Viva Las Vegas

Introducing...

2008-12-02T16:14:00.006-05:00

... little Maya!

Yep this little ball of fur is the biggest suck I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with!

She has been with us for a little over two weeks and she's a dream. Well, she does a lot of dreaming. She spends a huge amount of time sleeping, and has about two short but big bursts of energy in the day. She is extremely cuddly and gives you a little nudge to let her under the covers with you. She loves to be picked up and carried around, and melts right into you.

I'll keep you posted on the adventures of Maya!

Boo Hoo!

2008-11-20T17:05:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry that I haven't updated my blog in awhile. I have tons to say but most are all surprises!!!

It's getting harder to keep it all in! Ahhhh!

I can't even give out hints because it will give it all away!

Its About Time!!!

2008-11-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-05T19:48:00.010-05:00

Finally some Halloween pics!

We were so lucky this year, the weather was amazing. It's almost always cold and rainy but the sky was clear, and the air was crisp...perfect for trick or treaters!

We went a few weeks ago to pick our pumpkins in a field which is always fun.

This is the mess from me drilling holes in the pumpkins!

We also made some yummy creepy treats!

Richard and I took turns taking the boys out. We handed out over 200 candies...

The neighborhood was packed with people, I've never seen so many trick or treaters in one place at once. People really get into the spirit of Halloween here. It was great!

Hope your Halloween was Spooktacular!

Last Camping Trip of the Season

2008-10-25T12:46:00.005-05:00

We embarked on our last camping adventure a couple of weeks ago, at Voyageur. I've always heard not such great reviews about it but it was actually pretty nice.

We had the whole park to ourselves for three days. We got to scope out all the really good campsites for next time around.

Seeing as it was Thanksgiving long weekend, we were happy to have the quiet time there, before everyone showed up.

By Saturday morning, the place was packed! Our neighbors were having a big family reunion, with more cases of beer than I'd ever seen in my life. I was a little scared at that but Richard saw it as an opportunity to pretend to be a long lost family member. They were actually very quiet after all.

So what did we do with our time?

We walked a lot...

Ate and cooked A LOT!!!

but most of all....SLEPT A LOT!

Even Lexi was lazy...

Til next season!

In the Flesh

2008-10-25T11:21:00.009-05:00

Thursday was a very exciting night for me! After all these years, I finally got to see the living legend, Madonna! hehe She brings back many fun memories from when I was little. It was great to finally see her.

Our tickets were awesome. Parking and dinner were included. Supper was at La Mise au Jeu, which is a private club at the Bell Center. It was an elegant place with tons of food! We even left with some cool Madonna gifts :)

We went to the concert with a customer of Richard's from Telus, and his wife. They were really fun, and we shared lots of laughs. I got to brush up on my French as well :)

It was a surreal experience once Madonna got on stage... In a nutshell, she's in serious shape! She was going strong throughout the whole show!

She played quite a bit of guitar, jumped rope double dutch style, made some cheap shots at her soon to be ex husband Guy Ritchie, and managed to squeeze in some political propaganda. She even took a request from the audience. The light show, and of course, her dancers, were incredible too.

The concert went by too quickly!!!

I also went to the Home Opener with Richard. Mtl. played Boston.

The game was so close but of course we won! There was a shoot out at the end, which was my first time seeing one live...talk about pressure! It was great!

P.S. Not my pics above...it was very clear on the tickets that we weren't allowed to bring cameras...I respected that, even though no one else did! :(

http://www.centrebell.ca/en/la_mise_au_jeu

Alouettes vs. Roughriders

2008-09-30T16:55:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not, it was both Richard and I's first time at an Alouettes game! After all these years of being on Mtl, let alone being born here! We headed to the Molson Stadium for a new experience.

The view of Montreal from our side, was incredible. It was everything you'd imagine about going to a game, screaming people, drunk people, people heckling, and people not even watching the game!

Although I'm not a big fan of football, I really enjoyed the experience, and can't wait to go back later in the season with big blankets and hot chocolate! :)

After the game we headed back to the truck, and admired the view from up in the mountain. We especially loved all the old buildings. Montreal is truly a beautiful place! Hope you enjoy the pics :)

Bowling

2008-09-30T16:51:00.005-05:00

Yep, Joshua had two B-Day celebrations this week! We headed to Cage Aux Sports, and then to two very entertaining bowling matches!

Good times!

Parc Jacques Cartier

2008-09-30T15:30:00.003-05:00

I must say that camping once it gets cooler, is awesome. The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and the best part...NO CREEPY CRAWLERS! Not the annoying ones at least. :)

We packed our things and headed past Quebec city, to an incredible Sepaq Parc. It was very well maintained, and the trails were great. It actually felt like we were camping, and less like we were gypsies staying on someone's property. It had breathtaking views, and although we didn't see anything besides chipmunks, the woods are filled with moose, deer, and bears. It reminded me a lot of Algonquin in Ontario.

We all headed out on Saturday for an afternoon walk, on a low impact trail. A few hills and about a thousand stairs later, we managed to see a lot of beautiful um...trees. Just kidding...the bushes were cute too. Going for walks in the woods is by far one of my favorite things to do. :)

We also celebrated Josh's 5th birthday. We decorated the cake, smashed a pinata to bits, and opened lots of presents. :)

Its amazing how all the old toys that were popular when I was small, are back in a big way. I remember when Transformers were the bane of my brother's existence, and now they're huge again! You can't dispute that they are pretty cool.

I would highly recommend going here if you can actually get a reservation. Book way in advance!

http://www.sepaq.com/index-en.html

Cute PostSecret

2008-09-22T18:23:00.007-05:00

PostSecret is something that I try to check out once a week. For those who don't know...people send in their secrets on a postcard, some get on the site, some don't. Lots of books have been published and tons of theraputic events happen all over the place, with a cult like following.

I thought this one was cute and made me laugh out loud...I can think of lots of weird things that my dogs used to do too... Gotta love 'em. It made me miss them lots.

Congratulations to Me!

2008-09-22T17:50:00.007-05:00

Now that's a flattering pic if I've ever seen one! Don't know who's lighting it for me but shame on them, I'm innocent ;)

I'm very proud to admit that it's been one whole year since I've kicked the disgusting and utterly consuming addiction.

I've hid it from many people over the years, and am so happy to be rid of my arsenal of gum, perfumes, hand lotions and even smoking jackets! It was a full time job!

I've had many opportunities to fall off the wagon over the year but would never dare. I would never want to go through the initial, miserable quit time ever again. While in Toronto two weeks ago, everyone around me was smoking, and I didn't touch a single one. My lungs actually hurt the next day though. :(

It been worth every lb. that I've packed on since quitting :) When I got back to Montreal, I had lost all the extra weight, and then some but unfortunately now that I'm not walking all those kms a day with Romeo, they've come back. Must get another dog!

He was great motivation :)

Little Update

2008-08-03T14:05:00.008-05:00

All is well with me :) Been through a lot lately, and I want to say thanks for all the great B-day messages and notes of encouragement along the way...:) They have been very much appreciated and I apologize to those that I haven't gotten back to yet. I haven't forgotten you! Your support has meant a lot. xox

We played a very competitive, and hilarious game of Mini Putt on my birthday, then had supper at Jack Astors. We got rained on during our game but that didn't stop Nansies' competitive fury!

I got a new tattoo yesterday to commemorate Vegas! I've been wanting to get it done for quite some time now...

It was done by Rob, who was the apprentice to Randy, who did my other tattoo...

I forgot how much it hurt, I'm a big sissy ;) The V hurt a lot then my wrist became numb and it was ok. I was getting cold chills from the pain! My hat goes off to those with big tattoos...

Nansies, Momsies and I

Olga and I

I did pretty well if I may say so!

Dinner at Jacks

He sucked big time! ;)

There it is!

Almost A Month!

2008-06-26T13:14:00.003-05:00

I was very surprised to see that it has been almost a month since my last post. I have been on an emotional roller coaster these past few weeks, and have completely forgotten about my blog.

Things have been very hard in my marriage. This is not a surprise to those closest to me. I won't be discussing these issues here.

I just want to apologize to those that I haven't been keeping in touch with, I would rather talk about it when its said and done to avoid involving everyone in this drama.

Feel free to send any messages to katie.hinton@gmail.com and I will respond asap.

Long Time No See!

2008-05-28T19:35:00.009-05:00

Haven't posted in awhile but here I am. Please excuse the delay, a lot has been going on with me. Look at how big Romes is now! He's 50 lbs. and really starting to get some height to him. He's quite the little superstar around town at especially at Angel Woods, where we walk everyday.

First time seeing a pony! He was a good boy, thank goodness "Noiro" the Pony was such a nice little thing! Romes wanted to go under the fence to see him but he settled for some of his poop and a sniff of his nose.

The chickens weren't as interesting but the rooster made quite the stink, which made Romes very excited! He loves birds of any kind, especially wood peckers.

We've done 2 classes of agility at Guides Canins in St-Lazare. Romes has no fear of any of the equipment so far. Until he hurts or scares himself I guess. The place is great because you can use the facilities anytime, as long as you put everything back in its place. We also do his Conformation here. Flyball, Obedience and Tracking are offered here too.

He works very well for food. Romes is a good worker but is a bit of a turd when he's not given a job to do. I have to give him a break because he's still a baby!

Through the tunnel! He loved this! He is a bit of a show off! hehe He really loves to please. I've been pointing at everything now that we've started agility bc I want him to follow my hand signals. :)

Did you know that you can take your dog to Chapters?!?

(aka Borders)

Hard to keep track of him around the store, they were too many interesting smells!
He's by the escalator on the right... Can't say that he hasn't been exposed to a lot of things :)

My brother and I went to The Cure concert at the Bell Centre recently. It was really good.

It was great to see them because I've been a fan since I was like 8 years old!

Their sets usually consisted of 1 old song and then one new...

We had floor seats that were quite good!

I'll also be going to the Old Port to a Death Cab for Cutie concert soon too. I will keep you posted!

Oh! I almost forgot! I went away for the weekend to Mont-Tremblant to a Spa called Le Scandinave. It was paradise! You soak in "Scandinavian" style tubs that are buried in the mountain side! I highly recommend going here!

You soak in the hot tub, then you jump into the cold tub, then relax...

Then start all over again. You can also go into a steam room...The landscape was beautiful!

Please check out their website!

http://www.scandinave.com/

Hope Y'all are doing well! :)

xox

Log Driver...

2008-05-01T15:02:00.006-05:00

A day in the life of Mr. Romeo is lots of time in the woods!

He's climbing on logs and big boulders all the time now...

He's finally becoming aware of his back legs...It's very cute when he slips off a log and looks back at them like, "Hey, where did you guys come from ?!?" :)

A little over four months now, and he's sprouting up big time!

I'm really happy with him, he's also becoming more aware of our expectations every day. All that work and attention is really paying off. It's very rewarding to see.

In other news, I'll be back in my place in June. The great people who lived there, are going on another wild religious adventure. Their last trip was to Egypt or Jerusalem (can't remember), where they walked in God's footsteps.

I'm really looking forward to getting back in to my own space, and especially looking forward to taking a dip in my tub again! :) I'm very thankful to my parents for letting us stay, and I'm sure Romeo will really miss them, especially my Dad.

Hope you all are well!

xox

Quick Update

2008-04-28T11:16:00.005-05:00

All is well with me :)
Melissa and I finally got a chance to get together. Not once but twice in one weekend! We went to a new restaurant called Del Frigio (not 100% on the name) on Friday, and we had awesome salads and some vino. I barely ate because I had lots to say! :)
We had a great time as we always do, and she even put out at the end of the night! She gave me a present, what were you thinking?

The following day we met up at Cage Aux Sports, to watch the game. Let's just say that the food was horrible, and I had nachos (how do you mess that up?) but we had awesome seats. We made lots of plans, we'll be going to some classes together soon too.

Melissa looks as hot as ever. Even though she made me delete all the pics that we took of each other that night! I guess you'll just have to take my word for it :)

Talk soon!

Amazing salad! The bread was good too!

Air and Ground Riot Footage: Game 7 Montreal April 2008

2008-04-23T23:44:00.001-05:00

Here's a taste of what happened!

Most Incredible Night!

2008-04-23T22:05:00.006-05:00

Not really sure how to put this but...I had the time of my life on Monday night!!!

Yep, it was better than.............just about anything!

Game 7, and we beat the pants off of The Bruins. My friend Richard invited me to go to another game with him, we had a few drinks at Ye Old Orchard Pub, then headed to the Bell Centre for even more! :) I think he has a drinking problem, and he kept tripping on the stairs near our seats! ;)

The game was awesome, and I have never heard fans make that much noise ever! The Habs scored their last goal shortly after the 4 th one. No one even had the chance to sit down btw goals, let alone stop screaming! My left ear still hurts a bit today. The energy was incredible!

Once we left, the crowd was pretty well the same as last time. Everyone was yelling and cheering but then it started to get a little crazy, and started to sound aggressive. Then we heard helicopters...shortly after came the firetrucks and ambulances...

We headed inside for safety and did not get to leave till around 2 am. We were lucky that we stayed off of St-Catherine's.

Hard to tell but I was able to take a quick shot of the riot police on De La Montagne.

It was an awesome night for Mtl. except for the rioting jerks! Over 26 cop cars were vandalized and many businesses were looted. So far there have been 23 arrests, with help from people who have sent in their pictures of the rioters...

There goes our tax break!

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could celebrate this way?

Can It Be True?!?!

2008-04-23T21:46:00.005-05:00

Quick update for those who didn't know...Marc's pride and joy got stolen not long ago.

It was stolen right out of the parking lot at work. The security cameras begin recording upon movement only. I can't really talk about it much but we pretty well know who is responsible for doing it.

Interestingly enough, once certain people were questioned with regards to the vehicle, it mysteriously showed up in the woods near where they lived.

From the beginning, we wondered why anyone would steal his truck for many reasons. Marc's truck had so much money put into it but would not be worth stealing just to sell the parts. The truck was worth more "as is" bc of all the personalized detailing.

So what did they steal in the end? His big ass tires at an estimated value of 2k.

His truck is at an impound, we have to pay for a flatbed truck to pick it up, and pay for each day that it sits in the lot. Sweet. We haven't seen the damages yet but apparently its just the drive column that was broken. As long as it wasn't the paint job ;)

Aside from all the money that was lost in this mess, I'm happy that Marc was able to get his big Tonka truck back. It know that it meant the world to him.

Mama's Boy

2008-04-23T09:01:00.006-05:00

Who's the best boy around? Not Romeo! ;)

Romeo did great at his last obedience class and Graduation.

We were all so proud! It was a really fun time, and we got to do a lot of fun games in terms of recall with them. Romeo got his diploma and later ate it. jk

Grandma and Grandpa even stopped by! That was very thoughtful of them to do.

What better way to celebrate than to go for doggie ice cream!

We went to Wild Willy's in Pointe-Claire Village, where they serve doggie ice cream. He really enjoyed his first taste. It's apparently just non dairy, with some questionable sprinkles on top.

I got Marc a scoop on a cone and told him it was vanilla! ;)

Ciao!

Pic of the Week

2008-04-16T20:12:00.003-05:00

Isn't the little bum such a cutie! He loved jumping on the tree stumps outside...

The weather has improved so much, we're all in light sweaters now. The snow is melting so fast and the ground is saturated with water. I shouldn't say saturated, I should say...overflowing!

Angel Woods is off limits right now. My friend who works for the fire dept. told me not to go bc he just rescued a dog that fell through the ice and into 5 feet of water! No thank you!

So we've been sticking to Centennial Woods on the less watery trails...It's a nice change.

In other news, I went to Game 2 at the Bell Centre with an old friend last Sat. and had an amazing time. It was great to hear the national anthem! Very emotional for me! :)

The crowd was going MENTAL during, and especially afterward, it was so intense. We had to hang out downtown afterward bc there was no way that we were going to get out of there!

So we hung out at a micro brewery on St-Catherine's. I had such a great time!!!!

It felt so good to be back, I really missed the excitement and the many colorful characters of Montreal !

I'm also excited for Friday bc Melissa and I are going to get together this Friday for dinner and drinks! Can't wait to see her pretty face again! Watch out boys! I will definetely take pictures!

Take care, I hope that everyone is well!

xox

Beautiful Day

2008-04-07T21:37:00.007-05:00

The weather was awesome today. We did a 2.5 km walk. It didn't feel like much, until I started falling into the snow up to my knees...The stream was raging from all of the melting snow. Everyone is worried about their homes being flooded from the sudden increase in temperature.

I don't think I will regret getting Romeo into Agility. The classes start in May.

The water was flowing quickly under this flimsy bridge but he went right over it without much hesitation. We praised him so much and did some recalls on the bridge. He is very aware of his body, and likes to climb on ladders and run along fallen trees.

I think he will really enjoy it :)

Bye for now!

Romeo Conformation

2008-04-07T15:18:00.010-05:00

Romeo's doing pretty well at Conformation class, which is every Sunday morning...every male in his litter is in the class as well. You can see some of them waiting for their turn in the clip.

He still loves to play with his little buddies beside him but is starting to do better with distractions. My trick is a good walk, and a tiny breakfast before heading there :)

For anyone who is curious about what goes on at Conformation training...you can take a peak at the above video. Romeo is being handled here by Andre (breeder) and is being shown how to walk (trot) around the ring, and is stacked at the end...

Below is a short clip on stacking your dog as well...

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/2201_show-dog-stack.htm

Romesies

2008-04-03T08:15:00.007-05:00

Romeo is doing well at his puppy class, with only a handful of classes left. I'm not sure if I want to continue the obedience with Lakeshore (even though they are reputable) because I don't find them that helpful. We'll see who's teaching the next class.

I guess it's the assistant that i don't find that great. She tends to let people lag behind the rest of the class, and doesn't take the time to help them very often.

I preferred our class with the vet at Pierrefonds.

I find that Romeo has a very mature look about him but he's not! lol

I love seeing the different breeds in our class. There's two mountain dogs (above), one is painfully shy while the other is so hyper. The handler is a little girl who get thrown around by him the whole class while Dad watches. I feel bad for her! Again, the assistant just tells her to bring a better collar the next time. There are two rescue dogs that are most likely lab and golden mix, that are very docile and sweet. There's also a mini shitzu named Elvis, that Romeo throws around during playtime. There are lots of other dogs, I'll try to post better pics next time.

Our biggest obstacles with him, are getting him to not pull so much on his lead, and to stop playing (distractions)! Man, it never ends! lol

However, I must say that he did really well at Conformation on Sunday. It's tough for a puppy to stand like a statue!

Still lots of snow! Our temps are up and down a lot, which makes for some icy walks!

Here's a pic at Angel Woods. Marc warned me of melting snow by the stream but then fell through the snow himself. He wasn't very happy about getting soaked but it made for a good laugh afterward. We made our way back to the car after that, considering he just got over being so sick!

Romes and I looking so stylin'! ;)

Baby Cakes staying close to Pops!

Other than that, all is well. Yesterday I got my hair done at Tangerine, and went to breakfast with Annick at Moe's. It was nice to see her again, and had lots of good laughs!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy 27th Min!

2008-03-27T17:25:00.001-05:00

What better way to celebrate than with cupcakes?

Hope you like sugar!

Will Work for Food

2008-03-27T17:01:00.008-05:00

Ok now don't throw up...this one is by far, the easiest and best treat recipe that I've ever made...but also one of the grossest.

I was very uncomfortable about handling a heart, so I had to skewer it out of the bag.

Basically you boil a slimy heart, which had virtually no scent at all (big relief).

Once boiled, you put it in the oven for 10 minutes on each side, and presto, you've got mouth watering treats.

I'll only post the cooked pic., as the raw and boiling ones are quite scary. Everyone ran from the kitchen, confused and disgusted...

Romeo loved this treat so much, I can get him to do anything!

Dog Pic of the Week

2008-03-27T16:27:00.006-05:00

Even Romeo has his limits.

He hesitated with Persia, the 13 month old Great Dane.

Once he got over her size, Persia and Romeo had lots of fun chasing each other around in the snowy woods.

Her owner is about to start Confirmation classes in St-Lazare, where Romeo is doing his.

I absolutely love Great Danes but can't imagine having one unless I had lots of property. They are gigantic, when she stood up, she was as tall as Marc!

She was surprisingly light on her feet when she jumped through the snow...

Can't wait to see her again!

Snake in the Grass

2008-03-27T16:15:00.004-05:00

We all had fun celebrating Easter and my Mom's B-Day.

The whole fam got together and had lots of good eats, and lots of laughs.

What better way to celebrate than with a competitive game of Wii bowling?

My Nansies surprised us all with her badass skills. She beat us all in one round. My Nanny still goes bowling for real!

Hope everyone had a good holiday...

Little Bugger

2008-03-22T14:43:00.005-05:00

Is it just me, or has Romeo doubled in size?!? He was smaller than Minou not long ago.

He has seriously grown like a weed, and has a ferocious appetite. I thought that it would slow down after he left his litter mates but it hasn't wavered at all!

He's learning better manners now, he doesn't bounce off of my body repeatedly while I'm preparing his food anymore. He now sits, and has learned the wait command.

We've been spending time at Centennial Woods, since its so close, and have been to Angell Woods a couple of times now.

He plays well with all the dogs, and loves to bite tails. He got rolled by a giant Irish Setter and he squealed like a pig. I tried to feel sorry for him but he's so fearless that I think it did him some good. He was a lot more cautious after that.

The weather is improving a lot but the snow hasn't melted much despite the super sunny skies.

Marc is doing much better, and is recovering from his pneumonia. He is taking quite the cocktail of drugs. He's even taking two different inhalers!

It was scary because I've never seen him this sick for as long as I've known him.

I had a few symptoms but it never developped into anything major, thank goodness! Lots of sleep usually does the trick. It's funny 'cos neither of us have been truly sick in a very long time, and we get back to Mtl. and get sick!

Anywho, that's it for now, I'll keep you all posted!

Liver Treats

2008-03-14T10:54:00.009-05:00

What better way to get your dog to do just about anything, than to slave over a batch of chewy liver biscuits? I made these tasty treats because you can cut them into small pieces for puppy kindergarten, or you can slice them into bigger ones for Confirmation class.

I've included a quick recipe for all you dog lovers...

_________________________________

1/2 lb. Pork or other Liver, (you can also use liquid from boiled pork hearts...gross!)

1 Egg beaten

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup Corn Meal (Optional)

1 Cup Whole Oats

1 Cup Water (to obtain the consistency of a thick cake)

Preheat oven to 350.

Puree the dead animal organs, and try to keep down your breakfast. Blocking your nose helps. Attempt to ignore the salivating dog at your feet. Mix remaining ingredients.

Pour mix into a lightly greased cake pan, and bake until desired consistency. Usually 30-45 min.

Treat away! Not too much or he'll get the poops!

Congrats to Marc! Paperwork- Case Closed

2008-03-11T12:29:00.008-05:00

Marc has been waiting and waiting to get his "Pedigree Papers" taken care of.

With no help from the people that were supposed to help in the first place, he got them today.

It only took two visits, he was sworn in, and they were done. He is now an American citizen.

He didn't have to surrender his Canadian citizenship, and he is not considered a dual citizen. He is American, and Canadian.

Anywho, just a word of advice for anyone trying to get something done...do it yourself. If it involves legal issues, speak to a lawyer. We went through A LOT of heartache this past year,

and much of our frustration could have been avoided.

So for now, we will brave the insane weather conditions of the Great White North,

and see where the wind takes us. If we do venture south again, it will only be to a much warmer climate! :)

Congratulations Marc, on a job well done! You did it!!! Your Daddy would be very proud!

All is well in doggie land...

2008-03-07T08:30:00.014-05:00

We're all hanging in there despite the freezing temps! It has snowed so much this past week, I believe everyone now, when they say that it's been the worst winter in years. We're expecting more snow on Sat. too!

Yesterday was beautiful, so Romeo and I played outside for awhile.

So far he has a great temperament with lots of feisty thrown in.

Ah (sigh), the joys of having a pain in the butt puppy again. ;)

Thankfully, we were able to get him in a puppy class with the Lakeshore Dog Training Association.
http://www.ldta.ca/

The class is held every Tues. night. There's plenty more classes in obedience if we want to get involved afterward, which is something that I'd love to do. So I think between Confirmation and Obedience, we're good to go. I'm not as crazy about agility but I will definetely look into it.

The first part of our class was socialization. All the pups ran around and played, then we were to call them away from their new friends. Romeo showed no fear, and was very eager to play with dogs that were much bigger than him. He was nice to all the pups. It scares me just a little that he has no fear whatsoever though! I can't wait to take him to the dog park, so he can get thrown around a bit by the bigger dogs! ;)

The rest of the class was about learning the basic commands... sit, down, come etc...and he also went through the tunnel. The hour went by quickly, and he slept like a rock afterward.

Can't wait till next week!

Where For Art Thou Romeo?

2008-02-29T08:07:00.005-05:00

Guess who? Yep, it's baby Romeo! Marc and I brought this little bundle of hell home on Wednesday. He is actually quiet and very sweet.....so far. He is 9 weeks old. Ask me again next month. lol

I was a little worried about house breaking him because of the weather but so far so good, no accidents.

I open door, he hops out and goes to the bathroom, then he jumps back inside. He has no interest in playing out there, so he's associating going outside with going to the bathroom.

He slept through the night on both nights, with is a big relief too. We wake up around 6:30 with Marc, and he has breakfast at 7 am. I'm going to get him into a routine, so that it won't be an adjustment for when I go back to work.

Sunday we are going to Confirmation class, and we are also waiting to hear back from our vet for the enrollments dates etc...for the obedience classes.

That's it in a nutshell, I will post more pics later!

Loki A.K.A. Minou

2008-02-29T07:49:00.003-05:00

We made it back in one piece, and just in time for another snow storm. It has been one the worst winters on record. I'm very happy that I missed the majority of it! Maybe we shouldn't have gone to Florida before coming home, it might not have been such a shock!

As you all know, I have missed my Minou a lot since moving. So it was great to see him again. My parents have been taking good care of him but have been feeding him lots of human food. He has turned into quite the demanding cat! He already talks a lot as it is, and now he'll follow you around until you give him a treat. He will not stop until he gets something!

I made some muffins the other day, and this is what we saw after coming home from a movie.

The little scavenger ate right through the plastic! He apparently really loves muffins.

What a bugger!

It's still great to see him again.

Florida Fun

2008-02-28T17:45:00.002-05:00

Jeff invited us to his place in Clearwater Florida for a few days. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach, and even got a chance to see the Scientology center where TomKat & Co. visit.

The weather was beautiful but the water was too cold to swim in. The only ones that were in the water were from Canada! lol

We visited a lot of Wing Houses, which are the usual haunts of Marc and Jeff. Jeff knew all the girls a little too well! Among one of the restaus that we visited, was the Original Hooters. It was packed! Even parents bring their children there! I was pretty surprised to see that but apparently that's pretty normal. Quite a few of the girls are career waitresses too. They also end up doing a lot of calendar work.

We headed back to VA to wrap everything up, and to say our good-byes, and we made our way back to Montreal on Monday. The drive was good and the weather was perfect. Marc and I drove up both vehicles, and I managed to pull off driving 10 hours, with a couple of stops for gas. Marc is definetely a no nonsense driver!

I have more news so check back soon!

The Great White North

2008-02-14T17:50:00.003-05:00

The biggest reason for not posting for awhile is because...we were packing!
Yep, Marc and I are moving back to Montreal! In a nutshell, my job got axed because the investors were not seeing enough profit, and all the "fat" was trimmed off the payroll.

Let's just say, I'm not upset about the decision. I will definetely miss the people that I have met, and don't regret the experience, as I have learned a lot about myself!

We are completely packed sauf our bed, tv, sofa...All of our things are on skids and will be taken back to Canada for us.

We are leaving for Tampa this coming Tues. and will be staying at Marc's boss' house for a few days and will be flying back to VA, to drive back to Montreal on the 24th.

I am taking some time off of work to get familiar with our new puppy. Marc will be going back to Procaps Mtl., and we will be staying with my parents until July.

Fort Knox and Lepers

2008-01-27T12:31:00.000-05:00

I apologize to my readers who have to log in every time they want to read my blog.
It will most likely be a temporary thing, I just need to weed out a few unwanted readers, and keep the ones that I trust and are closest to. I shouldn't complain since my blog is on the web (lol) but I'd like to be as open as possible without worrying about particular people.

Other than that, my weekend has been great. I have been doing exactly what I wanted to do. Nothing!lol
My down time included lots of reading, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and playing Wii. I hooked up my Wii to the wireless network and it's great! I was reading news from all over the world. My dreams of a paperless world are finally coming true. ;)
I was also lucky enough to get a copy of Abobe Suite from a co-worker (which is pretty expensive if you actually buy it! LOL) and am learning about Photoshop CS2. I'm very excited about this :).

I stayed home Friday to recover from a very itchy rash on my upper body.
As far as I know, I'm not allergic to anything except penicillin but we all know that can change.
I'm feeling a lot less flea bitten after lots of Aveeno and Cortozone cream.
I hope you all had a great weekend!

Baby Romeo

2008-01-22T21:08:00.000-05:00

What happens when a big brown boy dog takes advantage of a cute brown girl dog? A mommy who has to take care of the mess! The dog world is not too unlike the human world!

Hunter is a proud daddy and is an uber champion from PA with all the snotty titles.
Suzie Q is Vegas' momsies, who also holds some reputable titles and good bloodlines. AND since she was Vego's momsies, you know that the majority of good looks and smarts will be from her!

The 5 male 5 female litter, was born December 17, and they are all doing well. I can't wait to see them, and bite their little bums. The litter's theme name is of Shakesperean characters. Diane is keeping a female, who will be Juliet, and we will be getting a male that we chose the name Romeo for. Any famous quote suggestions are definetely welcome for his title name. ie. Where Art Thou Romeo? It's been awhile since I've had the displeasure of reading Shakespeare, so I was thinking of picking up the Cliff Notes (or googling it) to read through the memorable scenes and famous quotes...

We are embarking on a new adventure, again. I feel that I am ready to move on from the tragedy that happened with Vegas. I know that Vegas is irreplacable but I am looking forward to starting a relationship with a new friend.

Niki Barr at Sweet Caroline's

2008-01-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening we all went bowling. I think I was a little overconfident after playing Wii Bowling! I bombed the first game but did a lot better the last two (I at least broke 100!).
We also headed to a place called Sweet Caroline's to see a regularly featured punk band, called Niki Barr.
We had a bunch of drinks and enjoyed the music a lot...We hope to head back soon because they have a regular 80's band there on Friday nights.
Hope everyone had a great and relaxing weekend!

Another Snow Day!

2008-01-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well I must say that getting a snow day in VA is not too hard at all. The morning of the "snow storm", we made our way to work and saw dump trucks, tow trucks and sand trucks armed and ready for the first snow flake to fall. All the schools were closed, and the roads were dead.

We made it to work and then the snow started. It came down pretty heavily and we were let go at 1 p.m. to brave the roads. They were decent so we decided to make the best of our day off to enjoy the snow.

MB made a makeshift saucer out of a garbage lid and tied it to the "Gator". We tore around Andrea's property, and on the road by her house. I took lots of pics and videos but it got kinda dangerous when I almost fell out of the four wheeler!

It was decided that the garbage lid wasn't such a good idea, so we hooked up the old inner tube and everyone got a chance to race around her property.

No casualties this time, although MB did hit a tree! Well, I guess it was Marc's fault for driving near one but he's fine and that's what counts! :)

Bite of the Big Apple

2008-01-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

Marc and I went to a PB tournament in NJ (for work) this past weekend. We decided to take the opportunity to head to NYC for a quick visit on Sunday. We knew that we only had about six hours, so we planned it out ahead of time. It turned out great and we felt like we got a good taste of NYC.

We parked the truck in a parking lot in Jersey, and hopped on a 10 minute bus ride that dropped us off two blocks from Times Square. Our first stop : Hooters! lol Marc collects the T-Shirts, and likes to look at boobies(which goes without saying). It was a nice one, and the food is always inexpensive and decent. We hailed a cab a la NYC, and headed to the American Museum of Natural History. Anyone visiting NYC MUST take the time to visit. It is also across from Central Park so we got to kill 2 birds with one stone, and got a quick peek of the impressive park. The museum had endless exhibits and shows. They had the standard stuffy exhibits with lots of dioramahs and really moderns approaches, like the Imax shows and the cool Dino displays. We spent a good chunk of our time there, and barely scratched the surface. We were definetely satisfied with the experience.

We grabbed a cab to our last stop...Times Square! Our cab driver was everything one would expect from a stereotypical NYC driver. Insane. Everytime the light changed, he would slam on the gas, and I would go flying around the cab laughing and rolling into Marc. I would NEVER drive in NYC! lol It's definetely a skill that would take some time to master! lol

Times Square was everything you'd expect, with tons of tourists snapping pics and loads of people everywhere...I was definetely surprised at how many ads were truly there. Imagine how much it would cost to put something up there!?!?! It was really fun to see, and even during the day it was pretty well lit up.

Pooped and ready to head back, we hopped back on the bus and made our way back to VA that night. We were really happy to get to go this weekend, and it barely cost us a dime! Can't wait to head back one day to see a broadway show!

Happy Christmas, Merry New Year!

2008-01-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

...and what a happy time it was! We were at my parents for a week and had a fantastic time. We ate so much we were pooped!
The Blanchards had their customary incredible Christmas Eve dinner, and we got to see their new Bearded Dragon. He snuggled up right under my lapel to keep warm while he was out of his terrarium.
It was nice to see everyone and catch up too. Everyone looked great, and I couldn't get over how much the kids grew in the past six months!
We had our Christmas dinner at my Nanny's and opened up tons of gifts there. We laughed till our stomachs hurt and I was sorry to see the night come to an end. :)
Our little family outting was fun too. We went bowling and played some air hockey. I am still undefeated at Air Hockey! I welcome all challenges.
The trip was a success because we got to visit with everyone, friends and family, and got to a chance to kick back too.
If you're wondering who "Mac" is, he's a new member of the Paquette family. They are close friends to our family. He is the cutest dog and has endless amounts of energy.
I was so happy to see my Minou. We cuddled up together every night, I still can't believe he's 17! Even the vet doesn't believe me! :)
Upon our return, we exchanged gifts with Andrea, MB and the rest of the VA fam.
I had such a great time on New Year's Eve. We stayed in and played Wii. Sam and I played my new addiction, Mario Galaxy and then we all played Wii sports.
We ended the night with some shots = Alcohol and guns. Lovely mix indeed. When the ball dropped, we headed out to the back deck and shot off rounds of guns. Well, not me but I thought it was amusing. It was definetely a fantastic holiday!

Happy New Year to everyone, thank you for everything, it all meant so much!
xox

Icy Weather

2007-12-16T18:55:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning to lots of ice and high winds. The ice weighed down the power lines, and we lost power for part of the early hours on Sunday.
It warmed up again and large pieces fell from the trees. So we decided to stay inside for the majority of the day. What better way to spend the day than at the salon?
Andrea, Sam and I headed to Andrea's work to be pampered.
Andrea did our hair and I got a nice chair massage. Andrea was a trooper considering it was her Christmas party the night before, where she had one too many drinks!
The rest of our weekend was pretty relaxing. We played a lot of Wii Sports, and watched some movies. In all, it was a great weekend. I'm glad because this week will be very busy at work and then I'm off to Montreal!Yiiippeeee!

5 Memes

2007-12-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

As promised from my last post, I would be more consistent with my blog and post pics from the party this past weekend. Well due to extenuating circumstances, I was unable to attend. I experienced my very first migrane on Saturday. I've been getting little headaches but this one was like no other that I have ever experienced. I am feeling much better now though! Yippee!

Someone sent me the meme below. For those who aren't familiar with memes here's a link to find out more about them...http://thedailymeme.com/what-is-a-meme/

People get tagged, and usually participate...

5 things on my to-do list for today...
1. Pick up the work mail which I have now begun to fear
2. Joke around with someone and laugh for real because I know that I haven’t in awhile
3. Update my blog, start a new blog because taking care of 1 just isn’t enough ;) I actually did! lol
4. Go to Target to pick up Christmas cards
5. Read more than two chapters of my book before falling asleep tonight

5 things I would do if I had 5 million dollars...
1. Phone my parents and tell them to retire
2. Volunteer in a study on primates or wolves in the wild
3. Design and build a modest cottage (probably 1 floor), with a GIGANTIC POOL and slide...plant a big garden too.
4. Have a rescue/rehabilitation sanctuary for animals. Volunteer only.
5. Invest

5 things that I'll never wear again...
1. Zebra pants like Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Did this in elementary when I was really into WWF wrestling
2. Neon/fluorescent clothes
3. Pants with safety pins in them
4. Cowboy boots...and I never have. I’m sticking to my guns.
5. I can only think of 3 ‘cos I’ve always been a pretty snappy dresser

5 things I'm glad that I never got into...
1. Drugs
2. Uggs
3. Scrapbooking
4. Food for comfort/crutch
5. Crocs

5 things that I miss...
1. Vegas
2. Being challenged by intelligent people, having insightful conversations
3. Saturday morning cartoons (when I was little)
4. Diversity
5. Mom

I'm adding another category...(I realize that I'm breaking the 5 rule of this one)

5 things that I am looking forward to in the near future...
1. The holidays-particularly my Christmas stocking
2. Being with my family and dancing around with Momsies
3. Seeing Minou and Belle again
4. Waking up before my brother on Christmas morning as I always have. I beat him every year.

If you read this...tag you're it!
As most of my readers do not have blogs, you can send it to me in an email as usual!
'Til next time!

Let It Snow!

2007-12-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well my friends it finally happened! It got cold enough to snow! It was enough snow to grind most people to a halt! Even us! We woke up yesterday morning, only to find 4-5 inches of snow. That's it you say? Can't say that I thought so either but it's a lot when winter tires don't exist around here.

We attempted to go to work but only got about 10 miles in an hour. There were cars flipped over and others had smashed right into each other. We saw approximately 10 accidents in the short distance that we travelled. Anyone remember when I got hit last year and was in intensive treatment? Well I did. We decided we weren't as cool as all the dumb dumbs who risked their lives to go to work, and turned around to enjoy the guilt free (for the most part) snow day.

I answered all of my emails from my 3 work email accounts (this takes up a lot of my time at work), and was free to make snow angels for most of the day! Yiiippeeee!

I managed to capture some pics of the pretty snow, and laughed at how little snow it really was. I won't mention the ton of snow that Mtl. just got! It doesn't even compare!!! Everyone still makes it into work, then spends all day bragging about it! Canadians are true winter warriors. Well, at least they are better winter drivers.
I had a great time in the snow, I really missed it! I'm sure it will be gone very soon because the snow doesn't stay around for very long here, so it's a treat!

I've included some pics of the puppy that Andrea and MB will be getting. No the Mommy Lab is not Ellie Mae. They will be getting a black female lab a short time after Christmas.

If you're wondering about the last pic of the green Scion, it belongs to Steve's wife. Steve drove it to work this week, and the boys put out a VIP parking sign in front of it. He got made fun of pretty bad for driving it.

This weekend we are planning to go to a Christmas party at Steve & Sally's, so I'm looking forward to posting some more pics of our time there. I'm going to be more consistent with my blog, I promise!

Random Skeet Pics

2007-11-27T23:15:00.001-05:00

The boys are always firing off their shotguns. As much as I don't care for guns, I can honestly say that they're pretty good at hitting moving targets, and that they are responsible.

Except for the time they carved up one of the very pricey pumpkins that we bought at the vineyard.

Marc and MB have fantastic shots. One of them releases the clay pigeon, while the other fires away. They usually do a round of five clays.

Marc and MB

Danny (Andrea's Bro)

Steve's first time, he sucked.

...and Samantha (Danny's g.friend), looking hot as always! She's got a great shot too!

No there aren't any pics of me. I shot it once and gave the gun back. It is SO loud.

I prefered shooting the handgun. I was able to hit the target (log) my first try. MB's a good coach. His sniper training came in handy.

All we need is some moonshine and we're all set.

Lately they haven't been able to shoot very often because it's hunting season, and the game warden will come and give you a fine. I don't really get the law because you're shooting on your property but I'm not complaining. Apparently, some hunters came up to the property and asked them to stop shooting because they were trying to hunt!

I still have a lot to get used to around here. I usually stay off the roads at night because of all the deer at this time of year. There are lots of dead deer and guts all over the roads right now. Whenever I see one, I pray that it won't run in front of me. They usually freeze by the side of the road or run around all confused, so it's hard to tell.

I think if it weren't for the deer, I'd fall asleep at the wheel! It's pretty tame around here for the most part.

I hope I find my camera (AGAIN), so I can show you how beautiful the trees are right now!

Miss you all!

Ultimate Hunter

2007-11-27T22:44:00.000-05:00

Foot managed to catch the little mouse that's been running around Andrea's house lately.

He came and dropped it at my feet and I did my best not to jump. Foot was nice enough to keep it alive so I could hear its little screams, and watch him tear around the room after the poor thing. I managed to get it away from him, and put it under a glass vase. Foot and Ratatouille had a little staring contest before I brought the

little guy to the forest, only to be eaten moments later by a big owl.

It's a cruel world my friends.

Baby Veg Painting

2007-11-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's me again! My holiday was nice. I spent it at Steve's house with his big baby Diesel. It was nice and I got to poke around downtown Leesburg (very old) and the Leesbug Outlets. Black Friday (Boxing Day) was insane and I stayed away from most stores.

The absolute best part of the weekend was my visit to the Reign of Cats and Dogs. My painting was ready! :)

So I headed to Kim's new store, which was adorable, to pick up the picture.

We went though a couple of revisions before we reached the final product. It turned out just the way we wanted it. I took it to Michael's to get it framed, and found out that they were offering 50% off all framing! How great is that?!? I'm looking forward to seeing it all come together. The colors are so vivid, I'm going to have to do some serious redecorating in my bedroom!

Well as we all know, all good things come to an end (sounds negative but its true). Or how about with one end a chapter comes another...My great holiday ended on Sunday night, when my head started to hurt. Then I woke up on Monday morning, with a HUGE headache and a very sore nose. I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to go to work. So I tucked myself back into bed, feeling VERY guilty because I had already had 4 days off! I also developed a very nice fever which made me feel delirious. Tuesday wasn't much better until I took some great sinus medication. It's weird 'cos I don't even have a cold! This has been the strangest sickness ever. I'm feeling much better today, and plan on going in to work tomorrow morning.

Marc and I will be in Montreal for a full week this time! Yiippeee! I've started my shopping and am really, really, really looking forward to this trip! :)

I hope everyone is in good health and spirits for the upcoming holidays!

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T13:32:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I'm back from my trip!

Yes, my trips to work and sleep and work and sleep. It's been so time consuming that I haven't been able to keep you updated!

My sincerest apologies...

I have honestly not been doing much of anything lately. Work has been very busy and I'm catching up on work emails on the U.S. Turkey Day!

I have a four day weekend, and I am staying at Rab's (Steve, featured below) place to watch his baby Diesel. It feels very weird to have a dog following me around everywhere again!

I will be heading to Andrea's for dinner tonight, and am contemplating bringing Diesel there too. He can be quite the bully to other dogs.

The weather has been absolutely amazing these past couple of days, literally T-Shirt weather compared to the rain we've been having lately.

Apparently there's been snow in Mtl. too! It's crazy what a difference in weather a couple of hours can have.

I will give you an update with pics within the next few days!

Clippity Clops

2007-10-23T10:22:00.001-05:00

Sunday was an AMAZING day!

Andrea found us to a beautiful place to go horseback riding, called Wheel Wagon Ranch.

It's owned by a husband and wife.

They own over 250 acres of property, which spans over 3 counties, and they have lots of cattle. His wife Sam, who took us on the tour, is a Barrel racer. It has something to do with Rodeo stuff, which I know absolutely nothing about. She's a superstar though, and very down to earth.

Andrea being the experienced rider that she is, took one of her cattle horses, while I rode the one that was on its way to the glue factory. Just kidding my horse was 4 and very calm.

They used him for lessons.

I didn't bring my camera on the ride since it was my first time in many years.

My horse Roney, was very responsive and moved at the slightest pull of his reigns. Andrea's horse was beautiful too, and took many poop and pee breaks. When I first went to pet him, he turned around and took a big poop near my shoe.

We began a slightly scary descent of a hill, and then rode along a stream near some caves, then through hills and valleys. We stopped for some water at a troff, and my horse stuck his whole head in, then stopped for some grass. We took another ascent up a hill and my horse started to pick up speed, which made me a little nervous but he slowed down after a few seconds. We rode through herds of cattle, and they didn't care at all! It was SO MUCH FUN! I would love to do it again anytime. The weather was SO nice. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. Afterward, they served us lemonade and cookies and we played with their dogs.

Sunday was definetely my favorite day in Virginia so far! I can't wait to do it again!

Giddy Up!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

2007-10-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

We went to the Balloon Festival at

Historical Long Branch Manor on Saturday. It was truly a beautiful place.

It is in Blue Ridge Mountain, in "Fox Hunt Country".

Lots of Lords resided there, and George Washington surveyed the property.

If only they could see what's going on there now, they'd be so proud.

A friend of Andrea's brother Dan raced his lawn mower, which was interesting to see.

They called it the Balloon Festival but it was all about the local wines. We got our glasses and tasted wines from all over Virginia.

Andrea and I taking a break with a cigar. It's not lit. Man those things stink!

Beautiful manor where lots of magical weddings happen.

This pic doesn't do the view justice. It was such a nice place with rolling hills.

Sweet rides!

We all had a great time, too bad the hot air balloons couldn't take off 'cos it was too windy.

http://www.historiclongbranch.com/

Stay tuned for more pics of Sunday's Horseback riding adventure...

Pumpkin Picking

2007-10-22T16:21:00.001-05:00

Sorry to my loyal readers for being so neglectful!

I've been busy lately so there wasn't much time to update.

Here are a few pics taken a couple of weekends ago. Andrea, MB, Travis and I went to a local vineyard/farm to pet the ponies and pick some pumpkins. It was a beautiful day as always!

We finally got a little break from all the heat. The mornings are a little cooler but by lunch time its boiling again.

Cool tractor ride...

Slim pickins by the time we got there. That's ok 'cos they were 59 cents a pound!

You do the math!

MB decided to cut costs.

Tractor ride back.

First time on a tractor...

My $18 pumpkin

Got some kettle corn popcorn, which was SO good. It had a sweet and salty flavoring.

Hillbilly Kitchen..

Duck Crossing! lol

Haven't seen this since I was in Nova Scotia for Cari's wedding.

MB going poo.

Yayyyy trampoline!
It was a HUGE bubble on the ground and there were tons of people on it. It was dangerous fun for sure, and lots of crying kids.

Andrea was loving it!

There was even pig racing!!!

It was a great and the boys ended it with a bit of skeet shooting.

Can't wait to start carving those pumpkins!

Best Wishes!

2007-10-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Wishing a BIG Happy Birthday to Dad and Billy!

Wish I were there to celebrate with you guys!

Have a great night! I hope you enjoy your gifts!

In other news,

Not much has been going on lately. Working lots, got a new Blackberry which I'm already REALLY addicted to! Feel free to email me there...I died my hair back to brown with no streaks. Everyone is calling me "Katie's Evil Twin" now.

and...

Vegas' painting is almost done....will post it once it's complete :)

Michigan Weekend

2007-09-25T11:38:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend working a tournament in MI.

It was long. We were there for 7 am, and didn't leave 'til well after 7 pm. It was surprisingly busier than I had thought it would be.

After we closed up, we headed to Leo's Coney Island for supper, and then to The Haunted Farm of Terror, in Macomb County. There are tons of haunted places to go in Michigan, there's even a newspaper dedicated to the many different Hallo attractions.

This one offered a haunted house tour, scary movies on two big screens with refreshments from the Road Kill cafe, and a hayride through the haunted forest. The house was cool, esp. the partial corn stalk maze, with clowns jumping out at me. I got chased around outside by a SUPER scary clown on stilts too. I had no idea he was real. I saw this tall thing standing so still, and then all of a sudden it starts running toward me! He was great on those stilts, too bad he stepped on my toe though!

The hayride was pretty tame except for when the Mac truck, and the guys with the chain saws came at us in the forest. That was exciting!

On our way back from the tournament on Monday, we stopped at Denny's Pub, where Marc wanted to attempt the Pub Challenge. He did the two lb. challenge (it goes up six). It doesn't sound like much but you have to have dressing on it. If you don't want onion, then they pile more of something else.

Eat this puppy and you win a free T-shirt, your photo is taken, receive 50% off your cost, and your name goes up in the Hall of Fame.

Marc's Strategy.

Eat the meat first, the dressing, then the bun.

Too many onions!

We all agreed that if Marc ate the whole burger, then we wouldn't make it home that night. Imagine the heartburn? Anywho, he ate the top dressing (lettuce and a couple of onions), and half of the burger. I was very happy that he didn't eat it all.
http://www.dennysbeerbarrelpub.com/

Virginia Scottish Games Sky Meadows

2007-09-17T23:37:00.001-05:00

I love a man in a skirt...

2007-09-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning, Marc and I went to the parade in Haymarket. I wanted to go there because they were offering a "Country Breakfast", and some wine tasting. We caught most of the parade and went to a cute coffee shop that sold antique furniture. When we got to the town hall, the breakast was a touch sloppy, and there were old drunken farmers lying on the ground. Just kidding. That would've been the fun part! Imagine the pics!?! The wine tasting section had about 3 booths, and no drunken farmers.zzzzzzzzzzz Marc and I both agreed that we were spoiled in Montreal. Anyone been to Montreal's beer fest?

It's a classy place for alcoholics to meet.
Anywho, we salvaged the day by heading to IHOP for some not so soggy breakfast, and headed to Sky Meadows State Park for our original plan of seeing the Scottish Fest. It was great! They had the usual games, food, dancers, lots of vendors and even sheep!
They also had a live band. The piper is always the best part. I am used to going to the Alexandria or Montreal ones every year, so this was a special treat. We sampled some beer and I caught Marc peeking up the mens kilts. I hadn't had beer in so long, it was yummy to sip!
We made our way back up to Andrea's to spend the rest of the weekend. Much to MB's dismay, I got to dress up Ellie Mae who has been coming to work with us lately. Dan has a heavy exam load, and didn't want to take her with him to school this week.

I will post all of my recent pics tomorrow evening. There are some very cute ones!
This week will be a busy one, gotta finish everything at work, before I head back to Michigan for another tournament this week! Ciao!
http://www.vascottishgames.org/indexn.html

Domestic Goddess

2007-09-10T21:36:00.001-05:00

I don't care what you say, it's not too early to think about Halloween! September brings many thoughts of Halloween, and a relief that summer is finally over! Ok, I don't hate it that much but I prefer the cooler temps, and crisp air!
So I decided that I was to have a date with my oven this weekend. As most know, I am not a big baker.
Well, I must say 3 hrs to bake 18 shortbread cookies was enough for me! I did have fun though.
It took so long because they said to put the dough in the freezer for at least an hour, so I set the timer for 50 minutes, only to find that the dough had frozen into a solid disk! I was getting confused. I decided to throw the dough in the micro for a few minutes only to find it bubbling while I was on the phone. So back in the freezer it went for another 15 minutes.
I was able to roll out the dough and cut out the cute hallo shapes.
I watched the cookies in the oven like a paranoid woman, to make sure that they didn't burn. The icing recipe said to ice the warm cookies, so I did. It turned out looking like shortbread soup. Maybe they should have cooled a little longer! The icing had cute little white flecks in it too, from not having a sifter.
As you can see from the pics above, the deco on them looks like a 5 year did them but again, I had fun!!!
I must say the cookies were delish!!! I swear!
I spent the rest of the day chillin with Marc and catching up on Harry Potter.
I spent Sunday at Target and headed to Andrea's for supper and spent the night. Guess what else I did? I shot a handgun. MB showed me how to hold the gun and aim properly. I actually hit the target. I shot two rounds, and that was enough for me. I'm definetely NOT a gun person. I'd rather take up archery.
Hope you had a good weekend!

Poor Girl

2007-09-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

I stumbled on the Miss Teen USA pageant this year. I haven't seen it in years...
I watched the show but often rolled my eyes at the kind of competitions that these girls get tortured with.
The question category is by far my fav. and I really do root for them during this time.
I ran from the TV with embarassment (it hurt so bad to watch) when Miss South Carolina answered her given question.
For those who haven't seen this yet, watch the following video with the necessary subtitles.

She was allowed to save face and answer the question a second time on the Today show.

Miss Teen USA South Carolina 2007 with Subtitles

2007-09-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

Feel the Love

2007-09-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Steve just got back from his sales trip, only to find his precious Scion xB wrapped in shipping tape. He was very happy to be back today.

We missed him dearly. Don't feel bad for him, he dishes it out to everyone.

This past long weekend was a good one. I read by the pool for about three hours, then I went to Andrea's. The following day, Andrea and I went to a pool party at her boss' house. There was tons of food, open bar, a live DJ, and tons of outdoor games.

Foot is doing well after his rough drive. He's pretty well adjusted to his new home, and wants to go out! (Maybe just escape) The pic above is of Foot meowing at me through the window.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Foot

2007-09-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I packed Foot's stuff for his new adventure at Andrea's. MB has already moved up there, and had to wait to bring Foot because Andrea's kitty has a fractured pelvis.

I took the day off yesterday, so that I could have an extra long weekend with it being Labor Day and all. Poor little Foot was confused while I cleaned and packed away his belongings.

He waited patiently for his food to magically reappear again.

MB and Marc took him to Winchester after work, and Foot sat on Marc's lap on the way there.

Marc phoned me a few minutes later, and informed me that Foot wasn't crazy about the car, and had pooped all over him! Good boy Foot! Poor scared kitty.

Good luck Footface, I will miss you tripping me down the stairs every morning! :)

Andrea's B-day Cookout

2007-08-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

We had a feast of king crab legs, shrimp, sausages, hamburgers & grilled veggies...it was so good!

After supper, we headed outside to watch the fireworks show that Dan coordinated for Andrea.

Roman candles & sparkling explosions!

We enjoyed a 15 min show...

Andrea's friends serenaded her too!

They set up their band outside, and set their amps to SUPER LOUD, and we sat back and

enjoyed the music. Travis on guitar...

Dan on drums...

Travis enjoying a beer bong between sets...

MB looking happy! He took Andrea and I for a joy ride on the 4 wheeler, good times....
Sorry no pics of the b-day girl, she doesn't like to photographed! I'll sneak one in next time! ;)

I stayed overnight, and went to breakfast at a diner in Winchester with Andrea.
I came home afterward, and did my usual Sunday cleaning and chillin.

I have to stay up late tonight, to pick Marc up at the airport. He went to Tampa, Florida for the weekend, to his friends place. I received various phone calls on Friday night, from a very jovial Marc. He was having some drinks at a club, and guess who walks in!?! Hulk Hogan!!!

Marc was so excited, and called me write away, to tell me that he shook his hand, and that him and his friend enjoyed a drink with him! He said that he was going to let me go, so that he could go back and talk to the Hulkster! LOL

I hope that he comes back home with a wrestling contract.

The Soup Man

2007-08-22T20:53:00.002-05:00

I guess everyone who watched Seinfeld, remembers the following episode

as one the show's best.

Well, I got to eat one of his 'famous' soups today. Marc and I went to Tyson's corner for lunch, and to pick up a gift for Andrea's b-day. I didn't realize that the 'Soup Nazi' was based upon a real life person. His soups gained popularity in Manhattan, and he hasn't looked back. People joke that he really is an ogre! See the below link to read his "Customer Rules".

I have to say, the Crab Bisque that I had, was INCREDIBLE! It was worth the whopping $11.50! Curiously enough, it didn't just come with a standard piece of baguette but it came with a banana too! Why a banana? Anywho, I wasn't complaining, and I was served with a smile.

http://originalsoupman.com/home.aspx

The Soup Nazi

2007-08-22T20:53:00.001-05:00

Sweet Bathing Suit

2007-08-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Would you wear this?

Wouldn't you just love to have me as your sister?

2007-08-19T10:36:00.001-05:00

As of you know, I got back from Mtl. recently.

I was pretty tired with all the running around while I was there, and I forced myself to stay up late, so that I could spend as much quality time with people as I could.

So I decided to drink my brother's Red Bull to keep me awake. My brother being, well... my brother, complained that I was drinking his drinks, and that they cost him $3 a pop. Meanwhile, Marc was setting up my brother's secure network and burning him a copy of 300.

Dearest William,

2 cans of Red Bull : $6.00

Price of gas to come visit: Nevermind (A Lot)

1 hr of Technical Support: $60.00

Me taking your favorite mug: Priceless

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2007-08-19T08:47:00.000-05:00

Well my friends, we made it to 1 year in one piece! lol A lot has gone on this past year but we made it! Our anniversary was on the fifteenth but we decided to celebrate this Saturday. We had made plans for the afternoon, so we decided to have a nice breakfast together. I surprised Marc with a little suitcase that I made, and put lots of hand drawn cutouts, of the special memories that I had from our wedding/honeymoon.

Marc snuck away that morning, to bring us back an Edible Arrangement for two. Marc actually got this one past me, and pre-ordered it the day before. BUT! I guessed it right before he walked out the door to go pick it up. Marc honestly doesn't know how I do it! lol He's known I've wanted to try it for awhile now, so I was very happy to get it.

Boy was it yummy! It could've fed 4 people!

I've gotta try to make one of these...

http://www.ediblearrangements.com/Default.aspx

Ellie Mae came for a visit.

She made herself right at home on the Love Sac.

She even went upstairs and had the biggest poop I've ever seen, in our bedroom.

It easily weighed 2 lbs.!

She really is a good puppy, I guess she missed her morning poop walk (cough cough M.B.).

It was nice to spend time with her, she is a very good natured dog,

even when Vegas used to try to mount her!

Andrea invited me to her work, to cut and dye my hair. She chopped away my hair, and put lots of blonde streaks in it. (sorry no pics right now my battery is dead, and I lost my charger). It looks great. We went back to her place, and watched the boys set up their new 'man cave', called 'Bucks'. You can imagine what it looks like. It's a little garage/workshop, that looks just like a little cottage, that Andrea has on her property. It WAS very cute. MB and Marc set up their dart board, mini fridge, couches and various disgusting deer heads, squirrels, and fish busts, to make it into their own private, no girls allowed, drunken sanctuary.

I'm kidding, it's actually pretty cool.

Andrea and I took the opportunity to go out and do girl stuff. We went to downtown Winchester to poke around in stores, and to pick up some dart related equipment for MB. We also bought Salt and Vinegar crickets, and Cheddar Cheese larvae at a novelty/toy store. Andrea actually got me to eat a cricket! Gross! It tasted just like a peanut. Unfortunately, I crunched away at it, while Andrea swallowed it whole. Ten minutes later, I was still picking crickets legs out of my teeth. LOL

Can't say I'm not daring!

We wrapped up our day by swinging by the Greek Festival, and had lots of yummy food, and picked up the boys to go eat supper at a greek restau.

Hope you guys had a good weekend!

Quick Visit

2007-08-06T19:00:00.000-05:00

We had a short family visit this weekend. We arrived Thurs evening. I spent it with my fam., and Marc went to see Mitch and Jael.
We met Melissa for breakfast at Cosmopolitan on Friday, before she left for her trip to Europe. Lucky girl!
We stopped by work, and saw a few people there too. I also had to stop at Panier too. Can't miss a chance to go there and see Pte-Claire Village! The rest of the evening was spent celebrating my b-day with my fam., and Olga and I had a chance to play a bit of Axing too.

Saturday was spent at Ted's Memorial. We went to the service at a church in Lachine, and headed back to our friend Pete's for snacks. Even though it was a sad day, it was nice to see everyone there. I met Annick for ice cream afterwards, and headed home to visit with my family, before having to leave the next day. We played our traditional game of Boggle, and of course I kicked butt. (That's only if you include the made up words). My Nanny is lethal at that game!

Sunday we were off, and had a safe trip home. It was great to see everyone, even if it was a super fast visit. I seriously need to book my vacation and head back...
I'm glad to be back, only because it feels like I've been running around a lot lately. VA, Michigan, and Mtl., I'm definetely not made to live out of a suitcase! I like my creature comforts. This weekend is the first weekend, that I plan to do nothing but swim and play with my b-day presents! I want to thank everyone again, for all the wonderful b-day wishes, and gifts that I received by mail...Thanks Melili for the Canadian Hooters shirt, and stolen cream lol! Thank you Annick for thinking of me while you were in the Dominican!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Brighton, Michigan Birthday

2007-07-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

Marc, Andrea, MB and I hopped in the new company truck, and headed off to Michigan on Thurs. morning. For those who don't know, our company just bought a new Ford F450 to drive to tournaments in. It made for a very nice ride because I felt so safe in it! It's a new low ethanol diesel fuel truck, which made it pretty difficult to find gas stations that carried it. MB had the bright idea of putting an extra gas tank in the back in case of emergency (not just a hat rack I guess). Anywho, lots of reading and naps and playing DS on the way there.

Once we arrived, we unhitched the trailer and headed to hotel to have supper with the owners of the field, at The Outback. Then it was off to bed.

The next morning we were at the field by 7 am, to set up the the trailer. That took about an hour, then it was time to sell, sell, sell! Roughly 2500 people turned out for the Big Game. Let me tell you it was hot, and my feet were killing me! I tried not to complain, and tried to keep smiling despite the fact I was peeing in stinky Porta Poties. Yes, I know I'm a little bit of a princess.

We decided that Friday night would be the best time to celebrate by B-day. Another vendor recommended a restaurant in town that we would enjoy called Stillwater. We sat on a terrace overlooking a pond with cute little swans. Andrea & I ordered King Crab legs which were SO GOOD, and Marc and MB ordered steaks. Afterward, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed sleep.

My official b-day was awesome too. Marc presented me with my new Nintendo Wii, and lots of controllers, as well as the Paper Mario game. I never thought I'd be this excited over video games! MB and Andrea also gave me a very generous Borders gift card, and funny cat book as well.
Marc also surprised me with a new laptop! Sweet! I loooove it! I had mentioned that I wanted one of the new Dell laptops, then he secretly got me one...That's one gift that I didn't guess for once!

Aside from feeling that I worked at a carnival, the weekend was nice. I got a feel for what MB does in his job, and have a new found respect for the hard work that he does. NOT! Just kidding. He drinks hard. I mean he works hard. LOL I'm so kidding. I'm sure he's going to ask me to remove that. But really, I was there for a few days, and this event was considered small to the ones that he usually goes to, and I was super exhausted at the end of the day. We were lucky to have access to a hot tub and pool at the hotel. I can't imagine working at an event for a week straight. He's a trooper.

The highlight of being there this weekend was going around on the golf carts to hand out stickers to the players, and also driving through the forest during the game. Oh, and staring at the Marines all day. They were there to recruit the kids.

We headed back on Monday morning, and had a safe trip home.

I will be posting more pics. of our time there. I forgot my camera on Friday and Sat. so I was using MB's. You'll have to wait till next week to see all the others...

I want to thank everyone who called, sent gifts, emails etc...It really meant a lot since it's my first b-day away from everyone! Miss you all...more than you know!

Virginia Beach Beating

2007-07-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

We had a FUNtastic weekend at VA Beach this past weekend...We stayed at the Marriott, and had a nice, clean room. The first night we went to a restaurant on the boardwalk, called Mahi Mah's, where we had a nice view of a band playing. The food was incredible but insanely overpriced. MB wasn't too crazy about his food because it came with pieces of decorative grass on it. Afterward, we walked along the beach and headed back to the hotel.

The next day, we headed straight to the beach! It wasn't too hot, thanks to the cool breeze. The waves were huge (the danger flag was up), and I literally got the poop kicked out of me, and many nose enemas. A word of advice to girls...do not wear a bikini! I lost my top about 10 times in 5 minutes (I'm not exaggerating) I was trying to stay balanced and worry about my top, not a good combination! Anywho, I was off to buy myself a T-Shirt before I went back in. Second time going back in was much better, I only got knocked down about 10 times this time. By the third time going in, I swam out further to avoid the big waves.

We headed back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub and change, and then we headed out to a restau. called Sharx. It was kind of like a pool hall/nightclub. We had some good grub, and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep!

Sunday was back to the beach, with some shopping thrown in. All the stores along the main strip (Pacific Way) were relatively the same, so it made picking up souvenirs easy.

We swam for the rest of the day. The waves were more frequent than the day before, and there were lots of surfers out...I have never got my butt kicked as bad as I did on Sunday. Let's just say that I got smashed around, and practically broke both feet, did backward summersaults underwater (not willingly)...landed on my hip bone, and landed right on my princess bone. For those who don't know what a princess bone is, its your pubic bone on the front of the female anatomy. I have NO IDEA how I managed to hit the bottom like that. I have many a bruise my friends...but it was fun!!! MB got hurt pretty bad when he tried to boogie board...His body got bent in half and he landed the wrong way on the board. He got out of the water and went to lie down on the towel for quite some time...Can't say it wasn't exciting! The lifeguards were on their toes the whole time! I got waved in a couple of times for going out too far, and that was probably only twenty or so feet.

We all had a good time, and Marc and I hope to go back before the season ends...

*click on the slide show to enable captions*

Sweet Ride...

2007-07-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

Like my new car?

It's a Mercedes SL500, and it's fabulous! What are my payments you ask? Zero!

Just kidding, I wish! I went to get it appraised for the Pres. yesterday. Needless to say, I stayed away from most people on the road. I was definetely a little nervous about driving it... That didn't last long though! Let just say, that it can reach high speeds very quickly!

You don't realize how fast you are going in this car....

Lots of Troopers on VA highways, you can't really have fun for more than 3 seconds...

Change of plans...

I will be going to Michigan for the Monster game, on July 28 (b-day) and 29th.

Then I will be going to Montreal to see friends and fam...

http://www.hellsurvivors.com/MONSTER%20GAME/index.htm

This weekend Marc and I, MB and Andrea, will be heading to VA beach. MB booked a room for us too! Very sweet of him!I'm definetely excited, and will post lots of pics when we get back.

We finally decided on a pic. of Vegas for the painting...We narrowed it down to 10 photos, and went from there. I wanted a pic. that reflected his personality, as oppose to a traditional, statuesque dobie pic. The artist (graphic artist) will send the first proof to us,

and will make any revisions.

Can't wait!

Have a great weekend!

Boo Hoo

2007-07-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

I just got news that Marc will be going to a tournament.

That's the good part. The bad part, is that he will be gone for my b-day. Sniff sniff...It won't be so bad, I'll only be all by myself on my bday, in a foreign country, with no friends or family...but that's ok.

I will cry myself to sleep, and sing happy birthday to myself...alone.

Maybe I will call the Sheriff. :)

The great part of all this, is that my parents are coming down for my B-day Yipppeee!!! Then I'll be heading up to Mtl. the following week!

Sweet!

Another Long Winded Post..exciting 3 hours for me...

2007-07-16T09:25:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Marc went to the Skirmish event in Pennsylvania. I stayed home and played DS with Olga via Wifi. It WAS exciting! I will not post about that, since I got slack for the last one, and want to keep my readers happy! :)

I was supposed to meet Marc at Andrea's for supper yesterday, which is about an hour from us. This is a normal thing to have to drive long distances here. So at 6 p.m., I was on my merry way. I stopped at the gas station for a drink and some Twizzlers, and got hit on by Clint Eastwood. He was a cowboy in the true sense of the word. He had the whole get up, minus the chaps.

I'm still not used to the cowboy aspect of VA.

Anywho, I got caught in a HUGE thunderstorm, and had to pull over. I ended up missing my turn, and got off at an unknown exit. I went to pull a U-Turn (which was legal) and all of a sudden the sheriff who was behind me, put his lights on. So I pulled over, and he got out of the car...I got my papers ready for him, and when he got to my window, I looked up, only to see how HOT HE WAS!!! He was very polite as we stared into each others eyes, and smiled and giggled at each other, for no apparent reason...Apparently I had stopped in the fast lane, even though I was in a 35 zone! Weird...

He came back and gave me my papers, and told me he was going to wave my ticket. :)

I was very thankful. He then informed me, that according to Canadian authorities, I was a victim of identity fraud. That pretty much freaked me out. I told him about how my bank card was frauded awhile ago... So we both assumed that my file hadn't been closed...I was there with the Sheriff and his buddy, for close to an hour....He gave me his number, in case I needed to follow up with him. Home number that is...;)

Meanwhile, Marc, MB, and Andrea were so worried about me, that they piled in the car, to look for me along the highway. The storm had destroyed a lot of trees, and caused lots of accidents. They called the radio station, deputy, and the fire department to alert them that I was missing! LOL!

So everyone in VA was looking for me...hehe.

Anyway, it all turned out, and I got home in one piece.

I'm thankful that I have such good friends who care.

P.S. I think I should get my cell reconnected. All of this could have been avoided.

P.S.S. Girls, if you ever get pulled over, act dumb, and flirt like crazy!!!

P.S.S.S. I think I'm ovulating.

Gay (Happy) Water Play

2007-07-11T18:01:00.000-05:00

This is what I saw, when I pulled into the driveway a few weeks ago. I forgot to post the pics, until I was curiously reminded by Marc today. I guess I pushed their memories out of my mind. I should remind everyone that we do have a pool.

This particular blow up pool was intended for the paintball field. They have kidded in the past, that they were going to set it up in the driveway, to hang out and have drinks in.

I didn't hide the fact that I wasn't crazy about the idea.

Anyway, haha you guys are hilarious. You sure showed me.

Take a look at the photos, especially the one when MB is playfully spraying Marc.

You guys are gay (happy).

Day In Leesburg

2007-07-08T19:46:00.000-05:00

Marc and I spent Saturday at our friend Steve's. He had to go to his son's graduation from boot camp, in the Virginia Beach. We went to watch his dog Diesel. If you remember Diesel he was the Rottweiler who used to play with Vegas. He is in a video with Vegas in a previous post. It's been awhile since we've seen him, I forgot how HUGE he is. We played outside quite a bit but the heat forced us back inside.
Marc and I headed to downtown Leesburg, which like Winchester, is very old and a lot like old Mtl. and Pte-Claire village. There were amazing antique stores, and cute little shops, that were insanely overpriced.
The highlight of our time there was at a store called, The Reign of Cats and Dogs. Its a novelty store, with cute pet products, and gourmet treats for cats and dogs.
I found a cool portrait by an artist named Krista Brooks, who creates a commercial, retro twist on different breeds of cats and dogs. See link below.
Then I noticed a huge painting on the wall. It was done by a local artist, who does animal portraits. She takes a Photoshopped picture of your pet and transfers it onto a canvas. As you can see from the finished product (above), they are amazing! Anyway, guess what we'll be getting? Yup, one of Vegas. We're going to send some images of Vegas to the artist, and go from there. I am SO excited!
We headed back to Steve's and had a big cookout with his son and his friends. I was stuffed!
I'm off to see Transformers, apparently its amazing!!!

Check out the store that we went to...
http://thereignofcatsanddogs.com/

http://www.retropets.com/default.asp

Diesel

What's your dog's Real Age?

http://www.dogage.com/reg/regassess.aspx?cbr=RA25_RA

Fumbles

2007-07-05T19:36:00.000-05:00

MB was having a blast blowing stuff up, and making people look over their shoulders A LOT! In this video, MB throws firecrackers at Marc's feet. Dan starts laughing, and loses his glasses in the water, then dangerously flops in to get them. The sequence of events unfolds quickly!

My 1st Independence Day

2007-07-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

We headed up to Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, to Andrea's cottage. The cottage is on a nice lake, surrounded by LOTS of trees.

Since it was my first July 4th spent in the US, I was curious to see if there would be any differences. Nope! The only difference was the amount of personal fireworks. MB brought up an arsenal of them. He, Marc and Dan, choreographed a pretty sweet show on Wednesday night. It seemed like whenever someone lit one, someone else in the town had to set off a loud explosion of their own. A million explosions, and two Advils later, I was having a great time.

We spent all of Wednesday on the water with Andrea, MB, Andrea's brother Dan, and Ellie Mae. Dan took us on a boat tour of the area, and we stopped for a swim. No need for water shoes 'cos it was deep!!! As you can see from the above pics, I lost my top. Actually, Marc thought he was a comic genius, and untied my bikini. Lucky for him, I'm a good sport!

Guess who had an even better time? Andrea and MB. The big secret? MB proposed!!!! They will be getting married next June. I barely drank, or talked on Tuesday night, for fear that I would let it slip out...I was so relieved that he did it on Wednesday morning.
Marc and I were outside blowing up the air matresses, and Andrea came out with a big smile on her face, and said, "I got it!"
MB had proposed to her in the house. He asked her if he should wear his Speedo, and she said yes. He said, "Well if I wear the Speedo, will you wear this?"...So sweet!

Better Late Than Never...

2007-07-05T18:08:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Canada Day! We spent the day at Splashdown Waterpark in Manasass. We had a good time but sadly, it didn't compare to Sauveur, or the one in Pte-Calumet. However, it did have the best lazy river I've ever been to. Please excuse the super crappy pics., as oppose to my usual amazing photographs;) It was a waterproof camera and then I scanned the images...Man are we spoiled with digital cameras now!
Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

2007-06-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

I headed up to Winchester on Friday evening to spend the weekend with Andrea's grandma, and to take care of the puppies. Grandma and I had our regular drinks together, and I headed off to bed.
Saturday, Travis showed me around town. We went to the Virginia Market to pick up a pie for Grandma, then headed "downtown". It was a very cute village, with lots of antique stores and cafes. We poked around, and stopped for a drink at a local pub.
Grandma and I wrapped up our evening, with a Western movie and some more drinks.
That night, Gibson the cat, decided he was going to get frisky at 4 a.m.
Ellie Mae and I were cuddled up together in bed, having the best sleep of our lives. Gibson decided to play with my bracelets, that were on the nightstand. I shooed him off, and he was back 30 seconds later, when I was almost back to sleep. He then decided to knock my glass over, and started to roll the cup all around the table.
I pushed him off again. I put the cup, bracelet and misc. objects under the sheets with me.
He then came back full throttle, and jumped right on Ellie Mae's head. She lifted her head, and the cat was still on it, his claws and teeth still stuck in her head.
Bye bye Gibson. I put him outside, so that he could get rid of some of that excess energy.
The next morning Gibson came out of the woods when we came outside, meowing and purring when he saw us. Ellie Mae chased him through the bushes, and around their house. Did I stop it? Nope. That's Karma for ya.
Grandma asked me to stay one more night. We had a yummy cookout, with all kinds of people on Sunday, and tons of dogs.
I headed back early this morning.
Side note...Today was the first time that I was actually sick of blogging! Could it be real? I'm a little bit bored of it now, and find my posts, kind of half assed...Maybe I'm tired 'cos I've been up since 5am, and I'm waiting to embark on my long ride to work. We'll see if it changes... Bye for now!

Dancing Shoes

2007-06-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

Check out my new shoes! I'll probably only be able to wear them

for about an hour but who's complaining? I'll just buy those old lady heel inserts.

Visit more fun shoes...

http://www.stevemadden.com/

and/or

http://www.nordstrom.com/

See you on the dance floor!

I Love You Momsies!

2007-06-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

My mom and I were talking about me as a child recently. I asked her to name three things that she thought were cute about me when I was little. Well good ol momsies couldn't think of too many at that moment. Thanks mom. I think that she felt bad or challenged, so the following day I got this in my inbox...
I highlighted my two favorite ones...

Cute Things About Katie H. when she was a young child.

1) She used to run around in her bare feet.
2) She could suck her thumb and talk at the same time.
3) She always called her brother Biw.
4) She held her doll's hair up in the air so she could feed her.
5) She liked to tell her father scary stories in bed and then she had to put the light on.
6) She liked to comb his hair with a comb and a plastic yellow glass with water in it. (Play barber shop).
7) She liked to play with home made play dough.
8)She like to play store....and have things displayed in her bedroom and sit at a little table and chair that used to belong to her mother when she was a child....and use a broken calculator to pretend to tally things up....
9) She liked to play Barbie's......
10) When she made her mother's lunch sometimes....she used cotton balls to wrap a peach to protect it because she loved her mother so much.
11) She always said "I love you Mom..."
12) She has cute (2) dimples.
13) When she was little and you combed her hair the ends of her hair would flip up naturally.
14) Brought home a cute (wicked) hamster in her purse....and her father decided to check her purse .....and stuck his hand in...and SCREAMED>>>OOOWWW!!!!!because the cute little hamster gave him a nice BIG bite.....THAT WAS CUTE!!
15) When I did my taxes she made me tea and a biscuit ...and tied a string to the spoon. Hanging from the spoon was a heart that she made. She wanted to give me a break! (8 years old).
SEE YA
LOVEMAMAXXXXXXXX0000000000000

Animal Crossing Wild World

2007-06-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

Nothing too exciting happened this weekend.

Worked on Sat., watched UFC that night. Went for a swim on Sunday.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm totally addicted to Animal Crossing Wild World?

After Vegas died, I bought a Nintendo DS to keep my mind occupied. It really did help for the most part. I am not a gamer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've just seen it turn very nice people into cave dwellers.

I think it stems from my brother's obsession with video games as a child. He had EVERY entertainment system that came out, accompanied by all the best games. I was mostly a 'voyeur', due to the fact that he was extremely selfish with his toys. He still is. When I went back to Mtl. he barely let me play with is Wii. This is the year 2007, and nothing has changed.

C'est la vie! No worries, I was evil to him too. I elbowed him in the back for no good reason.

I blame that on our childhood admiration of WWF wrestling.

I absolutely loved the new Mario Bros (DS). Its probably one of my all time fav. games. I was thinking of getting Animal Crossing but didn't really understand the point of it. I got a chance to play my bro's g.friends game, and decided to take the plunge.

1 month later....OBSESSED! I started by playing before bed for about a half an hour, now I play at any free moment that I have! I talk to Marc about golden shovels, and about how much the turnips are selling at Tom Nook's store.

His eyes usually glaze over, then he asks me what's for supper.

I have not gotten very far in the game. I am on my third mortage and have donated a fair amount to the museum. Mostly fish. My favorite catch has been the hammerhead shark. I'm still chasing down the tarantula that keeps bitting me.

At this point, Olga and I are playing via WFC. She has given me many a fruit to plant in my town. I started with only apples. Now I have a variety of oranges, peaches, cherries and coconuts! Awesome!!! If anyone that I know, reads this post and wants to exchange friend codes, let me know, I'd be up for a tour of your town!

Did anyone understand this post?!?! LOL

See ya!

Farewell Soleil...

2007-06-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

This was our last weekend with Soleil.

She went back to her co-owner in PA, who will be showing her for awhile.

She will be going back to Diane's afterward.

She's come a long way in the short time that she's been with us.

Her guard was down with us, and she was very playful. She really enjoyed all the luxuries of

being a 'pet'. She got lots of attention,

and I hope that it continues when she is with her co-owner.

I truly feel that she would benefit from that. I think she really missed playing with other dogs

too, which she was used to. She loved Vegas' brother Dallas so much.

I'm happy that we got to share this time with her,

it was great to see all the similarities within the breed.

Doberman = BABY! LOL

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

This One's for You Cari...

2007-06-03T11:26:00.000-05:00

I know that you are feeling a bit homesick lately. Just remember that you are in everyone's thoughts...This is a note pad that is posted on our fridge. As you can see, there is also the nice magnet that you sent to me.
Please read the scribbled note from MB. He wrote it yesterday morning.
Miss you!

Wedding Crashers...well not really

2007-06-02T20:59:00.001-05:00

We had a great day today. We all went for a morning swim, and got ready for Jeremy & Iesha's wedding. Jeremy & Iesha are the couple that took care of the baby kittens (mentioned in a previous post). Jeremy's dad is the Dr. who took care of me after my accident too.
We got there in the nick of time. We ran late because Marc couldn't decide if his beige pants were too short. Everyone bugged him so much, that he went back inside to change into his longer black ones.
It was SO hot today, not sure the temp, probably 100, or high 30's. Yesterday, it was 108! Which is about 38. Needless to say, I've been hiding from the sun and still got a burn! (not a bad one)
The wedding was held at the Blackthorne Inn. It was THE perfect place for a wedding. They got married in a very nice and brief ceremony, took their pics on the property, and had their reception there too. What more could they ask for?
I had a couple of drinks while most were REALLY taking advantage of the open bar. Needless to say, everyone was having a great time, especially Aaron! He had to be put in the car for a little nap. Who would've known? Aaron is usually so sweet and quiet.
Andrea and I got our hands done with henna. They put a little circle of it on your hand, and wrapped it in a silk cloth. It looked like a blob of baby poop, then it turned into an orange circle. Its meant for good luck. I'll let you know!;)
On our way home, we drove through Middleburg. I would live there in a second. It had beautiful stone homes and wonderful little villages. I reminded me of Old Montreal & Pte-Claire village. Our friend is opening a store there within the month, so its an excuse to go!
Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

The 'End' of Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-29T18:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend was INSANELY HOT!

It went up to 95 degrees on Sunday! We spent the long weekend swimming at our pool, and went to a big cookout at Andrea's on Monday.

Ethan built two horseshoe pits and the drinks were flowing

(I'm still the designated driver as always).

Soleil is still with us, and she played really well with all the dogs that were there. She was even off her leash!

I have misplaced my camera, the below pics are from MB's cam.

MB was the butt of all the jokes.

There are more but I was not allowed to post them.

It's ok, this one says it all.

Good times...

The Timeless Art of Seduction

2007-05-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

This is MB.

He picked Marc and I up a framed photograph of 'George' from Seinfeld in his sexy pose.

(see back left)

It also goes with our Kramer one.

This is what I saw when I came downstairs last night.

I can't see the difference can you?

Soleil

2007-05-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

She loves to rest on the couch...She has so much stimulation during the day, that its dodo time for her, almost right away! She sleeps very well at night, and curls up in a ball between Marc and I. She used to be crated at night but she went right on the bed at our place.

She's bilingual too lol.
She listens to commands in both English and French.

She's got lots to explore in the house. Lots of new smells and stairs to keep her fit!

I love her colour and markings!

Very pretty girl.

Meet Soleil (sun)

2007-05-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Our weekend in Mtl. was defintely a good one. We were running around so much seeing different people and eating A LOT!

We got to Mtl. on Thurs morning at 3 am. A few hours later I had my dentist appointment with Dr. Hampshire (the best dentist) to see if there was anything wrong with one of my teeth. I've been getting some numb feeling in one of them lately. Anyway after an x-ray he told me nothing was wrong and I was on my merry way.

We headed to Procaps to see everyone there and got a chance to catch up and make plans for later.

I also went to see Barbara, Wendy and the rest of the gang at Diversi-Tech. Miss them lots and all of our great conversations. We plan to meet half way this summer.

After supper with my fam., my Nanny came over for a game of Boogle. She played a mean game and it was hard to keep up.

Sorry no pics. Marc left with the car and my camera was in it.

I went to Tangerine to get my hair done on Friday at 10 and didn't get home 'til 1:30! She did a great job. I colored my hair back to my original one with some highlights. I'm so lazy when it comes to going to the hair dresser I wanted it to be as easy to maintain as possible. I actually don't like going to the salon 'cos it takes so long!

Marc helped Mitch dig up the front driveway and took care of the automatic car starter that wasn't working since my accident. My bro and I headed to Fairview so that he could pick up some new work clothes.

Mom and I went to Panier (of course!) where I picked up some dip and awesome smoked cheddar cheese. We also passed by Chapters to pick up some French books for me (they don't sell any here).

After supper, I played three way Nintendo DS with my Bro and his girlfriend. It was awesome! Olga is too good at the Mario mini games.

Saturday morning we went to Angell Woods to spread Vegas' ashes. It was nice to be there and we walked along the path that we used to take, and talked about Vegas and how great he was. We laughed about his ways but tears were soon to come. We spread half of his ashes and will be keeping the rest with us. I feel very good that we went there and also feel that we did the right thing. I can't think of a more appropriate place to go.
I felt a sense of closure after leaving, I know we did the right thing.

Afterward, we stopped by the agility trials in St-Lazare. Jael won first place with her dog Indy. Good job!

We stopped by Diane's on our way back. Take a look at the pic above...That's baby Veg's brother Dallas!!! He is HUGE, and also taller than me, not that that's very hard to accomplish! He was an affectionate boy but he seemed so scary! He kept giving me his paw and hitting me in the face!

Him again...
We headed to Mitch and Jael's after for a great supper as always.

Sunday breaky before leaving...

I forgot how much butter dad puts on his toast! Yes, he is having steak with his breakfast.

And last but not least...this is Soleil.
She's coming to stay with us for a little while. She fights a lot with Coco, the other female at Diane's. Diane asked us to take her for a little while to see how she does. Diane is her owner and her breeder from PA, is her co-owner. So in other words, we are the glorified babysitters.

She will finish her Championship, and they will breed her at about 3 years. She is 10 months old.
She was super quiet on the drive home, and has really taken a liking to me. When we got home after the super long drive, she was very playful with me, and jumped around like a little horse. She is very dainty and has a pretty face. Will post more pics later.
She is very apprehensive of others right now. She has definetely been groomed to be a show dog, and has spent most her life in that kind of atmosphere. Marc is going to feed her to establish some kind of trust.

She is very cute and likes to lick my eyes.
She is not used to being walked on a leash to go to the bathroom. This is a concern, since we don't have a backyard. When she is on a leash, she walks like she is in a show ring! I've made progress with her already. She had an accident in the house (she went in the bathroom lol) on her first night with us. She is now peeing in the same spot outside, and she gets lots of praise and a treat when she does. I think I worried too much about it, she will be fine.
In all, she is very sweet with me, and I'm hoping that she will warm up to others soon.

Farewell to Matt

2007-05-16T12:33:00.001-05:00

Dearest Matthew,
Nobody left me any room to write on the card ‘cos they are all a bunch of good for nothin’ tricksters.
I just wanted to say, that I have had a horrible time since I’ve met you. You have never done anything but lie around, while I waited on you hand and foot. I’m sick of cleaning up after you, and you snore too much. Oh wait, that’s what I was going to say to Marc.
Thank you for cooking and cleaning. You are a master chef, and I have always enjoyed your culinary style. It was cool to have someone to drink lots of vino with too. You were a lot of fun to be with, and you made my transition to VA an easier one.
Thank you for getting me into an accident. If it wasn’t for you wanting to get sheets for your ‘sexy time romance explosion bed’, I wouldn’t have gone through that traumatic event.
Most of all, thank you for being such a good friend to Vegas. He loved you so much, and he could always count on you for great playtimes. However, he didn’t like it when you called him a ni@#!r, and he never wanted to ‘rip his flesh’ as you so often ordered him to do to others.
I truly wish you all the best in CA, with your future wife Lisa. She seems like a wonderful person, and you have never said anything but good things about her since I’ve met you.
Hopefully, I will get to see you guys walk down the aisle together one day.
Please keep in touch, I will be checking your blog daily to see pics. and updates!
We will all miss your jokes and smiles!

Sniff sniff,

Katie
xox

Dobe

2007-05-13T20:29:00.001-05:00

I liked this one...

Spring Cleaning

2007-05-13T12:12:00.000-05:00

Marc and I had a nice relaxing weekend. We got an early start Saturday morning, to hunt down a new jersey for paintball. We had a nice lunch at Red Lobster, which is a huge deal since Marc hates seafood. He had a steak and I had a monster lunch (I think it was the largest that they offered lol) of crab legs, scampi, two different kinds of shrimp and rice. Salad and unlimited biscuits came with it too. I ordered the biggest 'cos who knows when we would be back! Needless to say, I didn't finish all of it but it made for a nice supper later on.

I also decided to tackle our neglected closet to get rid of lot of clothes. Two hours later... nice and clean. I put aside 3 garbage bags of clothes for goodwill, and one for MB's g.friend to go through is she wants anything. I kept going back to look at my handywork and admire my spring & summer clothes...I seriously have an addiction to order and clothes. Which one is worse?!?!

I ended the night by watching the Equestrian Championships in Vegas. It was the most entertaining competition I've seen yet. It requires some serious balance, I saw a few seasoned atheletes fly right off their horse! One poor horse fell too.

I came into work today to catch up on the work that has been backed up for about 2 weeks, and will be heading home after I finish my post, to clean the rest of the house.

I just wanted to wish Mom a Happy Mommy's day again, I hope you enjoyed your surprise, as usual its better than Sir William's! lol

xoxox

I Can Be Your Hero Baby...

2007-05-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOT STUFF!!!

If I were there with you, we would dress up and have a yummy dinner, served to us by some handsome Aussie waiter. He would graciously decline our tip due to our hottness. (Oh wait you don't tip there do you?) We'd later head out to a club (281style) and embarass ourselves as usual (well just you). We'd drink a la Nova Scotia style, and there would be no sprained ankles!

Missing you on your B-Day, and wishing you the hottest one ever!

Miss you miss you miss you!

Road Trip

2007-05-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

Marc and I have decided to take a much needed trip to Montreal. I'll be going into work this weekend to make up some time that was lost 'cos of the tournaments.

Some of the things that I plan to do...

See Family & Friends

Bug and punch my brother... as a good sister would do

Go see my awesome dentist Dr. Hampshire

Eat a Poutine

(they don't have the cheese to make it here),

Eat Cherry Bombs, Garlic Olives, and drink lots of vino!

Go see Diane & Andre, our breeder,

they invited us to come visit last time we spoke.

I think that it will be hard but it might be a healthy thing, who knows...I'll probably be miserable, yes I know that I'm being negative.

And the hardest part...

Go to Angell Woods to spread Baby Veg's ashes.

I decided to do this because this was a place that we went to everyday, rain or shine, when he was a baby monster. He learned how to play with other dogs, run off his lead, and it was a great place for us to have fun together. I have great memories of our walks and playtimes throughout the woods but most of all, I know how much he loved it there too.

Dave-Ism

2007-05-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

His surprised reaction to something...
Jimminy Christmas!

P.S. Dave bought me muffins today and gave me sips of his fruity drinks too. Technically, that means that we kissed.

80th Apple Blossom Festival

2007-05-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Marc and I had a relaxing weekend at Andrea's. Her and her brother went to the MAO (Mid Atlantic Open) in SC. Marc and I headed up on Friday evening. Grandma and I enjoyed our drinks, I had a whole bottle of champagne and she had her beer. Needless to say we had lots of laughs and good conversation. She loves watching Westerns and I definetly got caught up in that department!lol
Marc and I headed to the Parade on Sat. It was not unlike any other. There were tons of dancers, horses, marching bands, and floats that I didn't quite understand. Since we were in the country, there were lots of tractors too.
Guess who was the Grand Marshal? Wayne Newton! I didn't get to see him but I wish I had. I used to sing his music in front of the mirror as a kid.
We also went to the Texas Steak House for supper on Sunday. I had the Mahi Mahi with a sweet potato (yams). They brought it to me with cinnamon and marshmellows on top!YUK! I scooped off the candy and enjoyed the rest.
Hope everyone had a good one too!
P.S. The Queen of England was here too...

Luray Caverns

2007-04-28T23:18:00.000-05:00

We had a great day at the Luray caverns today. Matt and I left early this morning for our hour and a half drive to Shenandoah Valley in Northern VA. We decided to take a more scenic route which ended up taking us an additional 10 mintues. We drove through the National Park, which winds through the mountains. I'm thankful that we got there in one piece 'cos Matt's a horrible driver!
The caverns were amazing. It was an hour long tour which consisted of Matt harassing the tour guide and embarssingly enough, we almost got kicked off the tour for leaving the group and playing in the fountain, and for scaring the tourists while pretending to be bats.
Anywho, I prefered this tour to the Kartchner Caverns (AZ) only because we were allowed to take pics and it wasn't such a fortress with huge sealed doors. It had a zillion formations that were close enough to touch (but can't obviously).
There was also an organ that had no pipes but instead, used the sound waves of the formations to emenate the tunes.
We had lunch at the Scalactite Cafe, which featured some homegrown slop, and headed to the Transportation Exhibition. It featured various cars throughout history.
On our way back, we made a quick stop at the Yogi Bear Park, where we tried on some silly hats and purchased some prank toys that we intend to use on our collegues. These consist of dissapering ink, a hand buzzer, fly in an ice cube, and fake poo. We also bought some candy that we haven't had since we were kids.
We ended our evening with a B.B.Q., and watched Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller.
In a nutshell, we had a great time and I'm hoping to visit the other local caverns soon.
http://www.luraycaverns.com/
P.S. I'm only kidding about almost getting the boot from our tour.
P.S.S. Has anyone heard of Body Worlds? Its coming to Montreal, and it will be in NC too. Seems really gross but fascinating at the same time.
http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.html

Happy B-Day MB!

2007-04-25T23:12:00.000-05:00

We celebrated MB's Bday tonight...As you can see Andrea bought him a cake that he can actually see. What I mean is that he can tell what colour (or shade) it is...Yep, he's colour blind...We had a Bar-B-Q, I took lots of pictures but I won't post them because MB is always giving the finger...Not very nice at all... Random pic of me at Tyson's Corner getting MB's present. It's at a cute 'Make Your Own Bear Store'. Marc was a little embarassed to take this pic. so it didn't turn out so well. Matt went on the other side of the mall...I didn't see a problem, I waited 'til all the kids had their turn!

I had a great time making his wrapping paper. Guess what it cost me? $0! I love a good bargain. It's been awhile since I've made someone's wrapping paper, so i was excited. I already know that I'm a nerd ok! Anyway, I got to work early today, and took some printing paper and coloured some black dots on it. Then I wrapped it, and crazy glued the little bolts on some of the spots...I then cut strips of a garbage bag (a dirty one I might add, just for him;), and added a few screws to the bow and voila! Weird gift for a weird guy! P.S. Matt was also a consultant on the gift wrapping.

Oh look his hands are full! No finger! Here's a pic that I can acually post.

Sporting his new RayBan Aviators

Can you guess what the animals are in the above pics? Nooo, not hamsters. Cats! Iesha brought over three kittens that she is nursing back to life. They are 4 weeks old. She's been taking care of them for a week now. The mother brought the three babies to someone's doorstep and left. The man brought them to the vet, and said that if they didn't do something with them, then he would probably leave them outside somewhere...Thank god that jerk had some sense! So Iesha and Jeremy have been nursing them every three hours and losing lots of sleep. They are the cutest little things. I got to hold one named Q-Tip. He liked walking backwards. They were all very shaky, and were crying and purring so much. I got to feed one briefly after he started to suck on my finger. It was very sweet. Mom, in case you're wondering, I won't be taking any of them. I'm not up for any new ones just yet. The vet where Iesha works has already found them homes anyway. I can just see you reading this now and saying to yourself, oh dear she's getting another animal. Cheers to Iesha, for taking them in!

On another note, as some of you may know, it is Admin day today. My hero Dave W. (you know him by the Dave-Isms that I post) brought me pink daisies and roses. It was a great surprise and just reinforces how cool he is. Can you believe he's not married? Oh well. Yesterday, he showed me pics from when he was at the Pentagon for 911, and of the following days. They were crazy and yep I saw parts of the plane. I also saw some very sad pics of people. I can't imagine what that must've been like for anyone who went through it, or for those who were there afterward.

Wow! I just pulled a Mom! I ended my post on a sad note! lol! Miss your antics!

I Met A Man From Bombay...

2007-04-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

A big huge thank you to Cari for her wonderfully thoughtful care package. It was packed with many cool items from Australia. From the pic, you can see that I have lots of goodies to try. I already ate the yummy gluten free sesame bar from her work. I'm going to try to find a similar recipe...
I think I will go take a stress free lavendar bath, with a spot of Australian tea, along with a cookie, and my mag, maybe I'll write some deep thoughts in my new Aussie notepad too...Later I will dance around the house in my new Super Chick undies and lai, and I might just have a drink to celebrate our trip to Hawaii, in my new boobie shot glass! If Marc is lucky, I'll make him I vegemite sandwich...

Assimilated

2007-04-25T16:23:00.000-05:00

After seeing my blog several times, Matt created his own. Steve then ORDERED me to create one for him.
Here are the links to their blog...
http://porndogonastick.blogspot.com/
http://mcscubasteve9.blogspot.com/