Psst...

Get in close and I'll tell you some exciting (at least to me) news.  No, closer.  Come on, I probably won't bite.  Probably.  That's better!  The news...Antoine and I are going to Vancouver over Thanksgiving!

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We've been talking about it for months and months, I even renewed my passport in anticipation (though, truthfully, not having a valid password was driving me up the wall anyway).  But last week we booked our flight!  Part of me thinks that this trip is a highly frivolous thing to do when we're planning and saving up for a wedding, but that part is quickly smothered by the extremely excited, larger part of me that's doing its happy dance. 

Now, you might remember my post about how Phoenix is evil and I want it to die?  Well, yeah, my feelings haven't changed.  Scratch that!  They have, I hate it more now (if that's possible)!   The three hour difference continues to be a pain in our asses.  And the fact that Phoenix seems to be anti-AT&T is nerve-wracking.  When we try to face-time, my screen freezes with Antoine in mid-sentence and the speakers make loud, high-pitched screeching noises.  When we text, it sometimes takes him hours to receive my messages.  And when he calls me, the calls don't go through half the time.  Yeah, Phoenix can go do inappropriate things to itself and die for all I care.

But...(in an attempt to retain even the slightest amount of positivity) there are positives to this god-awful project.  Namely, skymiles, hotel rewards and credit card points.  And this summer, the hotel Antoine stays at is running some promotions that will leave us with a couple extra nights stays.  While he's been saving up most of his hotel rewards nights for our mega-honeymoon (as well as skymiles), we figured why not splurge a bit and use up these promotional stays for a pre-wedding-cation.  And since Antoine's been racking up skymiles flying to that horrible city every week, we've got plenty of miles to use for our Vancouver flight.  So, in November when everyone else is eating turkey and being subjected to forced family time, we'll be relaxing and exploring Vancouver, BC!  Oh, and did I mention we'll be staying in this place...

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And this place...

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Yeah, to say I'm excited would be a gigantic understatement!  So, now's the point in the story where I ask you fine folks who have been to Vancouver for suggestions on what to do/check out while we're there.  So far on our list:

• Bloedel Conservatory
• Vancouver Aquarium
• Public Market (and perhaps a tour)
• Chinatown
• Chinese Garden (depending on the weather)
• Diners, Drive-ins, and Dive spots around the city

Is there anything we're missing?  Any must-sees?  Keep in mind that the weather will probably be rainy and cold, so that does limit what we can do.  But still, any suggestions would be much appreciated!

So that's the scoop.  Oh, don't mind me, I'm just standing here in the corner doing my happy dance.  I don't think I've been this excited for Thanksgiving in a very long time.  I've heard flying on/around Thanksgiving can be a nightmare, but I gotta say spending the holiday in a city that doesn't celebrate it will probably be wonderful!  Apparently I've become quite the cynical lady in my late twenties.  But I'm okay with that.  Anyway, hope you have a good rest of the week!

Three Hours

During my final year of college, my parents, my sister and I took a family trip to Arizona over spring break.  It was the first time I had done anything over spring break since I had been in school, so despite the fact that it was a family trip to a place I really didn't care to go I was excited.  There were good parts of that trip.  The grand canyon was good.  The park ranger-guided moonlight walk around the rim was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  But then there was Phoenix.  I hated it the moment we landed and got off the plane.  It was blistering hot, as if I could feel my fair skin actually frying.  And it was just the beginning of March.  Everything was brown and orangish-red with barely any green insight, besides the spiny cacti.  The city itself was sprawled out and sad-looking to me.  We went to fancy hotels that my sister had managed to reserve since she's a travel agent.  But that didn't make me like it there.  It was still so hot and devoid of all the things that I love about Ohio in March.  Back in Cincinnati things were about to bloom, daffodils and hyacinths would be popping up through the ground soon.  Birds would begin singing their happy songs and making their nests.  But there, in Phoenix, it was hot and everything around me felt dead.  It felt as if the sun had set everything on fire and burned it to the ground with it's insufferable rays.  I disliked everything I encountered in and around that arid, dusty city.

Fast-forward to 7 years later.  After 10 months of working in the wonderful and fairly close city of Chicago, Antoine finds out his next consulting gig is in Phoenix.  Antoine was over-joyed to find another consulting job and by the opportunity to rack up more frequent flier miles.  I was wary, with good reason.  I knew my Texas born fella could handle his heat, but I also knew that Phoenix and I didn't see eye to eye.  Then I find out that Phoenix doesn't participate in day-light savings time, so in March when we lost an hour here in Cincinnati, Phoenix sat on its lazy ass and did nothing.  So instead of being a two hour time difference between Cincinnati and Phoenix, it was now three.  And what a difference three hours makes.

When Antoine is going into work, I'm going to lunch.  When I'm getting home and eating dinner, he's working.  When he's leaving the office, the office that has no cell phone reception, I'm starting to get sleepy.  When he's getting back to his hotel with his dinner, I've either fallen asleep on the couch or am about to pass out in bed.  Our schedules are off.  And techology seems to be against us.  Half the time he doesn't receive my texts.  And when we face-time, when he finds time to face-time, the signal is all scramble.  When he manages to call me on his way to or from work, the connection is lousy.  Let me repeat, I do not like you Phoenix!

So, for right now, I'm frustrated.  I know there are reasons to be thankful for this project.  I am thankful that Antoine has a job that he enjoys and I am thankful for all those perks of consulting, the frequent flier miles and hotel points will make planning our honeymoon so much easier.  But right now, I don't care about those perks.  Instead I am anxiously waiting for August to roll around and for this project to be finished.  Then, hopefully, he can find something on the east coast, a little closer to home.  Hopefully.

On the Verge

My birthday was last week, and for my birthday Antoine got me a variety of goodies...a new lens for my camera, Phoenix socks (with howling wolves on them) and, in Antoine's true giving fashion, his cold.  I started to feel that oh-so-familiar sick feeling yesterday.  You know how you can taste that sick taste in your mouth before you actually get a cold!?  Yeah, that.  But I can't hate on Antoine too much, he did make me a huge pot of soup last night to sustain me throughout the week while he was in Phoenix.  Onion soup, yum!  And today I don't feel completely miserable...not completely.  Although, I have this sneaking suspicion that come tomorrow I will be flailing around in the uncomfortable world of death popsicleness.  Come on, you know it...where you can't breathe, it hurts to move your head, and everything tastes like kleenex.  Yep, that's what I call being a death popsicle.  So, unless by some miracle the vitamin C I've been popping like they're candy cures me, I fully expect to make a trip to the doctor for some antibiotics and spend the entire day laying on the couch, drinking fluids and expelling phlegm. 

Stay tuned though, once I'm feeling slightly normal again I've got some exciting posts to share with you all!  Until, I cough and hack up crap in your general direction.  Good day!

Life in the Last Three Weeks...

...through the eyes of Instagram.

Hi, remember me?  It's been awhile!  The past couple weeks have been a mixture of good, bad and the in-between.  A and I got engaged and celebrated a delightful Xmas together.  I discovered that a friend passed away, attended the memorial service of this very special and unique woman, and wrestled with finding the right way to console your best friend when you can't come up with words that can help heal after such a massive loss.  We celebrated New Years in downtown Cleveland, A went back to work, I finished some craft projects, we started wedding planning, and work, for me, continued to be exciting and crazy.

It's been a strange couple of weeks.  But there were definitely some really good moments (amongst the bad and so-so ones), some of which I've highlighted here through Instagram.

A and I went to Oriental Wok for Xmas Eve dinner with my sis and brother-in-law.  Good times.  Notice that yellow scarf, I made it!  And I'm kind of in love with it!

Cheesy got a new toy for Xmas, one he hasn't managed to destroy just yet (miracle of miracles!).

Xmas morning we opened presents, just A and me.  Then I made mimosas and A made his famous Liege waffles.

For Xmas dinner, Antoine cooked up a delicious filet mignon with compound butter, baked sweet potato with cinnamon sugar butter and steamed veggies.

We ate said delicious dinner over candlelight at the dinner table...in our pajamas.  It was perfect.

And, if dinner wasn't enough, A also made his spectacular creme brulee for dessert! 

Throughout dinner and dessert Cheese sat quietly at our feet, like a little angel.

There was much wine-drinking over the holidays.

For New Years we had a low-key celebration in our downtown Cleveland hotel room with my HLP and her boyfriend.  It was very nice.

On the way back home from Cleveland, A and I stopped in Columbus to explore, by coffee and get dinner.

My lovely HLP, Amanda, got me a wonderful Moka stovetop espresso maker.  I absolutely adore it and have used it regularly since I got it!  Luckily, I've had some previous barista experience so I can whip up a mean latte, if I do say so myself.  I'm so very addicted!

Cheese continued to be adorable.  And continued to beg for food.  And lattes.

There were a string of beautiful sunsets and sunrises a couple weeks ago.

I began working on an afghan I had started a year or two ago.

And, what do you know, I actually finished it!

Antoine came home from the airport last Friday with pretty flowers for me.  I think he likes me, or something.

The following morning, the sky was dusted with pink puffy clouds.

And the Cheese-man continued to be cute.  Especially in closeup form.

I snagged some awesome new espresso cups on the cheap...to further my new addiction.

Gui and I held hands.

 Antoine made delicious waffles from scratch.  Seriously, he's amazing!

A and I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum, and I admired this man's impressive 'stache.

I broke out in hives for no apparent reason and had to start taking large amounts of steroids and Benadryl. 

Guillermo, as per usual, jumped into bed with me almost every single morning, over the last three weeks.  Purring up a storm and looking cute.

Lincoln Park Zoo and Lincoln Park Conservatory

I know it's a little late, but I have a bunch of pictures to share from my recent trip to Chicago to meet up with Antoine (a week and a half ago).  Let me just say, I adore Chicago.  It's a big city, without feeling overwhelming.  And there's so much to see and do.  Plus, a certain someone I adore happens to work there during the week.  Well, actually, Antoine works about 20 minutes north of Chicago in Deerfield.  So, the trip was a combination of suburban activities and downtown sightseeing.

I drove up on Friday, and about half way there ran into a major accident that had shut down the entire northbound part of the highway.  This tacked an extra half hour onto my drive, following a detour down backroads, behind semis.  Not fun.  But then I was was on the road again, full speed.  And I made it all the way to Chicago city limits before I hit a massive traffic jam.  Apparently, EVERYONE was leaving the city as I was arriving.  So, what should have been a 15-20 minute drive to Deerfield ended up being almost an hour and a half.  Needless to say, when I finally got there I was both excited to see Antoine and relieved to be out of the car. Oh, did I mention I only made two VERY brief pit stops on the way up (and NONE on the way back home!!!), yeah!  Luckily, the schedule for Friday night was super relaxed.  Per my request, we made a run to Jamba Juice (yum!) and took a little walk around the fancy-schmancy square where it was located.  Then we headed to Lou Malnattis for some Chicago-style pizza, which was, as always, delicious.  It totally hit the stop.  The rest of the evening we watched tv and relaxed in Antoine's mammoth sized hotel room.  Seriously, that dude is SPOILED while he's on-site consulting!

The next morning we leisurely got ready and checked out, so we could head over to Paradise Pup at 11am, just as they were opening up.  Antoine had told me that this place was supposed to have the best burger in Chicago and he'd been several times and thought it was pretty rad.  The burger was pretty good (no Terry's Turf Club), but what really got me was the Merkts cheddar sauce and their peanut butter, banana and honey milkshake (a special that day).  Wowza!  So good.  After a delicious lunch, we made out way to the Lincoln Park area, just north of downtown.  We had plans to check out the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lincoln Park Conservatory, both of which neither of us had ever been to...even though both are completely FREE!

Now, I'm not usually a "zoo person".  I don't like the idea of animals in cages their entire life.  Plus, I have a tendency to be cheap and zoos cost too much money, considering I don't like the concept.  But when I was looking up things for us to do while I was in town, I came across the LP Zoo.  All the reviews I read were really positive, plus it was free!  So, why not!?

I was actually surprised by how great the zoo was.  Considering it was free and all, I wasn't expecting much.  But the grounds were lush and beautifully landscaped, there were a wide variety of animals (the only one area that was really lacking was the penguin exhibit), and there were tons of people, mostly families, out enjoying the beautiful weather.  One of the best parts though, is that you just walk in like it's just part of the park.  And you can bring in outside food with you!  I saw several people throughout the park/zoo having picnics on benches and green spaces.

As we were walking I noticed a big gated entrance/exit (by the rhinoceroses) and just outside it was the LP Conservatory. The Conservatory was fairly small, but had a nice selection...including some gorgeous water lilies and oversized lily pads (just as you walked in) and, my personal favorite, orchids.

 

 

Unfortunately, about a half hour after we left the Conservatory and headed back to the zoo the skies opened up and it started pouring down rain.  It came out of nowhere, and we, like everyone else, were completely unprepared.  Of course, we had an umbrella in the car, but that was more than a half mile away. We attempted to hide under some trees for a bit, but then we said "screw it" and walked back to our car.  By the time we got there, we were soaked through and beyond ready to check into our hotel downtown.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another Chicago recap.

Friday Can't Come Soon Enough

Since Antoine began consulting, Thursday has become the day of the week I look forward to the most, because it's the day he comes home.  Thursday has become the day that feels like Friday used to...it's strange, but nice.  Well, this week is a little different.  This week Antoine isn't coming home of Thursday.  Instead, half way through the day on Friday I'll be heading up to Chicago for the weekend.  I've been wanting to meet up with Antoine in Chicago since he started this project.  So I figure, why not take advantage of the long Labor day weekend and hotel rewards points and make a little vacation out of it!

Chicago has a special place in my heart.  It's the first place that Antoine and I went on a trip together.  I remember it was late October, we were on a pretty intense "love high" and spent a weekend exploring the city, getting lost, and listening to music.  We ate at Lou Malnatti's, took pictures of our reflections in "the bean", got lost looking for Garrett's popcorn and sat by the water, cuddled up in the cold.  It sticks out in my mind as one of my favorite trips that we've ever taken together.

  

So, needless to say, I can't wait for Friday to come.  We have plans to swim in the hotel's pool, eat some Chicago-style pizza, see the fireworks (the last of the year) at Navy Pier, go to the aquarium, have dinner at a fancy-schmancy steakhouse, and visit the Botanic Gardens (probably my favorite out of all the gardens I've been to).

If you've ever been to Chicago, any places you would highly suggest checking out while we are there?  How about you, what are your Labor day plans?

What I Did This Weekend...

• Made fruit pizza for the first time:

 mini fruit pizzas

YUM!

• Shot a bow and arrow for the first time:

• Snapped an arrow in half by ricocheting it off a tree (who knew that was possible)
• Saw my HLP
• Ate delicious grilled cheese (the Parmageddon rocked my world!)
• Became engrossed by a teeny-tiny one-legged grasshopper, who I didn't name but I should have

•  Drank too much on Saturday, but didn't get drunk (7 beers over the span of 10 hours)
• Played the game "Spoons" with a bunch of pre-teen second cousins...and kicked their asses!!
• Took more pictures of flowers:

• Played in the creek by my uncle's house
• Found a skull (complete with jawbone) of what seems to be a raccoon
• Took said skull home, even after Antoine called me a weirdo
• Witnessed a bunch of relatives getting trashed, and a certain one (one of the three pictured below) fall down:

• After Antoine shot a gun for the first time, with my uncle...I told him REPEATEDLY that he cannot get a gun because I hate guns!!  (Are you listening Tran?)
• Laughed out loud at the exhausted faces Cheese was making on the way back to Cincinnati after spending the weekend playing with a 8 month old Great Dane puppy:
  
  
   
  
  

• Tried my best to convince Antoine to play hookie this week from work/consulting and stay home with me.  Sadly, it didn't work :(