Romps and other adventures... PART 2

So I’m not sure what’s in the air lately, but a bunch of my friends and I, without consulting with one another, all seem to have started making bucket lists.  Maybe it is the dirty thirties that have done it, or maybe it’s the realization that we are past the point of making the goal “Become a teen model” a reality, but here we seem to have found ourselves.

I have given the struggle with my age a bit of thought.  Could it be that we live in a society where immaturity is glorified and hence I fight the inevitable? Or maybe I feel as though my mortality is moderately more concerning?  Whatever the reason, though I did embrace turning 30, the last three years following have hit me hard; this last birthday being no exception.  What the hell have I been doing with myself?  Sure, sure, I have three university degrees and a good job. But is this all that life is about? What happened to my goals of traveling? Have I fought the “Man” for so long that I really have become a cog in the machine of mediocrity? Well, before I fall too deeply down the rabbit hole that is my existential personality, I felt that I needed to craft that Bucket List, and that is exactly what I have started to do.  And when better to start crossing this stuff off but as soon as it is written down, right?  I mean, you never know what's lurking around the next corner...

So as it happens, close to the top of my list was to go dog sledding. As a result, this March Break I planned for Dave and I to go to Haliburton and do it and thus we took a little long weekend retreat and made it a reality. We stayed at Sir Sam’s Inn and Water Spa on Eagle Lake and went sledding with a company called Winterdance.

Now to the eye candy.....

Super awesome woodburning fireplace in our room that almost smoked us out the first night.

The water spa area was salt water with 8 different water jet configurations that massaged you.  Before arriving Dave said it was not his idea of excitement.  Needless to say, once we arrived Dave ended up spending a lengthy amount of time in the pool. The beer didn't hurt.

This could be the most cliche photo ever, but the reality is that these adorable and smelly little dogs really do travel in their own doggie condo.  

When we woke up it was only 2 or 3 degrees out, but as the day passed the temperature started to warm up dramatically.  We ended up being the last tour to go out for the season as it reached a high of 15 that same day and it was far too hot for our four legged friends to work!

Dave and I both had a chance to drive the pack.  They are hard working little animals and it really was one of the most awesome experiences I have had in years. 

 



The area was absolutely unreal and this sunset pretty much says it all.  All in all, I think I will go back year after year.  So I guess the only question that remains is, how young did it make me feel??



Romps and other adventures... PART 1

Every-so-often I complain that Dave and I never do anything fun.  Dave finds this conversation entertaining because he usually settles it with, “look at the photos on your phone and then complain”.  The truth is, I count my blessing every single day.  I have a happy and healthy family and everything I could ever ask for, and indeed that does include a little bit of adventure.

Now, since I have been super lazy and unmotivated for a lengthy period of time, I figured I’d either post one hell of a long post or a series of shorter thematic posts that would chronicle some of my latest romps. I am addicted to Instagram, so that seems to be the format of my chronicles lately. But, oh how I do love to romp! So here we go at a (slightly) more descriptive attempt at posterity... in a super-condensed nutshell.



Well, don't we look cute?



THE TOOL CONCERT

Whenever TOOL comes to town, Dave and I have tickets.  We have an extraordinary music collection and our tastes are very diverse, but there are just some bands we will absolutely never miss and TOOL is one of those bands.  We felt in our gut that maybe this might be the last tour in a very long time, so missing it was not an option….

 

Lately I've been having a hard time coming to terms with my age.  This man ID'd me and I fell in love with him, so I took his picture.  Very soon afterward I saw the sign that said that they ID everyone who looks under 30! FML.

I do not have a picture of the bear-like man who began to dance with me in aisle, however, Dave thought it was super entertaining when the bear decided he wanted to kiss me after a dozen beers. My knight did not even attempt to save me. No,no, he laughed and pointed instead.

All in all the show was absolutely amazing - as usual.  In fact, if I were really keen I'd try to upload all the illegal video I took.  But suffice to say, the pictures will have to be enough.  So maybe, just maybe, we are not as old and boring as I fear. Though I still think that remains to be seen.

The Rainbow Cake

Now, I have never ever professed to be a fancy baker.  I absolutely love to bake, but the finesse that professional bakers and pastry chefs have to decorate their tasty creations is something I can only dream about.  I will blow my own horn and say that what I bake is from scratch and is always damn tasty, but I humbly aspire to one day make them as beautiful as they taste. A girl can hope, can't she?

My sister is an astoundingly talented chef, however she is not as thoroughly gifted in the baked goods department, so I often get the family baking duty.  This year my nephew Benjamin turned 11.  He is the most wonderful and kind little boy on the planet and I am wrapped around his finger. While looking for photos for his Tumbler account he came across a picture of a rainbow cake and asked me to make it for his birthday.  How could I say no?  With a lot of time and love this was the result.  Pretty cool if I do say so myself...

I couldn't help but take a photo of them during the process...

All in all Beans was delighted with his cake, it tasted delicious and looked awesome.  Once again, I secure my spot as the coolest aunt alive!

Deck the Halls

I'm not a Christmas person and when I tell people this, inevitably I receive either a sideways glance or a barrage of psycho-analytic questions to determine why it is I just don't jump into the holiday spirit. The fact is, I truly love Christmas eve; the magic of the night and the beauty of the true meaning of Christmas is what it is truly about for me.  The running around the mall and the spastic Christmas shoppers, on the other hand, I can do without.

Now, as you know, no holiday can go by in our house without some serious decorating.  Let's be honest, even a change in weather sometimes motivates a decor change here at The Olden Household.  As I have mentioned in the past, my OCD manifests itself in a variety of ways, but for Christmas decor it takes on new limits with half a dozen large Rubbermaid chests.  Each one is labeled in detail, and each contains a different colour combination.  I mean, let's be serious, we can't commit to the same colour scheme every year... can we?

Last year we did a traditional front foyer in gold, green and red.  Our tree and family room was gunmetal silver and blackened cobalt.  Well, this year, I decided to change it up a wee bit......

First, my little obsession, the outside of the house:

Close up of the fancy urn

There is no denying that even though my mom has retired from the floral and event business, and my sister is no longer designing full-time, there is no way on earth we will be giving up the idea of adorning our houses!

This year the foyer was inspired by old Hollywood; black, white and silver.

Originally the Hollywood idea was going to be the theme for the tree, but Dave had other plans...

                                          

While unpacking a blanket box, I finally came across my Hudson Bay blanket and was inspired to have a traditional tree.  Although to my chagrin there is no such thing as a Bay blanket tree skirt, we did manage to come up with our version of "Lodge Chic" for the tree this year.  The very best part of buying the pieces for our new tree theme was that Dave and I had the chance  to adventure through the countryside (and to the Bay of course) to find all the little pieces to create a tree that was all our own. 

Punk Rock Moose

We were blessed to be able to do all of our family visiting this Christmas with the aid of our little friend global warming. The roads were dry and it was, as always, so nice to see everyone without struggling through the snow.  However, on the 27th of December this is what we awoke to enjoy... from the warmth of our house.

Dave took a week off for the holiday and we had every intention to go to Vegas, but our little Miss. Humphery was a bit under the weather.  Being the crazy pet  parents we are, we have postponed our little jaunt.  Humphery is feeling better now, but she regrets that the tree will be packed up this weekend.  I may not love Christmas, but she certainly does. 

The Mega Quarry Picnic

So, after having lived down by the river with hippies for a fair length of time in my 20's, there is something quite comforting about the idea of eating and sharing a communal experience in the woods. So, when it came time to join with other concerned citizens in showing our support against the proposed Ontario Mega Quarry, it was a no brainier that I was happy to participate in Foodstock.

The premise of the event was to bring public attention to the issue of the proposed quarry that looks to be built north of Toronto.

Seventy chefs from all over the provence set up in the woods of a farm which neighbours the proposed open pit site. They came to cook and share their support against the exploitation of this prime farmland. Much of the food they cooked was food that was local and the product of the distinct soil to which the area is home.

Though it was cold and muddy, the proposed ten thousand people that were expected came out in masses and the final total of attendants reached an estimated 20 thousand.

Though the nibbles we had were delicious, it really wasn't about the food or the outstanding musical acts. It was about free speech, democracy and the power of the individual to be heard. Ok, and a good excuse to wear my Hunter wellies?

Yes, there could have been significantly more national news coverage, but already there is a larger group that is heeding the message of our need for sustainable farmland near the GTA.

Sure I suppose I could have occupied Bay street, but Dave and I chose to use our voices for a cause near to our hearts, and I can honestly say that it was truly inspiring to be a part if it.

The views as we marched with other supporters into the woods!

Delicious morsels in hipster containers

Mud could not keep us away

So it was a little chilly, but the chefs were prepared!

Can you see the foodies for the trees?

Yes, there were moments that seemed overcast. 

Imagine this as an open pit dug below the water table... no thanks!

For kids who grew up in Ontario in the 90's this is a shot of Hayden on stage!

A truly fitting end to the day! A rainbow of hope.

Who Lives Here? Martha Stewart?

So you can take the family out of the floral business, but...

This Thanksgiving we finally had a chance to gather together and have an unrushed family day.  Sure it was particularly special because we were not tied down to the shop, however the best part was that for the first time Dave and I could finally host our first holiday. Sure our dining room is in need of a few things, but I pulled out my best Martha Stewart and this is the result....

I also managed to whip up an awesome pecan pumpkin cake complete with fondant leaves and acorns. Damn, those acorns were more difficult to make than I first suspected.

And, of course, you cannot forget about the finer details of the flatware...

Then weeks later we were thrust into my favorite day of the year...

Halloween!!!

I think we are hated by the other people on the street, 'cause we are a little too focused on decorating for this particular day. 

I know this because one woman who came to the door with her brood of Trick or Treaters asked in a venomous tone, " is this where Martha Stewart Lives?"

Ok, sure the owl pumpkin was carved from an idea from Martha's web site. But why do people need to be so nasty on the best day of the year? Sure we have real fire and the pizzazz of pumpkins that are fancy, but we don't have a full grave year on the lawn...yet.

And besides, I never forget to pay an homage to my favorite classic childhood moment: The 'free hand carve'

To be completely honest... it is always the moment that gives me the most joy.

Friday Night Lights

All my life I have wished that I could live my life as if I were the character of a fabulous t.v. show.  As a child, it started off in the kitchen where I would host "Cooking with Erica".  I think that this behaviour was more acceptable to my mother than me having an imaginary friend because I was, in her mind, demonstrating my need for a connection to the greater audience of the world.  Little did she know it was really just because I had unrealistic dreams of grandeur.  As I grew, I took to breaking out of conversations only to address the imaginary audience that followed me with the occasional "aside".  Eventually this action proved a useful meter to gauge how patient my friends had become over the years with my t.v. dream.

Then it happened. Yes, finally I was going to have the opportunity to have my moment in the limelight. After years of waiting, my life would indeed include a prime-time moment, and that moment would come to me in the form a football game.

Though I no longer teach at my former school, I am still a bit of a diehard when it comes to school spirit.  My niece goes to the school, many of my friends still teach there, and to be honest, though I have mixed emotions about leaving, I still have a kinship to the place that will never die.  When I was a student, we did not have a football team; at least I don't think we did. So I did not have a chance to live out teenage moments at the football field.  Truth be told, even if I had had the chance, there's little chance that's where my friends and I would have been found!! Unless, of course it was under the bleachers or re-mounting a scene from Dazed & Confused.  However, for the last few years the school has been participating against its enemies on the field at a huge evening game at a "real" stadium.

The event is really something... very "U.S. high school football cliche". And who am I to avoid a good cliche?

So, this past Friday I made plans to go with my friend Leanna to Friday Night Lights.  God bless her heart, she is my side-kick on all my little romps.  We planned to meet my niece and friends at the game.  We packed our supplies: blankets, umbrellas, hot chocolate spiked with Bailey's (yes, we are the "bad" kids in the episode) and headed to Brampton toward the park with the bright lights.  To say I was excited is a gross understatement.

Once we arrived, I could not contain myself. Then, just as I exclaimed, "I finally get my cliche night", a woman stopped us in our tracks. "The game is cancelled; the Refs didn't show".  My mouth dropped open and my heart fell into the blankets I held to my chest. Leanna looked at me and let out an awkward laugh.  Then she saw my devastation.

Like a funeral march we made our way to the stands anyway.  I dropped off our stuff and went to see all the people we had planned to meet. The boys on the team were distraught when I went to greet them; I understood their pain. We mingled a bit amongst the hoards of disappointed. Then I made the choice to make the best of the situation. Damn it, I looked cute and I was not about to let the great stadium lighting go to waste.

Sooooo.........PHOTO OP!!!!!!

Obviously the best place to take a photo is on the field..... let's say right in the centre, shall we?

Oooohhhh...... Don't Debbie and Erica look great!

Yes Leanna, you are right.... we do look better and better in every photo tonight.

It doesn't look like there will be re-mount of the "big game" anytime soon.  So I suppose my dream will have to go on hold again. At least we tried to make the best of the situation... and really, isn't that all the character's in these shows do anyway?