Europe Dreams.

The two of us visiting Walt Disney

World in June of 2023. Amazing trip!

We were with his company for the 2nd

week but the 1st week was our time to

celebrate my retirement from my long

term position and to our new beginnings.

Our previous trip had been to Disneyland

in November of 2022. For 2024, we had

thought about going for our milestone

anniversary but the building of our new

centre took so much time, we let it go.

Then dh's company announced a trip to

Spain for a conference and invited all

the partners to attend to help celebrate

their 30th anniversary. We decided to

add in a week in Paris before the work

conference so we could visit Euro Disney.

After booking our flights a few days just

before Christmas, we took some time

today to book our 1 hotel close to the

Park, then started to look at our 2nd

hotel that will be in Paris, along with

our train tickets to get from Paris over

to Spain, but that made me pretty anxious

so we took a break. We'll book the rest

of the next few days. Then we'll be all

ready once we get to our dates. For now,

it will be lots of dreaming. The 2nd

week is all paid for by his company and

all planned out, so that will be so very

relaxed. I'm nervous about flying over

the sea but know this is too fun to pass.

A beautiful start to the New Year!

💗 Chy 💗

Kids Trip.

We're just a bit giddy over here with the

news our kids will be taking the long

weekend to zip away. A concert, friends,

good food and a hotel. Now we just

have to figure out what we'll do while

everyone is away. It'll be so truly quiet!

~ Chy

Style.

After our scrumptious dinner, we wandered

around the huge hotel to explore for a bit.

Came across the ballroom which was

being set up for a big event the next day.

The ceiling was amazing. I would spend

the entire event staring at it's beauty.

What used to be a working fountain is

now a planter out in the long hallway.

Flying Away.

On Halloween Night, my lovey and I

boarded a plane to travel to our Capital.

We've never flown in the Emergency exit

before. Loved all the extra large leg room.

Our trip was planned in just a few days.

We've been asked to speak in the House

of Commons, an honor most will never

have. We were so touched and eager to

do so and we will share our "amazing trip

of a lifetime" over the next couple of posts.

Dreaming ....

.... of our upcoming trip to our favorite place

on Earth. Our cottage is booked, the flights

are set, we rented a car and now we just

need to finish up work here so we can pack.

Not going for a few weeks but I'm so happy

to have this in place .... go away Winter!

Missing the Sea.

I'm missing the sea so much right now. Wishing

I could hop a plane and head straight to our tiny

little island on the coast. But deadlines loom,

many tasks are waiting and my to do list keeps

getting longer and longer every day. I'm working

through it so I can get to the sea as soon as I can.

Thick Fog.

The morning we left my cousin's house to come

home, this is the sight that greeted us outside.

Thick fog that made it hard to see. 

It felt spooky to walk through the trees.

Our path off the farm. Would we make it home?

The fields bathed in fog ....

And the highway was more than a nightmare ....

But finally we left the fog behind and by the end

of the day, this beautiful sight greeted us ~ home!

Our trip to the Mountains!

We live just 3 hours from the mountains and love to go for short trips, to breathe the beautiful air, relax in the quiet and explore the wide open spaces. The sea will always be my favorite place to rejuvenate my soul but the mountains are a pretty close second!

Dh had a business trip, but I was far too busy to tag along, so he "kidnapped" me on Thursday morning and off we went, me protesting most of the way there. But in the end, he was right. I needed a break and we needed to spend some time together. On our way, we had to stop to allow this family a chance to wander across the highway. 

A visit to the prestigious Jasper Park Lodge. I've never stayed here but dh has and he likes it but our favorite is the "castle" in Banff. We stayed there just a few short years ago, up in a turret, far from the noise of town, with incredible views of the mountains. Hope to stay there again one day. The lodge is not as grand as the Banff Springs Hotel. I find it quite dated and not as plush or welcoming. But lovely to spend some time there. Marilyn Monroe and Bob Hope both listed this as their favorite getaways, back in the day!

Our first day was chilly and cool but at least it wasn't raining like it was back home. We walked around the grounds and took some pictures at the lake. Such breathtaking scenery. And so very quiet!

The mist started to come down and the wind picked up, so it was time to head back to town and our humble abode for the next few days. 

More pictures and commentary to follow!

Disney!

Our trip to Disney was amazing.

All our planning paid off big time!

Mother Nature did have some fun

and spread some snow the morning

we were leaving. Happy to leave!

Our little guy B had no idea where

he was going. That was the best,

waiting for his final reaction once he knew!

Big B and little B, heading to the plane.

Finding his seat.

First plane ride and he decided

that the best parts were the turbulence!!

Big surprise when our bus to take us from L.A.

to Anaheim pulled up with McQueen on the side.

We played, we tanned, we ate, we slept

and we rode all the rides. We met all the

characters and splashed in the pool. It was

sunny, hot but not too hot, perfect in so many

ways. Everyone started planning the next

trip in 2016 before we were even off the plane.

Fun!!

Packing and more packing!

We've started our packing journey early but for a few good reasons. With just 6 months before the big move out to the country, we need to decide what we are taking, what we are selling and what we are donating. So far, we've packed up 24 boxes of things we'll take (our treasures), thrown out 12 blue bags of recycling items that are no longer functional or paper that we don't need, and boxed up 4 boxes of items to donate and 4 bags of clothes. My Christmas dishes are tucked away in tissue and snug in heavy duty boxes. Our excess bedding is no longer crowding up our tiny linen closet but packed and waiting for the new house. All the dollhouse fixtures and furnishings are boxed up and books are slowly leaving our bookcases to their designated cardboard homes. Next on our list is the basement storage room where we'll go thru old toys and kids clothes that are no longer needed. My husband is going thru his office this weekend and will be getting rid of his old photography equipment and film accessories that are now outdated and he no longer uses. 

Amazing how comfortable we've gotten here over the last 22 years. Doesn't matter how often we purge and reorganize, we still have tons of "stuff" that really isn't needed. I remember when we were flipping houses how freeing it was to move every 2 years and along the way, purge the stuff we didn't need any longer. I like this process and we'll have to make sure in the new house, with all the new extra space, that we don't start to fill it up!

The second level of packing we're doing is for our upcoming Disney trip. We leave in just 8 short days, so the packing has begun! Today, I'm going thru my list of what needs to be packed to see if there is anything I need to pick up. A bit of shopping is on the agenda for the weekend or later today, if dh gets home early as he's planning. Passports are ready to go and my camera is charged up. Almost ready to go!

Any packing tips to share for a big move?

Passport Picture Day!

We took a big step towards our proposed

Disney trip that we'd like to take with

our daughter and grandson this spring.

Today, we all got our Passport Pictures taken.

Each of us had 1 take. Our guy, B, had a few

extra shots taken. The photographer was great!

She let him laugh and be giggly at the beginning.

Then, on cue, he was able to hold a serious

shot, with his head square, eyes open, 

mouth closed and no hint of a smile. 

He nailed it! 

Now we take it in and see if the Passport office

agrees that it's quite the handsome picture!!

List for a busy day!

1. Bring the suitcases up from the basement. We take one small carry on each & one backpack each. No checking bags for this trip. Then we can get off the plane & head straight to our rental car. Easy peasy!

2. Print off our taxes to send in. I may try to Netfile. Haven't done it before but worked well for all our kids returns. Our refunds should be deposited into our account by the end of July. 

3. Reorganize the Tornado Box. We just had a threat last week & with the current Flood Watch we are under, we want to make sure the girls are prepared while we're away. 

4. Organize files & pay the bills for July. I like to go away knowing things are taken care of. No worries. No deadlines. Nothing to come back to that needs attention immediately.

5. Plant the last few plants that are waiting for my attention. I'm hoping my husband can still build the raised garden bed. We have the materials, the soil, the plants & I laid out the boards. He just needs to cut them & attach them together. Then fill with dirt, plant the plants & we're done!

6. Pay my staff before Friday. I have one time sheet on hand so one will be paid today. The other two are taking their sweet time so I'll need to do some prodding today!

7. Contact the owner of our building where our centre resides. I'd like to know our new lease will be in place by the end of August. Driving me crazy that this guy is soooooo slow!

8. Any loose ends to tie up completed by Friday morning so in the afternoon we just need to finish packing & relax. Early night, early morning flight & we'll be off. 

Wish us luck that we get everything done!!