Dinner with the Marquez Family

My cousin Arlynne was in town so we decided to meet for dinner and she brought along her parents. What a treat! Uncle Armando is my dad's first cousin and best friend so our families spent a lot of time together growing up. Now that my dad is gone, I don't really get to see his side of the family too often so I was glad that Arlynne brought her parents. Arlynne, on the other hand, left Canada two years ago for the greener pastures of Ecuador to teach English. Norm and I loved listening to her work travelling stories, partly because it would be something we can see ourselves doing. I know she gets a lot of pressure from her parents to come back home but I applaud her for having the courage to go to a different country, learning a new language and meeting new people. I'm sure her parents only want what 'they think' is best for her - to come home and settle down. They asked me to talk to her (wrong person to ask) and although part of me would like her to come back home, I encouraged her to continue what she loves doing and being where she loves to be. Often times people expect the natural progression (graduation, job, marriage, kids, retirement) but people often judge when we don't do just that. I know all too well that God has a different plan for everyone so I expect Arlynne to explore the world at her own pace and to come home only when she is ready.

Go Canada Go!

Grandma is set with her Team Canada gloves as she cheers for the Canadians at the 2010 Olympics!

Grand Cayman

Tour consisted of a visit to turtle farm; a stop in "hell"; sampling of rum cakes and swimming with the stingrays. Best part of the tour was riding on a catamaran to stingray city.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Climbed the Dunn's River Falls (pictures to come); toured through the fern gully; sampled authentic jerk chicken, jerk pork and festival; shopped near the port. Best part of our trip was meeting Diana and Gerwyn who just so happened to also be in Ocho Rios for their honeymoon.

Cruising the Caribbean

What an amazing mid winter break to the Caribbean. Usually a trip to South Carolina will give us the vitamin D we need to tide us over to spring but this year it was unseasonally cold. Our first stop was Miami and just in time for Superbowl weekend. The cars en route to South Beach were at a standstill so we were glad to have skipped it and opted to drive to Key West instead. Well, not all the way but we made it to the 7 mile bridge and a pit stop at the Everglades to say hello to the gators. While the family stayed at a hotel, Norm and I stayed at Geremy's condo which was 5 minutes to the port. Geri, as she likes to be called now, was my childhood friend. She was actually my sister's BFF but she and I hung out often, especially when my sister was off meeting boys at the mall. It was nice to be reunited and to have spent the night exchanging stories and filling Norm in on all the memories. The next day we could see our cruise ship waiting for us at the port. After breakfast and shopping for last minute items, we boarded the lovely Celebrity Century in time for lunch. While the city was buzzing with Superbowl parties, we were happy to be on our boat en route to the warm caribbean sun.

merry...Christmas?

Yes y'all...one last Christmas party (in January) to close off this holiday season. My highschool friends could not find a date that worked for everyone in December so we postponed it to January. To be honest, I was not in a festive mood. I guess it has been replaced with the winter blues. But as soon as the party got started and the food and drinks a plenty, we were feeling the holiday spirit. Christmas is not complete without gift giving so we each brought in a wrapped $30 gift for the white elephant game. This is my gift. Can anyone guess what it is? Oh. And it also had a gift card taped underneath. Funny enough it was the first gift that was chosen and it was stolen 3 times. I guess I'm not the only toblerone fan.

So long Richtree.

Without much warning, Richtree closed it's flagship location at Wellington and Yonge this week. We were in shock and disbelief. It's one of our 'go to' restaurants when we want a quick bite to eat and is definitely our favourite place for breakfast. I wouldn't say their food is fantastic but they had a mean caesar salad, great desserts and rosti that is impossible to replicate at home. Richtree was always there to greet us when we came back famished from a vacation or hungry at 1:00 in the morning. It's like an old friend who was always there to greet us with open arms.

I was happy to read this morning that all is not lost. Movenpick Marche is taking over what was once theirs. Kinda sounds like a Jay Leno move.

Thank you Richtree for the great memories - particularly the table under the tree.

Shopping and Scones, oh my!

I was sure Evelyn would be late for our 10 am meeting at BCBG because she is now with child. I should have known better. Got a call at 9:58 saying she was a block away and by the time I made my way downstairs she was bundled up and ready to do some damage. Norm was a little scared not because I was going shopping, but it was who I was going shopping with. We managed to behave in the bag section of Holt Renfrew but took advantage of the deals at BCBG. Before heading to Windsor Arms for high tea, we had coffee at Starbucks. Don't judge. We needed our coffee fix. We continued our lovely day with the rest of the married ladies sipping tea and eating scones. What a perfect afternoon.

Photographs by Sally Tan Soriano

Hitting the Slopes

After two weekends of practice we are starting to feel comfortable again with our skiis/board. We went to Dagmar since it was somewhat close to home and it is often less crowded which means shorter lines for the ski lifts! When I clicked my ski boots into my skiis, I felt panic but I remained confident. Thankfully the ride up the hill was short so as soon as I jumped off the lift, I didn't give myself much time to look down and before I knew it, I was carving my S shapes in the snow. Now if only it would snow!

Embracing Winter

I decided to take a hiatus from baking courses. Instead Norm and I are wiping the dust off our ski/snowboard gear and will hit the slopes for some winter fun. It has been awhile since we went skiing so will have to hang around the bunny hills to practice. I remember going to Dagmar for an afternoon of skiing with the cousins. There was a school there but they were leaving just as we were starting. As I got off the lift and was just about to go down the hill, the lift operator came out of his little hut telling me that I'm going to miss the school bus. I wasn't sure what he was talking about but Norm and Ate Q were laughing histerically. I finally clued in. He thought I was a kid but Norm quickly said, "Dude, that's my wife!". I guess it was my pink toque. Ha!

A Princess Party

Ella had a princess party to celebrate her 3rd birthday. Each little girl was given a crown and all the tools to decorate it. Also invited were Prince Hayden and Prince Jeremy. It was a royal celebration fit for Princess Ella.

A New Blogger

I managed to get cousins Kate and Brian to blog, especially now that they have a new baby. I usually check Facebook often to look at new pictures of Zane but blogs are more detailed and you do not need a Facebook account to follow him. Cousin April has had a blog since Harper was born and I get excited when I discover new entries of her first tooth or her first steps. Unfortunately we do not live close to each other so blogs and iChats are our only form of communication. I look forward to a new year of blogging and hope that those that continue to read my blog (yes Dad, I'm talking to you) will conjure up the courage to start one of their own.

Happy New Year

It has been a happy year for some, but a hard year for others. Personally, it has been a tough year for us but we are looking forward to a wonderful year ahead. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. And yes Bigdog, I made it to my 90th blog entry. Woo hoo!

New Year's Eve

Food, food, food

Food is a big thing for us and even more so when we're on vacay. There are a couple of stops we need to make when we are down south. Chick-fil-a is a fast food joint similar to McDonald's that serves chicken and waffle fries. We discovered that they opened a restaurant in Pennsylvania. Only 4 hours away from TO! Zaxby's is another fave. When we get home from the airport, we usually have Zaxby's Wings & Things waiting for us no matter how late we come in. Along side the chicken comes some texas toast all buttered up. Not sure why but without the toast, it is not complete. Yesterday morning we made our way to IHOP. A trip to the US of A is not complete without a visit to the IHOP. My little cousin Josh who lives here has never been and it's ironic because he is a pancake fanatic. Anyway, he ended up getting a meal that did not include pancakes! NOOB! In the end we managed to inherit the pancakes that came as a side with his Dad's meal. And then there's Okra Grill where they serve lowcountry, southern food. Think Paula Deen, ya'll. Then there's a new one we recently discovered called Fat Hen. I think the name says it all. Now that I am 10 lbs heavier, I think it's time to go home.

Island Hopping

Without Ann, we are all lost. We depend on her to plan out the activities for the day including where we're having breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ann left for Maui so we were on our own. What did we do? We made our way to Mount Pleasant for lunch at Mellow Mushroom. Not sure if this restaurant orginated in Clemson but I remember cousin April introducing it to us a long time ago. After lunch we noticed that the sun was shining so we made our way to beach at Isle of Palms. We parked right in front of a few rental bikes and before you know it, we were riding along the beach and over the bridge to Sullivan's Island. Going there was a piece of cake but coming back was a bit hard. We were fighting the wind and an uphill incline. After a great workout, I decided I earned a shopping spree reward so off we went to the mall. So Ann, we did okay without you but I'm surrounded with boys and miss you dearly.

Myrtle Beach

It's been awhile since visiting what my Auntie Melba coined as "Beyond" (aka Myrtle Beach). It was a place she brought us to every time we came to visit. Usually we would stay at Shorecrest, a condo she co-owned with her best friend. Other times we would go just for the day to shop. I always enjoyed the outlets but what I loved most was the time spent during the 2 hour drive. It's hard to believe that Auntie Melba is no longer here but as I was standing on the balcony awaiting the sunrise, I felt her presence.

Modern Family

Chucktown

Every trip to South Carolina must include a trip to downtown Charleston to visit the holy grail: the pineapple fountain. We had lunch at a southern resto called Magnolia's where I had shellfish over grits. It was the best shrimp and grits I have ever tasted. After lunch we walked over to the park and strolled along the boardwalk before Zane and his parents went back to Greenville.

White Elephant

The only rule was to buy a $25 gift but not everyone stuck to that rule which is why there was a lot of stealing and fighting for the 'good' gifts. Luckily there were numerous gift cards to choose from but because a gift could be stolen three times, there was a good chance you might end up with one that you don't like. For example, a $7.00 redneck calendar or filipino kosher salt (Pangasinan salt). In the end, I was happy with my $25 gift certificate to an italian resto and Norm managed to steal a $25 Target gift card. We just have to find some time to use them before we leave SC.