Date Night

Unfortunately, a couple of days after Christmas Ali had to leave. It was wonderful spending Christmas with her, and I hope to go see her out west sometime soon!

The day after Ali left, Laura arrived in Montreal. Patrick was also in town, so we started thinking about New Years plans. 

The night Laura arrived was the night that Dave was taking me out to dinner for Christmas in Old Montreal. We got all dressed up and went to this amazing restaurant called Le Saint Gabriel.  First we went out for a drink with Laura and Patrick in the area. The walk was extremely cold, but it was beautiful outside.  Old Montreal looked like something out of a picture book. Everything glittered with fresh snow, and the icy cobblestone roads shone. The restaurant was beautiful.  It was a really old building, with high raftered ceilings, dim lighting and a huge, blazing fire burning in an open fireplace.  The host took our jackets and moved us to a lovely table. It was a great experience.  The food was lovely and different to anything I’d had before.  They made this amazing cocktail with vodka, grapefruit and maple syrup which sounds weird, but it was delicious, and something you would only find in Montreal. Of course, the company was the best.

After dinner, which took a few hours, we picked up Laura and Patrick and went to beet Caroline and Ben at this place Ben Kunde on St Denis Street. We were lucky enough to get a table and stayed for a couple of drinks. Great night.

Christmas Time Is Here

I was feeling really good on Christmas Day. The night before, we had a blast making cookies and cinnamon buns, listening to tunes. Afterwards, the gang watched “Beer Fest” and had some cocktails and beers, it was pretty fun. The game: when anyone in the movie drinks, you do too. It’s a dangerous game if not played carefully, which I did!

Clydes’ Christmas Eve party was on, and a whole lot of people I hadn’t seen in ages said they were going. I didn’t know when I’d see some of them next, so Dave and I decided to rock up. The roads were made of ice and puddles that night – a walk that was supposed to take less than 10 minutes took more than 20. When we got there, there was a big lineup! It’s been a long time since I was staff over there, so naturally I didn’t really know anyone at the door. Dave and I decided to wait a little while, and if the line wasn’t moving, we’d leave. The line did move, and we got in. The place was an absolute zoo. Seriously, you could hardly move in there. Dave and I managed to get ourselves a drink, and manoeuvred our way through the place. I was annoyed because I didn’t see the people who said they were going to be there, and we were lost in a river of drunken Clydes regulars! Dave and I went to seek refuge upstairs, where it was more bearable. The one thing that was weird was that it was really hot in the place. To add to that, the coat check was full. Looking over the balcony, we didn’t see anyone we knew. We ran into Angus and a few others and they were drinking their alcohol out of some sort of Viking horn. We decided it was about time to leave. As we headed towards the entrance , I spotted Mikey. Yay! It was good to see him. Had a good chat, and then Dave and I took off. Seeing Mike meant the night out wasn’t a loss.

We got home and in the living room the Christmas tree was beautiful. It smelled so good, and it was lit up and decorated magnificently. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a nicer Christmas tree. Dave and I enjoyed the moment, sitting in the room lit with Christmas lights before going to bed.






Christmas morning was crazy. Everyone got happily spoiled – it’s a good thing I packed light! Ali made everyone Christmas cards, they were amazing. At the end of the present frenzy the entire floor space was covered with wrapping paper, it was such a sight.












For breakfast we had homemade cinnamon buns, bacon, juice...mmm mmm! I hung out and helped a bit around the house later on. I went upstairs that afternoon and Dave was fast asleep. Awwww. The gang came over for dinner – Nana, Ann-Marie, Aunty Pat & Bea, Doro, Ali’s pal Jen and Brian. I can

say without a doubt that it was the best dinner I had ever tasted, complete with roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes au gratin, snow peas, Brussels sprouts, sweet potaoes, cranberries and gravy. YES!

My Dad said a grace, and I was surprised to feel tears in my eyes...we were remembering Papa. I wish he could have been there with us. I really missed him this Christmas.

Dave's Here!

A couple of days after the tree party, Dave arrived in Montreal. he had been in the UK visiting friends, seeing his sister and attending his cousin's wedding. I was excited to see him, excited for Ali to meet him, they had just missed each other in the summer of 2006.



Dave was arriving at a reasonable hour, 7:00 PM or so. Weeks before, I had planned a welcome/happy birthday party for him. The surprise kind of got ruined because of Facebook wall posts, but that was okay. At least he was prepared. It's always funny to see someone when you haven't seen them in a long time, even if you live with them most of the time. It was so nice to see Dave standing there at the airport, and to give him a huge hug.




It was a really good night, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. There was pool playing and bar action going on downstairs, karaoke and kitchen talk upstairs. Logan's friends turned up as well, which was fun. Nat had arrived in Montreal from Oz just the night before, it was great to see her come out. Luke and Lee were there as well, I hadn't seen them in ages. It was a really good night.




Even though I had gone out, I hadn't properly gone walking outside since I arrived. I felt intimidated by the cold weather! Luckily for me, Dave was really enthusiastic to get out there. Dave, Ali and I went walking in the village, and it was actually really pleasant!



Dave arrived on the 23, and Christmas was right around the corner.

Ali, and more amazing surprises.

A few days later Ali arrived! It was so incredibly exciting to see her. She is such a refreshing bundle of energy. The night she arrived we all had great talks until late. The next day, while Ali was sleeping Dad and I went to Costco to do the Christmas grocery shopping. Got home and had a great dinner with Ali and everyone.

The cold weather was, once again, a huge shock. I was pretty apprehensive about going out most of the time, silly as it sounds. I ventured out for the first time to meet an old friend. It had been probably 8 years since Jeanne and I saw each other. It's funny, but I was a little bit nervous to see her. There was no need to worry though; it was like we never missed a beat, like we had seen each other the day before, only a time device had made us into two adults. Jeanne knew the bartender at McKibbins, and I found it pretty hard to keep up with everyone, haha. Jeanne's boyfriend and some friends arrived, and I said my goodbyes, met Ali at Brutopia, and went home with her.

Ali's visit was full of fun. We even went family bowling!!

One of the most memorable times was when the whole family went to see the Nutcracker. We had a box for the family, got all dressed up...the dancing was so, so gorgeous. The ballerina who had the role of the sugarplum f airy was just breathtaking.

One night, as I was getting ready for bed I heard a male voice downstairs. It wasn't my Dad or Logan. What the? I wondered if Ali had brought a friend home! Then there was a knock on the bathroom door. Warily, I opened it a crack...and there was Brian! What a great surprise! He had decided last minute to visit from Vancouver. Seeing him again made me remember how much I missed him. He seemed so grown up, Vancouver seems to be the place for him.

In the week before Christmas we had our tree party. The tree party is a big tradition in my family, and I was so much looking forward to it. I was upset with myself because I had gone out the night before to the Clydes Xmas party. Logan presented me with all sorts of shots, many of them with the word "bomb" at the end of their names, and needless to say, I was feeling sick the next day. Fortunately my family was compassionate enough to let me rest for awhile, and I felt pretty good before the party. Ali, Tara and I had baked heaps of stuff for Christmas!

It was lovely seeing the usual suspects, as well as Moe & Ryan, Caroline, Doro, Brian and Cat, who is also going to be teaching next year. We had a great talk. One of the best parts of my trip was another surprise visitor...Matt! I can't even explain how happy I was to see him. He wasn't going to visit originally, and when I heard that I was in tears. But Bria has a special Christmas present for him: a weekend in Montreal. The best part was that Matt's visit was kept secret from my Dad. It was so nice to see the look on his face when Matt came in the house, those two get along so well. The tree looked marvelous. Everyone was in good spirits. It was a wonderful night.

Time to Relax

I thought that I felt fine the day after I got into Montreal. I slept, woke up fairly early in the morning, and wanted to do something. Something not too exhausting, but fun...hmmmm...what about shopping! Haha. Went with Mom and Tara to the shops near the Colosseum and hardly got past the Aldo shop, where I bought two pairs of boots, a pair of conservative heels for work and a pair of silver flats. Went out to get Dave's Christmas present.

The jetlag was in full force. I recovered by watching Desperate Housewives.

We also got to go to Costco, woot woot! I don't know why, but I love shopping at Costco, it's almost like a family tradition.

Went to Baton Rouge with Dad, Mom and Logan joined us later. Mmmm, delicious ribs!

Arrival in Montreal

With the time I had off, it was easy to get all packed up early.  Jack drove me to the airport, and Dave came to say goodbye, or really,see you soon. I got to Perth airport early, and there isn't much to do there, so I was pretty relieved when it was time to board the plane.  The trip was long of course, and was smooth and mostly uneventful, which is good. The only problem I had was that there seemed to be screaming babies close to me all the time.  I got no sleep, but was so thankful for the headphones with volume control!  Seriously though, it's not the fault of the little kids, but the parents on this plane would simply ignore their kids and allow them to disrupt everyone. The kids in the seat in front of me were yelling, throwing thingsand climbing over the seats. Hm.

I arrived in Montreal, and it was dark already and so cold! It was quite a shock, considering I hadn't experienced a Canadian winter since 2005.  Mom, Dad and Logan arrived to pick me up (and bring me a winter jacket too!)  The snow was coming down in barrels, so much that it took a half an hour to get home, when it usually takes 10 minutes tops.

We got back to Bowling Green and it was pretty amazing to see the house - I hadn't seen it properly finished and set up, and it's beautiful. I especially love the kitchen! My room was lovely, big, with a soft, comfy bed and a wardrobe...with clothes and shoes in it!  Mom had got me stuff, at the bazaar and along the way during the year. Yay! What a great surprise.  I tried on a bunch of stuff, and then Tara got back from work.  We all got Harveys and rented "Step Brothers"...but I couldn't stay up, I fell asleep in the first 10 minutes. 

Looking very amused by getting all bundled up for the cold weather...

Before the trip

As exhausted as I was, it was a little sad to leave my final prac.  The girls in the office were great, and I'll miss them lots!  Rebecca is off to Doha in the Middle East to be an English teacher over there, I hope she has an amazing experience.  I finished my prac with the grade of "outstanding".  I guess I was pretty proud about that.  On the last day we all went for a drink at the Queens.  Afterwards, Dave and I went out for Indian, then went to Brad's place to watch western movies, getting inspired for Mrs. Henry's first music video.

The days before the Montreal trip were good.  I relaxed, sorted some things out and spent time with Dave.  The members of Mrs. Henry shot their first music video for "Handgun" out in the Hills, it was a sort of tribute to Westerns like The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.  Despite some obstacles such as starting late and a flat tire, it was a beautiful day, full of fun, and something different to do.  

A few days to go, and I'll be surrounded by snow...