Fall Harvest and Running for the Cure!

Another jam-packed weekend!

Friday night I picked up our tees and numbers at the Running Room on Broadway for the Sunday run and since we were already in the 'hood, we decided to revisit one of our favourite restaurants, The Red Door on Granville Street. Seven Flavour Beef, Red Door Sweet Chili Chicken, Sichuan Beans=delicious.

Saturday morning the sun gods prevailed and let us enjoy a great game of golf at Musqueum with our friends, Lorraine and Greg. I GOT A BIRDY!!! The downpour came as soon as we got to the sponsoring Cheshire Cheese Inn/bar. These guys put on a great tournament with fantastic goody bags, lunch and prizes for everyone. So much fun!

Sunday morning came early and once again we were blessed with another dry day. George drove Sandy and I down to Concord Pacific Place to join about 13,000 others who were going to run/walk/roll/raise cash for the cure. I have to say, 5 km is so much easier than 10. That sounds obvious but...I really like the 5k. Not that it was easy by any means, but we met our goal of running 4/walking 1 for the whole time and came in just under 40 minutes. Considering that this was the longest I've run this year, not too bad! What an amazing event to be a part of. So many stories of survival, so many others honoring ones who didn't make it. My favourite moments? Getting hugs from the "free hugs" sign holders, the amazing choir at the start/finish line, seeing my friends cheering me on from the side line, the bands along the way, the male sprinter wearing the fushia prom dress (a great distraction at the 3 km mark!), crossing the finish line strong, and getting to know a new friend! Our hearty brunch was well-earned. Thanks to all of you who supported me with good wishes, donations and cheers at the start line! So much appreciated:)
Now...off to bootcamp. OMG - my legs are tired!

Boot Camp kicked my butt!!!

What a perfect day to start boot camp. It was actually hot out there! Very fun tho'. So good to feel those muscles that have been on a bit of a summer vacation. I'll be going 3 mornings a week for 10 weeks so should see and feel some pretty positive results.
Fantastic weekend spent with friends/family. George and Barbie's birthday was on Friday so us two couples (including Superman) went out to Grub for some delicious food, drink and other shenanigans! The apres dinner prosecco meant a bit of a headache Saturday morning but...yumm!!!
Saturday night we went to celebrate another Virgo birthday. Our hostess with the mostess friend Kathleen prepared a fabulous Italian themed dinner and the loverly Dre did some very creative decorating. Who knew you could create a seaside escape with some blue outdoor lights, a trampoline and a chandelier? I'll have to get a copy of some of the pix. I'd never tried Osso Buco before but I certainly will again. Amazing!!! Creamy risotto, tomato and bocconcini salad - all so delicious! I paced myself this time with the drinking so no hangover the next day:) Besides, I was much too busy singing my heart out to some pretty crazy oldies. There was one couple at the dinner party who were kinda newbies (K's friend from the past) and I think they were a little overwhelmed by G's performance of Delilah (complete with props!) - as well as some other really crazy loud singing and dancing. Sooo much fun - my cheeks were sore from laughing so hard! Sunday brought more hot sunshine, some mellow reading on the back deck and then a trip out to the boat to give it a good scrub and then enjoy the waterfront views/reading/chatting/napping.
I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life, a home that I enjoy, a sailboat that I never dreamed I would own and the presence of mind to appreciate it all - every day! Thanks to all of you who are on this journey with me!

A Weekend on the Island...

This past weekend we spent with the in-laws in Victoria and Chemainus. The weather, as you know, was fantastic and there were many great views to be had...


- from the ferry going over...

- the full moon coming up over the Gorge in Victoria from G's parent's balcony...

- this delicious breakfast and a garden full of flowers at Jarid's Corner B&B...

- Ladysmith on a sunny Sunday...

And then on Sunday night, we snuck away for a romantic dinner for two (an early celebration of our 18th anniversary since G. will be away) at our fave Victoria restaurant, Il Terrazzo. Amazing, yummy, delicious!

More pix on my flickr site...

Hope you all had a sun and fun filled weekend!

New Shoes and some other stuff!

As I was walking by the thrift store next door to Bodacious on Tuesday, I spotted two pairs of brand-spanking new shoes in my size that I love, love, loved (original tags still on for those of you who are concerned about wearing 'used' shoes:)! The silver ones are Franco Sarto's and I've been eyeing them for some time in the full price stores so imagine my excited surprise at this discovery (thank you thank you shoe fairies)!

I spent yesterday doing "research" for the store and hanging out with my cuz in White Rock and Langley. It's so much fun driving 'big momma' around and getting all sorts of attention!
We've been referring people to "Forever Yours" lingerie in Langley for years but had never actually checked it out in person so off we went. It was fun and painful at the same time. I was measured and fit for a bra which I haven't done in a few years so there was a bit of nudging, prodding and convincing that I was indeed 'that' size. I did end up with a pretty new and somewhat uplifting number as well as a couple of matching top and panty sets. So I guess I spent my $100 on new shoes and lingerie.

We also checked out "Lucy Clothing and Accessories" in Langley which is a pretty little plus-sized clothing store which carries a couple of the same lines as Bodacious. They definitely had some pretty dresses and tops but nothing that I couldn't resist at the mo'. I can't seem to find a link to their website.

While in Langley, we asked around for a referral to a good restaurant and the verdict seemed to be Choo Choo's. I have to say we were a bit skeptical but the referrals were good - and the burgers were AWESOME! The train theme - well...judge for yourself...here's an example of what's on the menu, "Ahh ... Choo-Choo's Burgers". Kinda cute / kinda gross???

We also stopped in at Jalisco Imports who were having an open house. This company is owned by one of the women that I went to Mexico with in March. It was really great to see her and see all of her beautiful products. I bought a 3 ft tall metal cactus for my mom for her birthday - shhh - don't tell!
We ended the day having dinner at Sideshows in White Rock - the only restaurant on the water side of the road - amazing views!

Shared appies and a coupla cold coronas in the hot sun - a perfect end to a day full of laughs, strange angry drivers, sunshine and lots of conversation!

(super star!)

Happy First Day of Summer!

Well...I know you're all sitting by your computers, waiting to see what I decided to do yesterday so here you go:)
I went to see Sex and the City with George (who played the part of my gay boyfriend nicely - except for the gay part - haha). I loved the whole experience!!! It's been so long since I've been to a movie at the theatre, I just took it all in. Popcorn - check, monster-size pop - check, m&m's - check, centre seats, big screen, massive speaker system. The movie was nice - I loved the crazy and sometimes over-the-top fashion, friendship dialogue, gal travel to Mexico, and the sensitive and funny bits that made me laugh and cry. There were a couple of particulary funny scenes at the hotel in Mexico where I surprised myself by how loud I laughed but I won't give them away in case you haven't seen the movie yet. I'd definitely go again with some girlfriends just to be able to talk more about the fashion and enjoy the heavy focus on female friendships. And also to get another look at all of Carrie Bradshaw's shoes! I give it two well-manicured thumbs up.
After the movie - we decided to go and check out the new Burgoo restaurant on Main and it was really great. If you haven't already experienced Burgoo at one of the their other locations on West 10th or North Van, you'll need to check them out. It was only their second night open and they were very busy. We ended up sitting at the bar which I love (always a great opportunity to chat with the bartender!) Here's what we had...first, this delicious plate of Italian appies (tomatoes, bocconcini, artichokes, crustini) and then...







George had this loverly dish called Zarzuela - a spanish seafood, tomato and saffron dish topped with ground almonds. I couldn't resist comparing my recent tastes of Beouf Bourguignon (apparently I've been spelling it wrong all along) in Paris to what they were offering up. DEElicious! Served with mashed potatoes, lots of carrots (as you can see) and a nice red wine gravy mopped up by the fresh home-made bread. The Hester Creek Cab-Merlot was the perfect choice to accompany our mains!

I shouldn't even tell you that we also had dessert but how could we resist the banana chocolate cake topped with ice-cream???

'nuff said!