Montreal

As promised here are some pictures of our weekend in Montreal. Actually it is a video that was produced by 3D Productions and I pinched it off her site. There is no way that I could do a better job in presenting the weekend in pictures then she did.

That said - pictures are pictures and can't totally captivate the wonderfulness of the weekend and the FANTASTIC hosts that D&D are. We are so lucky to have them in our lives and as friends.

Sit back and enjoy the show.



I can't hear the music - I hope you can...if you can't view properly, you can visit The Creators and see AND hear from their site...

Talking

Tonight Mark and I went to the L*eafs game!

It was a GREAT game - they even WON!!!!

The man sitting behind me TALKED through the WHOLE game.

He knew EVERYTHING - AND I MEAN EVERYTHING!!

It was exhausting listening to him...

Happy Birthday Husband!!

Today is my hubby's birthday!!

I love him the best!

Enjoy your day!!

CUPCAKES for you this weekend!!

*****UPDATE***** Did ANYONE think to tell me that I spelled HAPPY wrong in the title of the post...I am embarrassed - I just noticed it now and corrected it...

BAD BLOGGER

I am a bad blogger...

I have fallen off the blogger wagon...

It was pointed out to me tonight by K1 that I don't post anymore...

She is correct...

I am going to get a post together about our amazing time in Montreal this past weekend with our great friends D&D. I am just a little slow.

I am going to do my best to post more frequently - starting now...

A few weeks ago, I was adamant about getting on the treadmill kick starting things...I lasted a day...

We will see how this goes!

Sigh...

Here is my bitch session:

We have had LOTS of snow recently - last week and this week. The snow is NOT a surprise. The news was reporting it everywhere. EVERYONE knew it was coming.

I - as the conscientious employee - sets my alarm earlier so that I have time to clean off my car and drive through the snow and the traffic to get to work at my normal time. I make the effort.

There are many in my office who DON'T change their routine and continually show up 20-40 minutes late. They don’t shorten their lunch. They don't stay later at the end of the day.

These people are also smokers. So not only do they show up late for work, they take MULTIPLE breaks in the morning AND the afternoon to smoke.

As far as I can tell - other then the health concerns for smoking, there are no consequences for their actions.

Why do I bother to get up early to get to work on time to do my job?? WHY??

Here is me who stays late and worries when I take 5 minutes longer for lunch.

I truly think that these people don't even think that they are doing anything wrong!!

Apparently it doesn't matter what time you show up. It doesn't matter how many breaks you take and it doesn't matter what you do while you are sitting at your desk holding your head up while staring at the internet!! AAGGHH!!!

To top things off - the boss might send everyone home early because of the weather. Well I start work at 7:00 and other people in the department are SUPPOSED To start at 8:00, but might show up at 8:40 - well at 2:45 he sends everyone home - GEE THANKS - 15 minutes for me and I was the ONLY one who showed up in time in the first place. So, while I worked 7hours 45 minutes, they worked 6 hours!!!

It is frustrating as I work in a union environment and everyone gets the same pay - no mater how much work you accomplish.

Sigh…

14 Months...

Today is our 14 month LID...yeah??

I know that 14 are behind us and we don't have to do them again, but I would really like to think that we are 1/3 the way there and I just can't say that yet...sigh

Wow - I am being a downer, however, it is hard to get too excited about something that you are not sure is ever going to happen and IF it is to happen, you really don't know when.

On to better topics - Dolores and Shawn - HAPPY 14 MONTHS to you! Thanks for being there to share these with us. You have certainly made the journey MUCH more bearable!

Tagged

I have been tagged by Mother Mother Ocean

I am supposed to provide some interesting little facts about me… here goes nothin’!

4 jobs I’ve had - these are past tense and NOT my current position:
1. Dairy Queen - started out as an 'everything person' and ended as a Shift Leader
2. Waitress in Australia - LOVED IT!
3. Sold 'frogs' that you put in your plant that will 'ribbit' when your plant needs water
4. Showroom supervisor for a book wholesaler

4 movies watched over and over:
1. Dirty Dancing
2. Grease
3. The American President
4. Independence Day

4 places I’ve lived:
1. Rexdale, ON
2. Mississauga, ON
3. Sydney, NSW Australia
4. There isn't a fourth place...

4 shows I watch:
1. The Unit
2. The Amazing Race
3. Criminal Minds
4. Brothers and Sisters

4 people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Doris
2. Kathy
3. Jennifer
4. My mom

4 favorite things to eat:
1. Sunflower Seeds
2. French Fries
3. Pomegranates
4. Harvey's

4 places I’d rather be:
1. Manly Beach, NSW Australia
2. Working on an 'around the world' plane ticket
3. Melbourne Australia - that is where Carol is and she just had a baby...
4. Anywhere that Mark is with me

4 things I look forward to this year:
1. Re-decorating the third bedroom/office
2. Traveling - you can never travel enough
3. Visiting friends
4. Christmas

OK, now I get to tag 4 other people!
1. Doris
2. K1
3. Dolores
4. Rhonda

Happy Anniversary H!!!

Four years ago today, on a beach in Cuba, Mark and I were married.

It was a beautiful warm and sunny day. We had sand between our barefoot toes. Sigh...

The last four years have been FANTASTIC. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I am the luckiest woman in the world!

Happy Anniversary H!

More Australia Pictures

Here are some more pictures that we took in Australia. I FINALLY got them all downloaded on the new computer after the crash! Thank goodness they were still on the camera!

The first four are of the area surrounding Hobart in Tasmania.







These next two are of SOUTHBANK in the city of Brisbane in Queensland. There is a man made beach right in the city - very cool.




After Brisbane we headed to Newcastle to stay with some friends. Take took us to the Hunter Valley - a wine region. We went to these beautiful gardens - wow - this synopsis of our trip is shrinking and shrinking!! LOL







Then we were off to Sydney so that we could head to Manly Beach (that is where we saw J*nn Ard*n).

I am sure that you all recognize this famous landmark!!





These last pictures are of Manly Beach - one of my VERY favourite places in Australia. I can't even explain how wonderful it is. Sigh...I miss it.







So that about sums up our trip very briefly. We had a fantastic time and we were very lucky to get to experience that again! I am thinking it is going to be a LONG time before we get back there again!

Thanks for reading and enjoying the pictures! Now to plan for the next trip...

Bad News...

Bad News ahead - do not proceed if you don't want to know!! You have been warned!

Our China Adoption Agency e-mailed us today and told us to expect our referral in early 2012...That will a 5 1/2 year wait...

Here is a breakdown of their ESTIMATES:

2008 - Up to mid March - somewhere between the 14th & 20
2009 - Up to Mid May - somewhere between the 20-30
2010 - Up to the end of August (remember this is a 2006 LID)
2011 - Up to the end of November
2012 - US...we are the beginning of December.

I don't know that there is anything else to say.

Sigh...

13 Month LID

Today we celebrate 13 months past in our wait for Pumpkin.

Optimism for this wait has gone out the window. This is NOT what we signed up for and trying to keep positive is getting REALLY difficult!

But today - we will try and focus on the good part of this wait and that is the lunch we are going to share with Dolores and Shawn this afternoon to celebrate our 13 months!

Touring Tasmania

O.k. back to the trip and the requested pictures!

We had a few days in our camper touring around Tasmania. It really is a beautiful state. We had an 'animal' day that we went to a wildlife park and saw some animals up close and personal!

But on to the pictures as that is what you all want to see!









The view from our campsite...sigh - it was pretty!

My Hero!

Yesterday, after reading about my computer troubles,
Dolores called to see if Shawn could help out. I am sure that she could have heard my sigh of relief at her house!

THAT NIGHT - Dolores and Shawn came over and equipped with an old computer and a portable drive. After a quick gab, Shawn got to work. He plugged the 'thingy' in the 'whatchamacallit' and made the 'whatsit' work. In no time at all, my computer files were being downloaded to the portable drive - where they now sit.

Some of the information was lost (though I am not exactly sure what), but the majority of my pictures are intact!!

I actually slept better last night knowing that everything was going to be o.k!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH SHAWN for rescuing me and precious pictures!

NOW...

My task is to now go and find a new computer in which to transfer these files to.

I am so sad...

I am so sad...

On Christmas Eve I woke up and was heading to my computer and noticed that it had crashed in the night. It was 'looping'. Trying to reboot.

It is now 3 days later and it is STILL trying to reboot. I am not thinking that it ever will (if there is someone close who can help - please let me know)

I am sad...

I really did keep meaning to back up my pictures.

I really did mean to buy and external hard drive.

I really did mean to print my pictures.

I really did mean to save them on CD's.

Now they are gone - all of them.

I don't know what to do.

I am so sad...

Tazzy and First Full day in the Camper

Here is a slide show of our first day in the camper and touring around Tasmania.

Back to the trip

After leaving Melbourne, we were heading for Tasmania - another state. Tasmania is an island and we had just received our campervan so we booked passage on the ship THE SPIRIT OF TASMANIA for us and our campervan.

It was a great experience. It was like being on a mini cruise ship for the night and we both totally enjoyed it. Well mostly enjoyed it...the water was ROUGH while trying to sleep. I was not sure if my dinner was going to stay in my stomach.

Us and our campervan - home away from home for 5 nights

In line to get on the ship
Our cabin for the night
Melbourne from the sea

We made it over to Tasmania in the morning and had a great time driving around.

I have more pictures, but blogger is not letting me down load them...

Beach Day!

First off I would like to apologize for not getting more pictures posted. It is really difficult to find an internet place that will let you download. We have taken LOADS of photos, but apparently only we can look at them...

Yesterday we were sitting on the beach (sigh) enjoying the FANTASTIC weather when we were looking at the lady sitting beside us. Mark was whispering "I think that is ***". I said "Really?" I don't know that that is her.

Mark decided to go up to her and say "Are you J*ann Ard*en?" and she replied SOMETIMES, YES! He spoke to her for a few minutes and told her that he went to see her when she was in Hamilton last time.

About an hour later, she went into her bag and pulled out a Hamilton P*olice T-shirt and said - Look what I am wearing. We all had a good laugh.

That said, I don't know if the Non-Canadians would know who she is.

It was cool! She is down her doing some work and decided to take the afternoon off to sit on the beach!

Our day in Melbourne

I know I am getting behind on my pictures here. It is not always easy to find a place that you can download your photos.

Here are some pictures from our day in Melbourne. We spent a good part of the day at the Queen Victoria Markets. I LOVE markets!!

One Year LID!

We interrupt this vacation to bring you the celebration of our ONE YEAR LID!!

I didn't think we would have to wait this long...

I know it is only the 5th in North America, but it is the 6th here in Australia!

I hope that Dolores & Shawn - who also share our LID - have a wonderful 1 year celebration! We will have to make up for it when we return.

I will post more pictures when I can, but it is difficult to find somewhere that will let you download anything.

I hope all is well with everyone and now we will resume our vacation!!

November 28 & 29

On Wednesday November 28th, Mark and I, along with Carol, headed to the Geelong waterfront. This is the area that Carol lives. We took a nice walk along the boardwalk and had lunch at a waterfront cafe. I could really get used to this lifestyle!!



On November 29th, Carol took us for a drive along the Great Ocean Road. What BEAUTIFUL views we saw. It was incredible. It was also VERY windy and bendy and curvy and up and downy and...you get the picture. However, it was all worth it with these STUNNING photos...



Next up - our day in Melbourne!