Cuba, Baby!!

It's cold. Well, okay, not that cold today, but a few days ago? -25. -30. We're talking celcius here, my American friends. Freeeeeeeeezing.

But you know what makes the cold and snow of a Canadian winter bearable?

Memories of Cuba.

A week ago at this time, I was chillin' on the beach. In fact, exactly one week ago, I spent the entire day on the beach. It was bliss.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. This story all starts at about 2 AM on Friday, January 14th, when a big yellow school bus pulled into Wayne's yard...

I love this picture. It looks like Sarah's telling Cowan all the fun things we're going to do in Cuba. And he looks terrified.

That morning, 22 tired but super-pumped people headed off to the Ottawa airport to board a flight to Veradero, Cuba.


By 3:30 PM that afternoon, we had finally reached our destination: The Breezes Jibacoa resort, nestled between mountains and ocean, exactly one hour from Veradero and Havana on either side. By that time, I was able to cross a lot off my 101 list already - my first time flying, my first time going South, my first time dabbling my toes in the ocean. (I promise, the 101 List will be updated soon!)

It was windy and overcast when we landed, but I didn't mind - my first glimpse of ocean!

We crossed this bridge on our way to the resort

This is the view from our room!

I had already accomplished so much on this trip. And the week had only just begun!


That first afternoon, we familiarized ourselves with the beach bar and grill, we napped, explored the resort, had dinner at the buffet, and then witnessed the longest game of pool ever played. So long, in fact, that Lindsay eventually gave up her cue to Sarah, so that she could finish the game with Ryan.


We were zonked. First night in Cuba, in bed by 9. Wooooooooooooooo!!


But then we were totally rested up for the next day. The first couple of days were pretty windy, so we spent a lot of our time hanging out by the pool, where it was a little more sheltered. On Monday, we had made plans with the entire group to go to Havana, and I was very excited to see what Cuban life was like off the resort.




Our tour guide taught us the word of the week on that trip: Suuaaaaavéééé. We said it a lot. He explained that it meant "slowly", and that's the way to approach life in Cuba. We learned that he really meant it on our walking tour of Old Havana, when he literally strolled the streets at such a mellow, relaxed pace that we had a hard time staying behind him. (He also didn't seem to understand the urgency of needing to PEE, either!!)

The Havana trip was one of the highlights for me, as we were able to take pictures in Revolution Square, and then tour the old city, with stops at Hemmingway's favourite bar in Cuba, a colonial-style home that had been turned into a hotel (we saw a peacock there!), a huge and majestic Catholic church, and just mingle with the local people and take in their culture and lifestyles. We also made a stop at the market, which was a little scary...you couldn't move through the vendors without them shouting, "Hey, lady! Look at this!" every two steps. Eek!

Most of our group in Revolution Square

We had lunch and then took a trip up to the fortress that used to protect the island from invaders. There we were able to buy rum and cigars before leaving to go back to our resort. We had opted for a shorter tour that was supposed to get us back by 2 PM, but because our guide was so "suavé", and then because we were stalled in traffic due to a roadside fire, we didn't get back until about 4:30. Everyone hurried to their rooms for bathing suits and headed to the beach for the last few hours of sunshine!

The next day was one of my favourites of the whole week. We spent the morning on the beach, and it was Cuban Day at the resort. They had a giant blow-up boxing ring and over-sized gloves and sumo wrestling suits, which everyone had a lot of fun with, whether participating or taking pictures! They also had a guy making drinks out of coconuts for us, and a huge pork barbeque on the beach.


By mid-afternoon, we were all showered and dressed, back on the beach for Kerry and Jeff's wedding. What an absolutely stunning location, and the couple looked amazing! They made a VERY strong case for a down-south wedding. I felt so fortunate to be there to share their special day with them. Afterwards, we all danced and sipped champagne in the gazebo, and then had drinks and laughs in their suite (which was right above our room). We all gathered for dinner at the Italian a la carte Martino's, and celebrated with the newlyweds!

Sarah, myself & Brenda on the beach before the wedding

Wednesday: Officially spent the entire day at the beach. Awesome. I loved every minute! We took a paddleboat out and had a great time inspecting the coral reef from above. Then later that afternoon, Kerry loaned me her snorkel gear so that I could go out with Brenda, Wayne, Sarah, and Cowan to do some underwater investigating. It was surreal! We saw some kind of ray swimming along the reef, and all kinds of fish that swam right up to your face. Swimming in water that blue...it was truly a dream for me!


Thursday was another beach day, but we were starting to gear up for our departure. I tried to relax and enjoy the last rays of sun and the feeling of the salt water on my skin, but my mind was already racing to thoughts of re-packing the suitcase, making sure I had the right documents for the airport, and figuring out what to take with me and leave behind so that my suitcase didn't exceed the weight limits.

I was ready to come home. The week had been filled with good drinks, good food, good friends, and fabulous memories, but I was ready to fly home. I was dying for good ol' Canadian junk food, and my own bed, and my family and friends that I'd left behind.

But the memories are there, in the pictures, and in my mind. I just close my eyes, and it's there.

Nelson's omelettes in the morning. Watching the kids try to walk in flippers. Blue Lagoons in travel mugs. The old guy singing in the piano bar. Dancing with the German mullet head in the disco. The little lizards. The dead crab. Suaaaaavvvééééé. Yeffy! Yimmy! Barrieeeeeeeeeeee!! Running to guess songs from movies and TV shows (and only getting there once.) The buns. Hockey on the beach. The light blue banana hammock. Bad little Winnipeg boys. Snorkeling. The names Wayne & Terry gave the fish. ("C*cksucker!" "And his brother Motherf*cker!" "Ah, Sonofabitch!") Jimmy from England. Owen's amazing dance moves. Cha-cha-cha'ing in the gazebo. Threatening Cowan's life to get him to dance with me. The Pina Coladas with no rum. "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts - REAL ones!" My 3 little seashells that cost a lot of toothbrushes and gum. The McDonalds war. Gasolina!! The bus that was nicer than the plane. Weighing ourselves in Jeff & Kerry's room. Michayla yelling at Barry to stop giving away his clothes for necklaces. The peacock. The paddleboat. The guy who made weird dolphin noises in the pool. My "teeth" from the sea. Guantanamera. The sun dance. The paparazzi. Terry & Jimmy sumo wrestling. The entertertainment dude lip syching to Shania Twain. Slush with rum. Rinsing cups with vodka. The towel swan wearing my shades.

Kerry & I

Wayne, Brenda & Sarah

Yes. We did sing "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts..."

Jeff & Kerry exchanging vows on the beach.

A week I'll never forget!

I have a million more pictures I'd love to post, but it would take forever! I'm hoping to upload most of them to Facebook tomorrow. Also, since Kerry & Jeff have yet to share wedding pictures with many of their family & friends, I'm only posting the one wedding picture for now! :)

I'm Back!!

That's right...Home from Cuba! Lots of pics and stories to follow! I also crossed lots of items off my 101 List, so I'll have a new post up there in the next few days as well.

Stay tuned!! :)

Farewell!!

My last blog before I leave early tomorrow morning for Cuba.

Holy smokes. CAN'T wait to just GO! I've been packed since early in the week, except for last-minute items that just need to be slipped in. I'm not very good at waiting. The more time I have to wait, the more I can create ridiculous questions and scenarios in my head. It's my first time flying and my first time going South, so yeah. I worry. But I think I have pretty good control of it, all things considered. I'm not going entirely nuts. Small miracle. But we're still almost a day away...

In less than a week, Kerry & Jeff will be married, and we will all be partying on the beach. Sun and sand and ocean... I still can't believe I'm actually going to be somewhere that I've only ever seen in pictures. It's still a little surreal to me.

Upon my return, there will be stories. There will be pictures. And you'll also have to wait until then for the first real The Single Girl Files post.

Cuba, here I come!!

The Single Girl Files: An Introduction

As I mentioned in my Holiday Recap post, I've had an idea swirling around in my head about doing a weekly feature on my "single girl" status.

I'm a single girl wondrin' if love could be passin' me by
I'm a single girl and I know all about men and their lies
Nobody loves me 'cause nobody knows me
Nobody takes the time to go slowly
The single girl needs a sweet lovin' man to lean on.

I remember the first time I heard these Sandy Posey lyrics. I was at a party when Lise "The Voice of an Angel" Nobert played it on her guitar, and my mouth literally dropped open. It was like someone had crawled up inside my head and pulled out the thoughts and put them in a song. I stood up and shouted, "That's my friggin' THEME SONG!! That's MY SONG!!!"

Yes, it's possible that I may have been a little drunk as well.

I'm 27 years old. Twenty-seven. We're quickly approaching the age (or maybe I'm already there?) where people say, "Hmm...Must be something wrong with her to still be single at that age."

So that's what The Single Girl Files are going to be all about. What's wrong with me? What am I doing wrong? Is it the wrong guys? The wrong tactics? The wrong town? Or is it just me? Am I just wrong? We're going to explore my sad little experiences and try to figure this out. Okay, people? I need your help.

Or maybe you'll just laugh at me. Whatever. That's okay, too.

I also promise to hide the identy of the dudes in my stories. I promise, no names will appear here. Only secret code names that no one will understand but me. It's going to be super-secret. Swear.

Now, it has been suggested in the past by some close friends that my flirting methods leave a little to be desired. Yes, they have observed me in my flirting attempts. Just like zoo experts observe animals in the wild, or something. And they think I suck at it. So that is what you have to look forward to: The Flirt Face.

It's coming up soon. And you're gonna love it.

The EPIC Collapse

I'm not going to spout all kinds of hockey clichés at you. I did that last year, in my Olympic Memories post.

A little under a year ago, Canada was glowing from a golden win on the Olympic stage, defeating Team USA in Overtime, with our golden boy Sidney Crosby scoring the OT winner. If there's one thing Canadians love, it's celebrating a big win on the International stage. That one was epic.

We were poised to do the same again, last night, with our Canadian boys in the final game of the World Juniors against legendary adversary, Russia. I'm not sure anyone else in the world cares about the Junior tourney quite as much as Canadians. But around here, it's a highlight on the sporting calendar. Games kick off on Boxing Day, it's a holiday tradition for many.

In the semi-final round, Canada faced off against the US, on their home rink in Buffalo, and made headlines for not only dominating on the ice in a 4-1 score, but also for the red & white that filled the stands. Canadian hockey fans made the trek across the border to cheer on their boys, and it turned out that they outnumbered the American fans in their own country.

It was the stuff legends are made of.

All they had to do was beat Russia in the gold medal game to cap it off. And with a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, it appeared that gold was almost a guarantee.

Oh, no. Not so. Not by a long shot.

I'll admit to being a little uncomfortable heading into the third, with a solid but not insurmountable lead. They say 3-0 is the worst lead in hockey. The Canadians made that a vast understatement last night. The Russians came out in the third and were relentless, eventually netting 5 unanswered goals, and taking the game with a 5-3 final score. The gold was in our hands, and they snatched it away.

Not so cocky now, huh?

You can talk about collapses all you want. They're not that uncommon in hockey. (And they're definitely familiar to us Sens fans...)

But last night? I think you could call that one epic.

A little less than a year after our epic Olympic victory, we're venting and complaining about the epic - EPIC - collapse.

Some people are saying to cut them some slack. They still won silver. And they're kids, for crying out loud.

A bunch of kids who, in a few years' time, will be NHL'ers. Some of them may be stars.

But I can promise that none of them will forget last night. And hopefully a valuable lesson was learned.

It ain't over til it's over. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. What's that about a fat lady singing?

So maybe I didn't escape without a few clichés after all.

The Bursting-At-The-Seams Holiday Recap!!

Ohmygod, it's 2011. Like, wayyyyyyy 2011.

Where've I been, you ask? Well, I've been mostly hanging out at my mom's. And yes, there is a computer there, which I could have used to do my bloggy duties, but I chose not to. Because there were kids to play with, and there was food to eat, and TV shows and movies to watch, and guitars to play, and couches to nap on.

For 10 days, that's what I did. I abandoned my blog and totally vegged with the fam. It was nice.
But now it's time for the Christmas & New Year's rundown, so buckle up!!

We'll start with Christmas Eve, my favourite day of the year. And as many of you know, I was a little concerned that it would be difficult and maybe even a little painful this year, without Troy. We didn't escape without a few tears, but overall... One of the best Christmas Eves ever. I'm going to attempt to post a video of The Coconut Song for those of you who haven't been fortunate enough to witness it. This was the last video I took of the night - there were approximately 10 before it - so this is the true, drunken, around Patti's island, feet stomping, voices roaring, "ONE MORE TIME" edition. Enjoy.

I think Dogbone would've been proud of us.

Next up was Christmas morning. It was shortly after 7 that the house started stirring. Mom, Dad and I were all up when my sister finally released her 5-year-old from the confines of the spare bedroom. Caden's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw all the gifts Santa had left at our place. Danica followed closely behind, and while I'm not sure she really got it (I think she thought it was another birthday party), watching the kids rip into gifts was pure, blissful entertainment.

Note that it is still dark outside!!!

(PS - For those of you who were concerned about our family breakfast fight, the tradition stood. Sticky Buns and Wife Beater it was, while Dad grumbled about how good bacon and eggs would be. But a small miracle did unfold: Luke decided he likes the yummy eggy cheesey bacony casserole. One more member for my team.)

We saved our Christmas dinner for Boxing Day this year, so the rest of the day was spent snoozing on the couch and watching TV. And that night? You wouldn't have believed the craziness. I watched A Conversation with the Prime Minister with my parents, and then the Canadian Tenors Christmas Special.

Try to contain your excitement.

After the Boxing Day dinner, things sort of died down. I had the whole week between Christmas and New Year's off, and by Tuesday I was starting to get cabin fever. Believe it or not, I actually began wondering if I should have just gone into work.

It was time for action. So I rounded up some of the troops and went out to dinner and bowling. We had a blast! The next day, I babysat Caden and Danica while Kara and Chris returned to work, and I quickly gained huge respect for the people who have kids and get up to go to work at 5:30 in the morning. After playing all morning and having lunch, Danica went for her nap, and Caden got stuck with a bum babysitter who fell asleep on the couch mid-afternoon. I seriously don't know how they do it.

Thursday, Luke and Amanda allowed me to tag along on their dinner and movie date, so we enjoyed a delicious dinner at East Side Mario's and then went to see The Little Fockers. Big hit with us!!

Friday was New Year's Eve, and after much debate on what to do, I finally invited a group of friends over to my place for drinks and snacks before heading down to Gavan's. It was a last minute plan, but we had a great time ringing in 2011! I was never so glad to see a year go. 2010 was a rough one. So with the new year, there was hope of brighter days ahead. On Facebook, I threatened 2011 by telling it that if it wasn't any better than 2010, I was gonna kick its ass.

Charlotte's first New Year's Eve party!

This is the popped collars pic...one of my faves from the night!

There were two couples pictures taken. In this one, Sue actually has her REAL boyfriend beside her!!

So here we are. 5 days in to 2011. Big things to come. Like Cuba. Oh, and here on the Blog? I have a few ideas whirling around. Like planning a giveaway, for one. And I've also been thinking about starting a weekly feature about my single status and the adventures I've got into while searching for love. Thinking about calling it "The Single Girl Files" or something like that. Could be good for a laugh?

Stay tuned! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Today will likely be the last time I'll be checking in to the blog before Christmas, so I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday season. Thank you for another great year here at "Jill's World"!!

It's been a tough year for my family, and I've been grateful for this space to share my feelings, to remember, and to just vent. I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your messages of comfort during the dark days. Let's hope 2011 brings happier times. I have had wonderful support from family, friends, co-workers, and all of you here in the Blogosphere. I love you all! xoxo

Enjoy every moment with your families and friends - soak up the Christmas cheer. It only comes once a year!! Eat every cookie you come across, belt every carol at the top of your lungs, tear into each present as if it's the last one, drink every drop of alcohol that crosses your path, and make sure to hug every person you love!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

It's happening again.

I shouldn't be startled by it. It happens every year.

We're on the homestretch to Christmas Eve. The big countdown has begun. We're talkin' 3 days now. THREE. So yes, at 5 AM, my eyes start popping open. And I lie there and think of all the little last minute things I need to do. The shows and movies I still need to watch. What I need to take to my Mom's for Christmas Eve and morning (silly, I know, since I live two minutes away, and anything I forget I can quickly run back home for). I think about the food and the drinks.

I wonder how things will be different. I hope against hope that things will be the same.

We had our first taste of "new" family traditions on Sunday at Aunt Marion & Uncle Eric's, and I think we got along pretty well. It made my heart happy that we were able to get together, as we always have, and still celebrate, despite the aching loss we faced only a few short months ago. We're all still coping. We're all still grieving. But we were able to join together in the Christmas spirit; eat, drink and be merry.

Now, the Young side of the family forges ahead with our Christmas Eve traditions, even though we know it won't be the same, either. So along with my excitement and anticipation, the worry mingles. How will it be different? Will we be able to have as much fun as we have in the past? After going through the first Christmas dinner on Mom's side of the family, I now know it's possible. Maybe not the same, but being with family is so important. We'll get through it together.

Oh, and the other thing that I worry about this time of year? Yep. Getting sick. This year, it's especially important to stay healthy since my dad has had pneumonia several times recently, and if any of us bring him so much as a little germ, we will be banished from the house.

So I'm downing Echinecea and Vitamin C, praying for good health, sucking on mints and hoping this tickle in my throat is just a figment of my imagination.

In other news... We went belly dancing! You'll have to take my word for it, since I have no pictures, because the instructor was a little paranoid about being in them, and also...well, I was just shaking my booty too much to be bothered getting my camera out! We sweated. A lot. And we laughed. A lot. Good times!!

I Don't Do Surprises.

So, as many of you already know (even though I try not to talk about it 24/7), I'm going to Cuba in January. It's my first trip ANYWHERE (okay, I lie. Midland, Michigan was good to me this summer. But it wasn't Cuba.) - so I'm pretty stoked about it.

The reason I'm going to Cuba? My friend Kerry is getting married, so a whole gang of us are going down to do it up with her and her hubby-to-be Jeff. A week of fun in the sun? Being actually AT one of those beach weddings where the couple's pics are so hot and beautiful with white sand and blue water all around them? Free booze all.week.long???

Hellz yeah. I'm pumped.

Now, tonight is Kerry's bachelorette. My friend Brenda is the one who organized and planned the evening. Originally intended to be the traditional bus tour of the Pontiac, she was forced to alter her plans when one of the only 3 regular stops (for Karaoke in Charteris, you have no idea how wild it can be!!)...well, it CLOSED. Can you believe it?!? No more John Henry crooning in Charteris??

Tragedy. Plain and simple.

(But this probably explains why, when up there in October, after going in with some friends, the waitress who came to take our drink order promptly asked us if we wanted to buy the bar. She said the owner was selling for a super-low price, and it would be a great investment. Keep in mind this bar is smaller than my bedroom. When we all show up on the bus, quite often we don't all fit inside. And it had deer heads hanging on the walls. It was a classy spot.)

So anyways, Brenda was forced to re-work the Bach plans, and has decided to keep them top secret. EXTREMELY top secret. From what I understand, only a few select people have been informed of where we are going or what we are doing, and all have been sworn to secrecy. All we know is that we're going on a bus, we can dress comfortably (PJ's if we want! she swears), we need to bring drinks with us because it will be "quite a little drive", we are not going to eat anywhere, we are not going bar hopping, we are not going to be outside, we are not going to see strippers, and we are not going to some workshop to make our own "toys". (This was the idea I came up with last night. I couldn't think of anything else.)

Where the hell could we be going, people?

Like I said. I don't do surprises.

Christmas Wouldn't Be Complete Without...

Over at Stacy's blog, she's playing a little game today. List 5 things that Christmas wouldn't be complete without. Here's my list!

• My mom's delicious cookies and squares. She starts baking the beginning of November and stores up for the holidays. This year, she gave me a tin to keep in my freezer and share with my friends and co-workers. I ticked her off by telling her she ruined my favourite Christmas shortbread cookies by throwing dried fruit in them, but truthfully, I'm in love with my mom's baking. I'm sure all of us have favourites that our moms or grandmas make. It's a tradition at our house to sneak down to the basement and steal a few before the big day!!


• The Big Christmas Morning Breakfast Battle. For years, my family has been trying to get this tradition right. But it would appear our tradition is just fighting over what the "right way" is to do it. When we were little, we ate brekky after presents. Now that we're older, we've started eating a little before and a little after. (We'll see if we can restrain Caden and Danica this year...) My mom used to slave over a frying pan making bacon and eggs for everyone, and usually spent much of the time complaining that it was such a mess and the egg yolks would break and it was a real pain in the ass for her. So a few years back, she started making "Wife Beater". (More commonly known as Wife Saver, but we never call it that.) It's a breakfast casserole made of bread, eggs, bacon, onion, peppers, and cheese. Mom can make it the night before and toss it in the over a half-hour before it's time to eat, whenever that may be. It's easy and it's deeeelish. The problem? My sister doesn't eat eggs. And my brother, bro-in-law, and dad don't like it. The only thing we seem to agree on is Mom's sticky buns. They get eaten before presents because no one can resist diving into the sugary, sticky goodness. I can guarantee the rest of it will be another battle this year.


• Watching Miracle on 34th Street on Christmas Eve afternoon. It's just me. Nobody else in my family cares. But for me, Christmas Eve day is, quite possibly, the longest day of the year, waiting for church and the party afterwards. So for the past 15 years, I've been watching Miracle on 34th Street in the afternoon to kill some time. It's one of my favourite Christmas movies of all-time, and I save it for Christmas Eve every year.


• "Silent Night", played by Rolly on guitar at the end of Christmas Eve service. With the lights off, candles lit, and everyone singing softly...it's pure Christmas magic.


• The Coconut Song...Young Family tradition, usually sung at least 13 times on Christmas Eve. I hope we still get to sing it this year :)

Cousin Chris didn't make it home from TO for Christmas last year, so he actually called us just so we could sing The Coconut Song to him. This is cousin Bucky holding the phone up so he could hear!!

Happy Birthday Little Girl!! xo

The Wild Thing turns 2 today!!

Tonight, we celebrate... We celebrate the fact that she is happy and healthy, talking a lot now, tormenting her big brother, playing with dolls and lipstick as much as trucks and hockey sticks, pretty independent with her shouts of "I DO IT!!", her willingness to help out (even when you don't want it), her big blue eyes and curly blonde hair, and that smile...how can you not celebrate that smile?!

Happy Birthday Danica!!!

Playing Crazy Eights!!

Finally. We're finally getting snow!! The promise of 35-45 cm on Sunday didn't happen. It came as rain instead. Booooooooooooo!! But today, we're getting a nice little blanket, and that makes me even more excited for the holidays.

So what can I do to pass some time before Christmas? How about playing Crazy Eights, blog-style? I got this idea from Keeping Up With Kelly & Co. Play along if you'd like!! :)

8 Favorite TV shows
1) Grey's Anatomy
2) Criminal Minds
3) Friends
4) Sex and the City
5) Young & the Restless
6) Being Erica
7) Survivor
8) Sens hockey games

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink
1) Kelsey's
2) McDonalds
3) Jack Astor's
4) Wild Wing
5) The Bamboo
6) St. Hubert's
7) Montana's
8) Gavan's

8 Things I Look Forward To
1) Christmas Eve!!!
2) Playing with Caden & Danica
3) Cuba in January
4) Christmas dinner at Aunt Marion's
5) New Year's Eve
6) Going to the movies (hopefully sometime over the holidays!!)
7) Spending time with family and friends
8) Winter activities

8 Things that Happened to me Yesterday
1) My muffler almost fell off my car. Thank God for the guys at work fixing me back up again!
2) Worked
3) Decorated the office for Christmas
4) Quickly cleaned my house (a lick and a promise, my mom would say!)
5) Watched some holiday specials - A Garfield Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town
6) Fell asleep on the couch and woke up freezing - my front door had blown open! eeeek!!
7) Was invited to the Sens game. But then had to turn down the ticket after my mom reminded me car has been rather unreliable these past few days.
8) Went to bed!

8 Things I Like About Winter
1) Christmas
2) Snow
3) Sliding
4) Sens hockey
5) Snowmen
6) Christmas lights
7) Warm blankets and cozy couches
8) Going for walks with snowflakes falling down

8 Things I am Passionate About
1) My family
2) My friends
3) Playing guitar
4) Writing (my blog!)
5) My TV Shows
6) FOOD
7) The Sens
8) Edward & Jacob

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often
1) F*ck (I say it too much)
2) Frig off (I say that too much, too)
3) Holy cow
4) G'day
5) Good morning, Mountainview Turf, this is Jill speaking (I usually say good morning even if it's in the afternoon)
6) NO WAY!!
7) Gimme a break
8) Oh my God

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past
1) Life is short
2) Each moment spent with loved ones is precious
3) It's amazing how strong you can be when you have to be
4) Never count your chickens before they're hatched (cliched, but so true)
5) Mom and Dad are usually right
6) A few deep breaths can work wonders
7) Crying helps
8) Laughter is usually the best medecine!!

8 Places I Would Like to Visit/See
1) Ireland
2) Somewhere down south (Cuba, I'm coming!!)
3) Graceland
4) Nashville
5) The rest of Canada - down East, the prairies, the West Coast!!
6) Australia
7) Las Vegas
8) Disney World

8 Things I Currently Want/Need
1) My own house
2) ...or at least to paint the house I'm renting
3) a laptop
4) My credit card bills to just vanish
5) A new car
6) To lose 50 lbs.
7) A friggin boyfriend, geez.
8) For my family to have the best Christmas possible

A Christmas Carol

As Christmas fast-approaches (or slow-approaches...I can't believe how long December days can feel while waiting for Santa!!), I find myself immersed in holiday movies and TV specials. Before last night, I had already watched Elf, Home Alone, Four Christmases, and part of "The Grinch". (I know. It's only half-an-hour long, with commercials, and I still fell asleep before it was over. Pathetic!)

I thought I was well on my way. Until I started counting the shows and movies I still have to watch. Still on the to-do list are:

• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• The Family Stone
• Its a Wonderful Life
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Eight Crazy Nights
• The Santa Clause
• and all my fave tv shows, such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", "Shrek the Halls", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Mickey's Christmas Carol", "A Garfield Christmas"

...and I should probably watch "The Grinch" again since I missed most of it the first time!

But there's one story that always seems to be told, in many different ways, around this time of year. And that is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Carol is the beloved story that tells the tale of the cruel and miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge, who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Marley informs Scrooge that before morning, he will be visited by three spirits. Sure enough, throughout the night, Scrooge is shown scenes from his past, present, and future by three different spirits, and sees that if he continues in the way he has conducted his life thus far, he will end up dying all alone. By morning, Scrooge has a new outlook on life, and he shocks his family, friends, neighbours, and especially his employee, Bob Cratchit, with a new cheery, generous attitude.

A quick Google Search of A Christmas Carol brings up many different adaptations over the years, in literature, theatre, film, and television. I'm sure we all have our favourites. My own personal favourite is "Mickey's Christmas Carol", when the Disney gang, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and of course, Scrooge McDuck, join together to create an animated version of the story.

I know a few people around here who are big fans of the Muppets' take on the classic story.

Last night, I finally got a chance to sit down with Luke & Amanda and watch the most recent version released, which my friend Sara let me borrow. Another adaptation by Disney, starring Jim Carrey in a life-like animation of the story, which was just released last year.

It was wonderful! I can only begin to imagine how much more thrilling it would have been to see in theatres last year in 3D. But since I usually only watch the Mickey version of the story, I was surprised at how scary it could be! I jumped - more than once. The spirits are...well, they're kind of creepy. Especially the ghost of Marley. I think that scene might have been better suited in a Halloween movie!

But overall? I loved it. It has instantly become one of my favourites. I recommend it - but just not for young children.

What's your favourite version of A Christmas Carol? Is there one particular show or movie that you make sure to view every year?

SO WHAT Wednesday!

I'm feeling uninspired, blog-wise. So rather than remaining silent for another day, I decided to play along with:

SO WHAT if...

• ...I'm leaving for Cuba in 37 days and I don't fit in half of the shorts, tees, dresses, and bathing suits I bought? It's Christmastime, dammit, I can't diet now!!!
• ...My car is a 13-year-old dinosaur that might quit on me any day now. Nobody else in my town has a '97 Rav 4 with black roof racks!! When people see me coming, they're ready with a wave!
• ...My credit card bills are massive. I'm happy with my purchases. All of them. So piss off.
• ...The next time I go to the store I need to spend over half of my shopping budget on chocolate. I'm making lots of Christmas treats that require melting chocolate, okay?!
• ...My fish tank is so dirty that you can't even see the fish. I open the lid to make sure they're still swimming around. They're okay. I'll get to it someday...
• ...I watched 3 Christmas movies on Sunday. It got me in the spirit, and I can't think of anything more productive that I should have been doing! (Oh...right...the fish...frig!!)
• ...The Sens are horrible. It'll be okay. And Wade Redden's still hot. I don't care if he's not even an NHL'er anymore.
• ...Stupid London, Ontario got 3 feet of snow over the past few days. WE'RE gonna get our own dumping on Sunday. So THERE!!
• ...I listen to Bruce Springsteen's "Merry Christmas Baby" at least four or five times every day. It makes me happy!

So there's my "SO WHAT Wednesday" rant. Felt good! Feel like playing along? Hop on over to Life After I "Dew" and link up!

The Villain Gets the Last Laugh

It's a bad day to be a Sens fan.

I've been pretty quiet on the Sens front this season thus far, mainly because I've been less than enthused. So far the 2010-2011 Ottawa Senators have been a terribly inconsistent bunch. They strung together, like, four wins about a month ago and had me excited for a few weeks, but otherwise...dismal. Very, very dismal.

You know they don't win much when Amanda was overheard whispering to Luke during last night's game, "Have they won any games yet this year?"

They have. But not many.

Granted, there has been a lot going on off the ice in the past month, with the unexpected passing of assistant coach Luke Richardson's daughter. For a while there, it could be said that their minds and hearts were elsewhere. It was excusable.

But last night, they should have been pumped. There was no excuse for a lacklustre, half-assed effort. Because one of the biggest villains in Ottawa Senators history - right up there with Alexei Yashin - was in town.

It was the return of Dany Heatley. And Sens fans had been forced to wait for this reunion for over a year and a half. They were ready.

Too bad the team wasn't.

While Ottawa has been chastised for not selling out last night's game, they were 18,000 strong, and they came prepared. Chants of "HEATLEY SUCKS" rained down before the first puck-drop. They came armed with signs spewing all different kinds of malice. This one was my favourite:

They booed him when he touched the puck. They ran down to the glass in groups and chucked their old Heatley jerseys on to the ice. Those who chose to still wear theirs blacked out certain letters so it instead read "HATE 15" on the back. They roared when he took a penalty for high-sticking his former teammate and buddy, Jason Spezza. The booed loudly when he was credited with an assist on one of San Jose's four (unanswered) goals.

By then end of the night, they were even chanting "DANY DOUCHEBAG! DANY DOUCHEBAG!"

So it really is a shame that the team on the ice didn't display the same intense fervour and passion as their fans did.

Rather than celebrating a huge win and rubbing Heater's face in it, this morning the papers and sports call-in shows are all talking about what an embarassing game it was. What a massive disappointment it was. People are pushing panic buttons. (Literally, on the Team 1200 morning show TGOR, Steve and JR were actually pushing a panic button, with sirens and robot voice and all.) Fans are calling for them to completely blow up the team and start over. Names like Fisher and Alfredsson - cornerstones of the franchise - are being tossed around as trade bait.

Earlier this week, even in the wake of that pathetic loss to the lowly Oilers, it was fun to be a Sens fan again. The hype of Heatley returning to Ottawa was easy to get swept up in. It was exciting to see the anticipation build, and hear about what people were going to put on their signs, and what they were threatening to throw at him.

This morning? The hype is all gone. And all that's left is the sick feeling in my gut, knowing Dany Heatley - slimy little vermin that he is - got the last laugh.

And as the Sharks head out of town, we're left with this mess of a team, and no sign of hope.

No. It's not a great day to be a Sens fan. Not at all.

The Sexiest Christmas Song Everrrrr

So, many of my friends in the Blogosphere have been taking part in a 12 Day Christmas Challenge, which I would have liked to take part in but wasn't on the ball enough to get my act together in time to jump in on Day 1 with the rest of them. It seems the holiday season kind of crept up on me this year, and I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to write blogs about Christmas two weeks ago.

But now it's December. Now, I'm ready to go. Bring on the wrapping paper and bows, the multiple viewings of The Grinch and Elf, the chocolate cookie bark and gingerbread houses, the trees and lights...Bring on the Christmas season!

Today, they're all talking about their favourite Christmas songs. I've had my iTunes Christmas playlist on rotation for the past week, and today I even added some new additions thanks to getting some new ideas for downloads from Kelly's list on her blog (thanks Kelly!)

I've got lots of favourites. Too many to choose from.

But I've got a little twist on the topic, and my question to you is this: What do think is the sexiest Christmas song?

I think there are a few heavy contenders out there. For instance, "Santa Baby" by Madonna. Pretty slinky and sexy, right?

How about "Baby It's Cold Outside" - I'm thinkin' the Rod Stewart/Dolly Parton version, but any rendition will do. Conjures up images of snuggling by fires, wrapped up in blankets, while a snowstorm rages outdoors...oh yeah, baby!!

And of course, there's one of my all-time faves, Elvis crooning "Blue Christmas" - and I especially love the recent release of Martina McBride joining him in singing it. Super hawt. (But I think I might be a little biased, considering my crazy Elvis obsession. Young Elvis is so yummy...)

However, there's one Christmas song that takes the #1 spot in my world. Every time I hear it, it almost gives me goosebumps. It's that sexy. And these honours belong to Bruce Springsteen with his holiday hit, "Merry Christmas Baby". I luuuuuuuuuurve it!!

After watching the video Lindsay posted on her blog today of Wayne Rostad's classic "Christmas in the Valley", I had a hard time not putting him on the list. I mean, just go check out Wayne's sexy 'stache and the way he leans against the building whilst strumming his guitar...Drool-worthy, ladies. Absolutely drool-worthy. ;)

Got a song that you think tops The Boss for Sexiest Christmas Song Everrrrrr? Share it in the comments section!

Enjoy the tunes!!

December, Baby!

Happy DECEMBER!!!!

I love December. It means parties and good food and even better drinks and presents and family and friends and twinkly lights and decorations and holiday specials and Christmas carols and snow...

Wait. What's that? No snow? In Canada? On December 1st?

I know. It's so so so sad. Like, how am I supposed to turn on all my Christmas lights tonight without any freakin' SNOW???

It's been pouring rain here for two days now. Here at work, they estimate that if it had come as fluffy goodness, we'd have two feet. There's a chance it could change to flurries by tonight, they say, but for now, it's just rain. Ugly rain that makes everything brown and muddy and depressing. This isn't the month for brown and muddy and depressing. It's the month for snowflakes and sparkling and white cold awesomeness.

Where is it?! Where is IT!?!?

Hopefully it comes soon. It just doesn't feel like Christmas without a little of the white stuff on the ground...

Murder at Dale's 50th Birthday Party!!

Some of you have been wondering why I've been so quiet this week. Where is the Murder Mystery recap, dammit?!? Where is it?!?!

Truth be told? I haven't been doing anything. I've just been breathing.

Because for the past month or so? I wasn't breathing. At all.

As many of you already know, and as I've talked quite a bit about on this blog, I'm a worrier. I panic. I wallow in anxiety. And when I'm stressed out, I.don't.breathe.

So, while preparing for Murder Mystery, holding practices for the cast, and planning all the details and decorations with co-director Brenda, I was literally spazzing out. I had several members of my cast that loved to wind me up and make me nuts. Towards the end, I was even starting to pray for some illness - not bad, just something contagious - to hit me a few days before, so that I could hide away in my room until it was all over.

Of course - of course - I didn't need to worry. But there ain't nobody in the world who could've assured me of that beforehand. (Just ask B!)

Once again, it was a great show! About 190 people crammed into The Shamrock Lounge (aka the Lions Hall) for Dale MacKechnie's swanky 50th birthday celebration. (Major coup? Getting Dale to play himself, only a few weeks after his actual 50th Birthday!! Score!!)

Security was tight that night (another amazing feat - getting my brother and Wayne to man the doors in black suits, head-sets, and shades - they looked pretty spiffy if I do say so myself!), but somehow, eight undercover spies managed to gain access to MacKechnie's lavish party, and all became suspects after he was murdered. His body was found on the balcony shortly after the party began - he had been strangled.

Wayne and Luke - our Door Security Guards

Fortunately, two of the attendees from last year's events at the Trickle Creek Lodge had become police officers, so we welcomed back Kaptain Keharn Flake (Troy Cote) and Deputy Bess Diddler (Steph Belanger) to solve the murder.

Troy & Steph in costume as Kaptain Flake and Deputy Diddler

After arriving on-scene, they quickly began interrogating the suspects: Ivan Oder (Joe McCleary), an American spy with a bad temper, posing as a security guard; Camille Sol (Tammy Cheslock), an agent from France, working as a maid; Paddy O'Furniture (Bill Young), a member of the IRA, giant leprechaun, and bartender; Jessica Tom Collins (Marie-Eve Provost), a CIA agent and Dale's grief-stricken fiancee; Duke Bigalow (Derek McColgan), another member of the CIA and handsome gigolo; Natasha Kozlov (Lise Nobert), a Russian spy posing as a famous singer; Simon Rickman (Marc Kingsbury), a double-agent and computer whiz; and Anita Mandalay (Joanne Marcotte), hired by Dale to be the "woman of the evening" and entertain the male guests.

Those of you who have been to one before know how it goes after that. They spent the next three hours pointing fingers at one another and defending themselves, while the crowd roared with laughter and enjoyed a delicious dinner.

You don't get much better than that!

It was a fantastic night, and I once again must thank my cast for dedicating their time and energy to this fundraiser that the Quyon Lionettes host, and it is definitely one of the highlights in the community. Also, to Brenda for putting up with my crap; to the Lionettes for allowing us to tackle the project once again; to all who helped out along the way; and to all who came out and enjoyed the show.

Our Security Guards with the dead guy

I wasn't sure it was possible to top last year's Murder Mystery. But MC Patti Davis announced that we were successful in doing so, so kudos to everyone involved!

In the end, it's always worth it.

And I'm able to breathe again.

This is what I look like when I breathe again. Okay, maybe it was the rum.

Doing It for Daron

As my last post indicated, it's been a stressful week. With Murder Mystery finally almost here, and a million other things going on in my life, it's easy to get swallowed up in the hype and anxiety, and entirely lose focus.

But this week, I've also had perspective. Because sometimes, there are bigger things going on in the world, and thinking of them is a fresh - and sometimes painful - reminder that no matter how stressful and worrisome my life feels right now, there are people with bigger problems. Real problems. And sadness and pain that is incomprehensible.

My anxiety over Murder Mystery seems so small and insignificant in comparison.

Last weekend, Ottawa Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson & his wife Stephanie lost their youngest daughter Daron after a suicide attempt. She was only 14 years old. The news of Daron's death stunned the community, and we felt the sharp disbelief close to home as well, since the Richardsons' have roots in Shawville.

I can only imagine the pain and grief that Daron's family and friends are experiencing. It's terrible enough to deal with a shocking death, an accident, a sudden end to a beautiful life. It's quite another to deal with that loss knowing she took her own life.

But Luke, Stephanie, and their eldest daughter Morgan have done something very courageous in the wake of this tragedy. Rather than hiding the details of their daughter's death and dealing with it secretly, they have been open about it in hopes of removing the stigma that comes with suicide. Their hope is that by sharing their pain with the public, it will bring awareness to teen suicide and how important it is to open with your child and be understanding of their moods and issues.

Yesterday, Scotiabank Place was filled with jersey-wearing men, women, and children, but for once, it wasn't for a hockey game. A 2-hour celebration of Daron' s life was held, with her family, friends, students from her school, the entire Senators organization, friends from around the NHL, and many members of the community coming out to grieve with her parents and sister.

Apparently none of Daron's family or friends saw this coming. She was a gorgeous girl with so much going for her - a privileged life thanks to her father being a former NHL'er and now coach, an excelling student at Ashbury College, a talented athlete with a bright future in women's hockey...

Nobody knows exactly what was going on beneath the surface to compel Daron to end her own life. We may never know.

But today, we wear purple in Daron's memory, and in the hopes of bringing awareness to teen suicide.

No child should ever feel that hopeless or that lost.

Make sure to let the people you love most in your life know it.

Can you say *STRESSED*?!?!

I hate this week. Wanna know why?

It's the week of Murder Mystery. And it's the middle of November.

Know what that means? It means I'm stressing about two very major things:

A) Murder Mystery. Natch.
B) The fact that I have ONE FREAKIN' CHRISTMAS PRESENT BOUGHT AND THAT'S IT while the rest of the world is done their shopping and already has it wrapped and hidden in a magic closet waiting for the big day.

Arrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

So. Murder Mystery first. Could I ever find a cast that doesn't love to wind me up and watch me go squirrely every. single. day? Don't get me wrong. I love them. They're going to be awesome. And this time next week, I will have written a lovely blog about them, blowing sunshine up their butts, and thanking them for being the bestest cast ever.

But until that day, I will worry. Worry about them not knowing their lines or getting drunk or doing a scene backwards or - God forbid - dropping f-bombs on-stage.

Throw that in with all the other little (and big) things that need to be done in preparation for MM, and I'm pretty much a basket case. Take today, for example. I woke up at 6 AM, half an hour before my alarm - I get SO pissed when that happens - and the first stupid little though that went clanging through my brain was, "We don't have a finale. We've never even thought of a clever ending."

Awesome. Two practices left, one being dress rehearsal, and we don't have a way to finish the thing off!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

The good news? I've got lots of super-smart people around me who have awesome ideas and who love to remind me that this thing always works out, no matter how sure I am that it's going to blow giant chunks.

(And if any of my cast is out there reading this, please don't be offended. You really are all awesome and I love you immensely. And you won't blow giant chunks. I just worry about it every year. It would be weird if I didn't.)

*Sigh*

The other stress factor, as I mentioned, is stupid Christmas.

Again, don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. Absolutely my most favourite time of the year. And this year, I should have less to worry about because I basically cancelled presents with all of my friends (Cuba, here I come!!), and I only have my immediate family to buy for.

Even better - my family ruled that I buy the couples "couple presents" instead of individual gifts, because it's not fair that I buy them each a gift, while they slap "Love, Him & Her" on theirs. Perfect-o.

But you know what? It's superhard to find a gift that is suitable for both. And they really really suck at giving suggestions. Take Luke's wonderful idea from the weekend: "Ummm...you can get us a two-man bicycle. But don't worry if you can't afford that. You can get us a unicycle and she can ride on my shoulders."

hahaha. Funny boy.

(I shouldn't act all cool and sarcastic, because I actually did laugh. A lot.)

Anywayssssssss... Yes. It bothers me that everyone is finding awesome websites and taking lunch hour shopping trips and finding amazing deals and using wonderful bonus discount codes. 'Cause I've had zero luck.

Bah! STRESSED!!!!!