20 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
big girl pants, box, chocolate, colleagues, home, New York, pictures, widow, work
nice to get back to work and see all my colleagues…
brought them a taste of chocolate from New York… they were in a cute little wooden box and no one wanted to open it…
eventually I broke the seal, removed the ribbon and took a few pictures…
finally some pieces were eaten, lol…
caught up with all the news and shared some travel stories…
nice to be home…
19 Tuesday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
yesterday I turned 65…
was very special to be in New York with my girls…
went for a walk after midnight… because we were in NYC and you can… wandered by the 9/11 memorial and found the Charging Bull… went to bed around two…
we headed down to the cold-pressed juice bar in the hotel once we woke up and before starting out on our last day in the Big Apple… was able to have an all vegetable juice which was a great way to start the day… I’d been eyeing the bar since we’d arrived… later came across a creperie and had a portobello, Gruyere, thyme and truffle oil one for the second part of my breakfast… yum… at lunch had freshly made motzarella, prosciutto, radishes, a fried asparagus with cheese pizza and half of a pear Bellini… snacked on a piece of coconut chocolate cake… and our final meal of the day was steak with mashed potatoes, and a tasty salad topped off with pecan pie…
was pleased with the options and able to eat small portions of each so felt treated and good at the same time, lol…here is a collection of our fun day…
our feet, hand and bags as we were cramming our stuff into as little space as possible, ready to go through customs with all of our goodies… including treasures from Carlo’s Bakery… a wall covered in purple purses in Brookfield Place… dinner at Prime in La Guardia… cheers at Eataly… and more cheer with our dinner…
received this great phone case from the 100,000 step girls… we’d seen this as we were riding the Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off… they searched everywhere to find one with the subway map on it but when they weren’t successful they found this one…
had texts and phone calls from my boys… also received this handmade card…
all in all a pretty wonderful way to celebrate;-)…
19 Tuesday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
9/11, Big Apple, big girl pants, chocolate, Eatalia, flowers, High Line, memories, NYC, vacation, widow
another busy day, but tons of fun…
we had cold pressed juice for breakfast at the hotel and then broke into two groups… two went with their main goal shopping for gifts for those at home… we went out with a plan to see Eatalia and take a walk on the High Line…
we started out and stopped by the 9/11 memorial where we took a few pictures… was very interested in the story of the survivor tree which was found buried in the rubble, moved to a nursery, damaged in a storm and replanted on the grounds and is thriving…
the sun shining on this rose with the huge sculptural dove in the background came out beautifully…
we stopped at a rather high end mall and found a Tory Burch bracelet for my Fitbit… I am so excited about this because I have only seen them online and wasn’t sure of the sizing so hadn’t wanted to order one… the young woman who helped us provided great service and was able to find a single silver one in the store which fit perfectly…
so it was my present to me… when she heard it was my birthday she gave me a great deal…
my plan for the day included taking as many flower pictures as possible, so I was happy to come across this flower shop…
there was a tulip festival taking place and some beautiful purple and orange ones jumped out at me…
a nice picture of the Flat Iron Building with my daughter and a blooming cherry tree in Madison Park… just before we headed into Eatalia…
what fun we had there wandering through all of the sections and having a spectacular lunch…
didn’t see Mario though, lol…
from there we found our fifth chocolate shop of the trip… and picked up a few items to bring home… and while we were there we shared a piece of coconut chocolate birthday cake which was delicious… this from a person who isn’t fond of cake, lol…
on to the High Line which we walked for about half an hour… hot and sunny the whole way…
met up with the other two girls, had a snack and headed to the airport… shared a delicious birthday supper at Prime and made it onto the plane for the first leg of our flight…
our second flight got us home just after midnight…
most everyone we met was welcoming, informative and provided excellent service…
we walked, rode the subway, took taxis and flew, all in one day…
so many memories of four days in the Big Apple and the many little bites we took…
17 Sunday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
big girl pants, Brooklyn Bridge, cruise, Liberty, Monet, NYC, rose window, Seaglass, water, water lilies, widow
started the day with a carousel ride in some cool fish at Seaglass… followed by a cruise on one of the rivers, a view of the Statue of Liberty, a visit with Monet’s water lilies, a wander through St. John the Divine, and an evening ride on the water…
the cool fish in the carousel…
selfie with the Brooklyn Bridge… the other girls were taking lots of pictures with the Statue of Liberty…
me and the water lilies…
purple flowers, water and a giant rose… what more could a person ask for… ate lunch in the Cafe in MoMA before meeting the other girls and we headed off to the cathedral…
beautiful rose windows… reminded me of the lovely one in Bryce Hall…
seemed like it was a water themed day…
busy, busy…
16 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
Beaubourg, beautiful, big girl pants, busy, Canada Goose, Central Park, flowers, New York, rickshaw, widow
up fairly early considering what time we went to bed, lol…
walked and walked and walked… saw flowers blooming everywhere…
rode the subway again… took a rickshaw tour of Central Park… what fun… great way to see most of it and learn fun facts… a beautiful place…
caught a Canada Goose resting on a rock with a turtle…
saw the city vistas from Top of the Rock…
Central Park from Top of the Rock
sunshine and warm weather make the day very enjoyable…
16 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
big girl pants, cabs, flight, Kinky Boots, NYC, party, Subway, Time Square, tunnel, widow
three of us left the city at five am…
flew across the country to Toronto… where we met up with the last member of our party…
had some breakfast, waited a bit and then got on a flight to New York City…
arrived to a sunny, warm day… there was a sea of cabs waiting to take people into the city… after a hair raising ride over bridges and through tunnels we arrived at our hotel….
the view from the top floor is lovely and we hope to see the sun rise in the morning…
very late lunch, a change of clothes and it was off to Time Square, via the subway… there were wayyyyyyy too many people there…
stopped in at the M&M store and then off to our first Broadway Show…
Kinky Boots… very cute… had great seats and enjoyed the show…
having trouble with the internet so there will be no photos…
14 Thursday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
band, big girl pants, fit, Fitbit, Flex, purple, replacement, ripped, weight loss, widow
a while ago I noticed that my Fitbit Flex band was breaking…
after I bought the Fitbit I ordered a purple band… I know, you are shocked… about a year later it ripped, so I ordered a set with 3 in it… a purple, pink, and turquoise one… of course I’ve only worn the purple one, but I was able to give the turquoise one to a friend… still need to find someone who could use the pink…
it’s been about another year when I noticed this break…
instead of just buying a new one, I emailed them, thanks to a suggestion from my daughter… they responded very quickly and said they would send a replacement… at no charge…
when I arrived home today there was a parcel on the step…
yay… and here is the new one on my wrist…
Fitbit Flex band
another exciting piece is that now it only has two open spots where it fastens… in the last year or so it has moved at least five spaces… I was actually wearing the small size while I was waiting for the replacement to arrive…
another visible example of how much weight I have lost… way to go me…
life is good…
13 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
this morning I couldn’t stop taking pictures as I waited for my ride…
sun shining on the trees to the left…
glittering off the chimney…
and making beautiful highlights on the trees to the right…
went for a walk at noon with a colleague and it was lovely out… by four didn’t even need a jacket on…
had an opportunity tonight to take a few shots of some cream roses…
creamy rose
De Luca basket of goodies
it was so warm that we didn’t need jackets when we left the event… the car said it was 16… what a gorgeous day…
12 Tuesday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
Tags
appreciation, big girl pants, birthdays, decades, Forks, friend, lunch, packing, sunshine, Sydney's, The Forks, walk, widow
had a lovely walk to and from the Forks today…
excellent meal at Sydney’s at The Forks… had a wonderful shrimp bisque and their signature salad… the bisque had a teeny tiny Monte Cristo sandwich in the middle of it… very tasty… salad was delicious too… today I wasn’t even tempted by the bread, lol… it was a fork and spoon kind of lunch…
my friend and I were celebrating our birthdays, which are ten days, and a few years, apart… on top of a great chance to catch up, I was treated to lunch… we’ve known one another for three decades and have both worked and volunteered together… I learned much of what I know about how to deal with people and appreciate them from our time together… always enjoy every chance we have to get together…
got this great picture of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as I walked back to the office…
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
really happy to be outside… although it was a bit cool when I was walking into the wind, the sunshine made up for the chill…
should have gone to aquasize after work but this has been and will continue to be a very busy week so decided to rest and finish up the packing…
well I better get on with that…
11 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in family, health, life, loss, nature, technology, Uncategorized
been thinking about cancer quite a bit lately…
picked these daffodil pins up on Thursday and left them at the office for my colleagues to wear during April… the daffodil is a symbol of strength and courage in the fight against cancer…
the colleague we recently lost had her birthday in April and I’ve been thinking of her a lot…
also, the many others in my life who have succumbed to the disease… my mom, mother-in-law, family friends… and those who have survived…
it has been nearly four years since my surgery… the cancer is all tied up with George’s death as the diagnosis was just weeks after…
I am doing very well but the magic number is five years… wonder how I will feel when that last appointment at CancerCare happens…
I remember how shocked I was at the relief when the doctor called to advise that there was no cancer left following the surgery… I had thought that I wasn’t worried about it at all, lol… wrong…
orchid bloom opening…
herbiggirlpants 