Branson - Endless Entertainment

The first time Curt and I were in Branson, we were shocked at the number of shows...this last time we were in Branson, we were shocked at the number of shows! We could have gone to see three shows a day, every day we were there, and still not even have seen a quarter of the shows happening. I don't know how people decide who to see?!?

Luckily, Stormy Point Village helped us make our decision. On Monday morning, the resort organizes a 'Breakfast with the Stars'...during a buffet breakfast at the clubhouse, various different groups or individuals came in and performed for a few minutes, giving us a little preview of their show...the whole thing was great!

The resort we stayed at in June did something similar, except it was a dinner; the Stormy Point version was a lot better because it was a smaller crowd, so the performers all interacted with everyone, which is always fun.

One performer in particular had a lot of fun teasing my dad (there was assigned seating, and we ended up with a table right at the front!)...we all laughed sooo much!

Here he is, Clay Cooper...
At one point during the breakfast, he was joking around with my dad and somehow ended up calling him a 'creeper'...when we went to his show on Monday night, we were upgraded to front row seats, and during the first half he came down to greet people in the audience, when he went to shake dad's hand, he recognized him and commented that 'the creeper from Canada' had come to the show!

Normally at the beginning of live shows, there is an announcement telling you that you're not allowed to take video or pictures...not in Branson! They tell you not to take video, but you're allowed to take pictures if you want. Perfect for the paparazzi in me!

Being in the front row, the performers noticed when I was taking pictures, and would actually pause to let me get a good shot.

Here is one of the other performers in Clay's show, Matt Gunn, pretending to be a ventriloquist, using Clay's son Colton as his 'dummy'.
One of the groups, a duet actually, that performed at both the dinner and the breakfast was 'Buckets and Boards'. Curt and I thought about going to see them on our first trip, and my dad laughed hysterically at them during the breakfast, so I think he would have gone to see them...but, we realized we could have the best of both worlds because they are a feature act in Clay Cooper's show!

Buckets and Boards during the breakfast, and yes, he is playing recorders with his nose!

One of the groups that performed at the preview dinner on our first trip was the Dutton Family...well, the three brothers that make up the Dutton Family. Although Curt and I both enjoyed their little preview, it wasn't one of the shows we chose for that trip. But, when we decided to go back with my parents, I KNEW my mom would LOVE them, and was strongly suggesting them.

Then, the Dutton brothers were the first act to perform at Stormy Points 'Breakfast with the Stars'. And, as soon as they played their first note, my mom leaned over to me and whispered "Oh yeah, we need to see them!"

Up close and personal during breakfast
The Dutton's put on a great show - they played a wide variety of great music and wowed the audience with their ability to play such a variety of instruments.

Not only could they play a variety of instruments, they could also play them in a variety of positions....

Behind their backs...
With the person beside them (they are each fingering their own instrument, but they are using their bow on the fiddle beside them)...

We also decided to see a third show after my mom heard a lot of great reviews from other resort guests. We went to see 'Noah: The Musical'! Curt and I saw this show on our first trip, but we both loved it...and, we were happy to see it again so that my parents could experience it. I say 'experience it' because it's more than just a play, really, the set is AMAZING - it makes you feel like you are actually in the Ark.

A family shot going into the theatre...

I was sitting beside my dad for the second half, and as soon as the curtains are drawn around the sides of the theatre, revealing the animals on the Ark, I heard my dad say 'unbelievable!'. Then, my mom started pointing out all the animals that were moving...eventually realizing that almost all of the animals moved (some of the animals are real and others are animatronic). I could tell that they were as impressed as Curt and I had been.

Stormy Point also had other little forms of entertainment throughout the week - it started with the breakfast, later in the week they had a poolside BBQ, complete with a band, and then twice during the week they had movie night at the pool (I'll let a picture help explain this).

Enjoying the poolside BBQ
Movie night at the pool
Not a great picture because it's at night and the lighting if weird...but, a movie was projected onto that large screen on the right. Notice how there is no one there?!?! They were playing 'Alice in Wonderland' so we didn't stay for the whole movie.

Wow, this post is REALLY, REALLY LONG! Just goes to show that when talking about entertainment in Branson, there is a lot to cover! I hope the pictures helped break it up and get you the end of all the type. Thanks for reading!

Branson - Stormy Point Village

I can't believe it, but our trip to Branson has already come and gone. It was an awesome week...my only complaint is that it went too fast.

Some of you may have read my previous posts about Branson - Curt and I spent a week there back in May, and I posted about it in June. It was probably pretty obvious in those posts that we both really enjoyed our time in Missouri, so, when we went to finalize plans for a trip with my parents, we changed our original plans to go to Myrtle Beach, and decided to return to Branson so my parents could experience it too. And, this turned out to be a great decision, not only because we all really enjoyed the trip, but also because Hurricane Irene would have put a serious damper on our trip had we gone to South Carolina.

Curt and I drove down again, but my parents didn't want to make such a long drive, so they flew. The drive went really well again - probably even better this time actually because we broke it up a little. We left home on Thursday evening, stayed in Acton overnight, drove all day Friday but then stopped and spent the night just south of St. Louis, Missouri. This meant that we could get up early Saturday morning, drive the three and half hours to the Branson airport and semi-surprise my parents by picking them up when their flight arrived. I say semi-surprise because Curt had mentioned that we were going to try to meet them at the airport, but they didn't really think it would be possible to time our arrival that early, so they really weren't expecting us.

Adding two more adults to the Jeep meant we had to rearrange the luggage...this is where the two biggest pieces ended up...
By the time we were all loaded and ready to leave the airport, it was only 11am and check-in at our resort wasn't until 4pm, but we decided to go there first to see if we could check in early.

Curt and I knew what awaited us at Stormy Point Village, and we couldn't wait for my parents to see it too. On our previous trip, Curt and I did a Time Share Tour of this resort in order to get free golf...we loved the property so we were really excited when it was available the week we wanted to return!

The Clubhouse and Lighthouse - the whole resort is built to make you feel like you're in Cape Cod, hence the lighthouse.
74 Dover Circle, Stormy Point Village - 0ur home away from home for the week!
Looking down Dover Circle at some of our neighbours...
We had great weather all week, and enjoyed a lot of time around the pool.

Mom and Dad, cooling off...
Dad couldn't resist the kiddie pool and the mushroom fountain, ha!
The pool area was actually kinda small, but, it was NEVER busy?!?! It was great for us, but we couldn't really understand where everyone was...it was sooo hot (100+ on some days), the pool was the only spot we wanted to be at some points.

So, as you can see, Stormy Point was absolutely beautiful...and, we all really enjoyed our stay there. My mom and dad had a few complaints throughout the week, for example, they thought there should be more hooks to hang towels on in their bathroom...nothing serious. My only complaint was that we ended up with a grey cottage, I had really been hoping for a green one! :)

Nursery Disaster

Yesterday was my turn to look after the kids in our church nursery. I volunteer in the room with 2.5 to 3.5 year old kids, so it's always an adventure!

We had fourteen kids in our room yesterday - pretty busy, even with two adults and four youth helpers. On our usual rotation, there are three adults in the room, two men and me...so, because I'm the only female, I get diaper/potty duty...obviously my least favourite part. Yesterday, because we're in the summer months, the two male volunteers didn't show up, so the lady in charge of scheduling (Curt's aunt) stayed in to help me out...thankfully!

However, despite having another female in the room, I still ended up on potty duty?!?!

And, one of the kids I took potty had an 'accident'...it was such a mess!

I guess I just assumed that when mothers are potty training their little boys, they teach them to tuck things in to toilet bowl. Apparently I was WRONG. He wasn't tucked in, and he ended up spraying ALL OVER THE PLACE! By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late...the little potty he was using was now sitting in a huge puddle...his 'Lightening McQueen' underwear was SOAKED, and his pants were too wet to put back on him. Luckily his parents had packed an extra set of clothes in his bag, so I was able to get him changed and send him back into the room to play.

The little boy, totally unfazed by the whole event. Me, not so much.

I usually prefer taking the kids to the potty over changing dirty diapers...after yesterday, I will be scared to do either?!?

So, now for a little public service announcement - if you're ever potty training a little boy, make sure you teach him to TUCK IT IN!

Thank You!

Gliding and Swinging

I've been thinking about changing the title of my blog...'Gliding and Swinging Through Life' just seems a little too long to me now...but, I do like that it alludes to figure skating (gliding) and golf (swinging), two things I really enjoy....however, I'm often posting about travel related stuff, so maybe that should have been incorporated into the title?!?

Anyway, I don't think I'll change it because I don't want my four readers to have trouble finding my blog ;)

And, this post is going to be all about gliding and swinging, so the title is still appropriate.

GLIDING:

It's official, I am no longer a coach with Quinte Figure Skating Club.

It has been a decision I have been struggling with over the last few months, and I've been waiting to hear about my job before finalizing anything. I finally approached my boss a few weeks ago and tried to get an idea as to whether or not I will get another contract - and, last week she informed me that although she couldn't say officially, it is very likely that I will be extended until at least the end of December. And, she mentioned that during that time they will likely post the job, and I could apply and actually get a 'real' (longer) contract.

When I started last fall, I already had all of my skating commitments in place, so, my employer agreed to work around my skating schedule. However, they can't be as flexible this season, and if I want to have a chance at an extended contract, I need to give a little as well.

I am very thankful that I will be able to continue coaching with Tweed & District Figure Skating Club - I don't know what I would have done if I had to give coaching up altogether.

In terms of deciding which club to leave, it was a pretty easy decision. First of all, Quinte was two nights a week, which means it conflicted with two work days...Tweed is one night a week, and Saturdays, so it only conflicts with one work day. Also, I only had three private skaters in Quinte...I will have at least eight private skaters in Tweed this season. And finally, the overall club atmosphere is a lot nicer in Tweed, it's a really small club, so it's easy to get to know all of the families involved, and everyone (skaters, parents, coaches and executive) really work well together.

So, although I am confident in my decision, it's still hard to say good-bye.

SWINGING:

I have played a lot of golf in the last week...which is great, because we go on vacation soon, so hopefully all the practice will pay off and I will play well in front of my dad :)

Last Sunday, we played 18 holes at Black Bear Ridge with our neighbour George, and his son Teegan.

Tuesday night, I played 9 holes at Trillium as a spare for Curt's league team.

Friday night, another 9 holes at Trillium with our church league (a league that Curt has tried to organize for the past three years, unfortunately, we still only have four or five people show up each week).

And then yesterday, Curt and I played 18 holes at Bay of Quinte (the course I worked at for five years). I was pretty excited to play BQ, it was the first time this season, so I finally got to see how all the course changes turned out...and, the course looks really good. It was actually the first round of Club Championships too, so I got to see a lot of members, which was fun.

So, after playing 36 holes in one week, I'm all practiced up and can't wait to play in Branson next week!

And, just because I don't like a post without pictures...here are a few pics I took with my phone on the course on Friday evening.

Playing the seventh hole, we spotted a deer. This is the first picture I took, so I was about 100 yards away from it.

The camera on my phone doesn't have zoom, so I knew it would be hard to see the deer in the picture. So I decided to see how close I could get to it...
I probably could have gotten closer, but I was scared to, I just pictured the deer charging at me if I got too close :)

Catching Up - Again

This seems to be a regular occurrence on here lately - posting a blog about our weekend events, five days after it happens, just in time to head into another weekend. Oh well, I'd rather post late then not post at all.

So, last weekend started out pretty quiet, we were home Friday night and Saturday, and just kind of took it easy. The weather wasn't great on Saturday, so we actually ended up having a 'movie marathon' - we watched Duplicity, The Invention of Lying and The King's Speech. We both enjoyed all three movies, and were glad to have a nice lazy day around the house.

And then on Sunday, we were off for another little overnight getaway (the coupon was only good from Sunday to Friday, so we both took Monday off in order to redeem the coupon). A few weeks ago, Curt bought a 'coupon' on Wagjag - a website that gives deals on events, restaurants, activities, etc. in various cities - for a golf getaway near Bancroft. The coupon was $99 and was good for a one night stay and two rounds of golf (with cart) at MartinWood Resort. Great deal right?!?

In the end, I think it was all a little too good to be true...and, we weren't overly impressed with the resort, or the golf :(

The accommodations...

The resort actually has an interesting history...if you can't tell by looking at it, it used to be an office building - built by the owner of what used to be a large logging company in that area. When he was done logging, he decided to turn it into a golf resort, but, he ran out of money (I think) and it's changed hands a number of times since then. The current owner just took over in September, and started working on changes in April...and you can REALLY tell that it is under construction.

The golf course also seems to be under construction, and because we were there in early August, it was pretty dry and brown.

Our view of the first fairway...

But, there were various spots on the course where you could see it's potential, this is one of them...

Overall, it was an enjoyable time away...but, when we're back in Branson in two weeks, we will be that much more appreciative of our accommodations :)

Anniversary Getaway - Part 2

Our first day in Ottawa was obviously a lot of fun, but the main reason for being there was to see 'The Lion King' on stage on Sunday.

The show was at 1pm, so we had time to sleep in, check out a few more buskers and grab a bite to eat before heading to The National Arts Centre.


I was really surprised, and super excited, when I found out where we were sitting. When we got to the theater, Curt led us up to the balcony and then I showed one of the ushers our ticket, so he could direct us from there. He told us that we had to go up one more level, and then we were in the front box. I thanked him and walked away, and then told Curt we should show our ticket to another employee because that guy thought we were in a box?!? I looked at Curt and saw the huge grin on his face, and realized he had managed to pull off another surprise...we really were sitting in a box!

Not a great picture, but this is me sitting in 'our box'...and, if you look to the right side of the picture, you'll see the box equivalent to ours on the other side of the theater (the last one on the top row)!

Now, as if the box seat wasn't exiting enough...the first thing we noticed when we sat down was that our box only had two chairs, whereas all the others had four, and, where the other two chairs were supposed to be, there was a taped 'X' on the floor. I don't know if Curt knew for sure or not, but he suggested that maybe it was because actors would come into our box. And, that is exactly what happened!!! At the beginning of each Act, we had an actor right in the box with us. I'm pretty sure I was smiling from ear-to-ear when they were right in front of us like that.

Again, not a very good picture, but it kind of shows just how close we were to the actors (Curt didn't zoom in at all for this picture). Really, this is a horrible picture, but keep in mind we weren't supposed to be taking pictures, so Curt just held the camera low and didn't even look at the display screen...he just snapped away and hoped that one of the pictures would turn out.

It was an amazing show, everything I expected and then some! The puppetry was AMAZING - the costumes spectacular - and the props/set incredible! I would highly recommend it to ANYONE and EVERYONE...I can't imagine someone seeing it and not being impressed.

A big thank you to Curt for planning such an awesome weekend - and for spoiling me with box seats at the show - you're the best!

Curt has said that next year I get to plan our Anniversary celebration?!?! I better start now if I want to top this years :)

Anniversary Getaway - Part 1

This past weekend, Curt planned a little weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary. He told me we were going away weeks ago, but I didn't know any other details until Friday evening...at that point, he told me we were going to Ottawa and that we were going to see 'The Lion King' on stage, that way I would know what to pack. I was soooo excited - I love Ottawa, and I've wanted to see 'The Lion King' for years, so it was an awesome surprise.

We left home on Saturday morning, and once we arrived in Ottawa, we parked near our hotel and then set off walking.

We checked out the ByWard Market, had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, shopped at the Rideau Centre and watched some buskers on Sparks Street. The buskers were an added bonus, we didn't know until we got there, but it was Buskerfest 2011, so there was some great entertainment.

A self-take in front of the Rideau Canal locks.

We saw bits and pieces of different acts throughout the weekend, but one show we saw from start to finish was 'Bendy Em' - a contortionist.


The shirtless guys with bad tan lines in this next picture were pulled out of the audience to help, poor guys. And yes, that is 'Bendy Em' in that box (and in case that's not crazy enough, there is a basketball in there too!).

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Curt and I both had our first Beaver Tails!

By late afternoon, we needed to give our feet a break, so we went to the hotel to check in, and then went to the pool for a swim. We stayed at a Marriott only two blocks from Parliament Hill, so it was really convenient. The hotel had a rotating restaurant on the top floor, and although we didn't eat there, we did go up to check out the views.

Saturday night, we went to Parliament Hill to see 'Mosaika' - a sound and light show that used the Parliament Buildings as a backdrop. It was a great show that explored Canada's physical, historical and cultural landscapes; it was more then Curt and I expected, and we were both truly impressed with various parts of the show.

The show is at night, in the dark, so it was hard to get a good picture, but we tried...

As you can tell, it was a great day, and the best part (in my opinion) was yet to come. More on 'The Lion King' in my next post.