Florida - The Rest

Another reason we didn't do as much on this trip is because Curt had some work to do.  That's something we're getting used to when we travel though; now that Curt has his own business, Three Hills Engineering, when he gets a job, there is no one else to do it!  So, he spent probably one solid day inside working, and then a few hours here and there.  He took lots of little breaks, and made sure to hit the pool and/or hot tub during those breaks.   

As you can see here, he didn't seem to mind too much...

One of the activities we did during the week was our annual trip to Webster's Flea Market!  This flea market is HUGE, and you can buy anything from knock-off purses and sunglasses to puppies to antiques - it's always an adventure looking at the different booths.  Curt and I try to collect license plates from the different states we visit, and the flea market is a great place to find those - this year was no exception, we found California and Missouri plates to add to our collection!

Webster is about an hour from the house, and although we had two rental vehicles, we all crammed into the minivan to get there.

 

And, on the way home from the flea market, we stopped at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch!  Ruby Tuesday's is my favourite.  And I think it may be a new favourite of my mom's and Vicki's now too - they ordered a drink called a 'Ruby Relaxer' and enjoyed it so much that we made them back at the house the rest of the week!

Curt took advantage of having an American address for nine days :)  He had a few things shipped to the house from companies that don't ship to Canada.  Unfortunately, when he submitted the address online, he gave the wrong house number - he gave #30621 and it should have been #30612!  It wasn't a problem though, he simply went a few doors down to #30621 and explained what happened, and asked if he could leave a note on the door asking the delivery guy to bring the stuff to the proper address.  The English family staying at the house had no problem with that, and the delivery guys must have been OK with it too because everything arrived with no issues!  

He ordered cigars and tennis racquets.  Vicki helped Curt break in the tennis racquets at the court in our neighbourhood...

We have often heard an ice cream truck driving around the neighbourhood, but have never bought anything until this year!  We heard the chimes so we went out front to catch the truck as it went by, unfortunately, the driver must not have seen us, so he turned down a street and drove away from us.  So, I did what any normal adult would do, I chased after him!  :)  I didn't actually run after him, I just walked around the block until I saw him, waved him down and told him to return to Blossom Hill Loop!

Just look at this picture, obviously everyone really wanted ice cream...I couldn't let them go to bed disappointed...

And, that pretty much sums up our time in Florida.  So, after a wonderful nine days, Aunt Mary, Curt and I said our good-byes and returned to Ontario (my parents and the Mitchell's stayed for another week, we were jealous).


But, as you can see, we had tired Aunt Mary out, so it was time for her to come home...

Sorry Aunt Mary, I couldn't resist!

Florida - Poolside R & R

As I mentioned in my last post, this trip was a little more relaxed than we're used to.  We usually try to do as much as possible when we're away, simply because we want to take in the area we're visiting.  I guess because we've been to Orlando a number of times now, and know it's an area we'll continue to visit often, we don't feel the pressure to do and see everything in one trip.  So, we spent a lot of time at the house, hanging out around the pool - when we did go out, it was usually just for a few hours at time to do some shopping or something nearby (aside from our golf days, which I've already talked about).

Curt and I on our first morning, you can see we're already looking pretty comfortable - I've got a drink in my hand and Curt's got his cigar and a drink nearby :)  I have to mention here that the only time I drink is when I'm holidays with my parents!

My mom and Vicki brought these floating pool chairs with them from Ontario, and although it seemed silly at first, I think everyone agreed that it was totally worth it - they were so comfortable!  They were well used throughout the week...

Some of the previous guests also left behind a few pool toys - this alligator provided LOTS of entertainment for Vicki, Mom, Aunt Mary, Curt and I on our last day! ;)

And, since we spent so much time lounging around the pool, I have one more collage of pics.

Clockwise from top left corner: Mitchell's and Robertson's playing Phase 10; Curt, eating lunch in the hot tub; Aunt Mary napping; Aunt Mary doing a word search; Dad doing a Sudoko; lounging; Curt, cleaning the pool; and in the middle, a group lounging shot.

One afternoon while we were all out at the pool, we watched an airplane doing some skywriting - most of it was very evangelical, stuff life 'YOU + GOD = :)'. 

Here is the ':)' portion of one message...

Looks like a tough life, right?

Florida - The Golf

First of all, we had another great trip! We had planned on doing a lot of stuff when we were there, and didn't end up doing most of it, but I wouldn't change a thing - we enjoyed what we did do, and enjoyed the fact that it ended up being a more relaxed holiday than is typical for us.

We had planned on playing three rounds of golf, but only played two. The first round was at a course called Sanctuary Ridge; it was OK, but nothing special - it was pretty unique in that it had a lot of elevation changes, but I wasn't that impressed. It was close to the house though, and well priced, so it was a good course to warm-up on.  I actually forgot my camera (shocker!), so I don't have a single picture to add here.

Our second round was at a course called El Campeon, one of two courses at Mission Inn. This course was a bit of a drive away, but it was beautiful and totally worth the drive! Apparently it was named the 2009 Florida Course of the Year! My dad played this course with us, and I'm really glad that he chose to play here rather than Sanctuary Ridge.

Some shots from our day at El Campeon...

These two pictures needed to be posted on their own, putting them in a collage didn't do them justice...

We got up close and personal with a gator! We've had plenty of gator sightings while playing golf in Florida, but this was the closest we've ever been.

Take a closer look at this picture and you'll see just how close Curt could have gotten - his ball landed just just on the edge of a pond, and about six feet away was a gator (you can see the gators eye peaking out of the water in the background, and Curt's golf ball in the foreground). Curt wanted to play the ball, but the the rest of us weren't in favour of that idea - he ended up leaving it there and playing a new one, with no penalty :) 

And, although we didn't get to play a third round ourselves, we did get to take in a third round - we were spectators at the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill!

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to have cameras on the course, so again, no pictures to show from our exciting day.

And, unfortunately, Tiger Woods won the tournament.  We didn't see him play at all though (and that was our choice); we saw him a few years ago when we went to the President's Cup in Montreal, and since we're not big fans, we decided to avoid the huge crowd that he somehow continues to attract :)

Some of the more notable players that we did see include: Camilo Villegas, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson,Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and of course, Bubba Watson!

Thanks to our friends, Henk and Amy, we were able to get our tickets through Ang and Bubba Watson - we met up with Angie on the second green and walked the next nine or ten holes with her.  It was great to visit with her, and her mom, who arrived about six holes into the round.

My dad and Gary also came to the tournament, and although I don't think Gary loved it, I'm pretty sure my dad had a great time.  My dad has only ever been to a Canadian Open, which usually doesn't attract the biggest names, so this type of tour event is a little more exciting.  They kind of went of and did their own thing while Curt and I did our thing, so we were all able to see the players we wanted to.

So, it was a great day, and everything went very smooth - from picking up our tickets at an off-site will-call, to parking at Universal Studios and shuttling to the course and then getting around the course.  It was definitely a highlight of the trip! 

The Countdown is ON

Well, tonight is an exciting night for me! I always start a countdown weeks before we go away on vacation; but, my favourite part of the countdown is the week before, when I can start saying "this time next week....". And, as of 5pm I could say "this time next week WE'LL BE ON VACATION!"

After work next Wednesday, we're heading to Acton to spend the night. And, Thursday morning we're off to Florida!

We're staying here again...
And this year, we'll be there with my Mom & Dad, my Aunt Mary and the Mitchell's (close family friends).

To say I'm excited it an understatement. Although I don't think I'm as excited as my Aunt Mary ;)

I don't know what I'm most looking forward to...golfing, lounging by the pool, playing (and winning) endless games of Canasta, going to Busch Gardens (we hope), shopping, going to the flea market or just being with friends and family in the sunny south?!?

Ahhhh, all of that in only ONE WEEK.

That's five work days and a weekend.

A Weekend of Hockey - Part 3

After the game on Friday night, Curt and I had to drive to Kingston to spend the night while everyone else stayed in Ottawa. I had another skating competition on Saturday, the last one of the season, and my two skaters both skated early in the morning.

This post is supposed to be about hockey, but I do have to mention that Hannah and Alyssa both did great at this competition - they both improved their skate, and their results, from their last competition (particularly Hannah who forgot part of her solo last time). Hannah ended up placing fourth out of seven...but she was THRILLED with that; as she walked up to me to tell me her results, I could have sworn she was going to tell me she was first based on the smile on her face - it was stretching from ear to ear! And Alyssa ended up placing fifth out of eight - I wouldn't say she was thrilled, but she was happy with it.

And as another side note, I had the unfortunate experience of getting a huge dent in the door of my Jeep on Saturday morning! It was incredibly windy, and the lady who parked beside me at the arena opened her car door and when she let go it smashed into my door...not a great way to start the morning :(

Anyway, back to the hockey weekend - we all met up again on Saturday afternoon, and after a few hours around our house, we decided to go out for dinner. We went to 'The Bull and Boar' restaurant in Belleville, a spot we usually hit when my brother is in town.

Nolan showing off his printing...while we were waiting for our food, he wrote everyone's name, and what they were having for dinner. I can't believe how big he is getting :)
And from there, it was off to another hockey game - this time it was a Belleville Bulls game!

Nolan had the chance to meet one of the mascots...I don't know if this in 'Bullie' or 'Toro'?
Nolan made some friends at this game too, this time it wasn't because he cried, instead it was when he was cheering LOUD when a fight broke out on the ice :) What a kid!

It's a lot easier to change seats at a game at this level, so when we spotted some front row seats that were open down by the visiting teams bench, we decided to check them out during the third period...
Unfortunately this game turned out to be a bit of a waste of time as the Bulls lost 10 to 3 to the Niagara Ice Dogs. Needless to say, it was getting a little boring by the end!

And that pretty much wraps up our hockey weekend! Our out of town guests were on the road by about noon on Sunday, and Curt and I spent the rest of the day resting after our busy, but FUN, weekend!

Big thanks go out to the Robertson's and Waller's for visiting and for allowing us to be a part of their hockey weekend!

A Weekend of Hockey - Part 2

So, after our successful and exciting afternoon, we had some time to kill around the hotel. It involved watching TV, playing games and napping! We all thought Nolan would be too excited to fall asleep, but he did get in a short nap which we knew would be for everyone's benefit by the end of the night :)

Nolan getting his face painted before leaving for the game...
Emily, Tom and Nolan showing their Blackhawk spirit...
Arriving at the arena! You'll notice that Curt is wearing an Ottawa sweater...Curt being a Sens fan made this whole experience that much more fun :)
Nolan with one of the signs he and Tom made...had our seats been lower, this is the kind of poster that gets you on TV :)
During practice...both of them, in awe ;)
'Oh Canada'...let the game begin...
Ottawa got the first goal of the game, during the first period, and when Curt and I stood up to cheer, Nolan got a little upset...as in, he started to cry. I think we were all a little shocked because he has been to a lot of Guelph Storm hockey games, so he knows that 'his team' doesn't always win; but he told Tom that the reason he was crying was because he was mad at me because I was cheering for the wrong team! I felt so bad! I tried to stay neutral throughout the rest of the game.

There was a group of about six or seven people in front of us - one of the guys in that group was cheering for Ottawa, the rest were cheering for Chicago. When they noticed Nolan's tears they were all so nice to him, telling him that there was still lots of time for Chicago to score and trying to make him feel better. The two ladies sitting in the group were absolutely heart broken by his little tears, you could tell they just wanted to give him a big hug.

We got our tickets through my former boss, Russ, and he was there with three friends from the golf course. They had seats in the 100 level, and during the third period they let Nolan and I go down to check out their seats. It was a great view, and we almost got to see Ottawa score, but it went off the crossbar. I don't think Nolan really appreciated how much closer we were, and he eventually just wanted to go back to sit with his dad.

Chicago ended up winning, 3 to 1, so Nolan (and Tom) left happy!

And finally, a picture of Curt and I, just for proof that I was actually there...
There was one more hockey game during the weekend, but I'll have to do another post to cover that one.

A Weekend of Hockey - Part 1

This past weekend was a busy one for us, and for a change, it wasn't ALL about a skating competition (although there was one of those too...more on it later).

My brother and nephew are huge fans of the Chicago Blackhawks, and on Friday night, they were in Ottawa to play the Senators. So, months ago, we made plans to go to the game and to make a weekend of it. And, I guess because it sounded like so much fun, my brothers friend and his family decided to join us too!

Our guests arrived on Thursday night, and by 9 o'clock Friday morning, we were on the road to Ottawa - do you think they were excited, or what?!? My brother had made reservations at the same hotel that the Blackhawks were staying at, with hopes that they would get the chance to meet some players and get autographs. We went straight there, and arrived shortly before the team was expected to return from their morning practice - so, we sat in the lobby, waiting for their bus, armed with a Sharpie and a hockey stick to have signed!

Nolan was ready, Toews jersey and all...
Unfortunately, as soon as the players bus pulled up, the hotel staff told us that we 'had to respect the players privacy' and then created a bit of a wall so we wouldn't really be able to get too close to the players.

The players entering the hotel; those people with their hands behind their backs, that's the hotel 'security'...
I was disappointed that not one of the players even acknowledged Nolan, standing there wide eyed with his jersey, obviously in awe as they walked by...disappointed isn't really the right word, I was ticked!

Finally, one of the last guys in stopped...he was 'the voice of the Blackhawks', the guy who does the play by play. He was great with Nolan, and had a good chat with Tom...but, not exactly who they were looking to talk to :)
Once the players were all in, and the possibility of an autograph was gone, we went up to the room to relax and order lunch. While waiting for the pizza to be delivered, we decided to go for a walk to check out the pool area. And, after seeing the pool, as we walked to the elevator to go back to our room, my brother saw Marian Hossa waiting for the elevator! Although he couldn't get his attention, we did realize that the players were having lunch in a nearby banquet room...so, if we waited in and around that area, we may actually get another chance to meet players. So, that's what we did...waited...and met about ten players!

Nolan getting his first autograph from Bryan Bickle...
And, from the goalie, Ray Emery...
I can't remember who the guy on the left is...but, the guy on the right, with a cookie in his mouth, is Andrew Shaw. He's from Belleville, and I used to coach skating with his sister - I threw that out there while he was signing Nolan's hockey stick :)
Yet another guy that I can't remember...could be Brandon Bollig? Tom, correct me if I'm wrong.
Nolan was able to get autographs from a few other players, and we did get pictures, but since I can't remember who they were, and I've already included a lot of pictures, I'll leave those ones out.

My next post will be about the actual game, and it too will be full of more pictures!