Paulette

Today is Kristen’s birthday.  She is the daughter of Carla & Paul and she is 12 years old.  She is a lovely young lady.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Thomas’ birthday.  He is the son of Carla & Paul and he is 9 years old.  He is such a sweet kid and full of energy.

Happy Birthday!

Carla was generous enough to offer the kids a wall unit they no longer needed. Kat decided she could use it in her new house.

It has glass doors and glass shelves. Carla took the doors off for us so that all we had to do was move it. Dave and Paul manage to bring all 3 units up the stairs and out of the house without damaging any walls along the way.

We used our trailer to move them thinking we could fit all 3 in it at once. But they didn’t all fit so we made 2 trips to Hong’s house. The plan is to store them in their basement until Kat & Hong move in March ‘09.

The units didn’t fit down the basement stairs so we opted to leave them in the garage until Brian moves out in Sept ‘08 then we can store them in our basement. Whew!

We decided to bring the doors here since it all ends up here anyway. When we unloaded at our place the 2 long doors were broken in half. Oh oh…

We’ll wait and see whether they want to replace them or not. I guess we aren’t very good movers.

It is Carla’s birthday today.  She and I spent the day at Le Nordik - Spa En Nature in Chelsea, Quebec.  I had purchased a spa basket at our company’s United Way silent auction.   It included among other things, 2 tickets to the spa and wine & cheese.

It is set in a beautiful wooded area on the way to Camp Fortune ski resort.

We arrived early in the morning with the sun shinning and the air a little crisp.  Our first stop on the circuit is in the sauna.  What a nice way to start the day warming up until we could stand the heat no longer.   Then it’s out to the cold waterfall.  Carla was right in there getting herself good and soaked while I quickly made my way past it barely getting wet (brrrr).  Then to the temperate pool which now felt not so bad compared to the waterfalls.  Next we hit the hot tub.   Then we finished our circuit sitting out by the firepit.

Our next circuit was similar to the first except that we did the steam room instead of the sauna.  I prefer the sauna.  The steam room was noisy when the steamer came on and the fog made me claustrophobic.  All the while there is soothing music playing and hushed voices only.  This really is a place to relax and unwind.

We had lunch at the outdoor patio.  The food was very healthy conscious but still delicious.  We had a glass of wine.

We were off to our third circuit.   We tried some of the pools and waterfalls at the back of the area.  Everything was very nice and well kept.

Then we had the wine & cheese that came as part of the package.  I’m so relaxed by now that I’m ready for a nap!  We manage to do the circuit one more time before heading home.

What a nice day.  Happy Birthday Carla!

We had the last of a 3 part course this morning. We started the day off by having breakfast at Summerhays on Baseline. Then off to the high school for our third course.

Today’s arrangement was a free or modern one. Grimace likes it so it must be good.

It felt strange to stick a wire through a flower. Somehow I felt I was hurting it. It was a little tricky to gather up the stems without breaking the carnations. One broke and now decorates the base.

It was definitely an interesting course.  I now know how to finish off the base with greenery.  This part I can do on my own.  I’m not so sure about creating my own designs though.

Melody and I plan on taking more in the fall. For now this is it.

We had the second of a 3 part course this morning. We started the day off by having breakfast at Summerhays on Baseline. Then off to the high school for our second course.

I know a bit more this week. I know my mug is for tea and not a flower arrangement.

This week’s arrangement is a synergistic design. It is defined by 3 or more units sharing a common characteristic and unified by form, colour, repetition and plant material.

It didn’t take very long to make.

It’s not quite as interesting as last week’s design. There is something to be learned though with this one too. I just prefer the other type.

Melody told me about a floral design course she had just signed up for. I have no talent when it comes to arranging flowers so I thought it would be a terrific experience for me.

We had our first course this morning. We started the day off by having breakfast at Summerhays on Baseline. Then off to the high school for our first course.

Within the first few minutes I knew I was going to enjoy this. Our instructor Iris Waung had called ahead of time to ensure we all brought our supplies: a towel, scissors, a garbage bag and a mug.

We thought the mug was going to be for our first project. We expected to be doing a little floral arrangement. I picked the biggest mug and hoped for the best. When we arrived she went through the usual introductory information. There was a nice little vase for each of us. Then she told us that she had made tea for us and lemon cranberry pound cake. The mug was for the tea! Ha ha ha How silly I felt!

The arrangement we were doing today is called a Biedermeier design.  It is a traditional design characterized by a dome or round shape.

Iris made up a vase of flowers explaining each step along the way. Then it was our turn to try to do the same. We each started with a bunch of yellow flowers.

And here is my first ever floral design. Not bad for a rookie! I can follow directions. I’m not so sure I can create my own design though.

I brought my masterpiece home and was greeted by Grimace. She really liked my arrangement. She could hardly wait for me to set it down somewhere so she could EAT IT. No matter where I put it she immediately jumped up (on top of the refrigerator) to get at it. I had to put it in our office behind a closed door.

The class went by so fast. I really enjoyed it. Two more lessons to go. I can’t wait to see what comes up next.

We went to a Murder Mystery at Chris & Crystal’s. It was a 51st birthday celebration for Chris.

The evening took place during the height of prohibition in 1920s Chicago. Everyone dressed their part.

Paulette - Jazzy Fringe

The egotistical Jazzy Fringe is a regular performer at Beanie O’Dannon’s club, ‘The Two Aces.’ However, this club is not nearly as popular as The Grand Gatsby - so Jazzy has been after Kara Low’s spot at The Grand Gatsby for months. Jazzy Fringe will stop at nothing to get what she wants and vows to one day take over as the lead performer at The Grand Gatsby Speakeasy.

Dave - Chuck Limberger

Chuck Limberger is the loveable but air-headed American pilot. He is planning to fly a big solo non-stop Trans-Atlantic mission soon but is being delayed by the skeptics around him. This determined pilot will try anything to show that he can take to the skies.

We didn’t guess who did it but we had fun trying.

For more pictures see: Grand Gatsby

The game is available online (see Party Info).

I’m an easy mark especially first thing in the morning.

Jen is our lovely gym trainer at Entrust.  She looks innocent & sweet.  Here she is at our Christmas gift exchange.

She’s an excellent trainer.  She is also really good at telling stories.  Sometimes they are true and sometimes…

I missed the early morning class today.  I guess my NYC trip (getting home at midnight) had caught up to me.  I met up with Dave I. a little later for coffee.  Here’s his recounting of it:

Dave I.       You missed Jen’s news <assumes solemn expression>

Me              What news?

Dave I.        The real reason behind their trip to Phoenix.  The company was negotiating with Lance for him to take on responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region.

Me               Wow!

Dave I.        They are moving to Vancouver. The transfer is effective, I think, July 1st.

Andy (who was also in the room)     What!? Jen didn’t say anything to me about this! <grumbles>

Me        So we are losing her…

Dave I.    You know what else Jen said?

Me    What?

Dave I.    April Fools!

Got me.  They both did.  Dave did an excellent job of telling it solemnly and with conviction.  He couldn’t hold it in very long though.  The smile was starting to show.

Yup, I’m an easy mark, especially first thing in the morning.

I went to New York city this weekend with Melody. We left on Thursday afternoon from Ottawa airport and arrived at La Guardia a short while later. The flight was fine. The taxi ride was reasonable. We stayed at The Washington Jefferson Hotel which was within walking distance of Times Square and the theaters.

What did we do? We shopped, ate and went to see some musicals.

Here we are on Thursday night eating our first meal.

Shopping!

After dinner Thursday we headed to Times Square and shopped at stores nearby. Melody bought a beautiful watch. We both picked up some chocolate at the Hershey store.

We spent the day Friday shopping. We took a bus down to Canal Street and walked back up Broadway. We stopped at so many shops and boutiques along the way. Melody bought a few things and I picked up a dress at Macy’s department store.

Saturday we headed out to Century 21. No not the real estate place. This is a huge department store with designer items at reduced prices. We both bought a purse & shoes. The prices were excellent.

We dropped into the M&M shop. Can’t play favourites so we picked up more chocolate.

Here’s some of our take - my purse on the left, Melody’s on the right.

My shoes are the brown sandals and the black sling backs. Melody bought the white & gold sandals, the red & white pumps and the black pointy pumps. Her feet are so tiny. I was always looking for wide shoes so my selection was much more limited.

Musicals!

We didn’t spend all our time shopping. On Friday night we went to see Chicago. I have seen the movie and I really enjoyed the musical.

Our Chicago Playbill included a special on Curtains (a musical with David Hyde Pierce) . We picked up matinee tickets for that and went to see it Saturday afternoon. It’s a murder mystery and Pierce plays the detective. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday night we went to see Wicked. I had seen it in Toronto and was happy to see it again. I always wondered how well the Toronto productions compared to the Broadway ones. The Toronto show was just as good as the NY one.

We decided to finish off our last day with another matinee. We picked up tickets to The Lion King. It was a really good show.

I am asked which musical was my favourite. Chicago has powerful songs and great dancing. Curtains was completely new to me and fun. Wicked is a story I enjoy immensely and the musical didn’t disappoint. The Lion King is a great production with innovative ways of portraying the animals and of course a musical track that is memorable. So there you go, all were my favourites.

The weather was chilly but at least it was dry and there was no snow. It was a nice break.

Melody and I traveled well together. We both enjoy musicals, shopping and good food. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime.