tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61487942789681073812024-03-23T06:17:22.478-04:00My Thoughtful SpotA little bit of everything...Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-5442763365250705522020-04-22T15:04:00.000-04:002020-04-22T15:05:10.344-04:00First Writing Prompt Attempt<em><strong>Think of an object in your house. Imagine a whole history for it, and write it as a story.</strong></em><br />
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I think this is truly going to be a challenge for me because I really have not been using my imagination much lately…!<br />
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Immediately when I read the prompt, I knew that the object I wanted to use was a washing machine. I could picture the opening scene/the machine's first memories. Now, developing that into a story and coming up with an ending... that is what has always stumped me. I have never been good with endings.<br />
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Well, here goes. Of course, you will only be reading this once I have a complete story to post. So just know that I began this story's journey on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, and finished on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">******</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first memory is of a growing blinding light, accompanied by the sound of ripping, a biting wind, and human hands touching me, tipping and pulling me out of my comfy box and packing. Then I recall being maneuvered through the house, down a tight and narrow staircase, and being poked and prodded with wires and hoses. That was the day I arrived here, in this very house, why... it must be 30 years ago! I can look back on those days now with fondness, but at the time, I was dreadfully frightened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first wash cycle I ran was most interesting. I hadn't quite known what to expect. When my belly started filling up with water, and the soap started to foam, and the clothes were added and began growing heavy with the soapy water... I didn't know what to do! Thankfully, instinct took over and I began jigging and jiving, twisting my agitator to toss the clothes around and beat the dirt out of them, then I spat out all that dirty soapy water so I could do it all again for my rinse cycle. Spinning the majority of the water out of the clothes was always my favourite part, and I remember that first time thinking, "Wheee, this is fun! Faster! Faster!" Nowadays, I get a little dizzy and maybe don't do quite as good a job as I once did. Sometimes my agitator doesn't do all it's supposed to, either. But I haven't given up yet, and my humans obviously haven't given up on me yet either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's quite something watching a human family grow up. When I was first installed, there were three children; a teenager and two younger children. No babies for me. My predecessor had the, ahem, privilege of washing all those baby clothes and cloth diapers one hears about. That's not to say there weren't plenty of things to wash! And I did my level best to beat the stains out of all those little clothes. Little clothes that gradually became bigger as the children aged. In the early days, it was mostly always the mother who fed the clothes into my belly, occasionally the teenager. But as the years went on and the children grew, they began to feed me as well. Sometimes I would play games and hide their socks under my agitator, just so they would have to nearly climb inside to reach them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">One might think it would be lonely living in the basement of a big house, only seeing people once or twice a week. But, I had my faithful dryer companion across from me all along. We became fast friends as we shared the duty of clothing our family. The furnace is nearby as well, we can't see each other, but we exchange pleasantries from time to time, and in the colder months I see my family pass by more often to feed him. There has also been a steady parade of cat companions. Imagine, these humans inviting animals into their homes to roam free! I certainly have tried to beat the pet hair out of their clothes as well, but I don't like to do it. It clogs up my hoses and makes me sneeze. Oh, the cats don't bother me so much really, though, because they do keep me company and occasionally warm my lid. I remember once in those early years, a whole litter of kittens tumbled and gamboled around my legs for a time. They did make us laugh, those mischievous little fluffballs. They were only meant to stay a few days, but one of them hid behind me while his brothers and sisters were being collected, the cheeky gaffer. He and his mother kept us company for many years after that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Goodness, thinking about all the years that have gone by, the gallons of water I've gulped, the pounds of clothes I've tossed around... it sure makes one tired...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Ah, here someone comes now, with another armful of clothes. Duty calls, I'm afraid, and I really must put all my focus into my task. As I said before, I don't do the job quite as well as I used to...</span>Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-59642621526560900622019-04-02T18:07:00.003-04:002019-04-02T18:07:32.882-04:00Writing - A New ProjectThe other day I picked up a book entitled <i>Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink</i> by Gail Carson Levine, author of <i>Ella Enchanted</i>.<br />
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I enjoy reading immensely, and have for almost as long as I can remember. There was a period in high school when I didn't read as much, but I have always been (and I hope I always will be) a reader.<br />
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Writing has also been something that has interested me over the years. I have occasionally entertained thoughts of becoming an author, but writing is not easy. Writing a novel? When you don't really know what you're doing, it's incredibly difficult. And because I've often had friends who were much more interested in and enthused with writing than I, myself... I have tended to let writing be something that other people do.<br />
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I would, however, like this to possibly change. I believe that everyone should at least <i>try </i>to write a book in their lifetime - whether it is an autobiography, a novel, or a collection of poems or short stories... It doesn't need to be published or even ever be seen by eyes other than your own, but we should all try. :)<br />
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I'm doing a really big reading challenge this month, so I probably won't read too much of this book for a while, but I did read the first chapter the other night, and there were a few challenges put forward that I would like to take a stab at. I will list them here in my own words for future reference:<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>Think of an object in your house. Imagine a whole history for it, and write it as a story.</li>
<li>Pick a different object, move it to a completely new location (think outside the box), and write about how it got there/got discovered/re-discovered etc.</li>
<li>Give one of the objects magical properties. Write about how it became magical, what it can do, etc. Create characters and describe what they need it for.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's all for now. Over the next few months, as I have some spare moments, I will try to work on these prompts and post them here on the blog. Much as I do like to write on paper, I find that I can type faster than I can write, which can be useful when your mind is on a roll. :)</div>
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Until next time. Happy reading and writing!</div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-33895800879736947132017-10-12T10:13:00.001-04:002017-10-12T14:23:35.717-04:00Pervasive Disrespect<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is something on my mind that I would like to share publicly, but I've written and re-written the Facebook status too many times and can't bring myself to actually share it. #facebookshy</div>
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I guess because I haven't quite figured out yet what it is I'm trying to say. A blog post seems like a much better outlet, because I can do more explaining, and those mean people who share nasty comments are usually too lazy to click a link and read an entire blog post, so they more than likely won't be commenting. But it is still difficult for me to share an opinion publicly, so please be kind.</div>
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Something happened to me yesterday, and it is not the first time. I should preface this by saying that I have always, ever since I was a little girl, had an aversion to young men in the 15 to 25 age range. (Seriously, I wouldn't even look at my own male cousins of that age). And this has never really changed, even after I reached and surpassed that age range myself. It has been my experience that this particular age group (of men in particular) are typically arrogant, entitled, ignorant, loud, and rude.<br />
Now, I know that's a generalization. I'm not saying they're <strong><em>all</em></strong> like that, certainly! I've known several teenage/young adult men who were respectful, considerate, and kind, but it's the others I'd like to focus on today.</div>
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Yesterday I was out walking on my lunch break, minding my own business. I had been to the Dollarama and was off to find myself some lunch to take back to the office to eat. There were two young men in the parking lot talking and laughing. As I've said, I generally avoid this particular demographic, but I had to pass them, so I was focusing on not making eye-contact or tripping. There was a carload of more young men backing out of a space a few spots over. I stopped walking so as to let them get out of their spot without worrying about moving pedestrians - something that I, as a driver, appreciate. They, however, rather than do that, chose to use this opportunity to say rude things to me. Needless to say, I walked around their vehicle and away, but my lunch hour was ruined.</div>
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I don't know about you, but when I'm out by myself, I'm not necessarily smiley. If I think of it, I will smile to strangers I meet, but as a general rule, I carry no expression. I know very well that I have Resting Bitch Face (pardon me), as do most of the population. People have been telling me that for years. But unless you are some weird person who has a perma-grin, or like... Botox... a face's natural position is not a smile. Not to mention that I have been feeling sick for days, and have a lot on my mind lately, so I'm not exactly cheerful. I smile at my clients at work and the people who serve me at stores and restaurants, but when I'm not directly engaging in conversation with someone... my face is neutral. But that's not even the issue here.</div>
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What I'd like to know is when it became appropriate to insult strangers? And since when is it ok to publicly comment on someone's clothes, body, or facial expression right beside them, in a degrading tone? Verbal harassment is still harassment, boys.</div>
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And I guess that's what it really comes down to. I don't know if it's at home or at school or in the media, but somebody really needs to start ensuring that young people know how to be respectful and considerate of other human beings.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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You don't have to like the looks of every person you meet, but you do need to keep that negative opinion to yourself, and remember that they deserve as much respect as you.</div>
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You don't have to appreciate what an older person says to you, but you do need to respectfully acknowledge their words and wisdom, and should probably take them into consideration. Like it or not, they have more experience than you and might know a thing or two.</div>
</blockquote>
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</div>
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Oh, and it's not just about respecting men/women, or your elders, or any other specific demographic, we should be respecting <em><strong>all people</strong></em>.<br />
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Now, like I said, this is not the first time something like this has happened to me, and that's why I'm sharing this. Not because I'm overly sensitive and got offended by something somebody said to me one day. It's because nobody has the right to be <strong>rude</strong> to a complete stranger minding their own business, and because I respect <em>myself</em> too much <em>not</em> to say something.<br />
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Your words have meaning and they should be weighed carefully before being spewed out into the world where they can't be taken back. And sometimes, it's not just the words you <em>say</em>, but <em>how</em> you say them. Just think first...<br />
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Oh, and by the way, <a href="http://www.estrieplus.com/contenu-sps_voies_de_fait_lesions_corporelles_homme_battu-1355-43137.html" target="_blank">this news story</a> (in French) tells about a group of young men in my area Saturday night who <em><strong>assaulted someone</strong></em> who had asked them to be more <em><strong>respectful</strong></em> to the young ladies who were with them. Obviously, there is a problem that needs to be addressed. So parents... <em>please</em> teach your children to respect themselves, and everyone else that comes across their path.</div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-9452939869364995782017-09-14T12:01:00.003-04:002017-09-14T12:01:12.092-04:00Thirtieth Birthday<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well... my thirtieth birthday came and went, with not much fanfare, except in my own mind.</div>
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I had been dreading the day for the past two years.</div>
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My parents had nothing to say about it one way or another - no words of wisdom or encouragement. My closest friends marvelled with me about the insanity of it - how could we <em>possibly</em> be <em>thirty</em>?! My coworkers (most of whom are older than me) told me that thirty was the new twenty, still so young, lots of time to do the things we still want to do, maybe even an opportunity for new beginnings... But I mostly just see it as a grown-up number, and I don't feel that I'm there yet!</div>
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But, alas, the day came, and went. It was a Wednesday so I had to work a full day. I <em>could </em>have taken the day off, but I had decided to take the next day off in order to do some baking for the county fair. So, I went to work. I wore a dress I picked up at a thrift store while on vacation the week before - it's black with white polka dots, and a teal sash, with a mini crinoline around the bottom. I refrained from wearing my tiara with that... I felt kind of cute. It was a pretty normal, if not quiet, day at work. My coworkers surprised me with a delivery from the florist - a pretty little single white flower, and balloons. They also sang to me. For supper I had wanted Hawaiian pizza from the restaurant, but everyone was rushed with baking for the fair and whatnot, so I got homemade hamburger pizza. It's what I would have asked for as a kid, and it's always good, but it wasn't quite what I wanted this time. My parents had bought me a new bookcase earlier in the summer, which I haven't been able to put up yet because my room is such a mess... My brother gave me the new Beauty and the Beast movie on DVD (and later on, the Belle Funko Pop! figure)... And that was my birthday day.</div>
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We had bought weekend passes for the county fair, so we ended up going Friday & Saturday night, and I got to enjoy all kinds of unhealthy fair food: cotton candy, blooming onion, poutine... And went on some rides. It was a fun weekend.</div>
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As far as my <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 bucket list</a>... Well, I didn't even manage to cross off half the list. I'm kind of disappointed about that. I had really wanted to do more. Let's just go through the list the see how I did, shall we?</div>
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<br /></div>
<ol><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Live on my own</strong> - <em>nope, didn't do that. And I'll be honest, it's probably not going to happen by next year either. It could, but it's not likely, unless I decided to pick up and move to another province, or am able to find a roommate (which wouldn't really be "living on my own").</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Write a business plan</strong> - <em>I did not do this. Over the last two years, I've lost my dream. I'm no longer sure that I want to own a bakery, and in fact, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. So perhaps we should change this one to</em> <strong>figure out what I want to do in life<em>...</em></strong></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Set foot in every province/territory</strong> - <em>No. No, this obviously did not happen. And, well... like living on my own, it probably won't be happening in the next year either</em>.</div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Discover my personal style</strong> - <em>*sigh* I mean... I guess I've always known what I like, but I don't like it on my body. So this is probably more closely related to either losing weight, or accepting my body for what it is.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Finding my perfect "little black dress"</strong> - <em>I still haven't quite found "the one."</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Be healthier</strike></strong> -<em> I had crossed this one off, because I had made efforts and gone to a nutritionist and made a plan to eat healthier... but I never went back to he nutritionist, and didn't quite stick to the plan, so... that was a half success.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Get active</strong> - <em>Well, I have once again not joined a softball or soccer team this summer... But I may take some exercise classes at the University this fall with one of my colleagues...</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Read Jane Austen</strong> - <em>Nope, didn't do this yet, either.</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Do 30 random acts of kindness</strong> - <em>I started doing this... but then time got away from me. I was also having a hard time coming up with 30 valid ideas that didn't involve spending lots of money. I'll keep working on it...</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Be a more faithful blogger</strike></strong> - <em>One I definitely did! I've been posting weekly or every other week on my book blog for the past year!</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Make a YouTube tutorial</strong> - <em>Haven't quite got there yet, but I probably could. Especially now, as we're moving into Christmas craft sale season, and I will hopefully be making lots of my little ornaments to sell...</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Get up to date with technology</strike></strong> - <em>I bought a smart phone and joined Instagram, so yes I did this one!</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Travel with my best friend</strike></strong> - <em>Yes! We went to Orlando in March and it was EPIC!</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Enter a contest</strong> - <em>By this I meant to enter my art or baking or something into a big contest, which I didn't do. I always put articles in the county fair, but it's not much of a competition, and there aren't any big prizes or anything.</em> </div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Take an online course</strong> - <em>This comes back to not really knowing what I want to do in life. I would probably have to change this one to </em><strong>Go back to school</strong> <em>once I figure out #2...</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Learn to enjoy cooking</strong> - <em>I still haven't done much cooking on my own, so I haven't worked on this one.</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Get more organized</strike></strong> - <em>*sigh* I am definitely not done wktih this yet. I have, however, made some efforts. I bought a Happy Planner, which I have been using. I really need to clean up my room in order to organize my life a little better. Baby steps. But I'm going to consider this one crossed off, since I've gotten started.</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Become smarter financially</strong> - <em>Sadly, I am still making silly impulse buys and spending way too much. It's kind of a coping mechanism because I don't have friends to hang out with...</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Plan for my retirement</strike></strong> - I<em> had crossed this one off because I spoke to my financial advisor and set up an automatic withdrawal of $50/month to go into mutual funds. However, I need to be saving more, so I'm going to see about putting that up to $100/month this year.</em></div>
</li>
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</div>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Spend more one-on-one time with my nephews</strike></strong> -<em> I'm going to cross this one off because I did my part, but it hasn't really happened yet. Last year I gave my nephews "the gift of time" coupons for Christmas. They were to see a movie with me (and there was a ticket included), go window shopping (meaning I would take them to the mall to hang out, and they could shop if they wanted, but I wouldn't be buying them stuff), and spending a weekend at our house without the other boy. They have yet to cash any of them in yet. The summer was pretty busy for their family, so I kind of get it, but still a little bummed.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Host a dinner party</strong> -<em> I'm still not living on my own, so this one will be a little difficult until that happens. Especially considering I have no friends to invite over, so my "dinner party" would probably be my family...</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Learn to be ok with being solo</strong> - <em>I more or less am ok with it, but this was more about being ok with doing public activities on my own, which I'm still not that comfortable with.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Be a more knowledgeable car owner</strong> - ..<em>. Nope.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>See a live show/concert</strike></strong> - <em>Went to see Walk Off the Earth in Montreal April 2016, then April 2017 another fave band Home Free came to Sherbrooke. In November another up-and-coming group is come here called Washboard Union. So this has definitely been crossed off.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Go to La Ronde</strike></strong> - <em>Did it! We went the summer after I made this list. Might go back this fall!</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Walk Foresta Lumina</strike></strong> - <em>Yep, did it too! We went for my birthday the last two summers. Didn't go this year because there was lots going on, but maybe I will go myself before the season ends.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Visit the Abbey at St-Benoit-du-Lac</strike></strong> - <em>We did go last year, end of August, for a quick visit, but it would definitely be worth another visit, another time, earlier in the summer.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><strike>Eat food truck food</strike></strong> - <em>My brother and I went to the food truck festivals in Montreal a couple of times over the last two summers. It was fun!</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Personal</strong> - <em>This is one I didn't want to make public, but I still haven't done this one either.</em></div>
</li>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Unknown</strong> - <em>I left one open in case I came up with something amazing... I haven't.</em></div>
</li>
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</ol>
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So... I really didn't do very well, I only crossed off 12 items, and some of those shouldn't <em>really</em> have been crossed off... But it did give me some goals to aim toward, so it wasn't all lost. And I believe I will be recycling this list and adding new ones for my 35th birthday (I'll think about that and maybe post in the New Year). I may also still try to do my 30 Random Acts of Kindness before the end of 2017, just because it was hard to come up with 30, I don't think I could do 35, haha!</div>
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Anyway... did any of you follow my lead to write a Milestone Bucket List? How are you doing with your lists?</div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-86786421246637452152017-06-24T13:51:00.002-04:002017-06-24T13:51:29.270-04:00Paige and Ree's Epic Vacation: Part 4<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*sigh* Sometimes I ask myself why I bother starting these things if I'm not going to finish until 3 months later...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Anyway, if you've been following along, you know that I've been documenting my trip to Florida with my bestie in March. We spent a week in Orlando: four days at Universal (Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!), one day at Magic Kingdom, and the rest of our time relaxing at our resort. This is the final part of this <strike>dragged out</strike> four-part saga. If you've stuck around, congratulations. I love you. You're a star. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Ok, moving on! If you have read my other posts about this trip, you'll know that we had already spent three days at Universal and our day at Magic Kingdom, so all we've got left is one day at Universal, and our "going home" day. This post is mostly just talk and not too many pictures, I'm afraid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><strong><u>Friday, March 31</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, as I mentioned, Friday we went back to Universal. We had decided ahead of time that we would save our last day for doing things we had missed out on, re-doing things we had enjoyed, and buying souvenirs! The shuttles always had to be booked 24-48 hours in advance, so we had figured that since we were staying later for the fireworks at Disney on Thursday, that we might want to sleep in Friday, so we booked the 11:15 shuttle to Universal.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHE5VrWhiCG7NGJ-1pTFFdix_jjq22YzHe4XTrcrvDa_WaFpXvW4KOPyedMkSNhEH2lJlxX0Pw4oV050Pad_NGvPdCnqaL_gnlVMWurqv2hwwKAEsl5WlgPk0ZAAglkDIodpDzVkGEi4/s1600/20170331_130032-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHE5VrWhiCG7NGJ-1pTFFdix_jjq22YzHe4XTrcrvDa_WaFpXvW4KOPyedMkSNhEH2lJlxX0Pw4oV050Pad_NGvPdCnqaL_gnlVMWurqv2hwwKAEsl5WlgPk0ZAAglkDIodpDzVkGEi4/s320/20170331_130032-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There wasn't a </span><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">whole</em><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> lot else that we wanted to do in the parks. We had more or less exhausted all that we want to do in the Wizarding World, aside from souvenirs. And there wasn't much in the rest of the parks that either of us were very interested in. </span><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Except...</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">I told Paige that since we had one more day, and we'd already done the Wizarding World rides a couple times, and the rides at Magic Kingdom weren't terribly exciting... that I wanted to do one other "thrill" ride in the park, but that I would leave it up to her which one we would do. The options were:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">1) Hollywood Rip-Ride-Rocket </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">2) Doctor Doom's FearFall </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">3) Jurassic Park River Ride </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">4) The Incredible Hulk Coaster</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Neither of us wanted to get wet, so that ruled out the river ride. She also very quickly ruled out Doctor Doom because she couldn't do the drop. So it came down to the Rip-Ride-Rocket or the Hulk Coaster, and she decided that the Hulk was the lesser of two evils, haha! So we did that fairly early in the day. It was pretty awesome. We went the single-rider route, once again, so that we could get on faster. It was definitely a thrilling ride, and I'd have to give that one 10 out of 5 stars! It was great! I don't know how much Paige enjoyed it, but she didn't seem too traumatized. :D I didn't take any pictures of the ride, but here is a video of it from YouTube:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/OsjdYQJc748" target="_blank">Incredible Hulk front seat view</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">So we mostly spent the rest of our time wandering between the two parks, taking more random pictures, and buying up souvenirs. I was really hot that day. I mentioned in an earlier part of the saga that we had every intention of sampling Butterbeer in all available forms, so we went and got Butterbeer Icecream from Florean Fortescue's (it's pretty much just butterscotch soft serve...).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGHdjiKCA6E_ZJKLUkXh7Usbpui51Y4vfrgc-QN9Vu1Cz-zM-ozzVI5A-Ve8TcFEM1wvz-IEc8XN8T53JHHvLrzR41bcNve9hf10kNQV3sLtVzk9e_cx4pQ_1NLK3FLyCbD-F2C2xTp0/s1600/20170331_141907-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGHdjiKCA6E_ZJKLUkXh7Usbpui51Y4vfrgc-QN9Vu1Cz-zM-ozzVI5A-Ve8TcFEM1wvz-IEc8XN8T53JHHvLrzR41bcNve9hf10kNQV3sLtVzk9e_cx4pQ_1NLK3FLyCbD-F2C2xTp0/s320/20170331_141907-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cool Pumpkin Juice advert, and Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK3RQGTv1bF-nMtin9zjUlR32Lc9OaFcByE85CGgmTMMr-atSLNung9eAqymlPXiIaQ0IMSl_j-tv08XSMQnaDx7WtElMKpzOHHTIizlWmzqcaEQ9LZr4ibhjuNqKotKrRWomiMu64RE/s1600/20170331_140645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK3RQGTv1bF-nMtin9zjUlR32Lc9OaFcByE85CGgmTMMr-atSLNung9eAqymlPXiIaQ0IMSl_j-tv08XSMQnaDx7WtElMKpzOHHTIizlWmzqcaEQ9LZr4ibhjuNqKotKrRWomiMu64RE/s320/20170331_140645.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm... Butterbeer Ice Cream...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Even though it was wicked hot, we hadn't yet tried Hot Butterbeer, and we wanted to get some before we left. So we went to The Hopping Pot (because we hadn't been there yet), but they said it was </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">out of season</i><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">. What?!? How is that even possible?! We were so miffed. So instead, Paige got </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice</span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">, and I tried the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Fishy Green Ale</span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">. Hers was a basic orange-flavoured carbonated drink. The Fishy Green Ale (I read about it on a blog and wanted to be adventurous) is a mint & cinnamon-flavoured drink with blueberry flavoured pearls (the "fish eggs") in the bottom. It sounds weird and gross and looks strange, and it was kind of good (well, it wasn't disgusting), but I could only drink about half of it, and that took me quite a while because I was only taking little sips (which is unfortunate since they cost enough...). I did quite enjoy sucking up and squishing the blueberry bubbles. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM6XT13k-IJHbPrOy03Wd3a6nz0QoA_wLyI0jSjRTiOnCQGUBtUOiBM0cydPmDljzSxi4x-pFpBH3_ICjCUExeBM-A8aAh3l1y8g-A8dNpZk-Id0KyBtOSu8LJf6qiRixbz33OFect4g/s1600/20170331_143703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM6XT13k-IJHbPrOy03Wd3a6nz0QoA_wLyI0jSjRTiOnCQGUBtUOiBM0cydPmDljzSxi4x-pFpBH3_ICjCUExeBM-A8aAh3l1y8g-A8dNpZk-Id0KyBtOSu8LJf6qiRixbz33OFect4g/s320/20170331_143703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hopping Pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCkx0x_6olXyVJa12kKdsICATGxCi0LqdbOIgLYWawh7PqqEYhdmJlwLCSYsfFURl96ryn6cn6TFKxdr6LbKFzcKSPO-lvWZQFdy8AA67VCjpy7FDQR-8uFpeFvmKqw5-m51zYqUbWzw/s1600/20170331_144117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCkx0x_6olXyVJa12kKdsICATGxCi0LqdbOIgLYWawh7PqqEYhdmJlwLCSYsfFURl96ryn6cn6TFKxdr6LbKFzcKSPO-lvWZQFdy8AA67VCjpy7FDQR-8uFpeFvmKqw5-m51zYqUbWzw/s320/20170331_144117.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishy Green Ale</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was a pretty hot day, and we decided that we wanted to have time to relax a bit back at the resort, so we had no intentions of staying until 7:15 to get the shuttle. So we instead decided to grab a taxi back around 5pm. It was handy and easily accessible, and an enjoyable ride, but, if I were doing things over, I would <i>not </i>do the taxi! It ended up costing a small fortune ($63 CAD). We knew it would cost a bit, but weren't quite expecting it to be <em>that</em> much. Had we made arrangements ahead to book a private shuttle, it would have cost us <em>much </em>less, but we didn't really know what we were doing. Oh well. Live and learn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">So once back at the resort, we munched on leftovers and all the snacks we had bought earlier in the week, hung out at the pool, packed our suitcases, and generally just chilled out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><strong><u>Saturday, April 1</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Paige's flight was around 11am, so her airport shuttle was supposed to be picking her up at 7:20am. This proved to be a bit complicated because the resort shuttles couldn't be booked ahead, and the office only opened at 7 (we had asked at the front desk a day or 2 before, and they told us to just call right at 7 and it should be fine). So she called at 7, like they had told us to do, and said that she needed to be at the desk at 7:20 to meet her shuttle. It apparently took them a really long time to get organized, and she had to call a couple times to remind them her shuttle was picking her up in X minutes, and let's just say she very nearly missed the shuttle, but thankfully the desk staff held off the driver long enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Unfortunately, my flight wasn't until <b>9pm</b>, so I had most of the day to kill. Which would have been super fine, if I could have hung out in the villa, but I had to check out at 10am. So... I got a ride over to the main building with my bags, checked out and left my bags at the front desk (this was about 9:15am), then walked over to the commercial area to get breakfast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">Because my dad is an "owner," we were considered owners for being there in his place, but he hadn't given me his owner card (because they didn't tell him he had to), so I didn't have proof. This wasn't a problem during our stay because we had key cards to prove it. But once I had checked out, I no longer had a key card, and also didn't have my dad's owner card, so I couldn't <u>prove </u>"ownership" to get the discounts due me, so I had to pay a lot more for my breakfast than I should have. Not a big deal, but kind of annoying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">So, I ate my breakfast, then I stayed there writing postcards to my pen pals. That really didn't take very long, and I didn't feel comfortable staying at a table for no reason, so I went to buy stamps to mail my postcards. They sell stamps in a little dispenser machine that only takes quarters, and an International stamp is $2.50. (I knew this, but didn't really register it. In Canada, we have a national rate, a rate to send to the U.S., and another rate for International - I sort of assumed it was the same from their end.)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The postcards I mailed from Florida</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">After getting that all settled (and using up most of the American money I had left), I walked over to the main building to put my cards in the mailbox. I would have considered watching a movie at the little theatre, but the movies didn't start until afternoon. So I sat in the lobby and tried to read for a while. There were always so many people in the lobby, it's really not a relaxing place. It was very distracting. So I alternated between reading and people-watching. But then I just got sick of all the noise, so I walked back over to the commercial area, settled in on a bench outside in the shade, and read and people-watched some more, and surfed Facebook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">At some point I got kicked off the WiFi and couldn't get back on, so I had to give up on that. As it got closer to my shuttle pick-up time (4:20pm) I walked </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><u>back </u></span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">over to the lobby, got my bags from the front desk, and found a table to sit at to try to read while I waited. It was a very long afternoon. Finally it was time, and the shuttle, and off we went.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">It only took about 20 minutes to get to the airport, so I was ridiculously early, and I didn't really know what I was supposed to do. There was nobody at the Air Canada counter to ask, so I just checked in at one of the machines, and wandered out into a big lobby-area. I knew I needed to check my bag somewhere, but I didn't see any signs for baggage check (it had all been very straightforward and clearly marked in Montreal). So I asked a flight attendant where I was supposed to check my bag, and she was kind of confused and indicated that it would be at the airline counter... so I went back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">There was still nobody there, but somewhere along the way I had heard that the Air Canada counter would only be open at 6pm (because they only had 2 outgoing flights that day, ours at 9pm and another at 11pm), and by this time it was about 5pm. So... I took my place at the head of the line and waited! People eventually trickled in behind me, and I had the pleasure of telling them we had to wait until 6 to be served. Anyway... 6pm eventually rolled around, I checked my bag, and then hustled off to security and my gate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">After that, it was all pretty normal and straightforward and uneventful. My seat mate on the flight left her overhead light (which seemed to be pointed right at the top of my head) on for the whole trip, so there was no chance I was even going to doze. We got into Montreal right on time at midnight. Baggage claim took <i>forever</i>, it was 1am before I even got my bag, and everything just seemed to take much longer than necessary, but maybe that was just because I was sick of waiting. I think it was 1:30 by the time we left the airport (my parents were waiting for me), and with a few stops, it was 4am before I was home in my bed, and at least 6am before I was able to sleep. It was an extremely long and tedious day filled with so much waiting, but considering some of my other adventures, a rather routine and unexciting trip home. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry Potter souvenirs! Clockwise from the top:<br />
Ginny Weasley's wand, souvenir Butterbeer mug,<br />
Fizzing Whizbees, Chocolate Frog, Bertie's Every Flavor Beans,<br />
Pumpkin Juice bottle, Ravenclaw sweater & pin, Ollivander's pin,<br />
and Universal Studios magnet <3</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><u>So, that's it!</u></b><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"> It was an amazing and super fun trip. New York would have been fun, but doing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was definitely the better choice, for this year anyway. Maybe someday we'll do New York - it's really not that far away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">I would most definitely go back to Universal at some point, but if I was going back to Orlando, I would probably try to get in more time at Disney World and only one or two full days at Universal. And as much fun as the resort was, next time I would probably seriously consider booking a complete package and staying on site and stuff. We thought that doing it this way was cheaper, but in the end... I'm not entirely sure that it was! I still haven't added everything up to see how I did compared to my budget... Another post, maybe.</span></div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-23311721792916862762017-06-05T11:45:00.000-04:002017-06-24T14:08:17.406-04:00Paige and Ree's Epic Vacation: Part 3<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Hi there! If you haven't been following along, I have been recounting, in detail, my recent trip to Orlando with my best friend, Paige. You can read the story <em>behind</em> the trip in<a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/05/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-1.html" target="_blank"> Part 1</a>, and our first couple days in the theme parks in <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/05/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">To summarize, just in case you haven't got time to read all that, both Monday and Tuesday we went to Universal (Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure) and did <em>ALL THE HARRY POTTER THINGS!</em></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Wednesday (March 29)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">On Wednesday we took the later free shuttle from the resort, which left at 11:15am, and came back at 7:15pm - earlier in the week we had taken the 9:20am shuttles and found that we were <em>exhausted </em>by the end of the day and our feet were just killing us. It turned out to be a smart move, as having just a few less hours of standing/walking in the heat, we felt so much better at the end of that day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">By this point, we were still very much into the Harry Potter stuff (<em>Harry Potter stuff can't get old, right?</em>), and we decided to dedicate our time to experiencing again the Harry Potter rides we had enjoyed the most, and also using our wands. So we went straight to the Dragon Challenge ride, the most exciting one. We ended up on the second dragon (there are two tracks) so it was a slightly different experience, and we got split up so that we could get on the ride faster, and the line was still pretty short at that time of day (which was around 11:45-ish, although I don't think I ever saw the sign say more than a 20 minute wait for that ride). After the Dragon Challenge, we went through Hogwarts for the Forbidden Journey ride again. We went back over to Diagon Alley for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron again because we preferred the atmosphere and experience there over The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">We spent the rest of the afternoon practicing our charms and spells in both parks. The spells in Diagon Alley (and Knockturn Alley) were fun & interesting, but we had a miserable time getting most of them to work for us! There are witches wandering about to help you, but there are only a couple of them, for a dozen spell spots, so we didn't get too much assistance. And there were <em>tons </em>of kids around lined up to take their turn at practicing each spell. So it made me feel a bit silly to be standing in line with a bunch of kids and then not be able to make the thing work. I tried very hard to leave behind my insecurities and just have fun, but this was one situation that I could not let go of.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with wands for a double selfie is really difficult...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">There were a few more spells to do in Hogsmeade, but of course that day, half the village was "jinxed" so <em>nobody's</em> spells were working, which was unfortunate. We did, however, have an amusing conversation with the Hogwarts Express conductor. There weren't really as many cast members around as I would have expected, and it wasn't clear with most of them whether they were actually in character or not, but with the conductor, it was very clear (once we caught on!)... We asked if we could take his picture in front of the Hogwarts Express, which he consented to. He said he hadn't known when he took the job that he'd become so famous, it was the train who was the famous one! He then asked us where we were from, so we said Canada, of course. And he confirmed that it was still pretty cold there. He then proceeded to ask us why we (and everyone else) were dressed in summer clothes when it was so cold? We especially, being from a colder climate, should have known to bring warmer clothes! He himself needed his longjohns and the fur liner in his coat to keep warm! We had a good chuckle! :) (Because the buildings in Hogsmeade all have snow on them, you see.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">After we had had our fill of spell casting, and as it was nearing the time for the shuttle, we slowly headed toward the entrance. Earlier in the week we had seen Toothsome Chocolate Emporium in CityWalk, and had taken a peek inside. It is a 19th Century steampunk-themed chocolate store, restaurant & bar - which is about as awesome as a thing can get! We had also seen a girl from our shuttle with one of their milkshake cups which we thought we ought to try, so that's where we headed Wednesday afternoon on our way to the shuttle. The milkshakes were an outrageous $13 USD (plus tax), but they were quite something. I got the brownie one, which had a huge fudge-y brownie on top with the straw stuck through it. The straw was actually full of brownie, though, which wouldn't budge and resulted in me spilling milkshake all over myself and my bag. They were pretty tasty, but sooo filling! While we were sitting on the patio enjoying our shakes, there was a lady in full steampunk costume (apparently called Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker Toothsome, which I found out after doing some research once home) who walked around talking to customers... she wasn't talking to us, but her costume was awesome! I wish I had taken a picture. I wasn't feeling it too much at the time when we were there, but if I were ever to go back to Universal, I would definitely like to spend a little more time at Toothsome - get a meal and whatnot. :)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Thursday (March 30)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Thursday was Disney's Magic Kingdom day! We had decided before the trip that we would go to Disney on Thursday, as it's supposed to be a "less busy" day at Magic Kingdom. We knew that we wanted to stay later for the fireworks, and knowing how tired we had been earlier in the week, we decided to take the last shuttle that went to Disney, at 12:15pm, which came back at 10pm. If I were doing it again, I think I would put in a few more hours at Disney, especially because we were only there for one day. I was tired at the end of the day, but we didn't get to do <i>everything</i> we had wanted to, and it felt a bit rushed at some points during the day, so a few more hours could have been put to good use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The shuttle from the resort actually only goes to Epcot Centre, so we then had to take the Disney Monorail over to Magic Kingdom. It was really hot that day! We had made a vague list of things we wanted to see/do, but of course had forgotten it behind at the resort. So, we started wandering, took the obligatory selfie-in-front-of-Cinderella's-castle pictures, wandered through shops on Main Street to get out of the heat, etc. There aren't too many "thrill" rides at Magic Kingdom, but there were a few we had in mind to do, so we headed over to Frontierland first (totally bypassing Adventureland, which is actually where Pirates of the Caribbean is and a few other things we wanted to see, so we never even <em>saw</em> those things, and didn't realize until we were back at the resort!!). On the way to Frontierland, were caught part of the <em>Muppets' Memorable Moments in American History</em> show in Liberty Square. Then we got in the <em>long </em>line for Big Thunder Mountain. There is entertainment along most of the line, and the ride was fun, but I think my childhood memories were more exciting. I'd probably give it 3/5 stars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">After we got off Big Thunder Mountain, there was a parade happening, so we had quite a time getting to where we wanted to go! But we eventually made it over to Fantasyland and did <em>It's A Small World</em>, <em>Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure</em>, and the <em>Mad Tea Party</em>. <em>It's A Small World</em> is one of those classic Disney rides, but in hindsight, we could have skipped it because it wasn't all that great. I don't think that the Little Mermaid ride was there when I was a kid, if it was I never went on it, so that was kind of cute, lot of music to sing along to. (Haha!) I told Paige that if we had time and it wasn't a ridiculous line, then the <em>Mad Tea Party</em> was a must because I didn't get to do it when I was a kid and it was a sore spot. ;)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiDvLUNplapAWJ1IS9zWb2tRyXTZTvde0yyW9JfHsbWnzKBVH6NBE31GCn9X5dLt7eLnJTEkK5Rs_sy4jViw1DerL2uik1ACIRdb40BX3Z6hD1HEP1GW6YbaF5dcUoo6nIhfp9l_Yg3c/s1600/DSCN7405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiDvLUNplapAWJ1IS9zWb2tRyXTZTvde0yyW9JfHsbWnzKBVH6NBE31GCn9X5dLt7eLnJTEkK5Rs_sy4jViw1DerL2uik1ACIRdb40BX3Z6hD1HEP1GW6YbaF5dcUoo6nIhfp9l_Yg3c/s320/DSCN7405.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beauty & the Beast's castle!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dQLvgw-hnWrGop15BNmQwYxDtsu-Aj1NlIEkU6eGv4NCfzNPWcDgwVdAKbxYTbRJ_j8xMx6NNh4kaVDWwofpCY7bbSEGGikshNB6fPpi1at7iVho9nlgDAGT7sPsR6lxOn07gh97Ut0/s1600/DSCN7406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dQLvgw-hnWrGop15BNmQwYxDtsu-Aj1NlIEkU6eGv4NCfzNPWcDgwVdAKbxYTbRJ_j8xMx6NNh4kaVDWwofpCY7bbSEGGikshNB6fPpi1at7iVho9nlgDAGT7sPsR6lxOn07gh97Ut0/s320/DSCN7406.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We would have loved to eat at Be Our Guest,<br />
but it was booked solid for the week!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1wVctBa87YxtG8-9pOmHIMjezOfxtpET0RPyJxmyP6lAI0nS1MdTmrLHea4lbWHM8nncXCMZFCMwf8pvMKLJ5WUKiuANFlx9qTGWamf2Kkxf8CbWuFTx-hyVy_mhdrHlxTjB9UdG2qk/s1600/DSCN7409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1wVctBa87YxtG8-9pOmHIMjezOfxtpET0RPyJxmyP6lAI0nS1MdTmrLHea4lbWHM8nncXCMZFCMwf8pvMKLJ5WUKiuANFlx9qTGWamf2Kkxf8CbWuFTx-hyVy_mhdrHlxTjB9UdG2qk/s320/DSCN7409.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Gaston</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">After those rides we got supper at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Diner in Tomorrowland, which was delicious! I got a pulled pork burger, and it was just amazing. After that we headed over to Space Mountain. It was a ridiculous wait time (80 minutes!) and while there were some interactive games along part of the path, for the most part it was just a lot of standing and shuffling a few paces at a time. We got separated on this one too so that we could ride faster. It was so exciting and exhilarating! I loved it! I think Paige liked it in the end... That one gets 5/5 stars, for sure. It was just as I remembered it as a kid!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Next it was time to do our souvenir shopping and find a spot for the amazing Wishes fireworks show! So we headed back to Main Street, spent an hour or more shopping, and then found a perfect spot for the show beside a super sweet young family. While waiting we got some snacks - we had both wanted Mickey straws but forgot to order them with our meals, so then we were running around Main Street trying to find some, but the best we could do was chocolate-covered marshmallows on straws. The Wishes show was a spectacular 15 minutes long and so beautiful! I am so, so glad we included it in our itinerary! Immediately after the show we headed out with the masses to take the monorail to Epcot in order to catch our 10pm shuttle back to the resort!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/06/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-4.html" target="_blank">Part 4 detailing the last two days of our trip is up now!</a></span> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooYqZQTdCwiamd6sXWNHD1LAYM8nvRXOXwBWD6v8ubGM6cIT_OyKIM-nHmB0se8fIJ90kzdb8q0NbtSgzHr6NqvzTNKm-b7uRilmWVS-N02jJE2NwJuNnKmQji8CV54uBXxSZJFDJ-qY/s1600/20170402_144350-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooYqZQTdCwiamd6sXWNHD1LAYM8nvRXOXwBWD6v8ubGM6cIT_OyKIM-nHmB0se8fIJ90kzdb8q0NbtSgzHr6NqvzTNKm-b7uRilmWVS-N02jJE2NwJuNnKmQji8CV54uBXxSZJFDJ-qY/s320/20170402_144350-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic Kingdom souvenirs! <3</td></tr>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-5925114957052861632017-05-08T13:23:00.000-04:002017-06-24T13:53:15.787-04:00Paige and Ree's Epic Vacation: Part 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, as described in Part 1, we arrived at the resort around mid-day on Saturday, March 25th (Paige a little later than me). We were at Westgate Vacation Villas and Resort in Kissimmee. It is a <em>huge</em> place! Our villa was a 5-10 minute walk from the main building. They do have a little shuttle and golf carts to get you around the resort, if ever you don't have a car (which we didn't) and have stuff to lug around because it's quite a big place. The villa was really nice, basically a small apartment. There were two bedrooms, one with two double beds, and the Master bedroom with a King size bed. There was also a pull-out couch that makes a Queen size bed in the living area. There was a fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, dining area, living area, and patio. The Master bedroom had an en suite toilet, shower, and jacuzzi. The other bedroom had access to another washroom with toilet & tub/shower. So we each claimed a room and had our own bathroom, which was nice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The resort offers a free shuttle service to SeaWorld, Universal, and Disney's Epcot Centre, so Monday and Tuesday we reserved the earlier (9:20am) shuttle to Universal, which came back at 7:15pm. We were kind of grumbling thinking that that wasn't very convenient hours, but we quickly discovered that that is a <em>long</em> day of walking around in the heat! The temperature over the week varied from 29-33 degrees Celsius, which is not much different than summer here, but I, for one, wasn't ready and didn't handle it very well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So here's a somewhat condensed overview of those first two days in the parks:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Monday (March 27)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We went to Universal Studios first, and pretty much made a bee-line for Diagon Alley (basically the whole reason for this destination was our mutual love of Harry Potter). That first day we wasted a bit of time just being so in awe of everything and not quite knowing where to start. Before you enter Diagon Alley, you see King's Cross Station (where you go to take the Hogwarts Express), the Knight Bus, and Grimmauld Place. We were so lucky to get to Grimmauld Pace right when Kreecher made his appearance in the window! Then, upon entering Diagon Alley for the first time and soaking in those first few sights, the dragon breathed fire and we were in a perfect position to capture pictures of it! It was totally awesome!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, after getting inside Diagon Alley, and taking pictures of nearly everything we saw, the next thing we did was get in line for the Escape from Gringott's ride. It was a long wait (I believe it was 60 minutes - which really isn't bad in theme-park terms), but the line moved pretty fluidly so it didn't feel so long. The line winds all through the inside of Gringott's bank, which made it an interesting wait. Such beautiful things to see! We didn't have our phones because you are supposed to secure all loose belongings in a locker, so we didn't get any pictures inside. We saw lots of people had smuggled their phones in, but we didn't think it worth the risk of potentially dropping them while on the ride. The ride itself was fun and exciting, but not terribly memorable, and the ending was kind of abrupt and disappointing - we both kind of expected a bigger finish. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After that, we had lunch at The Leaky Cauldron - fish & chips, of course (so good!), with Butterbeer. It was our intention to try Butterbeer in all it's forms offered in the parks, so that first day we tried the cold version. Delicious, but <i>very </i>sweet. <i>(I've been asked about this a lot, so I feel it necessary to explain: Butterbeer is a <u>non-alcoholic</u> beverage referred to in the Harry Potter books, which has been recreated for the parks! It is most often described as butterscotch flavour, but the cold version is kind of like cream soda with butterscotch "foam" on top.) </i> We also bought our interactive wands at Ollivander's right away, with the intention of using them throughout the week (we had decided ahead of time that we would only buy any real souvenirs, aside from our wands, at the end of the trip).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at The Leaky Cauldron, Ollivander's Wand Shop, some of the other shops</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We had bought park-to-park passes specifically so that we could ride the Hogwarts Express, which is so much fun and a must do! The line on the Diagon Alley side meanders through King's Cross Station, bringing you through the wall to Platform 9 3/4! That first time we went through, I didn't see the wall, but I caught a quick clip of it later on. The train itself is <i>such</i> a good replica, so cute. The cars hold up to 8 people, and the windows/door have projections, and it's a different animation in either direction you travel. So well done! Except that the voice of Hermione is not Emma Watson's, which seemed odd...</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We didn't stay long on the Hogsmeade side that first day because there were so many more people, and it was hot, and just... Yuck. So we just had a little sit-down, got some cold drinks, had a quick look around, and then took the train back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Back in Diagon Alley, we did the Ollivander's wand experience. When we first went to the shop to buy our wands, the line for the experience was <i>huge, </i>but when we went back later in the afternoon there was nobody! That was such a fun experience! I'll talk more about that in a later post...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If memory serves, that was pretty much all we did that first day. Before leaving the park to wait for the shuttle, we stopped at a little snack kiosk to get pretzels, and they were totally gross and disappointing and a waste of money. Once back at the resort, we hopped in the pool, ordered a pizza, watched TV, and generally just relaxed after a super fun, magical first day in the parks!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tuesday (March 28)</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Back to Universal on the 9:20 shuttle. This time we started off on the Islands of Adventure side, and again went straight to the Harry Potter section, of Hogsmeade. We decided to get some rides out of the way first, because things had seemed to get busier after lunch the day before. So we did the Forbidden Journey ride. Once again, the wait was entertaining, and didn't seem as long, because the line went around the inside of the Hogwarts castle with lots of interesting things to see. Again, we had to secure everything in a locker, so we don't have any pictures inside :(, but trust me when I say that it was awesome! The ride was a lot of fun, very exciting and entertaining, and seemed a decent length. I'd probably give that one 4.5 out of 5 stars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By the time we got done with that ride it was around 11:30, so we went to get lunch at The Three Broomsticks, and got in just before the lunch rush! We still had to wait, but not <em>nearly</em> as long as we had the day before. I got the Shepherd's Pie, which was quite good. Paige tried the frozen Butterbeer this time, and I had a taste. It was basically a caramel flavoured slush. We sat there for a bit enjoying the air conditioning and letting our food digest... And then got in line for the Flight of the Hippogriff ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oh my gosh. We were expecting the Dragon Challenge ride (we were confused!), and the line for this Hippogriff ride was super long and not that interesting, and then the ride itself was <i>so</i> short, and fun, but not really that exciting. It was definitely only 2 out of 5 stars for me, pretty big disappointment. The best part of the whole thing was walking by Hagrid's Hut in the line, and the animatronic Buckbeak.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Three Broomsticks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So after <i>that,</i> we got in the actual line for the Dragon Challenge ride, which was only a 20 minute wait! And boy, it's not called a thrill ride for nothing, let me tell you! The line took us through... well, I'm not sure what, actually. It's as if you're going down into the castle dungeon or soemthing? Anyway, the ride was full of twists, turns, climbs, drops, swinging sideways and upside down... it was AWESOME! So much fun! 6 out of 5 stars, definitely!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Poor Paige hadn't done many rollercoasters before this trip and so she didn't know if she would like them or not... This ride didn't help her choose! Haha. We were so dizzy after, and I didn't have my head against the seat as you're supposed to, so I got a headache from getting knocked around a bit, so we went and got some refreshments and had a short rest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The rest of the day was spent wandering through the rest of the Islands of Adventure: we did some of the kiddie rides/attractions in Seuss Landing (Caro-Seuss-el, High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, and walked through the Truffula tree forest) and watched The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad (kiiiinda lame, but kinda fun :D ). We also caught the Universal Superstar Parade, which was... well, it was a something. Hah! I'm sure it's much more interesting/exciting for little kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/06/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3</a> and <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/06/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-4.html" target="_blank">Part 4</a> are live now!</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-57657654878763020492017-05-02T16:14:00.001-04:002017-05-17T09:19:09.580-04:00Paige and Ree's Epic Vacation: Part 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The last couple months have been a blur. I drafted a few different blog posts (on all my blogs) before the fact, talking about my recent trip to Orlando, Florida with my best friend, but in the end, I don't think I had actually published any of them. So you may be wondering what I'm blathering on about! Patience, I am going to tell you! If you know me and my writing at all, you know that I tend to babble on and on, so I've split the tale of this week-long vacation into four parts. This one is basically just sharing how we got there and the first couple days at the resort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ok, so let's start with the back-story. A couple of years ago, when I was turning 28, I decided to write a <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">bucket list of 30 things I wanted to do/accomplish/achieve before my 30th birthday</a>. I was kind of freaking out about the fact that I was closer to 30 than 25, regretting not <em>doing</em> more things with my youth, and I had been seeing a lot of these bucket lists around the internet, for various milestones. I loved the idea, and decided to do it to help give myself some solid goals to aim for over the next couple years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of the items on this list was to travel with my best friend. We have been friends for 12 years now. <i><u>That's crazy!</u></i> Over those 12 years (and previous, in her case), we have both done a bit of international traveling. One of the main points we have in common is our love of travel, adventure, and world cultures. So it may (or may not) come as a surprise that we had never actually traveled anywhere together!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Spending New Year's Eve in New York City is on her life's bucket list, so that was our initial plan as a trip to do together. Fast-forward to September 2016 when we completely abandoned those plans and decided to go to Florida instead! We also never get to celebrate our birthdays together, so this was a sort of early 30th birthday bash for us to do together. Ok, now let me share!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Saturday, March 25th, we both flew down to Orlando. Our flights were supposed to arrive around the same time, but hers was delayed almost 2 hours. We stayed at a Westgate Resort in Kissimmee, so after Paige arrived, the rest of Saturday was basically spent doing a bit of exploring around the resort and hanging out at the pool, nothing too exciting! Sunday we were *supposed* to get a free breakfast and other stuff (long story, but one word should explain: "timeshare"), but when that didn't work out, we went and got some breakfast & snack foods at the little convenience store, and hung out in our villa (which is like an apartment), and at the pool some more, did some more exploring on the other side of the resort - found the water park, the mini golf, the bike & pedal boat rentals, etc!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Paige had plans to go to a church event with some friends Sunday evening, so we walked over to the main building together to meet her friends. After they left, there is a little movie theater room (Disney movies only!) in that main building, so I hung around and watched Tangled. Then I walked back to the villa, but decided to stop at the pool on the way, to sit and read for a bit. When I went back to the villa, my key card had demagnetized, so I had to walk over to the main building again to get that fixed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I decided to get a ride back to our rooms. I wanted to experience the resort "train" shuttle. I had seen the stops all over the place, but had never seen the shuttle itself. So I asked the security guard outside where the shuttle stopped and when it would be back. He told me that it would be back soon and I could just stand there with him to wait, he didn't mind. So we had a little chat, he asked me where I was from, if I was finding it too hot, what plans we had for the week, etc. After several minutes, I asked again about the shuttle, and he said it shouldn't be long, but not to worry I was fine there, so I stayed chatting a bit more. I asked how long he'd been working there, he said two weeks. Then he said, "Oh there, see that bus down there? That's the shuttle. Now I'll be sad because you're going to leave me." Haha, so I was surprised about this bus thing. Again, I hadn't seen the train so I didn't know what to look for, but I was kind of expecting one of the big golf carts. Anyway, so the bus stops, and the driver asks if I'm going to the Towers (the other Westgate Resort across the highway), and I said no and gave him our unit number. And he was like, "Oh, this is just a shuttle between the resorts, but... (I must have looked distraught) you're the only one, so I can take you over, it's not a problem."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So I eventually got a ride back, and made a couple of humorous acquaintances along the way. I then tried out the jacuzzi in my room before settling in to watch some TV until Paige got back. It was an amusing way to start the vacation. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Monday we started our park adventures, which you can read about in <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/05/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>!</span></div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-70069718314871612042017-01-01T00:56:00.001-05:002017-01-01T00:56:10.129-05:00Year in Review - 2016<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello Readers! I apologize for not posting sooner. My last post was months ago, and my only excuse is that life happened, and I've been giving a lot more attention to my <a href="mailto:www.a-msbookreviews@blogspot.ca" target="_blank">book review blog</a> and Instagram accounts.</div>
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So, here we are at the end of 2016. So many people are raging about how <i>terrible </i>this year has been and how <i>anxious </i>they are for it to be over. This year certainly has had it's ups and downs, but I think I have to say that, for the most part, 2016 has been a good year for me. Let me attempt to summarize the highlights:</div>
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January: Nothing very exciting happened that I can remember, just the usual recovering from the holidays, celebrating the elder nephew's birthday, figuring out new technology, etc.</div>
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February: My friend Kelly and I went into Montreal for the annual <i>Je T'aime en Chocolat</i> event and some shopping, and we stayed to see the chocolate fashion show at the end, which was a lot of fun!</div>
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March: I had some fun cake orders, we celebrated Easter...</div>
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April: My brother and I went to Montreal for a Walk Off the Earth concert. It was my <i><b>first-ever</b></i> concert, which is noteworthy enough on its own, but it was also Walk Off the Earth, one of my all-time fave bands! It was <i>awesome</i>!! We also celebrated my dad's and younger nephew's birthdays.</div>
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May: My brother and I went to the first food truck festival of the season in Montreal, we witnessed some particularly beautiful apple blossoms throughout the month, and we celebrated my brother's birthday.</div>
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June: We had a visit from Ontario family, celebrated Father's Day, celebrated mom's birthday... Went to a drive-in movie (Finding Dory) - another <i><b>first </b></i>for me!</div>
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July: Canada Day! Family get-together to celebrate 3 June birthdays and July 1st... We went to Knowlton (I did the Three Pines Friendly challenge in the village)... We took a week's vacation traveling to/from Ontario visiting family...</div>
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August: My 29th birthday, another food truck festival in Montreal, annual family rivalry for decorated cupcakes at Cookshire Fair (mine won)...</div>
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September: My brother and I drove to the Maritime provinces for the weekend - I spent it with my bestie in NB, he went to his friends' in PEI.</div>
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October: My parents and I took my nephews to Parc Safari, we celebrated my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, we experienced a beautiful autumn, had a fun Halloween party at the community centre. </div>
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November: Packing Operation Christmas Child boxes, the first snowfall of the year, Christmas craft sale...</div>
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December: Baking, parties, decorating, gifts, CHRISTMAS!!</div>
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It really has been a great year. Bad things happen all the time; it's just a matter of looking for that silver lining, choosing to see and to celebrate the good in spite of the bad, and striving to do better (despite what may come) this next year.</div>
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And with that... Happy New Year <3</div>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-69690199071460264992016-08-25T14:46:00.000-04:002016-09-19T21:21:27.562-04:00"There's no running away."<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"It's in every person's life, around 27 to 29 years old, the stars and
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born. You're faced with yourself. There's no running away."</span></span> </h4>
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Well... it happened. My 29th birthday came and went, and I'll be
honest... it wasn't so bad. But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it in
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The day itself wasn't a big deal at all. I did have the afternoon off of work, because it happened to fall on that day of the week. My nephews were staying with us for the week, so we were all pretty busy entertaining them & preparing for the local county fair on the weekend. My aunt & uncle came over for supper, not because it was my birthday, just because it was the only evening that worked for everyone. And that was about it. Overall, however, it was a good birthday. My birthday celebrations usually get spread out over a week or so, for various reasons, but also because I insist on it. :) The Friday before my birthday, the whole family went to Foresta Lumina again (I went <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/09/28-years-of-life.html" target="_blank">last year for my birthday</a>, for the first time, and it was so awesome!). It ended up being terribly humid & raining, but we still trudged around in the woods for an hour, doing the circuit. It was nice, but I'm really glad I went last year. If this had been my first time, it wouldn't have been a very good experience.<br />
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So then, I already mentioned what happened on the actual day (Tuesday). My pass for Foresta Lumina was technically my brother's birthday gift to me, but he also gave me a Michaels gift card on my birthday, which was really sweet. My parents gave me a gorgeous baking cookbook and some crafty things I've been wanting. I also received some cards/letters/small parcels from friends and penpals. Wednesday I got a parcel from my BFF containing the next two Harry Potter books I was missing, some Harry Potter socks, and a cute journal, which was so fun! <span style="color: magenta;">When I went to visit her over Labour Day weekend, she also gave me 2 Harry Potter movies as part of my birthday gift, and a couple PEI souvenirs from her summer. She's just the sweetest! :)</span><br />
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Friday I got my Owl Crate box. It wasn't technically a birthday gift, but it arrived during my birthday week, so we'll call it my gift to myself... We took the kids to mini putt & the fair, which also wasn't for my birthday, but it still all counts, ok? ;)<br />
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Saturday morning my cousin stopped in with a nice little gift of a fun notebook, 3D cookie cutters, and coloring pages. Then my sister & brother-in-law came for lunch and to get the kids. They gave me a Three Pines tote bag (swag related to my favourite author, Louise Penny), and the newest Louise Penny book. The books are only released August 30, so I'll get it in the next couple weeks, but that just means my birthday is extended a little more. ;)<br />
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And Sunday I requested a birthday lunch at a restaurant with my family. I chose East Side Mario's because we rarely go there, and any time I've gone I really enjoyed it. I couldn't decide what I wanted, hesitated between a pasta & a rice dish, but took the rice one because it's not something I would normally order. It's not something I'll be ordering again, either. :/ Sadly, it was not very good, and did not sit well the rest of the day.<br />
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So there you have it. I'm still working away at my <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 bucket list</a>. It's becoming increasingly obvious that I will not be able to accomplish everything on my list. But, I guess the important part is that I'm trying. Because, as the quote at the beginning indicates, there's no running away, no slowing down or turning back time... 30 is coming, whether I like it or not, so I just need to try to make the most of it.<br />
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-19163887142818374232015-12-31T12:53:00.001-05:002015-12-31T17:22:57.599-05:00Year in Review - 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, I've been <i>trying </i>to write this post for about 3 months now. I started it mid-November, but didn't feel ready to post it. Then the beginning of December I edited and added a bit, but I wanted to add some pictures or something before posting, and then I forgot about it. Today, however, I said to myself, "Enough is enough! The people want an update, for crying out loud!" Which is totally not even true, nobody cares, but that's entirely beside the point. ;)<br />
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Originally, I was just writing a sort of update-on-the-last-few-months kind of post, but since it's very literally the end of the year, I've decided to go ahead and do the whole year-in-review for you.<br />
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So let's see... This time last year, I was enjoying the time off after finishing up the Pastry course, and was starting to put feelers out for a job (with not much luck because a lot of places were closed for the holidays). The year then proceeded as follows:<br />
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<b>January: </b>I started having a bit more luck with my job search, and by the end of January/beginning of February I had started working 2 days a week at the Bistro Kapzak as Pastry Chef. My best friend Paige and I started a writing challenge, which only last a few weeks, but was quite fun! I also made my nephew Alexander's 12th birthday cake - a Minecraft grass block with Steve and other blocks on top. I wasn't too impressed with the results, but he seemed to like it.<br />
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<b>February:</b> Near the end of the month, I also started working 3 days a week replacing the cook for Meals on Wheels in Lennoxville. It was only supposed to be for a few weeks, maybe a couple months, but there were some complications. My cousin's little girl, Sofia, turned two, and I had the pleasure of making her Mickey & Minnie Mouse decorated cookies! My friend Mandy and I decided to have an international culinary experience, so we made our own Indian food, which was mostly a success.<br />
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<b>March: </b>Not a whole lot of excitement happened. My friend Kelly and I tried making maple candy treats for her aunt to sell at her sugar shack. We had some successes and some failures, but it was a fun excuse to get together. :)<br />
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<b>April: </b>This was a <i>very</i> busy month for me. Still working the 2 jobs, I also had five cake orders! A smash cake and several dozen cupcakes for a first birthday; another Minecraft grass block cake; a regular buttercream cake for a 90th birthday; a Minnie Mouse birthday cake with buttercream transfer; and then a John Deere tractor cake for my nephew David's 10th birthday!<br />
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<b>May:</b> My poor Loretta the Jetta had some pretty serious issues between the end of April to mid-May. I had to replace brakes and a few other things, and then had to replace the motor. It was a really sad time for me. Also in May I had the lovely privilege of making a small "topper" cake and 60 cupcakes for a carnival themed wedding, as well as the bride & groom topper (polymer clay). It was a lot of fun, being my first wedding and all!<br />
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<b>June: </b>The month of adventures and dreams! Paige and I started planning an adventure for next December. I started PostCrossing! My brother and I went to La Ronde in Montreal for the first time ever, on Saint-Jean-Baptist. June was also my mom's 65th birthday, and my sister and I secretly collected birthday cards and wishes from her friends near and far to present to her on her birthday! I also <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">wrote a post</a> about the thirty things I'd like to do/see/accomplish before my 30th birthday!<br />
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<b>July: </b><i>Still </i>working both jobs. Again, not a terribly exciting month, but we had a Christmas-in-July potluck supper at the Brookbury Hall, which was a lot of fun.<br />
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<b>August:</b> I celebrated my 28th birthday by going to see the Foresta Lumina in Coaticook with my family - so much fun!! I also made a first anniversary cake for some friends, a My Little Pony birthday cake (with handmade Rainbow Dash topper), and a birthday cake for my sister and I. We submitted entries to the local fair and my "best decorated cupcakes" (Minnie Mouse theme) won first place! I also placed first for my collection of six agricultural photographs taken around the area, which I was super happy about. We visited the Saint-Benoit-du-Lac Abbey, as well, something I've been wanting to do for a while! We bought yummy cheese and chocolate. :)<br />
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<b>September: </b>After the Meals on Wheels cook came back near the end of August, I filled in a bit here and there, and then mid-September took on the position of "Service Agent" in the Community Aid office (organization offering services to seniors, such as Meals on Wheels), still working 2 afternoons a week at the bistro. I also did a cake for a wedding at the bistro - three tiers of lemon cake with blueberry filling and Swiss buttercream frosting. My first real tiered wedding cake (which had to be transported, as well), and I was very pleased with the results. We also went on the dinner cruise in Magog (Rebecca & gang as well) to celebrate the end of Mom's chemo & radiation treatments! That was a lot of fun.<br />
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<b>October: </b>Let's see... there was Thanksgiving, of course. With the cruise in Magog, we got free passes for the gondola at Mount Orford, so we went Thanksgiving weekend to see the foliage - very nice, but quite cold! Middle of the month I abruptly lost my job at the bistro (long story). We had a Halloween party at the Brookbury Hall and had a pretty good turnout! But, we barely had any trick-or-treaters at home, which was kind of disappointing.<br />
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<b>November:</b> Things got kind of crazy busy at the office, the month was a blur! Somewhere in there, I attended the graduation ceremony for the Pastry program. The evening was nice, but kind of drawn out. It was fun to see my classmates, and a few of us went out to Caffuccino later, which was really nice.<br />
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<b>December:</b> So busy! Helping prepare for the Sawyerville Christmas Ladies' Meeting, with about 130 ladies attending. Then the Community Aid Christmas Party for clients and volunteers, which brought in around 150 people. Plus the general craziness and busy-ness leading up to Christmas. Speaking of which...<br />
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<b>Christmas: </b>I had all my gifts bought by November, but I kept picking up more little things to add to them, because I just love giving gifts, and I kept finding great stuff or coming up with new great ideas! I'm usually pretty good at gift-giving, and everyone seemed to be pleased with their gifts this year, so I think I've still got it. I didn't end up having time to make Christmas ornaments for my nephews this year (so, two next year?), but aside from that, I was most excited about the handmade gifts I gave, which weren't many this year, but they turned out really well. I put together a gift basket of homemade treats (caramel corn, candied nuts, peppermint marshmallows, salted-caramel hot chocolate mix, sour lemon drops, and peppermint bark) for my sister and brother-in-law, and I have to say, it looked pretty awesome! (And the treats are pretty tasty, too ;) ) And then I did a Sharpie plate & mug set for my friend Mandy and her kids, that say "cookies/milk for Santa," and are personalized with the kids' names. I had them done up in cello-wrap with cookies and treats on the plate. Definitely one of the funnest gifts I've ever made, and one of the best reactions. :)<br />
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I was really pleased with the gifts I received this year as well! From my parents, I got some nice warm winter socks, a book I wanted (Winter by Marissa Meyer), Inside Out on DVD, and some other little goodies. My best friend sent me some really awesome coordinating jewelry from Ardene's that is totally my style. My sister (and her family) scored big with the super awesome VW bus crocheted bag she had made for me by a friend of hers - so cool! And my brother gave me some gift cards for Dollarama and Tim Hortons, my favourite hand cream, and a whole bunch of postcards! Other years I've sometimes felt a bit disappointed - like others didn't put the same thought and effort into it as I did - but this year I feel like the gifts I received showed a good sense of the things I like. It makes me feel good knowing that the people I love know me well enough to give me things I truly like.<br />
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For the past few years, we (parents, brother, and I) have been doing stockings by picking names, so everyone has to fill a stocking, instead of giving a gift to that person. This year, Mom wanted to try doing "twelve days of Christmas," so instead of filling one stocking to open on Christmas morning, we each have twelve small wrapped gifts to open for the twelve days following Christmas (still picking names to know who we were giving to). It's kind of fun and different! I like trying new things sometimes, but I also like traditions, so I kind of missed my stocking. :)<br />
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Oh, I also got myself a new phone for Christmas - a little "from me, to me" gift! ;) It's a Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, and it's pretty cool. I also now have Instagram (amjb1999). I have yet to decide if I'll follow the masses to join Twitter or not. But anyway, one more thing to cross off the <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">Thirty Before Thirty</a> list! :)<br />
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Well, I think that about sums up 2015. It has been mostly a good year for me. I had a lot of good experiences professionally; I'm ending the year with a steady almost-full-time job, even if it's not in the field I want at the moment; my car is falling apart, but still runs and gets me where I need to go (most of the time); I'm "meeting" lots of new people and having fun with my snail-mailing adventures; and I've got a few good friends to keep in touch with and hang out with on occasion. There's always room for improvement, but life is pretty ok right now. :) The only "resolutions" I have for the new year are to do some purging (literally and figuratively), and continue to aim for organization and simplicity. One of these days I'll get there!<br />
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Here's hoping that in 2016 life only gets better. Wishing you all a new year full of love and good health. :)<br />
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-61555520116071276942015-09-19T18:12:00.000-04:002015-09-19T18:12:04.926-04:00New Job!Since my last life update post was two and a half months ago, I decided it was time for another...<br />
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So, since that last update, a few things have changed. The lady I was replacing at Meals on Wheels finally came back the end of August. I helped out for a week or so in the interim, and then replaced the helper (preparing desserts and salads) for a about a week.<br />
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My schedule at the restaurant changed a couple months ago, as well. Instead of working Tuesdays and Thursdays, I began working Friday afternoons (after working the morning at Meals on Wheels), giving me Thursdays off for a while, which was nice.<br />
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This past week I started my new position at Community Aid (the organization that runs the Meals on Wheels program) in the office. My title is Office Agent (mostly scheduling and data entry), and they were very kind to organize my hours in order to accommodate my job at the restaurant. So I work in the office every day, but Tuesday and Friday afternoons I go to work at the restaurant. Community Aid offers several different services to seniors, including Meals on Wheels, a weekly foot clinic, monthly blood pressure clinic, Escort Transport (transportation to doctor's appointments, etc), social outings, and friendly visits. My tasks involve preparing route slips for Meals on Wheels, scheduling and confirmation of foot clinic & blood pressure clinic appointments, and finding drivers for escort transport.<br />
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So it was a long week! Absorbing so much new information, taking on much longer hours than I've become used to for the past eight months (and then realized that I had put in three hours too many - whoops!), and being pushed out of my comfort zone a little bit. I had hoped to have a productive weekend - maybe do some crafts, work on Christmas gifts, get caught up on some laundry, organize my correspondence... But pretty much none of that has happened so far. Oh well, sometimes Saturdays are just meant for vegging on the Internet.Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-10856642813186139382015-09-02T16:30:00.001-04:002015-09-02T16:31:24.658-04:00Postcrossing!<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you're Facebook friends with me, or have been in touch with me within the last couple months, you probably will have heard me mention my adventures with <a href="https://www.postcrossing.com/" target="_blank">Postcrossing</a>.</div>
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Postcrossing is a free website that connects people from around the world via postcards. It's unique in that you do not <i>exchange</i> cards, and every card has an ID number associated with it. So to get started, you have to make an account, of course. :) And then you request an address. You will be given the address and profile of a random person from anywhere in the world, and an ID number - you <i>must</i> write this number somewhere on the card or the system just won't work properly. So, now you send your card off and wait for it to reach its destination. Once the recipient receives your card, they register the ID number on the website, and this now makes yours the next address to be pulled when someone (from anywhere in the world) requests an address! You are guaranteed to receive as many as you send, which makes it a lot of fun. I love sending mail. I always hope I'll get something in return, but it doesn't always happen. Of course I do it because sending mail makes me happy and I don't know of anyone who <i>doesn't</i> like to receive friendly mail, and I also like making my friends happy. But it makes me <i>really</i> happy to get some in return, so this is a great project for me! It can be a little pricey (International postage is around $2.50, plus have you bought postcards recently? I've found a few that were less than $1 each, but very few. The norm is around $2 each, so....), but hey. It's worthwhile spending for me. :)</div>
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So, I thought I would share with you the cards that I have received so far!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9h93U8lKxe9wuHO_TxuqPPPyZ4BvIPpVI7E63w69YfnWcO_MyZ4QiY7WdjfH4yg3B19KYDCyKq0Pj-uuDXijF1TTjOikDNdcRYKk6xLM6dEsWR-B4pKTo0r3Rh6_MsvKG17BDLSRqrUE/s1600/postcrossing+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9h93U8lKxe9wuHO_TxuqPPPyZ4BvIPpVI7E63w69YfnWcO_MyZ4QiY7WdjfH4yg3B19KYDCyKq0Pj-uuDXijF1TTjOikDNdcRYKk6xLM6dEsWR-B4pKTo0r3Rh6_MsvKG17BDLSRqrUE/s320/postcrossing+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Richard in BC, Canada</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmTcEJ9kYkHpKYS0_xpYvxReeXxCkOUUItBitKfJuMgil90ou5bADIV-uI4TxbcrAQCKvg2qVXDR02_beTv7wL40kZCO-HM1yM_IqDJUa5ZNGoFPhLxV18eCptcvhNyFWNcN3v6wrpjA/s1600/postcrossing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmTcEJ9kYkHpKYS0_xpYvxReeXxCkOUUItBitKfJuMgil90ou5bADIV-uI4TxbcrAQCKvg2qVXDR02_beTv7wL40kZCO-HM1yM_IqDJUa5ZNGoFPhLxV18eCptcvhNyFWNcN3v6wrpjA/s320/postcrossing+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Elke in Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SeKLADn755KxJc90KKIvCt29aGIR3PiB3z8ayLwkbDMxLPYVQWPJ4Gvfdd_1ZA6WDyBvPZpC4tvO-7FDKqMQ4Aur5tPJYk1cAwxtX7WpakdNXFfrTj-44-eejvjtdP_SDHntfJxbrV4/s1600/postcrossing+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SeKLADn755KxJc90KKIvCt29aGIR3PiB3z8ayLwkbDMxLPYVQWPJ4Gvfdd_1ZA6WDyBvPZpC4tvO-7FDKqMQ4Aur5tPJYk1cAwxtX7WpakdNXFfrTj-44-eejvjtdP_SDHntfJxbrV4/s320/postcrossing+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Laura in France, near Paris</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmp3IyUH1jwL5NPahCZV1EWgl4p4aZ0evTliDCQ02fxPXD6o-2Kw3eH36UmxC4uJzJji-9AuX0tJ3QUG6TvbhrgCYFotuyXWKDiGHQCYA6CFAkGAuibjwehEvj9OGVpEnBqzOisk-ZlA/s1600/postcrossing+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmp3IyUH1jwL5NPahCZV1EWgl4p4aZ0evTliDCQ02fxPXD6o-2Kw3eH36UmxC4uJzJji-9AuX0tJ3QUG6TvbhrgCYFotuyXWKDiGHQCYA6CFAkGAuibjwehEvj9OGVpEnBqzOisk-ZlA/s320/postcrossing+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Norma in Sydney, Australia (she sent hers in an envelope and included 4 blank postcards for me to keep/use because she saw I was a newbie, some shaped post-its, and a bag of Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjNetDYQgmRi0Qrhs4fBi6OyH5i_fi-FQx6CyG3itFrkTjqIHV6xH8zE8elslzalUpfOTWXqALfI9f3U7uIzzhSYRF9UIiUDH38JJ4mYMLoqUjUNCRt5rIDJE6ttwH9rQ3Qh3vrtyj8c/s1600/postcrossing+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjNetDYQgmRi0Qrhs4fBi6OyH5i_fi-FQx6CyG3itFrkTjqIHV6xH8zE8elslzalUpfOTWXqALfI9f3U7uIzzhSYRF9UIiUDH38JJ4mYMLoqUjUNCRt5rIDJE6ttwH9rQ3Qh3vrtyj8c/s320/postcrossing+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Marije in the Netherlands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh9c3UYaXPmazEHWe4Mr5U4fpHVUR_HpDcK8y0-ed6eMovHVNjRMnrRDay20I9ykiLO76QycurAW12aPTTCE_pDcu0jtpRwDuWadMtXJPWEXt8lHu6GgJ8a6Hn9pr1l24u2y0yKhlBzM/s1600/postcrossing+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh9c3UYaXPmazEHWe4Mr5U4fpHVUR_HpDcK8y0-ed6eMovHVNjRMnrRDay20I9ykiLO76QycurAW12aPTTCE_pDcu0jtpRwDuWadMtXJPWEXt8lHu6GgJ8a6Hn9pr1l24u2y0yKhlBzM/s320/postcrossing+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Emily in Taipei, Taiwan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FIfX-ClAiAP9VcY3BDaeQLJtx4F6SEVvopwEMGhj6aigYypQGBfMJw0xnS8Mor8jMZC5D_ABL8wHjEKuMvAvOtQw_xucnh7kBYvXLMCY-72p9QwcraI5Hqgh1hk_xSH00K0lMlUzxAE/s1600/postcrossing+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FIfX-ClAiAP9VcY3BDaeQLJtx4F6SEVvopwEMGhj6aigYypQGBfMJw0xnS8Mor8jMZC5D_ABL8wHjEKuMvAvOtQw_xucnh7kBYvXLMCY-72p9QwcraI5Hqgh1hk_xSH00K0lMlUzxAE/s320/postcrossing+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Marta in Poland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JZfvfpLXd9Yl3is4-LFqcZN6GTS-wUFkMj35uRY-_Yaar3kI1W0GWa7FGJftcB3BhjKuoxcNfV7hmWumW2nscnDx9r5mMbWpqj6HMEXv-rqpkGR0OzdPUp67pkInrzSp1fwOGiAIlgk/s1600/postcrossing+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JZfvfpLXd9Yl3is4-LFqcZN6GTS-wUFkMj35uRY-_Yaar3kI1W0GWa7FGJftcB3BhjKuoxcNfV7hmWumW2nscnDx9r5mMbWpqj6HMEXv-rqpkGR0OzdPUp67pkInrzSp1fwOGiAIlgk/s320/postcrossing+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Ciska in the Netherlands</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwZIi80DQI1BBkdduyztZydgnpkjGFGR3AgWOj_tAe3PZ0MF5qrYC5uQqyfaVZk5gdzDj5Msyfv8nIS_DY9XyQ7mTBuRAgMa01A33O9Lu0LYQKIpf04OzRFY3BwAoOB9K4etV11AMceY/s1600/postcrossing+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwZIi80DQI1BBkdduyztZydgnpkjGFGR3AgWOj_tAe3PZ0MF5qrYC5uQqyfaVZk5gdzDj5Msyfv8nIS_DY9XyQ7mTBuRAgMa01A33O9Lu0LYQKIpf04OzRFY3BwAoOB9K4etV11AMceY/s320/postcrossing+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Irina in Russia (I love, love, love this one!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPRrDM1vDlHSdYOqbiRLK1nQAg4AmdNOGP4ZlFBKz3nbPRkohzr40itthGvd5C271nVhuPHJTBZeMJhbjyPYnwZOq_GlVSXdzS0WWdmgMnHYJDAKlNkDCtjD3ThIQTkyZTJMq0FB0iS0/s1600/postcrossing+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPRrDM1vDlHSdYOqbiRLK1nQAg4AmdNOGP4ZlFBKz3nbPRkohzr40itthGvd5C271nVhuPHJTBZeMJhbjyPYnwZOq_GlVSXdzS0WWdmgMnHYJDAKlNkDCtjD3ThIQTkyZTJMq0FB0iS0/s320/postcrossing+10.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Maggie in Florida, USA</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFWguRkTs06VWLruVWXKznHLxAKYNDK-fmYehBeFDz4Gx7pAJQygV5aavFI6hcY3JTtUv9ojXYBGs5EIfClnKAaIOvMMHmC80Pu_ZvPa9TqtGNa3JmNIq6eHVxQy_RB4lK5fKDqDMRVM/s1600/postcrossing+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFWguRkTs06VWLruVWXKznHLxAKYNDK-fmYehBeFDz4Gx7pAJQygV5aavFI6hcY3JTtUv9ojXYBGs5EIfClnKAaIOvMMHmC80Pu_ZvPa9TqtGNa3JmNIq6eHVxQy_RB4lK5fKDqDMRVM/s320/postcrossing+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Tiffany in China</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTIyjY2p3Cg-zK6scmSO3nSPpTJOYmXSbaVUZ23ejlfjHdsvvR6axe7IsxzO4BYXfkxXW0Z9Qdbo111a-chRzYODBLy8j6GBcNzOgyj_ZBZr3vUXTZrw2V5KMBdG0h7PGfw_sR7OPDVo/s1600/postcrossing+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTIyjY2p3Cg-zK6scmSO3nSPpTJOYmXSbaVUZ23ejlfjHdsvvR6axe7IsxzO4BYXfkxXW0Z9Qdbo111a-chRzYODBLy8j6GBcNzOgyj_ZBZr3vUXTZrw2V5KMBdG0h7PGfw_sR7OPDVo/s320/postcrossing+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Olga & Pavel in Illinois, USA</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqxAWZzsSUxHKmCr_UvYInS5ys4QoFjxXtvLgWG-0H2w3OVBI081Nhyphenhyphen1VsHLAbfPS9_89Gu_NdQOJYDxvJmpxMAu9kTiUuUUAVM21v6Br74Ivlh1-rQkfQkkDVkfBq2g8Hr0_0sCfOOw/s1600/postcrossing+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqxAWZzsSUxHKmCr_UvYInS5ys4QoFjxXtvLgWG-0H2w3OVBI081Nhyphenhyphen1VsHLAbfPS9_89Gu_NdQOJYDxvJmpxMAu9kTiUuUUAVM21v6Br74Ivlh1-rQkfQkkDVkfBq2g8Hr0_0sCfOOw/s320/postcrossing+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Chie in the Philippines (I really like this one, too!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJsyEQtW-j66qCcHI5edBJTC6eFxpogmkO9TrQDUs6rxrgAnd6ciVmBGcQJwm4YI8nR0SRuwy3NZJlF0kG5nDvomusCpmrM5ywx0xXrBBvQcjABN9f2DDjyT_-JFySNjSZN8flqEhP7U/s1600/postcrossing+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJsyEQtW-j66qCcHI5edBJTC6eFxpogmkO9TrQDUs6rxrgAnd6ciVmBGcQJwm4YI8nR0SRuwy3NZJlF0kG5nDvomusCpmrM5ywx0xXrBBvQcjABN9f2DDjyT_-JFySNjSZN8flqEhP7U/s320/postcrossing+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Varpu in Finland</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKEfX2ghJcSuz9Eww6v66FC5kUVk_kdluc_qJXLIKkkCLVFpvx-d1ec00N7cNMY6xiWcRHq13xQgwXlNAmexy0u8sRiC17_CHRBAvYedzqgVj3kXvo9cacpvmWkz1t0gJ8Fk1yXZJvgQ/s1600/postcrossing+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKEfX2ghJcSuz9Eww6v66FC5kUVk_kdluc_qJXLIKkkCLVFpvx-d1ec00N7cNMY6xiWcRHq13xQgwXlNAmexy0u8sRiC17_CHRBAvYedzqgVj3kXvo9cacpvmWkz1t0gJ8Fk1yXZJvgQ/s320/postcrossing+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Leila in the Philippines (she included her return address and asked me to write back :) )</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5115t1of6I0BOodieJqI_wD5lWl4UOi_xkvT64ZZKjljBYh2pp8KU_UkgrvlBHyP3KvTCWzkFfNWuiGBRN81tbVo2LKOoVzQStGdjpHZ5MluxTrgGt7wCz7uXl82c1blQfMZeoFuQvsg/s1600/postcrossing+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5115t1of6I0BOodieJqI_wD5lWl4UOi_xkvT64ZZKjljBYh2pp8KU_UkgrvlBHyP3KvTCWzkFfNWuiGBRN81tbVo2LKOoVzQStGdjpHZ5MluxTrgGt7wCz7uXl82c1blQfMZeoFuQvsg/s320/postcrossing+16.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Brian in Dublin, Ireland (Probably my favourite so far! It's lenticular and was sent with my birthday in mind)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyiSL9MghYtuM7pIFoc2wCRWFyOQPPjZFWLoqTdFPHiqHlMZ8yxOpYOBVylIyHQCHCkVOWIwGoL4chDEULha9yJUyavyfBnlFEUq9BSGLAEbGg-eOUXnI_YGikzk1yZ5uE6WjShMDcp4/s1600/postcrossing+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyiSL9MghYtuM7pIFoc2wCRWFyOQPPjZFWLoqTdFPHiqHlMZ8yxOpYOBVylIyHQCHCkVOWIwGoL4chDEULha9yJUyavyfBnlFEUq9BSGLAEbGg-eOUXnI_YGikzk1yZ5uE6WjShMDcp4/s320/postcrossing+17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Victor in Russia, who shares the same birthday as me!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjcfeB-KGeQaVABzZdhvip1i0Un1Sv-CM2utYKtuT7MoBjhPFl97FjVCLYgxYNG-Im8rc_ceZ2iqiRWIxPYUWAKWLmTmqvn1vBqTI23wJ80S_eyvS9FgltEsAA0tNB85SrgsoC99jWnQ/s1600/postcrossing+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjcfeB-KGeQaVABzZdhvip1i0Un1Sv-CM2utYKtuT7MoBjhPFl97FjVCLYgxYNG-Im8rc_ceZ2iqiRWIxPYUWAKWLmTmqvn1vBqTI23wJ80S_eyvS9FgltEsAA0tNB85SrgsoC99jWnQ/s320/postcrossing+18.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Jan in Belgium</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_ehBMn_CVHBSSQCz4i027w58BYvzJJi2rtjLPnXej6xBhNU6kGYhm6vLeqPVTAspXi3EON1b7lAmDDjwvm__tQe0hpNK7q0iIJnQSSK7bsnX4DQf1LMFB_upVHVxxVRonbJgoMEBwbU/s1600/postcrossing+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_ehBMn_CVHBSSQCz4i027w58BYvzJJi2rtjLPnXej6xBhNU6kGYhm6vLeqPVTAspXi3EON1b7lAmDDjwvm__tQe0hpNK7q0iIJnQSSK7bsnX4DQf1LMFB_upVHVxxVRonbJgoMEBwbU/s320/postcrossing+19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Enja in Germany</td></tr>
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I have also received some other correspondence because of this project. Laura from France invited me on her postcard to check out a Facebook group for french-speaking Postcrossing users. Most of the group members are from France, but there are a few from other areas of the world as well. I've exchanged addresses with several of them and have received a few goodies!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXOCod9wDz21WffqmLkdmse2QR4xJ4BiWcpoId2rT7fXjZKNYOIEJvEgnntoBEXik6oWzN0MmKh-jPvFiy2KnTqL9TGhyvdtBuRfBkIGKMBt3wTVTrKx6KDN9XsG75CQWuq30kshixkE/s1600/Melanie+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXOCod9wDz21WffqmLkdmse2QR4xJ4BiWcpoId2rT7fXjZKNYOIEJvEgnntoBEXik6oWzN0MmKh-jPvFiy2KnTqL9TGhyvdtBuRfBkIGKMBt3wTVTrKx6KDN9XsG75CQWuq30kshixkE/s320/Melanie+1.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Melanie in France</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtNlIIlBMeNddZ2IV1y79TfmG0Jc_De-UBMVLuCqjZYh_HWhEs4XyKPG_3GdoQb-HaDK1sqKTPxd7OGBHBPDdJ0fA-3ILjFwEc2CAw8dBImKd02WHTsmfDBjv2PZsB4yfNi7IxbGoDbA/s1600/Stephanie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtNlIIlBMeNddZ2IV1y79TfmG0Jc_De-UBMVLuCqjZYh_HWhEs4XyKPG_3GdoQb-HaDK1sqKTPxd7OGBHBPDdJ0fA-3ILjFwEc2CAw8dBImKd02WHTsmfDBjv2PZsB4yfNi7IxbGoDbA/s320/Stephanie.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A birthday card from Stephanie in France</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5Q0NghyRUHY5E3iBtqX5RT48pP-ehKIRhSnEN0Kt5jXmlmJ5oIUBcTuKYvt3cF1VCnQjRNNIMt1qlt0Pn1wLhM-Ax3Fk4Ev4p2JQi6e6dCrZMWMc3_wor-LaZh6n9FTBaWrvBucGYKA/s1600/Christine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5Q0NghyRUHY5E3iBtqX5RT48pP-ehKIRhSnEN0Kt5jXmlmJ5oIUBcTuKYvt3cF1VCnQjRNNIMt1qlt0Pn1wLhM-Ax3Fk4Ev4p2JQi6e6dCrZMWMc3_wor-LaZh6n9FTBaWrvBucGYKA/s320/Christine+1.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Christine in Montreal (we actually share the same birthday as well, and she was very sweet and sent me 16 blank postcards for my birthday!!)</td></tr>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-12830352276924499952015-09-02T15:40:00.000-04:002015-09-02T15:40:30.104-04:00A Visit to the Abbey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4M7ZAeueoSfd4R0l7oboGeDWtEtEyKK-MKtDr8SM5oj89Phc8ofASBom20ms_bGGWC4bR4s1vlhSOtWhS8NIaWz7M2TUvLjzvAgxfJSNvngv4v9ORIKwT-e-5liM9Y0SnGl_lRDg_vKY/s1600/DSCN7112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4M7ZAeueoSfd4R0l7oboGeDWtEtEyKK-MKtDr8SM5oj89Phc8ofASBom20ms_bGGWC4bR4s1vlhSOtWhS8NIaWz7M2TUvLjzvAgxfJSNvngv4v9ORIKwT-e-5liM9Y0SnGl_lRDg_vKY/s320/DSCN7112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbaye St-Benoit / Saint Benedict Abbey</td></tr>
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Another item from my <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 bucket list</a> (30 things I'd like to do/see/accomplish by my 30th birthday to help me feel like I'm a little closer to where I should be in life, and give me something to work towards) was visiting the <a href="http://www.st-benoit-du-lac.com/chooser2/chooser2.html" target="_blank">Saint Benedict Abbey</a>...</div>
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You know how local attractions are always the ones you never visit, I suppose because they're just too close to home and don't seem all that special? Well the Abbey is one of those attractions for me. I've seen the signs on the highway for years, I've heard about the abbey and sampled their famous cheeses, and then my favourite author (Louise Penny who writes the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series) wrote a book based in an monastery inspired by the Saint Benedict Abbey. Well, that really got me interested in visiting the real place, and so I put it on my bucket list and told my family it was one of the things I thought we should do this summer. It's not far (about 20 minutes from my sister's place, which is an hour from home), and this past Sunday we were supposed to be going to my sister's for supper, so we packed a picnic lunch and made plans to visit the abbey "on our way" (it's actually beyond where they live, but that's beside the point). So that's what we did!</div>
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We didn't end up staying very long and didn't take the time to read all the placards, but I got some pretty nice pictures, and we got to visit the store in the basement of the main building and buy some cheese! There is also an orchard at the abbey, so they sell the apples, cider, jams and jellies that they make there, as well as chocolate, wine, and honey from other abbeys in Quebec. They also sell books, postcards, music, and typical Catholic souvenirs (medallions, rosaries, crucifixes, etc). I picked up some curd cheese, maple filled chocolates, vanilla fondant chocolates, and a few additions to my postcard collection! The abbey also welcomes overnight guests. Men stay in the monastery, and there is a separate house (Saint Scholastica's Villa) for the women.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOth8S_FT_zi_cwaAsjRSoZ-NUMpiN9Jp50PPHBPRnDtL2Lkbf5obhK28Tk_BfmeFYv2ySW_YTsHI1cjHCi5C0QK8NwgoEt7MWi2rahdV9UBms70Y8pmM_mxo-GfPyW5-TSIg-b69al74/s1600/DSCN7101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOth8S_FT_zi_cwaAsjRSoZ-NUMpiN9Jp50PPHBPRnDtL2Lkbf5obhK28Tk_BfmeFYv2ySW_YTsHI1cjHCi5C0QK8NwgoEt7MWi2rahdV9UBms70Y8pmM_mxo-GfPyW5-TSIg-b69al74/s320/DSCN7101.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tour de St-Benoit</i> side view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveNGpPCWRKTI5RGbO5LMJcLY59V_BE10C1iAjeIn0yCTVrAbaef1-t489m_9lOQTo1_eBOifG-k58lu-W8EdH6TNSpnH77Y2-cL9XQWeFG9aQRUQjWWXumvgJ5HLyN7tOj0f7qIKBuwM/s1600/DSCN7105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveNGpPCWRKTI5RGbO5LMJcLY59V_BE10C1iAjeIn0yCTVrAbaef1-t489m_9lOQTo1_eBOifG-k58lu-W8EdH6TNSpnH77Y2-cL9XQWeFG9aQRUQjWWXumvgJ5HLyN7tOj0f7qIKBuwM/s320/DSCN7105.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of the Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75pt7noqimzXnVG8_t3tc7u9UZdBfCqGX0zH2KFkgJO0Y77jKsxX6DvgGHhpOP2QGohER2-qfDcebolvhVK3JkAIvxizdqTxMrelKcEI4uMTb6CIvSmjrIwSA4VMT0jTylWk0pGt4BTE/s1600/DSCN7103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75pt7noqimzXnVG8_t3tc7u9UZdBfCqGX0zH2KFkgJO0Y77jKsxX6DvgGHhpOP2QGohER2-qfDcebolvhVK3JkAIvxizdqTxMrelKcEI4uMTb6CIvSmjrIwSA4VMT0jTylWk0pGt4BTE/s320/DSCN7103.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The window over the doorway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrA_W3MiKTQ7NNydy2AGliKv24Ue3A29Zq890wfyvidHDoLQTcPLl00LxcGzZf81s2He5Uflb-yb227SlHkh3qL501ArP4HVyK9QxWK2meELN1xQB9ZljC1YKt014sPG54Wu8sqQgMiQ/s1600/DSCN7104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrA_W3MiKTQ7NNydy2AGliKv24Ue3A29Zq890wfyvidHDoLQTcPLl00LxcGzZf81s2He5Uflb-yb227SlHkh3qL501ArP4HVyK9QxWK2meELN1xQB9ZljC1YKt014sPG54Wu8sqQgMiQ/s320/DSCN7104.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass windows on one side</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51xhihZJ0fDXeGxdkG2IBaLZHdElE98_fWqBsTGfyDcKDWLwJphWQgxOIbC0qmzIK1W3_0OgtsllFc8vaaYc8I3Pa9EQkZYROzchWaJi9maD_u154D2ZlPLJuAAcWWTshRMKf1-2__Uc/s1600/DSCN7110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51xhihZJ0fDXeGxdkG2IBaLZHdElE98_fWqBsTGfyDcKDWLwJphWQgxOIbC0qmzIK1W3_0OgtsllFc8vaaYc8I3Pa9EQkZYROzchWaJi9maD_u154D2ZlPLJuAAcWWTshRMKf1-2__Uc/s320/DSCN7110.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Virgin Mary and baby Jesus</td></tr>
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The first building we visited is called the Tower of Saint Benedict (<i>Tour de St-Benoit</i>) - it is a "house of prayer." It's just a small brick building on a hill with a gorgeous stone staircase, beautiful stained glass windows depicting various saints, with a prayer bench and altar in the centre. We spent a little time there appreciating the stained glass and reading the little note near the door about the building. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigf0u0NIpPlgRwIT4WhtN-HDKo4sSA40swiOkSmJnFl9sKVLgqLEfdzSToRbkf5qkrH6-7A8GSi1y_xQsG8_PtsJVhHieMjGjmVTE9oYrh2ZClbGICZUSrtB2hG-DoW2TR-BMhjJY2T7Q/s1600/DSCN7099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigf0u0NIpPlgRwIT4WhtN-HDKo4sSA40swiOkSmJnFl9sKVLgqLEfdzSToRbkf5qkrH6-7A8GSi1y_xQsG8_PtsJVhHieMjGjmVTE9oYrh2ZClbGICZUSrtB2hG-DoW2TR-BMhjJY2T7Q/s320/DSCN7099.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different angle of the Abbey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLHas4B8mLBQwZOu0KcKR7ne1XFwOal2Ho03aztlleFuku5FRENBsbm1QiomVE-FsLPlHfTOzs2bO3o6I_qCwReUNxGTisQPGUR61lStglWV0EEUcX8uf6-ip0INpdMdUl87NbtfIZTQ/s1600/DSCN7113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLHas4B8mLBQwZOu0KcKR7ne1XFwOal2Ho03aztlleFuku5FRENBsbm1QiomVE-FsLPlHfTOzs2bO3o6I_qCwReUNxGTisQPGUR61lStglWV0EEUcX8uf6-ip0INpdMdUl87NbtfIZTQ/s320/DSCN7113.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The corridor to the church</td></tr>
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Then we moved on to the main building. There is a sort of lobby when you come in, and from there you can go downstairs to the store (which we did first), or go off down this long corridor with many placards describing the origins of the abbey, various constructions and the life of the monks there, etc. (The Abbey celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012!) This corridor leads to another lobby and the church sanctuary. There was a musical concert a couple hours before we got there, and we left just a little before Vespers began, so there wasn't much action while we were there, but that's alright. </div>
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It was a quick visit, but an interesting one. I'd definitely go back, maybe sometime in the fall to pick apples or something. :)</div>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-54780498558504202342015-09-02T15:39:00.003-04:002015-09-02T15:45:03.667-04:00Celebrating 28 Years...<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yep... Much as I hate to admit it, truth is, I recently celebrated my 28th birthday.</div>
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I know, I know, "Only 28? Still so young!" Well, that may be true, but the fact that I'm so much more undeniably close to 30 than I am to 20 makes me sad. Not that I don't think 30+ is a great age, I just don't feel like it should be <i>my</i> age. And thankfully it isn't, but I'm a worrier, and so looking to the future, that's what I see right now. A great big looming 30 and nothing to show for it...</div>
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But ok, enough complaining and being all dark and dreary. My birthday, despite being my 28th, was fun. :)</div>
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I <i>really </i>wanted to go to the Foresta Lumina spectacle at the <a href="http://gorgedecoaticook.qc.ca/en/home" target="_blank">Coaticook Gorge</a> last year for my birthday, but things just didn't work out. So this year I <i>REALLY</i> wanted to go (so much so, I added it to my <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 list</a>), and so my brother booked tickets for all of us (Mom, Dad, Reuben and myself - my ticket was my gift from him) to go on Saturday night, August 15th.</div>
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*SPOILER ALERT: If you are planning to visit the Foresta Lumina and want to be surprised, DO NOT read the rest of this post!*</div>
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Our reservation was for 10pm, but the website suggested going half an hour early, which we did. There were lots of people, we had to park a few streets over because the designated parking area was overflowing, but that's alright. I tried to take pictures, but my camera just really doesn't like lights and night-time picture-taking, so none of them turned out. :( But I did pick up some postcards that have very clear pictures of a few of the hot spots, so I'll try to include them.</div>
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So when you get to the entrance, there is a big gateway that says Foresta Lumina, all lights and twigs and cool looking. :) Stepping through that, you enter a magical waiting area. There are several picnic tables with little electric lanterns that flicker. There's an adorable little food truck where you can buy snacks and refreshments, before or after your trek through the forest. :) There are string lights hanging through the trees, and you hear wind chimes and trees creaking and the wind blowing, and there's a big lit stand in the middle that has the rules, but is also a big clock that has a little animation showing how much closer the previous group is to finishing. This clock and its animations reminded me a lot of the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. So we sat there and waited for our reservation time. Reservations are every half hour, so since we were there at 9:30, we got to see how it all progressed. Every half hour, the clock strikes and the soundtrack plays wind blowing, and the lanterns go out for a few seconds. :) Then you go and line up with the hundreds of other people with the same reservation time, to get your bracelet and enter the actual forest...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAOpd77SafPx7Qvr5N3pMPsTJGnGY4xkSbpp8ajBjX8Cb9USW7WZuSlazLOud0Ce1E9ir2m59-uVgV_3ck9D1fPMabC6wr2M6jDHUR76uJZpmxH_ZIY2OxzEvMrvaaKGQiEIBdnCcdUk/s1600/DSCN7072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAOpd77SafPx7Qvr5N3pMPsTJGnGY4xkSbpp8ajBjX8Cb9USW7WZuSlazLOud0Ce1E9ir2m59-uVgV_3ck9D1fPMabC6wr2M6jDHUR76uJZpmxH_ZIY2OxzEvMrvaaKGQiEIBdnCcdUk/s320/DSCN7072.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Foresta Lumina (I told you - bad pictures!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCQIAt-KQipQTbEZoPgwwjdPvf7HFwJ1Mj82OlKhrUhp12y5Ag__CHcAZ2XuM5YkPqSkVjsYwMVx_bpWHTDU9oG3kMVRaa_C2l-W3MUM_RMStj8-19X4zIvVCJ0NQYwGdLzIckabyt0U/s1600/DSCN7032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCQIAt-KQipQTbEZoPgwwjdPvf7HFwJ1Mj82OlKhrUhp12y5Ag__CHcAZ2XuM5YkPqSkVjsYwMVx_bpWHTDU9oG3kMVRaa_C2l-W3MUM_RMStj8-19X4zIvVCJ0NQYwGdLzIckabyt0U/s320/DSCN7032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clock/rules</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jAgxZ_DgXH2cCLpWvKOFIYKzHmwYO60M3NgE7M_rM91aA_zP85stSUK5fcx1kuEroUIXHU7bXwNFh__uJidfdCX6IokKex37MPEsbngHAkCCLaQ8IzJZRjRbIuahxT_drdYHE0jy7N4/s1600/DSCN7037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jAgxZ_DgXH2cCLpWvKOFIYKzHmwYO60M3NgE7M_rM91aA_zP85stSUK5fcx1kuEroUIXHU7bXwNFh__uJidfdCX6IokKex37MPEsbngHAkCCLaQ8IzJZRjRbIuahxT_drdYHE0jy7N4/s320/DSCN7037.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The awesome lanterns on the picnic tables</td></tr>
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So, in case you were wondering, the <a href="http://forestalumina.com/en/" target="_blank">Foresta Lumina</a> is a 2 km lighted night walk through the Gorge park
- yes, even across the famous suspension footbridge (which is the longest in North America, if you didn't already know)! There is a bit of a
story to the whole experience, several different characters who are
based on local legends and indigenous folklore. So as you walk through the forest, you enter a pathway with twig lanterns overhead, and lit cutout signs describing the various characters you might meet in the forest, and their role. And there is a sort of gramophone where you can tell your wish to the fairies, pick up a stone, and then later on leave it at the riverbank as a gift to the fairies in the hopes that they might grant your wish. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE58jekB3gMYzlAvb5zjbQv1HA2Rxz8jfrqCNYy6EZILTce8adskwplA4b8cGjrLm-d0dU2CjMrM2h9X20B-AH0bGIqTnEcITXdSy65Uh6JRqCPRxK_lqbTDN9luP1HlCqWAPbsqi2Js/s1600/foresta+lumina+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSE58jekB3gMYzlAvb5zjbQv1HA2Rxz8jfrqCNYy6EZILTce8adskwplA4b8cGjrLm-d0dU2CjMrM2h9X20B-AH0bGIqTnEcITXdSy65Uh6JRqCPRxK_lqbTDN9luP1HlCqWAPbsqi2Js/s320/foresta+lumina+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map from the website</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFtNsfqRKpv5fiY-rKJYODnQDsVqyFTes2oTaH7i79YTppu9u694iuV9MM2ul4VgYvvPLQOQ3qIESISE1pvlq0S_lpHrD9vfLpLD7DT_HVhPF-Q_muKdWiPPBqe08YMOfo6FXC6zQNIs/s1600/foresta+lumina+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFtNsfqRKpv5fiY-rKJYODnQDsVqyFTes2oTaH7i79YTppu9u694iuV9MM2ul4VgYvvPLQOQ3qIESISE1pvlq0S_lpHrD9vfLpLD7DT_HVhPF-Q_muKdWiPPBqe08YMOfo6FXC6zQNIs/s320/foresta+lumina+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you continue along the path from there, you see and hear fairies giggling and dancing in the trees. Then a twig snaps, and they all disappear! When you get to the top of the <i>steeeeep</i> staircase, there are a couple of benches to catch your breath. ;) Then you continue along a narrow lit path to the bridge! If you've been on a suspension footbridge before, you know how much they sway and move, and it's no different at night. People afraid of heights have a really hard time with that, but I loved it! Partway across the bridge, there is a lit up, misty gateway that's really cool. At the end of the bridge there is an animation depicting Mary (a young human girl) discovering the fairies, and how the other characters come into play. This is definitely one of the best parts. I believe it was after this that you come to a resting area with a big campfire and benches, more images telling more of the story, and access to toilets. From there, you go down a really steep path and come upon The Tree - a sort of Tree of Life figure. There's an animation projected right onto a real tree, making it seem like the tree has a face and its roots are moving. Going on a little further, there is a sort of electrical storm in the forest - lights on the trees to look light lightning, thunder and rain sounds. Then you keep going down, down, down wide wooden stairs until you get to the riverbank. There are little red, blue, and green lights everywhere - I'm not sure if they were supposed to be more fairies, or the spirit of the forest, or just a magical atmosphere, but it was beautiful. There are rock formations here as well, and this is where you leave your wish stone for the fairies. Then the rest of the walk is lighted paths, standing twig lanterns, and lit bridges, and you end up in the gift shop, of course! :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fairies in the forest</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm0e0mM4Xj19wfuneee9WEvMrnp2BGUO5xOi4hhxDupC2weD7u3aKxdaF4DKXbD-V8piqETlAZQ-iXCRcmD4m4C_PXT9_NoYppKfZgj7Q_llx9aCfDcgMW69a2-0w-D_I4wvjuDnFBcQ/s1600/DSCN7045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm0e0mM4Xj19wfuneee9WEvMrnp2BGUO5xOi4hhxDupC2weD7u3aKxdaF4DKXbD-V8piqETlAZQ-iXCRcmD4m4C_PXT9_NoYppKfZgj7Q_llx9aCfDcgMW69a2-0w-D_I4wvjuDnFBcQ/s320/DSCN7045.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gateway on the bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary and the fairies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA79wa4RtKFFjLlY79T5YdVq_93lSKGipKmb0O8vKZ-8FQcnlTLf5G6P_ExqeE9f0nHHOcHZXZGXmhs6UC2kWSylhI6BDWvAae8JmZy8C5SHxjiI6L45xGcm3pAmljGCnlPylUAQhmo4/s1600/foresta+lumina+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA79wa4RtKFFjLlY79T5YdVq_93lSKGipKmb0O8vKZ-8FQcnlTLf5G6P_ExqeE9f0nHHOcHZXZGXmhs6UC2kWSylhI6BDWvAae8JmZy8C5SHxjiI6L45xGcm3pAmljGCnlPylUAQhmo4/s320/foresta+lumina+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock formations on the enchanted riverbank</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing twig lanterns lighting the pathway</td></tr>
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It was a truly magical experience. I enjoy all things enchanted, fairies, and Disney-style magic so this was just perfect for me. I'm so, so glad that I got to go this year (another <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 list</a> item crossed off!), and I hope to go again next year - maybe make a tradition of it! :D</div>
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My actual birthday, on the 16th, was nice. My parents took me out for lunch at East Side Mario's, then we had a somewhat quiet afternoon at home, and then my aunt and my sister and her family came over for supper (we ordered pizza - my favourite). My mom baked a box cake and I decorated it with leftover buttercream and sprinkles from the cake orders I had the week before (a My Little Pony birthday cake and a butterfly decorated anniversary cake). :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First anniversary cake for some friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Little Pony cake for a little girls 5th birthday</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake to celebrate my 28th and my sister's 35th birthdays!</td></tr>
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So it was a good birthday! I got some good gifts too... My entry to the Foresta Lumina, a new key remote for my care, a can of maple syrup, a personalized necklace, a hazelwood bracelet (I read somewhere that hazelwood can help with eczema and psoriasis), 4 books (including the newest release by my favourite author), a CD and a DVD that I've been wanting, and a bunch of other little goodies. :) Oh and one of the volunteers from work gave me a lovely card and a Tim's donut, and the girls in the office sang to me and gave me a card. I also got a few other cards in the mail and lots of Facebook birthday wishes. :) Big thanks to everyone who took the time to send me birthday wishes of any form!</div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-10153112349054281192015-06-30T17:54:00.001-04:002015-07-07T21:25:43.703-04:00Life Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
It seems like it's beyond time for a little life update! I guess I'll start with work...</div>
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What was supposed to be a two month replacement position at Meals on Wheels, is still going strong! I will most likely be done by the end of July, but at the rate it's been going, I don't feel confident about making any plans. Things have been going well there, however. I'm definitely getting more comfortable in the kitchen and cooking. I appreciate how much easier cooking can be compared to baking, but I still prefer to bake. :) I've tried recipes I've never made before, multiplying for large quantities and making substitutions where necessary... It's been a great learning experience, with comfortable hours and pleasant coworkers, and I will most definitely miss it when my contract ends.</div>
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One challenge I've had to face was preparing 3 different meats for the main course in one day. I had just enough meat for the regular meals, but there was also a community meal planned that day, so I took out some sausages and there were just enough for that, but then there were a few extras/people who don't eat whatever was the main meat, so I also did some chicken tournedos - it was quite a busy day!</div>
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I'm still working at the restaurant as well. I won't go into detail here, but like most jobs there are good days and bad days. It has also been a learning experience so far, but more in a social aspect than practical, I would say. At the moment we have on the menu rhubarb coffee cake, deconstructed lemon meringue pie, and an Elvis Presley cake (banana cake with peanut butter frosting and fried bananas between the layers).</div>
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One particular challenge I've had to face at the restaurant was making six rhubarb cakes and four Elvis cakes (as well as several other dessert elements) the same day... with only three cake pans. And one of those cake pans is my own! I did it (well actually I only made 3 Elvis cakes because of only having 3 pans and because they take an hour and a half to bake. So I went back the next day to do the last cake), but it wasn't without stress and a small anxiety attack...</div>
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Adventures with Loretta the Jetta continue. April was a busy month, all around, but for Loretta specifically. She was in and out of garages for various repairs. And then, <i>the day after</i> I picked her up from a longer stint at the garage... the timing belt broke as I was pulling into the yard at work. It was a lucky spot/time to break down (not too much activity in that yard at 7am), but caused me so much stress. In the end, I had to replace the motor which was a much bigger repair than I would have liked, but was a really decent price and much cheaper than buying a new car! So, Loretta has new life! She made it to Montreal and back last week (we went to La Ronde - you can read about it <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/la-ronde.html" target="_blank">here</a>) with no problem. There are a few more repairs needing some attention, most recently the driver's side mirror falling off... But we're making do. :)</div>
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One of my Compassion correspondent children had to leave the program - I was really hoping to visit her on my next trip! :( - so I have a new child to get to know! His name is Michael and he's 16. Having a new correspondent renewed my interest in letter-writing, so I've been sending notes and letters to people I haven't been in touch with for some time. I do it every so often, but this time I literally flipped through my address book and picked out people I haven't heard from or written to for at least 6 months. I love sending <b>(and receiving!)</b> cards and letters, so if ever you want some fun mail, let me know and send me your address! :) Also, I've been thinking lately about all my friends with little kids, and how <i>amazing</i> it was for me as a kid when older friends/people I knew would take the time to write me a note. So if you've got kids that like getting mail (who doesn't?!) I may be in the market to be a sort of Big Sister Penpal...</div>
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Speaking of penpals and correspondence... I've always been more of a card/letter person, as opposed to postcards. I suppose because postcards aren't very private, and really don't have much room!, so I don't use them very often. (As in, I had to look up how to write/address one because I couldn't remember. Duh!) However, last weekend I came across a website called <a href="https://www.postcrossing.com/" target="_blank">Postcrossing</a>, which I joined and am really super excited about! You can get up to 5 addresses at a time, completely random people from around the world, to whom you send a postcard. You can send other things as well, I think, but there has to be a postcard included. Each correspondence has an ID number, so when the recipient gets your postcard, they register it online, and then someone <i>else,</i> from anywhere in the world, will send <i>you</i> a postcard! It's kind of weird writing to someone you don't know, and will most likely never hear from again - what to say? But I managed to fill up 3 postcards yesterday. I found them at the used bookstore (photographs from the region, and one for the store itself). Today I went to the big bookstore at the mall and found some really gorgeous ones. They're not local photographs, but they're so pretty, and I'd be tickled pink to receive one myself! :D<br />
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Hm... what else? A few weeks ago our family went on a little Sunday afternoon drive and ended up at a local covered bridge. It's a really pretty spot, good for pictures! There is also a local artisan's coop boutique set up there, which my mom and I found very interesting! I always love checking out artisanal crafts, and I especially love discovering local talent - and there really is so much of it around here! Anyway, I ended up joining the coop and left some of my clay figurines there the next weekend. It won't be a very big audience, but it's something and requires very little effort on my part.<br />
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Well, I guess that's all the news from me. Things are more or less quiet around here at the moment. I'd like to get a few cake orders over the summer, but it's not looking too good so far. But we'll see, things can change very quickly! :)</div>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-75859663640974755552015-06-25T15:17:00.000-04:002015-06-30T16:02:31.574-04:00La RondeI finally met a lifetime goal, and crossed off my first <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/thirty-before-thirty.html" target="_blank">30 Before 30 list item</a>... I went to La Ronde!<br />
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La Ronde is a Six Flags amusement park in Montreal that many schools send end of the year class trips to. For whatever reason, my class never went or I was never able to attend the trip. My cousin has lived in Montreal for years, and has invited me to go on several occasions, but again, it just never worked out before.<br />
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But finally, this year, things happened! My cousin and her boyfriend had season passes to La Ronde (which is a really great deal, if anyone is interested for next year), and coupons for friends which were to expire the end of June. And because June 24 is Quebec's national holiday and everyone has the day off work, my brother and I were invited to go spend the day with our cousin and her boyfriend and little girl at La Ronde!<br />
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Because we had a two-year-old with us, we spent the first part of the day around the kid-friendly zones and rides: splash pads, a carousel, a tower that gives you a view of the park and skylines, a train around the park, and a fun little boat ride. After lunch, my cousin took her daughter home so she could have a nap, and we could go on the big kid rides. ;) We went on the Ferris wheel first, which was a bit disappointing. I expect a Ferris wheel to fill up and then make a few full turns before starting to disembark - not so with this wheel. :/<br />
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Then we got in line for The Monster, which is, according to Wikipedia, the largest wooden roller coaster in Canada, and the tallest two-track roller coaster in the world. The attendant at the entry told us that it would be an hour wait for either track. I made the executive decision that if it was the only other ride we got to go on that day, it would be worth it, so we decided to stand in line for an hour. An hour and a half later, the rain started, which made it too dangerous to keep the ride going, so they had to shut it down. A lot of people ahead of us left the line, but we said, "We've waited this long, we might as well stay." Then the rain stopped and everyone cheered! But, then we had to wait for the tracks to dry off. More people left. Finally, after 2.5 hours standing in line, the ride was up and running once again! And we were able to work it out so that Reuben and I sat in the first car!<br />
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<i>What. A. Rush!</i><br />
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I don't know how long the actual ride is, but I have to say, I think it was worth the two and half hour wait. Being in the first car like that, you really experience every drop and twist. I haven't been on many roller coasters, and I've never been in the first car, so I guess I don't have much to compare it to, but it was awesome. We're hoping to maybe go back again before the end of the season - there's another roller coaster I'd like to try out (The Goliath), and I'd give The Monster another go!<br />
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After the long wait and exhilarating ride, it was pretty late. But there was one ride that my brother and cousin's boyfriend thought they wanted to try and the line wasn't long, so I waited and watched them on The Demon, and then we headed back to their apartment for some pizza before making the two hour trek back home!<br />
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<br />Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-90320990585362339442015-06-19T19:07:00.003-04:002017-05-02T17:18:51.599-04:00Thirty Before Thirty<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's a really scary, inconceivable thought to me, but my 30th birthday is fast approaching. In my mind I think I will forever be 16...<br />
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Until I watch 16 year olds interacting, then I will forever be 18...<br />
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Until I hear 18 year olds conversing in a restaurant, then I will forever be 21. :)</div>
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Bunny trail...<br />
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The point is, in 26 months (less 3 days) I will be turning 30 and beginning an entirely new chapter of life. I think one of the reasons I'm so anxious about 30 is because I feel that my life has been so very unexciting and unaccomplished thus far, and that I haven't met certain goals that people <i>should</i> meet by this age, and I'm afraid that in 2 years nothing will have happened to change that...</div>
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So, something I've been thinking about for quite a few months now, I'm going to bravely put out into the open... 30 things I'd like to do before I turn 30. I'm really good at making lists and coming up with challenges and plans, but I'm really bad at following through, so this will be the <i>ultimate </i>challenge. Because 30 day challenge lists and New Years Resolutions you can redo and try again any old time, but once you turn 30, there's no going back. Your 20's are <i>gone</i>. It's also more challenging because I'm making it public. If other people know your goals, it makes it a little harder to get out of doing them. And, by 30 you are officially an adult in all senses of the word - no more excuses for not acting like one.</div>
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So, without further ado, in no particular order, here is my very own 30 before 30 list:</div>
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<li><b>Live on my own: </b>Until quite recently, it never really bothered me that for the last 27 years I've only lived with my parents or in a school dorm. However, lately I've started feeling like I'm missing out. There are certain milestones my friends have reached that I have no hope of meeting in the next 2 years, but this I have control over. So by 30, I'd like to have my own place.</li>
<li><b>Write a business plan: </b>I have some really big dreams, but I also have to be realistic. I would <i>love</i> to have my own bakery/cafe/something by the time I'm 30, but it would be so much more realistic to just have a written business plan and be getting the first steps in motion, so that's my goal.</li>
<li><b>Set foot in every province/territory in Canada: </b>I have not even seen half of the country I live in. I think every Canadian should be able to say they've visited every province and territory at least once in their lifetime, but it would be really awesome to do it before my 30th birthday. I think I have at least one friend or family member in every province or territory, except Yukon, so this is potentially a possibility! Plus, road trip? In general, that's been a goal of mine for some time as well. And if you're going across the country, you might as well add a few more thousand kilometers to visit friends in California! This will definitely be the most challenging point to meet, so I'm going to say that if I can <i>at least</i> visit Newfoundland and BC before 30, I'll be happy.</li>
<li><b>Discover my personal style: </b>I do not feel that I have a "style," as such. Most of my life, I've just worn what's comfortable. I'm not saying I want to start being <i>un</i>comfortable for the sake of fashion, but I want to have an actual <i>style</i>, an actual <i>wardrobe</i>. Along the way, I'd like to experiment a little bit, and that may involve dying my hair an unnatural colour, or getting something pierced/tattooed<b> </b>while it can still be blamed on youthful whims. ;) I'd also like to learn how to apply/wear makeup properly.</li>
<li><b>Find my perfect "little black dress": </b>Regardless of what
one's style may be, I have read before, and firmly believe, that every
woman needs her own "little black dress" that fits her perfectly, makes
her feel like a million bucks, and is appropriate for all kinds of
events. I have found a couple black dresses in the last year, but as it
turns out, they're not <i>my</i> perfect dress. They're nice, but the search is still on.</li>
<li><strike><b>Be healthier: </b>I've been reading lots of these 30 before 30 lists, and almost every one of them mentions some form of getting healthy/in shape/losing weight, etc, and I know it's cliché - whenever anyone makes a list of goals, health is on the list, but I'd like to say the reason everyone puts it on all their lists is because we know the importance of taking care of ourselves. Some have more vain reasons than others, and I'll be honest, vanity is a very strong motivator in my case, too. But as mentioned above, I'm also trying to be realistic with this list. So I'm not going to say I want to lose X pounds, or any weight at all. I just want to develop a healthier lifestyle and choices as I move into the next decade of my life.</strike> <i>There will always be room for improvement, but I'm happy to say that I'm taking steps in the right direction. As of June 2016 I was assigned a family doctor (mine retired over 2 years ago, and I hadn't seen a doctor or had a blood test in at least that many years), so I finally had a blood test which showed that all my levels are where they should be, which was a huge relief (there was some concern a few years ago about cholesterol, and we have family history of diabetes...)! As of July 2016 I've started seeing a nutritionist. It's a slow job, but it will be worth it. To start we're working on eating proper meals at the proper times.</i></li>
<li><b>Get active: </b>Along with the healthier lifestyle, but I think worthy of a separate point, is the need to be active. I need to make excuses to move more - parking the car farther from the door on purpose, taking the stairs, using that bicycle I bought a couple years ago, or the treadmill that's been sitting unused in the basement for <i>far</i> too long, etc. I also have a (not anymore) secret desire to join a soccer team... But we'll see about that.</li>
<li><b>Read Jane Austen: </b>I'm a 27 year old woman living in the 21st century, who considers herself an avid reader, and I'm ashamed to say I've never read anything by Jane Austen. I own all her works (in a single, very pretty binding!), but I've yet to read any. If I read nothing else in the next 2 years, I <i>will</i> accomplish this goal!</li>
<li><b>Do 30 Random Acts of Kindness: </b>This, too, is something I've been thinking about doing for ages. I love Random Acts of Kindness, I love helping people, and I love doing special things on my birthday, so why not combine them? This goal is one I'd like to actually perform <i>on</i> my 30th birthday, if at all possible, so I have the next 2 years to come up with which Random Acts of Kindness I will perform! Suggestions are definitely appreciated...</li>
<li><strike><b>Be a more faithful blogger: </b>I journal fairly regularly. Not as often as I used to, but still regularly. I do <i>not </i>blog regularly. Typing and handwriting are very different. I appreciate both for various reasons, but when it comes to putting thoughts, opinions, and feelings down, I find it much easier to do so on paper. I think it's because blogging is so public, so out-there, so can't-take-it-back (even if I do only have 6 readers...). But I'd like to make more regular blog posts - about anything, random things, day-to-day-life. It doesn't even matter if nobody's reading it, I just feel like I need to get over this fear of others' opinions about <i>my </i>thoughts and opinions.</strike> <i>Admittedly, I haven't been being very faithful over here on this blog, but for the past 4 months I have been adding weekly posts to my book review blog, which I consider to be a great accomplishment! I will try to make an effort to give equal attention to all my social media outlets, but in the meantime, I'm considering this done (December 2016).</i></li>
<li><b>Make a YouTube tutorial:</b> I love searching YouTube for crafting/baking tutorials, and I know the types of videos I find interesting/useful and the ones I don't. I also can't always find the tutorial I'm looking for, which I know other people <i>must</i> be looking for as well, so I'll just have to make my own! :P In order to make the kind of video I find most attractive and informative, I think I would need a decent microphone and editing software. I would also need to know how to use these things.</li>
<li><strike><b>Get up to date with technology:</b> I'd like to get more up to speed with my peers. Twitter and Instagram are the two social media outlets that interest me most, and along the same lines would be getting a "big girl" cell phone. Until this point I've only ever had a pay-as-you-go flip phone - wicked old school, I know. Going to school with teenagers and 20-something's last year made me realize how out-of-date I really was. But honestly, I don't use the phone that much, so the prepaid deal is probably what I'll stick with. I'd also like to be able to just take a decent picture and post it to Facebook whenever the mood strikes me, wherever I may be.</strike> <i>Whoooo!!! I got myself an Android smart phone for Christmas 2015!! And I decided to go with a plan (even though it's more money than I'd like to be spending every month) because the phone was free with the plan. I stuck with Virgin because I know them, and I figured it would be easier to keep my old number (it wasn't). I also joined Instagram (@amjb1999)! Still haven't got on the Twitter bandwagon, I still just don't get it, and I really don't feel like I'm missing out. :)</i></li>
<li><strike><b>Travel with my best friend:</b> My best friend and I live in different provinces - different time zones - and we don't get to see each other very often (it has presently been two years since our last visit). We've both done a bit of traveling and want to do more, but we have never gone anywhere <i>together</i>. And who better to travel with than your best friend?! Also, as alike as we are, our lives have started to head in different directions and it's only a matter of time before we are no longer able to make our schedules blend (which is already really difficult!), so this is an absolute must. It could be the aforementioned road trip across Canada, it could be going to New York City for New Year's Eve, it could be traveling abroad, but we are <i>going</i> to take a trip together before our 30th birthdays!</strike> <i>March 2017, we went to Orlando together! I'm writing a series of 4 posts about it, you can read the first one <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2017/05/paige-and-rees-epic-vacation-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</i></li>
<li><b>Enter a contest: </b>By this I mean submitting something I made with my own two hands into a contest for a prize. I used to participate in drawing contests in school and at our local Post Office, and I occasionally won! It could be a writing contest (I'd like to challenge myself in that way), or art (my polymer clay pieces), or a cake decorating contest, which would be so much fun!</li>
<li><b>Take an online course: </b>I love learning and I love being in school, and if it were possible for an average middle-class woman, I'd probably just be a student forever. But, it's not possible. So, next best thing? Take a course online! I'll get to learn something new, but still afford to live and not be in debt for the rest of my life. :) Photography seems to be the popular thing that most people want to learn, and I don't want to copy other lists, but honestly, I really would like to learn how to take better pictures (and edit) without investing tons of money in a big fancy camera - if that's possible? That, or perhaps a course relating to small business operation.</li>
<li><b>Learn to enjoy cooking:</b> One of my current part-time jobs involves cooking for a large amount of people. Admittedly, I'm not making anything terribly complicated, but I had never done much cooking myself until starting this job because I don't <i>enjoy </i>cooking (on a regular basis, for myself, etc). I like to eat, and I like to watch cooking shows, but I find regular meal planning and preparation extremely time consuming and exhausting. In the next two years I hope to learn to appreciate it more, and maybe even learn a couple "signature dishes."</li>
<li><b>Get more organized: </b>I have my own systems of organization. Some of them make sense to other people, some of them don't. I'd like to learn how to discipline myself in organization and time management, if possible. I think as far as organization is concerned, uniformity is key for me. If everything looks the same, it makes the whole space look better, and that will help me to keep it that way.</li>
<li><b>Become smarter financially:</b> I have tried to cut back on spending, but I am still known to make silly impulse buys and other unnecessary purchases. By thirty I'd like to be able to say that I only spend my money on necessities and the <i>occasional</i> splurge. I want to keep better track of my finances and do my own taxes. It's not that I don't <i>know</i> how, I just don't know how to <i>start</i>. I'd also like to be able to say that I'm debt free and/or financially independent by thirty, but I think it's going to take longer than two years to get to that point... I will, however, hopefully be on the right track.</li>
<li><strike><b>Plan for my retirement:</b> I have seen what happens when people don't properly plan for the future, and while at this point I have no dependents and no major debts that will weigh my parents down if something were to happen to me, that could always change in the next few years, so it would be prudent to start preparing now.</strike> <i>Always room for improvement, but I did talk to my financial advisor and we set up a plan to automatically invest $50 a month into mutual funds (since March 2016).</i></li>
<li><b>Spend more one-on-one time with my nephews:</b> For years now I've thought of giving "the gift of time" gifts to my nephews for birthdays and Christmas, but I've yet to do it, for various reasons. They're preteens now and before I know it they won't want to spend time with their boring old Auntie! They already prefer hanging out with my brother more than me, so I need to make an effort to spend time with them (together or individually), attempting to do things they like to do.</li>
<li><b>Host a dinner party:</b> This will, hopefully, come with having my own place, but it could happen before then as well. I want to invite people over and be able to say I prepared the whole meal, start to finish, by myself. (This is also something that appeared on a lot of other lists).</li>
<li><b>Learn to be ok with being solo:</b> I have been to the movies by myself, once, and it was a huge deal for me. There are a lot of times that I don't do things I want to do, because I have no one available to go with me, and because I get anxious in large groups which is magnified when I'm also alone. But I realize that my friends are moving on and becoming less and less available, and I just need to be ok with doing things by myself, otherwise I will become a hermit and a crazy old cat lady, and people will make fun of me and point and laugh when I tiptoe out of the house in my pajamas to get the newspaper...</li>
<li><b>Be a more knowledgeable car owner:</b> I strongly feel that one should have to undergo training on general maintenance before being able to own machines including cars and computers. I can fuel up and check/add oil, but that's about where my knowledge ends. When I mentioned to <i>someone </i>that I didn't know how to change a tire and maybe they should show me, their response was "call CAA." So helpful. -.- </li>
<li><strike><b>See a live show/concert:</b> Seeing a Cirque du Soleil show is on my life bucket list, so the concert/show could be that, or a favourite band/artist, doesn't really matter what, but it's gotta happen.</strike> <i>My brother and I went to see Walk Off the Earth (my fave band of Canadians!) in Montreal in April 2016! I didn't write about it, but I instagrammed it! </i></li>
<li><strike><b>Go to La Ronde:</b> Yep, sometimes it's the simple things. La Ronde is a Six Flags amusement park in Montreal that a lot of kids get to visit on class trips, but I was never part of one of those trips, and even though I have a cousin who has lived in Montreal for years, and who has offered to take me, I <i>still</i> have never been. This is about to change.</strike> <i>I finally went (June 2015) with my brother and cousin, you can read about it <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/06/la-ronde.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></li>
<li><strike><b>Walk the Foresta Lumina: </b>Another local attraction, this interactive lighted forest walk started last year and I really really wanted to go for my birthday, but it didn't work out and I was super disappointed. It was such a success, tho, that they're doing it again this year. So fingers crossed I can go this August!</strike> <i>Got to go for my 28th birthday (August 2015)!! You can read about that <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/09/28-years-of-life.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></li>
<li><strike><b>Visit the Abbey at St-Benoit du Lac: </b>This is a local monastery known for their cheeses. They also have a store with other local goods that I'm really interested in visiting!</strike> <i>Went for a quick visit in August 2015 - bought cheese, chocolate, and jams to try! You can read more about it <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2015/09/a-visit-to-abbey.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></li>
<li><strike><b>Eat food truck food:</b> I can't really expound on this one much. I just love the idea of food trucks so much, and the ones you see on TV are always so cool and trendy, so I just feel like I <i>need</i> to try food truck food, and it just so happens that there is a food truck festival in Montreal once a month all summer long, so no excuses!</strike> <i>My brother and I went into Montreal in May 2016 for the food truck festival, along with our cousin & her family. I didn't write a post about it, but I instagrammed it! :) </i></li>
<li><b>Personal:</b> They can't all be public!</li>
<li><b>Unknown: </b>I'm leaving the last one open, just in case I come up with some spectacular thing that I haven't thought of yet. :)</li>
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So, there you have it! Some big goals, some small ones... Hopefully I can cross off the majority of them by August 2017. If nothing else, this project has helped me think about and look forward to the future a little more.</div>
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Do you have a milestone birthday looming ahead of you? I'd encourage you to make your own birthday bucket list. It's kind of fun! :) And of course, I'd love to know what some of the items on your lists would be! Do share, and don't forget to throw me some ideas for my 30 Random Acts of Kindness! ;)</div>
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-82676012286511127392015-03-07T17:23:00.002-05:002015-03-07T17:48:50.975-05:00One Week Down...<div style="text-align: justify;">
I survived! My first week of working two part-time jobs has come to an end, and I survived.</div>
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The verdict? It stinks.</div>
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I know it's going to get better as I get into the routine, get used to both kitchens and co-workers and everything... But by Wednesday I thought I was losing my mind, and I had to keep telling myself, <i>only 8 more weeks like this to go</i>...! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have the work and I know I'm really lucky, not only to have found two jobs so quickly after school, but also two English work environments! It's just been a long week...</div>
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One of the things I found most difficult is the hours. They are comparable, but just different enough to mess up my psyche. My original job, Tuesdays and Thursdays, has kind of fluid hours. I go in for 9am and work until I'm done, which could be anywhere from 1:30 to 3:30pm, so I get up at 6:45 and I can't very easily make plans for after work because I never know when I'll be done. Now with the new job, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I work from 7am to around 1pm, so I have to get up at 5:30, and I can easily make afternoon plans, but I'm too pooped to want to. I have always been a night owl. That's not to say that I'm "not a morning person," but I just prefer going to bed late than getting up early, if that makes any sense. </div>
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Another thing, is just fitting in! I know that I tend to be quiet, sometimes shy, reserved, etc., and that throws some people off. I've been accused of being snobbish and anti-social, and that's really not intentional, but I can't help how others perceive me before trying to get to know me. I don't walk into a new workplace automatically assuming that everyone is my friend and loves me and wants to get to know me.</div>
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The atmosphere at the restaurant is very young and vibrant, all staff appear to be under 40. The staff I've met have been nice enough, but I haven't really talked to anyone, and I feel kind of set apart. The community aid kitchen is the complete opposite. My coworkers and most of the volunteers are well over 65 (with a few exceptions). They are all very kind and willing to offer advice and assistance and from the moment I walked in the door, have expressed interest in me and my life, and I feel at ease among them.</div>
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The final thing that's made this week difficult is that neither job really <i>ends</i> when I leave my workplace. After getting home, I continue to invest <i>hours</i> of work into researching, planning, and just general thinking for each workplace. That's probably the most exhausting part of all.</div>
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Anyway, hopefully this week will be a bit easier. In the meantime, I don't think I've ever been so thankful for weekends, and living in a culture that has five-day work weeks!<br />
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Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-7212383724734425022015-02-26T07:00:00.000-05:002015-02-26T16:11:03.067-05:00Job search<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Job searching, and all it involves, stinks.<br />
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Updating resumes, searching for job postings, sending e-mails, spending hours going place to place in person, waiting for responses, enduring awkward interviews, waiting for responses... It's all incredibly stressful and it is probably one of my least favourite tasks in the world.<br />
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Crazy as it sounds, the next worst thing, after doing all the footwork of updating your CV and finding offers that interest you, and sending off your information with much trepidation, and then the anticipation of waiting for a response... After all of that, the next worst thing is when the responses start coming in, and more than one place you applied to is interested, so now you have to choose...<br />
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Speaking as a true introvert, choices are the worst!<br />
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The last week of January was the most stressed I've been for a very long time, as I had, what I thought was, two interviews: one first tier, via Skype, the other second tier, a sort of practical exam. I was completely freaking out about the practical one, but the Skype one had me very nervous as well. Because, as you can imagine, doing an interview via telephone or Skype generally means the job is too far away to zip in for an in-person interview... I'm always nervous about going somewhere new. I wouldn't <i>not</i> take a job because it was out-of-province (otherwise, why apply in the first place?), what unnerves me is the idea that it might not work out, and then what? Job security is practically an unknown concept in my world.<br />
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So, I continued pounding the pavement (difficult with all this snow!), and I endured the short and awkward Skype interview, and made it through the practical interview. Looking back, I've only been finished school for just over 2 months, and I only <i>started </i>job searching the second week of January, so it's all worked out very quickly, really. But you know how things always seem much bigger when you're in the middle of it... I hadn't wanted to say anything to jinx it, just in case, but I think I can now safely share with you all that my hard work paid off.<br />
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I am now working part-time as a Pastry Chef for a small up-and-coming restaurant in Sherbrooke's <i>centreville</i>. It's two days a week, not huge hours, but it's something, it's a start, and I get to make yummy desserts - which is what I enjoy. There is no set dessert menu, it changes frequently, so customers have to ask what's available if they want a dessert! ;) For my first month on the job, I was making dessert perogies (stuffed with a sweetened cheese mixture, served with caramel and chocolate sauces), lemon poppy seed loaf (served with honey mousse), and a blueberry & goat cheese pie (which turned out to be a huge hit!). There was a special menu for Valentine's Day, so I also had to prepare 125+ chocolate bowls for that one-time event. If you will remember, the chocolate module was one of my least favourites as I had a <i>terrible</i> time tempering chocolate. The Valentine's Day menu was no different. But, in the end it all worked out and people apparently enjoyed them.<br />
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I will also be taking over, in the next week, a replacement position for a local Meals-on-Wheels program. The Head Cook is unfortunately unwell, and the current replacement has other responsibilities. So, my name got passed on through a friend of a friend, and I went yesterday to meet the staff, check out the kitchen, and help prepare the day's meal. The program offers three hot lunches a week to approximately 50 elderly/convalescent people in the area, and so it should work out perfectly with my position at the restaurant. My job will be to plan the meals (salad, soup, entree, dessert) and confect the soups and entrees. Not my field of study, not what I enjoy doing per se, but, it is more experience, it's a help to the local community, and it's a higher wage than my current job. :D The staff and volunteers are really sweet and laid-back, and I think I'm really going to enjoy working with them (once I get past the overwhelming idea of preparing 3 meals for 50 people every week...).<br />
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I've slowly been getting a few orders on my own - the stuff I <i>really</i> like to do. I did some Mickey & Minnie Mouse decorated cookies this month, I have a tea party themed birthday cake to do in March, wedding cupcakes in May (I think? Still need to confirm the date...), and a few other cake possibilities.<br />
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I also got my Pastry Diploma in the mail last week. The picture I posted on Facebook got the most "likes" and comments than any have for a while, which was both flattering and a little confusing. This is my fourth diploma, not including High School, so it wasn't <i>that</i> big a deal to me. Maybe it's just because I've never posted pictures of my other diplomas! Anyway, I'm glad people are happy for me. :)</div>
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-55953238175820831642015-01-20T17:47:00.000-05:002015-01-20T17:47:21.244-05:00Baking at Home<div style="text-align: justify;">
It came to my attention yesterday that I have officially been done school (and therefore unemployed) for just over a month now. In some ways, that's a shock, but at the same time it feels like so much longer.. </div>
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So, upon realizing that it's been a month, I decided it was time to bake something. I did some baking over the holidays, but I didn't have great luck (maybe because I didn't give myself enough time?). And there were ingredients in the fridge that would soon be expiring.</div>
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And I've been having cravings.</div>
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I didn't bake everything I wanted to - it was one of those gloomy, snowy, just-want-to-stay-in-bed kind of days - but that's ok, something to do another day.</div>
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So I made was the cookie recipe from the back of the Chipits bag, using holiday M&Ms (hello, after-Christmas specials!). Some might call these Monster Cookies, I prefer to just call them delicious little morsels of yumminess. The recipe said it makes four dozen, and it didn't lie. How many are left? That's another story.<br />
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I also made my favourite Perfect Cream Scone* recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Pioneer-Woman-Cooks-Step---Step/dp/0062225227/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421793653&sr=8-3&keywords=the+pioneer+woman+cooks" target="_blank">The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays, by Ree Drummond</a> (I've made them before, which I talked about in <a href="http://a-msthoughtfulspot.blogspot.ca/2014/03/baking-at-home.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, but I thought they deserved a more detailed acknowledgement). I stumbled across her website, <i><b>The Pioneer Woman</b></i>, a couple years ago and was really excited to note that we share a name - my nickname has been Ree most of my life - and that she is an awesome food writer. So when I happened upon one of her cookbooks at Big Lots on a trip to the U.S., I snatched it up! I've only made the one recipe out of it so far, but it is definitely a favourite, and I look forward to trying some others. The original recipe doesn't appear on her website, but there are several variations there, as well as in the book. The original scone is so delicious, I haven't needed to be adventurous enough to try any of them, though.</div>
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Now, talk of scones may bring up some controversy. What <i>is</i> a scone? My mother grew up eating oatmeal scones, the thin crispy kind (which, in my research, seems to be Scottish Oatcakes, and not scones at all!). Growing up with that belief, every time I met a thick, soft scone, I assumed it was a silly tea biscuit masquerading as a scone. They often had nasty things like currents and raisins or orange zest hiding in them. <i>Blech!</i> I wouldn't have said I really liked either style all that much, and therefore was not a fan of scones. But then I tried Ms. Drummond's recipe.</div>
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<i>Perfection</i>.</div>
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These scones are just the right combination of crispy outside, and soft, fluffy, sweet, buttery inside. They are equally as delicious all on their own, as they are with a generous slathering of butter or jam (raspberry, of course!). Mmm!</div>
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What's your favourite way to eat a scone? Have you ever tried one?</div>
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/02/lemon-rosemary-scones/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">*<b>Perfect Cream Scones</b></span></a></h2>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">adapted from The Pioneer Woman</span></b></h3>
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2/3 cup sugar<br />
4 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, in pieces<br />
1 cup heavy cream<br />
1 egg, lightly beaten<br />
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Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter. Add wet ingredients and combine to form a ball (it is completely normal for it to be crumbly, but you should be able to form it and roll it out). Roll out and cut as desired (Ms. Drummond's instructions say to roll into a rectangle 1/3 inch thick and cut into 24 triangles). Bake at 350*F for 18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. They are best eaten the same day, but they are good for up to a week, and they do freeze well.<br />
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Happy Baking!<br />
Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-72833230159253952582015-01-01T23:10:00.000-05:002015-01-01T23:10:35.018-05:00Reflections on 2014Well, 2015 is finally here. It feels like it was a long time coming, no? That's not to say that 2014 was a bad year for me - there were difficulties and hardships, for sure - but I've been anxious for a new year, new beginnings, new chapters for some time now. Here is a review of my 2014.<br />
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January was difficult. My uncle, who had been fighting brain cancer for several years, passed away early in January. My uncle played a huge part in my growing up years. Only a few minutes' drive away, the road between our houses was a well-worn path. Few of my memories of him don't involve laughter - we're talking about teary-eyed, can't breathe, belly laughs. A man of many hats, a man I wrote a paper about in High School, a man I looked up to. We miss him. I miss him.<br />
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February was interesting. I had started the pastry course in August, but things got really interesting after the Christmas break, in February especially. The dynamics of the group had completely changed. We went on a class trip. The trip itself was a bit of a bust, but the day was one of the best I've had. February also brought the first birthday celebration of my cousin's little girl, Sofia. I made a polymer clay cake topper for her - a waterless snow globe.<br />
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March was dreamy. Looking back at my journal entries, March is when I really started to put words to my pastry dreams and make "plans." It was also our first opportunity for an independent project at school - a layered dessert.<br />
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April and May were nothing terribly special or exciting. We have two birthdays in April, so there was some celebrating, and seeing the beginnings of spring. Somewhere in there we had the chocolate module at school, which was incredibly frustrating. I had my first commissioned baking project in May - the Bowker's 60th wedding anniversary cake. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed it - especially all the encouragement!<br />
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June was traveling. We went to Ontario (only for a weekend) to celebrate my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary.<br />
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July was creative. My mom and I organized a Fun Day at the Brookbury Community Centre that took much time and resources to put together. I also spent a lot of time starting craft projects for the Cookshire Fair. I also started the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tasty-Pastries-by-Anne-Marie/541689102620389?ref=hl" target="_blank">Tasty Pastries by Anne-Marie</a> as a small effort to get my name out a bit and get some baking business.<br />
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August was busy. I was back at school after having the summer off. I celebrated my 27th birthday (not exciting), we took quite a few entries to the Cookshire Fair (I even won a few prizes! ;)) I had two wisdom teeth removed - ouch! I started geocaching. The nephews came to stay with us the last week and a half of their vacation, and we did lots of adventuring together.<br />
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September was really good, if not expensive. I made the unfortunate mistake of paying my credit card bill a day late (first time ever), which resulted in a $45 overdraft fee to the bank, and another $40 charge to the credit card company. This was also the month that I finished my wedding cake at school - it felt like a really big accomplishment. I wasn't happy with it at first, but I'm quite proud of it now. This was also the month that my oldest childhood friend gave birth to her second child - a precious little girl called Scarlet! I also started working as the janitor at my church, which provides a teensy bit of income.<br />
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October was fast-paced. Things got intense at school as we neared the end. I had to start seriously searching for my stage placement (which I found fairly quickly, once I actually started). We worked on our sculpted sugar pieces - my<i> pièce de résistance</i>, the project I am most proud of. After the fiasco of the month before, I managed to not make even one purchase with my credit card.<br />
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November was stressful. There were a lot of exams to wrap everything up at school. We also started and finished our final module, Plated Desserts, which was a real challenge for me. I made soufflé for the first time! Finishing up at school, getting ready for stage, not knowing how that would go...<br />
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December was crazy and tiring. The first three weeks of December I did my stage at BCS. There was a lot of preparations for Christmas events, and I was fighting off a cold the entire time, so by the end I was exhausted. I made and decorated an order of 7 dozen cookies for a friend. Once school was finished and "Christmas vacation" began, there was <b>a lot</b> of Christmas gift making (baked goods, clay ornaments for my nephews, etc), and visiting/celebrating with family and friends. I got into a purging mood after Christmas (often the case), which hasn't quite come to an end yet.<br />
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It's been a good year...<br />
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And now, here we are. January. A new year. I have <b>absolutely </b>no idea what it will bring. I have high hopes and big dreams, maybe some of them will come to fruition in 2015, or maybe the first steps will be taken to pave the way for the years to come. Who knows? :)<br />
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I no longer make resolutions. I have some personal goals (old habits die hard), but I think it's safest not to say them out loud, because then people know when you break them. ;) So I hope you all had a wonderful time saying goodbye to 2014 and ringing in the New Year. May 2015 bring you success, love, joy, courage, and hope.Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-87588190674210528412014-12-23T19:00:00.000-05:002014-12-23T19:03:44.597-05:00The End of My Year in Pastry SchoolThe last few weeks have been a blur of activity, and trying not to get sick. But, in the end, the moment I let my guard down to relax for two minutes... the cold I've been fighting off caught up to me. I'm almost over it now, but it had me pretty beaten for a few days.<br />
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<i>Stage</i> - the last step of my pastry education. The <i>stage</i> (also known as "on the job training" or "internship") is a short, unpaid (this is very important to note), introduction to the real workplace. I had the privilege of doing my stage at Bishop's College School... I'm sure you're all curious to know how it went. I'm really pleased to have had this experience as the end of a whirlwind year. It was interesting, somewhat challenging, but most of all, it was a pleasant experience with some really lovely people who have encouraged me in many ways.<br />
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I'll start by telling you a little bit (what I know) about the school. It was founded in 1836 by Reverend Doolittle, at a different location, as a preparatory school for boys. In the early 1970's it became co-educational when it amalgamated with the local girls' boarding school, King's Hall, Compton. It is both a boarding school and a day school for local students, from grades 7 to 12. I didn't get to see much of the school itself, my time was mostly spent in the kitchen/dining hall, but what I did see was beautiful. The dining hall was decked from top to bottom for Christmas on my first day - I made sure to get a few pictures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8narOHC5frut4YjVsX0hnQ4-pKL6TTjrnUhxD3FlHikkWAaVsyQGnCAlz2N2giud5oxBQ3eBUtt1Url4z4U8kI9A08nR8gsH7uq_R9r-WAfIXnCQnQLGGTuu0QEbhccvJ35EVXESabVQ/s1600/DSCN6033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8narOHC5frut4YjVsX0hnQ4-pKL6TTjrnUhxD3FlHikkWAaVsyQGnCAlz2N2giud5oxBQ3eBUtt1Url4z4U8kI9A08nR8gsH7uq_R9r-WAfIXnCQnQLGGTuu0QEbhccvJ35EVXESabVQ/s1600/DSCN6033.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a terribly clear picture, but it was a huge, gorgeous tree! To give you an idea of the height, I'm not very tall, but I would come just about to the second horizontal board on the wall (just below the writing)...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikU7i_sFfwaIEX9SeFwPaNJVcfVhYk2GBl5nP9S22G-7k8NhwUpQpoSSGb7O5yZnb-WjM9uYoKIOC-1lDfMUXNLuQMxw427MmjxPK_RymOurgoNDs0v1pGukDCzj90GUErGMsQgv5at8Q/s1600/DSCN6047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikU7i_sFfwaIEX9SeFwPaNJVcfVhYk2GBl5nP9S22G-7k8NhwUpQpoSSGb7O5yZnb-WjM9uYoKIOC-1lDfMUXNLuQMxw427MmjxPK_RymOurgoNDs0v1pGukDCzj90GUErGMsQgv5at8Q/s1600/DSCN6047.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dining hall being decorated for the students' Christmas Banquet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4P4airsv7vh1fc6sARkFop0P8L9J8AesP7xmgr9dk8GiYhVDwJ1l54tdsTG9EdSSudMJXRwa3REL-Tu_kw8FvjnGfbY9aJIYl7wfEhs2BsEXi-w8bCWY9zKPFthaL_4aoEouUOoe-0g/s1600/DSCN6048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4P4airsv7vh1fc6sARkFop0P8L9J8AesP7xmgr9dk8GiYhVDwJ1l54tdsTG9EdSSudMJXRwa3REL-Tu_kw8FvjnGfbY9aJIYl7wfEhs2BsEXi-w8bCWY9zKPFthaL_4aoEouUOoe-0g/s1600/DSCN6048.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorated doorway at the back of the dining hall...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT0_UF9_8yeM-tD1tvtMzspUmKTVEdUWr3uQxiixewL4aXuinMtZ3OOEIDHSWrfhu9QhB43VQzaBdMFM8iPQn0gLN8I8pPGWQyn9uKp6f_UqdrhrJBKb3zmoR279cDu5HlJEqi9LT5Yk/s1600/DSCN6082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT0_UF9_8yeM-tD1tvtMzspUmKTVEdUWr3uQxiixewL4aXuinMtZ3OOEIDHSWrfhu9QhB43VQzaBdMFM8iPQn0gLN8I8pPGWQyn9uKp6f_UqdrhrJBKb3zmoR279cDu5HlJEqi9LT5Yk/s1600/DSCN6082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very beautifully decorated counter on the serving line (I baked the snowflake cookies! ;) )</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw91JnTXDVfM6t4VgbhXlK5TypwgJWLuEqGYlqzEbh87EajrHstJV2dr8CU9CiIdgk1zRESwgFv3ezD5Ql7N105_V6fWII7rVr_XLfoQLDE-bbEc0AjYismJmAAsdHh-jYoos5jBOfC_Y/s1600/DSCN6059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw91JnTXDVfM6t4VgbhXlK5TypwgJWLuEqGYlqzEbh87EajrHstJV2dr8CU9CiIdgk1zRESwgFv3ezD5Ql7N105_V6fWII7rVr_XLfoQLDE-bbEc0AjYismJmAAsdHh-jYoos5jBOfC_Y/s1600/DSCN6059.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And... the teeny tiny corner that is Baking, where I spent 2.5 weeks with my supervisor and mentor, Donna!</td></tr>
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Being a boarding school, the cafeteria serves three meals a day, therefore two desserts are needed every day. There is also a sort of cantine in another building where students can buy drinks and snacks at their breaks, so there are snacks (cookies, banana bread, Rice Krispies squares, etc) to be made every day! As well as any extra events that might come up, which happens (amusingly) quite often.<br />
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The first week was spent mostly getting to know the kitchen and staff, and getting into a routine: first thing every morning we would bake cookies, or whatever was needed, for the cantine. The rest of the day would be spent preparing desserts for supper that night or the next, and/or preparing things for the events the following weeks.<br />
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The next week was the week of the Banquet for the students. We were a little busier than the week before, doing all our regular daily jobs, plus a few un-planned requests came up, and preparing things for the Banquet. There was one day that I was there from 7 until 5, decorating log cakes. That was, by far, the longest day, and it was my choice to stay so late. My hours were really good (7 to 2 or 2:30), and my supervisor, Donna, was incredibly (overly?) easy-going about the hours. Here are the messy-but-kind-of-fun log cakes (brown ones are chocolate cake with white icing inside and chocolate icing outside; white ones are pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting inside and out):<br />
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Last week there was a carol service on the Wednesday, my last day. I spent a lot of time the week before decorating hundreds of cookies for this evening, and by the time Wednesday rolled around, I was pooped. Donna very graciously let me go early, despite there still being lots to do to get ready for that evening. Here are a few trays of cookies (there were more, but they just had faces):<br />
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Donna. I can't say enough good things about her. Not only did she let me go early on my last day, seeing that I was tired, but she sent me off with a huge, extremely thoughtful gift (Ferrero Rocher, hand soaps, hot chocolate mix, and a tractor cake pan - with gel food colouring to go with it!!). We got along fabulously - which was a really good thing, as you can see how tiny our space was! We have a lot in common, and I really appreciated all her encouragement and advice; and her totally brushing off the fact that I had to throw out a recipe - <i>twice</i> - (I was mortified).<br />
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Thursday we had to go back to school to hand in the evaluations from our stage supervisors and finish filling out our own reports. In the weeks before the stage we had also prepared little blurbs about each other, which the teachers collected along with pictures and made into a small yearbook which they had printed for us for $20 each; so we received those as well. There are a few mistakes, but it's a sweet reminder of some lovely people and projects and a really happy chapter of my life. Once that was all settled up, we went out for lunch with the teachers. Only half of the class came, the rest did their own thing together. Unfortunately, that's the way our year went - divided in various ways. It was disappointing that everyone couldn't put aside their differences to suffer through one last meal together, but it's probably just as well. The ones who were there had a lovely time. :) I had gotten a ride to the restaurant with my friend Kelly, and afterwards we did a little shopping before saying goodbye, which was really nice.<br />
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So, that's it. The Pastry School chapter of my life has come to an end (the graduation ceremony will take place next fall, and my diploma should be coming in the mail in the next few months). For the moment, I'm enjoying the time off, getting ready for Christmas. I had a few baking orders, of which I've just finished the last. I wish I had had a few more, but this was probably as much as I could handle - for this year, anyway. Now the real work begins - finding a job. I may have something part-time lined up - more on that later, if it all works out. But I'm still on the market for a part- or full-time job. Preferably in my new career-line, but just about anything will do at this point (spoken out of the dusty, echoey depths of my bank account).Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-29074480588547859292014-11-26T15:49:00.001-05:002014-11-26T15:49:02.659-05:00Final Exam Day<br />
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Today we did our final practical exam of our Pastry School careers. I've been so nervous for this day, ever since I knew the date of the exam, which was a week and a half ago. I've been stressed beyond belief with this knowledge, as well as with the upcoming stage, and events/deadlines in my life outside of school. I've been fighting off a nasty cold for about two weeks, the stress making the symptoms worse, and I've been exhausted ever since the end of Daylight Savings Time. In short, I've been an irritable mess, and I apologize profusely to my classmates.</div>
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For the exam, we had to present two plated desserts: one hot (souffle) and one cold (our choice). We had three hours in which to complete the exam, including making all sauces and any other decorative elements we wished to include (the cold dessert was prepared ahead). Both plates had to have at least one decorative element and a sauce of some sort somewhere on the plate. Once our sauces and decorations were prepared, and the ingredients for the souffle ready, we were put in a queue and given a time to start. We then had 25 minutes to make the souffle, and to decorate and present both plates.</div>
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This morning when I got up I still didn't have a clear design in mind. I had made myself a list last night of the order in which I should prepare things, because I am really terrible at time management and I just knew that if I didn't plan it out ahead I would be all over the place... Well, I basically ignored my list and was all over the place most of the time anyway... But I did manage to get everything ready in time, and not be the last person in the queue. Once my 25 minutes started, I felt I was doing well. I got my souffle prepared and in the oven exactly when I should have, and I had plenty of time to decorate my plates (somewhat of a last-minute decision) even tho I was rushing with nervous energy and had to use both hands to draw my design, and even then I was still shaking... My souffles rose beautifully in the oven, I managed to present both plates at the same time at the precise time I was supposed to, and they looked good to me. Then I had to wait for my results.</div>
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I passed, but the teachers made it sound like it was a close call. I have to say that while I'm glad the exam is over and that I passed, I'm really disappointed with my results and the teachers' comments. I know that I tend to take criticism poorly, and that they were only trying to be constructive, but I felt really hurt and had to fight off the tears. They told me that I lost points because I didn't have enough sauce on my macaron plate, and because my souffle dish was lacking something, it wasn't like my usual work, and they were disappointed. I guess it upset me so much because I think they're right. As I was preparing it it felt right, but looking back the cookies on the plate are lacking some finesse, so I'm disappointed in myself and I'm hurt that for my final exam, the teachers couldn't just keep those comments to themselves and tell me it was fine. What do you think of my exam dishes?</div>
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So, that's it. Tomorrow we'll go in to clean up the kitchen a bit, and we're making pizza and pasta for lunch, then we're done! Monday morning we start stages, which I'll try to document when I can, and then back to school on the 18th for final marks and goodbyes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice before the exam - trying to figure out a design</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberry souffle and practice plate design (I know it's ugly, don't laugh!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iJDCD5gYEovbQoB5xBntQRS1igITIS4iIR7IgPUy3PfI4KuLaUtf_Y2RPpUkusGP-ZNu7E04BGz_4n6_0szL4rvyAZ3KBAGI0-hhlrArDWToUis5CWFeF_ENIl3gXYO2fM9SEenreAg/s1600/DSCN6007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iJDCD5gYEovbQoB5xBntQRS1igITIS4iIR7IgPUy3PfI4KuLaUtf_Y2RPpUkusGP-ZNu7E04BGz_4n6_0szL4rvyAZ3KBAGI0-hhlrArDWToUis5CWFeF_ENIl3gXYO2fM9SEenreAg/s1600/DSCN6007.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another practice...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dHt4eB8wt7Ex2BX0ubFDu7UqNIicwU_UgZ0eKSKNqgj_Y2NlN7NH6GvrD5-9agCwqjjw_YSa0cBLkJcao_TAmFM7TGRKN-qsOQkK1omBGHSo6oDqvqhkOKRJORRivgcMDCxYnbaRcBI/s1600/DSCN6010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dHt4eB8wt7Ex2BX0ubFDu7UqNIicwU_UgZ0eKSKNqgj_Y2NlN7NH6GvrD5-9agCwqjjw_YSa0cBLkJcao_TAmFM7TGRKN-qsOQkK1omBGHSo6oDqvqhkOKRJORRivgcMDCxYnbaRcBI/s1600/DSCN6010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decided to use my rectangle plate for the souffle dish and a round one for the macaron. The teacher told me it was pretty but there was no sauce (I thought the chocolate around the outside counted...)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jQmHAERIvqnZInGTyMNZBgtLUzKkNW-tAVUBVKufWKEOTrNVMtTsYIvbqKkI1A8LIUaoHxqjE6MU5QCWafIZSiLAhioMRGt2rA9uYrUOKPpknoVn7f8jZH3PYFnOmiLs7okD2P-eCaI/s1600/DSCN6013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jQmHAERIvqnZInGTyMNZBgtLUzKkNW-tAVUBVKufWKEOTrNVMtTsYIvbqKkI1A8LIUaoHxqjE6MU5QCWafIZSiLAhioMRGt2rA9uYrUOKPpknoVn7f8jZH3PYFnOmiLs7okD2P-eCaI/s1600/DSCN6013.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another practice with the raspberry souffle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYCLJc8gGH-F5PvjD8psOWBzCZuEVOYa9uuJDonjhKeUmcAqkpRog_iOh6THl0ky57BI2vbJRDkKP9fwKZviXVDUf4GL43xSmfrTeOHgpRbeAaglRXlDeTWjlDZmduT-yaMvO-C_2dFs/s1600/DSCN6017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYCLJc8gGH-F5PvjD8psOWBzCZuEVOYa9uuJDonjhKeUmcAqkpRog_iOh6THl0ky57BI2vbJRDkKP9fwKZviXVDUf4GL43xSmfrTeOHgpRbeAaglRXlDeTWjlDZmduT-yaMvO-C_2dFs/s1600/DSCN6017.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exam - macaron with raspberry-white chocolate ganache on a chocolate doily</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZZnQh0J-b_tL5vXvKMRm4wKzP_Sz_7FnhkxMa8ZCZPPXyDkVJd1DSsBFxv0sFezlrD8kxK9DsR30UD9v1p0PfWafuC2Ga87R78HkACf7Z5pFsvHmlZJDQNSnpAwxLB_dWVqo4RX8yFk/s1600/DSCN6018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZZnQh0J-b_tL5vXvKMRm4wKzP_Sz_7FnhkxMa8ZCZPPXyDkVJd1DSsBFxv0sFezlrD8kxK9DsR30UD9v1p0PfWafuC2Ga87R78HkACf7Z5pFsvHmlZJDQNSnpAwxLB_dWVqo4RX8yFk/s1600/DSCN6018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CLLfYY7fWqsvDZRuy1zTnl4L0bVmXIXcO-qiaMqsuRuKAi3MRouwbkEfNa3nsAvB3PgaAF7JvhUf0juQ0WEwGVFW4oqJEGdNkqFaSEtqk2yqEoWL97j-XMevAjvVTMjD5Gz0yUzlXIw/s1600/DSCN6019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CLLfYY7fWqsvDZRuy1zTnl4L0bVmXIXcO-qiaMqsuRuKAi3MRouwbkEfNa3nsAvB3PgaAF7JvhUf0juQ0WEwGVFW4oqJEGdNkqFaSEtqk2yqEoWL97j-XMevAjvVTMjD5Gz0yUzlXIw/s1600/DSCN6019.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exam - souffle plate, before the souffle, with 2 homemade Milano cookies a caramel coil and a chocolate cup filled with caramel sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Tn_CFhvqmICpTEM5nmVe51KM_oWg8x8D424cc0Qtpre81tI8N0_I4LjuWjYVHFWCWhJlG9y39wpsHV9hz26ShyfOrmT3rdeQG__rzS7Kw8FDIZWZp7CKI4MXGkeZx97XpQ6N_ol6hBY/s1600/DSCN6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Tn_CFhvqmICpTEM5nmVe51KM_oWg8x8D424cc0Qtpre81tI8N0_I4LjuWjYVHFWCWhJlG9y39wpsHV9hz26ShyfOrmT3rdeQG__rzS7Kw8FDIZWZp7CKI4MXGkeZx97XpQ6N_ol6hBY/s1600/DSCN6021.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">:/</td></tr>
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<br />Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6148794278968107381.post-81367187987349463582014-11-23T22:17:00.002-05:002014-11-26T15:51:31.494-05:00"If The Problem Can Be Solved, Why Worry?..."<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good." - Shantideva</blockquote>
</div>
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I don't have much to say, really. At this point in time, there are lots of thoughts and emotions flooding me. I feel overwhelmed, but not just with school.<i> </i>This time of year is always <i>full</i> of activities and events, from now until about the 6th of January. It's a lovely time of year - I enjoy the lights, the decorations, the treats, the gifts, the snow (when I don't have to clear it or drive in it), etc. But it definitely gets overwhelming. I know that Christmas isn't really about those things, but we still participate and get stressed all the same.<br />
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Right now, however, I am thinking about and worrying over school. I know that worrying does no good, and I haven't failed an exam yet, but still. I'm not the luckiest person in the world, it would be just my luck that my last exam in the course would be the first one I'd fail! (haha) Anyway, we have 3.5 days of class left, and the exam. This exam requires us to come up with two plate designs that include an individual dessert, a sauce design and another decorative element, put together in a relatively short amount of time. It has become exhaustingly clear to me that plating desserts is not my strong suite. I have known from a very young age that I never wanted to work as kitchen or serving staff in a restaurant, so I don't anticipate ever needing to use this aspect of pastry in real life, but alas, I must pass the exam to get my diploma. I still haven't come up with my designs or made a concrete decision on which dessert I'll make. *sigh* The exam will be Wednesday afternoon, but I'd like to practice at least once before the exam, so I need to come up with something soon!<br />
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Here are a couple other individual plated desserts we made last week. I didn't take pictures of all of them because some of the recipes didn't work out right and didn't make very pretty desserts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt3HX9Ul_JJJi1sQXQmpdIEbjzcJ7rOvMxxoTp3x7-yzinaytkxwTnt59gmTHdeZVQwSnMlGNbEVkSZDofml_p48pFw_4VJqRwhQqq6nME8WceAyoinlbcO0RJyKW_QFZMu6jSuJKfnA/s1600/DSCN5977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt3HX9Ul_JJJi1sQXQmpdIEbjzcJ7rOvMxxoTp3x7-yzinaytkxwTnt59gmTHdeZVQwSnMlGNbEVkSZDofml_p48pFw_4VJqRwhQqq6nME8WceAyoinlbcO0RJyKW_QFZMu6jSuJKfnA/s1600/DSCN5977.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Citrus-mascarpone filled cannelloni, sitting on a cherry compote, with citrus sauce and lemon-thyme ice cream</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE3epyFv7zGwoA3dAOCV_CqD0FoBadHmccGBf-m97NYtt_w9xkqzy9B_jUi3hUXe1FZEuXljFeNDRHRWU9G9pts5L96Zy-OUVQB1wzObLlqmB7K8RemXgeMxSwwQdq4PeONeC_risZcg/s1600/DSCN5978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE3epyFv7zGwoA3dAOCV_CqD0FoBadHmccGBf-m97NYtt_w9xkqzy9B_jUi3hUXe1FZEuXljFeNDRHRWU9G9pts5L96Zy-OUVQB1wzObLlqmB7K8RemXgeMxSwwQdq4PeONeC_risZcg/s1600/DSCN5978.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate <i>moelleux </i>cake with <i>creme anglaise</i> and raspberry coulis decor</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZh98-x3g3RWeTGPZ1PrmYUcbOyVEvh1r4USI7e5BBXgv1I5WC_NVgPSdZQqfjyjcdP4lkAJ-CayEmjVn9qS-eDy5Lngi45LNLWSu-7NPs76MTozBl_k2pgSwtxiJoUI0VzLClovYuoI/s1600/DSCN5979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZh98-x3g3RWeTGPZ1PrmYUcbOyVEvh1r4USI7e5BBXgv1I5WC_NVgPSdZQqfjyjcdP4lkAJ-CayEmjVn9qS-eDy5Lngi45LNLWSu-7NPs76MTozBl_k2pgSwtxiJoUI0VzLClovYuoI/s1600/DSCN5979.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anne-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13888165230376770732noreply@blogger.com0