Vacation(s)!

I'm back from three weeks of vacation!

I spent two weeks in South Carolina.  I've been going there with my family since 1990, making this the 25th anniversary of my first visit to Myrtle Beach.  25 years!  Amazing.  We used to travel there with my grandparents, and since my grandfather's passing ten years ago I appreciate the memories we made on those vacations there so much.  This time around, I really missed him and remembered so many of the good times we had together there.  We visited an arcade that we used to go to as little kids, a place I hadn't been back to in many years (since we haven't stayed in a hotel in that area in awhile).  The place hadn't changed AT ALL.  I was a little overwhelmed with how much I missed my Poppa in that moment and with how fast the years have passed by.

I had traveled down South with my mom and youngest brother so we could have a full two weeks vacation.  This also gave my youngest brother and I time to bond, as we haven't spent as much time together lately as we used to.  The first Thursday of the trip, Quin flew down to spend a week there with us which was extra fun for me (and hard on my wallet, but the outlet shopping was SO GOOD!).   Saturday, Mr. Lock, my dad, and my middle brother drove in to join us for the second week of the trip.  We had amazing, super hot weather.  I loved being on the beach in the sunshine.  The ocean was 85 degrees Fahrenheit!  We went to some great restaurants, great shops, and I highly enjoyed playing four games of mini-putt!  The mini-putt courses in Myrtle Beach are so much fun.

We drove home after two great weeks in one of my favourite places in the world, and then Mr. Lock and I were off to the cottage his family rents each year for the next week.  It was very relaxing up at the cottage, cooler than South Carolina for sure, haha.  It was refreshing to swim in the cold lake, and I was able to read books on the dock, and just breathe in the fresh air and relax.  Gryphon seemed to enjoy the lake.  He LOVES the water!   He is a little nervous to swim when we have him in the deeper water, but he will go in to the shallow part of the lake quite willingly and loves finding a shallow spot to lay right down in the water and cool off.

So, I had a wonderful three weeks.  What a pleasure to have the summer off to be able to freely enjoy traveling when the opportunity comes up.  I can't believe I have another three weeks ahead of me before I'll be heading back to school.  It feels good, very refreshing after a hectic and somewhat stressful school year (kindergarten is a joy, but is also VERY difficult and tiring!).  I think I will be a better teacher in September after having this time to unwind and recharge.

The One Where I Think I Was Supposed to Recap My Honeymoon 2 Months Ago...

I believe about two months ago I said I'd come back to write about my honeymoon!  Well, I certainly followed through on that didn't I?  Ah well, teaching Kindergarten is sooo exhausting.  By the time I am home, it is hard to do much other than relax with my feet up in front of mindless television.  However, here I am, so let me tell you about our trip!

We waited to go on our honeymoon until the summer, since we got married during the school year.  We had weighed our options, and we decided that what was most "us", and what would allow us to have the most time together, would be a road trip honeymoon rather than flying to an Island vacation for just a week.  Neither of us had ever been to the East Coast, so we decided to go ahead and see our own beautiful country!

We spent two and a half weeks travelling.  We first went to Quebec City for a couple of nights.  It was nice to see it, and the Old City is so beautiful, however it was SO rainy that it was hard to really enjoy our evenings there.  We did have a great day of sightseeing, but it ended very rainy, wet, and chilly.

After that, we were off to New Brunswick!  It was such a beautiful province to drive through.  We decided it was our favourite in-land drive.  There was NO traffic, AT ALL, anywhere.  It was amazing how fast we could travel place to place in New Brunswick.  We stayed in Fredericton, and then at a small motel near the Hopewell Rocks.  We then met up with Dr. McVet and her husband to visit the Hopewell Rocks for the day.  We walked the ocean floor, and stayed to see the high tide as well.  Here are a couple of our pictures:

The Hopewell Rocks before we went down to walk the floor ourselves.

A few hours later when the tide had come in!

Such an awesome transition to see!  It was really fun.  When walking the ocean floor, it felt prehistoric.  The water was also so brown, it was like chocolate milk.  Very interesting!

After New Brunswick, we met up with the rest of the Sitcom Group of Friends in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the August long weekend.  We had a wedding to attend, on a boat!  On our first day in Nova Scotia, we visited Peggy's Cove.  This was such a beautiful place, and I felt like I could lounge in the sun and watch the tide roll in for hours.  Then, we explored Halifax and had a fantastic time at the Hat family's wedding (pseudonym, obvs).

Peggy's Cove, NS

Following our weekend with our friends, Mr. Lock and I took off on our own again and we spent two nights driving along the Cabot Trail.  This was probably our favourite part of the whole trip.  The Cape Breton Highlands National Park was beautiful, and the drive along the coast was gorgeous!  We decided that while New Brunswick was our favourite in-land drive, Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia generally was our favourite coastal drive.  We both agreed that we would love to go back to the Cabot Trail one day, and spend more time hiking and visiting the beaches there.

A view from a look-out along the Cabot Trail.

Our next stop was Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  We took the ferry across from Nova Scotia to P.E.I.  It was really awesome because we actually saw a pod of Pilot Whales while we were on the ferry.  We otherwise saw next to no wildlife on the entire trip!!  Which was quite surprising!

Prince Edward Island was very nice, very small, very quaint.  However, we didn't feel blown away by it.  We found that it was difficult to see much without constantly having to pay again.  We had to pay a Provincial Park fee to see Cavendish Beach, but we only had a day of touring so we weren't stopping at the Beach for long... then we had to pay a DIFFERENT Provincial Park fee to visit L.M. Montgomery's homestead/inspiration for Anne of Green Gables.  The red sands were really interesting to see, and we had some of the most delicious food of the whole trip while in P.E.I.  We just found it a bit dull for us compared to the other provinces we had visited.

Cavendish Beach, P.E.I.

We took the huge Confederation Bridge to drive back into New Brunswick as we headed back home.  We spent one night in Moncton at the New Brunswick Casino Hotel.  It was pouring rain, so we never really saw Moncton.  We did drive the Magnetic Hill which was very, very cool to experience.  I know it's an optical illusion, but it REALLY feels like your car is rolling uphill, and quite fast.  I took a video and it is amazing!

We drove to Montreal the next day, just to spend a night there to break up the drive, and then we ended our honeymoon by spending time with Mark's family at the cottage they rent to the North-East of Toronto back here in Ontario.

It was such a wonderful vacation and honeymoon.  We spent quality time together, experienced the beauty of the Eastern part of our country, and even spent special time with our best friends and Mark's family.  It was a perfect honeymoon, and one day I do hope to go back and visit the East Coast again.

P.S.  The photos in this post were all our own, I'm pretty impressed with how gorgeous they turned out!

Vegas, Baby!

It's March Break... I don't know where this school year is going!  I am so exhausted, though, so I'm certainly glad for the break.  I need to recharge.. and my students definitely need some time apart, as they are beginning to drive each other crazy (which usually begins to happen around the spring -- too much time spent together every day).

I am off to Las Vegas tonight, until Thursday!  I'm tagging along on a family vacation with my parents, grandmother, and youngest brother.  They were going March Break anyway, and asked me to join them for only the cost of my plane ticket since I'm off work anyway.  Yes, please!

We are doing a few different things than I did with my friends in the summer.  My dad will have a rental car, so we are going to go to Hoover Dam one day.  Also, my mom and I have tickets to see Celine Dion in concert... a concert which has been on my mom's Bucket List, but one which she hasn't been able to see over the years for various reasons (she'd be going to Vegas, and Celine's show wouldn't be running because Celine was sick, or was on her own vacation, etc).  This time, the stars seem to be aligning and my mom will finally see this show!  Yes, I've just knocked on wood.

We are also going to see Terry Fator, who was a winner of America's Got Talent, and who is a ventriloquist and impersonator... I've heard his show is really good, and so this is one my family is all going to together (so, something for Scooter, as he is only 14 and can't gamble and such, haha, he loves Vegas though, this is his third time going!).

All in all, I am looking forward to this break, a chance to just relax and not worry about school (though  I will, because I think about it constantly, haha).

Viva Vegas!

The Sitcom Group of Friends Does Vegas, Baby!

My Sitcom Group of Friends and I just got back from a vacation in Las Vegas, baby!

We stayed at New York, New York Hotel & Casino.  For most of us, it was our first time ever being in Las Vegas.  We had an absolute blast.  It was our first trip together as a group of friends, as well, beyond cottage weekends.  We had such an amazing time travelling as a group and being very touristy in what we will definitely call "Disneyland for Adults".

Everything along the strip is SO HUGE.  It takes forever to walk to the different hotels, and through them.  We made sure to see inside a wide variety of them, and they are just unbelievable.  You absolutely have to see them for yourselves to believe them!

The Garden inside the Bellagio

The Bellagio fountains

The painted sky ceiling inside Caesar's Palace

The ceiling and tops of stores inside The Venetian

The gondola inside The Venetian

We are fairly innocent folk, which I could really feel while in the so-called "City of Sin".  We took Quin out for a Bachelorette night, and while we did go see The Thunder from Down Under (HELLO! YUM!), we weren't really into going to clubs or decking ourselves out in the latest from "Slutz Wear Daily".  Ah well, we had fun OUR way... and we're seriously better off for it!

So, while nothing that happened in Vegas needed to stay in Vegas after our trip, we did have a fantastic time together.  We swam in the hotel pool, walked around and explored the hotels, made our way down to Fremont Street to see Old Vegas (so classic!), and gambled some.  No one came home with any big wins, but we had a lot of fun and that's what counts.  I definitely see why so many people love going back to Vegas year after year... and I have to admit, I'm already looking forward to the next time I'll have the opportunity to go back there, and maybe try staying in a different hotel (though New York, New York was a great hotel and I'd gladly stay there again any time).  Vegas is big, loud, flashy and exciting 24/7!

Have you ever been?!

From Vacay to Sick Days, Part Three

I left off at our three hour drive last Wednesday.  We headed up to the cottage that Mr. Lock's parents have rented for years -- his whole childhood he can remember summer vacations for two weeks up at this cottage.  It was lovely!  We stayed there from Wednesday night until last Saturday morning.  It was so relaxing and peaceful after the busy, busy, busy few days we spent in New York.  A perfect holiday balance -- sightseeing and walking all over a new place, followed by laying low and relaxing on a dock at a cottage.

We had gorgeous weather all last week in both locations.  The only rainy day was our Wednesday travel day, which worked out perfectly.  At the cottage, I lounged around in the sun reading my book, and we swam in the lake, and went for a boat ride and fishing.  We also roasted marshmallows, and played a lengthy game of Trivial Pursuit.  Oh, and Mr. Lock and I totally beat his parents at Euchre!  Go team us!

It was a perfect holiday week, and it was sad heading home on Saturday knowing it was over.  Though, Saturday was busy enough in itself.  That night we had Dr. McVet and her Fiance's Stag and Doe, so we had to get ready to run events there.  It was a success, and I really enjoyed myself.

Until it was just about time to leave, when I suddenly had an INTENSELY sore throat!  I was confused -- I felt fine, and then all of the sudden, it was hugely painful whenever I swallowed.  By the time we got home, I had aches and pains and ended up falling into bed shaking, with Advil in my system to help me sleep.  Sunday, I had to come to my parents place to stay here for two weeks with my puppy while the family is on holiday.  I had to take Advil every four hours to get through Sunday, and Sunday night I barely slept because of running a high fever and having difficulty controlling my body temperature.

So, vacay turned to sick days.  I had to take Monday through Wednesday off from nannying, the days that were supposed to be my first days back after my holiday week.  My 22-year-old brother (who is also here with me, but who words shift work so is here at odd times) took me to the clinic on Monday because I couldn't drive myself, and the doctor said it looked like a throat infection so he wrote me up a prescription.  It took until Wednesday to start to feel a bit more like myself, though with a sore ear and some congestion remaining.  Finally, I returned to work yesterday and today I finished my antibiotics.  I feel a lot better, with just a bit of congestion and a stuffy nose.

Just in time for City Chase tomorrow... good thing I feel better!  Last year, City Chase was a pretty intense physical challenge!  I'm excited to do it again, but I'm worried about how tired I'm going to be afterwards.  I think Quin and I will take it just a bit less competitively this time around.  I'll update next week about City Chase, and how it all went down after this week of being sick!

From Vacay to Sick Days, Part Two

New York City: Day Three!  This was our last day exploring the city, as Wednesday was going to be Major Crazy Travel Day.  First things first, we had to head over to NBC Studios for our pre-booked Studio Tour!

You couldn't take any pictures inside the tour (booo), but we got to see where Brian Williams does the Nightly News, inside the NBC Football studio, and the set of Saturday Night Live.  It was very exciting to see it all, and as a huge TV fan (and big SNL fan, at that), I absolutely loved this experience.  I'm sure the studio lot tours in California are much more elaborate, but this was a great experience regardless.

After our NBC tour, we wandered around to a few other tourist sights we hadn't seen yet.  We went into FAO Schwarz, Bloomingdales, and Dylan's Candy Bar.  Oh, and we had lunch at the Carnegie Deli -- such ridiculously large sandwiches!  We headed back to the hotel in the late afternoon to rest up and get ready for our big evening plans.

My first ever Broadway show!

I had quite the experience trying to see Wicked when it was in Toronto last time, in fact Mr. Lock nearly got us tickets that day (this was before we started dating, but kept hanging out just the two of us -- non-date dates, as I refer to them now).  He bought us these tickets to finally get to see it, and it was SUCH an amazing production!  What a perfect way to end our time in New York City.

Wednesday was spent in the Newark Liberty International Airport for HOURS before our noon flight home... then we took the following transportation to get back to my condo: airplane from NJ to Toronto, ferry from the Island airport to mainland, free Porter shuttle, subway, city bus, our own feet.  Oh, and then, after I completed the final assignments for my two online courses (yay!), and did a load of laundry and ate a yummy dinner prepared by Mr. Lock... it was into a car, for the three hour drive to vacation destination number two!

More to come soon!

From Vacay to Sick Days, Part One

Last week Mr. Lock and I took off for a week of vacation fun.  He took the week off from work, and I took the week off from the family I nanny for this summer four days a week.  On the Saturday (July 30th) we had a wedding to go to for one of my co-workers, and then on the Sunday morning we flew Porter Airlines to New York City.

The first thing I need to mention is how AWESOME flying Porter was out of Toronto.  We got there way too early, we had my dad drive us in the end since I became nervous about trusting the three forms of public transit we would need to make it in time for our flight, and we underestimated how much faster it would be in the car.  However, getting there early wasn't too bad.  It's true what they say -- the lounge at the Toronto Island airport (hmm Billy Bishop Airport is I think what it's actually called) is great.  Free Starbucks Coffee machines, we made lattes and cappuccinos during our wait, and a few snack foods for free too.  A comfortable lounge space, and not many people at all so no crowded feeling.  It was actually lovely.  The flights were inexpensive compared to other airlines (we also bought ours on a seat sale), and the flight was very enjoyable -- we even got a free snack and drinks on the one and a half hour flight!

It was a chicken wrap, a small cucumber and tomato salad, and a little Lindor chocolate square.  Adorable, and yummy!

Anyway, Porter is not in any way paying me to say a single thing about their service, I just really enjoyed the experience and wanted to share that with you.  I'd fly Porter again in an instant.

New York City was incredible!  Neither one of us had ever been there before, so we enjoyed wandering the city and stopping at various tourist attractions.  We walked around Central Park after we checked into our hotel, and that night after the early arrival to the airport and the HUGE walk around the park, we actually ended up in bed by 9:30 pm, and I was asleep by just after 10 pm. 

On our second day, we did one of those hop on, hop off bus tours.  This was great, because it took us on a big loop around the downtown area of Manhattan, and we got to go by many of the tourist sites we might not have found as easily on our own.  We could choose when we wanted to stay on the double-decker bus and see the sights from there and listen to the tour guide, or when we wanted to hop off and walk around the area a bit and then catch the next bus that came by the stop (they came every ten to fifteen minutes, so it was easy to hop back on a bus).  We went to Macy's, we walked around Greenwich Village and SoHo, and around Rockefeller Centre, but otherwise we stayed on the bus to see other sites like the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and the Lower East Side.

That night we went to Caroline's Comedy Club on Broadway, and while we were told the show wasn't a traditonal stand up comedy program, we decided to watch the performance anyway.  We ended up seeing this performance called "If It Only Even Runs A Minute", the seventh installment which highlights some of the underappreciated Broadway shows of the past.  We felt like we were listening in on a New York "inside joke" that we weren't a part of, but it was still pretty cool.  The best we could figure, it was made up by theatre majors and they were filming it for YouTube.  They would highlight six or seven little-known Broadway musicals, and for each they'd have a special guest -- sometimes a Tony Award winner for a different play, haha -- come up and tell a story about their experience on the show, and then perform a song.  The audience was made up of Broadway lovers and Tony Award winners, and Broadway directors... it was kind of neat, but totally different experience.  I'm glad we were a part of it, it felt very "NYC".

We then walked a little closer into Times Square to see it lit up a night, what a sight!

It was then back to the hotel.  We couldn't handle night life after the BUSY days we were having, waking up early and walking blocks and blocks in the sun. We were so happy for the gorgeous weather, and for locating all the sights we had that day throughout Manhattan, but it was also exhausting! 

Day Three of NYC, and more about this past week and a half, is coming up in another post tomorrow.