Ten on Tuesdays - the French adventure.

It's Tuesday and I thought I would play along with Kim at It's a Crafty Life. for her Ten on Tuesdays. I recently spent two weeks in the south of France with my brother Dan and our Mom... Now before you get all excited...it wasn't a holiday. My step-dad passed away (Denis is from there and my Mom and him had flown back there two weeks before for cancer treatment) and according to my Grandma our mission was to bring Mom home with us. Really our mission was to be with her and if we could bring her home great, but we would be relieved in two weeks if it couldn't be done. It almost didn't happen but Dan and I did manage to get Mom home with us. I learned some interesting things while I was away and would like to share them with you.

1. It is possible to fit just enough stuff and Teddy (my stuffed bear I've had since my first Christmas) into a backpack. It is possible to do this after crying to your Dad that your brother is a tyrant. It is possible to do this after only 4 hours of sleep b/c you worked nights the last two nights.

2. Brothers are awesome! Well mine are anyway and Dan sure proved it once again. He is a very patient person. He is a stay clam, don't panic kind of guy. I have the tendency to panic depending on the situation. Imagine this: we get off the train in Paris and need to switch trains to get to Nimes. We need to get to another station to get that train and we only have 1 hour to do so. We think about taking a cab but the que is really long and we know that we will never make it. I get pooped on by a pigeon. We decide to take the subway. We have less than 45mins. Dan figures out which one to take and then we confirm it with the info guy. We get on. We are down to 15mins. We can't get out of the subway station without our ticket...mine is at the bottom of my very large purse. Panic!!! My brother Dan calmly tells me we will be alright. Did I mention that we had to catch the train to Nimes b/c it was the last one that night? Dan puts my bag on the ground and helps me look for it. Found! We get sorta get lost finding the train and have to run in order to catch it. I would still be in Paris if it wasn't for Dan.

3. My Mom is not a fan of John Lennon.....She blames him for breaking up the Beatles....She doesn't even remember what she was doing when he died. She loves the music he wrote for the Beatles (before they got weird, she says) but she's just not a fan of him.

4. My Mom didn't know that the Backstreet Boys got their start in Europe...but my brother, who is in a punk rock band did..Huh?

5. Bread in France is really good. But they don't have peanut butter.

6. Round abouts and one way streets are in abundance in the south.

7. The villagers where Denis is from, hate Mondays so much that they often keep their shops closed. Only the big supermarket is open.

8. Castles are cool and damp and mossy. But cool! We did manage to spend one morning exploring and toured a nearby castle.

9. It is possible to get six suitcases between three of us, on and off the subway in Paris. But only if the other passengers help. I am amazed by all the help and kindness we received on our travels. Since we can't thank each of them...we'll just have to pay it forward.

10. The Dutch really like their potatoes. At dinner the night before our flight out of Amsterdam each dinner came with a baked potato, french fries and tater tots. Too much food to eat.

It was an adventure for sure. Maybe next time it could be a holiday too.:)

Ciao!

They're back and hangin tough! NKOTBSB ten memorible moments

Last Wednesday my best friend and I went to see the NKOTBSB concert in Toronto. What a blast. Anyone who knows me, knows that The Backstreet Boys are my not so guilty pleasure. As for the New Kids, they were the first musical group or type of music that was not influenced by my parents. So, I wanted to share some of my fave moments with you and some pictures too. Although the pictures are not that great b/c we were too far away for my camera and my camera hates the dark. I did get a couple of okay ones off the screens.

1. First, I got to go with my best friend Liz. The amazing energy started with Jordan Sparks. She genuinely wanted to be there and was having a blast herself. She had us singing, the moment she stepped onto the stage.

Liz and I before the show.

2. They opened together with a Cold Play beat and NKOTB's "Single" and BSB's "The One". I personally loved this mash-up, even though I don't know "Single" very well. Liz had mixed feelings about it.

3. TEAM NICK!! Anyone who has known me along time knows that I have a major crush on BSB's Nick. Each guy has a special place in my heart but Nicky has always been my fave. He looked smokin' HOT! He performed very well too, he was on fire.

My boy Nick.

4. Team Brian represent!! It warmed my heart that BSB's Brian got the most and loudest screams. Team Brian in da house!

B-ROK aka Brian

5. NKOTB's Joey's end to "Please don't go girl" was emotional and amazing. The other guys left him alone to finish it. He slid across the catwalk and ended the song on his knees. Very powerful. I wish I had caught that on video.

Joey.

6. Anyone who has bought their albums knows BSB's "10,000 Promises" and NKOTB's "Tonight", fan faves that weren't big singles..in fact "10,000 Promises" wasn't a single @ all. But the guys know this and they performed them..love songs for their fans.

7. BSB went into the crowd and pulled a girl each up onto the stage and serenaded them. I looked @ Liz and was like "OMG is this happening? They are so lucky." I bet those girls will never forget it and either will I. These boys love their fans and they showed it, by making 4 girls feel very special. Thus making each of us feel special too.

8. The little girl next to me was grooving so hard, she hit me a couple of times.

9. When they introduced each other, AJ introduced Donnie as his brother from another mother. Brain sang Joey's songs and Joey sang Brian's songs when they introduced each other, much to the delight of the fans.

Brothers from another mother.

Brian singing to Joey

Joey singing to Brian.

10. During their encore of "Hangin Tough" Donnie came out wearing a Canadian flag as a cape.

The best shot I could get of that dancing Canadian flag.

My only complaint is, I wish they had sung each others stuff, together more. This show will definitely be a highlight of my summer. Thank you Brian, AJ, Howie, Nick, Jordan, Danny, Donnie, Johnathan and Joey for a fabulous night. Good luck and prayers for the rest of the tour!

Top Ten fun stuff I did on May 2-4 weekend.

Today I decided to play along with Kim over @ It's a Crafty Life and her Ten on Tuesday linky party. In Canada this past weekend was a holiday weekend. So I decided to share the Top Ten Fun things I did this weekend.

1. My friend Fez came over with her hubby and their daughter Miranda. While her parents were busy, Miranda and I played in my yard. It was so nice to have a little person running in my grass.

2. I got so dizzy I thought I was going to yak playing on the playground equipment @ the park with Miranda. Normally I hate being dizzy but it was nice to be dizzy b/c I was having fun and not b/c I had a migraine.

3. On the advice of a co-worker I bought a weed remover by Fiskars . Yep, the same people who make craft punches and scissors. It might take me all summer to pull the dandelions in my lawn but I will do it.

4. I cleaned the outside windows to my bedroom and the spare room with this product from Windex . It's perfect for just out of reach windows and was so easy to use.

5. I discovered that the living room windows flip open on the inside, making them really easy to clean. So I cleaned them too. Okay so it only took me a year and a half to figure that out. :)

6. My cousin Roo got married and their first dance was "Give in to me" from the movie Country Strong. It was perfect and I cried.

7. My cousin Sean, the grooms brother and best man, gave the best speech. I loved that he included Roo's love of He-man as a boy b/c I remember it well. Patti and I loved She-Ra during that time. We loved them so much that for Hallowe'en one year my mom and Uncle Mat dressed up as He-Man and She-Ra and surprised us.

8. Dancing to John Cougar with my mom, Uncle Mat, siblings and cousins.

9. Dancing to "Don't Stop Believin' with most of my siblings and most of my cousins. We knew all the words. Thanks Glee!

10. Cuddles and smiles with Lexi.

I'm sad to see the weekend go. Back to it tomorrow.

Ten for 30.

Hello all it's Tuesday and over on It's a crafty Life Kim is playing Ten on Tuesdays. I turn 30 on Friday and an slightly bummed because two large milestones I thought would have happened have not, I'm not a wife or a mom yet. So instead of dwelling on that I'm going to make a list of ten plans I have for my 30th year.

1. As many snuggles and cuddles with Alexis as I can get.

2. Apparently Alexis is having a party @ her parents house for me on Sat. Poppa (my dad) is helping her plan it.

3. I will officially be a grown up, when I have my first party ever in my first house. It's a baby shower for Alexis.

4. I'm going to create a mini album of my 30th year, month by month, journalling on a calender everyday. This will be challenging since I live alone and when I work I work 12 hour shifts, so I'm going to have to work really hard to think of something relevant to say everyday. I found this idea over @ Ella. I promise to share the project as I work on it. I start it this weekend.

5. I'm really excited about my cousins Roo's wedding. Just over a month away.

6. I'm going to be a good cousin and a good sister all in one day. The bridal shower for Roo's fiancee is the same day as my sister Patti's engagement party, only in the afternoon. So I'm going to go to the shower and then drive 2 hours to be @ Patti and Ry's party.

7. I'm going to cry my heart out @ my cousin Andrea's wedding. Happy tears of course. This girl deserves all the happiness in the world and I think she might be finally getting it and I couldn't be more excited for her.

8. I'm going to dance the night away with some middle school girlfriends @ Ape's wedding. Can't wait.

9. NKOTBSB in TO with my best friend...enough said.

10. Help my sister plan her wedding.

That's my list folks, thanks for stopping by.
Ciao for now.

Top Ten Punta Cana

Hello all! It's Tuesday so I thought I would play Ten on Tuesday with Kim over @ It's a Crafty Life and use my top ten Punta Cana pics. I've collected many pics from this trip but these are just the ones that I toke that I really liked or loved the story behind them.

But first some background. The groom Darryl and I went to elementary school together until grade 9. We didn't exactly run in the same crowd but got along well enough. He was more popular than me, but then again everyone was. And aside from a period in time when his best friend Ferg called me toad b/c I had freckles (actually he called me toad b/c he liked me, Darryl later told me and he later confirmed), he was always nice to me. Anyway I moved after grade 9 and met Jenn in high school. We didn't really become friends until college when we went to nursing school together for awhile. She was lots of fun to be with. When she left school we kinda lost touch and then when school was over I moved back to the town I grew up in to work. About two or three years ago, I ran into Jenn @ the grocery store. She had followed a boy here and was working as a vet tec in the area. It was nice to see her but I'm terrible at follow thru and didn't give her my number or anything. Then about 6 months later I was @ the Boot having lunch after church with my grandma and a few other ladies when I saw her with Darryl. I wasn't 100% sure it was her, partly b/c she was with Darryl, so I didn't go over to say hello. Determined not to let another potental friend slip away, I looked her up on Facebook and sent her a message..."Hey I think I saw you...blah, blah." She wrote back confirming that I did and that her boyfriend had told her we went to school together. She thought that was amazing! A few weeks later she invited me to Ferg's Buck and Doe and we've been friends ever since. In fact until last summer they lived right down the street from me, they moved b/c Darryl is in the military. I think it's pretty cool that I got to go to their wedding. Here are my top ten pictures from my trip.

This is Jenn, I love this picture of her b/c she toke it herself. I didn't even know that she had until a few days later.

I like this picture b/c of the story behind it. Out front of the hotel there was a pond with flamingos in it. One more while hanging out with Dave and Matt, I said I wanted to take a picture of the flamingos. Dave said "Yeah, I'd like a picture of the penguins too." Penguins?? Well that slip of the tongue carried on for the rest of the trip. Soon our whole group knew about it. And Dave never heard the end of it. :)

Yes the water is actually that blue.

This is the view of the ocean from the wedding site.

I don't claim to be a photographer. When I get it right, it's often by accident. I love this picture of Lisa, the groom's sister-in-law
and matron of honour. I think she looks so beautiful.

Like the movie 27 dresses, the moment when the groom sees the bride is the best moment of all.

The wedding party was uneven so Ferg and Biscuit were each others dates.

 Jenn's Aunt Nancy and I distracted Darryl's nephew with sand castles while pictures were being taken. Love the green of that hat.

 The happy couple, out to dinner a few nights later.

Micheal isn't dead he's alive and living in Punta Cana!! Actually this was the MJ from their Micheal Jackson show. Freaky isn't it? You should have seen him dance!

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by. Ciao amigos!

Ten on Tuesdays

I decided to play along with Kim over @ It's a crafty life and share my ten on Tuesday. The object of the game is to share ten things - anything, as long as there are ten things.
So I decided to share ten random thoughts about my week so far.

1. I am all caught up on my scrapbooking (which is why I'm playing Ten on Tuesday). I wont have anything to scrap until I go away in 17 days. What ever will I do?

2. Last night the phone rang; "It's Alex Adair calling." My five year old cousin. He asks me to donate money for James' half birthday. Then James gets on the phone and gives me the details. James is shy and Alex is not, which is why Alex called and James didn't, even though James and I had a conversation about his half birthday @ Christmas. You see James is a great kid, very aware of other people and he likes to do good but then he gets embarrassed about it, when he gets praised. I can relate to that. Anyway to the point...a few years ago for his actual birthday, he really wanted a DS and some games and my aunt and uncle told him that they would get it for him, if he asked the kids coming to his party to donate to the local Animal Shelter, instead of getting gifts. He collected money and pet food and was even in the paper. Anyway this summer his grandma died from esophageal cancer. It was quickish.....from diagnosis to heaven but it was a long summer for my aunt and her family, my uncle and the boys. So in order to help James cope better, gain some control and in the interest that James likes to help other people they are having a small half birthday party for him, no gifts just donations to The Canadian Digestive Health Foundation http://www.cdhf.ca/main.php . This is an amazing web site and a great cause. I can guarantee that everyone knows someone who has a digestive disorder be it constipation, Cohen's, cancer, whatever. If you think you don't know anyone, it just b/c they haven't told you. So when Alex asked me for money, this was an easy yes.

3. I'm still reading Roots. Is it bad that I'm having a hard time getting through it? But I'm determined to finish it, all 900 pages.

4. My brother got me the 3rd season of Boy Meets World for Christmas, kinda as a joke. So funny! I'm enjoying watching it again.

5. My future sister -in- law has been put on bed rest. Five weeks to go until Jumanji is due. I'm a nurse, so I know that if she were to be born now, she would be okay. But it would really be better if she can wait a couple more weeks. I can't wait to meet you Jumanji but I want to be able to hug and kiss you when you get here, so you need to get a little bit bigger.

6. I'm getting really excited about my trip. And nervous, even though I've done it a bunch of times the airport part always makes me nervous and security. Even though I have nothing to hide, security freaks me out.

7. I have the best Dad, he is going to re-cock my bathtub and shower while I'm away. He's also going to feed my fish and bring in the mail.

8. My CPR class that I missed in December b/c of the weather, is rescheduled for Friday.

9. This weekend my church celebrates 100 years of the building. I love this building, it always feels like home.

10. Sometimes finding ten things to share is very difficult.

Thanks for visiting!