Aug 30th: Partying with Plumbers!

I'm discovering that this blog is actually one big confessional as to just how big of a nerd I am.  And I think I'm okay with that.  Tonight's awesomism goes to an amazing Italian man who is brave, handy, and can still pull off a colourful pair of overalls.  No - I'm not talking about Luke (though that is one amazing mental image).  I'm talking about my good friend Mario.  He throws the best parties!

A big thank you to Linsy, Luke and everyone from the Mushroom Kingdom for a fantastic night of good food and great fun.  And congratulations to Luke and Luigi for being Superstars!

Aug 29th: Coming Home to a Familiar Face!

When I first decided to live on my own, I was pretty nervous.  I had never really lived on my own before, and was kind of used to having a lot of noise, commotion, and hilarious antics around me.  But I really wanted a space to call my own, so that if I wanted to have visitors, I could do so at any point without having to feel guilty about putting a roommate out.  After a while I really came to enjoy having my own space.  Sure - it gets a little lonely sometimes, but considering that I spend the majority of the time outside of the house socializing, it's often nice to come home to my own space.

This evening, however, it was quite nice to come home to a friendly face.  Thanks to there being a whole week left until university classes start up again, I get to keep coming home this week to the face of Luke Timmermans.  And that's pretty awesome!  Now if only I can get him to sport this amazing outfit for me, then I'd be set.

  

Aug 28th: Settling Catan In The Sun!

One great way to spend a summers day is by playing an awesome board game, with good friends, in the beautiful sunshine, with some delicious local wine.  What makes it even better, is when you win said game!    Oh Catan - how I have missed settling you!  My apologies to Luke and Ben.  Maybe one of you can win the next round.  :D

Aug 27th: BC Mini-putting

Since I've moved to Vancouver I've been wanting to find a nice place to go mini-golfing.  Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the best I could find were pitch-and-putt courses around town.  While pitch-and-putt can be fun, it doesn't involve wind-mills, swinging pendulums, or any other kooky stuff like that.  Plus, with pitch and putt, you have to bring your own clubs (or at least I had to) which can prove to be difficult when don't play golf and you're left-handed and can't even borrow clubs.  Throw-and-putt just isn't the same.

So - today I was thrilled when Luke took me to a mini-putt course in Parksville called Paradise Mini-Golf.  It actually had 2 different 18-hole courses, so of course we took them up on the full 36 holes.  And it was AWESOME!  I was a little surprised at the LED sign welcoming us to the park, as the kitchy mini-putt courses I'm used to are a little more rustic.  But it was a lot of fun, and just the right amount of cheesiness for me.

I didn't win (surprise, surprise).  But I did manage to get 3 hole-in-ones, which is two more than Luke got.  So while he's clearly the more consistent putter, I'll take the mini-victories where I can get them!

Aug 26th: A Montreal-Type Ladies Night!

Back  when I was living in Montreal, one of my favourite ways to spend an evening out was either by going out dancing or hanging out at the Upstairs Jazz Bar where the McGill jazz students played regularly.  Holy heck – did that program ever have talent.  Fortunately for me I was able to become acquainted with a lot of the students from the program who became huge inspirations in my life, and gave me a greater appreciation for music than I already had.

Unfortunately I had to leave Montreal as the French language and I were not getting along (despite my best efforts), so I eventually packed up my bags and moved west, bidding adieu to the jazz and party scene of Montreal.  Since being in Vancouver, I don’t really go out to bars or clubs anymore, but my one exception is when my friend Brad is in town with one of the bands he’s touring with.  Oddly enough , a few years ago on one of his tours I randomly ran into one my friends from McGill’s jazz program who happened to be performing in one of the opening bands.  Since then we’ve been able to stay in touch and this week he informed me that he would be in town again performing with a different artist.  Well – obviously I had to go, and fortunately I had some lady friends who wanted to join.

I almost forgot how awesome it can be to get some fun ladies together, get dressed up, and spend a night out dancing and enjoying some amazing live music!  Montreal – I miss you!  But I am so grateful to still have friends there that can bring a little of you my way!  Thanks so much for the invitation Eric!  And thank you for the amazing dance party, Linsy and Andrea!  

Oh – and if you want to hear some awesome music – check out Cecile Doo-Kingue!   

Aug 25th: Full of Funny!

Put five improvisers in a room playing the Game of Things and it is bound to end in utter hilarity!  A bunch of us got together tonight to talk about what games we might want to play in an improv gig that we have coming up in September.  It was a great meeting.  Lots of laughs, great suggestions, all-in-all very productive.  Then we had the opportunity to either leave the meeting or play a game.  We chose to play a game.  And then the insanity began!

For anyone who has never played the Game of Things, it's a game where people take turn taking the role of the dealer.  The dealer chooses a category, for example: "Things You Shouldn't Do in Public", and everyone around the table (including the dealer) has to submit a response that fits into this category.  The dealer then reads the responses aloud - twice - ideally without laughing (though this is often quite difficult) and then the other players have to guess who offered each response.  In general, it's a hilarious game.  When you have 5 improvisers playing the game, it's a whole different story.

I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that we broke records tonight.  And my face, stomach, and general breathing pattern are still try to recuperate from the hilarity that was tonight!  Thanks friends!  Let's do that again sometime, and see how much further we can take it.  In the mean time, just know that our improv show in September is going to be AWESOME!!!

Aug 24th: PT's Awesim Music!

When you work in an office with several work stations in a small open space, it can sometimes be a little tough to determine who gets to decide what music the office is going to listen to.  Often the first person in has already claimed the title of DJ for the day using their standard music selection. Other times we will just listen to the radio.  But Monday we were introduced to this amazing website Rolling.fm.  You sign in with your facebook profile, and become a simulated character that can enter a room where friends or strangers get to DJ by picking songs that they can stream for FREE.  Our first time around I went for an awesome 90's mix, but today I wanted to listen to more of my staples, including some of my favourite indie artists.  After searching my iTunes to be reminded of all the bands I listen to, I found Adaline right at the top. So, I looked her up on the search, and sure enough all of her music was available.  This was the case for the Arkells, Cuff the Duke, Dan Mangan, The Left, and a bunch of others as well.  

While the program doesn't have every song that I've tried looking for (and sometimes has songs credited to an artist that are actually just covers), it's amazing how many songs they do have.  If you want to listen to the songs that we are listening to in the office, then check out Rolling.fm and join the PT Awesim room.  It's amazing to see what tunes will come up.

Aug 23rd: Sale, Sale, Sale!!!

I have a few favourite stores in Vancouver, and one store that is on the top of my list is Purr which is located in South Granville - dangerously close to work.  It has some great clothes and often has them on for great prices.  Today - everything in the store was on sale for at least 60% off because they are closing the location and getting ready to move to a newer location in Kitsilano on 4th Ave.  I am sad to see the store go, but extremely grateful for the awesome shopping trip today.

I purchased one pair of pants, a sweater, a blousy tank top, and a pair of earrings.  Original retail price for said items: $215.  My total: $40.  Yes - that would be a savings of over 80%.  AWESOME!

The store is closing September 15th, so if you want to take advantage of some of these deals be sure to check them out.

Aug 22nd: Optimism is better than despair . . .

Somehow today's tale of awesome is being spun from a rather tragic event - the passing of Canada's NDP Leader, Jack Layton.  Apparently the cancer he was battling was much stronger than anyone expected or was willing to acknowledge, and ended up overtaking him at the age of 61.  His death is devastating.  His existence, however, was awesome.

I can't say that the NDP was, or is, my party.  My vote has never been specified to any one party, but to which platforms seemed to make most sense to me at the time of the elections.  What I can say is that Jack Layton was probably the first politician that I actually got on side with.  I remember watching the debates for the May 2nd election, and while the media claimed there was no winner, I had to disagree.  Jack Layton was the only leader who I felt actually debated with the opponents, challenged them with some great questions, and who I thought clearly answered the questions given to him.  Perhaps I was just put-off by the other leaders, or perhaps I was just biased because he was the only one who made comments that I greatly agreed with (and fewer comments that I greatly disagreed with).  No matter which party any Canadian affiliates themselves with, I hope that we can all agree that we've lost a great leader.

Thank you Jack for your years of service, your many battles, and your final words!  

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done. 

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Aug 21st: An awesome list of awesome!

Too many awesome things went down today (and this weekend).  Instead of choosing just one thing, I'm going to point form these awesome things into an awesome list.  Ready?  Here we go!

Last night:

• Free valet parking at the Hyatt (thanks Daniel!)
• Hotels on the water 
• Paying to wear a bib at a restaurant!
• Working for your meal (crab legs taste so much better after you've hit them with a mallet)
• Throwing the remainders of your meal into a bowl on the ground
• To sum up the last three points - THE CRAB POT!
• Kicking back some inexpensive wine while playing 'Would You Rather' (the made-up edition)
• Having a late-night bonding session with a new lady friend

Today:

• Watching fish being thrown through the air by enthusiastic fishermen 
• Breakfast with a view
• Finding and purchasing a sexy, awesome, inexpensive bridesmaids dress that can and will be worn again . . . several times and several ways
• Walking into a cigar shop on my own without being intimidated
• Fulfilling desire of getting a little gift for the boyfriend
• Jovial border guards
• Playing the role of wing woman in an impossible situation
• Big Machining equipment painted to look like a zebra
• Home sweet home!

These last two days have been amazing!  I didn't get many photos.  Below is one I took of the fish market but I never caught the flying fish on film. So - if you haven't seen the 'flying fish' in action, please enjoy watching what a video here.  Just know that like most performances, seeing it live makes the experience so much more enjoyable!

Awesome weekend ladies!  Thanks!

Aug 20th: Short and sweet!

Today I'm back in the States having a ladies weekend in Seattle.  The reason for the trip (as if we need one)?  To get some awesome, marine-coloured, cocktail length bridesmaid dresses for Natalie Condrashoff's wedding!

Ladies weekend? Wedding celebrations? Sexy cute dresses?  What's not to like?!?!

More fun will be posted tomorrow.  Right now - I'm too busy having fun! 

Aug 19th: The choices we make!

I started the long trip home today and discovered something amazing and kind of ridiculous.  It seems I'm becoming more emotional as I grow older.  Certainly when it comes to my family, anyway.

As I said good-bye to my father today when I boarded the shuttle for Minneapolis, my breath became short, my jaw tightened, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes.  This has actually happened the last few times I have said my final good-bye after a visit with my family.  I understand that I made the choice to leave Southern Ontario and live in Vancouver, but it's as if I have to make that decision all over again every time I see them.

To say that my family means a lot to me is an understatement.  But I know that being in Vancouver is the right choice for me.  I built a career that I love here.  I've become a part of some amazing artistic communities out here. I have a great group of friends out here who I consider as family.  And - as corny as it sounds - I feel that the city itself feeds my soul.  So while I hate having to constantly say good-bye to the family, and remake what was possibly the most difficult decision of my life - I'm grateful for the amazing career that I have that affords me the opportunity to see my family as often as I do, and the emotional reminder of why I made the decision in the first place.

Aug 18th: Last Day at the Lodge!

It was a great last day at the lodge.  Not too eventful. Just a lot of relaxation and a day spent on the hammock.  The boys went golfing, while we started and completed a puzzle, played some card games, and just hung out.  Then we had a great dinner and heard some old stories about my great-grandfather and the kids.  You know - essentially what coming to the lodge is all about!  So in honour of this fine day of not a whole lot, I thought I'd take you on a tour of this beautiful building.  Welcome to the Muskikiwiininni Lodge (pronounced Muskeekee-wee-a-ninny - in case anyone was wondering).  Enjoy the tour!

View of the Boat House from the front porch.

View from the back entrance, closest to the kitchen.

Front and side porch of the lodge (as seen coming up from the boat house).

View of the side porch.  At the end you'll see the much coveted hammock where I spent a lot of time blogging.

Front porch with the other side porch at the far end. It doesn't get quite as much love as the other, probably because there's only one recliner in there, while the other porch is a social gathering place.

View of the side yard where we played some croquet, and in past years have played some badminton.  Clearly we didn't get around to putting up the net this year.

Kitchen! There's a door at the back that leads to a cute breakfast nook.  And behind the wall is a pantry and a staircase that leads to the bedroom that I spent a lot of time in.

Dining Room with a smaller table than usual.  We had as many as 16 people at this table this trip, but I think there have been times when we've had as many as 20 or so.

Living Area (also the first room you walk into if you come through the front door)!  Not shown here is the card table where we had a lot of "1-8-1" (or "up-and-down-the-river") games.

  

Height Hall, leading out to the side yard and to Grammy's old room!

Grammy's old room!  Also known affectionately as Tic's Room.  I'll have to get into the story of that nickname in another blog.  Please note: I chose not to take a picture of Aunt Jannie and Boppy's room which is also in this hallway, because I've never actually been in that room and I kind of want to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Big Boy's Room!  This was my great-grandfather's room.  My parents would stay in this room anytime we vacationed here (and I'd often sleep in the bed I'm sitting on while taking the picture).  This time around Jamie and Siobhan got to sleep here with Isla.  On the far wall are a bunch of pictures of Big Boy's kids.  In the larger portrait frame to the right is a picture of a boy who looks just like Jamie and my Dad.  It happens to be a picture of Jack Chisholm - my grandfather.

Next to Big Boy's Room is the Yellow Room - named as such because it is yellow.  Fun fact: this is the only room in the house that has a bed that a couple can sleep in together, comfortably!

The Bear Room - named as such because of the two pictures of bears on the wall.  This is where McKenzie and I would occasionally stay when 'Old Maids' Paradise' was occupied.

Old Maids' Paradise! ... or Beastie Boys Bailey - depending on whether the boys or girls were occupying it. A lot of fun was had in this room.  That bed behind the door was my favourite.  The stairs going down to the kitchen are behind me.

The little cabin!  Much bigger than the name would imply.  Due to the 'lived in' status of the cabin, I'm choosing not to post pictures of the inside.  But after the major renovations it looks quite nice. The main floor has a futon and small kitchenette, and upstairs there are 4 beds and the best washroom at the lodge.  And of course the outdoor shower right next to it.  This trip was my first time ever sleeping in the little cabin.  I guess the parents never wanted us girls to have to walk over to it in the dark to sleep in its rustic simplicity.  I thank them for that!

Aug 17th: Dairy Queen and Wibble-de-pukes!

Not far from the lodge is a little town called Lake Nebagamon where there is a Dairy Queen. When we were younger we would make make at least one trip out for Blizzards, and in the last couple of visits here it seemed like we were making trips for Blizzards every other day or so.  Not smart, I know, but we were on vacation.  Fortunately this year we came to our senses and only went once (or twice for some people).

Now - the thing about this Dairy Queen is that it has a park right next to it with one of those merry-go-rounds that you sit on and hang on to while someone spins you around (also referred to as 'Wibble-de-pukes' for appropriate reasons).  When we were younger we would follow the eating of our Blizzards with a spin - which I'm sure at some point ended with the expected result. But since I can't vividly remember anyone ever tossing their Blizzards I assume that can only mean that it barely ever happened, if it did. OR that it happened so often that I have no distinct memory of it.  Either way - I had to go for a ride after my blizzard tonight.  

Fortunately I spent most of my time nearer to the centre and therefore was able to keep my Blizzard contained.  But at some point I ended up on the outside, and I think I forgot how hard it is to stay onto the thing when you're on the outside of it.  I mean - I was hanging on with all of my strength and I'm willing to bet that part of the reason I was able to stay on is because I knew how much it would hurt if I didn't.  I can understand why merry-go-arounds have been removed from some playgrounds because of how dangerous they can be.  But they are still my favourite kind of playground equipment and continue to call my name anytime I see one.  And who is going to turn down the call of a Wibble-de-Puke?  Not me!  Not even if I'm filled with a Blizzard!

  

Aug 16th: Measuring Up in Height Hall!

One of the best traditions of the Muskikiwiininni Lodge is Height Hall.  As you might imagine, this hall is where we have recorded the heights of the family and any visitors over the years.

Growing up we would make sure to measure ourselves in the hall to figure out how much we had grown since the last time we visited. More importantly we tried to figure out who was taller at certain ages, and because the first recordings were in 1960 and included my father’s and aunts’ heights, we were even able to compare ourselves with them.

This year was particularly awesome because a new Chisholm name was added to the hall.  Jamie and Siobhan’s not quite 16-month-old daughter, Isla, now officially has her name and measurement in height hall.  My youngest measurement was at 10-months and she had some height on that, though didn't quite measure up to her Uncle Scott's 13-month-old marking.  I haven’t done the actual measurement from floor to marking yet, but as far as I can tell, she is on par to have a good Chisholm height.  It’s awesome seeing this tradition being passed on through three generations of Chisholms.  I can’t wait to see more names being added to the hall in future years!

Missing heights: Scott Chisholm (taller than Mike and Jamie) and Erin Steckenreiter (just under McKenzie).  Apparently Mom and Dad choose not to put their heights on the wall anymore.

Aug 15th: Riding through rapids!

A lot of great experiences happened today, including a fun trip to the mini-putt course, and being introduced to the amazing burgers at the Anchor Bar & Grill – one of the featured restaurants on the Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” If you ever find yourself around Superior or Duluth, I encourage you to make the trip!

But as amazing as those experiences were, I think I’m just going to focus on the awesomeness of our annual down river canoe trip that took place this morning.  Mostly because I was really excited but very nervous going into it (more than usual) because my sternmate was one I’ve never had before, and one who didn’t have the best reputation with being in the stern.

Let me preface to say that the down river trip involves a lots of obstacles like rocks and fallen branches that make for a lot of rapid sections, including some parts that are affectionately called “The Wall” and “Little Joe”.  Over the years many of our canoes have either run into or gotten stuck on these obstacles and some have even been flipped over, forcing the riders to take an unintended and sometimes painful swim in the river.

Part of the reason I was nervous for today’s trip was because of the disadvantages we already had against us.  Neither of us had ever gone down river together before.  Neither of us had the best of reputations in our canoeing abilities.  And we were going down in the biggest, heaviest, and most beat up (though also most experienced) canoe available to us: BENT BETTY!  To know Betty is to love her.  She’s a big beautiful woman, and while she doesn’t handle well, being able to conquer the river with her is an awesome feeling, so we accepted the challenge.

Turns out neither of us were nearly as bad as we thought the other might be.  Yes – it turns out that despite our differences, Jamie and I can actually make a great team.  And Betty was a champ.  I can’t say it was a flawless run, as there were a few dings (one very obvious one that I take full responsibility for) and moments of having to shuffle in our seats to get ourselves off of something.  What I can say is that it was one of my smoothest rides down the river.   And considering that 2 of the 5 canoes that went down river ended up going for swims, I think we can be proud that ours wasn’t one of them. Though I should probably give Betty some credit for that.

Thank you Jamie and Betty for an awesome down-river ride.  I’d be happy to do that again with either of you, anytime!

Aug 14th: Naked in Nature!

So a lot of awesome things happened today, most specifically the fact that my beautiful niece Isla got to go on her first ever Brule River canoe ride.  She made it just past the next lodge and then the discomfort of sitting in her brand new life jacket started to get the better of her.  She was actually pretty good about it considering how uncomfortable I remember those things being as a child (let alone at 16 months). So I completely understand her desire to get out of the boat and be back at the lodge where life jackets were not required.

Once we got her out of the boat she still wanted to play with the water a bit.  We would throw pine cones into the river and waved good-bye to them as the current took them away.  Then we got into splashing the water by the dock - which lead to her getting back into her life jacket so that she could splash in the water with her parents.  She had a blast - probably because there was splashing involved and shed didn't have to sit down in it.

And of course after seeing her in the water, I felt the need for a swim in the river too.  I didn't stay in very long (especially after I saw a few leeches float by me where it was deep enough for me to swim).  But I did fully immerse myself which meant that I needed to take a quick shower afterwards!

And now we get into today's awesomism: Being naked in nature!  I'm not talking about skinny dipping or just taking your clothes and running around naked in the forest (though I'm sure that would be fun too).  I'm talking about having a good reason to be naked while still enjoying the sunshine, the breeze, and the fresh pine-filled air.  How do you do that?  With an outdoor shower!

If you have never used an outdoor shower before then you are missing out.  Almost every summer - whether we were here at Wisconsin at the Muskikiwiininni Lodge, or at the Whirlwind house in Cape Cod - we had the privilege of using an outdoor shower.  And it didn't matter which location we were in, the experience was never short of being awesome.  The smell of the river and the pine trees (or the smell of the ocean air with sensation of sand stuck between your toes) makes it an incomparable experience.  In fact, if I ever have my own house on the west coast - I will likely put it in a request to build an outdoor shower for it.  If for no other reason than to give guests the opportunity to experience how amazing it can be.

Thank you nature, for making my normal cleansing routine that much more amazing!

 

Aug 13th: An Up-River Nature Tour!

I don't think I have sufficiently expressed just how awesome it is to be out here on the Brule River. So, let me make up for it by sharing the up-river canoe trip my parents and I went on this morning.  Paddles were in the water by about 8:30am.  We figured that was the best time to head out to see a good amount of animal life before all of the down-river traffic started up and scared everything away.  And were we ever right!

The first sighting took place within the first 10 minutes of the trip when we found a river otter swimming past us.  I've seen otters in the river before, but not for several years, so this was a definite treat.

Not long after, we rounded another bend and found a doe and fawn feeding.  The fawn seemed very nervous by the fact that we were there and kept looking at us to make sure we weren't a threat.  Not willing to find out if we were, the fawn left the premises fairly quickly.  The doe, however, was completely unphased.  She was fully aware of us being there, but felt confident enough that we were not there to attack her or the fawn, so she just kept on feeding.  We stayed to watch them for a VERY long time (the longest deer sighting that any of us had ever experience on the river) and then eventually decided to leave her alone and went along our way.

Then we made our way to Lucius Lake where we were hoping to see an eagle, and we were not disappointed.  Fortunately my Mom has no problem seeing things at a distance and managed to find the eagle in a manner of seconds.  It took me a little while longer, but I found it eventually and got my photo op.

Then we made our way under Castles Bridge ...

Under "the grotto" ...

To find our second eagle sighting.  The eagle is the black blob in the dead tree.  We got much closer but I thought that having the one eagle close up was sufficient.

We then continued into Big Lake and found the two eagle nests which we estimated were each a solid 6 feet tall.  

Then after seeing some Merganser and Wood Ducks, as well as some Kingfishers hovering in the air (looking like they were treading water without the water) then dive-bombing into the river to get their food, we decided to head back.  

On the trip back we were finally able to capture a picture of the one thing we all wanted to see - the eagle soaring!  I think my Mom ended up getting the better photo, but I still got the job done.

It turns out that there was another eagle that was also soaring high above the trees at the far end of Lucius Lake that this one went to join.  I guess hunting is easier when there are two of you.  Then as we got much closer to the cabin, we found another two eagles soaring VERY high above us.  We figured that these other two had to be the down river eagles (as we knew the next closest nest was down river of our cabin) because there was no way that they were the same eagles that we just saw.

So to sum up, this morning's up-river trip included:

1 river otter

1 doe

1 fawn

2 perched eagles

2 eagle nests

4 soaring eagles (2 of which were previously perched)

A number of hovering hungry Kingfishers

And a bunch of ducks!

All in all it was one of the most successful up-river trips I have ever been on!  What a way to start the day!

Aug. 12th: Pasties in my mouth!

I love pasties!  So does everyone in and around the Upper Peninsula.  They are an ongoing tradition going back generations with several businesses in the area dedicated to the making and selling of pasties.  And everyone here at the lodge just can't get enough of them.  And tonight we had our first pasty feast of the trip, and were they ever good!

Pasties are, of course, the huge dumplings filled with beef, potatoes, and onions.  They became a staple food of the U.P. because the miners could take them for lunches and heat them on the hot mining equipment and eat them with one hand.  Pretty convenient little packets of awesome is what they are.  And so they have become a staple meal of Wisconsin vacations.  In fact they might be one of the reasons I keep coming back here.  I guess the family, the years of history, the seclusion, and the general relaxation is pretty good too - but I can't ingest those.

FYI - we generally eat Joe's Pasties (a little shop in Ironwood) while we are vacationing here.  Up until today those were the only pasties I ever had, but today we went with a shop that is a little more local and owned by a guy name Randall.  Once I had tasted one without carrots and rutabaga, it was pretty good. Some might argue even better than Joe's.  But because I'm a sentimentalist I think I'll always be convinced that Joe's are better.  So I feel a little dirty posting a picture of a Randall pasty instead of the one I know and love.  Fortunately my Dad had his pasty-eating shirt on so you can see what a Joe pasty would look like.

Aug 11th: Munchkin!

One of the best things about being in the middle of nowhere is that we dedicate a lot of our time to playing games, or doing puzzles.  Usually every year there is a new game that I get to learn and this year it was Munchkin. I'm not going to go into the details of how to play the game because it's pretty complicated, but it's pretty awesome and VERY nerdy - which is probably why I love it so much.  It's a card game with it's own deck and is somewhere between Magic and Killer Bunnies.  I haven't ever played Magic before (so my apologies if I'm making a very poor reference here) but I've seen it been played and as far as I can tell Munchkin has a similar format: you have your character, race, and class, and you want to level up by combatting monsters, and selling items.  But it has the cuteness, ease of play, and game-changing cards like Killer Bunnies, which means that I love it.

Okay - so I think I've sufficiently made it clear just how nerdy I am.  Yes - I am a board and card gamer.  Bring on any new games that I haven't played that are cute, fun, and/or remotely strategic and I'll probably love them too.  For now I'll just keep trying to master Munchkin!

Aug 10th: Mormons, Malls, and Muskikiwiininni

I woke up this morning to the most amazing sight.  Curiousity got the better of me, so I looked in my bedside table drawer.  Sure enough I ended up with a huge smile on my face when I found - not the Gideon bible that I was expecting - but THE BOOK OF MORMON.  Of course the song "I Believe" started running in my head.  What a way to start the day!

Then we went to the Mall of America - which was actually a lot smaller remember.  Probably because the last time I was in the mall I was a child and physically much smaller ... but still.

The theme park Snoopy Land was replaced with Nickelodeon Universe and at the end of it was the lego store with a huge display on top of it complete with a huge lego statue of a transformer.  We only managed to do a full walk around of the first floor hitting only a few stores, and never made it to the other three floors.  As far as I could tell - the West Edmonton Mall is still the biggest mall in North America, but the Mall of America is a little more upscale and once the expansion is completed it will be number 1. But I'm happy for Canada to hold on to that title for as long as possible.

And of course, after the mall we made our way to Wisconsin and the Muskikiwiininni Lodge.  And I can't express enough just how good it is to be back here with the family.  This place is just filled with memories and I can't wait to make some more.  These next 10 days of living in a lodge down by the river are going to be awesome!

Aug 9th: Chisholm Travelling with Al!

Today was a full day of travelling to Wisconsin.  I'm not quite there yet (just taking a little stop over in Minneapolis for a day trip to the Mall of America first) but I find it quite fitting that it will take two days to get there, as that was the standard trip length when we made the trip as a family when we were younger.  Sure, I was travelling on my own this time around, but that doesn't mean that I can't abide by some of the usual family travelling traditions.

When we were kids, our family would annually go on one of three family road trips: either to Cape Cod, Wisconsin, or Florida.  From Ancaster these trips took anywhere from 10 to 20 some odd hours depending on where we were going and the number of pit stops we needed to make.  That's a lot of time for my parents to spend with four obnoxious (albeit hilarious) young kids in the back seats, all within 6 years of each other, and all very loud.  To help make these trips tolerable they realized there was a way to cut back on the obnoxiousness by at least consolidating the noise into one sound.  The solution: WEIRD AL!  I'm sure we were just as loud, if not louder, but at least we were singing the same thing, and that same thing happened to be enjoyed by the whole family.  

While I wasn't able to abide by all of the family travelling traditions (another of my favourites being "Chisholms trade chairs when they travel on trips") I'm so glad that I had an iPod filled with Weird Al music, including his most recent album, ALPOCALYPSE!  A polkified Lady Gaga can make any day of travelling infinitely better.  So today's awesomism goes to Weird Al! As my father likes to say (quoting an episode of The Simpsons) "Once you've grown tired of Al, you've grown tired of life!"

      

Aug 8th: Clothing Swaps and Shoe Fetishes!

I love new clothes.  I also love giving back to the community.  And I really love hanging out with my friends.  If only I could have all at once.  Enter clothing swaps!

For those who have never had a clothing swap before, let me explain.  You know when it comes to that time of year where you go through your closet and pick out everything you don't wear anymore?  Well - you do that and even include purses, shoes, belts, jewellery - and get a bunch of your girlfriends to do the same.  Then before taking everything to charity, you throw yourselves a big party and get first pickings at all of the free clothes.  If you're modest (which we rarely are) then you can sport some leggings and a cami to speed up the process of putting on and taking off the many items you'll be trying out.  Oh - and if more than one lady wants to take home the same item of clothing, then it's time for a FASH OFF!  Each lady gets their chance to show the group why they deserve the item more - generally including a little strut, maybe a fun story, and often a booty shake - then the group decides who was more convincing.

Last night we had one of our biannual clothing swaps and I scored HUGE.  It's really awesome when a good friend has the same size feet as yours, a shoe fetish, and a closet not quite big enough to accommodate all of them.  I went home with 4 new pairs of heels and they are all ah-maz-ing.  Unfortunately since I'll be spending the next few weeks in the woods I won't be wearing them for a while. But I cannot wait for them to grace my feet.  As I was silly and hesitated to take a picture before leaving for vacation, people will just have to wait to see these awesome shoes when I decide to break them in.  But trust me - you will not be disappointed!  Thanks Natalie!

Aug 7th: Epic Closing Parties!

One of the best parts of being in a show is celebrating after the closing performance.  And if there is any company that knows how to celebrate it's Shadows and Dreams.  I won't go into the details of the party (because a promise is a promise), but suffice it to say that it was EPIC.  Thank you to everyone in the show for a fantastic run and a hilarious party.  And special thanks to Barbara Hershey - for NOT being a bimbo!

Aug 6th: Fabulous, Familial and Freshl!

It's a trifecta of awesome today. One might also call it the hat trick of awesome, or the Holy Triumvirate of Awesome.  Basically there was just a lot of awesome so let's get down to it, shall we?

FABULOUS:  I can't let today go by without giving props to the ladies of Les Petites Taquines for their fantastic production of When I Was, Qui Je Suis.  I've always known that these ladies could dance, but their show totally blew my mind.  You should be very proud girls - you rock my socks!  I can't wait for your next show.

FAMILIAL:  As I mentioned in an earlier post - Mom's are just awesome.  I still think my Mom is the top Mom, but I have to give a shout out to any mother who will invest lots of time in effort into making homemade little gifts to the castmates of her son, not just once, not even twice, but three times.  I am now the proud owner of two handwoven baskets, a handwoven tea cup and saucer, and a handwoven little dress.  I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing I think these crafts are not to mention the fact that she made them for everyone in a huge cast on multiple occasions.  I'll do my best to post a photo later just so you have a better idea of how adorable and amazing these things are.

FRESH: Anyone who can actually grow and harvest their own produce is extremely impressive to me, because frankly I could kill a cactus in no time flat.  So, anyone who is willing to share the fruits (or herbs, or vegetables) of their labour is friggin' amazing!  Fortunately for me, I was welcomed this morning with a little goodie bag of fresh vegetables from a friends garden including some kale, swiss chard, cilantro, parsley, a cucumber and a yellow zucchini.  I'm not going to lie - I was slightly hesitant to take it because I knew that I would be leaving town for ten full days on Tuesday and I wasn't sure if I could get through it all, but I was determined to make it work.  

I only had a short period of time in which to have dinner tonight before heading off to the dance show, so I had originally planned on having some old (and possibly expired) leftovers. But then fate stepped in! My landlords came downstairs to offer me some free Barbecue, just as a thank-you for always being so nice, and understanding.  I opened the package to find a couple of drum sticks and a few kebabs that smelled delectable!  Well - I figured this was as good a time as any to dig into those fresh veggies.  I used the chard, kale, herbs and some of the cucumber to make myself a little salad with just a little bit of balsamic for dressing, and it was SO good.  

It was a perfect summer homecooked meal that I didn't have to make. Sorry leftovers!  But there was no way that you were ever going to taste as good as the love from my friends and neighbours.  

Aug 5th: Birthday Dates and Being Classy!

It's awesome coming home really late after a full day of celebrating birthdays and having a great date night.  The day started with celebrating the birthday of my long-time high school friend AJ (I'm pretty sure I'm the only one still calling her that).  The celebration was merely just dropping off an iced caramel latte at her workplace and catching up for the brief 10 minutes that she could step away from her work, but I'm still glad I was able to celebrate with her at all.

Then the rest of the day was dedicated to celebrating the birth of Luke Timmermans.  A little shopping for new shirts, a little ice cream, a brief trip to the game store, and then we topped it off with an amazing night out!  And I must say, any excuse to dress up and go on a nice actual date is awesome.  Especially when it involves going to a quaint little town built around a theatre festival.

Luke and I were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy a dinner buffet and performance at Chemainus Theatre Festival.  Now, if you haven't been to Chemainus, the best way I can describe it is that it's kind of built like a ski village, except that the theatre is the mountain.  It's a great little getaway spot for those who want to get out of town and enjoy a great evening out - and did we ever!  We ate a lot of fantastic food, indulged in a chocolate fountain for dessert, and even had the privilege of watching good friends perform in a great production of Fiddler On The Roof.  I don't think either of us could have asked for a better date night.  So here's to birthday celebrations, and a great excuse to dress up and be classy!