. I adv that my friend Kari is coming in to check on my place this weekend as I am in Regina for my cousins wedding, and next weekend while I am in San Fran. She will have the number to my landlady and she has authorization to do whatever is needed (ie. if a party or something to call the cops). I have taken photos of all my stuff and all the rooms. Sad that that has to be done. I have also advised my land lady that I will call her once he is gone so I can change up the locks for the house since I dont want anything to do with him.
ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to my roommate hell!!!! I think I will take a break and try to do it on my own. I will get rid of cable if I have to and save $30 a month. I will save up on groceries and meal plan every day. I will stop eating out. I will stop buying extras and nonessential stuff. I can do this. Really I can! (God I hope I can!)
That is all from the cheapseats........thanks for listening to me whine!
haha ps next weekend we are going to a ball game in San Fran. Hilarious that we are sitting in the cheapseats as we want to go for the experience not the game *giggle* that made me laugh!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Killing the roommate
OMG This guys is a gem We had it out last Tuesday. And by that, I mean, I told him what I thought. I was calm and didnt yell, or anything.
On Tuesday morning I left for work and walked out into the backyard - pop cans all over the picnic table, the yard, boxes from the pop cans, papers all over, his music stuff out there, cigarette wrappers and those silver papers on the ground. I was so pissed, I was SHAKING! To make things even more interesting when I got home a lunch (2-3pm) he was still sleeping and the front door was UNLOCKED. I was livid! I got home and it was still a mess and he was sitting out there smoking again. So I came in, changed and calmed down a bit. Then I let in to him when he came in.
I explained the mess, I explained the unlocked door, I explained the fact that if I couldnt trust him to lock a door, how could I trust him when I am gone for weekends and on holidays. It isnt his stuff here. It is mine and I dont have thousands of dollars to replace everything right away. Oh I was on a roll. I also said that the mess in the backyard was totally in violation of the roommate agreement he signed on Friday, and were terms for eviction. I went on and on. I even told him that I lived with a roommate for the past 2 years bc he paid the bills......but I couldnt wait for him to move in June. At that time I vowed to myself never to live with someone I couldnt stand anymore. I said "You havent even been here a week and I am already ready to kick your ass out" His comment to me? "I am doing the dishes arent I???" Oh ya, wonderful. That is a common courtesy that you do everyday.
We havent talked since then.
My friends Candie and Vicki were down from Swift this weekend. Cand brought her daughter Reece (8mths). We had so much fun! We laughed so hard. OMG Cand made the best comment of the weekend - who else can we hang out with and make fun of or mock and laugh about it. No one! None of us take the comments seriously. We laugh everything off. We have always had that type of friendship. It rocks! So we went shopping, and out for suppers and watched movies. We joked that our nights out have drasticly changed from going out to the bars and partying, to hanging out and home to drink and party, to renting a movie and being in bed early! LOL They left early this morning.
I just got off the phone with mom and dad. They are looking at going to the Norskhostfest over Thanksgiving weekend. Mom has always wanted to go and Dad goes along for the ride lol There is a bus tour from Swift Current and they might go. She is going to stop by the agency putting it on to see if they still have space. I should check with our Nats too, to see if we have anything. So, not sure what I am doing for Oct long weekend if they go...........Ya I do!!! Renting movies, sleeping in on Sunday and Scrapbooking!
I finished my Alaska cruise book (FINALLY!!!) so now I am on a mission to pick out photos from my Canada/New England cruise in June. I cant wait to work on those! I feel like it has been forever since I went!
I am flying to Regina on Friday for my cousin Margie's wedding!!!! She is my dads cousin and 66 (?) years old. She was married before and lost her husband to a drowning before I was born. She has lived on her own since then. She belongs to an old time dance club there and I guess met him there. I cant wait! Small town Sask wedding! Woohoo! Alas, my flight back home is at 9am on Sunday as that is the only space I could find, but I get home at a decent hour and have time to get some stuff done around the house in the afternoon. Tony is picking me up on Friday night. I get there around midnight!
The weekend after is our girls weekend to San Fransisco!!!! This has been in the planning since January! That is when we booked our flights down and our hotel. About a month ago, I got all of our attractions and sights seeing booked (the ones I could prebook). And we are good to go! Our dollar is doing well and I have been picking up a bit of US over the past little bit. I think I might get some more over the next couple of weeks just to be sure. I can always squirrel it away for my next cruise.
I get back from that and that weekend we have our Travel Show at the Ramada on Sunday. It is going to be 2 weeks straight of work for me with that show, but whatever. It always happens to me.
And then it is Thanksgiving and moms birthday. We bought her tickets to a show in Saskatoon that she wants to see. So that should be fun for her.
That is about all from the cheapseats. Off to finish cooking supper. I just had to send a quick update as it has been a bit!
On Tuesday morning I left for work and walked out into the backyard - pop cans all over the picnic table, the yard, boxes from the pop cans, papers all over, his music stuff out there, cigarette wrappers and those silver papers on the ground. I was so pissed, I was SHAKING! To make things even more interesting when I got home a lunch (2-3pm) he was still sleeping and the front door was UNLOCKED. I was livid! I got home and it was still a mess and he was sitting out there smoking again. So I came in, changed and calmed down a bit. Then I let in to him when he came in.
I explained the mess, I explained the unlocked door, I explained the fact that if I couldnt trust him to lock a door, how could I trust him when I am gone for weekends and on holidays. It isnt his stuff here. It is mine and I dont have thousands of dollars to replace everything right away. Oh I was on a roll. I also said that the mess in the backyard was totally in violation of the roommate agreement he signed on Friday, and were terms for eviction. I went on and on. I even told him that I lived with a roommate for the past 2 years bc he paid the bills......but I couldnt wait for him to move in June. At that time I vowed to myself never to live with someone I couldnt stand anymore. I said "You havent even been here a week and I am already ready to kick your ass out" His comment to me? "I am doing the dishes arent I???" Oh ya, wonderful. That is a common courtesy that you do everyday.
We havent talked since then.
My friends Candie and Vicki were down from Swift this weekend. Cand brought her daughter Reece (8mths). We had so much fun! We laughed so hard. OMG Cand made the best comment of the weekend - who else can we hang out with and make fun of or mock and laugh about it. No one! None of us take the comments seriously. We laugh everything off. We have always had that type of friendship. It rocks! So we went shopping, and out for suppers and watched movies. We joked that our nights out have drasticly changed from going out to the bars and partying, to hanging out and home to drink and party, to renting a movie and being in bed early! LOL They left early this morning.
I just got off the phone with mom and dad. They are looking at going to the Norskhostfest over Thanksgiving weekend. Mom has always wanted to go and Dad goes along for the ride lol There is a bus tour from Swift Current and they might go. She is going to stop by the agency putting it on to see if they still have space. I should check with our Nats too, to see if we have anything. So, not sure what I am doing for Oct long weekend if they go...........Ya I do!!! Renting movies, sleeping in on Sunday and Scrapbooking!
I finished my Alaska cruise book (FINALLY!!!) so now I am on a mission to pick out photos from my Canada/New England cruise in June. I cant wait to work on those! I feel like it has been forever since I went!
I am flying to Regina on Friday for my cousin Margie's wedding!!!! She is my dads cousin and 66 (?) years old. She was married before and lost her husband to a drowning before I was born. She has lived on her own since then. She belongs to an old time dance club there and I guess met him there. I cant wait! Small town Sask wedding! Woohoo! Alas, my flight back home is at 9am on Sunday as that is the only space I could find, but I get home at a decent hour and have time to get some stuff done around the house in the afternoon. Tony is picking me up on Friday night. I get there around midnight!
The weekend after is our girls weekend to San Fransisco!!!! This has been in the planning since January! That is when we booked our flights down and our hotel. About a month ago, I got all of our attractions and sights seeing booked (the ones I could prebook). And we are good to go! Our dollar is doing well and I have been picking up a bit of US over the past little bit. I think I might get some more over the next couple of weeks just to be sure. I can always squirrel it away for my next cruise.
I get back from that and that weekend we have our Travel Show at the Ramada on Sunday. It is going to be 2 weeks straight of work for me with that show, but whatever. It always happens to me.
And then it is Thanksgiving and moms birthday. We bought her tickets to a show in Saskatoon that she wants to see. So that should be fun for her.
That is about all from the cheapseats. Off to finish cooking supper. I just had to send a quick update as it has been a bit!
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Killing the cat
OMG I said NO instruments. He has a violin. I am calling it a fiddle and he plays it SO badly! OMG
Sitting down this weekend to make a few rules. HA A few? Ya, there will be more than that!
I am so trying to have an open mind. So so so trying. It isnt working too well. I have spent a lot of time in my room to get away from him. I go downstairs, he follows. I go up to my room, he follows to his. Why?
A good note though, he has made friends with the guys 2 doors down. Problem, they are all 22 and it sounds like college res out there right now. Ohhhhhhhhh Maria isnt going to like that! LOL
Sitting down this weekend to make a few rules. HA A few? Ya, there will be more than that!
I am so trying to have an open mind. So so so trying. It isnt working too well. I have spent a lot of time in my room to get away from him. I go downstairs, he follows. I go up to my room, he follows to his. Why?
A good note though, he has made friends with the guys 2 doors down. Problem, they are all 22 and it sounds like college res out there right now. Ohhhhhhhhh Maria isnt going to like that! LOL
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Submitting
My new years goal was to submit layouts to the scrapbooking magazines at least once a month. I have done pretty good since I have completed a couple of Alaska cruise layouts. As least I am staying on track.
My other goal was to work out more and eat healthier. Lets just say not so good on that one! LOL
My fridge is dying. Everything in the freezer thawed out and since I dont know how long, I had to throw out a lot of meat and food. I had a bunch of individual meals in there that I had put together from leftovers. Ticks me off. I have left 2 messages. My landlady is pretty good........so I am surprised that she hasnt called me back. It is getting worse by the day. The water I put in there the other day hasnt cooled off much at all.
One of the good things about renting is that I dont have to worry about stuff like this. Nor, the washing machine which has been leaking since November and still no one is in to look at it. oh well
I did major housework yesterday to get things ready for Ditsy the roomate to move in this weekend. Havent heard from him yet, which I told him to call before he comes down (I had to work on Saturday). Is it bad that I have already given him a nickname due to his actions? I really hope he isnt a dence as he seemed when he came to look at the place. I wont put up with much though. I did that last time. Places to live are hard to find so I dont think I would have trouble finding someone else if I needed too.
Linda, Kari and the kids and I went to the Calgary Zoo this past Sunday. I found some 2 for 1 coupons online and so it was only $9. We had a grand time. It was a lot of fun to do something different. Cooper and Jaycee were so excited to see the animals. They crashed about 4pm though in the wagon. It was so cute! We took tons of photos and I plan on using them for my DT projects coming up and a layout too for my book.
Linda, Susan, Laura and I are off to Drumheller on Saturday. We are going to the Tyrell Museum, suspension bridge, little church, the hoo doos and then off to Susans cabin out at Pine Lake for the night to celebrate the lakes Halloween. Hopefully lots of photos will be taken!
Everything has been booked for San Fran in September (well as much as I could prebook/pay for). 29 days until we fly out. It is going to go by so fast. Off to Drum this weekend, then the new roomie moves in, then it is the long weekend, Sept 7/8 I work and Cand, Reece and Vic are coming out to visit, Sept 14/15 I am supposed to fly to Regina for Margies wedding, Sept 20 we fly out to San Fran. Tons planned in San Fran - a hop on/off tour, ghost walk tour, alcatraz tour, fishermans wharf, Giants baseball game, whale watching (yup, giving it a try again, hopefully karma is on our side this time!). There are 6 of us going - myself, Linda, Susan, Laura, Melissa and Jessica. Our usual scrapbooking group. We thought we would try something new instead of a retreat. Go figure!
I think that is about all from the cheap seats. Hope that all is well with you out there!
My other goal was to work out more and eat healthier. Lets just say not so good on that one! LOL
My fridge is dying. Everything in the freezer thawed out and since I dont know how long, I had to throw out a lot of meat and food. I had a bunch of individual meals in there that I had put together from leftovers. Ticks me off. I have left 2 messages. My landlady is pretty good........so I am surprised that she hasnt called me back. It is getting worse by the day. The water I put in there the other day hasnt cooled off much at all.
One of the good things about renting is that I dont have to worry about stuff like this. Nor, the washing machine which has been leaking since November and still no one is in to look at it.
I did major housework yesterday to get things ready for Ditsy the roomate to move in this weekend. Havent heard from him yet, which I told him to call before he comes down (I had to work on Saturday). Is it bad that I have already given him a nickname due to his actions? I really hope he isnt a dence as he seemed when he came to look at the place.
Linda, Kari and the kids and I went to the Calgary Zoo this past Sunday. I found some 2 for 1 coupons online and so it was only $9. We had a grand time. It was a lot of fun to do something different. Cooper and Jaycee were so excited to see the animals. They crashed about 4pm though in the wagon. It was so cute! We took tons of photos and I plan on using them for my DT projects coming up and a layout too for my book.
Linda, Susan, Laura and I are off to Drumheller on Saturday. We are going to the Tyrell Museum, suspension bridge, little church, the hoo doos and then off to Susans cabin out at Pine Lake for the night to celebrate the lakes Halloween. Hopefully lots of photos will be taken!
Everything has been booked for San Fran in September (well as much as I could prebook/pay for). 29 days until we fly out. It is going to go by so fast. Off to Drum this weekend, then the new roomie moves in, then it is the long weekend, Sept 7/8 I work and Cand, Reece and Vic are coming out to visit, Sept 14/15 I am supposed to fly to Regina for Margies wedding, Sept 20 we fly out to San Fran. Tons planned in San Fran - a hop on/off tour, ghost walk tour, alcatraz tour, fishermans wharf, Giants baseball game, whale watching (yup, giving it a try again, hopefully karma is on our side this time!). There are 6 of us going - myself, Linda, Susan, Laura, Melissa and Jessica. Our usual scrapbooking group. We thought we would try something new instead of a retreat. Go figure!
I think that is about all from the cheap seats. Hope that all is well with you out there!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
A few more layouts
I finished the Mush one last weekend between all of my DT stuff (2 layouts, 2 cards, 4 calendar pages with toppers and 8 cards for the troops! ya I rocked last weekend!!!). I finished the Tracy Arm one last night at the pizza crop at the store between laughing, being smarmy, laughing, visiting, being smarmy, laughing....well you get the idea lol Had a great time last night with everyone!
Mush
A2Z papers, Bazzil brads, Stampin Up chipboard letters, paint, diamond glaze, ribbon and jumbo java versamagic chalk ink. Basked on Becky Fleck Sketch, May, 2007
Tracy Arm Fjord
Cosmo Cricket papers, bazzil brads, versamagic jumbo java chalk ink, American Craft trademark rubons
Thanks for looking. Off to try to finish another one (maybe 2????) today. I finished all my cleaning on Friday so that I could play today. I also have a San Fran email to send out to our group of sightseeing things and a meal plan for the upcoming week to make up and shop for.
Thats about it from the cheapseats today!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Multi Photo Blog
OMG I am SO freakin' excited.
A small little toot for me and my scrapbook pages!!! It isnt a magazine, but lots of people see it just the same :)
Multi Photo Layout Blog scroll down to Sunday, July 29, 2007. Yup, that is MY layout there!
Thanks for letting me share!!!
A small little toot for me and my scrapbook pages!!! It isnt a magazine, but lots of people see it just the same :)
Multi Photo Layout Blog scroll down to Sunday, July 29, 2007. Yup, that is MY layout there!
Thanks for letting me share!!!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Some new layouts
Here are a few layouts I finished up over the past little bit. I am hoping to get some more done this weekend. I am almost done my cleaning, so hopefully I will be able do a few layouts tonight and tomorrow. We will see. Anyway, thanks for looking! (ps...I do have a bit of journalling to do on them lol I am bad for that! haha)
Brothel Museum
Basic Grey papers, Maya Road chipboard, blossoms, Bazzil Brads, Jewels
Juneau
Cosmo Cricket, Maya Road chipboard, Autumn Leaves letter and journal box stamps, Heidi Swapp word, diamond glaze
Ghosts and Goodtime Girls
Prima papers, Maya Road sheer letters, Making Memories rubons, Chatterbox rubon, Gelatin stamp, Stampin Up and Staz On inks (the garter is from our tour that they gave us to wear around our arms to let them know we were on the tour. I cut it to that it would sit better on the page)
Brothel Museum
Basic Grey papers, Maya Road chipboard, blossoms, Bazzil Brads, Jewels
Juneau
Cosmo Cricket, Maya Road chipboard, Autumn Leaves letter and journal box stamps, Heidi Swapp word, diamond glaze
Ghosts and Goodtime Girls
Prima papers, Maya Road sheer letters, Making Memories rubons, Chatterbox rubon, Gelatin stamp, Stampin Up and Staz On inks (the garter is from our tour that they gave us to wear around our arms to let them know we were on the tour. I cut it to that it would sit better on the page)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Let the Countdown BEGIN!!!
I am going to be an AUNT! (and not just to Demon Dog!)
Wendy and Kevin are expecting :) January 15, 2008. We are hoping that it is a week earlier for Ukranian Christmas, or the 13th for Ukranian New Years. We think it will probably be a boy. Wendy is really hoping it is twins. She has been SO sick since day one. She knew she was preggers before the test bc of the way she was feeling! Poor thing! I hope it passes soon.
I hope that it is twins too! We have twins on BOTH sides of the family. Papa and Uncle were twins, Uncle Tony and Auntie Suzie were twins, Baba had twins that passed away shortly after birth. Yup, they say it usually skips a generation...so that would hit her!
I am so excited to be an Auntie though. I cant wait for the photos and to scrapbook baby photos :)
Happy 36th Anniversary to my parents! 36 years and going strong. We are all saving up cuz in 4 years we are going to go on a family cruise to the East Coast. Yup, the same one I was on in June for my FAM. Cant wait!
On another baby note, my friend Lisa was to have her baby today via C-Section. Hopefully everything went well. I expect a call in the next day or so and will go visit them.
ETA - Lisa just called me and they had a little girl, Cassie, at 1010am this morning. I am going to head to the hospital sometime before Friday to see them. I know there will be tons of family there tomorrow but I might pop by and take some photos and take some icecream or something cold!
UGGGGGGGHHHHHHH The heat is killing me! I am ready to go out and buy a portable AC cuz 38C is just retarded! UGH! Fans are just not even keeping things cool. And 27C at night with no breeze or anything is just disgusting.
That is all for today! The cheap seats have been kind of quiet lately.
Wendy and Kevin are expecting :) January 15, 2008. We are hoping that it is a week earlier for Ukranian Christmas, or the 13th for Ukranian New Years. We think it will probably be a boy. Wendy is really hoping it is twins. She has been SO sick since day one. She knew she was preggers before the test bc of the way she was feeling! Poor thing! I hope it passes soon.
I hope that it is twins too! We have twins on BOTH sides of the family. Papa and Uncle were twins, Uncle Tony and Auntie Suzie were twins, Baba had twins that passed away shortly after birth. Yup, they say it usually skips a generation...so that would hit her!
I am so excited to be an Auntie though. I cant wait for the photos and to scrapbook baby photos :)
Happy 36th Anniversary to my parents! 36 years and going strong. We are all saving up cuz in 4 years we are going to go on a family cruise to the East Coast. Yup, the same one I was on in June for my FAM. Cant wait!
On another baby note, my friend Lisa was to have her baby today via C-Section. Hopefully everything went well. I expect a call in the next day or so and will go visit them.
ETA - Lisa just called me and they had a little girl, Cassie, at 1010am this morning. I am going to head to the hospital sometime before Friday to see them. I know there will be tons of family there tomorrow but I might pop by and take some photos and take some icecream or something cold!
UGGGGGGGHHHHHHH The heat is killing me! I am ready to go out and buy a portable AC cuz 38C is just retarded! UGH! Fans are just not even keeping things cool. And 27C at night with no breeze or anything is just disgusting.
That is all for today! The cheap seats have been kind of quiet lately.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Hmmm wonder why I cant put a title in?
The first are those dang elusive whales that we did not see on our whale watching tour. I printed the photos from online sites (and noted that on the page since they arent mine). The second is my last layout for our Disney cruise. I found the just started layout in my preplanned pages from our trip in Januray to the Bloomin Inn. Guess I put it back in the box at the bottom and never went through it again until this weekend. Feels good to have it finished.
Today was a good mail day. I was upstairs working on a DT layout for Embellished Memories' August kit and the door bell rang. I looked like I just got sup since I hadnt changed out of my PJs and had my hair clipped up all over lol (so not the way to pick up guys!) My Core Secrets has arrived! I am going to try the DVD out tonight. It is 20 minutes. I also called them right away to cancel the other shipments of DVDs. I can always call to get them later, but I think this will be ok for now.
I went back upstairs to work on my stuff some more and I heard the mail man dropping the mail in the mailbox. Some mail for Stinky the roomate and my GST chq! *woot* I love Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct 7ish hehe I put them straight into my cruisefund savings accout. Oh and a postcard from my friend Linda who is on her way home from a 2 week road trip to Nashville.
That is about all from the cheap seats for now. Off to work on more DT stuff. Have a great day!
So I have today off. I took today off. Well I am using bank time for it. Yes, there are only 2 girls at the office, but I think I have paid my dues by covering in April and now again in June while someone is off.
Had a good weekend. Slept in, went to Costco to pick up photos. Is is a bad thing that the girl there knows me by first name? LOL I told her they take good care of me, and I like that! Did some scrapbooking. The Nook was having an online crop, so I finished up a couple of layouts for it.
The first are those dang elusive whales that we did not see on our whale watching tour. I printed the photos from online sites (and noted that on the page since they arent mine). The second is my last layout for our Disney cruise. I found the just started layout in my preplanned pages from our trip in Januray to the Bloomin Inn. Guess I put it back in the box at the bottom and never went through it again until this weekend. Feels good to have it finished.
Today was a good mail day. I was upstairs working on a DT layout for Embellished Memories' August kit and the door bell rang. I looked like I just got sup since I hadnt changed out of my PJs and had my hair clipped up all over lol (so not the way to pick up guys!) My Core Secrets has arrived! I am going to try the DVD out tonight. It is 20 minutes. I also called them right away to cancel the other shipments of DVDs. I can always call to get them later, but I think this will be ok for now.
I went back upstairs to work on my stuff some more and I heard the mail man dropping the mail in the mailbox. Some mail for Stinky the roomate and my GST chq! *woot* I love Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct 7ish hehe I put them straight into my cruisefund savings accout. Oh and a postcard from my friend Linda who is on her way home from a 2 week road trip to Nashville.
That is about all from the cheap seats for now. Off to work on more DT stuff. Have a great day!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Am I just talking to myself?
Some days I wonder lol
Stinky is gone and so I am debating whether or not to get a cleaning person in to clean the house.....de-stink it lol I called Molly Maids..hmmm Merry Maids? Cant remember but they charge $85 per hour! OMG So not paying that much!!! I dont care if they are single men with 2 eyebrows and clean nekkid! LOL I am not paying that kind of money!
I need to figure something out soon though. I really want to clean and disinfect everything in the house.
Had an email today from a girl in Africa (orig London) who is apparently coming to Lethbridge for school for a year. She is wanting to sent rent over and I am like.......ummm you know nothing about me. I could cash and run! LOL So I emailed her a few q's to see if I could learn more. We will see what happens. Sounds a bit weird but we will see.
Had a good weekend back in Swift Current. Met up with Cand and Vic and met Reece who is already 6 months old and a cutie! We went out for coffee to Tims (the International one on the highway not the inner city one downtown lol you have to know my friends to know that that was freakin funny and we laughed so hard!) and laughed the night away! On Sunday Cand came over and went through some of the clothes that I took home and was able to get some shirts and stuff. That is cool. Wendy went through things too and took the skirts. She did leave them for mom to take in a bit though. Glad I could help.
Bad day at work today. I am getting pissy. I hate being short staffed. I dont like being stressed.
My Dr cancelled my appointment on the 9th. They wanted to reschedule but I am like, I have to see if i can get another day off. I thought we were supposed to get time off for appts but apparently we dont. I am going to have to read HR again cuz that sucks ass. I mean, when it is only day hours you can go it isnt my fault. Whatever. I am tired of it all lately
Thursday Big Brother 8 starts! *woot* I cant wait!!!!!
Scrapbooking this weekend. I have DT stuff to do and my Alaska cruise to get a good chunk done on.
That is about all from the cheap seats. Hope you had a happy Canada Day.
Stinky is gone and so I am debating whether or not to get a cleaning person in to clean the house.....de-stink it lol I called Molly Maids..hmmm Merry Maids? Cant remember but they charge $85 per hour! OMG So not paying that much!!! I dont care if they are single men with 2 eyebrows and clean nekkid! LOL I am not paying that kind of money!
I need to figure something out soon though. I really want to clean and disinfect everything in the house.
Had an email today from a girl in Africa (orig London) who is apparently coming to Lethbridge for school for a year. She is wanting to sent rent over and I am like.......ummm you know nothing about me. I could cash and run! LOL So I emailed her a few q's to see if I could learn more. We will see what happens. Sounds a bit weird but we will see.
Had a good weekend back in Swift Current. Met up with Cand and Vic and met Reece who is already 6 months old and a cutie! We went out for coffee to Tims (the International one on the highway not the inner city one downtown lol you have to know my friends to know that that was freakin funny and we laughed so hard!) and laughed the night away! On Sunday Cand came over and went through some of the clothes that I took home and was able to get some shirts and stuff. That is cool. Wendy went through things too and took the skirts. She did leave them for mom to take in a bit though. Glad I could help.
Bad day at work today. I am getting pissy. I hate being short staffed. I dont like being stressed.
My Dr cancelled my appointment on the 9th. They wanted to reschedule but I am like, I have to see if i can get another day off. I thought we were supposed to get time off for appts but apparently we dont. I am going to have to read HR again cuz that sucks ass. I mean, when it is only day hours you can go it isnt my fault. Whatever. I am tired of it all lately
Thursday Big Brother 8 starts! *woot* I cant wait!!!!!
Scrapbooking this weekend. I have DT stuff to do and my Alaska cruise to get a good chunk done on.
That is about all from the cheap seats. Hope you had a happy Canada Day.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
BIG HUGE NEWS!!!!
Coming in 3 weeks! Cant wait to tell ya! You gotta wait though :) Sorry!
ps NO I am NOT pregnant. I dont even have a man in my life! LOL
ps NO I am NOT pregnant. I dont even have a man in my life! LOL
Ding Dong Stinky's GONE!
*woot* He left early!
I am celebrating - I ordered in supper. My last pig out for awhile.
I am committed to trying to find some way to lose weight. I found a clinic in the States that offers a program. I am going to take it to my Dr appt on July 9th and see if there is anything local around here like it (even in Calgary I will travel!)
Going home this weekend. Leaving Saturday after work. Have to pack 6 garbage bags full of old clothes and stuff that doesnt fit.
Frustrated at work again. UGH. When do I get a month off to leave all my problems and files without any notes and issues? huh? Every little thing is being piled on to my desk. Whatever. I am going to lose it soon.
That is all from the cheap seats for now.
I am celebrating - I ordered in supper. My last pig out for awhile.
I am committed to trying to find some way to lose weight. I found a clinic in the States that offers a program. I am going to take it to my Dr appt on July 9th and see if there is anything local around here like it (even in Calgary I will travel!)
Going home this weekend. Leaving Saturday after work. Have to pack 6 garbage bags full of old clothes and stuff that doesnt fit.
Frustrated at work again. UGH. When do I get a month off to leave all my problems and files without any notes and issues? huh? Every little thing is being piled on to my desk. Whatever. I am going to lose it soon.
That is all from the cheap seats for now.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Core Secrets
OMG I just ordered this. I cant believe I did it.....I have seen the info on TV for awhile and it is just some exercises to do on the core ball. I have one, but I thought I could really use the DVDs that go with it. It is something I can do in the living room during the summer and then in my room once I get another roomate.
I am tired of the way I look and feel. I hope this will help. We will see.
I am tired of the way I look and feel. I hope this will help. We will see.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Here it is! Its long but informative!
Call me short of time, but I copied this from my FAM report I finished at work this morning! I didnt include all the boring company deets for ya, just my shore excursions. Hope you enjoy! I will include some photos later. I just got them on CD last night (thanks Kari!). I have to go through them and pick out my faves - hard to do ;)
I flew on the red-eye flight from Calgary – Toronto and then into Boston. I would recommend clients to travel the day before, or a few days before to enable them see the slights, history and culture of the city. I would not recommend a night flight for people who are light sleepers or who have trouble sleeping on a flight. I usually don’t have issues sleeping on a flight, but I had a kid in the seat next to me who kept kicking me through out it and kept me awake the entire 4 hours.
Due to my flight, I was unable to see the sights of Boston on this trip. I was there a few years ago and was able to spend time in and around Boston Common, the Public Gardens, Commonwealth Ave, Cambridge/Harvard, Charles River and Back Bay.
Some things to do in and around Boston
· Freedom Trail http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/
· Paul Revere House http://www.paulreverehouse.org/
· New England Aquarium http://www.neaq.org/index.flash4.html
· Shows, Theater and Concerts
· Salam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Massachusetts
· Cape Cod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_cod
· Faneuil Hall Marketplace http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
· Swan Boats http://www.swanboats.com/
· Sports Events (Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots)
· Museums – they have a very cool Children’s Museum http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/index.html and a hands on Science Museum http://www.mos.org/
· Duck Tours http://www.bostonducktours.com/
· USS Constitution http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/
· Bull and Finch Pub http://www.cheersboston.com/index_bh.htm
Shore Excursions I took
Bar Harbor
http://www.barharborinfo.com/
I did a Historic Walking Tour that I booked online (through HAL) prior to the cruise. Our guide, Judy, met us on the pier from our tender. She was a wealth of information on the town, the island and the people who used to and currently live there.
Bar Harbor was originally named Eden. It was renamed in 1917 after Bar Island across the water from the town. Bar Island is accessible via a sand bar on low tide, which you can walk or drive along (Bridge street continues down to the sand bar and across to the island). 4500 people live here year round.
Bar Harbor was the summer home to some of the wealthiest Americans in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s – Fords, Pulitzers, Astors, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, etc. John D Rockefeller Jr fell in love with the area (which rivaled Newport RI for ritzy summer getaways at the time), so much so that he donated 10,000 acres of the forest, thus the beginning of Acadia National Park.
In 1840, the wealthy started to come to the area, and there weren’t any accommodations or homes for them to stay in. They began to build hotels to accommodate the guests. The Roddick Hotel was the largest built at the time with 400 rooms (some with private bath). This began the Year of the Cottages, which ranged from 2 – 100 rooms. Today there are more than 60 hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts in and around the Bar Harbor area.
We got to see the large, beautiful houses along the waterfront, which belonged to the families of the Rice’s, the Stokebury’s and the Roosevelt’s. The Rice family built 3 homes in 1902 – one for themselves, one for guests (across the street) and one for their daughter and son in law beside them. The Stokebury’s were “new money” and liked to flaunt it around. They would order in cased of crystal champagne glasses for parties to have people throw them over the cliff edge. They would also have a table of gems buried in sand and they would offer their guests shovels to dig through the sand and whatever gems they found, they were able to keep. The Roosevelt’s built a home they name “La Rochelle” at the turn of the century. In 1940, they sold the house to the Kolket family purchased. In 1992 they donated the house to the Sea Coast Mission, which travels by boat to the outer islands with a nurse and minister. If you take this tour on a weekday, you get to tour inside the home.
Past these houses was Millionaire’s Row. These homes all burned down in the fire of 1947.
The Fire of 1947 was cause by lack of rain between May and October. Ten miles north of the old dump, a fire had started and was put out twice. On the third time, there were 60 mph winds and they were unable to put it out. It burned through the town to Holland Avenue at which time the winds changed and it turned back on itself and eventually burned out. East of Holland Avenue the homes are original. West of Holland Avenue (including Millionaire’s Row) burned down. In its wake, it destroyed 75 mansions and hotels, 150 local homes and over 10, 000 acres of Acadia National Park. The leafy trees were the first to grow back and Bar Harbor now boasts some of the best fall foliage and colors due to this. At this time, the spruce/pine trees have just started to grow back. In future years, they will overtake the Park and the colors will not be visible.
Bar Harbor also has its share of Ghost Stories. In 1904 the Brigham family built a very large home they named Ledge Lawn. Today, it is a 21-room inn, all with private bathrooms. They did not have to do much conversion when it was converted. This gives you a sense of how large the “summer cottages” were built back then. In 1910, their daughter was to be married. Her fiancé ran off two days before the wedding. She went up to her room, put on her dress and hung herself. Guests of the hotel state that they see the Lady in White walking around the hotel.
St. Saviors Episcopal Church offers amazing Tiffany stained glass windows. Tiffany was a member of the church who did the windows at a discounted rate. Members were able to purchase as an “in memory” for friends and family. The stained glass is layered which is beautiful from inside the church. Because it was a Sunday, we were unable to go in as there were services going on.
There is also a lovely public park in the center of town. During 1920, the Boston Symphony would come down every week to play for the Summer Residence. They would travel with all of their instruments via the train.
In the 1950’s, people like Rockefeller Jr and Ford were finding that Bar Harbor was becoming to ostentatious and filled with “new money” so they began building outside near Seal Harbor. Martha Stewart now owns one of the homes in this area.
Halifax
http://www.halifax.ca/visitors.asp
http://www.halifaxinfo.com/
In the morning I took a tour to Peggy’s Cove, that I booked online prior to my cruise (through HAL). In the afternoon, I walked around the Harbor Front and went to the Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum ($8.50 per adult and $3.75 for the 3D movie).
Once we cleared in Halifax, we continued off the ship and into the terminal building. **Note great little shops and local artisans in the terminal building. The tours were easy to find and directed us to the bus for a quick departure to Peggy’s Cove. On our way out of the city, we got a quick city tour.
Quick notes on Halifax
· Halifax boasts the 2nd largest natural harbour and the 2nd largest sea wall (2nd to Sydney Australia).
· The city was founded in 1749.
· South end housing ranges from $300,000 - $5 million, depending on size and location. Some houses have a blue/green plaque by the door and this notates a historical house, which requires special permission to change or modify. Housing in the West end runs apx $30,000 and up.
· Halifax is known as the City of Trees. The City is very protective of the trees and you need a special permit to cut them down – however they are quick to let you know that they own the trees, but in the fall, you own the leaves.
· The island also boasts 59 automated lighthouses to this date.
· Lobster fishing licences on the island are $50,000 and are good for the fisherman’s lifetime. They also tend to be handed down through the generations. Lobster season is very short – only a couple of months.
· St. Margaret Bay Road takes you out of the city toward Peggy’s Cove. It was originally mapped out by Champlain and was originally built for stage coaches.
· Bedford Basin is so large and deep that scientists believe it was the sight of a meteor. It is now a container port for cargo ships. One container ship equals as much money and jobs as 20 cruise ships.
· Nova Scotia exports blueberries, gypsum rock and Christmas trees.
· There are 2 Naval Ports located in Halifax.
· Legal Pirates (Privateers) would raid ships up and down the Atlantic coast. They would receive a letter from the King and there was a 50/50 split. Once the ship was taken by the Pirates, it would be brought back to the pier in Halifax and sold off, as well as all the goods on board. There are old warehouse looking buildings along the Harbor Front in Halifax, which the Pirates used to use to hold their payments and earnings. Today these warehouses are being refurbished into restaurants and shops.
Peggy’s Cove
http://www.peggys-cove.com/
http://www.peggyscove.ca/
There are two stories on how Peggy’s Cove got its name. The first is that geographically it is close to St. Margaret’s Bay. It may at one time have been called Margaret’s Cove and then shortened to Peggy’s Cove.
The second story is that a ship hit Halibut Rock and sank with no one surviving, except a little girl who washed ashore. The little girl’s name was Peggy. Everyone around came to see “Peggy of the Cove” and so the area was named after her “Peggy’s Cove.” Peggy remained in the Cove and married a resident. It is just recently that a descendant has returned to the Cove with proof of her Grandmother Margaret (Peggy) being the lone survivor of a shipwreck.
The first lighthouse was made of wood and withstood many storms. In 1954 it was rebuilt out of cement and steel, after a lot of damages. It became automated in 1958, but was manned before that and had room for the lighthouse keeper and his family. There is now a post office in the lighthouse and you can mail postcards from there.
There is a year round population of 40 residents. There is a one room school which continues to be used today, however, it is used for plays and concerts and the children of the Cove are bussed to the nearest town Tantalon.
Located on the drive in toward the lighthouse is a granite carving. It depicts a Guardian Angel watching over the fishermen and family. William deGarthe, a local artist carved it.
Sydney
http://sydney.capebretonisland.com/
Right off the ship, there isn’t much to do or see. You have to search the city a bit for it. There are museums, craft markets and tons of history for the area. They offer a shuttle to the mall and also to downtown for those who do not wish to walk it (apx 10-15 min). There were some people on our ship that were not impressed by this stop, but if clients take a tour in town or an excursion out of town they will learn and see a lot.
Quick notes on Sydney
· They offered a craft market of local artisans right at the pier on the day we were there. It was nice to walk around and see their items. They were unsure if this was going to run whenever there was a cruise in port or if it was only specific days.
· Apx 28,000 population in Sydney and apx 130,000 on Cape Breton
· Tourism is the #1 industry, mostly from cruises, with Fishing being the #2 industry (fishing canneries employ 400-600 people through the summer season).
· Housing in Sydney is runs on average $45,000-150,000. Outside of Sydney housing averages $30,000-85,000. There are a few homes in the area, and a new area being built by a German Investment Company, which are around $400,000-500,000.
· The “New Town” of Louisburg has a population of apx 1000 – apx 3000 lived in the Fortress (“Old Louisburg”).
· Fortress Inn (55 rooms) is the only Inn, in New Louisburg, there are some bed and breakfast and cottage accommodations available as well.
· Another popular tour in this area is the Cabot Trail. This is a full 8 hour tour, most of which was driving. A few girls in our group took this tour and found it to be a bit long for one day. They adv that next time, they will rent a car and take a few days to break it up. http://www.cabottrail.com/
I went to Louisburg Fortress, which I booked online (through HAL) prior to the cruise. It was an amazing place. There is tons of history and photo opportunities. The drive out there from the pier was apx 40 minutes and we had a quick tour of the visitor’s center and then to the Fort. Our guide gave us a quick rundown on the layout and then we had about 1 ½ hours in the Fort to Tour and visit (they do provide a wonderful map of the Fort as well)..
http://www.louisbourg.ca/fort/
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index_e.asp
Since we were there closer to the beginning of the season, there weren’t as many tours, school groups or “locals” around. The photos online show the Fort streets full of people who reside there. We had a few of the main people, but no one out and about on the streets – that could have also been due to the rainy weather that we encountered. They are there for July and August, which is their peak tourist season.
The people who work there depict the life of the 1744. They are in character while they talk to you and give tours of the buildings where they reside and work. My favorite line from the Financial Engineer was “I am of the class to be amused, not of the class to amuse.” He was telling us of the musical instruments and how they played while alone and not in front of other people – they pay people for that.
The Fort was blown up in 1760-61 and the military withdrew by 1768. The rocks of the Fort have been used around Cape Breton and Nova Scotia over the years. To this day, you can still see piles of rocks around the landscape near the rebuilt Fort. In the 1961-62, the Fort was reconstructed – only 1/5 of it has be rebuilt so far.
Charlottetown
http://www.charlottetownpei.com/
http://www.walkandseacharlottetown.com/
Currently, HAL has a short stay of apx 5 hours here due to the tides, the Confederation Bridge and the distance to get to/from Quebec City
Quick notes on Charlottetown
· $18 million construction on the pier and wharf area to accommodate more and larger cruise ships. This should be completed by August, 2007. Until then, passengers are tendered to the pier.
· St. George Street is the historical street of Charlottetown. In 1874 they walked up this street to sign the Dominion of Canada.
· 1847 the Colonial Building opened which is the Legislature Building
· A population of apx 40,000 live in Charlottetown
· Agriculture is the #1 industry in PEI – dairy, grain, fruit, vegetables
· 4.5% if PEI population lives on farms (in the rest of Canada it is 3%)
· 1908-2008 will be the 100 year celebration for the publications of Anne of Green Gables. They are planning large festivities
· The red rock is Island Sandstone and is very erosive. We went to Dunesland which is a lookout point in the Provincial Park and the scenery is beautiful, but they were saying that shortly in the future they are going to have to move the roads as in some spots the erosion is getting close to them.
· Lobster licenses in PEI are $100,000 – 500,000 depending on the area you live in. They can be handed down in the family, but there is paperwork that has to be filled out for the transfer. Usually, at the end of a fisherman’s career, they will sell off the license, boats and equipment and have enough to retire on.
· PEI Preserve Company in New Glasgow is an amazing little store owned by Bruce Alexander MacNaughton. They make all of their jams, jellies, salsas, etc right there in the store. They are wonderful and charming. http://www.preservecompany.com/
I booked the Island Tour and Green Gables tour online (through HAL), prior to the cruise. The information above is what we received on the Island Tour portion of our day.
Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maude Montgomery are a highlight for a lot of tourists to Charlottetown and PEI. There are a few different types of Anne shore excursions. I included the Island Tour, as I wanted to see and learn as much as I could in the short visit. I had to give up some of the Anne sites to do so. There is an Ultimate Anne tour, which may not show up online when booking (it didn’t for me or a few others I spoke to on the tenders). It was available to book on the ship though, and many people changed to this tour to have their entire Anne tour.
Green Gables is the part that I got to see on my tour. It was the home of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s aunt and uncle. She based Merilla and Matthew’s home on this house. Parks Canada has taken over the area and they refurbished the farm house to resemble the one that Lucy Maude Montgomery describes in her books.
http://www.gov.pe.ca/greengables/index.php3
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/pe/greengables/index_e.asp
http://www.annesociety.org/anne/index.cfm?id=205
Confederation Bridge
We cruised under this bridge on our way from Charlottetown. Construction began in October 1993 and was completed and opened on May 31, 1997. They had a race where people biked across the bridge, the next day they walked across then bridge and then it was opened to vehicles. 20,000 people participated in both races. Bikes and walking are not allowed on the bridge now.
It is 9 miles long. It took 5000 workers to complete it and 3 people died while on site. Most parts of the bridge are 40 meters above the water, but the middle section is for ships and is 60 meters above the water. There are 310 street lights, 80 TV camera taping the roads. The speed limit is 80km/hour. The cost to cross the bridge is $40.75 + tax. This is paid from PEI. When coming to PEI there is no charge. http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/about_the_bridge/
Saguenay Fjord
http://www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/qc/saguenay/index_E.asp
The Saguenay Fjord is a great place to see Beluga and Minke whales. It is a very scenic day of cruising. There are little villages along the water and sheer cliffs of rock and trees. We had a naturalist guide on board who was extremely knowledgeable on the history of the area and the marine life. It was pretty interesting to cruise through and imagine how Champlain and other explorers saw this area. They were in canoes with out a lot of shelter along the banks incase of bad weather.
Quebec City
http://www.quebecregion.com/e/
http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/en/accueil/index.shtml
Things to see and do in Quebec City
· Chateau Frontenac http://www.fairmont.com/frontenac/
· Museum of Civilization http://www.mcq.org/
· Plains of Abraham http://www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/
· Citadelle of Quebec http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/section.php?lang=en&id=4
· Basilica of Notre Dame http://www.patrimoine-religieux.com/patrimoine_en.asp?no=22023
· Palace Royale http://www.mcq.org/en/cipr/index.html
· Parliament Buildings http://www.assnat.qc.ca/
I found a wonderful walking tour for Quebec City online, which I mapped out prior to my departure. It was easy to follow (once I found street signs, which seem to be limited in the City) and covered a lot of ground. The length of this tour ranges from either 4-8 hours depending on how long you stop at each sight and if you go in to the museums, etc.
Quebec City is very easy to get around and is very picturesque right from the pier area. Make sure to have water with you depending on the time you arrive as most stores do not open until 930 or 10am. We were there and cleared by 8am.
There are a few streets with the Artists sitting by their pictures, paintings and art. The work is amazing and the prices are not too bad. The cobblestones of the old city may make walking in some areas difficult for limited mobility guests. Petit Champlain is the oldest area of Old Quebec and offers a lot of history and photo opportunities around every corner.
I felt very safe walking around on my own and tried to use my limited French when I needed to ask questions. I found that most people in the tourist area spoke very good English once they heard my attempt at French, so it was easy to communicate.
I did miss out on the history of the area by not taking a shore excursion booked through the cruise line, but I found them to be very expensive for what you got, when comparing to other areas we visited. This is why I decided to do this on my own. For the buildings and areas I saw, I am able to Google them for more information.
******************************
I flew on the red-eye flight from Calgary – Toronto and then into Boston. I would recommend clients to travel the day before, or a few days before to enable them see the slights, history and culture of the city. I would not recommend a night flight for people who are light sleepers or who have trouble sleeping on a flight. I usually don’t have issues sleeping on a flight, but I had a kid in the seat next to me who kept kicking me through out it and kept me awake the entire 4 hours.
Due to my flight, I was unable to see the sights of Boston on this trip. I was there a few years ago and was able to spend time in and around Boston Common, the Public Gardens, Commonwealth Ave, Cambridge/Harvard, Charles River and Back Bay.
Some things to do in and around Boston
· Freedom Trail http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/
· Paul Revere House http://www.paulreverehouse.org/
· New England Aquarium http://www.neaq.org/index.flash4.html
· Shows, Theater and Concerts
· Salam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Massachusetts
· Cape Cod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_cod
· Faneuil Hall Marketplace http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
· Swan Boats http://www.swanboats.com/
· Sports Events (Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots)
· Museums – they have a very cool Children’s Museum http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/index.html and a hands on Science Museum http://www.mos.org/
· Duck Tours http://www.bostonducktours.com/
· USS Constitution http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/
· Bull and Finch Pub http://www.cheersboston.com/index_bh.htm
Shore Excursions I took
Bar Harbor
http://www.barharborinfo.com/
I did a Historic Walking Tour that I booked online (through HAL) prior to the cruise. Our guide, Judy, met us on the pier from our tender. She was a wealth of information on the town, the island and the people who used to and currently live there.
Bar Harbor was originally named Eden. It was renamed in 1917 after Bar Island across the water from the town. Bar Island is accessible via a sand bar on low tide, which you can walk or drive along (Bridge street continues down to the sand bar and across to the island). 4500 people live here year round.
Bar Harbor was the summer home to some of the wealthiest Americans in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s – Fords, Pulitzers, Astors, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, etc. John D Rockefeller Jr fell in love with the area (which rivaled Newport RI for ritzy summer getaways at the time), so much so that he donated 10,000 acres of the forest, thus the beginning of Acadia National Park.
In 1840, the wealthy started to come to the area, and there weren’t any accommodations or homes for them to stay in. They began to build hotels to accommodate the guests. The Roddick Hotel was the largest built at the time with 400 rooms (some with private bath). This began the Year of the Cottages, which ranged from 2 – 100 rooms. Today there are more than 60 hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts in and around the Bar Harbor area.
We got to see the large, beautiful houses along the waterfront, which belonged to the families of the Rice’s, the Stokebury’s and the Roosevelt’s. The Rice family built 3 homes in 1902 – one for themselves, one for guests (across the street) and one for their daughter and son in law beside them. The Stokebury’s were “new money” and liked to flaunt it around. They would order in cased of crystal champagne glasses for parties to have people throw them over the cliff edge. They would also have a table of gems buried in sand and they would offer their guests shovels to dig through the sand and whatever gems they found, they were able to keep. The Roosevelt’s built a home they name “La Rochelle” at the turn of the century. In 1940, they sold the house to the Kolket family purchased. In 1992 they donated the house to the Sea Coast Mission, which travels by boat to the outer islands with a nurse and minister. If you take this tour on a weekday, you get to tour inside the home.
Past these houses was Millionaire’s Row. These homes all burned down in the fire of 1947.
The Fire of 1947 was cause by lack of rain between May and October. Ten miles north of the old dump, a fire had started and was put out twice. On the third time, there were 60 mph winds and they were unable to put it out. It burned through the town to Holland Avenue at which time the winds changed and it turned back on itself and eventually burned out. East of Holland Avenue the homes are original. West of Holland Avenue (including Millionaire’s Row) burned down. In its wake, it destroyed 75 mansions and hotels, 150 local homes and over 10, 000 acres of Acadia National Park. The leafy trees were the first to grow back and Bar Harbor now boasts some of the best fall foliage and colors due to this. At this time, the spruce/pine trees have just started to grow back. In future years, they will overtake the Park and the colors will not be visible.
Bar Harbor also has its share of Ghost Stories. In 1904 the Brigham family built a very large home they named Ledge Lawn. Today, it is a 21-room inn, all with private bathrooms. They did not have to do much conversion when it was converted. This gives you a sense of how large the “summer cottages” were built back then. In 1910, their daughter was to be married. Her fiancé ran off two days before the wedding. She went up to her room, put on her dress and hung herself. Guests of the hotel state that they see the Lady in White walking around the hotel.
St. Saviors Episcopal Church offers amazing Tiffany stained glass windows. Tiffany was a member of the church who did the windows at a discounted rate. Members were able to purchase as an “in memory” for friends and family. The stained glass is layered which is beautiful from inside the church. Because it was a Sunday, we were unable to go in as there were services going on.
There is also a lovely public park in the center of town. During 1920, the Boston Symphony would come down every week to play for the Summer Residence. They would travel with all of their instruments via the train.
In the 1950’s, people like Rockefeller Jr and Ford were finding that Bar Harbor was becoming to ostentatious and filled with “new money” so they began building outside near Seal Harbor. Martha Stewart now owns one of the homes in this area.
Halifax
http://www.halifax.ca/visitors.asp
http://www.halifaxinfo.com/
In the morning I took a tour to Peggy’s Cove, that I booked online prior to my cruise (through HAL). In the afternoon, I walked around the Harbor Front and went to the Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum ($8.50 per adult and $3.75 for the 3D movie).
Once we cleared in Halifax, we continued off the ship and into the terminal building. **Note great little shops and local artisans in the terminal building. The tours were easy to find and directed us to the bus for a quick departure to Peggy’s Cove. On our way out of the city, we got a quick city tour.
Quick notes on Halifax
· Halifax boasts the 2nd largest natural harbour and the 2nd largest sea wall (2nd to Sydney Australia).
· The city was founded in 1749.
· South end housing ranges from $300,000 - $5 million, depending on size and location. Some houses have a blue/green plaque by the door and this notates a historical house, which requires special permission to change or modify. Housing in the West end runs apx $30,000 and up.
· Halifax is known as the City of Trees. The City is very protective of the trees and you need a special permit to cut them down – however they are quick to let you know that they own the trees, but in the fall, you own the leaves.
· The island also boasts 59 automated lighthouses to this date.
· Lobster fishing licences on the island are $50,000 and are good for the fisherman’s lifetime. They also tend to be handed down through the generations. Lobster season is very short – only a couple of months.
· St. Margaret Bay Road takes you out of the city toward Peggy’s Cove. It was originally mapped out by Champlain and was originally built for stage coaches.
· Bedford Basin is so large and deep that scientists believe it was the sight of a meteor. It is now a container port for cargo ships. One container ship equals as much money and jobs as 20 cruise ships.
· Nova Scotia exports blueberries, gypsum rock and Christmas trees.
· There are 2 Naval Ports located in Halifax.
· Legal Pirates (Privateers) would raid ships up and down the Atlantic coast. They would receive a letter from the King and there was a 50/50 split. Once the ship was taken by the Pirates, it would be brought back to the pier in Halifax and sold off, as well as all the goods on board. There are old warehouse looking buildings along the Harbor Front in Halifax, which the Pirates used to use to hold their payments and earnings. Today these warehouses are being refurbished into restaurants and shops.
Peggy’s Cove
http://www.peggys-cove.com/
http://www.peggyscove.ca/
There are two stories on how Peggy’s Cove got its name. The first is that geographically it is close to St. Margaret’s Bay. It may at one time have been called Margaret’s Cove and then shortened to Peggy’s Cove.
The second story is that a ship hit Halibut Rock and sank with no one surviving, except a little girl who washed ashore. The little girl’s name was Peggy. Everyone around came to see “Peggy of the Cove” and so the area was named after her “Peggy’s Cove.” Peggy remained in the Cove and married a resident. It is just recently that a descendant has returned to the Cove with proof of her Grandmother Margaret (Peggy) being the lone survivor of a shipwreck.
The first lighthouse was made of wood and withstood many storms. In 1954 it was rebuilt out of cement and steel, after a lot of damages. It became automated in 1958, but was manned before that and had room for the lighthouse keeper and his family. There is now a post office in the lighthouse and you can mail postcards from there.
There is a year round population of 40 residents. There is a one room school which continues to be used today, however, it is used for plays and concerts and the children of the Cove are bussed to the nearest town Tantalon.
Located on the drive in toward the lighthouse is a granite carving. It depicts a Guardian Angel watching over the fishermen and family. William deGarthe, a local artist carved it.
Sydney
http://sydney.capebretonisland.com/
Right off the ship, there isn’t much to do or see. You have to search the city a bit for it. There are museums, craft markets and tons of history for the area. They offer a shuttle to the mall and also to downtown for those who do not wish to walk it (apx 10-15 min). There were some people on our ship that were not impressed by this stop, but if clients take a tour in town or an excursion out of town they will learn and see a lot.
Quick notes on Sydney
· They offered a craft market of local artisans right at the pier on the day we were there. It was nice to walk around and see their items. They were unsure if this was going to run whenever there was a cruise in port or if it was only specific days.
· Apx 28,000 population in Sydney and apx 130,000 on Cape Breton
· Tourism is the #1 industry, mostly from cruises, with Fishing being the #2 industry (fishing canneries employ 400-600 people through the summer season).
· Housing in Sydney is runs on average $45,000-150,000. Outside of Sydney housing averages $30,000-85,000. There are a few homes in the area, and a new area being built by a German Investment Company, which are around $400,000-500,000.
· The “New Town” of Louisburg has a population of apx 1000 – apx 3000 lived in the Fortress (“Old Louisburg”).
· Fortress Inn (55 rooms) is the only Inn, in New Louisburg, there are some bed and breakfast and cottage accommodations available as well.
· Another popular tour in this area is the Cabot Trail. This is a full 8 hour tour, most of which was driving. A few girls in our group took this tour and found it to be a bit long for one day. They adv that next time, they will rent a car and take a few days to break it up. http://www.cabottrail.com/
I went to Louisburg Fortress, which I booked online (through HAL) prior to the cruise. It was an amazing place. There is tons of history and photo opportunities. The drive out there from the pier was apx 40 minutes and we had a quick tour of the visitor’s center and then to the Fort. Our guide gave us a quick rundown on the layout and then we had about 1 ½ hours in the Fort to Tour and visit (they do provide a wonderful map of the Fort as well)..
http://www.louisbourg.ca/fort/
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index_e.asp
Since we were there closer to the beginning of the season, there weren’t as many tours, school groups or “locals” around. The photos online show the Fort streets full of people who reside there. We had a few of the main people, but no one out and about on the streets – that could have also been due to the rainy weather that we encountered. They are there for July and August, which is their peak tourist season.
The people who work there depict the life of the 1744. They are in character while they talk to you and give tours of the buildings where they reside and work. My favorite line from the Financial Engineer was “I am of the class to be amused, not of the class to amuse.” He was telling us of the musical instruments and how they played while alone and not in front of other people – they pay people for that.
The Fort was blown up in 1760-61 and the military withdrew by 1768. The rocks of the Fort have been used around Cape Breton and Nova Scotia over the years. To this day, you can still see piles of rocks around the landscape near the rebuilt Fort. In the 1961-62, the Fort was reconstructed – only 1/5 of it has be rebuilt so far.
Charlottetown
http://www.charlottetownpei.com/
http://www.walkandseacharlottetown.com/
Currently, HAL has a short stay of apx 5 hours here due to the tides, the Confederation Bridge and the distance to get to/from Quebec City
Quick notes on Charlottetown
· $18 million construction on the pier and wharf area to accommodate more and larger cruise ships. This should be completed by August, 2007. Until then, passengers are tendered to the pier.
· St. George Street is the historical street of Charlottetown. In 1874 they walked up this street to sign the Dominion of Canada.
· 1847 the Colonial Building opened which is the Legislature Building
· A population of apx 40,000 live in Charlottetown
· Agriculture is the #1 industry in PEI – dairy, grain, fruit, vegetables
· 4.5% if PEI population lives on farms (in the rest of Canada it is 3%)
· 1908-2008 will be the 100 year celebration for the publications of Anne of Green Gables. They are planning large festivities
· The red rock is Island Sandstone and is very erosive. We went to Dunesland which is a lookout point in the Provincial Park and the scenery is beautiful, but they were saying that shortly in the future they are going to have to move the roads as in some spots the erosion is getting close to them.
· Lobster licenses in PEI are $100,000 – 500,000 depending on the area you live in. They can be handed down in the family, but there is paperwork that has to be filled out for the transfer. Usually, at the end of a fisherman’s career, they will sell off the license, boats and equipment and have enough to retire on.
· PEI Preserve Company in New Glasgow is an amazing little store owned by Bruce Alexander MacNaughton. They make all of their jams, jellies, salsas, etc right there in the store. They are wonderful and charming. http://www.preservecompany.com/
I booked the Island Tour and Green Gables tour online (through HAL), prior to the cruise. The information above is what we received on the Island Tour portion of our day.
Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maude Montgomery are a highlight for a lot of tourists to Charlottetown and PEI. There are a few different types of Anne shore excursions. I included the Island Tour, as I wanted to see and learn as much as I could in the short visit. I had to give up some of the Anne sites to do so. There is an Ultimate Anne tour, which may not show up online when booking (it didn’t for me or a few others I spoke to on the tenders). It was available to book on the ship though, and many people changed to this tour to have their entire Anne tour.
Green Gables is the part that I got to see on my tour. It was the home of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s aunt and uncle. She based Merilla and Matthew’s home on this house. Parks Canada has taken over the area and they refurbished the farm house to resemble the one that Lucy Maude Montgomery describes in her books.
http://www.gov.pe.ca/greengables/index.php3
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/pe/greengables/index_e.asp
http://www.annesociety.org/anne/index.cfm?id=205
Confederation Bridge
We cruised under this bridge on our way from Charlottetown. Construction began in October 1993 and was completed and opened on May 31, 1997. They had a race where people biked across the bridge, the next day they walked across then bridge and then it was opened to vehicles. 20,000 people participated in both races. Bikes and walking are not allowed on the bridge now.
It is 9 miles long. It took 5000 workers to complete it and 3 people died while on site. Most parts of the bridge are 40 meters above the water, but the middle section is for ships and is 60 meters above the water. There are 310 street lights, 80 TV camera taping the roads. The speed limit is 80km/hour. The cost to cross the bridge is $40.75 + tax. This is paid from PEI. When coming to PEI there is no charge. http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/about_the_bridge/
Saguenay Fjord
http://www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/qc/saguenay/index_E.asp
The Saguenay Fjord is a great place to see Beluga and Minke whales. It is a very scenic day of cruising. There are little villages along the water and sheer cliffs of rock and trees. We had a naturalist guide on board who was extremely knowledgeable on the history of the area and the marine life. It was pretty interesting to cruise through and imagine how Champlain and other explorers saw this area. They were in canoes with out a lot of shelter along the banks incase of bad weather.
Quebec City
http://www.quebecregion.com/e/
http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/en/accueil/index.shtml
Things to see and do in Quebec City
· Chateau Frontenac http://www.fairmont.com/frontenac/
· Museum of Civilization http://www.mcq.org/
· Plains of Abraham http://www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/
· Citadelle of Quebec http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/section.php?lang=en&id=4
· Basilica of Notre Dame http://www.patrimoine-religieux.com/patrimoine_en.asp?no=22023
· Palace Royale http://www.mcq.org/en/cipr/index.html
· Parliament Buildings http://www.assnat.qc.ca/
I found a wonderful walking tour for Quebec City online, which I mapped out prior to my departure. It was easy to follow (once I found street signs, which seem to be limited in the City) and covered a lot of ground. The length of this tour ranges from either 4-8 hours depending on how long you stop at each sight and if you go in to the museums, etc.
Quebec City is very easy to get around and is very picturesque right from the pier area. Make sure to have water with you depending on the time you arrive as most stores do not open until 930 or 10am. We were there and cleared by 8am.
There are a few streets with the Artists sitting by their pictures, paintings and art. The work is amazing and the prices are not too bad. The cobblestones of the old city may make walking in some areas difficult for limited mobility guests. Petit Champlain is the oldest area of Old Quebec and offers a lot of history and photo opportunities around every corner.
I felt very safe walking around on my own and tried to use my limited French when I needed to ask questions. I found that most people in the tourist area spoke very good English once they heard my attempt at French, so it was easy to communicate.
I did miss out on the history of the area by not taking a shore excursion booked through the cruise line, but I found them to be very expensive for what you got, when comparing to other areas we visited. This is why I decided to do this on my own. For the buildings and areas I saw, I am able to Google them for more information.
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Whew! Sorry it was long and probably sounds kinda boring cuz I was trying to describe it for work. Oh well! Once you see the photos it will be so cool.
Just got my August DT kit for Embellished Memories, which of course rocks! I have to go through my photos to see what I can find to match up with it. Cant wait.
This afternoon, I am going through my closets and drawers and packing up everything that is too small or that I havent worn in over a year. I am going to take it to Swift with me next weekend. Hopefully mom and Wendy can find something in them, otherwise it is off to charity.
I want to go through my photos this weekend too cuz I can not wait to scrapbook them. Wait, I need to go through Alaska first. Oh well. LOL No, those will be fun to scrapbook too, just on a different level.
I think that is all from the cheap seats. until later!
ps. Stinky is GONE next Saturday! *woot*
I am back!
Well I was back last Saturday but didnt take time to post until this morning. I loved the cruise. The itinerary is so amazing (Boston - Montreal). And surprisingly, I really enjoyed walking around Quebec City! Go figure (Please note - I am not racist, I hate everyone equally). It was kinda like when we went to Paris a few years ago on our tour - I really enjoyed the city and it was the one I was looking forward to least.
Stinky moves out next Saturday! *woot* So very excited!
Looking for a new roomie sucks though. I have been getting a lot of emails from people in England. Weird? I dunno. I havent replied to them. I will be honest with that. Not sure if they are legit or not. KWIM? I have had a few people look at it. Will wait and see how it goes.
So I have a full report for work that I am working on for my trip. I will be finishing it today and will forward it home to post. Seriously, who knew there was so much cool stuff and history right in our own back yard?
Thats all from the cheap seats for now. Take care!
Stinky moves out next Saturday! *woot* So very excited!
Looking for a new roomie sucks though. I have been getting a lot of emails from people in England. Weird? I dunno. I havent replied to them. I will be honest with that. Not sure if they are legit or not. KWIM? I have had a few people look at it. Will wait and see how it goes.
So I have a full report for work that I am working on for my trip. I will be finishing it today and will forward it home to post. Seriously, who knew there was so much cool stuff and history right in our own back yard?
Thats all from the cheap seats for now. Take care!
Friday, June 08, 2007
I am outta here
Well in 45 minutes!
One of the gals from work is coming to pick me up and take me to the airport around 645 and my flight is at 755pm. Cant wait to see Linda in Calgary. I have a 4.5 layover there so she is meeting me and we are going to hang out until my 1255am *yes* flight. I hope I can sleep 4 hours until Toronto. Ugh.
That is my update for the moment. See you later!
One of the gals from work is coming to pick me up and take me to the airport around 645 and my flight is at 755pm. Cant wait to see Linda in Calgary. I have a 4.5 layover there so she is meeting me and we are going to hang out until my 1255am *yes* flight. I hope I can sleep 4 hours until Toronto. Ugh.
That is my update for the moment. See you later!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Alaska Cruise Review *long*
Well, before I head off on my next adventure, I had best catch you up on my last one! I cant believe it has been almost a month since we got home. I leave on Friday for a FAM on Holland America (Maasdam New England/Canada Boston - Montreal). I wanted to get this posted so that I wouldnt forget or mix things up. Hopefully I will have my photos organized soon. I did some DT work for Embellished and used some of my Musher Camp and Puppy photos for the layouts. Turned out super cute! Hopefully she will post them on the website and blog for you to see.....if not, you will have to check out the store ;) So without further ado....here goes!
I finally have all my photos. I picked up Linda’s CDs of photos on Friday after work. I can’t wait to start ordering! I was going to begin the planning phase today but I had a nap and finished up some DT projects.
So here we go!
Alaska May 4-11, 2007
Inside Passage Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas
May 3 Linda and I flew to Vancouver and stayed overnight at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. OMG if you ever get the chance to stay there take it. It is an amazing property! The beds are so comfy and the bathroom is amazing. We couldn’t figure out the lights though – but once we got that there was a little control thing on the nightstand for everything in the room it was cool.
May 4 we slept in and went downstairs to the airport food court for breakfast (we didn’t want to pay $29 for a continental breakfast in the room!). Around noon we checked out and then took a cab to the Belentyne Pier. There are 2 in Vancouver – Canada Place which is awesome and Belentyne which is just a big old warehouse lol Check in was a breeze. We had all of our paperwork done online prior to arriving and printed. There was a guy checking everyone in line to make sure they had everything. He also advised that this was their first departure of the season and that 20 out of 24 of his staff were new this season. That was all good – we moved through quickly. We chatted with our check in agent who was really nice but really nervous.
Once we got onboard we looked around. Took some photos. Headed upstairs for some lunch in the Windjammer buffet. After we headed downstairs to our :”Cave” NEVER book an inside cabin. I had sailed one before and this time gave Linda the choice which she decided to book it to use the extra money for shore excursions……after our balcony on Disney we dubbed our cabin the “Cave.” No natural light at all. We were tired all the time. Hence it will be called that for the rest of the review lol We checked out our room and then went out for the mandatory lifeboat drill. It is hilarious to see 1500 people in bright orange lifevests and all lined up pretty. Haha They are so not flattering on someone my size.
After the drill, we returned the vests to the Cave and went to Deck 10 to take photos of Vancouver as we sailed away. It was pretty cool to get photos of Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge from the ship. We sailed by Canada Place and there were 3 ships there – Princess, NCL and Celebrity. The Vancouver skyline is so pretty. After our photos we returned to the Cave. It was about 6pm and both of us ended up having a nap. We did get up around 815pm and decided to head to the dining room for supper and to meet our table mates.
Tablemates - OMG what a joke! I am sure they have stories and thoughts on us, but really, I have to say they were even worse than New York from our Disney cruise!!! We were at a table of 10. So here are the descriptions. To Lindas left there was a couple from Georgia. Linda tried to talk to them but he said nothing and she said very little. Linda was in Georgia in the fall and she was asking and talking about that and I would be surprised if she answered more than one word at a time. Across the table from me was a newly wed couple from Mexico. They didn’t stop making out the entire meal! Get a room already! Then beside them (kitty corner to us) was the only cool couple at our table. They were from San Diego and she is in FBI training and they were on the trip so she had time to refresh her mind. It is pretty intense training. They were really nice, but the way the table was we couldn’t talk to them much cuz they seemed so far away. Next to me on my right was a couple of young girls (would have to be 25 or so). All they talked about was “Oh my God….I should have brought my mud pack. When I travel with my boyfriend I cant sit around with my mask on cuz he thinks it is gross, but we are friends we could totally have a girls night and sit around with the masks on……..” Like OMG I am so not feeling that conversation. Needless to say we ate at the buffet for the rest of the week! Well because of the people but also the service was kinda crappy too.
May 5 We were at sea this day. I just looked through Lindas photos and saw that she took photos of the waves and grey weather we had that day! I don’t remember it! It totally didn’t bother me. We started the day with 6 foot swells and later in the day they became 15 foot. Lots of people were lined up at the pursers desk for Dramamine but we were fine. We totally spent the day taking photos around the ship and reading.
May 6 was Juneau. What a gong show!
We arrived late. It look forever to get clearance from the officials. People were panicing to get off bc a lot of them had booked shore excursions on their own. Personel were telling the passengers to stay away from Deck 1 bc that was holding up clearance. Linda and I were up on Deck 5 taking photos, trying to stay dry. Finally the clearance came through and so we got in line. The line was all the way to Deck 5 where we joined. Insane! It took us almost 30 min to get off the ship! It was 1210 when we finally hit the dock and started to look for our shore excursion.
Looking looking looking……are you kidding me? No one knew of our tour, no one had seen it. Ok we couldn’t be the only ones on it. I continued to look while Linda ran into the info center. Apparently they were there but left without us! How rude! We talked to the info lade, she called the tour operator, they had no idea why their name was printed on the tour voucher cuz they didn’t offer this tour! LOL Oh ya……..so we go back onto the ship and to the Pursers desk to get this cleared up. They cant help us cuz it is Shore Excursions and they are – yup, out on the pier! So the Purser dude radios to the SE manager and we are to meet her out there. Ok so out we go again.
On a side note, as we were getting back onboard to get this fixed, we were behind 5 big black guys. We got to chatting with a couple of them in the elevator and they were some of the entertainment – a Tribute to the Temptations. Oh they were awesome! So nice and funny. They joked with us while we waited for them to get checked in and they even sang to us! Well not a full song but bits and pieces from misc songs – inc Who Let the Dogs Out and Just My Imagination (cuz at the time it seemed like the Musher Camp was just going to be imaginary!).
We finally find the SE gal on the pier – after searching for about 10 min….grrrr Really, as an agent, do I want to promote this company???? She was like what happened? We explained to her that we were moved from the 1230pm to the 1130am tour. Our ship didn’t clear until 1145am and we were not off the ship until 1210pm. It wasn’t like we were straggling off either. We were trying to hustle. It isn’t like we were the only ones coming off – there were still tons of people getting off the ship! Se she says “Well I don’t know what I can do” I was like “We called the tour operator, they are not operating this tour. They do not know why RCCL has their name on the vouchers. They are going to call Miami and take care of that. We spoke to so and so, so and so and so and so. You will either refund our money or you will move us to a later tour. Which one works better for you?” haha We were moved to a later tour.
So we finally got to the Mushers Camp. It was so FREAKING amamzing!!! We took the bust to the meeting point (where the driver says “it’s a good thing you weren’t on this mornings tour bc I got lost and we were about 30 min late.” ) The van met us and drove us down the path to the camp. We then climbed into these special carts. They are like golf carts with 6 seats and seatbelts. There were 18 dogs attached and off we went! They were so fast! We drove around for about 10-15 min or so and then we got to go and tour the rest of the camp and play with the puppies! They brought 4 puppies from the Skagway litter. They were 8 weeks old and so adorable!
After our tour we went back to the pier and we took off to look in the little shops and went to the Red Dog Saloon for drinks. We had hot apple pies. They were hot cider with lots of alcohol and whipped cream. So fun!
May 7 we were in Skagway. Home of the 1898 Gold Rush. It was so cool. We did 2 tours here. In the morning we did the Street Car tour where we learned about the Gold Rush history while we toured down town (all 1 main street of it!), the Gold Rush cemetery and then up the mountain to a lookout point overlooking the town. We then went back into town and went to a multi media presentation which gave a bit more info on the Gold Rush and also traced 12 families still living in Skagway back to Gold Rush time. It was very cool. Oh and we became members of the Arctic Brothers.
After a quick bite to eat on board, we met for the Ghosts and Goodtime Girls tour. This was a walking tour around the town. We were let by the “working ladies” all decked out in costume and learned so much about the Women of the Gold Rush. They told us that women were promised jobs for $3 a day and rushed up only to find out that it cost $6 a day to live. Well, in come the madams of the brothels and help them earn that extra money. These women were not treated well. They were branded if they got pregnant or contracted a STD. it was horrific!
They showed us some of the places around town that are said to be haunted too. One of the stories was a home of a lady who moved up there. She moved up and began to bake apple pies for the men. She charged $10 ($100 by today’s standards). As the Gold Rush was slowing down, she continued her entrepreneurism and opened up a hotel. She would have a bon fire out back and tell stories of the Gold Rush. Her only rule was that there were to be no locals around. In 1949 the hotel burned down. To this day when people walk by there, they claim to smell the smoke from the bon fire and hear the laughing of the guests.
There was also a staff quarters across the street. It still stands, but is all boarded up. Apparently the family who worked at the house had a daughter who was young and got pregnant. She lost the child but claimed to hear it crying outside the windows. As she moved to one, it would come from across the room. She would walk out in the woods and look for the crying baby. Her parents sent her off to a hospital where she passed away. Then one night the father was home alone and heard a baby crying. He searched the house, the yard and the woods. He started to go crazy too, but went up into one of the upstairs bedrooms and shot himself. Very freaky.
We ended our tour at the Red Onion Saloon where we went upstairs to visit the Brothel Museum. I wish we would have had longer to poke around and see the stuff, but we were shuffled through pretty quick. I did get some cool photos though. Very exciting. After that, Linda and I just walked around and took photos. We then went back to the ship to our Cave and had a nap before supper.
May 8 was a sea day through Tracey Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier. Not much to tell here. We spent 6 hours cruising in. I was fascinated by the snow topped mountains, the icebergs in the water and the glacier. It was so serene and peaceful to sail through there.
May 9 we were in Prince Rupert. As dad says “We don’t have to go back there any time soon” It was prcturesque but nothing special. It was here that we did our $150 Not So Whale Whale Watching Tour. We saw villages, sea lions, eagles, lighthouses, islands, lots of water – BUT NO WHALES. Not that we are bitter or anything We walked around Cow Bay and had lunch at the bar and headed back to the ship. Not too exciting at all.
May 10 was a sea day. Because we were ahead of schedule, the Captain detoured and went through the islands instead of around them. There were dolphins (porpoises) jumping around the ship, beautiful scenery and lots of relaxation.
May 11 we arrived into Seattle and once we were off the ship, we stashed our luggage at the concierge desk outside of the terminal and then went touring the city. We walked to Pike Place Market. Everyone told us that we would want to spend days there. We were done in about an hour lol Lots of flowers, some flying fish (but not lots cuz they only throw when people buy) and lots of people. We walked the side streets and saw lots of neat little shops. After, we walked down to Pioneer Square. Lots of homeless people, so we quickly took some photos and then left. As we walked back to the terminal, we stopped at Red Robin for lunch. Matt was our server and he rocked! It was his 1st day but we were so surprised, we never would have guessed! After picking up our luggage we headed off to the airport and vowed never to book such a late flight again no matter how much we wanted to see the city! LOL
And that in a very long nutshell is my wrap up of my Alaska Cruise!
I finally have all my photos. I picked up Linda’s CDs of photos on Friday after work. I can’t wait to start ordering! I was going to begin the planning phase today but I had a nap and finished up some DT projects.
So here we go!
Alaska May 4-11, 2007
Inside Passage Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas
May 3 Linda and I flew to Vancouver and stayed overnight at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. OMG if you ever get the chance to stay there take it. It is an amazing property! The beds are so comfy and the bathroom is amazing. We couldn’t figure out the lights though – but once we got that there was a little control thing on the nightstand for everything in the room it was cool.
May 4 we slept in and went downstairs to the airport food court for breakfast (we didn’t want to pay $29 for a continental breakfast in the room!). Around noon we checked out and then took a cab to the Belentyne Pier. There are 2 in Vancouver – Canada Place which is awesome and Belentyne which is just a big old warehouse lol Check in was a breeze. We had all of our paperwork done online prior to arriving and printed. There was a guy checking everyone in line to make sure they had everything. He also advised that this was their first departure of the season and that 20 out of 24 of his staff were new this season. That was all good – we moved through quickly. We chatted with our check in agent who was really nice but really nervous.
Once we got onboard we looked around. Took some photos. Headed upstairs for some lunch in the Windjammer buffet. After we headed downstairs to our :”Cave” NEVER book an inside cabin. I had sailed one before and this time gave Linda the choice which she decided to book it to use the extra money for shore excursions……after our balcony on Disney we dubbed our cabin the “Cave.” No natural light at all. We were tired all the time. Hence it will be called that for the rest of the review lol We checked out our room and then went out for the mandatory lifeboat drill. It is hilarious to see 1500 people in bright orange lifevests and all lined up pretty. Haha They are so not flattering on someone my size.
After the drill, we returned the vests to the Cave and went to Deck 10 to take photos of Vancouver as we sailed away. It was pretty cool to get photos of Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge from the ship. We sailed by Canada Place and there were 3 ships there – Princess, NCL and Celebrity. The Vancouver skyline is so pretty. After our photos we returned to the Cave. It was about 6pm and both of us ended up having a nap. We did get up around 815pm and decided to head to the dining room for supper and to meet our table mates.
Tablemates - OMG what a joke! I am sure they have stories and thoughts on us, but really, I have to say they were even worse than New York from our Disney cruise!!! We were at a table of 10. So here are the descriptions. To Lindas left there was a couple from Georgia. Linda tried to talk to them but he said nothing and she said very little. Linda was in Georgia in the fall and she was asking and talking about that and I would be surprised if she answered more than one word at a time. Across the table from me was a newly wed couple from Mexico. They didn’t stop making out the entire meal! Get a room already! Then beside them (kitty corner to us) was the only cool couple at our table. They were from San Diego and she is in FBI training and they were on the trip so she had time to refresh her mind. It is pretty intense training. They were really nice, but the way the table was we couldn’t talk to them much cuz they seemed so far away. Next to me on my right was a couple of young girls (would have to be 25 or so). All they talked about was “Oh my God….I should have brought my mud pack. When I travel with my boyfriend I cant sit around with my mask on cuz he thinks it is gross, but we are friends we could totally have a girls night and sit around with the masks on……..” Like OMG I am so not feeling that conversation. Needless to say we ate at the buffet for the rest of the week! Well because of the people but also the service was kinda crappy too.
May 5 We were at sea this day. I just looked through Lindas photos and saw that she took photos of the waves and grey weather we had that day! I don’t remember it! It totally didn’t bother me. We started the day with 6 foot swells and later in the day they became 15 foot. Lots of people were lined up at the pursers desk for Dramamine but we were fine. We totally spent the day taking photos around the ship and reading.
May 6 was Juneau. What a gong show!
We arrived late. It look forever to get clearance from the officials. People were panicing to get off bc a lot of them had booked shore excursions on their own. Personel were telling the passengers to stay away from Deck 1 bc that was holding up clearance. Linda and I were up on Deck 5 taking photos, trying to stay dry. Finally the clearance came through and so we got in line. The line was all the way to Deck 5 where we joined. Insane! It took us almost 30 min to get off the ship! It was 1210 when we finally hit the dock and started to look for our shore excursion.
Looking looking looking……are you kidding me? No one knew of our tour, no one had seen it. Ok we couldn’t be the only ones on it. I continued to look while Linda ran into the info center. Apparently they were there but left without us! How rude! We talked to the info lade, she called the tour operator, they had no idea why their name was printed on the tour voucher cuz they didn’t offer this tour! LOL Oh ya……..so we go back onto the ship and to the Pursers desk to get this cleared up. They cant help us cuz it is Shore Excursions and they are – yup, out on the pier! So the Purser dude radios to the SE manager and we are to meet her out there. Ok so out we go again.
On a side note, as we were getting back onboard to get this fixed, we were behind 5 big black guys. We got to chatting with a couple of them in the elevator and they were some of the entertainment – a Tribute to the Temptations. Oh they were awesome! So nice and funny. They joked with us while we waited for them to get checked in and they even sang to us! Well not a full song but bits and pieces from misc songs – inc Who Let the Dogs Out and Just My Imagination (cuz at the time it seemed like the Musher Camp was just going to be imaginary!).
We finally find the SE gal on the pier – after searching for about 10 min….grrrr Really, as an agent, do I want to promote this company???? She was like what happened? We explained to her that we were moved from the 1230pm to the 1130am tour. Our ship didn’t clear until 1145am and we were not off the ship until 1210pm. It wasn’t like we were straggling off either. We were trying to hustle. It isn’t like we were the only ones coming off – there were still tons of people getting off the ship! Se she says “Well I don’t know what I can do” I was like “We called the tour operator, they are not operating this tour. They do not know why RCCL has their name on the vouchers. They are going to call Miami and take care of that. We spoke to so and so, so and so and so and so. You will either refund our money or you will move us to a later tour. Which one works better for you?” haha We were moved to a later tour.
So we finally got to the Mushers Camp. It was so FREAKING amamzing!!! We took the bust to the meeting point (where the driver says “it’s a good thing you weren’t on this mornings tour bc I got lost and we were about 30 min late.” ) The van met us and drove us down the path to the camp. We then climbed into these special carts. They are like golf carts with 6 seats and seatbelts. There were 18 dogs attached and off we went! They were so fast! We drove around for about 10-15 min or so and then we got to go and tour the rest of the camp and play with the puppies! They brought 4 puppies from the Skagway litter. They were 8 weeks old and so adorable!
After our tour we went back to the pier and we took off to look in the little shops and went to the Red Dog Saloon for drinks. We had hot apple pies. They were hot cider with lots of alcohol and whipped cream. So fun!
May 7 we were in Skagway. Home of the 1898 Gold Rush. It was so cool. We did 2 tours here. In the morning we did the Street Car tour where we learned about the Gold Rush history while we toured down town (all 1 main street of it!), the Gold Rush cemetery and then up the mountain to a lookout point overlooking the town. We then went back into town and went to a multi media presentation which gave a bit more info on the Gold Rush and also traced 12 families still living in Skagway back to Gold Rush time. It was very cool. Oh and we became members of the Arctic Brothers.
After a quick bite to eat on board, we met for the Ghosts and Goodtime Girls tour. This was a walking tour around the town. We were let by the “working ladies” all decked out in costume and learned so much about the Women of the Gold Rush. They told us that women were promised jobs for $3 a day and rushed up only to find out that it cost $6 a day to live. Well, in come the madams of the brothels and help them earn that extra money. These women were not treated well. They were branded if they got pregnant or contracted a STD. it was horrific!
They showed us some of the places around town that are said to be haunted too. One of the stories was a home of a lady who moved up there. She moved up and began to bake apple pies for the men. She charged $10 ($100 by today’s standards). As the Gold Rush was slowing down, she continued her entrepreneurism and opened up a hotel. She would have a bon fire out back and tell stories of the Gold Rush. Her only rule was that there were to be no locals around. In 1949 the hotel burned down. To this day when people walk by there, they claim to smell the smoke from the bon fire and hear the laughing of the guests.
There was also a staff quarters across the street. It still stands, but is all boarded up. Apparently the family who worked at the house had a daughter who was young and got pregnant. She lost the child but claimed to hear it crying outside the windows. As she moved to one, it would come from across the room. She would walk out in the woods and look for the crying baby. Her parents sent her off to a hospital where she passed away. Then one night the father was home alone and heard a baby crying. He searched the house, the yard and the woods. He started to go crazy too, but went up into one of the upstairs bedrooms and shot himself. Very freaky.
We ended our tour at the Red Onion Saloon where we went upstairs to visit the Brothel Museum. I wish we would have had longer to poke around and see the stuff, but we were shuffled through pretty quick. I did get some cool photos though. Very exciting. After that, Linda and I just walked around and took photos. We then went back to the ship to our Cave and had a nap before supper.
May 8 was a sea day through Tracey Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier. Not much to tell here. We spent 6 hours cruising in. I was fascinated by the snow topped mountains, the icebergs in the water and the glacier. It was so serene and peaceful to sail through there.
May 9 we were in Prince Rupert. As dad says “We don’t have to go back there any time soon” It was prcturesque but nothing special. It was here that we did our $150 Not So Whale Whale Watching Tour. We saw villages, sea lions, eagles, lighthouses, islands, lots of water – BUT NO WHALES. Not that we are bitter or anything
May 10 was a sea day. Because we were ahead of schedule, the Captain detoured and went through the islands instead of around them. There were dolphins (porpoises) jumping around the ship, beautiful scenery and lots of relaxation.
May 11 we arrived into Seattle and once we were off the ship, we stashed our luggage at the concierge desk outside of the terminal and then went touring the city. We walked to Pike Place Market. Everyone told us that we would want to spend days there. We were done in about an hour lol Lots of flowers, some flying fish (but not lots cuz they only throw when people buy) and lots of people. We walked the side streets and saw lots of neat little shops. After, we walked down to Pioneer Square. Lots of homeless people, so we quickly took some photos and then left. As we walked back to the terminal, we stopped at Red Robin for lunch. Matt was our server and he rocked! It was his 1st day but we were so surprised, we never would have guessed! After picking up our luggage we headed off to the airport and vowed never to book such a late flight again no matter how much we wanted to see the city! LOL
And that in a very long nutshell is my wrap up of my Alaska Cruise!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Mondays suck.
That is all I have to say about Mondays lol
I have seen the following on a few blogs lately. Let me know what you have done off the list. Mine are in red.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (Swift Current has a few small bars with only a few people....doesnt cost a lot!)
2. Swam with dolphins (Puerto Vallarts with my friend Cand - experience of a life time!)
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (While we were on our Disney Cruise last Sept there was a huge lightning store that we sat on our balcony and watched)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (on many occations in my younger days!)
14. Seen the Northern Lights (Come on, I grew up in Saskatchewan Land of Living Skies!)
15. Gone to a huge sports game (We used to go to the Jays vs Twins all the time in Minneapolis when we visited my aunt and uncle there, I have also been to many NHL games)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (OK, do strawberries count since that is what I grew last summer. I am so not a gardner!)
18. Touched an iceberg (and a glacier)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper (believe it or not yes I have!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (atleast!)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends (They still are amazing! So it is HAVE amazing friends!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Gotta love Paris and Mexico and Cuba and the DR.....well ok I enjoy having fun on vacation!)
44. Watched wild whales - ok if you know about my Alaska trip a couple of weeks ago, you will know that we went on a whale watching trip and DID NOT see any!!! It was so disappointing. Hopefully when I am out East in a couple of days i will be able to say Yes to this!!!
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (Ok so I CARRIED a backpack on my day trips on my bus tour through Europe that is as close as I get!)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland - May 2008 we are planning a tour
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (Type A personality lol)
57. Pretended to be a superhero (Babysitting makes you do all sorts of things)
58. Sung karaoke (Badly so I dont do it anymore lol)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud (all the time when I was a kid)
64. Played in the rain (all the tiem when I was a kid)
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites (The Mayan Ruins outside of Cancun)
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert (CBC interviewed me in Regina when I worked at an travel agency there one year for the business of the season that winter....it was insane!)
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (not my own! I am a horrible singer!)
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children/raising childrem
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - We are going to San Fran in Sept 07 so I will be able to say Yes to this one soon!
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication (I wrote, they didnt publish, does that still count?)
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms) - working on it....slowly!
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (in Orlando at Sea World and then swam with them on Castaway Cay on our Disney Cruise last Sept)
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery (2 eye surgeries and my tonsils out)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school - really seriously thinking about it!
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (I mean really, I could care less about it)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
I have seen the following on a few blogs lately. Let me know what you have done off the list. Mine are in red.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (Swift Current has a few small bars with only a few people....doesnt cost a lot!)
2. Swam with dolphins (Puerto Vallarts with my friend Cand - experience of a life time!)
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (While we were on our Disney Cruise last Sept there was a huge lightning store that we sat on our balcony and watched)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (on many occations in my younger days!)
14. Seen the Northern Lights (Come on, I grew up in Saskatchewan Land of Living Skies!)
15. Gone to a huge sports game (We used to go to the Jays vs Twins all the time in Minneapolis when we visited my aunt and uncle there, I have also been to many NHL games)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (OK, do strawberries count since that is what I grew last summer. I am so not a gardner!)
18. Touched an iceberg (and a glacier)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper (believe it or not yes I have!)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (atleast!)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends (They still are amazing! So it is HAVE amazing friends!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Gotta love Paris and Mexico and Cuba and the DR.....well ok I enjoy having fun on vacation!)
44. Watched wild whales - ok if you know about my Alaska trip a couple of weeks ago, you will know that we went on a whale watching trip and DID NOT see any!!! It was so disappointing. Hopefully when I am out East in a couple of days i will be able to say Yes to this!!!
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (Ok so I CARRIED a backpack on my day trips on my bus tour through Europe that is as close as I get!)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland - May 2008 we are planning a tour
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (Type A personality lol)
57. Pretended to be a superhero (Babysitting makes you do all sorts of things)
58. Sung karaoke (Badly so I dont do it anymore lol)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud (all the time when I was a kid)
64. Played in the rain (all the tiem when I was a kid)
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites (The Mayan Ruins outside of Cancun)
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert (CBC interviewed me in Regina when I worked at an travel agency there one year for the business of the season that winter....it was insane!)
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (not my own! I am a horrible singer!)
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children/raising childrem
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - We are going to San Fran in Sept 07 so I will be able to say Yes to this one soon!
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication (I wrote, they didnt publish, does that still count?)
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms) - working on it....slowly!
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (in Orlando at Sea World and then swam with them on Castaway Cay on our Disney Cruise last Sept)
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery (2 eye surgeries and my tonsils out)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school - really seriously thinking about it!
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (I mean really, I could care less about it)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Sunday, May 27, 2007
2 Peas Pictures
Have you checked this out? 2 Peas pictures
OMG I just did so today for the first time. I have some whale photos that I want printed but 4x6 is too big due to the resolution. 2 Peas has printing from 2x2 to wallet to 5x5 to super huge photos! You can crop them, change the colours, rotate, add borders or overlays. OMG Where has this been all my life?
It is from the States though.....and they do mail them so it may take awhile to get here but I dont need them right away anyway. I am hoping they come out ok. Oh and if you are a member of the 2 Peas message board you get 15 free prints up to 25 cents each! Shipping was only $2 so that isnt that bad......I think that may change depending on the amount you order or sizes.
I cant wait to see the quality when I get them. I will let you know.
That is about all from the cheap seats.
OMG I just did so today for the first time. I have some whale photos that I want printed but 4x6 is too big due to the resolution. 2 Peas has printing from 2x2 to wallet to 5x5 to super huge photos! You can crop them, change the colours, rotate, add borders or overlays. OMG Where has this been all my life?
It is from the States though.....and they do mail them so it may take awhile to get here but I dont need them right away anyway. I am hoping they come out ok. Oh and if you are a member of the 2 Peas message board you get 15 free prints up to 25 cents each! Shipping was only $2 so that isnt that bad......I think that may change depending on the amount you order or sizes.
I cant wait to see the quality when I get them. I will let you know.
That is about all from the cheap seats.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Loooooooooooooooooooong Weekend!
*woot* I love long weekends! I had to work today but even that is ok bc I still have the rest of today, tomorrow and Monday to relax, scrapbook and do stuff.
I went to Rogers Video and rented a couple of movies - will review them once i have finished them. I also bought The Holiday and The Devil Wears Prada since they had a 2 for $20 sale on. Gotta love sales!
Cruise review coming up. I just got my photos downloaded to CD this week and am waiting for Linda's CD of oh so wonderful photos to arrive. We decided not to double take photos. So, she took them of the ship and Pike Place Market and stuff. Granted, we both took tons on our Musher Camp tour of the Husky puppies and of Tracy Arm Fjord as the icebergs and glacier were amazing!
I do have to share this photo though - it is my absolute favourite from the trip and reminds me of how I feel lately at the end of the day. I smile whenever I see it and it brings back memories of a great day! She is only 8 weeks old and was the shy one of the group, but loved to have her photo taken. I am giving it the title RUFF DAY.
Have a great weekend! That is all from the cheap seats for now. Be safe! Be food! Have fun!
I went to Rogers Video and rented a couple of movies - will review them once i have finished them. I also bought The Holiday and The Devil Wears Prada since they had a 2 for $20 sale on. Gotta love sales!
Cruise review coming up. I just got my photos downloaded to CD this week and am waiting for Linda's CD of oh so wonderful photos to arrive. We decided not to double take photos. So, she took them of the ship and Pike Place Market and stuff. Granted, we both took tons on our Musher Camp tour of the Husky puppies and of Tracy Arm Fjord as the icebergs and glacier were amazing!
I do have to share this photo though - it is my absolute favourite from the trip and reminds me of how I feel lately at the end of the day. I smile whenever I see it and it brings back memories of a great day! She is only 8 weeks old and was the shy one of the group, but loved to have her photo taken. I am giving it the title RUFF DAY.
Have a great weekend! That is all from the cheap seats for now. Be safe! Be food! Have fun!
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