Monday, December 26, 2016

364 more sleeps.....


Well, another Christmas season has come and gone, and here we are with just five days left in 2016. Can you believe it? Wow.

We did some decorating and wrapping at home before heading south to the Hat for a visit.

Wrapping frenzy!
 
The finished product.

Decorating frenzy!

The finished product.

A rare moment of relaxation in December!

Of course my Mom had some delicious refreshments waiting for us! Best gingerbread cookies EVER by the way.....

Really, what more does a person need??

Hanging with the Parents.

 
Chris had never been to Red Rock Coulee, so we went
for a walk on a beauty winter day to check it out.


This was the highway as we headed south...
note the outside temp - it was +5C!!

Aaaaaand..... this was the same highway four days later.
Only in Alberta!

Round two of Christmas for us with the Cookes.

Happy Holidays!

December has been a month of pretty much non-stop celebrating! I do find the majority of the festive season to be extremely fun - seeing family and friends, attending parties and gatherings, having drinks and turkey dinners.... But a small part of it continues to be incredibly stressful for me - in particular, the shopping for and selecting gifts part. Inevitably, there is always someone that you just can't please, no matter what. Oy.

Anyhow, overall I really can't complain. I don't go back to work for another week and a half, and in that time there will be more festivities and even some skiing! Woot!

I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday season and all the best in 2017!

Cheers.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Party time!


It has officially begun....  The season of eating and drinking and being merry - and staying up waayyy too late - is here! The weekend was kicked off Friday evening with the company Christmas party, and celebrations of some sort or another pretty much continued right up until the wee hours of this morning.

 






Photo booth fun!

Between the party Friday night (and the after-party!), and the Rebels hockey game Saturday night (and a post-game visit with the neighbors!), I'm feeling like a few hours on this blustery Sunday afternoon are not nearly enough time to recuperate.... Oy.... I'm confident I will power through however, because starting Thursday, it is vacation vacation vacation for me until after the New Year! Yeah! Love it.

Cheers!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Waking Up The Neighbors



Bryan Adams.... *SIGH*.... What girl back in my teenage day did not think Bryan Adams was dreamy?? *EYE-FLUTTER* That hair.... that VOICE.... *SWOON*  Even now, 30 years later, the man is still quite an attention-getter! He played in Red Deer on Tuesday night, and I was lucky enough to get some stellar last-minute tix - and what a performance he put on!



He sounds fabulous!

Date night with the Simpsons!



Packed house in the Centrium!


The man has absolutely one hundred percent still got it.... He rocked out for 2-1/2 hours, non-stop - no opening act, no breaks. Talk about first class all the way! It was an incredible show, and Chris and I enjoyed an awesome evening with awesome friends. Thank you Bryan!

Cheers!



Monday, November 21, 2016

Island Life


What an awesome week it's been! Although I can't believe how fast it went, which is always the case when one is at play. Tsk. So anyhow.... The fun started when Chris and I took Lindsay and hopped on a plane to Vancouver, to visit Kristen - she's going to school there. Vancouver is a massive, bustling city and it was super cool to have our very own tour guide I must say. Kristen led us to various neat areas like Gastown and Granville Island, and we even went and did an 8-minute version of the famous Grouse Grind.

Trip tip #1: Start off the voyage with an airport beverage!

Two beauties!




We made it to the top of Grouse Mountain in
less than 10 minutes! Via the gondola, of course.
Kristen's roommate Paula joined us as well.

A definite must-see when in Vancouver.

The gorgeous twinsies and their handsome Dad at Granville Island









Canada Place

Kristen's neighborhood - nice!



Middle of the action - downtown Van.


Always love finding a local pub!

After a whirlwind of a weekend, we said our good-byes, and Lindsay headed back home and Chris and I continued on to Vancouver Island. The weather was a bit damp, but we were prepared.....




Waiting for the ferry at Horseshoe Bay.
Trip tip #2: Make a reservation for the sailing - it is worth it!

On our way to Nanaimo.



If you are ever in Nanaimo, you NEED to eat here!

We spent a rainy evening in Nanaimo and were on the road early the next morning to Tofino. The only highway to that section of the island twists crazily through lush forests, and we made good time due to little traffic. And being that it is November, we arrived to a town that was fairly quiet. We checked into our groovy little accommodations, donned our rain gear, and toured around for three fabulous days. We ate and drank and walked and ogled, and you'll have to bear with me, because the Pacific Rim rainforests and rugged coastline are impossible not to photograph... and I took several photos.... of all of it....


Look up.... look waaaayyyy up....













Trip tip #3: Make sure you pack a rain coat!

We definitely had a room with a view!



Woke up to this one morning! What a treat!






Gnarly hiking near Ucluelet.


Enjoying a bit of sunshine!


Afternoon surf session - everybody wore full wetsuits! Brrrrr.




Yep... this pub played LP's...

The good times carried on, to beautiful (and sunny!) Victoria. What an absolutely stunning city! And again, we had a room with an unbelievable view. Wow.


Overlooking the Victoria waterfront.

Parliament buildings all lit up after dark.

Cowichan Bay


Of course we found several great pubs downtown.



 
And we found this fantastic little diner!
Best breakfast EVER.




One last look at the ocean before returning to the prairies.

The week flew by, and next thing you know it is back to reality and back to work. Blech. But that's okay - I truly am grateful to have a job, plus the Rockies' ski season is really beginning to take shape! I think that's on the agenda for this upcoming weekend - shreddin' the slopes! Yeah! Life is so darn good, isn't it!

Cheers!