Oh the places I will go...and have gone

While exotic may not describe my visit to Ontario, it was a fantabulous visit with my good friend Kim and it was also an opportunity to see Ottawa in the spring instead of buried in snow and ice like it was on my last visit.


I had a work conference just outside of Ottawa, in Gatineau, Quebec, and we stayed at a picturesque golf resort which turned out to be in the middle of nowhere....one hour walk to any sort of restaurant and a $20 cab ride into Ottawa. So, needless to say we all felt a bit isolated - especially when there was only one place to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


And when it came to the rooms....well, let's just say that half the hotel was beautifully renovated and I did NOT get a renovated room! It smelt like smoke, was average in appearance and was connected to another room by a door that was definitely not soundproof.... The worst part was I got to see a renovated room that had laminate flooring, leather couches, flat screen TVs and a lovely King size bed with a fluffy comforter (not a NASTY coverlet like on my bed - seriously, hotels don't even wash those things!!). But when I went to the front desk to ask to move, the hotel was "full" so I was stuck.


Enough with the complaining....after my conference ended I flew from Ottawa to Toronto and then took a shuttle out to Waterloo, where Kim is currently staying. We didn't have set plans, but I was hoping to see some sites and was really just happy to see her and visit her, to see a few days in the life of Kim.


We were lucky enough to borrow her friend's car and drive out to Niagara Falls - I was THRILLED to go and see this wonder of the world and feel so lucky that we were able to go. We took a few wrong turns getting there (google maps was not my friend that day..grrrr) but managed to find it. I was shocked to see the commercialization of the falls area, as Kim put it - it is like going to Disneyland.



We also decided to go on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride and experience the falls up close. We got soaked but it was so awesome to see the sheer power of the falls up close - God is quite the artist!



We also went to a Blue Jays game in Toronto, which was a great experience! I never realized how LONG those games are....I just think 3 1/2 hours is a long time to sit and watch baseball....but it was good to spend time with Kim and also meet some more of her friends. Oh, and yes, we do know the guy in the background who decided to get in on our picture...thanks Ted!


We also got a chance to walk around downtown Toronto a bit and visit Yonge street. It really is a nice city to visit, and I am hoping to convince Brian to go one of these days even though he says he hates Toronto....can't we all just love Canada?






Now that I am home I am finding it hard to catch up on sleep and get enough rest for my work week. I am so happy to sleep in my own bed and I know that Brian is happy for me to be home too. I must say, he cleaned the house and everything - I was truly impressed!


Oh, and I had a birthday in there somewhere. I think that until I hit the big 3-0 I will not enjoy any birthday getting close to it. Although my boss somehow thought it was funny to tell people that it was my 30th birthday - I seriously wanted to use my kickboxing skills and do some damage....but I held back, it would have caused a scene at the conference ;)