7 Weeks... gulp

It`s hard to fathom my adventure is only 7 weeks away from beginning. I actually just scared myself calculating that. Lately I have found myself thinking less about the practical things that need to be done and more about the adventurous.

My plan is to work for the family for the majority of my time in Australia, but afterwards I hope to take a month or so and do some true traveling of my own. I am constantly looking at maps of Australia and examining what other places are close that I could hop on a place and explore during my time. So far I have come up with Fiji, Bali and Hawaii.

Thinking about stuff like that makes me super excited to go, but there is also a part of me that pangs at what I will be leaving behind. The familiarity of my friends, family and surroundings, but this is a trip I need to take for myself. In our society we constantly find ourselves in the perpetual cycle of life. I have found this especially true lately as I begin to grow older. The days, weeks and months just zip by in front of your eyes as you continue through the rigor of life. Don`t get me wrong I have had some amazing memories and journey`s throughout, but I feel like this trip is going to help give me a new perspective.

Anyway, enough with my philosophicalness for now...

My Next Adventure

It has been 8 months since I became a graduate and 10 months since beginning to work full time. I definitely feel like I have grown up and learned a lot in these very few months.

The contract for my current job ends in February so lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about what comes next, and have come to a decision...



The world is a very vast, large place and I feel like I have only taken a minor step in exploring it, so I have decided to take on the continent of Australia.
The plan:
While over in Australia I will be living with a family and working as an Au Pair. This means during the week I look after the kids and during the evenings and weekends I have time to explore on my own. All my board and food is covered while living with the family, so it will be great to have a home base for the time I am over there. Speaking of time, the plan is to work for the family until probably October or November and then take a month to do some traveling of the beautiful country on my own.

I am at the point in my life where there is nothing tying me down, so it seems like the perfect time to pack up and go on a long adventure.

So up next my Australian adventure, with all details being broadcast live here from my blog!

Steph`s list of things to do to procrastinate

So I am in the process of writing my final take home exam that is due tomorrow and I am only one third done. I have had this exam for 2 weeks and am still going to find myself up until the weeee hours of the morning finishing it, the reason you ask... procrastination. So for those of you who would like to procrastinate I have compiled my list of the best ways to procrastinate (and might I add they have worked really well seeing as my exam still isn`t complete).

Steph`s list of things to do to procrastinate:
-Make food
-Clean
-Watch tv
-Check your email
-Make tea
-Go for a walk
-Go grocery shopping
-Make a snack
-Do some baking
-Put up Christmas decorations
-Do Christmas baking
-Watch an entire series of a show
-Download music
-One word: Facebook
-Watch youtube videos
-Make another tea
-Look up random facts
-Organize everything in your room
-Check your email again
-Go drinking
-Invite people over to have a procrastination party
-Watch a movie
-Make your third tea
-Write a blog

Tis the Season To...

Watch Christmas movies at 11:00 on a Sunday night

Do lots and lots of baking

Go to the gym extra just to make up for the lots and lots of baking

Be excited to wake up every morning to eat the choclate from my advent calander

Love the Christmas decorations all over

Countdown to Christmas!

Fashion - Wilfred Sweater

So it has been almost a year since I purchased a very popular Wilfred sweater. It is one of the most comfy, cozy, yet cute sweaters I own. Even after owning it and wearing it for the past year I stil receive compliments on it.

So here I have to say Thank You Wilfred sweater and may you live on in the wardrobes of 1000s!

The Graduate

So I have been thinking lately about the purpose of this blog, documenting my life as a graduate. My posts have been very few lately and the ones I have posted have been very well blah, and this is because life of a graduate really isn`t all that interestning. I am now going to sum up life as a graduate in a few points.

1) Graduates worry about the future. What to do, where to go, and how to get there.
2) Graduates worry about applying for grad school. Will I get in? Who do I ask for references? Where do I find the time to apply?
3) Graduates are still busy busy busy, and wonder how they ever did school and life.
4) Graduates are still broke even though they are no longer paying for school.
5) Graduates, just a mere 7 months after graduating, get asked for money from there former school.
6) Graduates realize that the last 4 years they spent busting there ass getting an undergraduate degree really gets you nothing but a piece of paper.


7) Instead of counting down the number of exams left, graduates count down the days until Christmas. 1 Month today and Christmas will be here!

Moving On...

I`ve been struggling with the concept lately of moving on. Often times we find ourselves complacent in our lives and day to day routines. They maybe great and all, but at what point do you decide that it is time to move onto bigger (and sometimes better) things?

So I`m in this phasing where I am considering moving half way across the world. I know for a fact i`d miss my family, friends and the whole familiarity of Pickering, Toronto and Hamilton, but at what point do I say ok it`s time to move on?

Apples (we all love them)

6 years ago (to the day), a special friend sent me an email, that at the time probably thought had very little meaning and was just some silly forward. But throughout the 6 years since it was sent I think about the email and the principle behind it often.



Women are like apples on trees: the best ones are at the top of the tree.
Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy......So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along - the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

Share this with other women who are good apples - even those who have already been picked!

Christmas Countdown

So this weekend I managed to get half (yes HALF) my christmas shopping done!

Only 31 more shopping days left! :)

Is it to soon to be looking forward to Christmas?

I was in the dollar store about a month and a half ago and they already had the shelves lined with Christmas materials.

So when is it to soon to start thinking about Christmas?

Being in the malls and stores over this past weekend really started to ignite the Christmas spirit in me. Downtown Toronto at Christmas time is one of my all time favorite. The lights, the decorations, the buzzing atmosphere.

Only 59 more days :)

A Rainy Day

Some people hate it, but I have to say I love the rain!

Hope

Hope. A four letter word with oh so much meaning.

Lately I have realized that I hold out a lot of hope in my life. Hope for people and things. Hope that he`ll call. Hope that she`ll make time for me. Hope that things will get easier. I hold out so much hope, yet it continually fails me. Hope is just one big persistent let down.

Some people may see this as being sinister, but it`s the truth.
Hope. A four letter word with oh so much meaning, yet it just lets you down.

Fall Is Coming (well I guess it`s here)

So I may have gotten a little too excited today when I walked into the grocery store and saw the displays of pumpkins. I find fall such a beautiful season. The leaves changing color. It still being nice enough that you can go for a walk without it taking 10 minutes to get your outerwear on. All the great baking that can be done!

I have so many strong memories as a child going to farms and such at this time of year. Picking apples, pumpkins, etc, running through the hay mazes and just spending time with the family.

Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks and I am excited to go home to all the good food that usually emerges on this holiday. I am also looking forward to a family apple picking trip (hint hint mom).

Last Official Weekend of Summer

So we are heading into the last official weekend of summer, said the meteorologist on BT this morning. You can already feel the fall coolness coming into the air, which makes it a great time to rock out some new fall jackets, but I am also saddened that soon my sandals will all need to be packed away.

This weekend I have entitled catch up weekend, in which I plan to spend some good quality time with friends that I haven`t seen in a while and truly do miss. As I feel myself growing older, there seems to be less and less time to spend to get together with friends. Everyone has there own schedule and to find time that works for both parties is like magic. I have tried to make it one of my goals over the summer to get together with friends that I haven`t seen in a while and who hold a special place in my heart.


^^Random kids, but I thought it was a cute little group of friends.

The Opposite of Love

People like to say the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. There tends to be a whispered reverence around the expression, as if it has magical healing powers. Better to be hated then ignored by that angry ex of yours; better to be hated than ignored, generally. Otherwise, you may spend your life staring straight down the barrel of the opposite of love.

Movie Review: Charlie St. Cloud

Last night we finally found the time to take a house movie trip, although very last minute, to go and see Charlie St.Cloud. The movie had me hooked with the adorable smile and sleak hair cut of Zac Efron.

Although the trailer looked very chick flicky, I give this movie a lot more credit then that and would recommend it as long as you don`t mind having a good cry.

It`s really hard to summarize the movie without giving to much away, so I recommend you watch the trailer on youtube and then go see it.

Big City Living

As most of you know I love the city and everything about it: the noise, the people, the consant buzz all around. But being in the city you often forget about the natural beauty that is right above you.

This weekend we went down to the beach and had a little bonfire (one of my favorite summer activities may I add) and I found myself in awe over the beauty of a clear night sky filled with so many stars.


That same night sky lies over me every night, but it isn`t until you are only meters away from the hustle and bustle of the city that you realize and remember its beauty.

The Last few Bits of Summer

Summer has flown by like no other, only 3 weeks left, NOT that I`m counting!

I have found this summer to be much more enjoyable then some of the previous. Maybe that is because I`m not preoccupied with completing summer courses and can actually just enjoy the summer months!

I have been to a couple great concerts lately, flourished by some great company.


Kings of Leon was a little over two weeks ago now. Overall a pretty good concert. They sound exactly like there album live.



John Mayer on the other hand was absolutley incredible, not that I would expect anything less. We had a great time rocking out to his old and new songs along with some great covers.

Last week we had some family visitors from overseas. We got to hit up the Jay`s game, which was a lot of fun.


Over the August long weekend Beck, Nick and I headed up to Shawn`s cottage in Aurora. We got in some great days of wakeboarding, swimming, suanaing and just chilling.

I did manage to get up on the wakeboard for a very brief stint, thanks to the wonderful instruction of Beck and Shawn.


Overall the summer so far has been very complacement. Some very exciting weekends, along with some very chill ones. Looking forward to the just enjoying these next couple weeks of gorgeous weather!

BORINGGGGG

So by the lack of posts you can probably see that life of a graduate is pretty darn boring.

Right now days are just a repetitive cycle of work, gym, dinner, sleep, with an ounce of fun thrown in on weekends.

So yeah, nothing really new to blog about a la moment. So exciting things that are coming up though: Kings of Leon concert, a long weekend, the bachelorette finale, John Mayer concert, and some good times with some good friends.

I hope to be more on top of my blog within the next month so stay tuned.

The Most Expensive Piece of Paper I`ve Ever Held

So yesterday was it, Graduation/convocation! The experience was actually fun. To kneel and get hooded, was so ritual like that you feel kind of like a part of this sacred cult (funny but true).

I still remember my first day moving into residence, a scared little 17 year old, who couldn`t have imagined what the experience ahead would bring. Four years is along time, but it flys by when your working hard and having fun.

I wouldn`t be here today without my phenomenal family. There are truly no words for all that they have done. As the song goes "how do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume".


The undieing support from my friends, is another reason I am standing here today. This experience has really taught me what the word friend means, and I love them all the more for it.

So here we are. 4 years later with degree in hand, having grown a lot stronger and a lot older along the way. Thanks McMaster, now I guess your going to start asking me for more money...

OMG - Oh My Glee

I don`t think I have sung, yelled, clapped, cried, or jumped up and down so much in one TV show. This Glee finale was phenomenal!! They brought us back to the roots of the beginning with many wonderful added touches.

Within the first 15 minutes, they had me singing along to the fabulous songs of Journey. Faithfully was beautifully done. And bringing back Don`t Stop Believing, how much more brilliant can you get!!

Finn telling Rachel that he loves her; what a perfect world! I squeeled.

The dance skills in Bohemian Rhapsody were amazing, and the way they linked that song to the birth of the baby, wow who knew that could be done! But of course it is a tv show, and tv shows never give the audience what they want, so of course Vocal Adrenaline won.

Sue was cunning as always. "Kiss my Ass Josh Groban". I always knew she had a heart deep down.

The thank you to Mr.Shoe, awwwwwwwww.

And in the end, they all ended up perfectly.

I still remember sitting on the couch a year ago watching the first episode, and now this season has come to an end, and perfectly so! God I love Glee and cannot wait to see where they take us next.

Shopping

Tell me this... How come I can shop any given day and find piles of clothes. Then the one time I actually need something for a particular occassion I come up with nothing. Gahhh the world is unfair sometimes.

A Gorgeous Summer Day.

Usually after work I head to the gym, but yesterday was such a gorgeous day I couldn`t stand to be stuck inside for another hour+, so I decided to go for a walk along Cootes. The Cootes pathway has been in my backyard for the last 3 years, and yet I have never taken the oppportunity to explore it, so yesterday was the day. I walked for a good forty five minutes before entering the town of Dundas where I got a Frosty and turned around to walk back. On my way though I saw many cool things including a dear, a hawk, and a turtle. Overall a nie walk on a gorgeous day. If this weather is any indication for the rest of the summer I love it!!

Back To Real Life (and some real TV)

Today was the first day back at work. Actually went better then expected!

The main purpose of this post is to comment on some of the TV shows that I follow and have just had the chance to catch up on. If you arn`t caught up don`t read ahead because this definitely is a spoiler.

OTH: Loved the final episode. I thought it was a good way to bring everyone together. Brooke and Julian, love love love. Haley and Nathan, if there second baby is even half as cute as Jamie it will be all good. But what about the dramatic ending with a shot to the heart. I personally don`t think either of them are dead, but feel free to weigh in.

Glee: Can I just say, they have topped themselves vocally combining Idina Menzel and Lea Michele together. Wow wow wow. I am still very disappointed in this season. It has been to overproduced and over scripted. They need to resort back to there original Glee roots

Grey`s Anatomy: Holy. Another show that had me up until 2am because I had to catch up on all episodes. I thought was by far one of the best story lines this season. I am really interested to see how the aftermath of the whole situation plays out.

The Bachelorette: Although just starting I want to name some of my picks. Kirk, Roberto, Chris.L, Jesse and Tyler.V were some standouts for me in the first episode. Its weird, before watching the bachelor/bachellorette the 'contestants' seemed so old, now some are my age...

I still have yet to catch up on Gossip Girl, 90210 and House, and many other shows that I haven`t commented on so there maybe a post on these a little later. As for some upcoming shows that I am looking forward to: SYTYCD, Toddles and Tiaras, Kate Plus 8 (i`ll give it a chance, but am a little skeptical). If you have any other show suggestions throw them my way.

T-Swift Concert (with the company of Gloriana, Kelly Pickler and Megan Corless)

Wow, what a truly outstanding concert! Well actually more like a show!
From her gorgeous dresses to her outstanding performance I don`t think we could have asked for much more (except for maybe singing 'I`m Only Me When I`m With You' but I`ll forgive her for that one). She was a joy to watch and sing along with for the entire concert. My voice is close to being gone due to that. There were so many cool set changes and special effects. She was also seemed like such a cool person who truly enjoys what she does. At one point she sang a song from the middle of the crowd and proceeded to walk through the crowd and hug a bunch of fans, which we all thought was really cool of her.

We also got the pleasure of getting to meet (& got autographs from) the phenom band of Gloriana; that was really cool!! And for all of you out there who don`t know who they are YouTube them (in particular Wild at Heart and How Far Do You Wanna Go)

I don`t know how, but I love Taylor Swift even more now!! Great kickoff to the summer concerts of 2010.

Goodbye France

After a long day of travel we are back safe and sound! Back to calculating tax into purchases, having a car to utilize, being able to understand the language of everything around me, having an organized wardrobe and last but not least back to see my lovely friends and family! Overall I would call this trip very successful, not just for the shear fact that I managed to return with Euros to spare and no charges on my credit card, but the things I have seen and experienced on this trip have been unforgettable!!

Some of the highlights include:
- Turning the corner at Trocadero square to see the Eiffel Tower lit up in all its glory for the first time
- The never ending views at the top of soooo many buildings in Paris (including Notre Dame, Arc De Triumph, Montparnasse Tower and the Eiffel Tower)
- The Gypse`s in Paris that we managed to doop several times
- The massiveness of the Louvre
- Seeing the approximately 50 men trying to sell all the same mini Eiffel towers
- The starkly contrasting difference in weather between Paris and Nice, although they are not that far apart
- The shear brilliance of the Nice landscape and getting to wake up the beautiful turquiose water everyday
- The Nice market and how good we got at shopping there
- The entire old town of Nice and how every street led to somewhere new
- Getting to check the Monaco Grand Prix off my bucket list
- Walking the track of the Monaco Grand Prix (twice)
- The sheer atmosphere of the general admission hill at the race
- Our buddy who we named “chrome dome” at the race, who would yell at the drivers as they walked past to make them turn and wave at us
- Monaco in general! Still my favourite place in the world, probably even more so now
- All of our modes of transportation utilized: plane, train, bus, tram, subway, fennicular and car(only once)
- The immaculate cuisine in France!
- Learning that I have the canning ability to find a mall any place I go (I found a total of 4 on this trip)

And that is just to name a few!
Goodbye fantastic two week dream vacation. Now back to reality…

I am in the process of sorting through all the pictures, so they will be posted soon, but here are just a few to start off with. I hope they will encapsulate what I have been trying to describe over the last 2 weeks.

Packing

As I dreadfully try to force everything into my suitcase (to others known as packing) I have reflected on some of the things I have learned on this trip to France:
- I have officially named France the chienne capital of the world. There are so many dogs and they are allowed everywhere!! I even witnessed a dog fight in the mall today
- The French make parallel parking in Toronto look like a cake walk
- Whoever invented bread in a bag has no sense of what real bread tastes like! There is nothing like a fresh baked bagette morning, noon or night
- Living 1 minute from the beach is now on my must have list for any house
- There is nothing like the experience of general admission at the Monaco Grand Prix. FULNO - fans united like no other
- A 300 year old building in Canada is only months in the life some other buildings have lived
- I want to travel more!!! (but I hate living out of a suitcase)

We leave for the airport in 4 hours. Direct to Montreal then home to Toronto.
Pictures will be coming soon, I just need to sort through all 2000+ of them.

Almost Over :(

So we checked out of our apartment this morning after going for one last walk along the boardwalk and into the old town. Had our last french pastries (which as usual were phenomenal). We have now checked into a hotel near the airport, which is awesome!! The rooms look wicked futuristic and they have all the luxuries in this hotel. We are off to go check out the mall and then lounge by the pool.

Our Final Days

Today we took one last trip into Monaco, because I wanted my Dad to experience the city in all its glory without the race on, which we did. Just three days after the race much of the infrastructure has been taken down. We got to see some in the works of being taken down and some that was still there. We climbed to the top of the city to see the Royal Place. Upon our arrival the guards were changing and that was a sight to see. The view from the top is just phenomenal overlooking the sea and the entire city.

We then proceeded to walk around the track one last time. Without the race being on you are able to go so many more places, so we did alot of exploring! Saw the locations where all the race crashes happened and all the vantage points that people watch the race from. Really cool!

We are starting to pack up now, as we leave early in the am the day after tomorrow. So I probably will not post again until back in Canada. This trip has been phenomenal and seems way longer then two weeks, but I guess it is time to come home. See everyone soon!!

Shopping in a Foreign Country

This morning we headed into a nearby town/village called VilleFranche. We looked around for a bit and then headed back into Nice.



Everyday there is a market in the main square of Nice. At one end there are beautiful flowers and at the other is all fresh fruits, vegetables and baked goods. We have learned that if you go near the end of the market all the stuff goes on sale. So today we got kiwis, tomatoes, lettuce and peas along with some baked goods. After much searching we have officqlly found the best bagette shop (in our opinion)in Nice and it is only half a block from our apartment. I went and picked one up today and by the time I got home I had alreay eaten half of it and had to turn around to get another, sooo good!

We went back to the beach this afternoon. We have been so blessed with great weather, the complete opposite of Paris. After some relaxing time on the beach it was off to explore some shopping. Nice has every store you could really ever need! There is one street that I walked through that has all the expensive designer stores; everything from Louise to Longchamp. Then I found more of my type of shopping district. I have gained a new appreciation for stores like H&M, Zara and Mango while here, I am hopeing it will translate upon my return home. I also found a mall! I almost started jumping up and down with excitement, but I contained myself. To many me finding a mall in a foreign country is no big surprise.

A Splendid Day in Nice

Last night we wondered the streets of old town Nice to find a resteraunt where we could celebrate Webbers victory. Nice is such a beautiful city. The streets seem to have no end with every turn you take and there are hidden gems within them all. You cannot go far without running into an open square with a garden or fountain in the center. As we were walking we entered one square that triggered a whole bunch of memories from when I was last here; funny how that works.

Today it was a gorgeous 25 degrees out, so we walked around the old town and looked through the little flee market. We then went to the beach!! It is entirely rocks, no sand. And before I get to many comments I am not burnt, I'm tanned!!

We are now masters at french grocery shopping. Although nothing is really in English we have figured out what most of the stuff means. We went and picked up some groceries to cook dinner for tonight, so just heading back nw to do that. That's all for now!

Webber Webber Webber; Oy Oy Oy

What a day! Redbull takes 1,2 with my boy Webber winning the Monaco GP. The atmosphere cannot be explained. The entire hill was packed with people. If you left your seat there was no way to get back in.

Got some great pictures of all the drivers as they came on and off the track, along with people such as Richard Branson, Bernie and John Button. Special props to Lewis and Jenson for actually posing for pictures and taking extra time to wave to us. (I will post pictures when I get home)

At the end of the race the crowd was roaring as Webber, Vettel and Kubica got there trophy and all the yachts in the harbor sounded there horns. From our seats we had a great view of the ginormous Redbull suite and got to see them all party after the race and celebrate as we are the champions blasted from the stereoes.

Overall a day to remember!!

A Monaco Spectacular

So yesterday our morning started with getting up and walking along the boardwalk overlooking the sea where we reached the outdoor market. They were selling everything fro, fruit to souveniors so we picked up some stuff. The weather here is cool in the mornings but by the afternoon it is nice and sunny, sadly not tanning weather though.

In the afternoon we boarded our first train into Monaco. It takes about 15 minutes to get there and we have a great view along the way. So as I said there is no racing on Fridays so we got to walk around to entire track. It was soooo cool (those of you who arnt race fans may not understand) but the experience was unbelievable.

I have been to monaco before but it is so different with the race on. The yachts rival no other. It is all champagne and caviar for the rich and famous that congrate here for this one weekend. We had to celebrity encounters the first being Nigle Mancel a previous F1 champ and the second was Michael Schumacher who we saw 3 times, and I am talking like a foot away (just wait for the pictures).

For the race we only have general admission tickets, which are on this rocky steep hill overlooking the track. So the only way to get prime seats is to get there early. So this morning we were up at 5 and at the track by 7 to get prime seats and we did do it!!! The view is fantastic. For those of you who may watch it we are on the hill ajacent to the pit entrance right by Rascasse corner. These guys infront of us have a giant blue Alonso sign so look for that as a marker. One of the most phenomenal part is we are right across from the bridge which is the only way for the drivers and VIP to get to the pit boxes so we see everyone coming in and out. The pictures are unreal. To top the day off Webber got the pole!!! Race day tomorrow, got to make sure I am well rested for that. Will post again soon xoxo

A Paris Finale... now off to the South

So last night was our final evening in Paris. We boarded a riverboat cruise along the Sen and saw all the iconic sights of Paris. After this we headed to the Latin Quarter where we explored the streets and got Keebabs at one of the vendors.

This morning after packing we took our last trip to Le Tour Eiffel, except this ti,e we ventured up the tower. Everyone we had talked to said you have to take the stairs up so thats what we did. have to admit I almost stopped at the first lookout because I was scared out of my mind but I didnt. One of the funniest parts of Paris has been watching/experiencing the street sellers surrounding the Tour Eiffel. There are anywhere from ohh about 30 - 40 guys approaching you trying to sell you identical Eiffel Tower figarines. I managed to bargain for a few.

After this experience I got to do some more shopping. I have realized that unless you are mega rich it is not all that feasible to shop in Paris. I ventured into a couple stores but didnt find much.

We were then onto our last stop in Paris, the Montparnasse tower. It is the only skyscraper in Paris. Once it was built they outlawed any other buildings of this kind to be built. You take an elevator ride (thank goodness no more stairs) up to the 56th floor where you have a 360° view of the city. It was a cool way to be able to see all the sights of Paris that we had been to throughout our trip.

After takign in the view it was off to the airport to head to the South. Once again flight was delayed, just our luck, but only 1 hour this time thank goodness.

It was dark when we arrived so it was hard to take in the view, but our apartment is right across the street from the sea so we dont have to go far for the full experience.

Tomorrow we are boarding the train to take our first trip into Monaco. For those of you who dont know, the world famous monaco grand prix takes place this weekend. It is tradition that there is no racing on Friday so we are just going to see the actual city tomorrow. Getting excited!!!



**just a note I wrote this on Thursday but due to lack of internet didnt get to post it until today

Museums and Shopping.

Fianlly a non-rainy day! Today we visited the Louvre which is HUGE!! It stretches several football fields long and has what seems like a million staircases. Up and down, up and down. There we saw the mona lisa, and many other pieces of art. We also saw some cool furniture for Napoleans house.

Then we moved on to Musee D`Orsay, which was turned into a musesum from an old train station. There we saw the works on Monet and Vangoh. The building is an art piece in itself.

Then it was shopping time!! I ventured onto rue st`honore, the Champs De`Elyssee and a large shopping district around the Opera. Still haven`t found to many pieces, but there is still some more time to do so!

We are about to head out to take a boat cruise along the Sienne, and then have dinner in the Latin Quarter. It is our last night in Paris, so trying to fit in everything while we are here!

A Rainy Day on the Streets of Paris

The weather has been very crappy here, to put it nicely. It was around 8 degrees today and hasn`t stopped raining since mid-day yesterday. Starting to come to the realization that I may not have packed enough warm clothes! We could see our breath at some points today. But all this aside we didn`t let it stop us seeing more sights.

Last night we walked around the Place De Concorde and the Madeline street area, containing all the high district fashion stores. Don`t worry Mom just looked didn`t shop!

Today we went to see the Rodin Museum, which was hard to appreciate the beautiful gardens with the pouring rain. We then moved onto the Army Museum which I found really neat. There were alot of artifacts from World War II and really cool Hitler artifacts. We then moved on to see the tomb of Napolean which was huge!! After dinner we went to the area of Montmartre to see the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge, which was really beautiful. We revisited the Champs tonight to see it all lit up. Climbed the Arche again to get a great view of the city at night.

That is all for now. Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris before moving onto the south of France, so were hoping the weather is better for us there!

Day Deux

Our first full day isn`t over yet, but we managed to fit alot in already!

This morning we visited the Eiffel tower to see it in the daytime. Not quite as spectacular as at night, but still very nice. Then we took a bus tour around the city seeing all the key sights. We stopped for a while at the Champs De`Ellise, walking up and down it looking at all the stores. Had my first ham and cheese baguette!

We climbed (and yes I do mean climbed) the Arche De Triumphe as well as Notre Dame, great views from both. We visited the Opera house, which is now only used for ballets, so right up my alley. Then we stumbled upon a very good shopping district... and for those of you who know we this is a danger. I didn`t do much shopping due to lack of time, but definetley will go back before my time here is done. One thing I have found very surprising (but am much appreciated of) is that sooo many people speak English here! It makes life alot easier in a foreign country as such.

We are just now having dinner and then are going to head out to see some more sights!

paris

So it was a long journey to get here but we finally made it. After our flight was delayed by 5 hours, our plane was then another hour late arriving and they had to take an alternate flight route due to the volcano which made the trip another hour longer. One cool thing about this though, we had to fly over Iceland and at one point you could actually see the volcano, pretty neat.

So we finally arrived at our apartment at around 8:00 local time. We went grocery shopping and then made our way to one of the main attractions in the city the Eiffel Tower! It was so much bigger then I had ever imagined and was so awesome all lit up at night.

Time to now catch up on some sleep!! My first full day in Paris starts tomorrow.

Delayed.

So off to a slow start. Our flight was suppose to leave now (7:45 pm), but instead it is not leaving until around 1:45 in the am. Luckily we found this out before departing for the airport so still waiting to get this journey started. Although this realllly sucks, I do get to enjoy one last playoff game before leaving. Go Pens Go, lets kick some Montreal butt!

A Two Week Graduation Gift

So today I depart for a 2 week France vacation, part of which is a graduation gift from my parents. I will be blogging my trip not only as a memory for myself so that my lovely friends can follow along as well. I will be hitting up Paris for the first 5 days, Monaco for the next 3 and finishing off for what I hope to be a relaxing 5 days in Nice. I`m excited for all the French fashion, food and most of all Formula 1! Getting ready to check some key items off of my bucket list!

Now What...

I was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up just east of Toronto in Pickering, Ontario, moving several times throughout my young life. After growing up and graduating high school I made the big move towards independence and ventured off to University. I ended up at McMaster U, in Hamilton, Ontario, and have just completed my 4 year honors undergraduate degree in Health Studies, minoring in Gerontology. From my experience when you tell someone you are graduating there are two common responses: congratulations and now what. I have had enough practice with my ever so articulated response; "I am going to work for a year and then hopefully go back to school to get my masters".

To divulge a little more into my previous statement, I currently hold a full time position with the McMaster School of Rehab Science, covering a maternity leave as the OT Curriculum Assistant. I hope to go back to school next September to get my Masters in Public Health. For now this job just pays the bills and allows me to save money for whatever school maybe coming my way next. I guess I am lucky enough, to have a job that provides a good bridge between the student life and real life.

For many of my friends who are faced with the "now what" question, many don`t have an answer. Why is that such a bad thing? Why are we expected to step out of school at 21 years young and jump right back into another degree, or go out and find a job that is going to make us miserable for the next however many working years we have left (to depressing to count). So to all you people out there who don`t have a response to the now what question, stand proud! Your only young once so lets live it while we can!!

4 Years as a McMaster Student

Here`s to the killer times in McKay, the late night trips to Commons, the numerous hours spent dancing in the Mezz, the classic Thursday nights at 1280, the long 'productive' hours at Thode, Mills, Health Sci and the Student Centre, the adventures into downtown Hamilton, the predrinks at 28 Norfolk and lastly here`s to all the fabulous people I met along the way... as my 4 years as a MAC student concludes.

Goodbye Student, Hello Real Life.