Scheduling Saturday - Or just winging it

A couple of weeks ago I decided to do something on the calendar for our next trip.  First I gave my daughter a chance to do some research as to her work schedule.  Once she has picked some dates then I started checking with some of my BFF's for their schedule.  After a week I had some dates filled up and as the days go by, the calendar was getting full.  Right now it I could add a little bit more, but I am not sure it will be a good idea.  As one of my BFF said, "she gets tired just looking at my calendar" and she does not know how I or we can do it.  Well, neither can I but I know we will try our best to keep to the schedule so we can accommodate everyone.  Part of me was thinking that maybe I should have booked a month for our trip.  Anyway, I just hope that it will all work out and some of the friends that I might not get a chance to visit will understand, hopefully.  I am already excited because it has been almost four years since I have been there.  So we will have to just wing it for some of the days that might be free, but actually I don't think there's any left.  While doing this post, I found on my calendar this quote:

Busy is a choice. 

Stress is a choice. 

Giving yourself to joy is a choice.  

Choose well.

Wet Wednesday - Mother Nature's Fault

The hardest thing to plan is camping but the good part is that we have an RV which makes it bearable in case you planned your camping trip when mother nature decides to water the plants.  We booked our camping days with our neighbor about 2 months ago.  Closer to the date, we noticed that the forecast for the days that we are at the campsite was going to be RAIN.  When we arrived at the RV site, the sun was out and it only rain for a short time and not the hard kind.  The next day it was a bit cloudy to start but then it was sunny for the rest of the day.  Unfortunately for our third day, I woke up feeling dizzy.  This was when the rain

started during the night and never stopped until about 5 pm but only for a few minutes.  Then the rest of the evening the rain continued until the next morning when we checked out.  I felt bad for those who were camping, I mean real camping with their tents.  We are lucky enough to have the RV and we can do almost everything inside without the need to go out.  Here's some of the photos that I took during our glamping as well as the beautiful sceneries along the way.

There's still snow in July but it was a warm day in Revelstoke.

This photo is precious, how a simple task provides a joy to this little girl.

The day before the rainy day.

Looking from our window in the RV, most of the guest has left due to rain.

Another trailer checking in as they stopped for the night as the highway was closed.

My MIL loves these, she calls it the mint marshmallows (hay wrapped in plastic)

Sightings Saturday - Northern Lights

Have you ever seen the northern lights aka Aurora Borealis?  That was the question that my cousin asked Jeff when they were visiting us this past July.  Of course the answer was NO.  They recommended that I take Jeff to visit Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.  This was the city that I started my life in Canada.  It has been at least 22 years since my last visit.  Although I had lived there for 10 years, I knew that it would not be the same as I have heard stories of the growth of population as well as the booming industry of diamond mining, etc.  After my cousins left, we checked out airfares and soon enough we were on our flight to the land of the midnight sun.  The weather was blustery and cold.  Every night we checked out the forecast to see if it would be a cloudy night or clear night.  Our cousins gave us a complete tour of the city and the new developments.  We were invited for suppers at my other cousins place and both dinners were amazing.  One of my girlfriend made the special Filipino dessert for one of the dinner.  She also made some extra for me to take home.  Awesome. It is called Cuchinta.  This is one of those desserts that I probably eat once every 5 years.  That same Saturday night, my other relative ask if I wanted to take Jeff to the GOLD RANGE (a historical bar).  We did and we met some of her friends who she went to school with. After one drink we decided to head out to the special spot where we hope to see the Northern Lights.  And there it was.  We stood outside in the cold watching it move and formed different shapes. Only color we could see was something light green. This was one of the main purpose of the trip and it was fulfilled. The next few days we continued to be like real tourist visiting special places, eating at quaint restaurants and buying souvenirs for us and for others.  There were no other sightings of the great Aurora as the skies were cloudy for the rest of our stay.  In fact in snowed on our last night and on the morning of our departure that our plane had to get de-iced.  Here's some of the photos we took.

This was the parking lot of the legislative building, I thought the sky was more interesting.

A souvenir for our home which I bought from a vendor who was selling it for Peter Mitchell, a soap stone carver.

The famous house boats from the show ICE LAKE REBELS.

One of the painting at the Midnight Gallery and shop.

The famous golf course that holds the longest day tournament with a starting tee time at midnight.

Cuchinta by Syliva

I could not resist this one souvenir.  My BFF from Ontario wanted one too.

Fleeing Friday - Canada here we come

Today is not about me.  Today I have a guest blogger who is very near and dear to my heart. For most of you, you know him as my husband, Jeff.

JEFF start typing....

Big moves, from working to retired, from USA to Canada, selling 3 old cars and replacing with an RV, trailer and a Ford C Max.  With all my new found free time, I will have to find some new hobbies.  Fortunately, there are many lakes and things to do in our new home town.  With my wife's permission I see me acquiring a new toy. Maybe my former dentist Dr. Syn will provide some fly fishing lessons when he gets the opportunity to visit.  During the down time while waiting for the house to close, I found some interesting volunteer opportunities like, help remodel kitchen of a particular community center.  
I definitely won't be missing the worsening traffic in the Bay area.  It seems to take forever to go anywhere.  When I purchased my electric, it cut my commute time in half.  As the years went by, the commute had gotten just as bad even using the HOV lane.  Although I will miss my friends at work, I will not miss the work itself.

We finally arrived at our new home in Vernon, BC on Sunday July 30 at 530 pm.  While unloading our boxes from the trailer, we noticed the welcoming committee of this neighborhood.

These two deer started in the front of our house, sort of nodded their heads and went to our backyard.

Travelling Tuesday - Where and when

Sometimes I wonder if it's just me or maybe because I am retired and my husband is still working that is why he can't think of going away somewhere.  I think the real reason is that we got so used when I lived in Canada that we go away at least once for our annual vacation.  We also try and do some short vacation and mini weekend get aways or long weekend get away.  Maybe it has to do with having long winters and your body yearns for some heat of the beautiful sun.  Now a days I feel like I am the only one eager to go somewhere.  I know that our winters in San Jose is not bad, still a little cool at times but there's no snow.  So am I complaining.  Not really, I just want to plan to go somewhere even if its a short weekend trip.  Where do I want to go.  Here's my list for this year but there's really no time frames at this time of this post.  It's just a list that I can check and maybe I can convince Jeff to go along with the plan.  Maybe if I just book it and tell him we're going, so he can book his PTO.

1. LA or Orange County, CA - to check out an RV for sale and to visit my kindergarten BFF.
2. Kelowna, BC, Canada - to check out future home and visit my tennis/golf girlfriend who recently retired and move to Kelowna.
3. Toronto, ON, Canada - to visit my daughter and favorite SIL and visit friends and maybe attend the wedding of one of my son's best friend.
4. Yellowknife, NT, Canada - to show Jeff where I lived when I first emigrated to Canada and to check out the small town that is now a metropolis.
5. Houston, TX - to visit my BFF Susan since she's been here twice already and now it's my turn to visit her.
6. Park City, UT - I keep seeing their commercial on TV and I was just wondering what is so special about that place.
7. The great European Viking Cruise - this one will take a lot of planning and searching and needs to be book at least seven months in advance.  This one will have to wait for 2018.
8. The Canada and New England Cruise on Princess - New York, Boston,  Main, Nova Scotia and Quebec. 

 

 

Secluded Sunday - Last minute get away

The forecast for the weekend was going to be really nice with no clouds or rain.  We knew we were not going to get anything cheap even on those last minute deals for accommodation.  After discussing with my MIL and Jeff, we decided to head south last Friday and spend the weekend with one of Jeff's cousin who resides in a small town but not populated by tourists.  Since I have not seen this part of California I knew that it would  be a great weekend get away because we will be staying with family.  The area was called Arroyo Grande.  It was pretty dark by the time we got to Debbie's home but I could see that they had a quaint little downtown area.  Before settling for the night, we had tea and some of the Banana Bread that I made while catching up on stories and getting the ten cent tour of her home.  We all slept in till about 900 and decided to check out one of their local Country Kitchen for breakfast.  There was touristy town called Solvang that I wanted to see.  Since it's only 45 minutes away we headed in that direction after breakfast.  We arrived at this little Denmark like place. I was surprised that there were so many tourist from other countries there. We walked around checking all the different stores, some were just very much for tourist and others were truly interesting.  For lunch we stopped by Solvang Brewing Company.  They were quite busy but we were to get seated quick and lunch arrived timely.  Food was just edible, nothing to rave about.  After lunch it was time to head back home as it was getting a little too hot and we were all getting tired.  We manage to stop at a Walmart and I found more flipflops that I can decorate and use as house slippers for my guests.  As dinner was closing in, it was time to pick another place to try.  I did a little research and found a seafood bar and grill that was a five minute from Debbie's.  We all agreed we wanted to try their fish and chips and this is what we ended up ordering.  This is called the Family Plate.  

There were at least 16 pieces of fish and we did not even finish.

Debbie's side yard.

The view for the living room window.

Part of Solvang downtown.

Fretting Friday - I can't stand the white stuff

Sometimes it takes another couple to get us in the mood of taking a mini vacation.  That's what happened during the last four days.  Our friends J and G asks us to join them for a quick get away to South Lake Tahoe.  Since both Jeff and I have not been there for over ten years, we decided that it was time to see a different part of Tahoe.  Although we knew that the weather was not going to be hot, it was still a nice change of scenery,  The drive there was a perfect day with some clouds but mostly blue sky.  Some sections of the highway was a bit windy and a little too high or deep for my liking.  It sort of reminds be of being in the Yukon Territory where you can still see the snow capped mountains.  Since our friends have been there many time, they were our own personal tour guides.  We took a tour around the lake and saw some of the most amazing colors of the Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay.  The photos that I took were not the greatest but I like to share some of them.  The only part of the trip that I did not appreciate was the arrival of the white stuff.  That's right, SNOW.

Emerald Bay on a beautiful warm weather.

The sign from the Hard Rock Cafe

I guess the sign actually works.

It was a very enjoyable get away although none of us won big money at their Casino.  Who does?  We stopped by to check out the cabin owned by Jeff's coworker/friend.  It didn't look like a cabin to me because it had an awesome kitchen, lots of bedrooms, a wrap around deck and many more interesting items inside.  I wish I had taken some photos to share.

Mahalo Monday - Maui Review

The great part of our recent vacation is that we went with a great couple who we have travelled at least three times prior to this trip.  Another benefit was that they have been in Maui prior to this trip so they knew a lot of the good spots to see.  It was relaxing and although I cannot say a lot of WOWs, it was still a good time to be away for seven days.  Here's a few disappointments:

• I did not see any exotic fruits that were described on a lot of the website
• The Hawaiian Airlines staff should review their boarding procedures
• The resort we stayed should update their website and should warn their visitors of upcoming renovations/repairs.   

Although we ate some of our meals in our room (small kitchen available), we all went out for some of our meals, mostly lunch and dinnner.  There's so many restaurants to choose from but the majority are very expensive and the ones we tried are just ok.  The best dinner was actually when Jeff and Gil BBQd steaks (from Costco) and grilled some asparagus and squash, while Jean prepared red potatoes in the microwave.

As for entertainment, we all went to the Warren and Annabelle show (magic and comedy).  The reviews were very good and everyone enjoyed an evening of magic and laughter.  One of the other tour that they (excluding me) went on was the snorkle and whale watching.  While they were away I enjoyed my walk into town and had lunch at the Pioneer Inn.  You probably won't believe this but I was brave enough to go in the pool by myself to play NOT SWIM.

Hopefully I will be able to download the photos from my camera and share in post tomorrow.

 

 

Fatigue Friday - A day of rest after a vacation?

Does anyone take a day of rest after coming back from a vacation?  Today is our first day back from our 7 day vacation in Maui and I am extremely tired.  Maybe it's that three hour time difference or maybe it's the waking up early each and every day.  I missed doing my post for the past couple of days but I am back now and I hope I did not disappoint my few followers.  Hopefully for the next couple of days I will share my Hawaii vacation and even show some photos.  For now I need to take another nap.  Have a good weekend to all.  Aloha!

Mondrian Monday - I'm Jealous

What is the most important thing do you care about when going on a vacation? 

• Destination
• Accomodation
• Class of airfare
• Tours 
• Company
• Food
• Weather    

Having traveled on a variety of class of airfares, I have to admit being on business class or FIRST class is definitely the way to go specially on very long flights.  Sometimes with this also comes an excellent suite at a five star hotel.  After talking to my daughter about her weekend get away, I am a bit jealous because they are staying at a very nice hotel in NYC.  I know that both of them loves their vacation and they do spend time researching everything prior to booking.

 

I can count how many times I have stayed at some really nice hotels in Asia (The Caravelle Hotel and the New World in Vietnam; The Manila Peninsula in the Philippines). The ones in Europe are normally very small and very expensive.  As for the Caribbean, it's a hit and miss but food is always tasty while in Africa it's just different but also good restaurants within the hotel.  If I remember correctly, we stayed at a Coral Hilton in Puerto Plata, DR (all inclusive but we only stayed for three days as it was business trip.  

 

Sinful Sunday - Sin City Review

When you get an offer for three free nights at Monte Carlo Resort and Hotel in Vegas, it's almost stupid to pass it up.  So my girlfriend KP and I decided to go since the hotel was free and Southwest had an excellent wanna get away fare.  Here's the highlight of our trip.

• We saw the Australian Bee Gees Show at the Excalibur.  Very entertaining and we got to dance too.  Only complaint - seating arrangements were too tight and so uncomfortable.
• We tried to see the show Human Nature at Imperial Palace last January but it was a little too expensive.  This time the cost was a little cheaper.  Like the above show, it was very entertaining and again only one complaint - seating way too tight.
• Vacation cannot be complete without shopping.  My daughter had asked if I could stop by at this INGLOT cosmetic store.  It was so much fun checking all the new items I ended up buying an item for myself plus all the items for my daughter.
• After watching the BeeGees Show, it was still early so we ended up walking towards Mandalay Bay and stumble on a live band called The Guilty Pleasure.  They were pretty good and their play list was all the hits from the Top Groups of the 70's and 80's.  We wanted to come back the next day but we ha bought the Human Nature tickets.
• As for dining experience, we did not really dine at any special place.  We ate at whatever hotel we were in while cooling off.  We ended up buying a pair of sandals as the asphalt was too hot for my flip flops. 
• During some down time, while waiting for KP to get ready, I watched the US open but I also know that I will have a lot of recorded matches to watch when I get home.

The shade of this product matches my skin perfectly.

Very comfy sandals for $15 at the store CityUSA.

Funky leggings from Forever21 for $9

My glitter pen which writes very smooth.

There are some more photo to share but I did not want to make this blog too long.  For the next couple of days I will definitely include them in my blog.  I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Weekend.
 
 

Maybe Monday - Meal Planning

A few pounds gained after our cruise made me think about planning our meal.  If you remember about a month ago, my daughter gave me this Menu Planning Pad which I have placed in front of our fridge.  Now that we are going back to eating healthy, I will be planning our dinner meals.  Since Jeff makes his own breakfast during the week and eats lunch at their very nice cafeteria at work, dinner is the only meal I have to cook.  While looking for a piece of paper for my daughter, I saw a poster of the Canada's Food Guide which I got at the Diabetes Center in Mississauga.  Now I have that posted as well and will be following it for our meal planning.  I will be using some of the recipe that I already know by heart but will start looking for new ones.  Jeff suggested to just do at least two weeks of a variety of menu and then we will just repeat it again.  After a month we can see if we actually lose weight and then I can add or subtract some of the menu.  Of course we are still going to do whatever exercise we want.  For me, I will continue with tennis, golf and of course the Just Dance 3.  Maybe I can share with you these two week planned meals once I have finalized them. I would like to try them first before posting them.