Location, location, location

They always tell you that location matters. When we bought our house here, one of the main selling points was it's location. It turned out to be a good decision. We have enjoyed the location and in the end it was what sold the house.

More than just the street, the location of our house has proven to be a big plus in many ways. In no particular order, the pluses have been....

proximity to the airport- TJ and I (but mostly TJ) have done a lot of traveling since we moved here. Having a 15-20 minute drive to the airport has been invaluable! We have never lived closer to an airport and never has it been so important. TJ is flying every week, think about the time he has saved with this short commute. This is even more valuable for those early morning departures and those midnight arrivals.

living near the lake and Port Credit- this is also the first time we have ever lived this close to a village and a major body of water. It has been nice having all of the bike paths and walking paths to take advantage of along Lake Ontario. The village of Port Credit has been a fun place to explore. We have made a point of trying to eat at most of the pubs and restaurants in Port Credit. We may have missed a few but have enjoyed all of the ones we have tried. So many choices only 2 miles away! This is also nice since we are at a point in life where we eat out almost more than we eat in!

wine country and Niagara Falls- yes, we live near major tourist attractions! It has been a lot of fun taking visitors to Niagara Falls and to the wine country. I never get tired of seeing the falls. They are truly amazing. Wine country is a little treat as well. If you only go and do two wineries I'll give you my two recommendations. Go to Daniel Lenko and Tawes. They are polar opposites in every way except for their wines. Both have excellent wines. At Daniel Lenko you are welcomed by his dog outside and taste wine at the kitchen table in his old house. The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed and Daniel does the pouring. The wines are some of my favorites from this area! At Tawes, you taste wine in a very modern glass and wood building with stainless steel tanks in the background. The vineyards are beautiful, the grounds are perfectly landscaped and manicured and the tasting room is hushed and professional. Total opposites but both very good wines.

living in a place people like to come visit- we have been lucky enough while living here to have many visitors. I know they all came to see us, but I think the city of Toronto had a little to do with the visits as well. We like having visitors and we like showing them around the city. Toronto has lots to offer, so when they get bored with us, we can always go to town!


being close the the farmhouse- one of the nicest things about this location has been the proximity to Nova Scotia. Driving or flying, we are so much closer than I have ever been in my life. What a treat this has been. I am spoiled! From the first time I remember going to the shore, it took over a week to drive there. Now I can drive there in 16 hours or fly there in less than 2 hours. Sweet! We have been able to go 3 times a year, with relative ease. Why do we have a vacation home so far away from where we live? That is just the way it worked out...family. For my enitire life people have always asked why? Up here, no one asks why, they "get it". Back to explaining. Guess we are back to a week of driving or a day of flying. Totally worth the trip! But it sure has been nice to be so close for 2 years.

I think we learned a good lesson here and hope our new house has location, location, location! Looking forward to finding out.

The List Begins....things I'll miss

This post would have been easier to write yesterday, when it was very sunny and unseasonably warm. Today will have to do, back to cool and cloudy. Yes, I know...I have written way to much about weather during our stay in Canada. That is why it will be at the top of the list of "things I'll miss about Canada".

Having spent most of my life in places where the only seasons are hot and...not as hot, green and...brown, humid and...a little less humid. I have found it very refreshing to live in a place with more than 2 seasons.

I now know what it is like to:

-be knee deep in snow, in my own yard, for months
-live where winter means months instead of days of temperatures below freezing
-see the first hints of spring and anticipate the long awaited arrival of spring
-see the rivers of water produced by "the melt"
-have beautiful flowering trees in my yard, lilacs, magnolias, and cherries to name a few
-have a summer that means months of "patio season"!
-to have the shortest of days in the dead of winter and the longest of days in the summer
-to live in a place where it is a pleasure to work outside in the yard in the summer instead of a chore
-see the trees turn the most vibrant colors in the fall

I could go on but you get the picture. Seasons have been one of the best parts of living in Canada to me. I guess I am just a sucker for change.

Ending Where We Began

Two years ago our Canadian adventure was prefaced by a family ski trip to Park City, Utah. Last week we went back for the first time in 2 years. There must be something about taking a vacation before facing packing and moving that makes it all a little more palatable. Let me stick my head in the sand, or in this case the snow, and forget for a while what I need to do in the next month. I'm back home now and the reality is setting in, but it sure was nice to play for a week!

Katie and I enjoying a little break and a lot of sun!

We had a great week and great weather. Not the most snow we've ever had but still good to ski on. Three out of four kids showed up for part of the week and TJ made it for a few days too. My bummed knee survived the skiing and held me up pretty good, whoo hoo! Being there for a week allowed us to do a few different things too. This year we tried snowshoeing and went tubing. The snowshoeing was awesome! I admit, I was huffing and puffing a bit, but enjoyed every minute. Being outside in the fresh air and sunshine was great.

Kelly found a little powder at the bottom of the hill. She did this on purpose after shoeing down a steep hill, like a pro I might add.

The snowshoeing path, so peaceful.

It was nice to get back home for a couple of weeks before the move. Going away is nice but being home is nice too. I think the next few blogs should focus on things I have enjoyed while living in Canada. For now, I think I'll go empty a few drawers and closets of things I don't want to unpack at the other end!

P.S. Spring is here! I love it!

It's Harder Than It Looks

Trying not to fall over!

Here we are with our most excellent instructors

He showed potential

Ever since we moved here I have wanted to try curling. It looks like fun and since I like to be cold, the fact that it is played on ice is very attractive to me. In our last month in Canada we finally made it to the curling rink! Our friends invited us, and taught us the basics. Guess what? It is much harder than it looks!

We have watched curling on TV and have seen our friends curl and it always looks graceful and easy. NOT! First of all, the ice is slippery. Second of all, that rock is heavy. Third of all, it is very hard to keep your balance when one of your feet just slides all around on the ice because of the slick sole. We see people gracefully sliding along pushing the stone but what we don't see is that the foot while sliding forward can easily slide sideways too. They are just practiced enough to go forward.....I was lucky to go forward, but sometimes the slippery foot wanted to go sideways too, which resulted in my sliding to a prone position on the ice! Hilarious!

A fun time was had by all, I assume our instructors had fun too. Glad we got to experience curling and now we really can appreciate the skill of our friends....and the Olympians.

Vancouver 2010 Canada vs. United States

Tomorrow Canada and the US play each other in the gold medal hockey game in the Olympics . This game sums up my life right now. Not knowing much about hockey....I do realize the magnitude of this game. What a perfect way to end this Olympics?

My dilemma- who to cheer for? My patriotic side says USA- don't be a traitor to your country. My emotional side says Canada. They are the host country and I feel their WANT. Living here changes everything....my friends, neighbors, newscasters, newspapers, and radio announcers are all cheering for Canada. But I am an American living in Canada for the last 2 years. What to do?

I do have a very emotional connection to Canada. I associate it with so many great things in my life. Summers are defined by time at the shore in Nova Scotia. A breath of fresh air and fun with cousins and summer friends. How can you not love this?

Yes, I feel a loyalty to the US, I was born and raised there-but Canada is that grandparent that spoils you or that treasured friend who always brings good food and great times. There are no bad feelings or memories- it is all good- yes, even the broken arm and the health care system. I have learned a lot from Canada. I will be sad to leave and oh so thankful for the opportunity to return to the arms of that embracing grandparent, every summer.

Who will I cheer for tomorrow? The offense....and the defense.....I win either way.

P.S. I should always listen to Canadian music while writing about hockey! This blog brought to you by Spirit of the West.

Ode to February

February........month of snow. At least the last two years.

February.......the month of skiing.

February.....month of visitors and traveling.

February.....the month the Saints won the Super Bowl!

February.....Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and Lent

View of Lake Louise through the window of an ice castle.

My new house?


Lake Louise in February

View of the harborfront from the top of the CN Tower
(notice the lack of snow in Toronto this year)

Colts vs. Saints

Just Embrace It

We sold our house. This means we are one step closer to moving back down south. One step closer to living in a sauna.

I remember the first winter we lived here and one of my friends from the shore said how much he hated winter. He has lived in Canada all of his life, so I can't really relate to having winter after winter of cold. This is my third winter and call me crazy, but I kind of like it. Anyway, my friend said to make it through winter you just have to embrace it and make the most of it while it lasts. Good advice. I took it to heart. I really have tried to embrace winter up here. I enjoy skiing. I enjoy that cold burst of air that hits my face when I go outside. I enjoy the walks outside in the cold, I even enjoy the snow and shoveling the driveway. I don't enjoy the gray days but the sunny, blue sky days make up for the gray ones. I think I have done a good job of embracing the cold.

As I think about moving back down south, I inevitably think about the long hot and humid summers. I never liked the heat and humidity. Kind of like my friend who never liked the long winters up here. So maybe I will just have to take that advice again in reverse. I will just have to embrace the heat and humidity. Like subfreezing temperatures and snow are inevitable up here, heat and humidity are inevitable in Houston. Already I find myself dreading having my clothes instantly stick to my body when I go outside and having sweat drip down my face and my back....and front, for months. Embracing this is going to be a challenge.

Looking on the bright side, I remember being able to run outside every month of the year. I liked running when I lived there before. I like bike riding, so now I can bike almost any time of the year again, this will be a change I can embrace. It might take a while and I think I'll have to work much harder but maybe if I keep telling myself those words they will sink in and I can embrace the heat.

Stay tuned....