I've got a horseshoe around my neck

Yesterday this email showed up in my inbox!!

You might remember that last week you told us what songs to hear on KooL 101.5 with our Friends with Benefits Music Club and in reply you could win a $100 GC to Chinook Centre?!

Congratulations! Your gift card is ready for pick-up here at the KooL studios in Downtown Calgary!

All our information is listed bellow in my signature.

If you have any questions please do send me an email or give me a call directly and I’ll be more than happy to get back to you.

Yippee!!

Now what to spend it on...

The Last of the Awesome Things from September

When Mackenzie (our niece) turned 16 years old we made a "deal" with her.  Rather then buy her presents for the next couple of years (because really how much do clothes and makeup mean (although I guess they do mean a lot to a teenager))  Darryl and I thought it would be more fun to make some memories and take her to New York City instead.  So the second last weekend of September, off we went. 

Here are some of our highlights:

Food.  New York City has the BEST food.  And usually it's all quite reasonably priced.  The first night Darryl and I went to a little Italian Restaurant.  Darryl has his favorite, risotto and I had a delicious salmon pasta dish.  We shared a bottle of wine too.  Another night we had a 5 course thai meal in Hell's Kitchen and it was 15.95.  Hell's Kitchen had so many good restaurants, if you ever go to NYC I would recommend that area for the food.

Hotel: We stayed really close to Times Square, which was great for the walking and even though it was right beside a parole office I wasn't worried about our security.  Last time I was in NYC we were on the upper west side and we had to take the train everytime to get places.  It was nice to have the option to walk a lot of places.

Company: It was really fun to spend the 4 days with Lori and Mackenzie.  It's so nice to see them and although I don't mind going to London, it's way more fun to meet up in NYC! They were up for all the walking and sight seeing we did.  It was also fun to have a weekend with my husband who is the best company.

On Thursday we walked up 5th Ave, which has all the really posh stores.  It was there we had "breakfast at Tiffanys", went to the Apple store, walked through Louis Vitton and went to one of the greatest toys store FAO Schwartz.  There we got all kinds of cool candy and danced on the big piano from the movie Big.  After that we walked through Central Park, went to the Central Park Zoo and then went to Wicked in the evening. If you ever get a chance to see Wicked I HIGHLY recommend it.  It is the best broadway show I've ever seen.  It's so good I've seen it three times. 



On Friday we  walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and had pizza in Brooklyn.


I didn't bring the right socks so I got a blister so we took the train home and changed my shoes.

Darryl and I also had our delicious Thai Meal that day.

On Saturday we went to the 9/11 Memorial.  Which had a TON of security.



I think there was more security there then at the airport.  There were metal detectors, you had to show your free ticket about 8 times.  Above is a picture of one of the pools and fountains, which is what they did in memory of the two towers and the people who died in the tradegy.  It is a beautiful tribute, something I recommend.  Just be ready for the security.

Then we headed to Century 21 which is like a bigger and better Winners.  Then we headed to the Shake Shack!  Which is my favorite places for hamburgers and shakes and ice cream.  I highly recommend it when you go to NYC.  After that we went on the Staten Island Ferry, which has absolutely no security.  You don't need a ticket, you just get on, they don't even count how many people get on.  The staten island ferry is one of the great deals of NYC.  Free and you get a great view of the skyline as well as the Statue of Liberty. After that we headed back to the room and went to another Broadway show, Chicago.  Which was also brilliant. 

Sunday we packed up and then walked to the Davids Tea =)

On our walk we also saw Grand Central Station, which is beautiful and saw the apple store there too.



We also walked by 30 Rockefeller Center and went into the NBC store where we got a lot of very cool souvenirs from NBC's we love.  I got to pretend I was on the Voice too.   





If you ever get a chance to go to NYC, I definitely recommend it. The shows and the sights and the food are like no where else!  Okay Mackenzie and Lori, where do we meet up next?

Jenn

Monthly Newsletter: 86 months

Dear Lucas,

Today you turned 86 months old, which seems crazy old, but I guess that's what happen when you are 7 =).  We say 7 rather then 86 months, cause that sounds like so many months.  I haven't written you a newsletter in a couple of months as it was your birthday fairly recently and I usually write these each year now, but with blogging everyday this is a good way to fill the day (and I like talking to you).

You are at a great age for chats.  You are smart and kind and funny, so talking to you is quite enjoyable.



School has been going really well for you.  You are enjoying and excelling at grade two.  Each night we practice your "mots de semaine" and your reading.  With your mots de semaine, you get progressively better each day so that on Friday when you have your test, you often get perfect.  We are very proud of you and your accomplishements.  Earlier this month I wanted to check in with your teacher to see how you are doing.  Here is the email I sent:

I just wanted to check in and see how Lucas has been doing in class?  We've talked to him at home and he says everything is good and he's really enjoying school, but there were times last year that he said that and he was still having a hard time in class.  Just wanted to make sure he's not getting too upset and able to participate in class.

Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving.   

And this is the beautiful email I received from her:

Good afternoon Jenn,
I can only say that I have not seen any tears nor teary eyes but I did witness many smiles on his little face. He truly seems to be enjoying his time in grade 2. Positive comments/reinforcements light up his face. If I notice something negative, I'll let you know.
Have a great Thanksgiving too.

She has done a great job of providing a safe learning environment for you and you are doing really well.  I feel lucky that you have such a great teacher this year.  



The other big development for you in the past couple of months is your love and abilites in reading.  You can now read a chapter book in a week.  We have set a new routine where you read your chapter book till 9pm and then it's lights out.  You are very proud of yourself, as we are very proud of you too.   Luckily you can get a new book each week at the library and we are not going broke buying you books.  But I'm so happy you have the same love of reading that your Dad and I have.



Other then that things have been pretty status quo.  You are in swimming lessons again this year, although it is getting more and more challenging, so you didn't enjoy it as much as when it was easy peasy for you.  But your swimming is really improving, you can swim a whole lap of the pool doing the front stroke and the back stroke.  And this week in class you did the best dive of the class.  Even though you are one of the smallest and youngest in the class, I'm glad I keep pushing you to go as I am really seeing improvements to your skills.   

You are losing lots of teeth.  The other day you had enough money from all the tooth fairy visits that you could buy yourself a pokemon card pack.  

I love you and I'm proud of what a great kid you are. 

love mom 

New Music Tuesday

When Tammy and I traveled to the middle of the state, we were crossing two artists off our concert bucket lists.  Dave Matthews was one, although now that I've been to the concert I'm not exactly sure why.... But the opener was also on our bucket list was the Avett Brothers.  I fell in love with the Avett Brothers when they put out the album I and Love and You.  



At the concert I also really enjoyed their earlier "crazier" stuff.  Sometimes when I listen to it now I'm surprised that I enjoy it.  But when you see music live it can give you a different appreciation for it.



They are fantastic songwriters too.  Their songs can bring tears to my eyes and tell great stories.



Enjoy it!

Jenn

Recipe.... Monday

It's not meatless, it's not a great recipe, but I'm starting to run out of ideas, for every day!

So as per Lesleys' request, here is my favorite salad recipe lately. 

Lettuce- it's best to use romaine or a mixed lettuce.
Tomatos: diced cherry tomato have the best flavor
Chicken: whatever is available.
The two key ingredients:
1. Renee's Asian Dressing ( probably any sort of sesame dressing would work, but Renee is canadian and delicious.
2.  PC Salad Topping: Asian Blend.  It's got almonds,  chow mein noodles and other seeds

I love my asian salad.

Jenn

Zoo Day

In September when we went to NYC, we went to the zoo in Central Park.  Darryl loved it and took a lot of pictures.  When we got home and I was going through the pictures I realized I have more pictures of animals then I do of all other things "New York".  (More details on the NYC trip coming up this week.) It made me realize that we don't take Darryl to the zoo often enough here, as I wasn't as excited about the NYC zoo as Darryl, Lori and Mackenize, but it's because I take the kids to the zoo all the time.  So today we took Darryl to the zoo.

It was kind of an overcast day, but it gave us a chance to see lots of the animals.  Plus it wasn't as busy, but still very warm.  Even the penguins, we were able to walk right in!  Here are some of the picture highlights:

 Here's Lucas with the two hippos, one of them new to the Calgary Zoo.

Here's on of my favorite pictures with the beautiful fall colors!

 Here's another new addition to the zoo, it's the three baby tigers (although they are already really big)

 Riding the Lion Statue

 Lucas making friends with Yolande, the baby gorilla.

 Lucas the Butterfly Whisperer.  He's got a pretty good way of getting the butterflies to walk on his finger. 

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

What I Wore October 13th

 HEre's what I wore today shopping, but in hindsight, no the most flattering, so I won't be wearing it again.

Black Jeans: Old Navy
Black Toms
Black Tank: Old Navy
Green Henly: Also OldNavy

 This was a good outfit.. it incorporated a scarf and I love scarves.

Boots: Winners
Jeans: Skinny, Banana Republic
Shirt: Brown Old Navy
Scarf: Present from Alexis =)

This was my work outfit this week
Black Flats: Locale (which is my favortie shoe store and I think it's going out of buisness)
Black Jeans: Old Navy
Shirt: RW and Co

Last Monday outfit:

Jeans: Sevens
Grey Tank Top Underneath: Got at a store in London, whose name eludes me but has incredibly cheap and cool clothes..... Alexis if you are reading this and remember can you put it in the comments
Striped Sweater: Old Navy

In conclusion I think I wear alot of clothes from Old Navy....

Jenn

A funny comment

Nathan says to me this morning " Mom I'm cleaning so you don't have to".  He's so sweet.  He's such a great kid.   Little does he know....

 

 Happy Friday!

Jenn

The Day I Turned 33

We did something awesome.

It all started about 4 months ago when my dad was talking about getting back into shape.  He said he was going on his staitionary bike in the basement.  My sister and I talked about "smart" goals, specific measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound.  I suggested for Thanksgiving we should all ride the bike path between Canmore and Banff.  But my sister thought it might be snowing then, so we decide to do it for my birthday.

So for my 33rd birthday off I went to do the bike path between Canmore and Banff.  Unfortunately Mom and Dad were in Hawaii so they couldn't do it with us, but I did follow through on the goal.  We headed out to Canmore where we rented a trailer for Nathan then asked the rental place where we should start from.  They suggested we could start from their store and leave our cars there.  So off we headed




It was a beautiful ride that wasn't overly challenging. It was all nicely paved and had a beautiful spot to stop.


 

As with a lot of my adventures I don't always have an exact plan. I have an idea but since I've never done it before there are parts of it I just figure out while I'm in it. Once we got to Banff it was 3:45. It had taken us about 2 hours to get there. But the trailer needed to be back in Canmore in an hour and 15 minutes. Earlier in the day the big boys stated they wanted to bike both ways so Darryl, Pat and Matt headed back to Canmore. Tammy and I loitered at a park of a time share resort we stayed at oh... 15 years ago...

 At one point Shaun needed to use the washroom, so I took him to the lobby. While waiting for him I overheard a videographer looking for the "Stoic Wedding" and where does my brain go, to congratulations or that nice. Nope I make a mental note of the name just in case someone tries to kick us out of the playground. "Oh no we are here for the Stoic wedding"... ha ha I think it's from watching all that Alias.

Also at one point I saw something in the forest behind the park, being in the mountains (and not getting a good look) I thought, look a fox. Ends up it was just a squirrel. After an hour the boys came back to get us and we headed to Canmore and the Iron Goat for a delicious birthday dinner, while the Three Sisters were out the window.

Definitely a memorable birthday!

Jenn

My 1st Collection

The other day Lesley blogged about her collection of jeans, which made me think about some of the things that I collect.  The first one is tea.  I LOVE tea.  But I'm leaving that post for later (mostly because I don't have a picture yet)  The second thing I "collect" is concert tshirts.  I have been to A LOT of concerts.  I don't get a shirt for each concert I've been too (or I would have 12 BNL tshirts), but I get alot of them.  I love them because they remind me of the music and the experience. 




From the left to the right.... BNL, Tsunami Benefit Concert, Dave Matthews, Ingrid Michaelson, BNL, Second Row: Coldplay, Weakerthans, Weakerthans and Dixie Chicks. 

Do you have any concert t-shirts?  Do you love them?

Jenn