Category Archives: Travel

Hunkering Down & Dreaming

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Well, it’s “slow-cooker Sunday” and we are hunkering down for tonight’s bit of snow. As we wait for our tasty and perfectly-cooked dinner, I am thinking and dreaming… I am envisioning the travel we will be embarking on here and there over the next few months… So In the midst of what I hope is the season’s final dump of the white stuff, I am dreaming of escaping winter and feeling the warm air of… anywhere really… It’s already March and I haven’t gone anywhere since winter vacation. That’s quite a stretch for me!

So let’s break the next few months down. As I evaluate my schedule (some plans include destination running), envision yours and make your travel plans too, if you haven’t already!

  1. March… nada. Sniff. Was hoping to through in a FL weekend to get some sunshine. Not looking good.
  2. April – DC (run), NM, CA (run)
  3. May – AB
  4. June – potentially MA (run)
  5. July – potentially IL (run)
  6. August – CA or NC (undecided), potentially VA (run)
  7. September – potentially PQ (run)
  8. October-December – a little too far to consider for now…

And I’ll be throwing in a trip to SD, CA to visit Alaa! Gotta figure that one out!

So what’s on your travel agenda? If nothing yet, get planning. 🙂

370 Days Ago…

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…I was in Cabo. Sniff.

Bye Bye 2013

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From my own stand point, I can not make a single valid complaint about the year I had. Yes I encountered some challenges and struggles, as we all do. But any complaint I can muster is really very insignificant.

So here’s to another year of travel experiences, good times, eating, and discovering with friends and family.

Cheers 🙂

Home for the Holidays

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Yesterday I flew from my new home (which will be +17C this weekend, sniff) back home-home (-28C) for part of the holiday break. For the next few days I will be spending my time with my family mostly, and a handful of friends.

My first few visits back to Edmonton after moving to New York were always really really busy. I wanted to see all the friends I left behind: catch up, go out for dinner, drinks or whatever.

However, my last two or three visits have been different. I am spending less time running around to see the most people I can see, and more time with less people making our time together more valuable. And I think the time here is better spent. I’m not saying I don’t want to see anyone else, because that would be great, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out – and that’s okay. We all find our ways of keeping in touch.

So, happy holidays and enjoy your time together. And now I need some coffee because it is way too early to be blogging!

Mr. Kellerman Was Right

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Those of us who have watched Dirty Dancing upteen times know Kellerman’s Anthem. The iconic song that winds down the summer at the upitty resort. The lyrical phrase of importance here being: “old friends are the best”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the friends I’ve had the pleasure of gaining in recent years, but there really is something something special about old friends.

chellebelle416.wordpress.com

chellebelle416.wordpress.com

I spent the last few days catching up with one of my two long-time BFFs. I put work and running to the side to catch up and have some fun with Jill – the “trouble girls” were back together! We acquired this nickname in our early 20’s… How did we get this name? Pure, innocent trouble we called having fun!

Circa 2001

Circa 2001

So Jill came to this glorious place I now call home last Wednesday eve. This was not her first visit so it was nice that we didn’t have to do all the touristy stuff. We spent our time doing the usual things women do; and also laughing at our young stupidity, drinking some wine, some coffee, some beer, taking a road trip and exploring our now mature friendship in a way we hadn’t been able to for a few years. Although our lives are very different now, we are still the same when we are together.

Eve 1: A little wine at home and a night of chit chat.

Day 2: Brunch at Ze Cafe, a nice little French bistro. Shopping. Manis and pedis. Cheese tasting with Monica at the 92nd Street Y. That’s right, a cheese talk and tasting with the Cowboy Creamery ladies of Petaluma California. Wowza, loved this! (Next step in this cheese process – cheese making class!) Finished off the night with appys and sangria (best sangria ever) at Vero Wine Bar, and of course eavesdropping on a young dating couple. Oooops, did I say that out loud?

Day 3: I had to work so Jill did her own exploring and shopping. After work though we went to Bryant Park to visit the Winter Village holiday shoppes and have some appys at Celsius Lounge. Next made our way to Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Night Bazaar (bizarre hahaha!). Jill was a little “uneasy” about this event since the neighborhood was graffiti-ridden, warehouse-y and baron. Once inside – hello hipster Brooklyn! Enjoyed the mini ice cream cones, chatting with locals about their products, and laughed at our glowing teeth in the mini golf area, where of course I had my picture taken with a cardboard Fabio and Jill became a cardboard hot dog! Tina and her friend joined us then we all made our way to a lovely biergarten in the neighborhood for a bier (more plaid everywhere!).

Bryant Park

Bryant Park

Day 4: Up and out the door to Penn Station to catch the LIRR to Ronkonkama. From there, car rental and road trip to the Hamptons! Beautiful fall foliage, deer prancing around, gorgeous summer homes on the beach. First stop in Westhampton for lunch. Second stop in Southhampton at the beach, deer again prancing between massive homes, deciding whose place housed the best foliage I suppose. Third stop in Montauk for the night. Stayed at the Montauk Marina & Yacht Club. Gorgeous sunset. Wanted to crash the wedding but it would have been too noticeable so we went for dinner and ended the night early with the TV… dang just couldn’t stay up to make it to the newlywed’s bonfire hahaha!

Southhampton Beach

Southhampton Beach

Montauk Marina and Yacht Club sunset

Montauk Marina and Yacht Club sunset

Day 5: Up early for room service and a beautiful sunrise! Checked out and off to the Montauk Lighthouse we went! Boulder walking, shell picking and carcass inspection… still not sure what that creature was… Next headed into East Hampton for a coffee and a stop at BookHampton, couldn’t resist our love for book shopping. Back on the road – lots of roadkill! Poor Bambi and family! Finally, off to Riverhead Tanger outlets to meet Lana for shopping and lunch. After all that, headed back to the city on the LIRR where we hung out for the eve before Jill had to retire early for her very early airport pick-up.

Montauk Lighthouse

Montauk Lighthouse

Public Beach at Montauk

Public Beach at Montauk

I wrapped up our days in a whirlwind, yes. Unfortuntely the short amount of detail in my paragraphs doesn’t give our time together justice at all but the point is, it was a great time of reconnection and new memory-making for us. Memories that we both will look back on very fondly, like many from the past.

P.S. Some of these memories will end up cycling back as jibberyjab posts too 🙂

P.S.S. And bucket list checking too.

Regret

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This past week in London has been so amazing on so many levels. Tons of experiences, learnings, sites seen.

But as I walk the streets – listening, eating, observing amongst Londoners; I know I now have one big regret.

Before moving to New York I interviewed in Edmonton for a teaching position in the London area. I went to meet the recruiters at a hotel where interviewing was taking place. They interviewed me, we talked and they hired me. They arranged the paper work. I sent my passport away and it came back with my working visa in it. Then….

I investigated living abroad and I learned how expensive it really was to live here, so when it was time start making more decisions about moving, I didn’t think I’d be able to afford it. Damn!

Looking back, I should have moved anyway. I probably could have made it work. I didn’t try very hard to make it work, besides getting the job lined up. I should have tried harder. I had already lived through a few years of struggling financially as a student and then as a temp after getting a degree in a city that had no jobs to support me.

So time went on. I starting subbing, my visa expired and the opportunity passed me by.

I’m not one to regret what I’ve done or haven’t done. I learn from my mistakes and experiences and move on, but this is one mistake I made and I regret it.

Leaving tomorrow, sniff. We <3 London.

Leaving tomorrow, sniff. We ❤ London.

London Learnings

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Today I learned that:

  • underground escalator étiquette is the same as NYC subway escalator étiquette
  • 0% chance of precipitation means it will rain
  • sausage on a baguette = good
  • we are just a few blocks from St. Mary’s Hospital, where Prince George was born
  • lines move very quickly
  • the tube is really tube-shaped
  • it is more difficult to figure out which Oyster card you need than to figure out the underground system
  • the aquarium is a better place for me than the London Eye, hence no heart attack
  • vacation races are something I want to do more of. BBC 10k completed!
  • although there are millions of people, the city does not feel crowded
  • I really like the simplicity of the bridges but also love the majestic-ness of the Tower Bridge
  • beer after running is never a bad idea (but I already knew that)
  • there are only 24 more to my half marathon – and I definitely need new running shoes!
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Tube riders are mostly newspaper readers

The Thing About London

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The thing about London is that:

  • the old architecture is amazing
  • it’s really, really big
  • the underground is complicated
  • there are way too many things to do in a week
  • you have to look right first then left when crossing – more difficult than you would think
  • the London Eye may be the death of me
  • the River Thames has incredible views from so many points
  • the map lies, it’s really far to walk between places, this is no NYC
  • people’s accents are cool
  • the service is questionable, hence no tips
  • it’s freaking expensive
  • it’s pretty awesome on many levels
  • there’s tons of really cool neighborhoods
  • it’s not all about Kate & William, only a little
  • Big Ben, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc are crazily overwhelming and so amazing
  • the food is pretty plain so far
  • there are a lot of good parks to run in
  • the parks are larger than you originally anticipate and are too dark at night
  • the grass is dried up and brown in many areas
  • I like using British words like – lift, loo, tube
  • I’ve been called ‘mum’ by a lady when asked if we wanted to be seated in the rose garden
  • you have to do afternoon tea in multiple locations
Fish & Chips and "The Cod Father" at an English Pub

Fish & Chips and “The Cod Father” at an English Pub

Ok, so that’s after 2 days here.

Let’s see how many more times I will use the word amazing to describe this place.

Cheerio!

Trips of Summers Past

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Today the kids arrive for our yearly summer adventure. Well, they are not kids anymore, they’re teens. We’ve been going on some sort of summer adventure since they were little, whether we lived near them or not.

Here’s a look back at the trips of summers past:

2012 – Kids came to NY then we went to Florida from here. Rented a car and a house in Celebration. Went to WDW, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, Gator Land, boys went fishing, girls went to Animal Kingdom and Cirque du Soleil La Nouba.

Medieval Time at Kissimmee - August 2012

Medieval Time at Kissimmee – August 2012

2011 – Kids came with Brett’s nephew, Shae and sister, Rhonda. NYC time! Brooke returned home with Auntie and Shae. Bray stayed a few days longer- we took him to Boston for a couple of days, then he and hubs flew to Calgary for fly fishing on the Bow.

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At Rockefeller – July 2011

2010 – Mountain time at sister in law’s in Canmore. Good times with Granny, Auntie, Shae and the four of us. Not to mention, 97 year old Grandma! Activities included time in Banff and Canmore, Sulphur Mountain climb, white water rafting, zip-lining, wall climbing, boys went fishing on the Bow, drive to Lake Louise.

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Rafting on the Kananaskis – 2010. Note: Granny and Grandma are not in the picture!

2009 – Kids came to NYC. Lots of sight seeing and a trip out to Montauk.

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Brooklyn Bridge – July 2009

2008 – Brett and I went back to get the kids and took them to Vancouver. Rented a condo in Yaletown. Went to Granville Island, Stanley Park, Vancouver Aquarium, took a trolley tour, boys went fishing. Bray came back to NY with us. We also took the train down to DC and toured Gettysburg.

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Serious business at the White House – 2008

2007 – Our first full summer after moving away. Alberta/Saskatchewan road trip.  Fishing trip at Lake Mirond in an old fishing cabin with Rhonda, Shae, and Grandpa. No Brooke on this trip.

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Gettin the fish fry ready! July 2007

2006 and summer prior not as fresh in my head.

This year: London! (Insert British accent) We’re going to see the Royal baby, Prince George. Will let you know if we see him!

Interesting…

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Did you see, hear or do anything amusing or intriguing today?

Something that made you laugh?

Shake your head?

Make you feel stunned?

Let’s see….. I saw an attractive lady wearing a very patriotic monokini.

I saw a woman cab driver!

I heard toddlers screaming on the LIRR….

I walked on the new boardwalk at Long Beach, Long Island. 🙂

The new boardwalk at Long Beach. Just reopened!

The new boardwalk at Long Beach. Just reopened!

I examined sand and thought how amazing it was.

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Weathering is an amazing process!

I was in disbelief that I was in an area that was washed away in a hurricane (see CitiBiking post and watch the video link).

Old boardwalk, damaged from the storm.

Old boardwalk, damaged from the storm.

I watched many, many, many aircraft fly over the beach.

I saw a townhouse with a bright blue door.

Keep your eyes peeled, you never know what you’ll see.