New Cuisine

My parents took Keith out for Vietnamese food for his birthday.  Neither of us had eaten it before.

All I can say is we're in love.

It's absolutely scrumptious.
Oh and I'm in love with Keith too!  Happy Birthday to my ever patient husband who's job in life is to scrape his ever fretful wife off  of the ceiling!!

Bevy

I was introduced to a new beverage last weekend that I want to share with you!  It's a delightfully refreshing and low calorie drink that will be perfect for sipping in summer.  A couple tablespoons of lime cordial in a glass, club soda and ice.
Try it and let me know what you think!

Chad Turns 12

Chad's actual birthday on April 18th was busy with 'real life' so we weren't able to have much of a celebration until the next day.  Chad chose a supper out at White Spot.  We rarely eat out as a family so it was quite a treat and I am so pleased that Liam can behaved properly in a restaurant.  No booster chair, no bib, no fuss!  I think we're getting there.

 

 Chad and Nate both chose a big bacon cheddar burger that they devoured.

 And then the next evening we had the families over for cake and gifts.  Chad received some cash and a great croquet set that we will all enjoy playing in the back yard.

 Liam likes parties and still had to be reminded a few times that it wasn't his turn to get presents. 

 We usually lump Keith's birthday into the same night to convenience sake.  I surprised him with a Blueray player.  He's never asked for one or even mentioned wanting one but I know he loved it.  It will also be nice to have the option to get Netflix if we so desire.

 Chad chose a Brownie Swirl cheesecake for his birthday so it was pretty tasty!  Happy Birthday to my two April loves. 

Dining Room - Check

After looking for a buffet to complete my dining room for a long time we finally found the perfect piece at Ikea.  I had actually seen this piece a year ago but wasn't sure about it at that time.  After shopping around our local furniture stores I realized that the price of this buffet was quite reasonable and it's solid wood to boot!  Rare for Ikea furniture.

So as you can see it barely fits but no matter, it's there to stay!

Thank you Keith for assembling the 30,000 pieces.  You're a keeper.

And the lovely artwork is an original oil painted by my Aunt Herta.  Love it!

You can check out some of her work here:  http://hertaeringallery.weebly.com/

Hard Work Pays Off

 

Chad is officially finished with his speech therapist.

I am quite shocked at what a quick process this was (Oct - April).  Chad worked very hard with his 'homework' from the therapist and made excellent progress from one appointment to the next.

Our therapist was a delightful and encouraging lady who Chad really responded well to and this was a part of his success.

I'm delighted that I don't have the worry of having a child that talks 'funny' anymore.  We never minded too much but I know it bothered him and it's no fun to be teased about it either.  Chad had quite enough of being asked where his accent was from.

So, bravo Chad.

We are ever so proud of you!

 

Sushi Reward

We thought that Chad did pretty well in term one but in term two he blew us away!
He upped his GPA from 82% to 87% and landed a place in high honours and received a 'most improved' award.
And so we believe such success must be encouraged and rewarded accordingly.
I give you a sushi extravaganza......

First Year Complete

 

Hard to believe but Liam made it through year one of the Wee College program.  It took him a few months to get into it but after that he was a real keener.  He's quite an evangelist and is very open to telling people he's going to heaven because he loves Jesus!

 

I caught the older alumni humming along to the songs as they sat through the program.  Yes indeed...those songs and verses are definitely written on their hearts.

 And because he did such a fantastic job he was properly rewarded when we got home!  I was especially proud when the boy standing next to him on the choir riser repeatedly poked Liam in the stomach and Liam just gave him 'the look' and kept on singing his heart out.

Christmas in April

With my Christmas gift from Andrew which was a gift card from Homesense I bought myself a full length mirror.  We'd be without since our previous house so it's nice to be able to see how tight my pants are all at once!  Ha ha.

He Remembered

While cruising, I mentioned to Keith on more than on occasion how much I liked turn down service.  So on our first night home he provided it.

Awww....he's a keeper!

 

Tin Woodman

ACT's spring production was the 'Wizard of Oz'.  Nate got a pretty significant role as the Tin Woodsman.  He did a great job and as always, we are proud!

Liam is at the age now where he can sit through a show without talking or fidgeting.  He was enthralled and enjoyed it so much.  He thinks Nathan is pretty cool!

 

 After the show everyone comes on stage to take pictures of the cast and some little kids want autographs.  It's so cute!  William doesn't do many family activities with us but I didn't give him a choice today.

Two of the many things I appreciate about ACT is that it's given Nathan a steady confidence in himself.  He might be a quiet sort of guy but he knows his mind and he's unshakable in his convictions.  Also, he's got a fantastic group of friends that are from all different schools, walks of life and beliefs.  I think this is so important to make him into a well-rounded person.  I never have wanted him to only have a bubble of just Christian friends.
So now we are finished with rehearsals until September.  Auditions for the next season are coming up in June and Chad says he's going to try out.  Good heavens!  Two actors in the family?  I don't know how we're going to handle post-production blues times two!

Two Years Here

It just hit me the other day.  We have been at our house for two years now!  I would like to say we are completely settled but alas...not quite true.
There are some rooms that look like we just moved in yesterday.  So many bare walls because I cannot make decisions about décor.  Empty spaces because buying more furniture is not quite in the budget.  The garage is a mess and Keith has his life planned for the next 10 years working on my 'honey-do' list!
One thing I am spending a portion of my tax refund on though are blinds for all the upstairs bedrooms.  We did the main floor and bathrooms when we moved in and it has bothered me a bit that they don't match! 
OCD...I know.
So, I am happy that are getting measured today for new 2-inch blinds and will be rid of the nasty one inch beasts!

Nathan Turns 15!

http://terryography.blogspot.ca/2013/03/grandson-delight.html

Well, we missed the official day (March 18) but my parents took over the celebration.
Andrew also took Nate out for mini-golf, dinner and a movie.
I'd say he did pretty well for himself!
Check out the link above for pictures.

But I just had to make him a cake myself so after being home a few days I did just that!  That boy is getting so tall...and by the way, Keith is on his tippy toes here!

Dad's Surprise Birthday!

I am not the only one in the family to have a milestone birthday this year. 

My dad had a very special 65th birthday on April 1st.  It was a day full of surprises!

It started with a men's only breakfast with his closest pals.  Keith was the emcee and they had fun roasting my dad who loves a good joke.

 Then that evening just us adults when for supper at Greek Islands.  It's consistently delicious there!

 

 My dad opened his cards not really having any clue the surprise inside.
My mother is literally trying not to spill the beans...just look at that effort!

 And the look of astonishment on his face was priceless as he read about his all-expense paid upcoming trip to Bryce Canyon, Utah next week which has amazing photography opportunities due to it's scenery.  He was speechless!

 

And then even though we were stuffed, we came back to our place for dessert.  Guinness Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze.  Oh yes!

 

We're so glad we could make his birthday special....he deserves it because he's such a great guy!

Coming Home

 

We woke up at 6 am in order to eat breakfast and disembark by our designated time of 8:35 am.  It was dark and we were just pulling into port as I drew the curtains.  There were two other ships coming in right after us as well.

 We had our final breakfast at the buffet and I didn't indulge in my usual gluttony of all the yummy things I had been eating.  I just have to say their scrambled eggs were so good every single day!  I had my usual toast and cold cereal.  I had a jumpy tummy for the flight ahead.  The restaurant was playing sad music instead of their usual upbeat tunes. That made us laugh a bit and then I laughed too much and I got teary.  Goodness!!  I blame hormones.

 Our final walk around the ship....took a few more pictures.  It was overcast but muggy.

 The Glass Blowing Show area.  We never did watch this.

 Farewell Fort Lauderale.  We do hope to be back!

 This wasn't a pretty terminal from this side of the boat.  Very industrial.

 So we waited at the assigned spot at 8:35 for about 45 minutes before we were let off the ship.  We scanned our sea pass in the card reader one last time and headed down the gang plank.  We picked up our luggage in the giant terminal and found they had BROKEN my telescopic handle on my giant suitcase so that really sucked.  We had to then line up for customs which took about 20 minutes and then took a taxi to the airport. It was all extremely well organized.  We got to the airport to find our flight was delayed an hour.  Sigh.
So we got back into the waiting game.  Thankfully that airport at free WiFi and I found that I was able to use both my Ipod touch and Kobo to communicate with my loved ones back home.  That was bonus!
The flight to Altanta was bumpy just like the flight down.  Upon descent we dropped a few times and I started to cry.  Keith was half sympathetic and half annoyed with my hysterics.  I told him that we were going to rent a car in Atlanta and drive home the rest of the way. 
Our layover in Atlanta wasn't very long.  Just enough time for Keith to grab a hot dog and I had a yogurt. 

 Thank goodness the flight to Seattle from Atlanta was very, very smooth and uneventful.  I was able to calm down and endure it.  This time we were at the back of the plane which I don't like.  We were surrounded by toddlers and babies, next to the bathrooms and close enough to hear the flight attendants gossiping in the back galley the entire time.  At least that was a distraction!
We landed on time at Seattle, our luggage came too and Keith's mom was there to pick us up!  SUCCESS!
At this point I was beyond exhausted and just wanted to get home but I knew I needed some protein in me so we stopped at a Starbucks so Keith could get coffee and I could get a sandwich.  Then we just headed straight north.  No issues at the border and before I knew it we were pulling into the driveway.  I flew into the house and hugged my boys really tight!
Liam was at my mom's and we picked him up the next morning after an awesome sleep in our bed.
He was so happy to see us.  He hugged me so hard and so long and kept pulling back to look into my eyes.  It was a good moment.  He told me he was smiling right up to his ears, he was so happy.

 We came home to glorious sunshine which was awesome.  It felt like we had left in winter and come home to spring.  Nate had received a badminton set for his birthday and it was fun to play with them in the sunshine.

And that my friends is a tale of our cruise.  Yes, we would cruise again and highly recommend Celebrity Cruise Lines. Yes, the horror of flying is worth it in the end.  Yes, we feel refreshed.  Yes, we are thankful that we could have this trip...huge thank you to Andrew, my parents and K's parents who all took care of our kids so brilliantly!

Cruising Day 10

Our last full day on board the Equinox.  Wow...time went by quickly but I do admit we felt it was a full holiday and time to go home.  It would take time to adjust to reality and not being pampered and served.  We hoped that we would remember to pay the bill the next time we ate out at home.  It was a dream to just get up and leave the table at the restaurant when you were done.  No bill, no tipping...just go!

We had looked into taking the 'Behind the Scenes' tour of the operations of the ship today but found out it was $150 per person so we decided we would do that in our retirement years when our travelling budget was bigger!

First on the agenda was to visit the portrait studio to select and purchase our formal night picture.

 

 Next we just poked our nose into all the 'hot spots' that we avoided in the evening.  Below is one of the many, many bars on board. 

 Next we went to a chef cook-off which included audience members.  It was very entertaining!

 The cookbook of a lot of the dishes they prepared for the dining room were in this book.  I wasn't interested in buying it but had to take a picture of the cover because it showed the fabulous wine cellar in the main dining room.  We didn't sit very close to it so this was the next best thing for getting a picture.

 

 The 'Quasar' bar was very space-age and this morning they were having a jewelry sale there.  All those old folks would flock to the sales like bees to honey. 

 Today we did something that we had never done before.  We had lunch in the main dining room!  It was amazing.  The salad starter was Key West salad.  Fresh butter lettuce, oranges, avocado, watermelon with a balsamic dressing.

 For the main course, Keith was told by the waiter he should order the lamb shank so Keith took his advice and was given this mammoth piece of meat.  Keith enjoyed it so much he ate every single last bite.  He could not stop talking about how delicious it was.  I don't like lamb so I didn't even taste it.

 I had an Asian noodle dish that was out of the world good.

 After lunch we went to listen to a NASA scientist talk about looking for life forms on Mars.  I know that sounds sort of dry but she was an excellent communicator and it was quite fascinating even if I didn't believe some of what she talked about.  Then we headed to our favorite deck for a few hours of sunbathing and reading.  On the way back from the deck we decided we should try the hot tub at least once!

Then it was time for ice cream.  I loved the ice cream parlor. You could get ice cream, sorbet or sherbet and soft serve ice cream.  Bowl or cone.  Sundae toppings too!  And the flavors changed daily. 

It was a highlight every afternoon to go and look at the menu at the main dining room to see what we could order that night.  I felt like this cruise really revolved around food.  Yep...and that's not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned!

So we got back to our room and started the packing up process as our luggage had to be out in the hallway that night by 11 pm.

Our final dinner was a teeny bit sad.  We said our good bye to our waiters and new friends at the table next to us.

 Our new New York friends.  Mike and Stephanie Kennedy in the back and Linda and Dan Swain seated.  Sincerely the nicest and kindest people I have met in a long time.

 My appetizer was something delicious.  I can no longer remember what was inside but it seems to me it might have been olives, mushrooms and spinach?!  For someone like me who generally doesn't like olives or mushrooms I sure ate a lot of them!

 Keith enjoyed cod for his last dinner.

 Our cozy table for two right by the window.

I had turkey dinner with the trimmings.  It was really good but not like mom's.

 One last pose at the pool.

 Studying the route one last time.  Looking at all the island we would love to visit in the future!

 These signs were located at every floor as you got off the elevator.  We almost always took the stairs for exercise but there were times it we indulged in a lazy ride.

 You could really never get lost with all the signage and after 10 days on board we knew the ship pretty well.

 Packing up the final items.  Oh what a wonderful time it had been!  The next day was not something to look forward to as it would involve an entire day of travelling.