Tube Rides under the Stars

Horseshoe Valley - Tube Riding

My. Favourite. Sport.

You get a tube. You stand on a magic carpet to the top. Sit on a tube and slide down a hill on your ass. Magic. We all had so much fun. Carl managed to take some videos!

Will upload pics if I can. Stupid BLOGGER isn't working!!

Oh, and Carl got into a fight with a 10 year old kid on the hill. It's a long story, but basically this kid was being a prick and throwing snow at this other kid. When we stood up for the kid, Carl got a snowball to the face. It was pretty funny looking back! I guess teachers don't take kids behaving badly very well. Carl told on the kid and wanted to get him kicked off the slope! He was very mad when the supervisors gave the kid a warning. I think he is still seething actually... oops.

Awesome fun though!

Xx Janelle and Carlos

Niagara Falls

How much fun can you fit into 3 days! We'll tell you...

Day 1:

We left Orillia early so that Carl and I could visit the shop just for teachers in Barrie! We found some great bargins - Carl spent more than I did too. This seems to be a trend this holiday! :) After we shopped up a storm, we headed onto Toronto. We had booked tickets to a Marlies game (Ice-Hockey). Ice Hockey is a national sport here naturally, but there are some strikes and stuff going on in the NHL (National Hockey League). It's causing a uproar amongst sports fans!!

We suited up in some fan gear - I purchased a real foam finger! Yahoo. We ate some food, cheered for the Marlies and had fun watching the game!

We then drove onto Niagara falls where we checked into the Marriott Hotel over-looking the falls! (See Website: http://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com/). The view was spectacular. At night the falls are lit up. Carl and I had a king-size bed and it was the best night sleep I have had all trip! Carl was miles away on the other side so he couldn't kick, punch or pull my hair! I loved that bed and I am inspired to get one in the future! :)

Day 2:

We had breakfast included in the package too. Breakfast was amazing - the bacon was unforgettable!

We spent the next day on Clifton Hill! (See Website: http://www.cliftonhill.com/). We went to Ripley's Believe it or Not museum and then on the 4D movie experience. That was fun! Too bad that Erin is pregnant, she can't do lots of the fun things we can. Luckily they could turn off a row of seats in the theatre so she could at least see the movie.

We went on the sky-wheel next and saw the falls from up high. It was breath-taking. Unfortunately, it was snowing that day so the sky was grey and the photos do not look amazing. You'll just have to trust us!!

We explored the Hershey's Chocolate store and then had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. That was a fun restaurant. It is set up like a rainforest with trees and animals all around, stars glittering on the ceiling and every 1/2 hour a ''thunderstorm'' happens. All the animals move around and make sounds. Even eating is fun in Niagara.

That night, the boys dragged us to dinner and then the casino. We saw a comedy show first! Canadian humour.... I can't say I got many of their jokes! And I am sad to say that Carl's luck was non-existent that night. We lost some money (not too much) and I hope he has learned his lesson. We know Carl keeps his wallet close to his heart... I don't think he enjoyed losing his hard earned cash.

Day 3:

The next day was a little more cheerful (in terms of the weather) but was so windy we could see parents on the streets below holding onto their kids so they didn't blow away! We are brave Aussies though and just had to see the falls up close, so we put on all of the clothes in our suitcase and headed down. It really is a wonder of the world! Can't explain it. Pictures don't do it justice. It was amazing. Cold, wet and amazing. People were getting engaged around us - that's how special it is.

We didn't last long though - it was just too cold. Instead, we headed to the butterfly conservatory. (see Website: http://www.niagaraparks.com/garden-trail/butterfly-conservatory.html). It was a great way to spend the afternoon, getting up close and personal with hundreds of butterflies. We were able to snap some cute pictures too!

We drove around, through the wine country on our way back to Toronto. We had booked tickets to watch the Toronto Raptors play the Sacramento Kings (USA)!! It was an amazing experience! Thousands of people in a stadium, cheerleaders, mascots, music, cheers! Just like on the movies!! We had a fantastic time!

The Raptors lost the game. Grrr..

Carl's panoramic view of the stadium. Amazing right?

We drove home after that. Long day. So, so, so much fun!

Few days left in Canada before we head off on our next adventure!!

Xx Janelle and Carl



Mount St Louis - Ski Resort

Staring Death in the Face - A great way to see out 2012!

While Erik was a work, Erin's mom and step-dad took us to Mount St Louis on our first skiing adventure! (See Website: http://www.mountstlouis.com/). Charlene and Ron (Erin's parents) ski all the time and have memberships at the slope and were only too happy to take us out.

It was sooooo much fun. I thought that I would hate it and that it would be too hard for a fatty like me. But it was really fun. Carl has got some videos of me in my lesson at the start of the day and then some photos etc. of us going down the bigger slopes later in the day.

Ron (in the red) teaching Ron and I the basics. Honestly... look at how pro I look!

Fitted with my skis and poles. Oh and all of the second hand clothes. Ha ha... sexy right?

We were able to get a beginner's ski package which included an hour lesson and ski hire. But Ron took us out a little earlier and gave us a few tips. He used to be a ski instructor, so we learned some good skills before joining the other beginners for our lesson. They basically only teach you three moves and then shove you on the ''magic carpet'' (escalator up the snow slope) and made us ski down. I was amazed at how confident I was by the end of the hour! But I had worked up quite an appetite, so we all went inside for lunch. Charlene had packed a picnic lunch -it was so good! We filled our bellies, re-hydrated and then headed back out for the bigger beginner slopes!

Magic Carpet - Just hop on and off you go up the slope! Easier than the ski lift.

Skiing was soooooo much fun. You use every muscle in your body! Every muscle! My hands were hurting from holding onto the ski poles! The only thing I didn't like was the ski lift. I hated everything about the stupid ski lift! I hated getting on, I hated dangling in the air all the way to the top and I especially hated getting off! Ron and I both tumbled off the ski lift once. It's hard getting back up when you've fallen over.

Carl of course was a pro. He switched to blades after a while (they are smaller skis and you don't use poles). I think he had a great time!! He even went down the black diamond run! I got a video of that too, but you can't really see him until he slides in front of the camera. He's just a tiny dot going down a HUGE mountain. I think you use every muscle in your body when you're skiing and I had to stop around 4pm because my legs were starting to cramp and I needed those muscles to help me slow down and turn.

Carl and I posing for a photo. Carl is wearing the blades, and doesn't have poles.

Charlene and I on the top of the mountain. Carl got some great video footage of the view!

Surprisingly, my body didn't really hurt the next day. I think it must have been the copious amounts of vodka I had on NYEve. I think we are going to go to a different ski resort on the weekend and do some tubing and some more skiing. Tubing is going to be soooo fun. Apparently you get hooked to a rope and they drag you up the slope and then you just slide down the hills. That sounds like my kind of sport - you sit on your ass the whole time!! ha ha. I am loving skiing though and wanna give that another go. Carl and I even imagined going to New Zealand again in June/July school holidays for a week. We can dream can't we?

That night we headed to Boston Pizza (where Erik works) for some pre-drinks and then went to a house party on Lake Simcoe. We all felt very lucky to be celebrating the new year on the other side of the world!

Hope yours was just as eventful!

Love and hugs,

Xx Janelle and Carl

Back to School

 Australia. Lesson 1.1

 

We miss school so much that we visited Erin on the last day of school. Ron read the kiddies a story and we answered questions about Australia...

Q: Do you have snow in Australia?
A: Not where we live.

Q: Is it hot in Australia?
A: Yes. Where we live it is hot.

Q: How hot is it right now in Australia?
A: Very hot. 35-40 degrees.


Ron mentioned snakes too and then they all wanted to hear about our close encounters. :) It was a fun morning.

Peace out!
Xx Janelle and Carl

Mini-break at Pine Vista Resort

A Winter Wonderland

We were all very excited to spend a few days at Pine Vista Resort!! (See website here: http://www.pinevista.com/winter.htm)

After checking in we found our cute cottage ''Agloma''. It suited us perfectly with three bedrooms and a kitchen/living room with a corner fireplace. It was located right beside the outside pool (perfect for winter, not!) and the outside hot tub area. It overlooked the lake too!!

Our first adventure was aboard a horse-drawn sleigh!. It lasted 45 minutes and we were able to sit back on hay bales and enjoy the scenery! It was included in our price too so that was good. We were also the only people on the sleigh ride at that time so we didn't have to share with strangers!

Erin, Erik, Carl and I went ice-skating that afternoon after a cosy by the fire. It was a strange feeling skating on ice and knowing that there was water below you. Of course, they wouldn't let you skate if it wasn't safe but there is always a risk I suppose. I couldn't last outside for very long because the temperature at that time had reached -16 degrees. We were soon inside, enjoying some wine and lasagne. That night we went to the games room at the lodge. There was a ping-pong table, pool table and air hockey table. Don't worry Dad, Carl has been practicing his pool shots so that he can beat you when we get home!!

Carl towed me back to the lodge cause my shoes were slippery. Ahhhhh, how relaxing!!

The next morning we went tobogganing down a hill on little pieces of plastic. It was thrilling (at this point in time, I hadn't been skiing!) We all know, I am a little heavy so I ended up flying down the slope the fastest and there were a few times when I almost didn't stop before the road. The were a bit much and by the 6th run, I had to stop in fear that I'd bruised my bottom!! :) Of course, we stopped when we couldn't feel our feet anymore and warmed up by jumping in the hot tub! Woot!

Before the end of our second day, Carl and I went snow shoeing. There were a few hiking tracks around the resort so we walked around and enjoyed the scenery some more. It took a little while to get used to the snow shoes, but to be honest I found it much more enjoyable than trying to walk around in my normal boots which don't have any tread at all! Sometimes it's disappointing that we don't get to see the animals because it's winter - we'll just have to visit again in summer next time!!

Got my snow shoes on!

We really enjoyed getting out in and amongst nature during the winter. There were moments when we would look outside or feel the snow falling and it would just feel really special! Going to a small resort was the best idea, because we were really the only people there and we could do whatever we wanted!

Keep you posted on our next adventure!

Xx Janelle and Carl

A Canadian Christmas, 2012

 

On the first day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me....

A celebration at the Flamino's house, (Erik's parents) in a small town about forty minutes from Orillia. We were so lucky to be invited to share in the Christmas celebrations with the Flamino's extended family. They were so kind to the Aussies who had come to visit, even buying us little Christmas gifts. Carl and I really look like tourists now after being given some Canadian clothing and are the proud owners of some Canadian wine, not that it will last long at all!

Carl enjoyed playing hockey outside in the snow with Blu (Erik's nephew) and then we went on a short walk with the dog. On the way... I spotted bear paw prints!!!!!!

Ha ha! Honestly though, the Flamino's told us that bears were sighted around their home quiet frequently. David (Erik's dad) told us a story about the day he arrived home from work to see the police parked at his house. He instantly thought his daughter had done something illegal (again) but it turned out to be a warning about a bear that had been seen in their backyard. A neighbour had called the police because they can be very dangerous... who would've thought!
Carl and I enjoyed exploring the creeks and old houses on our walk. We even managed to get a nice photo of the two of us in front of an old barn...

Couple of the Year, Carl Jensen and Janelle Patroni  :)
Also, note the Canadian Jersey, mittens and scarf.

We ate soooooooooo much food at the Flamino's Christmas. Carl managed to get seconds of the turkey dinner and then we had deserts too - Lemon Meringue Pie and Cherry Cheesecake. After dinner was cleaned up and the children were put to bed, we all played/gambled with a game called 31. It's a tradition and a fun one too. Unfortunately, neither of us won though. Bit of a shame...


On the second day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me...

A celebration at Erin's Mom's House! Just around the corner on lake Simcoe.




Erin's Mom's house is beautiful. It sits on the lake and the views are stunning. I can just imagine them in Summer and Fall.

When we arrived the squirrels were running around everywhere!
Ron managed to snap a picture of this one using his fancy camera! Thanks Ron.

We spent the whole day at Erin's mom's house. We ate, we sang, we ate, we talked, we played games!
So much fun! We were very lucky to receive presents at this house too. Maple syrup of course! We also got some fudge, some home made wines and some special mugs. The mugs were painted by a famous Canadian artist too. We have information about him that you'll have to read when we get home.

Erin's sister Lisa and her husband Andrew were unable to have their own children. They adopted two absolutely adorable Korean babies, Keo (5) and Park (2). Carl of course enjoyed teasing, chasing and playing with these two kids all day long! He even took them outside for a snowball fight and some tobogganing.

The view from the back of the house. The lake is slowly freezing over but is still watery in some parts.

Carl and the boys playing in the snow. I'm so jealous I couldn't join them,
but I didn't have the appropriate clothing.

 

^^ The above photo was taken just after Carl had inhaled two (yes two!) turkey dinners. We had spinach salad, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, potato pies, turkey meat, stuffing/dressing and gravy. Carl couldn't help himself of course because all good food should be eaten and you shouldn't stop at one serving! Of course there was desert too and Carl couldn't turn down a piece of home-made pumpkin pie. So a few hours later we weren't all that surprised that Carl was laying on the couch moaning like a baby that his belly hurt. We had to drive home slowly in Erik's car in fear that Carl might vomit up his enormous meal. Fingers crossed he has learned his lesson about eating too much, too quickly.

I doubt it though!!! :)


On the third day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me...

A third and final celebration at Erin's Dad's house in Barrie. On the way though, Carl and I got to do a little shopping and took advantage of some boxing day sales. Carl purchased some brand new ice skates (he's determined to do a lot of ice skating and is now certain that we will live somewhere cold when we teach abroad) and I got to visit Scholar's Choice the teacher's store! Yahoo! It's crazy how much we pay in Australia for teaching resources. I spent probably a good 40 minutes there but it wasn't enough. I didn't go crazy though, I just bought some essential items and a few gifts for a friend but we have to go back because Carl didn't get to shop for long. Something that we usually have to pay $25 for we can pick up for $10 here. We'd be silly not to stock up on some stuff.

We did enjoy our day with Erin's dad Larry and his wife Mary. We had a lighter dinner too which was nice. I don't know if I could have eaten turkey 3 nights in a row. Carl and I had fun entertaining Park and Keo and now we're ready for bed.

No rest for the wicked though because I have to pack for our next adventure. We're all heading to Peterborough tomorrow for a couple of days. We're going to do all kinds of amazing things in the snow. I'll have to fill you in a bit later!

Until then, stay safe!

Xx Janelle and Carl

Toronto (Part 2)

Last to bed, Last to wake up!

Officially poor, pregnant Erin had only begun her Christmas holiday and so on the second day that we were in Toronto she demanded a sleep in. After being woken up at around 2am with a false fire alarm, we were only too happy to oblige. Only, we probably shouldn't have slept in until 11am!!

Oh well, Pam knew just the place for breakfast and we were able to catch up with Larisa too. It was there that Ron-Yum ordered the.... KILLER SHAKE. It was only 35 ounces!!

Ha ha, hilarious! All of the meals here seem to be so big! Erin and I ordered french toast with maple syrup (of course) and fresh berries. When it came, I realised I should have just shared with Erin

because it was made with 6 thick pieces of bread. Oh my... I can feel the kilos just piling on!!

It was for this reason (and because Carl is persistently begging for winter sports) that we all went ice skating at a public ice rink in the city centre!! Carl and I both LOVE ice skating. We both grew up skating at the Gladstone Skate Centre and it's really not much different. Except that when you fall on your ass, you get wet!! We hired skates for ten dollars and enjoyed skating around for a while...

Erin and I getting warmed up.

Ron had a little trouble skating. He spent a lot of time on the sides. To be fair though, the skates were hurting our feet!

We skated at City Hall in Toronto. Beautiful right? Very busy too!! Luckily no one fell over... how embarrassing!?

Carl of course, skated like a pro. We all had the BEST time holding onto him and letting him pull us around after him. It was the fasted Ron skated all day!

Carl and I figure skating. He is so strong, lifting me up like that!! How beautiful are we??



After our skate, we stopped in at a Tim Hortons (they are everywhere!!!) and grabbed a hot chocolate. Pam then drove us around on a short tour to see parts of Toronto. We even got to see Casa Loma  --->> For more information click here:  Casa Loma on Wikipedia 

It's a pretty sad story about the guy who built the castle, but it now belongs to the city of Toronto and people can even have weddings there! So beautiful...

After that, we had to drive home. It was a short stay, but a wonderful one. We will be visiting Toronto again soon to watch a hockey game! Can't wait for that!!

But until next time... Love you!

Xx Janelle and Carl