Canadian Bacon Bits

I gotta run...

2008-11-12T14:18:00.002-06:00

I'm now into my third week of my running program and my times are slowly improving. The second week was a little tough b/c I was quite sore and my numbers reflected that. This week my long runs are getting faster and faster. Not sprinter fast, but faster for Kelly Bastian. I've lost a few pounds since I started which is a plus.

Jordan and I are off to run some errands and possibly do some Christmas shopping! Yes I know it's early but I love Christmas and I have a lot of people to buy for and I want to be ready. As much as I love Christmas time I hate shopping just as much. I'm rather have grab bags if I can stay out of the mall! Bah humbug to shopping. Well, I haven't seen any Christmas lists yet. What do people want this year? Any hints?

A long absence....

2008-11-09T18:26:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's been awhile. My husband has been nudging me back to blogging. I suppose I'll start back today but I can't promise any frequency.

I've been working at a new running plan for the past two weeks. Jordan outlined this routine to me and I'm not going to admit that it is easy to follow. My legs and well honestly the rest of my body have been hurting quite a bit, but the payout is well worth the pain and fatigue. Here is the plan that I have been running:

Sunday- 5 mile run
Monday-1 hr cardio/abs
Tuesday-2 miles/abs
Wednesday-4 miles/abs
Thursday-Play volleyball
Friday-3 miles/abs
Saturday-DAY OFF

I'm working towards running a 1/2 Marathon next year. I haven't decided the race yet it is to be decided. I've completed 2 weeks of the program and the running will increase after 4 weeks. I have also been running with Jordan's watch and foot pod to help track my pace. It's interesting to see how slow/fast you go on a run. Well, time for dinner.

Meetin' with the Michiganders!!

2008-08-06T15:57:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow Jordan and I set off on a reunion weekend. Tomorrow we head to my college roommate, Jody's house which is about the 1/2 way point to get to Traverse City where we will meet up with Jordan's college roommates for an extravaganza!! Jody has the cutest little guy Dylan who is almost a year old who I can't wait to see. We don't get to see each other that often but it's still great when we do even if it's for a short time. This summer she and her hubby drove through Illinois while I was visiting my folks and they stopped at the Lincoln Oasis. My parents live around the corner and I got to see them (only for a few minutes), but it's still great just the same. I miss her a bunch, but I always know she's just a phone call away.

In Traverse there will be about 16 of us! Jordan had 12 guys living in his house in college and a bunch will be meeting us there. It should be great. Lots of BBQ and goodtimes! Wish me will-power! BTW another lb down today! Good way to start the long weekend!

Second wind

2008-08-04T15:20:00.003-05:00

I'm getting back on track here. I lost a pound which doesn't seem like a lot to most people but any loss is a loss so that's good. I went to the gym twice over the weekend and ran my 3 miles. Both times it went very well. I plan to head out today before dinner and do 3 more. I'm trying to get in a lot of activity before this weekend. We might be going to Michigan to a MSU reunion with Jordan's old roomies and you know how those things go. Wish me will-power!

Yesterday, after my run, Jordan and I went out back with Barkley and had a BBQ. They put out these nice new Stainless Steel BBQ's in the backyard in the dog park. We sat out there and grilled while Barkley ran around in the yard. It was great. We will probably be doing that more oven until the weather gets bad. It's nice to have that facility. I have missed BBQ since we moved to Toronto. It's one of my favorite things about summer. (Next to watermelon!)

That's all for now. Time to get motivated. Pray for Jordan he ran 18 miles yesterday and had some struggle b/c of his leg. He's had quite a bit of pain and had been uncomfortable.

Ho Hum....

2008-07-28T15:27:00.002-05:00

This week has not been a good week. Work has been a struggle and I've had no time to eat properly. It's not that I have been over eating, in fact I've been undereating. This is just as bad they tell me. I have not been hungry and if I do eat dinner it's been later and later which is not good.

I'm going to run today. Maybe it'll be good for the stress. I'm worn out. I have had to work 7 days str8 without a day off. Not happy about it. At least i'll have thurs/friday off and Jordan does too! Catch ya later.

Back in Canada

2008-07-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

I had a very enjoyable weekend with my family back in Illinois. I ate a little off of my plan but it was worth it. We ate at my favorite Mexican restaurant and had some Arrenellos pizza! Yum! I didn't really gain any wait so I was lucky. So, now it's back at it. I am finding it a little hard to get to the gym. I have felt really tired since I"ve been home. I know that's not an excuse b/c going to the gym gives you energy.

Barkley has been too. He's slept for the last 2 days, except for when he picked up a sheep squeeky toy that he stole from our other dog Sam (my parents dog). I said Sams name and Barkley looked around for him. My parents dog Sam and Barkley get along very well . They're kind of funny though b/c they're very jealous of each other and if you give attention to one of them the other comes over and tries to push his way into your hand. Also, if one dog is on your lap the other will come and sit on the other and they just accept it. (well sam doesn't always b/c Barkley is a fatty and squishes Sam!) Barley loves it at my parents house b/c he eats Sams food if we leave it on the floor and you don't hold Barkley back while Sam eats it. Also, the two dogs tag team my dad and anyone else who's around into giving them lots of treats. It's pretty funny.

Jordan is off Friday and Saturday! Woo Hoo! It'll be great to see him at home 2 days in a row! Well, that's all for now, time for bed!

Back at it...

2008-07-14T21:54:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's been a long time since I've posted. No excuses I just haven't posted. This last month I've been busy getting on the weight loss path again. I have lost 7 lbs this month. Doesn't seem like a lot I know but it's better to lose it slowly as far as maintaining it goes.

I've been running with my psycho marathon runner husband. Last Tuesday I ran 5 miles with him down the lakefront in less than an hour. It was great. I didn't feel too bad afterward which was suprising. What was cool was when we got down to the Molson Ampitheatre, James Taylor was playing and we could hear it while we stood next the water and all the huge boats. I also ran 2 other days, 3 miles each day. I'll try to keep on here to log my results as they happen.

I am going home this weekend! Yeah! I leave on Thursday and come back on monday. Mr. Barkley is going with me, but Jordan is headed to St. Pete. We are enjoying his few days off for the All-Star break. Catch ya later.

2008-01-20T09:56:00.000-06:00

Busier and Busier

Well, I thought December was busy....this new year is getting more hectic everyday...in a good way. Yesterday I spoke with my big bro and he said he and Jen might be coming up for a visit Presidents day weekend which just happens to be the weekend before my birthday. They might be flying and I can pick them up in my new car! (I'm still in love with my new car by the way!) Jordan leaves for Florida on the 13th so they will have perfect timing! Keep your fingers crossed that they can come!

I had planned to go see my friend Jo in Michigan...and I haven't forgotten about you Jo, but I can't leave the country until I get my new work documents! Yes that's right. I can't leave this goofy country or else they won' t let me back in after February 6th! I don't wanna leave b4 then either for fear they'll say your document expire in a few days and "You will be in our opinion a burden to Canada" ...go back to your own country like they did the first time! If you haven't heard that story let me know b/c it's a good one. Not funny then but pretty funny now.

I have made my Florida plans March 3-9th is when I go! Can't wait! Warm weather! No more snow and lake winds! This is the 3rd year in a row that we have gotten to go down there! So Awesome! Lets just hope I don't get fried! For some reason as I have gotten older my skin doesn't tan as easily and I always burn. Who knows why.

Little brother house update! They should be closing sometime this week and could be in the house by next week! Very exciting!

Last night Jordan and I added something new to our workout...swimming! We haven't been in a long time. We swam a bunch of laps and enjoyed the hot tub! It was amazing that Jordan agreed b/c he does not like the pool very much! Anyhoo, I'm off to enjoy another lazy Sunday! Later Gators!

2008-01-18T17:04:00.000-06:00

Volleyball!

Last night I did something I haven't done in a long time. I played volleyball with my friend Natalia. I've started going to a league on Thursday nights. It was so much fun. Kind of a flash back. I think it's probably my favorite sport to play. It was nice to take a break from my normal routine and just play a bunch of games of pick up v-ball.

Tonight Jordan and I are going to go running and then swimming! Yeah swimming! Gotta love the indoor pool/hot tub in our building.

Also, spring training update...I'm going! We haven't decided when I am going but I am! Probably in March sometime. I can't wait to get away from the cold weather. I'm tired of being cold!

Well, that's about all I've got right now. Catch ya later!

New Ride

2008-01-07T21:27:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the long absence. New year...maybe I'll try again. We were home at Christmas and stayed with my family. We had a great stay. We came back with a brand new car! Woo hoo! My commute is down to 5 minutes from and hour and then some. Here is a photo of our new ride :

Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to show the new wheels. Adios!

2007-10-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Uncle C

Today I received an e-mail from my Aunt Connie in Arizona updating us on my Uncle Charlies condition. It is not good. Here is a piece of her email:

... On Thurs, we were told to get to the hospital ASAP! He's now at the 5th hospital. An ultrasound was done again on both legs-both were full of clots from the groin to the ankle. A special xray showed that none had gone to the lungs. Thank goodness for that special filter put in over a month ago.

On wed. he had a procedure done called an agiojet thrombectomy. Medication was put in and a specila vacuum to suck out the clots. Well that didn't work. He was really jammed up! The cardiovascular surgeon put in two balloons to open the main arteries. Thank goodness that worked or he said he would have had to amputate!

He was on the table for over 5 hours. It was the worst case this Dr. had ever seen! I finally got to see Charlie around 3:30. He had gone in for the procedure at 8:45. He's resting comfortably except his back hurts. He has to continue laying on his back with legs straight. The nurse is watching the drainage from the two incisions behind his knees. There is still clotting from the groin up that will be addressed today at 3:00 pm. Keep those prayers coming please and once again I thank you for all of your continued love and support. Connie

Well, that's all I know on Uncle C. Please keep him in your prayers.

2007-09-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

Good news update!!

I received an email from my Aunt Connie a few days ago updating me on my Uncles health. Here is what she said:

Uncle C had a great day. When we arrived at 8:30 am, he had a vent collar on & was breathing on his own without the air flow from the machine. He's on his own for at least 3 hours & then hooked back up to the vent. OT & PT came in today too. He sat up like a champ and stood for the first time in two weeks. Then he circled with his hand that he wanted to walk. Of course they didn't let him.

Next step will be the swallow test to see if he can get things down the correct pipe. He's hungry- a sure sign that a Henson is getting better. They won't feed him anything until he passes the swallow test. We're getting pretty good at lip reading & have provided him with a piece of paper with the alphabet on it so he can point to the letters to spell words. He's trying so hard to talk. Wasn't aware he was in there for 2 weeks now. Though the year was 1998, then 2008. Month was July to him. A little cloudy but coming back. His eyes no longer have that bloody red look to them. Forehead with stitches is healing well. Can't believe it. Hope to have him in a rehab facility by the weekend if not early next week. The Dr. is being very conservative with his condition, little bit at a time. Can't wait to get him closer to home.

That right lung is sounding pretty clear. I've yet to see the latest xray to tell whether it's completely inflated. Once again, I thank you all for your prayers and concern. ~ Connie

Finally, good news! My mom is going out the Arizona to help out this Saturday. I know my Aunt will be happy to see here. Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to update and say thanks for the prayers!

2007-09-12T10:46:00.000-05:00

In need of prayer!

On Sunday when I got home from Boston (blog post coming later) I called my mom. She told me that my Uncle Charlie, who we refer to as Uncle C, was in the ICU. He was working on the roof of a two story house and fell off. He broke his ribs, punctured his lung, shattered his wrist, forarm and elbow. He is having trouble breathing on his own and they may need to put in a trach soon. The bottome lobe of his lung is not inflating. He has been under complete sedation, but has finally responded to some of the testing they have been doing.

Also, his wife, my Aunt Connie, just found out her mom, who lives in Michigan, has breast cancer and needs to have a mastectomy. My Aunt had planned to fly from Arizona to MI, but for obvious reasons will not be able to. Please pray for her to remain strong through all of this stress and for my Uncle C to make a speedy recovery.

2007-09-03T20:25:00.000-05:00

Ma and Dad

For Labor Day weekend or should I say Labour Day like they would up here, my parents came for a visit. We went to Niagara Falls on Saturday and we went in an areo car over the whirl pool which is about a mile down river from the falls.

The picture doesn't show the whirlpool very clearly, but it's still cool!

The Aerocar

A very pale me and very tan them!

Nature at it's best!

We also went to a Jays game this weekend thanks to Jordan!

Awesome seats as usual.

Frankie T at the plate.

Here is a rainbow we saw over the falls.

I'll write more late, but I need some sleep after my eventful weekend! Later gators!

2007-08-25T15:48:00.000-05:00

Barrigar Baby

I got a few photos of the Barrigar baby so I thought I'd share. What a face!

I hope to get more soon. I've let the new mommy enjoy her new baby, but now I want details. I hope to hear from her soon. Hint Hint!

2007-08-19T11:21:00.001-05:00

Baby Barr is here!

Yes, the newest little addition to our Ferris Family has arrived! Baby Dylan James Barrigar was born this morning! Jody is doing fine! I got a call last night at 5:30 that her water broke and she delivered around 10:30 this morning! He weighs 6lbs 14 oz and is 19 inches long. He also has a lot of dark hair! I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet the little guy and apparently he couldn't wait to meet us. He was 3 weeks early! Congrats Jody and Aaron Barrigar! (For those of you who don't know, Jo is one of my college roommates and closest friends!)

2007-08-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

New Job

I've been at my job for over a month now. It has been pretty stressful, but it's starting to get a bit easier. I have had to learn a lot but I think I have the hang of it now. It's not what I want to do with my live, obviously, but it is passing the time and allowing us to save money for a new car. When we go home for Christmas we will be buying a car. Having a car will help me to feel less stuck in this city. I'm not sure what we are getting, but I'm pretty excited about it.

My parents are coming to visit labor day weekend and then later that week Jordan and I are going to Boston. Well, he's going first and then I will be joining him. I get to go to Fenway! I'm pretty excited because I've never been there before. Jordan will be working the first day that I'm there, but then he has the next few days off.

Well, other than work, not a lot has been going on here. Jordan had 5 days off, but now he's back to work. Over the weekend we went to the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. It was fun, but a lot of it was under construction. It was pretty tiny compared to the Field Museum. I guess we're pretty spoiled having grown up in Chicago, because most museums (cept in New York) don't compare to the Field.

That's all for now, catch ya later!

2007-07-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

Big Bro in Canada

On Friday my big bro Kevin and his girlfriend Jen made the trek up to Toronto, and I do mean trek. It took them by land and by sea to get here, but they did make it. They go to the bridge in Port Huron and stopped to get gas. Someone informed the that there was an accident on the bridge and therefore, there was a 3 hour delay to get across!

They were given an alternate route which took them 20 miles south to a ferry crossing. It was a 12 car ferry. Many other people had gotten the same idea so it took them a little time to get across. It was 15 minutes across and 15 minutes back which was less time then if they had waited for the bridge. They got within 20 minutes of my house and had to wait again b/c of an accident that lasted an hour before traffic started moving again. They finally got here at 12:00 am.

On Saturday they got to experience the street car when we headed down to the beaches. It wasn't that hot out, but it was comfortable to relax in the sand. We headed back home and they got ready to go to Kevin's friend Maneesh's wedding. It was an Indian wedding with all of the tradition and ceremony. Kev and Jen arrived just in time to see his friend arrive on a white horse. It was a long but interesting ceremony they said and afterwards they experienced real Indian food. A little spicy, but ok they said.

Today we took in a Blue Jays game. Jays won in the bottom of the 9th. Awfully weird for the Jays to be in town, but for Jordan to not be. He is still on his 3 week road trip, ugh. We're trying real hard to get through it, but it's getting kinda tough. I do miss him a lot. I do appreciate phone calls! Thanks to my support system!

Kev and Jen are currently at the reception for the wedding. (it was like a 5 day extravaganza, but they only went to 2 days of it.) I expect them soon. I can't see Kevin getting too into the Indian dancing and song. Here's what they looked like when they left for the wedding this evening. Cute!

I start my training for my new job tomorrow, 5 am! Ugh! Wish me luck because I'm going to need it. Well, that's all for now. I'm just hanging out until they return. Later gators!

2007-06-24T15:38:00.000-05:00

Blue Jays Dog Day!!

Today Barkley, my friend Tammy, her dog A.J. and I went to Dog Day at the Blue Jays game. Before the game we got to go on the field during the doggy parade! Barkley didn't like the fake grass very much! I was afraid he wouldn't walk on it at first. Barkley tip-toeing through the turf!After the parade we met up with Barkley's friend A.J. and his mom Tammy! They had grass brought in on the concourse so that the dogs could go potty, although Barkley was afraid of that to, go figure! They were both very well behaved during the game. We saw a lot of different kinds of dogs. Some people even brought some Mastifs and Great Danes which were huge. Those dogs just sat in the aisles. Here is a picture of one of my favorite dogs that I saw!Barkley had his own seat, but he had a hard time keeping it down b/c his little butt would push it up! Here are some pictures of our fun day!

Barkley always ready to run away from a camera!

I don't know what they are looking at but at least you can see their faces for once! They got lots of looks in their matching bandanas that Tammy and I made!

2007-06-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

100th Blog Post

Well, I finally did it! It's been about 2 1/2 years in the making, but I finally cut my hair to donate it! I drove to Cass City, MI this weekend where one of my roommates from college lives because she was having a baby shower. I made her take me to the salon on Friday before I could chicken out. Here are some of the pictures Jody took.

BEFORE:

After:

10 inches!!

Mr. Barkley decided on his own that he wanted to go swimming in the pond! Boy did he stink! He drank so much water! I think he thought it was a huge water bowl. When he got out he rolled in the sand and got filthy! He had a great time at Jody's parents house! Well, that's all for now, I just thought I'd post the pictures for those of you who have been waiting for the results! Later gators! One more day in the thumb : ( and then it's off to Canada. : (

2007-05-21T16:59:00.000-05:00

Florida

Long story short we had a great time in Florida. We went to Disney World the first day b/c Dad had never been there before. We hung out by the water most days and then pool and some by the bar. It was a great trip, but it was over far too soon. It was great to have all 5 members of my immediate family plus my soon to be sister in law Stephanie and my hubby all together in the same place.

Jordan and I on the tram for the back lot tour.

Happy campers!

Animal Kingdom Safarri

Love Birds

My Bro, his Fiance, me and JB at their hotel.

2007-05-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

Girls Weekend

On Friday I got a call from my Mother asking if she could come up for the weekend. I admit at first I thought she was joking, but it turned out she was serious. She left early on Saturday morning and arrived in Toronto just slightly b4 I got home from work. I left a key for her at the desk and she came in and let this adorable little guy out of his "House" as we call his crate.

He decided to be a nice doggy this weekend and allowed me to take some photos of him. Those big buggy eyes are very sensitive to the flash, but and he freaks out if he even sees the camera. I turned the flash off and he let me take photos in front of the window near the light.

Anyhoo, back to Mom...we went of for dinner at a place called the Brasserie which was very tasty. We also checked out the Eaton Centre the big mall in the downtown area. We did a little shopping and then headed back to my condo. It was great just being able to have girl talk and even just sit and watch a movie together, which we did last night. Yesterday we went for Lunch and then went to Sobeys, the bakery where I still work. I took her down by the lakefront and then we stopped to pamper ourselves. We both got pedicures. My toes are pink! Yes pink. I was never much of a pink girl, but I'm coming around. She left around 11 this morning and last I heard had just passed our old town of St. Joe, MI and was nearing home where I'm sure they missed her. Too bad! I get to have her for a weekend they get her all the time I'm sure they survived.

Here is Mom holding Barkley back from his lick attack. His rapid fire tongue is hard to control. He always tries to French kiss...yuck!

Me looking kinda tired at Breakfast! Not used to those early mornings!

Well that's all for now. Maybe I'll post a few pictures that I got from Ma's camera from our trip to Florida. Later gators!

2007-03-01T14:54:00.000-06:00

White out!!

I took a page from Dawn Klemish's "It could only happen to me" book today. Today was a horrible day at work. I had to carry about a 100 boxes... yuck. Right before I left work for home it began to blizzard. It was snowing and then there was lightning and thunder. When I got outside the snow was blowing so hard I could not see a foot in front of my face. I waited for the street car while snow pelted me. When I got off at my stop I walked across the street and had to walk with my head down hopping that I didn't walk into an oncoming car. I stopped to reward myself with a caramel Macchiato sp? from the coffee shop in my building. I'm sure I looked like a complete mess, racoon eyes and all. After I got my coffee I walked around the corner to enter my building with the coffee in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other. I banana peeled to the ground and wacked my tailbone in the process. I miraculously did not spill my coffee or my groceries. I only bruised my ego and tailbone. The weather continues to ruin my afternoon. Poor Barkley must have his legs crossed, but neither he or I want to go out there.

Another issue in this week of madness is that I broke a filling again. I grind my teeth at night which in turn causes my fillings to break loose. My dental insurance has been giving me the run around, but I finally got it figured out and I have an appt. for next thurs.

15 days until Florida! Woo hoo! After the snowy mess of a day today I will be happy to see the palm trees and the sun. Oh yeah, and Jordan too! And my family.

I am also considering becoming a consultant for Creative Memories. It's a scrapbooking company. I've been going to workshops on some thurs. nights and having a blast. I'm going to be having a creative memories party at my house soon with my small group. Should be fun.

Well, that's all for now. Later gators!

2007-02-19T21:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to me...

Aside from the fact that my hubby is in Florida away from me this turned out to be a pretty good day. I had an unheard of record number of calls from happy birthday wishers. The day started out with Jordan calling me at 12:01 to be the first to call me. Actual I was born at 4:05 in the morning so he cheated. He used to set his alarm and call me at 4:05 to wish me Happy birthday.

On my break at work I had voicemails from my mom, Sarah (E) Nixon, Jody, and my sis-in-law Melissa. At lunch I got a call from an unrecognized number. Four people sang the entire bday song to me. When they finished I said "Thanks, who is this?" They all laughed. It was Karl, Sara, Doug and Patty. Quite humerous.

I went out to dinner with my friends from my small group friends at East Side Marios. It was a lot of fun. It's great to finally have people up here that we can hang out with.

After dinner Kevin called followed by Lynn, and bringing up the rear was Kyle.

I really had a great Birthday, but I still miss my Jordan.

Barkley was starting to behave more and more each day since Jordan's been gone until the fire alarm went off today. He knocked all of my picture frames off of a table and went totally berzerk. He's a little nervous guy. Good thing he's cute.

Thanks to all of my birthday well wishers. Thanks for making it such a good day!

2007-02-18T16:44:00.000-06:00

Toronto...The Frozen Tundra

On Wednesday the snow began and off and on for the next few days it has continued. This has been the coldest week we've been through so far....and by we I mean Barkley and I. Jordan left for Florida on Wednesday..sniff, sniff. I'm very sad to see him go and Barkley is to. Barkley has been very naughty since his dad left. I feel like I have a bad three year old that I can't control. He hates the snow/cold and only walks around for a few minutes out there and then he lifts his front paw in the air which is my signal to pick him up. This week it has gotten worse. He now puts both front paws in the air and walks around a bit on his two hind legs, like a person. He looks like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynSF4WwHZP4

I have tried wiping the snow off of his paws while he's out there to help warm him up so he'll stay out there, but that has not helped and a few days ago he bit my gloved hand. He didn't hurt me but that was his way of telling me he had had enough. He won't stay outside long enough to do his business. He prefers embarassing me and pooping in the lobby in front of the doorman and in the elevator! I'm getting very frustrated and I miss Jordan's help. He seems to be getting better, thankfully. I don't know why he is such a wimp now. He used to stay outside for a long time, but now he's a pamperd pooch, a city dog.

On Tuesday before Jordan left we celebrated Valentines day. I got beautiful roses and a nice card from Barkley! We went to one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto called Cayo Coco. It is a Spanish tapas restaurant. (Tapas are individual appetizers that you order a bunch and share ie. spanish omlet, garlic chicken, spicy potatos, etc) It is in an old row house and it was empty b/c it was the day before Valentines day. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves...very romantic. I brought a chocolate cream pie home for dessert from work. It was awesome.

Jordan left Wednesday for Florida. I will be joining him on March 16th and my whole family is coming too; Ma, Dad, Kev, Kyle, Stephanie. It'll be awesome. We are going to Disney World on Saint Patricks day. My dad has never been so it'll be fun. I just hope it warms up by then. Jordan was complaining that he had to were pants instead of shorts and a sweatshirt. Boo hoo right?

I went to my couples small group on Friday night solo. It was lots of fun. I'm doing something with some of them tomorrow night, but I'm not sure what b/c they haven't told me yet. Yes, I will be 24 tomorrow! I have to work 8-4, but such is life.

Well, I think I better hit the gym. I've been keeping it up still. 5-6 days a week. I'm pretty sore so I took yesterday off. Gotta get ready for Florida! Have a good week everyone!

P.S. I got my work permit and it permits me to work in a dental office now! Woo Hoo! I will be looking for new employment after Florida! Can't wait.

2007-01-13T15:06:00.000-06:00

Christmas
I guess it's about time that I blogged about going home for Christmas. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of our family. Barkley was especially happy to see my family's Shihtzu Sammy. We found them snoozing lazily together in the recliner in the living room
After being snowed in in Colorado while visiting Jordan's Dad, Jordan's Brother Karl, sis-in-law Sara, and Baby Luke arrived home just in time to see us before we returned to Canada. It took Luke a little while to warm up to us but eventually he liked his auntie and uncle. I think he thought I was a baby sitter.
Luke enjoying one of his Christmas presents.
Uncle Jordan did Luke's hair.

Well, that's all for now. I will add more photos when blogger lets me.

2006-12-16T15:46:00.000-06:00

Hi Ho Hi Ho....It's off to work I go....

I just got home from work a little after 4 and now I'm relaxing a bit before I change my clothes and go to job number two. There is a concert tonight at the Rogers Centre, the Andre Rieu orchestra. It's today and tomorrow and I will be working both. It's a little easy money right in time for Christmas, but what a long day. This means I will be taking a day off from the gym, but I've been everyday this week so I guess one day off is ok, if you can call this a day off.

Tomorrow I plan on wrapping the rest of my Christmas presents when I get home from work. Less than a week till we're back in Illinois! Woo Hoo!

2006-12-10T18:54:00.000-06:00

Fa La La La La

We decorated our tree and condo this afternoon while listening to Christmas music. Our tree looks pretty good I must say. Here are a few pictures of the finished product.

Yes I'm holding Barkley against his will. He does not like the camera.The tree skirt is the one my family has used my whole life.

2006-12-10T10:42:00.000-06:00

Lazy Sunday

I'm sitting in front of my computer looking out the window at deceiving sunshine. I bet it's cold as crap out there. I'm adjusting to my life as a walker with no car, but it's still freaking cold. It's so cold somedays as I walk the ten minutes to work that I just want to scream in pain from the harsh wind bareing down on me. No matter how many layers I put on it still bites at your face. Ahhh...spring training in T minus....the only bad thing about spring training is that my hubby will be away from me for most of it. The good part is that I think family will be there.

The good thing about not having a car this winter is that I don't miss all of the scraping, snow falling up your sleave as you brush off the roof of your car, and the crappy car we owned not starting 9 times out of 10...stupid Cavy. I don't miss that part of a Michigan winter, but I do miss the beauty of it all. Watching Lake Michigan freeze into sheets of glass-like ice breathing as the waves move is something to watch.

I will be at my mom/dad's house in less than 2 weeks! Woo Hoo! Ky Ky is picking me up either friday or saturday depending on if he is working. I have yet to decorate my own christmas tree. This year we bought our FIRST fake christmas tree. I'm not counting the Charlie Brown Christmas tree that we borrowed from Grandma last year because this one doesn't have a bare spot on one side! It's been sitting in my living room for nearly a week now, naked and sad looking. Jordan has been so swamped from work that he keeps telling me, "Tomorrow we'll decorate it, tomorrow!" Yeah well tomorrow never comes buddy! I didn't want to decorate it while he was in Florida this week because that's just depressing. So in a bit I will go wake his but up and make him come help me. I've done all of the Christmas shopping this year he could at least help with the tree...tehe!

This year will be the first Holiday that I will be cooking, at least that is the plan anyway. We are having Christmas Eve at Jordan's sister Lynn's house. I will be cooking a ham along with other various holiday delights. I'm pretty excited. I think it will be fine, but it's always different when you cook in someone elses kitchen besides your own. I am going to be emailing my sis-in-law a grocery list and she'll buy it and have it all there for me when I get there. Should be fun. I love an adventure. P.S. Melissa, Lynn said it was ok if we had Christmas eve at her house, but I haven't had time to call you, plus you're in CA!

I have almost completed my Christmas shopping in record time this year. This is the first year I have not gone Christmas shopping with my Dad for my mom...Kinda sad. I've been coaching him by phone and he's doing a great job. He even started December 2nd I might add instead of December 22nd! The only problem is Ma buys everything she wants...tehe love you mom!

I'm looking forward to starting new traditions in my family this year. We've had a rough year and quite a bit of change in our lives, so I'm looking forward to spending Christmas with those we love and staying away from the trouble makers of the past. I'm pretty excited to be home b/c I'll be there for longer than at Thanksgiving so it won't feel like such a whirlwind. It'll be more relaxing I hope.

2 weeks....I can't wait. I'm sure it'll feel like it's taking forever to get here, but then it'll go by so fast. Can't wait to see most of you. tehe Time to put on some protective padding and attempt to wake a sleepy Jordan up so I can start the trimming of the tree...tehe! Happy Holidays everyone!

2006-12-03T19:26:00.000-06:00

Pix from the Party The scary Aunties!
Mom, Luke, and Me
Luke
Me, Jordan and Tricia

2006-12-03T14:17:00.000-06:00

Turkey Time

We traveled to my Parents house for Turkey day last week. We visited with my Dad's side of the family on Turkey day b/c they came to my mom's house. The food was incredible. I know my mom is a talented cook, but I think it tasted even better to Jordan and I b/c we have been eating so healthy for the last few months. We pigged out and it was great.

On the day after turkey day we went to Jordan's sister Lynns house and hung out with her and her kids. We brought her a present to celebrate her 40th birthday. Her kids were so hyper and they were so cute.

On Saturday we traveled to Jordan's other sister's house for her husband's 40th birthday. We played a cut-throat game of spoons and spent time with baby Luke. It was great to see everyone b/c we haven't seen some of them since April.

It was great to be home. Barkley loved it too. It took him a few days to get used to the quiet of our house and the fact that there weren't a bunch of people around to pet him anytime he wanted it. Jordan said he cried for two days and begged for his attention. Jordan has had a long week since we've been home work wise. A lot of Bluejays stuff has been happening so he's been at the computer non stop.

Jordan left for Orlando where the current temp is 84 degrees. Current temp in toronto...28 degrees with a chance of snow. Yeah I got the shaft. It is getting harder and harder to take Barkey outside b/c the wind gets so bad in the courtyard that it makes it hard to see. Stuff gets blown in your eyes and Barkley is not very well-behaved out there. He almost got bit by another dog today. It was pretty scary for me and he acted like nothing happened.

I'm excited to come home for Christmas. We are tentatively planning on leaving for home on the 23rd and returning on the 3rd. We look forward to seeing a lot of friends and family during that time. Here are some pictures from Keiths 40th bday party that I got from my sis-in-law Melissa: To be posted later...Blogger is not working right now...

2006-10-31T22:48:00.000-06:00

New York City

Happy Halloween first of all. We are leaving for New York City tomorrow...yes I'm excited to be back in the USA. My friend Tammy is watching our sweet baby while we are gone. I feel like a mama leaving my baby for the first time. I'm a little nervous and will probably call home often to check on him. He is having a puppy sleepover with his friend AJ another shihtzu that looks just like Barkley. Well, that's all for now. I just thought I'd let you know where I'll be for the next week. Later gators!

2006-10-20T22:59:00.000-05:00

What a bummer...

So after spending all day at work 9-6, I come home for 1/2 and hour and then head to job number 2 at the Rogers Centre. I scanned tickets tonight and froze my badonkadonk off in the process. It has gotten pretty darn cold here in Toronto. I came home to find out that Jordan had signed up to do the CN tower climb. This is where you walk/run whatever you can do up the stairs of the CN tower. There are 1776 total. I have wanted to do this for awhile and missed the deadline date on the last one so now I am bummed. I can't do this one b/c I work at 9 am. Oh well, what can you do? Maybe they'll be another one soon. Good luck Jordan!

On a happier note, I am going on Sunday to something called the CreativFestival. It's this huge thing at the expo centre where scrapbookers, crafters, etc go and show their projects and sell goodies. I'm pretty excited. It should be fun. Jordan is coming with me, what a trooper. Maybe he'll find out how to mat his photo project. We'll see. Well time for bed. Later gators.

2006-10-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

Swimming Laps

Today I came home from work to find a note on the counter to meet Jordan at the Rec Center and bring my suit and towel. We went swimming today in place of our running, well I didn't run, but Jordan did. I did 30 laps in the pool and boy am I tired. It reminded me of being in swim class at Thornwood, which was one of only two classes Jordan and I had together in high school. My legs are really tired, but it was a nice change from running. I am still doing very well. I have lost 17 lb in the last 8 weeks. My initial goal of 20 lbs by thanksgiving has nearly been achieved. I am 3 lbs away from that goal and hopefully I will surpass it in the next 5 weeks. Wish me luck.

I am still working alot which is probably helping my weight loss. I have 43.5 hours this week. yuck! I dont' have a day off again until sunday. I had yesterday off and Jordan and I went to the beaches, a neighborhood which got its name because of it's proximity to the lake. There are a bunch of great little stores down there that we love. We found a few birthday/christmas presents...yes I know it's early for christmas presents, but we're trying to think ahead this year.

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! She is getting home tonight from her trip with my dad to Arizona to see my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins near Phoenix. They went to the Grand Canyon on Saturday. My dad had never been there before. They walked up to the ledge and it was filled with fog. What a bummer. A little while later it cleared up so they could see the view. anyhoo...catch ya later gators.

2006-10-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

You Gotta Wear Shades...

Yeah, I'm cute!

Our dog Barkley has a problem with digital cameras. If he even sees one he freaks out and starts running around like a crazy dog. We think he has sensitive eyes due to an eye injury he sustained before he came to live with us. We have learned to overcome this by using a disposable camera with a shorter flash. After a few months of using it we finally got it developed. The people probably lauged hysterically when they saw a whole roll of a stupid dog. Anyhoo, here are some of the good ones:

Jordan and Barkley by the waterfront trail.
Nice pillow!

One of his favorite toys.

I don't know why his ears are so long.

Are you talking to me?

2006-10-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

New York City!

Jordan and I are taking a vacation and we leave November 1st. We are headed to yup, you guessed it New York City. We got free air fare and hotel thanks to JB's job so this will be a fun trip. We will get to spend a week away from work and finally just get to be together for a bit. This will be great!

We're not exactly sure what we are going to do yet. I know we'll see our great friends Justin and Kelly who live an hour and a half train ride out of the city. Also I wanna go see Ground Zero, Empire State building (which I have been in before, but still think is pretty cool), central park, possibly take in a Knicks game, Statue of Liberty, and whatever else we can cram into a week.

Hey, to all of you Blog fans....if you have ever been to New York and done anything cool or just know of something cool to do there let me know. I'm up for suggestions.

On a funny note: Jordan has started his work out regimen like I said before and it is really killing him. Well that's not exactly true the eating less and eating healthy is killing him. Today I asked him to help me give our dog a bath and he said no he just wanted to relax. I said what have you done all day? Nothing right? He followed that up with, " I was busy all day. . . thinking about food!" tehe I got a kick out of that. He followed that up with about 5 minutes of how hungry he was. It was cute. Keep at it Jordan. You can do it. Any words of encouragement you can send his way would be helpful. Well, that's all for now time to head to the gym. Later Gators!

2006-10-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

Taking it easy!!

Hey everybody. Things are going well here. Jordan has been home for two days now. We enjoyed a nice day off together. Nothing too exciting. We went and got a passport photo taken for me, went grocery shopping, decided where to vacation (New York), took Barkley for one of the last walks by the lake this year, and now we're heading to the gym. Oh yeah, we've also watched some of the Post-Season games.

After we return from the gym we will have dinner and watch Lucky Number Slevin which we rented.

Tuesday night when he got here we went to St. Louis Bar and grill to meet one of his friends. Last night we got Jordan started back on his work out regimen. I have been doing this for 6 weeks now and I have lost 15 lbs! woo hoo! I'm almost to my goal that I made w/ Melissa to lose 20 lbs by Thanksgiving. I gotta keep going on that though. Jordan and I are off to a great start. Well, that's all for now. Time to hit the gym.

2006-09-28T21:56:00.001-05:00

Last Road Trip

Jordan leaves early tomorrow morning on his last road trip of the year. Can I say YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH. I'm pretty excited about that. He leaves detroit to head to New York. He will be home on Monday. I am totally thrilled. He will now be home until approximately February 15th except when we head home for the holidays or when we go on our possible vacation.

Today was my day off. I'm not thrilled about going back to work tomorrow, but such is live. I spent much of my day off running errands and cleaning my house. Boo. I work both jobs on saturday. I will be an usher at the Argos Football game which is Canadian football. On Sunday I have another day off. Woo hoo.

They opened the St. Louis Ribs joint in our building and ever since our hallway has smelled like something was deep frying. Yuck! I think they're going to have to do something about that b/c I can't get Barkley out of the hallway.

Speaking of Barkley...he's a sneaky little devil. He likes to wake us up at 2 am, 4 am or 6 am and sometimes multiple times. Well one day last week Barkley tricked us both into feeding him in the morning. Well yesterday he tricked me into feeding him twice. I sleep walked and feed him 2 times. I only know I feed him b/c the food was still out the second time and I didn't think about it until after the food was in his bowl and there was no way of getting it away from fatty. This has to stop or else he will not be able to walk when his chubby belly is hitting the ground.

Well, that's all for now. I think it's time for bed. Later gators!

2006-09-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

Still @ it...

Today I came home from work and decided to relax a bit before hitting the gym. I noticed that the season premiere of the Biggest Loser was on and I sat down to watch it. Yes, I'm a big dork but I found motivation in watching the program. After seeing those people struggle and then have dramatic weight loss I thought I need to kick it up a notch. If they can do it I definately can do it.

I hit the track hard today runninng 4 miles. I did very well. I could really feel my heart rate rising. I also did some free weights and gave my arms a work out on a few machines. I also did the always horrible crunches to finish out the routine. It was pretty intense, but worth it b/c Jordan wants to go to a Mexican restaurant for his bday tomorrow and they never have any low cal options.

Tomorrow I am also getting back on the Dental Hygiene trail. I have a doctors appointment at 10 am. I have to have this to have my work permit changed which will allow me to work in the Health Care field. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something about it. Here I go! Wish me luck.

I'm waiting for poor Jordan to come home from work. The Yankees clinched the division which led to a big party in the locker room which led to more work for good old JB. Poor guy. And on his birthday even. Oh well, he probably loves it anyway.

That's all for now. I think I'm going to go watch tv in bed and probably fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I'm pretty worn out, but it will be worth it if I can meet the 20 lb goal that Melissa and I are trying to hit. Wish us luck!

2006-09-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

Lake Lunching...

Today Jordan met me for my hour lunch break. We sat out by Lake Ontario and enjoyed one of the last nice days. My hubby even made my lunch what a score!

It is nice to sit out there and enjoy the sounds and sights of the lake. There are a lot of tourists that cruise on the various tour boats that hang out in the harbor.

Jordan and I spent some of our time shooing away the various birds that are so accustomed to people that they walk right up to you. They are very greedy and would snatch the food out of your hand if you let them.

Tonight I head over to the Rogers Centre for a Bluejays/Yankees game tonight w/ my friend Tammy!

2006-09-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

He's home!!!

The long wait is over...Jordan is home. After a rough couple of weeks of Jordan being on the road and then only returning for 3 days and then leaving for another week it sure is great for him to be home.

We got to go out for dinner together last night at a place called Tortilla Flats which was a tex-mex kind of place. We sat on the patio and enjoyed a meal alfresco. We decided to eat at a new place instead of trying the same old thing.

On another note, I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but my younger brother Kyle is engaged to his girlfriend Stephanie Boros! Also, I am in the wedding! She showed me the dresses she likes and they are beautiful. I'm super excited!

Well, that's all for now. I'm enjoying the rest of my saturday. I worked until 3. Jordan won't be home until around 9 pm. I'm going to go for a run after I watch a little tv. Catch ya later!

2006-09-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

Running Strong!!!

Yes tonight was a very good night at the gym for me. Normally, I run 6 laps and then walk 6 laps three times until I reach 3 miles. I've never been a runner. Just ask my softball coaches! I would be the designated hitter, but sometimes they'd throw in a pinch runner b/c I am so slow. Takes a lot to get me moving, but it's the one thing that gets me to lose weight.

Anyhoo, tonight was different. I don't know what got into me, but I liked it. I ran 2 miles str8 without stopping, followed by six laps of walking, running another mile and then walking the final 6 laps for a total of 4 miles! To most of you this is a bunch of jibber-jabber, but it felt really good to do it tonight. I'm pumped. I'm starting to see some of the weight I've gained due to unemployment and self pity coming off. My mind set is changed and I'm a much happier person to be around. Things are moving into the right direction which is a good thing b/c the off season is quickly approaching and my hubby will be home for awhile yeah!

I've also taken on my sister-in-laws challenge of losing 20 lbs by Thanksgiving! Cheer me on! I need all the motivation I can get. I'm doing pretty well right now, but I can always use encouragement.

Also, I've started working on my scrapbooking project again and I am really excited about it. It's looking great. Well, that's all for now. I hope that this might motivate some of you people who have expressed the same need to get back into the gym. I'm really feeling a difference in my mood and general well-being. Living life high off of endorphins. This week can only get better as my husband gets home on Thursday! ok enough babbling maybe I should try and get some shut eye!

2006-08-31T22:02:00.000-05:00

Hootie!!!

Yes I said Hootie, Hootie and the Blowfish that is, and no this isn't 1997! Tonight I had the pleasure of working a Hootie and the Blowfish concert at the Rogers Centre. It was the easiest couple of hours of work ever. I stood at the top of the stairs watching the concert and directing people here and there.

What's funny is I didn't even know Hootie and the Blowfish were still a band. They said they've been a band for 20 years which is crazy. The concert was full of drunk older white people who couldn't dance. It was really funny actually.

As for Hootie...It was really bizzare. They played one of their old songs and then said we don't play alot of our old stuff. "We DO have a new album...check it out, " they said. Ha! Ha! They would play one of their famous songs and then go into someone elses song in the middle like a school house rock song, and then go back to their song. Bizzare! They also played Loosing my religion by REM, Surrender by Cheap Trick, and Get down on it by Kool and the Gang. Weird!

It wasn't a bad concert to work, not too many rowdies and I was home early. Well, that's all for now. I'm waiting for my couz to get here later tonight. I'm pumped about it! ok later gators!

2006-08-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

End of Week One!

Things are going well. My feet are slowly starting to recover from this first week of work. The people are great and the work isn't too bad. Next week I have another full week plus on my day off I will be working an event at the Rogers Centre, Hootie and the Blowfish. It's a private concert and it's not open to the public so I'm not sure exactly what that entails as far as work goes.

Next week, Thursday, my cousin Dottie and her guy Matt will be coming to visit me for Labor Day weekend. . . pretty cool! Not exactly sure what they want to do while they're here, but we'll see. Jordan leaves me again for a 7 day roadtrip on Monday. He'll get home for 3 days and then leave again, but he'll be home from the 14th thru the 26th so that'll be great. 36 days until the offseason and counting! Things are looking up! That's all for now..later gators!

2006-08-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

Work, Work, Work

Working again day 2....feet hurt....bad! I walked to Shoppers Drug Mart with my new friends Tammy and her Shihtzu that looks like Barkley and bought some Dr. Scholls to help my poor tootsies out. I work again tomorrow, but then I have Thursday off and so does Jordan. Woo Hoo! The bakery is pretty fun. There's always something to do which makes the time go by pretty fast.

Jordan was on tv this morning, did anyone see it? I didn't b/c I was at work, boo! He was on ESPN Cold Pizza. Of course I wasn't home to see it. I'm sure he'll be on again sometime. Jordan only has 35 more games, a lil over a month of the season. I can't believe that. He'll really need this off season to recover from the constant demands of his job. It's a lot of work. More than most people realize. More than just "writing stories". It'll be great to have him back for a few months. Well, that's all for now. Time to relax with my feet up!

2006-08-21T21:13:00.000-05:00

Sutton's in Grand Rapids

On Sunday we took Barkley to Pet Smart and met my family at Chili's for lunch. We had a lot of fun. My brothers entertained us with stories.
Kyle finishing off everyone's Cold Stone!

Mom and me

The Fam

Barkley showing off his raincoat!

2006-08-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

Wedding Part 3! The happy couple!
334 Evergreen!
126 Orchard!
The Winers

2006-08-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Jon and Erin's Wedding Part 2!

Bob and Laura Griese

From Justin to Kelly! We miss you guys a lot!

Chad and Julia Schwartzenberger, so cute!

Jordan and Dan Kehoe aka Yoop whose Mustang I am going to steal!

2006-08-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

Jon and Erin's Wedding

This past weekend Jordan, Barkley, and I traveled to Grand Rapids for our friends Jon and Erin's wedding. Jordan arrived home in the early afternoon on friday from Tampa Florida. He woke up in Tampa, flew to Newark, NJ, continued on to Toronto and then picked Barkley and I up in our rental car and then drove to Grand Rapids. Wow, what a trip.

We arrived rather late b/c it took over 2 hours at the border. We didn't get to see any of our friends that night we went to the hotel and went to bed. On Saturday we picked up Jordan's tux and returned to the hotel. As soon as we got there Barkley started having a seizure. Poor puppy. He got better buy early afternoon, but I stayed with him while Jordan went to the church to hang out with the groom and groomsmen.

The wedding was beautiful. It was held in a historic church in downtown Grand Rapids. It was so warm in there whoo, no air! The reception was fun. We haven't seen many of our MSU friends since our wedding so we had a blast catching up with them.

Aren't we cute? Nice Barkley eyes Jordan!

Steve, Shannon, Mike, Dan, Laura, and Peacock!

A little red there Jordan? What's up with the shades? You are inside!

Shannon and Steve!

2006-08-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

UPDATE!!

I finally found a job. I start on Monday after my fun filled weekend. Jordan arrives in Toronto early tomorrow afternoon. He will pick up our rental car and then come get Barkley and I. I will probably have to drive b/c he will be so tired from his long week and flight. As soon as we get there we will go to the rehearsal dinner. (If we make it on time) Jordan has to be there early, but I will be shopping in Grand Rapids (maybe). I want to hit Target, Kohls, Linens and things and Pier One. I miss Target and Kohls b/c they don't have stores in Canada.

The wedding will be fun b/c we will get to see all of our State friends, most of which we haven't seen in a year. On Sunday we will meet my family for lunch in Grandville, MI. It's only been 2 months since I saw most of my family, but I still really miss them. It stinks we only have enough time to have lunch with them, but at least it's something.

Enough about this weekend...Early this morning Barkley and I were rudely awakened to the sound of a fire alarm. The fire alarm went off in all 5 condo buildings in our complex. It was 4:45 and we're rushing outside b/c the alarm said to evacuate. We were met down there by Barkley's new friend AJ and his mom Tammy. AJ is a shihtzu/terrier and he looks very similar to Barkley. He even has the big eyes like Barkley. Very cute. Anyway that's all for now. I'm just hanging out until Jordan returns from Tampa. Later gators.

OOPS!!!

2006-08-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

Oops!!

Yes, Keith and Parker where here in Toronto too, but I didn't get copies of melissa's pictures from her camera and I spent more time with Melissa and Tricia this weekend. Here is the one picture I do have a Parker. I will post more when I get them from Melissa. And I don't know why this is underlined. I don't know what is up with blogger.

2006-08-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

Here are more pictures that wouldn't post the first time around:

2006-08-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

Black Family in Toronto

This Thursday Jordan's sister, husband, and two kids, Tricia and Parker arrived in Toronto. On Friday they went to Niagara Falls. Parker is seven years old and without solicitation from his dad he said, " I love Niagara Falls. It's better than Disney World!" Dad was thrilled, but Mom a big disney world fan was not as much.

They came to my house friday night and then we went to the Bluejays game. We had a great seats. Melissa cheered on the White Sox very loudly. She didn't mind when angry Bluejay fans told her to shut up! (She just cheered louder!)

On Saturday the girls did their thing and the boys did theres. We did start off the day at breakfast together before they headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame and we headed to Toronto Islands. We took a ferry boat over to the island. We wandered through the hedge maze and only hit a few dead ends.

Melissa and Tricia on the beach!

We rented a quadricycle and biked around the island.

It was a lot of work epecially when Melissa was laughing so hard that she stopped peddling!

Here's Tricia at one of the spots we took a break at.

On the way back to our house we stopped at a festival that they were having on the lakefront. We enjoyed the international marketplace and did a little shopping. We stopped at the kids zone where Tricia got to make a headpiece covered in feathers. I enjoyed a churro while melissa enjoyed corn on the cob.

We arrived back at the condo to find Parker and Keith waiting for us. They had stopped at the Jay's kids zone across the street where they had a blow up slide and other events for the kids. We had great tickets again for this game, but this time we were in the club 200 level where they have cushy seats. The kids enjoyed the kids zone inside where they got to play a pitching game. Afterwards we headed to East Side Marios for dinner.

We headed back to the condo and Jordan came home. We got to visit for awhile. We had the kids sleepover, but they fell asleep before their parents even left!

I made pancakes for breakfast while the children took turns letting Barkley lick them. I was glad to get a break from his rapid fire tongue for awhile. When I was at Niagara on the lake last week I saw a sign which applies to our home, "Warning! Dog can't hold his licker!" This is very true. Tricia and parker would take turns putting their elbows in front of his face so he could give them a bath!

The kids also enjoyed taking Barkley outside and making faces at the cameras in the elevator to see if the security saw them. Also, Uncle Jordan wowed them when he let them throw garbage down the shoot!

We had a great weekend and were sad to see family leave yet again.

2006-07-20T14:26:00.000-05:00

Feast or Famine

So starting monday I began the interview process. I was supposed to interview with a company similar to Kohls called Winners. It didn't work out b/c they don't hire people with work permits. Grr...pretty annoyed b/c I traveled pretty far to get to this interview by cab so that I wouldn't look like a hot mess when I got there and the lady new I was American. I had to take the subway home which meant waiting for a bus for 1/2 an hour, ride one train for 30 min switch trains and then walk home. The store would be closer than the interview place, but it was still a bust.

I had a better interview on tuesday with St. Louis Bar and Grill which is the new restaurant opening up in our building. I had a call back today and I feel it went well. Hopefully, I will get a call by monday night with good news.

I also got a call today to interview with the Rogers Centre next week on Thursday. Wish me luck. I really want the St. Louis job and I hope it will work out.

Jordan is getting hit with a lot of stuff work wise. He had a long day yesterday. This is a big series against the Yankees. JB will be super busy for the next month. He is not going to the next road trip starting monday-wednesday luckily, but then he will be gone again on wednesday. My mom and Liz will be here for a visit on thursday. YEAH! Pretty excited about that.

Well, that's all for now. I'll keep you posted on the job front. Later gators!

2006-07-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

Feeling old...

Today I went to the gym and was having a hard time getting going on the treadmill. I heard some people playing volleyball and I asked them if I could join them. We got a game going and I had a good time, but I got tired very quickly! : ( I remember playing several games on a saturday in high school and now I was tired after an hour. It was fun though. They play every sunday night so I might join them from now on.

Toronto is going crazy by the way after Italia's win today in the World cup. Fans watched the game from the Rogers Centre in the Blue Jays absence. Little Italy here in Toronto is still packed with people in the streets celebrating at 11 pm.

Tomorrow Barkley and I get our Jordan back! He will get home late in the afternoon and we're pretty excited about it. He has 4 days off! Yeah! Later gators..

2006-07-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

A walk in the park...

Barkley led me on a long walk this afternoon. Usually he just meanders around the courtyard and then heads back to the front door, but this day he decided we would have an adventure. I took him down by the lake one time, but he remembered and led the way.

He doesn't seem to mind all of the traffic and the noisy streetcars and he's careful not to step on the trolley rails as he takes his sweet time crossing the street. We arrived at the lake and he was in heaven, smelling the wonderful murky smells of Lake Ontario. It took forever for us to travel a block b/c someone couldn't stop sniffing everything in sight.

We stumbled upon a wedding taking place under this beautiful arch-way in the musical gardens. It was really pretty. The bridesmaids wore black dresses which was very pretty against the white bridal gown.

We returned home when Barkley showed signs that he had had enough. He sat on the couch for 1/2 an hour panting like a mad man with his tongue on the floor, but he loved every minute of it.

In other news, the cavalier is gone. My parents sold it tonight to a young girl and her dad. It's there problem now. I wish I could do an ode to it like I did with the Buick bomber, but I can't think of any redeeming qualities that the car possesses. Sorry Jordan! You don't have luck with cars.

-The Cavy as Jordan so affectionately called it didn't start this whole winter.
-I was repulsed by it after spending a week in it cross country with no air and four people.
-The radio nob fell off in your hand when you pushed the button.
-It had a little stink factor, yes Jordan...you're a pig with your cars!
-The windshield was a little distorted when you looked through it.
-It started overheating and letting off steam at the Canada/US border the time we got kicked out of Canada. (If you don' t know the story ask, it's a good one.)

I can't say I'll miss it, but it is weird to say that we don't own a car now. All I know is my dad is happy to be rid of our vehicles so he doesn't have to do any more maintenance on them!

2006-07-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

Canada Day

Saturday was our second year of experiencing Canada day vs Fourth of July. I can't believe it.

I went to the Blue Jays game with Eve, the phillies writer's wife. They gave away foam Canada flags. After the game they closed the dome and then they had a fireworks show. It was pretty good. The best one I've seen since I've been in Canada.

We went to an international festival that had a bunch of different booths. They also had food from different countries. We had some really awesome churros.

When the guys were done at work we went out for dinner.

On Sunday I went to the Hard Rock Cafe with Eve and we watched the Blue Jays game in there (Not on tv, through the windows that overlook the field.) We went to the movies and saw The Devil Wears Prada which I would recommend. When I got home my poor hubby was still working and was until 2 pm. He got up at 4:30 to go and catch a flight to Texas where he is now.

Barkey is missing Jordan as well. Poor pooch. He was hiding under the bed. (Jordan said he was looking for him) and he scared the crap out of me when he started barking in the middle of the night for no reason.

I am very jealous of my families 4th of July plans. They are all at the beach and I'm sure they will be enjoying the fireworks later. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

2006-06-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

One Year Anniversary....

No, not me and Jordan, but this is my one year anniversary of blogging. As of yesterday I have been documenting our life for one full year. A lot has happened since then. My first blog post was about how we were settlig in to our tiny little apartment at Yonge and Steeles. Jordan was an intern for MLB.com and was traveling an hour to and from work each day! Ugh.

After that we were in St. Joseph Michigan for a few months and Jordan worked for the Herald Palladium and I was working for Smit & Kragt a law firm there. We brought our new puppy home to our new apartment on Cleveland Ave. He didn't like walking on a leash at first and was pretty defiant. He had a hard time running up the 3 floors to our apartment but he lost a little weight and that made it easier. It was nice to be that close to home. It would take about an hour and 10 minutes to go see family. Barkley got to go on a lot of those road trips and spend time with his stinky friend Sam.

Jordan was offered the full-time job with MLB.com and we moved in to our condo the first week in february. February 15th Jordan left for Florida for 6 weeks. Kyle traveled to Toronto to pick me up and I spent a week at my family's house and then I flew to Florida for a month. My family visited and Lynn visited. It was a lot of fun.

We returned to Toronto for the regular season. Jordan began doing a lot of traveling. I went home for Easter and Sarah's shower/Bachelorette party. I continued my job hunt when I got home.

Jody and Aaron Barrigar visited for a long weekend. It was nice to see a friendly face in my new city. We had a great visit.

Last week I was in Iowa for Sarah E's wedding.

Now I'm back in Toronto and I am still job hunting. Hopefully, I will find a job soon and will get back on the track towards dental hygiene. I pray that Barkley's seizures will decrease. ( He had one last night that was pretty violent) Many family members have made plans to visit us this summer! I'm pretty excited about that. This year has been quite eventful. Happy one year blogging anniversary!

2006-06-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Nixon

After taking a sad Barkley to doggy day care I caught the shuttle to the airport. I flew into O'hare and went out to dinner with my family at Popolanos.

On Friday I went to Iowa with Jill and Bobby Kopec. We had the Rehearsal for Sarah's wedding and then had the rehearsal dinner. I spent the night at Sarah's apartment. I got my hair done at 9 am and waited at the church for everyone else to get theirs done as well.

The wedding was beautiful.

The brother of the bride, Brad suprised her with a excursion limo which was awesome.

We took some great pictures at the old capital building.

The reception happened so fast, but we had such a great time.

On sunday we drove home and then had Gino's East pizza for dinner. Before I new it it was time to head home. The weekend was such a whirlwind and I can't believe I'm home already. I was very excited to see my hubby and my puppy.

***I would post more pictures but Blogger is not cooperating. I will try again later.***

2006-06-20T21:59:00.000-05:00

2 days....

So after spending some time packing, and reading an excited email from the bride to be I am getting super pumped about heading home for the wedding. It could also be b/c I'm sitting here at home without my own hubby, but I'm ready to go and be with family. Sorry Barkey, but you're going off to doggy daycare on Thursday!

After reading people's fathers day posts and working on my moms family, the Hensons, photo project, and scrapbooking, I have been kind of reflective.

I remember when I was a child and couldn't wait for summer to come b/c that meant I would be spending endless days swimming, playing outside at the park, and playing summer softball with my girl sarah e! Now that summer is here I feel like it's passing by so quickly...it's almost july! It's funny how as you get older the days/years seem to pass faster and faster. As a child you have no concept of how time is moving.

It still amazes me that even after a year of marriage that I am married. I still feel like that little girl in little white keds running up the hill on Chicago road with my backpack, waiting for Mrs. Eastman to help me cross that busy street so that I could come over and play with Sarah. . . and now she's getting married too!

This is the same girl I used to taunt every year on February 20th b/c I was older than her. I was born Feb. 19 and she was on the 21st so that one day of the year I could brag about being older than her. It doesn't take much to amuse a child.

This is the girl who was the first person to burst my bubble about the true identity of Old Saint Nick and the Toothfairy! "My mom told me...." She said. Thanks Sarah!

This is the girl who was with me through wins and losses. We would spend extra time together after practice during her "All Star" pitching days. She had to throw a certain amount of pitches to me at softball practice before we could go home. She still thinks I would cheat at counting so that we could go home early, but I rarely did! tehe!

I met her in Kindergarten at a daisy meeting (girl scouts) when we were 5 years old and it's rare to have a friend for as long as we've been friends (18 years). We've been through a lot together and I'm happy that I get to be a part of her big day. I know she'll make a beautiful bride. Congratulations Sarah E!

2006-06-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Dad's Day!!

I think this is the first Father's day that I haven't been with my dad. Wah! I will be there on Thursday and then he'll get his present. Usually, we have a BBQ with just the family. Today I found out that he is spending his day rebuilding/cleaning the filter on the pool or something. Real relaxing! I just thought I'd pay tribute to the most awesome dad I know. I love him. He's always been there for me. Here are some shots of my dad.

Dad always helped carve pumpkins every year.

(usually doing more of the work than us!)

Dad enjoying his favorite pastime!

Dad's Favorite Child!

I guess he's where I get my good looks! Yeah we're cute!

Like father like son

(Sorry Ky Ky I didn't have any pictures of you and dad!)

Well, to all you dad's out there have a great day!

2006-06-15T09:24:00.000-05:00

Error!!

Due to yesterdays problem posting I will attempt to add the photos that wouldn't upload today. Enjoy!

Jody and I at our awesome dinner at Alice Fazooli's.

What a great dinner!

Jo and me near the sleepy grizzly bear exhibit. It was hard to get photos of most animals b/c they were all sleeping!

One of my favorite animals and one of the most cooperative as far as photos go!

Who knew flamingos barked! They were quite noisy!

Zebra!This polar bear spent the afternoon playing with a blue barrel.

Baby Luke with his new favorite toy from his auntie and uncle!

What a cutie!!! No he wasn't at the zoo, but I just wanted to share this adorable photo!

2006-06-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

Barrigars in the Big City!

This weekend I had the pleasure of having my bestest friend Jody and her husband Aaron come stay with us. They got here on Saturday afternoon and we hung out until Jordan got home from work. We went to Cayo Coco for tapas. They were awesome.

On Sunday we went to the Bluejays game and we had seats in the Club 200 section which are cushioned! Jordan even got to come down and sit with us for awile to. The Jays were playing the Tigers and the Barrigars are huge Tigers fans.

On Sunday night after the game we went to Alice Fazoolis, a nice Italian restaurant that Jordan had $200 in gift certificates to. We ate like piggies. We had drinks, appetizers, I ordered seafood alfredo and then Jody and I shared a dessert, brownie with icecream covered in razberry sauce, which was heavenly.

On monday Jody wanted to go to the zoo. Toronto's zoo is the 3rd largets zoo in North America. It is very hilly and we did a lot of walking. By the end of the day we were beat. We spent the evening in the pool/hot tub to relax.

Barkley and I are recovering from being sick. I think I had strep throat or something and he had a seizure on Saturday. He's going to the vet on friday to see what's up with him.

Today I got my bridesmaid dress back from being altered. Just in time b/c the wedding is next saturday. I leave for O'Hare on thursday night and return monday morning. Well, that's all for now. I'll just leave you with a picture of my adorable nephew with his present from his uncle Jordan and auntie Kelly!

(***I'm having trouble posting pictures tonight. I will try and update later!***)

2006-06-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

The Loose Moose

Last night Jordan and I went to see the new romantic comedy, The Breakup. I liked it. It was pretty funny although we are pretty partial because it was filmed in Chicago. When we came home I decided to go to the gym...Jordan said he would join me, but that 9th inning sure took forever!

I met these two girls at the gym and they asked if I wanted to go out for a drink and I decided to go. When I got back Jordan said he would join us. We went to the Loose Moose for a drink and we had a good time. It wasn't one of those trendy places where all the girls are half naked it was more low key and we enjoyed it.

Today we don't have a lot planned. Tomorrow we might go to the Royal Ontario Museum and check it out. Well, that's all for now. Later gators!

2006-05-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

Go Sox!?!?!?

Today I went to the Bluejays/Sox game. Sox won 7-6. I had really good seats. It was freakin' hot out there. The dome was open and the sun was shining! It was fun but I had a hard time deciding who to root for...Chicago, my hometown or the ones who in a way pay my bills? It's a toss up. Jordan even got to come down and sit with me for a bit too which was cool. I think I got a little sunburn :( not cool. No funny tan lines for Sarah's wedding, which is coming up quickly here, June 24th. I fly in to O'hare on thursday night the 22nd. I leave @6:20 and get there @6:50 quick flight isn't it? We went out for our 1 year anniversary last night. We didn't get to go out until 10 pm, but at least we got to go out. We went to a tapas restaurant which was really yummy! Well, that's all for now...if Jordan gets home early enough we are going to go to church at 7pm. We'll see. Catch ya later!

2006-05-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

End of an era....

It was a sad day in the Sutton and Bastian households yesterday. My dad was trying to sell Jordan's Cavalier and ended up selling my Buick instead! This is incredibly stupid and I can't believe I am admiting this to anyone but immediate family, but I am sad! I have had the car since 2000 -- almost as long has I have had Jordan. My Grandpa Hershel gave the car to me in August of my senior year and thus started the feud between Kyle and I. He said he was supposed to get the car, not me. I'm waiting for him ask for his cut.

I have a lot of funny memories of that car. I used to be "extra" cool and had KDAWG10 liscence plates on it. I would wash it every week in the summer like it was a Corvette or something. Before I was done my pops would wander down the street and take a look at it and say, "It never looked this clean even when it was new! Maybe I should take it back!" I took it to college loaded down with my gear in it. I took my new roommates to Wal-mart in it and was embarasssed when it started to shake uncontrollably ( it needed a new tranny, 1st car owner repair). It was there for me every winter...it always started. Adventures in hubcaps! It smelled like my Grandpa's pipe which is an oddly comforting smell. It didn't look so great at the end, but it was a great car underneath. I'm going to miss my first car. Sniff, sniff! Here's one last look for everyone.

2006-04-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

Back @ it...

I was back at the gym tonight after nearly a week off due to flu like symptoms...yuck! I ran three miles so I wouldn't over do it. I will probably feel the effects of it anyway. I'm kind of bummed b/c there is this thing going on tomorrow at the CN tower. They are doing a benefit to raise money for the WWF of Canada and no it's not the World Wrestling Federation it is a group that helps fight global warning I guess....but they are doing this thing where you climb to the top of the tower. It is 1776 steps to the top. It would be cool to do but you have to raise $50 to do it and I didn't find out about it until tonight. Oh, well at least we know about it and can probably do it next year. Wish Jordan was here to do it with me. He left for NYC this morning and is probably currently waiting for players in the locker room to get quotes before he heads back upstairs to write the rest of his story. He is at Yankee Stadium for the first time today which is pretty cool. Anyhoo, Barkley and I are hanging out at home. Sent off a bunch more resumes today some at a law office and other office assistant positions.

I found out that if I want to work in a dental office in any aspect, even if I want to wash their floors I have to get a physical by an immigration doctor. So that's my next step... We'll see where this all leads me.

Tomorrow I might go explore the area around our house a little more if it is nice. That was so hard to do b4 b/c it was so cold, but now it has been warming up. I have a gift certificate for Pier One that one of my favorite sister - in - laws gave me for my birthday so I might head over there. Good luck on the triatholon training melissa! You can do it! I'm so proud of y0u!

Well, I think it's time for some on demand movies!

2006-04-27T00:26:00.000-05:00

Paddle Ball

My mom has this crazy tradition of buying us each a paddle ball for Easter. We usually play with them for 1/2 the day until we break them or knock something over. We got them this year as well but haven't had time to play with them until today. Jordan got home from work today and started telling me about how awesome his Mom was at paddle ball. Here is Jordan 3 minutes before he broke my paddle ball loose from it's string!

Job hunt is still going on. I have located quite a few prospects so tomorrow I will be sending out my resumes. Wish me luck. Jordan leaves friday for a week long road trip. YUCK!

2006-04-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

I just kept on running...

Well, running day 3 went well. I'm a little sore this evening. I thought I'd start it off slow and only do 3 miles. My time has gotten a little better everyday. Poor Jordan had to take the day off today b/c he was too sore. Hopefully tomorrow he will get back at it.

Blue Jays lost today, Boo!!

Busy day tomorrow! Tehe! Groceries are being delivered between 7:30-9:30 and then we will finally have TV when the guys comes to hook it up between 11-2!! Yeah on demand! I love it. I'm a movie freak so it's nice to get to pick one when you wanna watch it and not have to go to the video store. I got hooked at my parents house b/c they have it but when I was in Florida we had it in the condo.

No job yet. . . Still looking.

2006-04-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

Opening Day!!!

Today I went to the opening day of the Toronto Blue Jays. Blue Man Group did the national anthems on pipes in the outfield which was by far the best version I have ever heard. I got stuck between two huge guys and for 1/2 an inning it felt like my plane ride back to Toronto, smooshed. Then some people were in the wrong section and after they moved we had a little breathing room. I got stuck in a rowdy section, which was a lot of fun. People got thrown out!

Jays won it 6-3. Good start!

2006-04-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

Oh, Canada....

Yes, we are back in Canada. After struggling as always to get into Canada, we are finally here. The day I left Tampa started off with a bang. The luggage guy placed me in the wrong, long line to get my ticket at the counter and as I was almost up to the lady she shouts all international tickets must be obtained at the next counter. GRR! I moved down to another long line and struggled to keep Barkley away from everyone while we waited in line. Poor guy looked at me through the wholes in his crate with sad eyes that seemed to scream not this again.

Next came security which was about a 45 minute wait of winding through lines like at Great America except that the ride at the end of the wait wasn't nearly as fun. The first plane ride was fine, but the second one was awful. It was a small plane and the ride was very bumpy and I of course couldn't get the seat by myself. I waited for the person to show up to sit next to me and I cringed as I saw his massive body heading towards me. "Looks like this is my seat," he said as he sat down pretty much on top of me. Luckily it was only an hour flight. Once we arrived at Customs the lady seemed pretty nice, but then she sent me to immigration. They asked if I knew why I was there and I said I don't know why they sent me here. When Jordan and I were denied entrance back in June it stayed on our record and therefore everytime we enter Canada from now on we have to go to Immigration.

Poor Barkley! He was waiting for me by the baggage claim all of this time. I get to him and people are standing all around him and he's barking like craaaazy! He sees me and stops. I try to take him out of his cage and people swarm me and say you can not take that dog out here. GRR! more frustration. As I'm leaving they want to see Barkley's rabies records. He is such a little pupster but after carrying him in his crate, my suitcase, a duffle bag and my carryon I was beat. I finally make it outside to find the shuttle and the lady sells me a ticket, but when the bus arrives they won't take me b/c of Barkley. I try to get a cab and no body will take me b/c of Barkley. Finally, a cab says he'll take me for 10.00 extra for the dog. I was so beat that I said fine, I didn't care how much it cost. I just wanted to be at home.

We walked in the front door of our apt. and we crashed onto the bed for a few hours. What a fiasco. I never want to travel by plane with a dog anymore...Not fun. I have a huge bruise on my leg from his cage.

After spending two nights by myself Jordan returned. We have restarted our work out routine and have successfully completed day 2. We did 3 miles each day. We don't want to overdo it.

2 nights ago we had a visitor. Jordan's friend Kelly who is the Twinns writer and used to go to MSU with him was here and we went out to one of Jordan's favorite places in Toronto, Milestones.

Today is opening day and guess who has a ticket! yeah me. Jordan got it for me as an Anniversay present. Yes he knows our wedding anniversary isn't until may, but as of April 2 we have been together for 7 years! Nuts. I'm out in the outfield and I have never sat there before. There are supposed to be a lot of people there tonight. I am excited to see all of the rennovations to the Park. Also, Blue Man Group is doing the National Anthems which should be pretty cool! Well, that's all for now...Catch ya later!

2006-03-19T09:09:00.000-06:00

Florida update...

Since some of you were wondering what we have been up to since we've been down here so I have finally gotten around to updating my blog.

I have spent some days by the pool entertaining Phillies and Bluejays children. One day I was in the pool and there were two kids in there with me. I moved to the hot tub and they followed me. One was a 7 year old girl and the other a 5 yr old boy. They started asking me question after question. . . why I was down here? what my name was? (they wanted to know my full name, my birthday, were I lived etc.) It was funny. So I asked them a couple and they told me their daddy played baseball and it turned out that they were John Lieber's kids. He plays for the Phillies. He used to play for the Cubs. He sat there by the pool on his cell phone while his kids followed me around. I think he thought, "cool! Someone is watching my kids!"

Another day a little girl started throwing a ball at me in the pool and we started playing catch. Good thing I like kids b/c they seem to think I am the babysitter.

Lynn came down the following monday. We went to dinner at Chili's the first night they were here b/c Jordan was with us. On Tuesday we went to Disney World. We started out at Animal Kingdom which I thought was pretty lame. We went to a Character breakfast there and that was cool. The kids were so excited to see the Disney characters. We went on a few little kids rides at animal kingdom and then we went to the Magic Kingdom. Lynn was disapointed b/c the Pirates of the Carribean ride was under construction.

The second day we went to MGM and then back to the Magic Kingdom. We went on the Buzz Lightyear ride several times that night b4 hitting the gift shop. Lynn decided to buy this huge castle which she lugged back to the ferry to the parking lot while we tried to balance caring the rest of her bags and 4 sleepy slightly crabby children. Funny thing....she checked the castle on the plane and it never made it through back claim. The 4th day they were here was kind of a waste b/c it was cold. The last day they were here it was nice and warm. That was also the day my parents go here.

My family stayed a half hour south of us in St. Pete Beach. Jordan had the day off and we started to head out to see them. Jordan backed out of his spot in the Ford Escape we have rented and he backed right into Flash Gordon's wifes Escalade. The guy who was driving was taking it to clean it and he looked really scared. He called Tom Gordon and he came down and didn't seem to worried about it. All he said was well, go see if you can buff some of it out and we'll go from there. He said I don't wanna hear her "bleeping" mouth, meaning his wifes, so I don't think they are going to pursue getting it fixed. Thank God!

We made it down to see my parents and spent the day by the pool/beach. I spent the next few days with my family relaxing by the pool and beach. We went parasailing the day before they left. When they checked out of their hotel they came and to our resort and we went kayacking. My mom and I spent most of the time on the water arguing about how you are supposed to do it. It was still fun.

I have spent some time down here with the Phillies writer's wife, Eve. We have a 2 bedroom condo and they are staying with us. She and I went kayacking yesterday and it was much easier than when my mom and I did it.

I am very impressed b/c I haven't really burned myself. I can't say the same for Jordan b/c when I got down here he looked like a tomato. Well, that's it for now. I have been having trouble posting photos so I will try again later. Adios.

2006-02-15T19:50:00.000-06:00

At the gym...

I am at the gym since my lovely husband took my computer to Florida and left me to freeze here in Canada. I only have to survive until Friday when Kyle and possibly Stephanie get her to take me back to Chi-town. I will be there for a few weeks and then I will joining Jordan in Florida. I am using the internet at the gym until I get to my parents house.

I am about to do my run on the treadmill so hopefully there is one open. The gym has been kind of busy since it opened on Monday.

After I run I will go back to clean up the mess I started at my house. It began so innocently when I started to vacuum my floor and then the vacuum kind of blue up all over the place. I spent the remander of the afternoon tearing the thing apart, cleaning it and then waiting for the parts to dry before I put them back in the machine. Yeah, vacuuming wasn't as easy as I had bargained for.

Well, that's it for now. No more procrastinating and wasting time on my new guitly pleasure, facebook b/c it is time to go run. If you're in Chicago next week give me a call at my rents house b/c I'll be there. Catch ya later!

2006-02-14T23:19:00.000-06:00

What next?!?

Today began quite oddly b/c when I turned on the faucet in the bathroom to brush my teeth, no water leaked out. I took Barkley downstairs to go out and I asked our doorman Paul if he knew we didn't have any water and he told me that a water main broke on Front Street. Yes it is called "Front Street" for all you south siders. We didn't have water for several hours which was really stinky and the hot water didn't return until this evening. Good thing I had a pitcher of water in the fridge for drinking.

Jordan and I had a nice Valentines day dinner, nothing big being as how I am going to Florida and that is Valentine's present enough. We decided to go to the gym but before we could leave the fire alarm started going off, again. Fire trucks showed up and everything. We have two speakers in our apartment and the security guys in our buildings started to tell us to remain calm and that it wasn't a fire. Either way it was still making Mr. Barkley quite upset.

We did make it to the gym and ran on the treadmills. It is such a nice place to work out. I can't wait to use the pool and hot tub. Well, I gotta go finish some laundry and help Jordan finish packing. I hope you had a happy valentines day. Later gators.

2006-02-13T20:42:00.000-06:00

Trying again. . .

Well, it's winter again and Jordan and I are starting our yearly get back in shape routine. Some how I can't get it in my head that it has to be a lifestyle change and not just a I need to fit into a dress kind of thing (although I need to fit into another dress this year, not my wedding dress, but a bridesmaids dress for Sarah E's wedding in June). I hope that this new rec center is helpful for me to at least get back to where I was at my wedding or maybe a little better than that.

I am going to Florida soon and I plan on running outside again. I did 2.5 miles today at the gym and I hope to progress. I didn't want to do the whole five miles the first day or I would be toast tomorrow. I'll get there.

2006-02-11T23:56:00.000-06:00

Capote

Jordan and I went to see Capote tonight. We went for dinner first and had a lot of time to kill before the movie. We went in Chapters, a book store near the theatre. The movie was a little over two hours long. I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to deal with Phillip Seymour Hoffman doing the "Capote" voice for two hours, but after a few minutes I didn't seem to find it as irritating as I did in the trailer.

I was rather impressed b/c Phillip Seymour Hoffman is usually the funny side man in movies but this was his first lead role that I am aware of. The movie makes me want to read IN COLD BLOOD which the film is about. Well, that's it for now. Time to hang out with Barkley. He is super hyper from being in his cage all evening. Later gators.

2006-02-10T18:41:00.000-06:00

Air Barkley!

Yes, that's right Barkley will be traveling yet again. He is switching countries in a few weeks. He is booked to fly American Airlines on February 28th and will return to Toronto on March 31st. He is headed to Tampa, Florida for a month of fun in the sun, laying by the pool, and swimming in the ocean. (Ok well maybe I'll be the one doing all of that, but Barkley is coming too!)

So, if anyone would like to join us down in Florida they are more than welcome. Just let me know. I know a couple of people who are already coming but the more the merrier right? It should be a good time. Well, that's all for now I have to go and help Jordan put our "den" together as he calls it. I prefer to call it the fronch room as we Chicagoans like to say. Some how the t in front room becomes a ch, strange how that happens. ok, later...

2006-02-08T22:49:00.000-06:00

Shaping Up...

Yes, our condo is starting to look like a home. We spent most of the day pulling it all together except for when we went on an entertainment center hunt. We froze our badonkadonks off walking to the Eaton Centre which is one of the biggest malls I have ever gone to. It is similar to Water Tower in its lay out but not to many of the stores are the same. We went to Sears and found one that we really liked but they weren't going to be able to deliver it until the 20th which really stinks. It is possible that we might wait until after spring training to sort that issue out, but we're not sure. For now our tv and it's components are sitting in a heap where they will eventually go.

The living room is set up minus pictures. Our bathroom is complete. Our kitchen is set up. That took a long time to arrange. The cabinets are oddly shaped and I have quite a large amount of stuff thanks to my Pampered chef shower, thank you ladies! We have am interesting shelving unit that hangs over the sink and it was the only place that I could find large enough to store my plates.

Me in the Living Room

The side view of our kitchen

Our kitchen from above

Our den on the other hand is quite the mess. That's a project for another day. Tomorrow I will be getting to our bedroom and putting all of our clothes away. I also will be putting my precious moments away as well. I'll post more pictures of our new place and of our leaving St. Joseph later on.

We have to get some sort of curtains for our bedroom windows. In all of the excitement of looking for an entertainment center we forgot about the curtains which is suprising for me b/c I have a hard time sleeping when it's bright in a room. I think I'm just really been tired over the last few days so I have been able to fall right to sleep after I get in bed no matter how light it is. I don't know what it is but my feet have been killing me.

Tomorrow I go on a tour of the new fitness center. That should be fun. Jordan won't be there because he has to go to the State of the Franchise event for the Jays. Well, that's all for now. I'll catch ya later....

2006-02-07T22:42:00.000-06:00

We're here!!

I just thought I'd give an update... We are in our new condo and are digging our way out. There are boxes everywhere and it is a complete mess, but we love it. It is freezing cold here and our internet guy told us it was warm last week but got cold this week, just our luck.

The process of getting over the border was much easier this time b/c we had the proper paper work. The whole thing took about 20 min. Barkley was very frightened in Immigration and Customs. We think he thought he was at the vet. Lets just say he was shaking like a maple leaf, yes I know I'm a dork.

Everything thus far has made it in one peace. We want to thank everyone who has helped us move, Ma, Dad, Kyle, Stephanie, Mike and anyone else I forgot. You were all a great help. Thanks so much. Anyhoo, if you want my address give me a call. I should be sending out an email with it in the next few days. Catch ya later...

2006-02-02T16:43:00.000-06:00

Last day of work...:(

Today was my last day of work at Smit & Kragt Law Offices in Saint Joseph. I know when you read the title and see the sad face following the no more work you would think I should be happy. It really stinks b/c I love my job and the people I work with are really great. They have been so wonderful to me over the last few months and I have really enjoyed working with them. It's a fun atmosphere and the people I work with are awesome people.

It's been a hectic couple of days and it will only get more stressful in the next week. We are having a rough time in my family right now so if you could pray for us that would be greatly appreciated.

That's all for now. Later Gators.

2006-01-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

You Gotta See the Baby!!!!

The baby is officially over a week old, but I finally got some pictures of him to post on my blog...and I am a little bit partial because I am the Auntie but I think he's very cute, a little red, but cute!

He was born on January 21st at 9:26 am. I was there with Lynn when she had him air-lifted out. I returned to Lynn's house while she was in recovery to save Jordan from his time alone with four children. The kids had him tied up in a recliner and were taking turns playing with matches but all in all things went well! J/k They were quietly watching a movie together when I got there, but Uncle J still looked a little frazzled.

Here is a picture of the proud big sis with her new baby brother:

Today my parents came up and helped us pack and prepare for our move. We got quite a bit done. Our apartment looks weird. Well, that's all for now. Jordan needs to get back to work. I can't wait till we have wireless internet and can both be on the 'puter at the same time.

2006-01-28T19:27:00.000-06:00

Visitors

Today Jordan's sis and family came over to see our new apartment. We hung out here for awhile and then we went to the Curious Kids Museum in downtown Saint Joseph. We weren't sure if some of the things would be to young for Tricia and Parker but it wasn't. They had a great time, in fact I think the adults even had a better time. We got to play with dinosaurs, make huge bubbles and even play dress up. We went downstairs and they had a career day where the kids got to meet a naturalist. He had a live turte and a huge snake.

After lunch we went to the Pump House Grill which we had never been to before. It was pretty good. We took them to the little shops like the toy store, an antique shop, and Perennial Accents one of my favorite stores.

We went bowling at Kelley's bowl again. We got there just as leagues were ending. Parker and Tricia had a bumber lane and the rest of us shared another. Lets just say I am still holding my lead on Jordan 5-3...oh yeah! He can't match me! I bowled a 129 the first game and a 116 the next. It was a lot of fun.

After bowling we went to one of our favorite spots in St. Joe, Kilwins. We each had our ice cream and then sat and talked for awhile. Parker was showing us his tooth which was hanging on by a thread. I asked him if I could pull it and he said ok. So I reached in and gave it a good yank and it came out. I was suprised he let me do it. Melissa was taking a picture but holding it and not looking. She got a great shot of me pulling it. Nice face Parkey! It was a great day. We had a lot of fun with the family.

During all of these events my parents brought up a dresser and brough Jordan's car home to be fixed. Of course my dad got it started right away. He's awesome. Yes, I'm a suck up! Tomorrow they are coming back. They are bringing my curio(sp?) cabinet and Precious Moments up here. My mom offered to help me pack and I'd be a fool to say no so I didn't. We are going to our favorite Mexican Restaurant El Rodeo in Benton Harbor. Yum.

Tonight Jordan and I are going to relax and watch a movie. Catch ya later.

2006-01-27T23:15:00.000-06:00

Rematch!!

Tomorrow we have a bowling rematch scheduled. We are going with the Black family some time tomorrow. Parker has already said he is going to kick his Uncle Jordan's butt. We are going to meet them around 10 am tomorrow and show them around St. Joe, show them our Apt. and go to the kids Museum. Somewhere in there I'm sure we'll get lunch. We went to there hotel tonight and hung out for awhile. We are headed back to Kelley's bowl so I can kick Jordan's butt! Oh, yeah, that's a promise!

P.S. Jody the phone works both ways! What are you doing? : )

2006-01-27T20:22:00.000-06:00

I'm movin' on...

We are spending our last free weekend here in St. Joe before we pack up and leave next weekend. Tonight Jordan and I went to Roxy's a hamburger joint a block from our house and then we went to the Chocolate Cafe and had cheesecake. We are wating for his sis Melissa, her husband Keith, and niece and nephew Tricia and Parker to get here. They are spending the night and we will spend the day with them tomorrow. My mom and dad will be here on Sunday to help us pack and my dad is going to fix Jordan's Crapalier. I have 4 days left of work and then on Friday we are going home to see everyone b4 we go. My family is going to House of Kobe on Friday night to. We are going to see Lynn and crew also. Jordan will get to see baby Luke for the first time.

I will blog more on baby Luke when I have more time.

2005-12-21T22:29:00.000-06:00

Results of Bowling

Jordan and I went to Kelley's bowling alley and I kicked his butt. The first game I won 127 to 101 and then 107 to 103! Yeah! On the last game all Jordan needed on his last roll was 8 pins and then he would have won but he got 3. He wasn't too happy. The bowling alley was decent. It kept score for you which I love. Afterward, we made a Target run. Well, time to join Jordan in watching Law and Order SVU. He watches CSI or Law and Order several times a day. It's quite ridiculous. Later gators....

2005-12-21T17:04:00.000-06:00

4 Days Until Christmas

Today I got a nice suprise when I got to work. I was given a nice Christmas bonus. Also, two of the attorneys gave me a gift certificate to the Mall in Benton Harbor and then they said that the office would be closed on Friday. Then, another attorney gave me a gift certificate to my favorite little store in Saint Joseph called Urban Homes. Our office is off on Monday as well. I'm pretty excited about that. It was a nice suprise.

Jordan and I are on the hunt for an apartment in Toronto. We worked on that last night but we don't have anything conclusive yet.

We have made plans to go bowling tonight. I went with my bros a few weeks ago so I should be warmed up! Tehe! Maybe! We get to relax since all of our Christmas shopping is done.

Here is a little Christmas email that I got from my friend Liz that I thought I'd share:

REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl. We should've known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

Well, I'll catch ya later and if I don't blog have a Merry Christmas!

2005-12-19T20:35:00.000-06:00

6 Days Until Christmas!!

With Christmas only days away let the chaos ensue. Yesterday, Jordan and I went to Casa de Sutton to help prepare the festivities and I bet my Ma wished we hadn't. Sam and Cocoa had to go to the groomer and Jordan and my Ma picked them up and left Barkley in his cage. Let's just say he wasn't happy about this and left a little suprise for them in there. Gross! It gets worse... Jordan didn't notice Barkley had stepped in it and then he left little brown paw prints all down the hall. Jo mama was furious. They had to give Barkley a bath. Then when they finally got to eat their lunch that they had brought home with them it was cold. Jordan made the mistake of giving Barkley a french fry which made him sick on the kitchen floor. Jordan and Ma could only laugh at this point.

Dad and I made our annual few days before christmas shopping trip. We left early so as to beat the crowds and we did very well, all the presents and got lunch all in under 2 hrs! A new record I think. When we got home I wrapped the presents and helped Ma make cookies.

Jordan, Kyle, Stephanie and I went to the hospital to see my Grandpa. It was kind of hard b/c he was rather disoriented and was telling us how lonely he was and how bad they were treating him there. He would say things that made you want to cry and then in the next breathe make you want to laugh. It's kind of a rollercoaster. You can't believe most of what he says unfortunatly b/c his mind is so fuzzy right now.

We try to keep busy with Christmas activities to keep our mind off of it. It's gonna be a strange and small Christmas at the Sutton house. I am happy to have a fun day of activities planned for Christmas Eve with the Bastians.

On Friday my office closes at 12 and then Sarah Eastman...soon to be Mrs. Nixon will be coming up to visit us here in Saint Joseph. Awesome! I haven't seen her since the summer time.

Tonight Jordan and I got to spend the evening together something we haven't been able to do during the week in a long time b/c he worked nights at the HP. Today was his first day with MLB.com. We played Sceneit one of our favorite games that we played a lot in Canada. He also showed me a couple of potential places that we could be staying at in Florida that are even pet friendly (Barkley might get a tan!).

Well, that's all for now. Back to hanging out with Jordan and Barkley. Catch ya later!

2005-12-12T16:37:00.000-06:00

Pops....

In case you have been wondering what happened to me over the last few days this is what has been going on....

My grandpa, aka Pops/papa has had pneumonia for 3 wks. He was admitted to Ingalls Hospital last week. He has double pneumonia which means fluid in both lungs. He had a heart attack before he got there and another on friday. The docs say he has congestive heart failure, his liver is enlarged, and his kidney's aren't functioning properly. I went home friday night and saw him on saturday. My Aunt Connie and Uncle Charlie from AZ came in and Aunt Lenda from CA. I saw him on Saturday and he was very weak. By Saturday night he was a little more upbeat and was even cracking jokes. By Sunday he was his same stubborn self when he gave me a hard time while I was trying to make him drink his barium drink before he went down for his ct scan. He was happy to see everyone. He was supposed to be taken out of ICU tonight, but his blood pressure dropped again so he will remain there. All we can do now is pray so if you could I would appreciate it.

To add to my stress Barkley and I had quite a scare today. After taking him out after work tonight our neighbor was also letting his dog out, a huge pit bull type dog. He wasn't on a leash and before I realized that he was racing down the hallway towards us. I was able to shove barkley through the fire door before he got to him. His owner raced after him and said he wouldn't hurt him. I was pretty scared anyway. He turned out to be a nice dog, but he looked a little scary. It was quite an adrenaline rush.

Well, Jordan and I are going Christmas shopping to get my mind off of things. Also, we are having a cleaning party here at the apartment. Yes, I'm a mean wife and I am making Jordan help me clean. Afterwards, we are going to put up our Christmas tree. AWESOME!! Our first tree! Anyhoo, Jordan is home now gotta run. Keep Hershel Henson, my Grandpa, in your thoughts and prayers.

2005-12-05T18:47:00.000-06:00

Update!

Ok, Jody. I finally have a free minute to update my blog. Here is what has been going on up here in St. Joe:

Jordan got offered a job as the Toronto Blue Jays beat writer for Majorleagebaseball.com. (mlb.com). He put in his two weeks notice at the paper he currently works at on Friday. We won't have to move until late January, early February. We will be going to Florida for a month for Spring Training. I have gone to spring training the last two years and it is lots of fun. Jordan is so excited. We need to make plans to go up there and find a place to live.

Jordan's car is in better working order now, but mine is out of commision now. I went home yesterday to help trim my parents tree and when I pulled into the driveway my dad smelled gas coming from my car. My gas line was leaking and at any minute if it caught a spark my car could have been a flaming fireball. I'm so glad we went home. Jordan's wonderful sister Lynn is letting us borrow her van until my dad fixes it. So for now I look like a soccer mom.

Yesterday like I said I helped my parents put up their tree. I got all of my ornaments and some lights and tinsel. All I need now is a tree. Hopefully this weekend we can get that accomplished and then decorate it.

Jordan has been working on our Christmas cards. Yes, my husband did our cards....I am so spoiled. All I have to do is address them.

My parent came up on sat. and we went shopping. Jordan finally got his suit that my mom promised him for his birthday....yeahs he got a new birthday suit. ha ha.

Jordan and I went out to see Pride and Prejudice. It was really good. I finally got to see a chic movie.

Well, that's all for now. I'll catch ya later. Good luck with all of your christmas shopping. I'm about 1/2 done.

2005-11-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

A Night Out in Saint Joe!

Last night I decided to have a fun night of doing laundry and hanging out with Barkley. I went to the bank to go get some quarters. I told Sara the girl who always handles our business at the bank what my exciting night entailed and she invited me to go out with her and her friends. We started out at the depot which is this little pizza place at the train station by the beach. After that we went up to the top of the hill to a place called Spinnakers. It was a duelling piano bar. It was really packed, but it was a lot of fun. At 10:30 I called Jordan and he was leaving work so I told him to come there. We hung out and had a good time.

Today I actually got around to my laundry. Jordan was here until 4:30 when he left for work. I might go out with Sara again tonight, but I don't know if I am up for another night of going out. We'll see.

I didn't get around to blogging about this last week, but I took Barkley to the vet and I found out that he might have doggy glaucoma. Poor baby. Every day three times a day I have to give him a pill, ointment in his eye and eyedrops. He wasn't very cooperative at first, but now he rolls over and lets me do it. I feel really bad for him. Next Saturday I have to take him back to the vet for a check up. Hopefully he will be doing better by then. At first the meds made him jittery and have to go to the bathroom a lot which didn't make Jordan very happy when he had to do clean up.

I love my new job. I have been there for 2 weeks. This week the bosses were on vacation and left us a lot of work to do. It made the time go by so fast. On Monday is our holiday picture for work. They send out a Christmas card to all of their clients. YIKES! Next week is a shortened week. I get thursday and friday off for turkeyday. Jordan is off thurs, sat and sun. He might come back on Saturday, but I'm not sure yet. We are also trying to get together with Melissa next weekend too. Well, that is all for now. Catch ya later!

2005-10-30T23:11:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Saturday night I went to my Aunt Torie's house for the Annual Sutton Family Pumpkin Carving contest. A lot of my family was there and we had a good time. It was pretty funny because everyone was concentrating so hard on their projects that it was dead silent. The family members that were there that weren' t carving were teasing us because we were so serious about the event. These were not ordinary carvings because there weren't any triangles or teeth. It was also my cousin Barb's birthday and our family friend Francine made her a spooky cake.

It was awesome. I won the contest, but some of the other contestants thought it was rigged b/c my parents, my brother kyle and his girlfriend Stephanie were the judges.
This is my pumpkin. It's a witch with a cat in the center. It's hard to see in this picture.

Today my parents came over. My dad had not been to our apartment yet. We went out to lunch and showed them around Saint Joseph. My mom brought a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. My mother and I also went on a walk through the neighborhood and on the high school track. Well, that's it for now catch ya later...

2005-10-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

What a day!

Yesterday got off to a rocky start. I was woken up early in the morning to a dog laying on my pillow who was shaking like he was freezing. He wouldn't stop for about ten minutes. He was sick for most of the morning. If was kind of scary. He was much better by the afternoon. He was jumping around and wagging his tail.

I went on a job interview yesterday at a law office. It went pretty well. I have a second interview on tuesday to meet with the lawyers. Wish me luck.

My parents are coming to visit us on Sunday. Yeah. Well, that's all for now. Catch you later!

2005-10-25T02:15:00.000-05:00

Barkley Bastian

Our dog, Barkley, was doing well adjusting to his new lifestyle as an indoor dog. He hadn't had any accidents until yesterday when his "Birth" family came to visit. Lynn and her crew came to see our doggy oh yeah and us for the day. They also brought along their little terror of a pup named Buddy. He's blind, but he doesn't let that stop him. I think he thinks he's a Great Dane. He started fighting and biting Barkley and he scared the pee out of him...literally.

We really enjoyed their visit, but I think Barkley was more than happy to get some rest after they left. He likes being top dog now and takes any chance he can to get love and affection. He loves the one on one time he gets now. Our furry "baby" is very spoiled.

Tonight we went to Battle Creek, MI to see our friends Julia and Chad (Jordan's best man). We met them at Chili's for dinner and then went to the movies to see Flightplan. The dinner started off bad b/c the waiter had two huge parties besides us and forgot about us. Julia's dinner was burned and mine was slightly undercooked. Later, about a 1/2 hour into the movie it looked like the film melted in the projector and it took them about 10 minutes to get the film back up and running. It was pretty funny actually.

It was great to see our friends and have a night out. Poor Barkley though he was alone for the longest he has been since we moved up here. We found an excited pup at our door, a stain, and our salt and pepper shakers knocked over. Looks like he had a bad night. Hopefully he'll get a little better as time goes by. All in all I am impressed at how he has done so far.

I'm searching for a job. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful. Jordan doesn't work until tomorrow night so I'll be watching the series here at home w/ my pupster. Jordan had his first article published with the new paper. It is about why cubs fans should root for the sox. Well, that's it for now. Catch ya later...

2005-10-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

Saint Joseph, MI

We arrived in Saint Joseph, Michigan on October 11, 2005. My brother kyle and his girlfriend Stephanie helped us move in to our new apartment. We live in a wooded area and it's really pretty up here right now b/c the leaves are changing colors.

On Wednesday we went to the Sox game. It was game two and the infamous drop third strike game. My brother-in-law, Keith and my sister-in-law Melissa invited us to the game. We had a great time. The crowd was crazy the entire game. We kept sitting down and standing up all night....It was like going to a catholic church service. It was extremely loud. We had a great time.

On Thursday my mom came up here and helped us to wash all of our new kitchen items and put things away. Our new apartment is great. We have everything put away. The only thing left to do is to hang our pictures on the wall, but I am waiting to get our wedding pictures. I got our album, but not our wall pictures.

Sunday was Grandma Bastian's 90th birthday party and Jordan and I traveled to Elk Grove Village, IL. We saw a lot of Jordan's relatives from other states.

After the party we went to my moms house for her birthday. I made her a cake. My Aunt Susie, Kevin, Kyle, Grandma and Papa were there.

We've already had our first visitors. Jordans dad and stepmom Patty came up on tuesday night. We showed them around St. Joseph on Wednesday.
Lynn, Jordan's sister, gave us one of her dogs a 2 yr old shitzu named Barkley, or as the kids call him broccoli. He's adjusting very well to his new place. We love having a dog. Jordan started his new job at he Herald-Palladium which is the Benton Harbor/St. Joe paper. Well, that's all for now. It's been awhile since I last blogged so this was kind of long. Catch ya later!

2005-09-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Go Sox! Red Sox That Is!

Well, my wonderful husband has done it again. Scored me some free tickets to tomorrow nights game. The Jays are playing the Red Sox. It's the last game of the series here in Toronto. I'm pretty excited b/c I've only gone to one baseball game this entire season where as my husband on the other hand will have gone to 52 by the end of the season. I went to one earlier this summer with my bros and Stephanie. I'm going to this one by myself. Anyone wanna join me? Maybe since Johnny Damons injury isnt' that bad he can fly in from Boston and sit with me! I'll rub his shoulder! I mean no I won't! Just kidding Jordan! I love you!

Today I stopped by this cool pottery place. They sell the pieces and you paint them. They had all kinds of dishes and figures. Looks like fun!

I must have been a good girl b/c today was mail day. I got three letters from people back home! Love you guys! See ya in 3 wks!

2005-09-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

Ok...I'm officially depressed...

So last night Jordan and I were relaxing watching TV. It's about 2 a.m. and we're watching some show about firefighters and our apt becomes pitch black. Crap! Our power goes out. Wait! No it doesn't the fan is still working. Oh, no! It's the TV! We franticly push the power button. Nothing happens. We unplug and then replug the TV. Nada. Yeah our TV is broken and we have a month to go, I've almost finished my project and I am sick of reading my stupid book. I don't know what I'm going to do. Stay tuned to see how whiney Kelly can get over the next month!

2005-09-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

Happy now?

My husband has been nagging me to post a blog. So here it is. There hasn' t been a whole lot going on around here and that is why I haven't posted. Jordan has been off of work since Monday and I will get to keep him at home until next Monday! He has some side stuff he has to do, but he's actually here which is a good thing. I don' t have to talk to myself anymore! Tehe just kidding.

I have been glued to my TV watching the hurricane news like many other Americans I'm sure. I have to turn it off many times because it is so draining to watch. Especially today when I watched Oprah do her take on what's going on down there. It was terrible. I need to stop watching TV.

Tonight, one of our favorite shows is on, RockStar INXS. We are big dorks, but it's one of the only reality shows that we can stomach. It's on three nights a week and tonight is the performance show. We missed the house episode last night b/c we went and saw The Brothers Grimm. It was decent, but more of a renter.

I've been hearing from a lot of people from back home which is awesome. It's kind of lonely when I'm here by myself all the time. It's good to hear someone else's voice besides Dr. Phil. Well, I'm back to my stitching project while Jordan is busy playing GameCube. If any of you have time shoot me an email and say hi.

2005-08-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Taking it easy...

Since we returned we haven't done very much. The laundry is still piled on the floor, dishes are in the sink, and Jordan is still in bed. Yesterday, we did get something accomplished during the day. Our air mattress was having technical difficulties the night before we left for the USA and we decided to exchange it yesterday. It's nice to sleep on something a little stiffer, but this one is a little bit smaller. It's supposed to be the same one, but it's not. It's ok I dont' mind b/c I actually got good rest on it. We also found a new grocery store that we like and it kind of reminds us of Jewel.(in the suburbs of chicago for all you out of towners!) It was much cleaner than Loblaws the one right next to our apt. and there was more food we recognized unlike Loblaws which has a lot of kosher and ethnic food.

Last night we enjoyed good old American Hamburgers cooked by yours truely. I am really getting the hang of cooking in this teeny tiny kitchen. You gotta make due right? After dinner we relaxed and watched Mickey Blue Eyes on TV. It stars Hugh Grant.

Today's tasks are hunting down change for the laundry, doing the laundry, dishes, and taking a run. Exciting I know. Jordan is off until Friday. Well, that's all for now catch ya later!

2005-08-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

Road Trippin'

On Thursday Jordan and I headed out on our 2 day journey to Niagara on the Lake, Niagara Falls, and Cooperstown: The Baseball Hall of Fame. On our way there we stopped off in a small town to get gas because Jordan was so excited to see their name:

We arrived in the town of Niagara on the Lake and were pleasantly suprised. I wasn't quite sure what we would find when we got there, but what I saw was better than I imagined. There were tons of quaint little shops, beautiful flowers everywhere in large hanging baskets, and horses and carriages. I ran into my leading man in town, Bogey.

The scenery was beautiful when we wandered down by the lake. There is an old fort off in the distance and a nice park to sit and enjoy the view in.
After lunch we headed to Niagara Falls after stopping off to watch a glass blowing demonstration. Jordan had been to the falls when he was 10 or 11 and I was there when I was 14. We stood next to the falls and got quite wet by the mist. This is what greated us: Then we took a ride on the Maid of the Mist which is a boat that travels to the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canada side. I had done that once before, but Jordan had never done it.

We stayed around in the Falls and had dinner at one of our favorite places, Rainforest Cafe. We have now been to one in each of the countries in North America. Yes, we're dorks, but we like the food. We waited for it to get dark so we could see the lights on the Falls. They were awesome. At first it was just huge white spotlights, but then they began to change colors. It was pretty sweet! We stayed in a hotel that night on the American side near Buffalo in Tonawanda. What did we find across the street from our hotel? Yeah, a Chili's and we stopped for chips and queso of course.

The next morning we headed towards Cooperstown. We enjoyed the drive through the hills and taking in the scenery. I loved looking at all of the old homes along the way. When we got to the town Jordan almost caused me to crash off the road and get rear ended when he saw this sign b/c he wanted to take his picture there.

We reached the Hall of Fame and the main street that it was on. This was another cute little town. It had a lot of shops that I had to drag Jordan out of. It was so strange b/c all of the towns along the way were vacant and this one was teaming with people.

Here is Jordan with his childhood heros and one of his main reasons for going to the hall.

I don't see any Bastians in the Hall of Fame, but it was easy enough to find a Sutton!Don Sutton This one's for you Melissa.

King KellyLay off the high ones. I like the high ones. Mule! Nag!

This is for all you Sox fans!

2005-08-16T19:51:00.000-05:00

Going to the Islands....

The Toronto Islands that is! We tried again today to head to the islands, but unlike yesterday we were successful this time. We traveled by subway and arrived at the ferry dock. We took the 10 min boat ride across the lake to the Islands. The water was very calm and I was very thankful for that. The last time I was on a boat like that I did not have a good experience. I get motion sickenss rather easily and the thought of getting on a boat again was not very inviting. This time went much smoother. I did not feel ill at all. The trip was very quick which helped.

When we got there we decided to rent bikes and ride around. Before we got there we stopped off at a hedge maze and explored around inside for a bit. When we got to the bike rental place and they handed us our bikes I had to chuckle a little. They were very old fashioned bikes. The handle bars curved up excessively and the only way to stop was to push the petals backwards like a small childs bike. It was funny. Nothing like the bikes I have been riding with my parents on the trails in Glenwood back home. Jordan hadn't been on a bike since 8th grade/Freshman year of high school. The bikes didn't have any gears and mine was really squeaky, but it was still fun. My legs are really tired now after our long walk around the city yesterday and the biking from today.Here is a picture of our wonderful bikes. Other people rode tandems and quadricicles too which were funny looking.

We biked all around the island. When we got to the far west end we arrived at the place where Babe Ruth hit his only minor league homerun when he was 19 years old. There wasn't a stadium or a statue like we imagined we'd see by the symbol they had on the map. There was a small little plaque screwed to a rock in some woodsy/weedy area. We laughed outloud when we saw it. I took Jordans picture anyway. At least we'll see some better stuff on Friday when we head to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Yeah, USA I can't wait. We're going there after Thursday when we go to Niagra Falls.