There's No Place Like Home, Auntie Em!

Running full tilt to my dad's truck, lugging heavy suitcases filled with gifts and winter clothes, trying not to fall on the ice, skin shriveling up against the frigid exposure of the Manitoba air.  This was Jeremy and I on December 23rd when we arrived home for the holidays.

Not having the need for winter parkas in Florida, we've asked my parents to store them for us and my dad was so kind as to bring them along for us when he picked us up from the airport.  We just had to get from the airport doors to the truck first before we could put them on!  That was fun.  Nothing like a brisk reminder of home as it stings your face and freezes your fingertips.  It lets you know you're alive!

Our time back home at Christmas was excellent!  It all started with my birthday, the day we arrived.

Quick recap of the day before, my last day of work before the holidays, my office buddies surprised me with a birthday cake and a lovely card, I was thrilled!  We've mentioned it before, but I really can't express enough how welcome and loved our colleagues have made us newbie-Floridians feel.  They truly are special.

And then my thoughtful husband surprised me with a gorgeous birthday gift that night.  It was one of those little gifts in a velvet covered box.  I don't normally get things like this, because I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a jewelry person.  I like it, but I don't buy it for myself, I don't ask for it, it's never a priority or something of supreme importance to me.  I'd rather buy a chair or a kitchen mixer or get my car fixed.  But being surprised with something so lovely, I was speechless!  

And surprise #3 for my birthday - Vereneke!!!!  My mom made one of my favorites!  AGAIN!  There are few things in this world that can get me bouncing off the walls like the prospect of eating cottage cheese filled dough pockets covered in cream fat.  Sounds utterly disgusting, but it's one of the greatest artery clogging foods in the world.  And the other lovely perogies in this picture were filled with sauerkraut and covered in fried onions and bacon.  My 2nd most favorite heart stopping food.  Top it off with a little farmers sausage, and we're golden.  There would be absolutely NO bouncing off the walls about half an hour after these were ingested, though.

Even though we were 'visitors' this Christmas, we still travelled the usual distances we are used to every year at this time.  Christmas Eve was spent at my Grandma and Grandpa Friesen's in Altona where we closed the evening with a $10 grab box gift exchange.  We always have lots of fun with this as there is the usual gift stealing and trading and friendly banter.  This year, seeing as we were bringing our gifts from 'merica, we thought we'd do something uniquely 'merican.

My aunt Jodi landed Jeremy's gift, which was full of chocolate bars one can only find in the US, along with some Gingerbread peeps and some straws filled with chocolate balls that you use to sip milk.  See, it helps kids get the nutrients and calcium in a glass of milk, while luring them to it with the promise of sugar.  When I was a kid, I just drank my glass of milk because I was told to.   There was no bribery involved.  Ah, 'merica.

My gift was chosen by my brother Jason.  He hit the jackpot.  A box of Dulce de Lecce Cheerios, a bag of ice cream cone shaped (and flavored) marshmallows, a bag of peppermint shaped (and flavored) marshmallows and a box of Cheez Its crackers shaped like Scrabble pieces (educational processed fun for the whole family!)

Christmas Day was split between two households... breakfast at my parents in Altona, followed by dinner and a sleepover at Justin and Tannis' with Jeremy's parents from Brandon and our nieces, Piper and Raelle.  We spent a good portion of the holiday playing Bop-It with Piper, which is a super addicting game.  Unfortunately, our other niece Sophia had come down with a nasty cold and flu and could not travel to Winnipeg from Brandon, so we made the decision to drive up for the night on Boxing Day so see the little munchkin and Danielle and Trevor.  We made the drive after a Christmas lunch with my Mom's side of the family in Winnipeg, at my Oma and Opa's house, and after saying farewell my brother and sister in law as Jason and Jessica were flying back to Toronto that afternoon.

*On a side note - say what you will about travelling over Christmas and trying to fit in all of your family gatherings and make time for yourself and your immediate family at the same time... but I'd like to express how extremely thankful I am to still be able to follow through with family traditions on both sides of my family as I am fortunate enough to be 31 years old and have both sets of my grandparents to continue to share Christmas memories with.  This is not the case for a lot of people I know, and I understand how lucky I am.  Here's to many more years of family traditions at Christmas time!

Smart-alec

Our time in Brandon was short and sweet and I'm very happy we were able to see Sophie!  We Skype with her from time to time from Miami and we were so looking forward to seeing all of our nieces when we were home, and giving them all big hugs.  We did, and by the time we got up there, Sophie was feeling much better... as you can see here when she got a hold of my glasses.

Being home for the holidays also meant we had to make the rounds!  See a bunch of friends we haven't seen for a while, get some quality visiting and catch-up time in.  This included two trips to Steinbach to see friends we miss so dearly... and we spent New Year's in Steinbach, too!  It's almost become a tradition, to ring in the new year with the Plett family.  Last year, we joined my best friend Melissa and her family at the Brass Lantern and had an evening of dancing and beer spilling hilarity.  This year, as BL has since shut down, we had to take the party to the Frantz, where I'm positive we were the oldest people there. (highlighted by the moment we bumped into Melissa's underage nephew...awkward!)

We had a great time once again... and I was super grateful for Melissa and Keven to drive out to Altona to meet up with Jer and I for some extra visiting time.  Being a visitor, we now know what it feels like to rely on people to come to you, or borrow a vehicle to get around in.  My grandparents kindly made one of their vehicles available to us, so I was thankful for that, although extremely nervous driving it!  With M&K, we went to Boston Pizza and made the fatal mistake of veering from their pizza menu.   There's a reason they don't call it Boston Steak.  But the visit was awesome, as always.  This photo here can properly illustrate just how much I've missed my best friend while we've been away in Florida.  Why won't someone develop a transporter already?  Gene Roddenberry foresaw this essential technology 40 years ago, surely today's brainiacs can figure this out.  Get on it, you scientists!

Mom and I, bundled up in our Jets toques!

Dad was a good sport and joined me on this occasion!

I loved being in the true winter for the holidays.  Up until that point, the week of Christmas had been the coldest of the season.  But that didn't stop me from producing a snow angel or two.  Or going for a walk by the Buffalo Park toboggan hill.










It also didn't stop me from taking part in one of the world's greatest sports and perfected by Manitobans. (arguably)  Curling.

We won!

Dad's team needed a substitute and they accepted my application.  It was tonnes of fun!  And I didn't hog any rocks.  (At least, I can't remember if I did... I was trying to keep up with my teammates, beer for beer...)  But WOW was I sore in the days to follow.  Curling is one of those sports that if you play for the first time, or play after a long absence, you FEEL IT in every inch of your body.  What a great workout.  Tell me this, what other form of exercise can you do while drinking a beer, huh?  Exactly.  Curling, one of the greatest.

Our trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Winnipeg Jets store to stock up on some new fan gear.  At this point, the NHL lockout was nowhere near completion, but we wanted to represent anyway.

And now, as I write this, the Jets are 2 games into this shortened season, our game gear is strewn about the house and we are eagerly awaiting the Jet's THREE visits to South Florida to take on the Panthers in the next 2 months.  Starting with next week Thursday night!  We've already gotten a pretty decent sized contingent of Spanish speaking Miami-ites to join us as we aim to create a cheering section dedicated to our Jets!  Stay tuned to that blog post late next week!

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We are back in the warmth of the Florida climate, which we now call home and are happy to be here.  Our skin has recovered in the humidity, we've put our winter sweaters back in storage and our pups are happy we are home so we can take them to the park.

To all of you who are suffering through the freezing spell with the -40 temps and frostbitten toes and finger tips... we feel for you, honestly we do.  My suggestion would be to hop on a plane and join us here under the palm trees, get outta that cold!  You are always welcome!

Feliz Navidad! (Better Late Than Never...)

Merry Christmas everyone!

(crickets....silence.... awkward cough....)

Um... so it's been awhile since we've posted an update.  Boy oh boy, do we feel bad about that.

Actually, our New Year's resolution was to stop blogging.  So, really, we were just trying to follow through with it, don't hate.

Kidding!  And in all seriousness, we are very sorry for the neglect, friends!  My justification can only be that January has been THE busiest month at beIN to date and Jeremy has also started to work.  So, a lot of our time has been dedicated to that.  Excuses aside, we promise to be more diligent in our posting and won't let a MONTH absence happen again.  (We hope!)

Now it's time to catch up on all the things we'd love to share from the past month of blog-silence.

The funny thing is, we had a blog post all ready to go for Christmas, and never posted it.  So let's start there.  Below you will find a Merry Christmas entry written by Jeremy... some of the references are a little dated, but just transport yourself to the excitement of December 23 and the anticipation of Santa, presents and the future food babies in your tummies.

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This blog update comes from roughly 35,000 ft above the outskirts of Eastern Ontario as
we make our way home for the holidays. It is also Terri's 31st birthday today (23rd) so if
you didn't wish her a happy birthday, I've now given you an excuse you can use: 'I called
you but you were in the air so...'

Travelling back to Canada is something we've been looking forward to since the fall.
We are steadily falling in love with Miami - but Canada is home and that feeling of
comfort we get when we see Canadian things - yes, even CBSA Officers - just warms us
inside.  I have been looking forward to hearing 'Welcome Home' from them for months
(a GREAT touch whomever thought of that by the way!) - and even though we had to
hear it in Montreal, we heard it nonetheless (our US flight ended in Mtl and we caught a
connector to Wpg).

Prior to departing however, we had this little business of getting our Xmas tree up and
decorated.  See, I was of the mind that it would only be up for a few weeks and then we'd
be gone - and come back home in January where we have to take it down again. That
argument didn't wash and one Tuesday morning a few weeks ago, out came the tree
and the decorations. A few hours of getting everything together and onto the tree was
time well spent as even Grinchy-Me admitted it was nice to have the tree up.  I even
went so far as to put together a platter of stacked & different sized Xmas balls that
were leftover to use as a coffee table decoration. Ya, the Xmas spirit didn't take long to
overtake me.

Jonny almost immediately called 'dibs'

We are not exactly avid Bombers fans, but something that reminds us of home!

Another thing that reminds of home... :)

This Mother/Daughter ornament is from 2002 - a decade of of being on Terri's tree!

Timmie Ho's

Been on my tree all my life

"Give me the whip!"

Jerry Rice

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As we may have mentioned before (or not - we're at 35k feet and cannot check past
blogs), our neighborhood is ri-donk for decorations.

Seriously.

Since 'Black Friday' in November (and even slightly before in some areas), the lights
and blow-up lawn decorations have been out in full force. Some of the folks around us
truly go all out and we decided to take a drive 'round the 'hood one evening and snap
some photos for you! And that's essentially it for this blog entry! Oh, one last thing....No
matter what your faith, we hope you all enjoy a safe and happy holiday season with your
significant others and your families. We also hope to see most of you in the coming
weeks during our time at home.

Enjoy the photos. Merry Christmas!

Tough to see, but this is an inflatable crocodile with a Santa hat

Large Santa at night...

... the morning after.  Santa should pace himself...

Snoopy on his hawg

Massive Santa

Vacation Santa, fishing off the back of his boat.

Xmas inflatables are not limited to lawn placement...

What we are missing here is a picture of one blow-up that was Santa in a bathtub, scrubbing his back with a loofa.  It was down the street, but we failed to capture the moment.  There's always next year!

All I Want For Christmas... Is Me

Christmas is a time to gather with the ones you love.  It is a time to reflect on the year past and give thanks for the good times, give respect to the not so good times.  But, one thing we must not forget, and something we've forgotten as a society, is the birth.  Say it as you wish, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas.  But one thing that has truly been neglected over the years, is our celebration of the birth.

The birth of Me.

December 23, 1981.  Terri Lee Friesen was born to Jeri & Wendy Friesen in Winkler, Manitoba.  My wonderful parents couldn't have timed my conception any better, Gods love 'em!  Two days prior to Christmas when the focus is in fact NOT me... it's some other dude.  Glory hound.

I can always count on members of my extended family to send me well wishes or give me a birthday hug... because I'm usually around most of them at the Christmas gathering on December 23rd.  A work lunch or coffee break is nonexistent because coworkers are focused on the clock so they can get to their last minute gift shopping.  No party, rarely a cake and the classic birthday phone calls on December 27... or January 6.

A shared 'holiday' is the day of my birth.  People often ask me if I hate it.  Of course not!  I was born with it!   I know nothing of a summer birthday with pool parties and camp outs.  And that's just fine!  I may sound bitter... but trust me, I am not!  Just illustrating a point.  In fact, having my birthday overshadowed by the most commercialized holiday on the calendar is a good thing.  I get to dodge the spotlight!

Instead of a big deal, I get to enjoy my birthday privately with my husband, going out for dinner, maybe a movie (followed by last minute Christmas shopping, of course).  My brother & sister-in-law are out for the holidays from Toronto, so a HUGE bonus is being able to spend my birthday with them.  If it were on March 18th, I wouldn't get that opportunity.  And I can always count on my parents to organize a private family dinner, either out at one of my favorite Winnipeg restaurants, or in their dining room with a meal made especially for me.  And the phone calls with well wishes from my in-laws and my Best Friend Melissa are always right on the dot.

I'm not bitter at all.  My birthday flies under the radar to most, but not for the ones that are the most important to me.  My family.

And this year, on December 23rd, it is I who will be traveling home for the holidays... AND to celebrate my birthday with the ones I love.

Ornaments hand crafted by my Great-Grandma... still on the tree every year

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That said... THIS year, I decided to throw myself a birthday party.

Let them eat cake or not...the cake disappeared to never be seen again.

All that talk about not wanting the attention, spotlight blah blah blah.  It's true for the most part.  But this year, I felt different.  And being in Miami probably contributes to that.  I wanted the spotlight on the celebration of my birth.  And I figured, if Christmas can piggy-back on MY birthday... well, I'm going to piggy Christmas right back.

Windy night on the terrace at Rusty Pelican

The Imagina (company I work for - pronounced EE-ma-HEE-na) holiday party was on Thursday at a ritzy place on Key Biscayne called the Rusty Pelican.  'Rusty', it most certainly was not.  Imagina arranged for a classy reception on a terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay with a beautiful sightline of downtown Miami.  Gorgeous.  Everybody was dolled up in their holiday-best, thrilled to have some time to unwind with co-workers, and the FREE bar certainly helped everyone achieve that.

What better pre-cursor to a birthday party??

Jesus does not approve.  No seriously, his name is Jesus.

After much eating and drinking on the bay, the party moved to South Miami Beach to a club called 'Mansion'.   Thanks to the connections of a dear friend at work, we were able to arrange a private VIP area for the 25-30 people in our party.  Much dancing, much drinking and much laughing ensued.  Mansion is a very snazzy place with interesting clientelle, to say the least.  Over the course of the night, we witnessed many interesting scenes.

TMI, Santa... TMI

People curled up for a nap in the middle of our party... people we didn't know.  A lady wearing white feathers trying to coerce people to give her tips in exchange for a massage.  I think I heard her mention she worked for Wet Magazine.  Goodness.

Naked Santa also made an appearance.  A random older man with a Santa Hat and a pink tutu... and not much else.  He was the source of many patron's photo opportunities throughout the evening.  Especially when the tutu mysteriously disappeared.  And how could we forget the fornicating.  The couple, in a seated position, gyrating to the beat of the music, 5 feet from where I was standing.  That was a bit of a shock.  While Jeremy and I were amazed at the scenes before us, others simply shrugged it off.  Afterall, we were in South Beach, anything can happen there.  Duly noted!

After the party died down at Mansion, a few of us remaining headed over to the uber-posh Liv night club.  This was the scene at 3:30am when we arrived.

Party still going strong.  And that's only because the music was absolutely infectious.  The country's best DJ's play here (Tiesto played Sunday night - SUNDAY!!) and make tens of thousands of dollars per NIGHT (20-30k)  Sometimes more.  We definitely hope to frequent this place from time to time over the course of our stay here.

"These pants are RED?  I'm outta here!"

For two Prairie Canadians, it was a new (sometimes eye-opening) experience and a fabulous one at that!  We had a great time.  Jeremy was a huge hit.  Sorry, Jeremy's pants were a huge hit.  Remember the red pants???  Well, he bought 'em!  And he wore 'em!  And he rocked 'em!

All in all, it was a wonderful night and I am thankful to have such great friends who joined me to celebrate.

I could get used to this whole 'birthday party' idea...  maybe I'll throw another one next month.

The weak shouldn't go to Mexico (ctsy Melissa Plett)...

Christmas at ED Maroma

Just because our lives aren’t enough of a vacation, I somehow managed to convince Terri that we needed to take a break from it all and go down to Mexico for a few days (five). 

When I proposed this idea in August, she was at first quite apprehensive but I said it would be a nice way for us to celebrate our 7^th wedding anniversary (7 years?  Really?) which was on August 27^th – and with her being in Miami working on that day, she agreed.  The clincher was when her parents also invited us down to visit with them on their annual trip down there at the end of November – and so off we went for 5 days – Monday to a Friday!

But wait a sec.  This is ‘us’ so you know it wasn’t THAT easy right?

As it turns out, Terri forgot to mention this little excursion to her bosses at beIN – and they scheduled a Christmas greeting photo/video shoot for the Wednesday we were away….and since EVERYONE that works on-air was involved, Terri couldn’t NOT be there (after all, she IS the face of the English side of the channel!).  When she explained this little trip to her bosses, they were sympathetic – but also said you need to be here for this.

So, they arranged to fly Terri back to Miami for a day during our trip and then fly her back to Cancun that night….What a life hey?

As we travelled to the airport on the Monday morning, I will openly admit that I was a little worried.  As any winter traveller will tell you, part of the excitement of going to a place like Mexico is that it helps lift a dreary spirit out of the doldrums of winter.  It’s an escape from the snow, the cold, the overly dark mornings and early dark nights (I originally typed that as Dark Knights – Batty…).  However, I live in Miami so my winter doldrums consist of putting on a sweater when the mercury dips to 75F (23C).  I was genuinely concerned the appreciation for a place like El Dorado Maroma (EDM) might not be as ‘hearty’ as it once was (imagine me - Jeremy - giddy as a schoolboy the whole ride there from the Cancun airport ‘Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?’).  I was concerned I’d step onto the beach and be like ‘meh, this ain’t much different than home.’

Nope.  It still kicks ass.

You see, I think the thing that I appreciate the most – as most people I’m sure – is just the fact that it is AWAY.  As I stepped into the lobby of EDM, I was greeted by the familiar smell of whatever-that-is-that-smells-so-glorious and truly felt myself relax.  They often greet you at the door with ‘welcome home’ and it was still wonderful.  Then, the fact we got upgraded to an apartment-style suite again certainly helped.  I’m not sure if it is because we’re such friendly Canadians or the fact Terri’s parents are frequent visitors to EDM and EDR (El Dorado Royale), but the last few times we’ve gone, we’ve been given a magnificent upgrade to our rooms.  The last time we were there I was like ‘we’ll never get this kind of room again’….and I was right…we got one better!  

Main bedroom

Living room space

Dining Room/Kitchen area

View from the couch

The patio (and pool) outside our suite

The lounging area outside our suite

As much as we appreciate it, you kind of say to yourself ‘I’m never IN this room enough to get the full use out of it.’ – and really, unless there is a storm day, you’re not inside cooking, watching TV or just hanging out drinking from the complimentary bottles in your room.  You’re on the beach reading, sleeping, taking the odd swim to the pool bar and going for various meals and snacks.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the ‘posh’ treatment, I just wonder ya know?  I walk into a room like that and kind of wish for a stormy day (or half of one) so we are forced to take advantage of the immense space and amenities.

We managed to get to the hotel by 2pm Monday so that means we were having lunch and on the beach by 3pm.  Terri’s parents met us at the front reception and because we only had carry-on luggage, it was a quick, easy change to beach wear. 

As an aside, can I just say that travelling carry-on only is a magnificent way to go.  If I could get away with it all the time, I would.  Skipping the baggage carousel and the various smells/attitudes of the people on your flight puts you in a good mood that much faster.  And I’m sure they say the same thing about us…

Ok, where was I – oh yes, having lunch and then basking on the beach in the afternoon sun.  Maroma beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the world and seriously, it is the softest, whitest sand you’ll ever dig your feet into.  I often call it ‘cookie dough sand’ because that’s what it looks like – and I have to fight the urge to reach down and eat it….No seriously, I do!

One thing we noticed immediately is that the sun drops down a lot quicker than it does when we visit in February – after all, it IS December.  That was a bit of a shocker….4pm, start of ‘Friesen Family Happy Hour’ and it’s getting dark.  WTF Mexico??  And naturally, first day on the beach – get a little burned and get a little wasted in the afternoon sun.  When we go in February I have to remember I don’t need to try every drink on the first day.  And of course the worst part about an afternoon drunk is that when it wears off, you have a headache to rival anything in modern history – that was me Monday evening.  It was an early night – as they all usually are after spending the day sleeping on the beach (it’s tiring getting rest!).

Monday night’s entertainment though was a circus show.  I only point that out because the last time we saw this circus show was last year at EDR.  It is quite the show, I will tell you.  At EDR though, one of the rings the performers jump up on and do stuff from wasn’t tied right and fell – with a performer on it – in front of a crowd of a few hundred.  It was scary actually!  Thankfully, the girl on the ring at the time turned out to be ok – as ok as you can be after falling flat on your back.  We gave her an extra loud ovation seeing her back in the show and afterwards, Terri’s Mom went and spoke to her, informing her we were there when she fell last year and are happy to see she was all right.  Apparently, she hasn’t been back to work for that long and it was obvious her workload was somewhat ‘lighter’ than the rest – understandable.  The crowd here at EDM (a much smaller resort than EDR) was very appreciative – even if not knowing the history.

Tuesday we spent the day by the pool – and slowed down the pace of alcohol consumption.  There was still plenty of tequila and Sangrita (if you have NO idea what that is, Google it and then try it – yummy!) and crushed ice-based drinks.  Tuesday night’s dinner was at the Asian restaurant where I made the brave choice of having Tapenyaki prepared on the grill right before us (fire SHOW!).  For me, it’s always a brave choice going with Mexican beef because for some reason, it doesn’t usually treat me very well….(and so it came to pass – more on that in a sec).  It was a delicious meal though and we had some good laughs – and almost put a couple drinks into the water feature running down the middle of the table!

Tuesday night’s show was a singer – but Terri ducked out because she had to be up at 3am to head to the airport at 4am to catch her 6:45am flight (more on that in a sec) so it was just the in-laws and I to see a pretty decent solo singer.  I say ‘decent’ only because of what I experienced Thursday night.  Tuesday night I thought this girl was pretty darn good! 

Chef whipping up my Tapenyaki - fire SHOW!

After going back to the room and dealing with ‘Angry Sleeper Terri’ (she is an ANGRY sleeper people…angry!  Especially when woken up briefly), I slipped into a restful sleep….for a couple of hours.  Then, I became the star in a new feature called ‘Revenge of the Tapenyaki’.  Now, it wasn’t THAT bad - no vomiting or anything like that – but I had the meat sweats something fierce and just could not sleep.  You know that feeling when you THINK you may vomit but try your hardest to NOT let it happen?  That was me Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.  Now, some of you might say ‘do it, throw up, you’ll feel better!’ – nah-uh.  I’m like Jerry Seinfeld on the whole vomit subject….I will endure the most excruciating nausea to make sure THAT doesn’t happen.  And I did.  Once Terri vacated on her merry/weary way, I became a Tapenyaki God – at least I’m assuming so as I spent most of the morning on my porcelain throne trying to execute a Tapenyaki exit strategy out the back (TMI, I know…but it’s important you understand the gravity of the situation).  I DID manage to get a few hours sleep throughout the morning and appeared on the beach with Wendy & Jeri in the early afternoon…and normal food service resumed shortly thereafter – in moderation.

I don’t know what it is but every time we go to Mexico, it takes a day or two and then I get the stomach flutters.  It’s like there is a little something in there that keeps nausea right near the fore….I’m NEVER hungry in Mexico like I am at home.  Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite?  I can’t figure out what it is – if there is a bacterial culture in the food that makes me queasy…I dunno.  The food is DAMN good but I just can never stomach very much of it (as hard as I might try).  I may need to do some research here…

Now, lets get to Terri’s little adventure at the airport on Wednesday morning.  Terri got to her gate and flight in plenty of time, got boarded on the plane and was then told the plane had a ‘mechanical issue’.  Perfect.  Just what every flier wants to hear. 

‘We’re going to try and get this fixed and get on our way.’

After an hour of waiting, they were then told, ‘Folks, if we can’t get this sorted out, we’ll have to vacate the plane and cancel the flight.’

Perfect right?  Then Terri stays in Mexico and comes to the beach right? 

Nope, they got the thing fixed and off she went – two hours and change AFTER she was supposed to leave!  But she got to Miami, did the shoot at beIN and was able to catch an early flight back to Cancun in time for pre-dinner drinks and then a later supper – a traditional Mayan meal (it was wonderful!).

Now, I was somewhat down for the count Wednesday.  Guess who went down for the count Thursday?  Terri.  Though, full credit to her as she fought that off with everything she had – I’m talking medication here people – and rallied late in the day to join us for ‘Happy Hour’ drinks and dinner/entertainment.

Terri's parents - the In-laws...

Oh man, Thursday’s entertainment.  A few years back, when Terri’s parents were at EDR I believe, they saw Anael Azan Guevara perform.  After her set, they managed to befriend ‘Ana’ (as we now call her) – and her husband and they have remained friends ever since.  Every time they are in Mexico, they contact Ana and go and see her perform – and we met Ana last year at EDR to see her perform.  Now, I remember Ana being pretty good – but on THIS Thursday night, she was UNREAL.  I’m serious people….I was sitting there and all that was going through my head was ‘how does this woman NOT have a recording contract?’.  Followed by ‘How can we get her noticed by someone in the industry?’

She is THAT good.

She did covers of Adele (Rolling in the Deep), Alanis (You Oughtta Know), Mariah (Hero), Heart (Alone) and AC/DC (Shook Me All Night Long) – and a few more – and she KILLED them…KILLED them!!  She did most of those songs BETTER than the original artists.  I’m pretty sure she could win ‘American Idol’ in a walk (not that she’d want to – yuck!) but that gives you a sense of her talent….and she was playing for a crowd of under 25 people!!  It was a night I will not soon forget and I cannot wait to hear her sing again.  Best of all – she had a ton of fun!  She was dancing and letting people come and sing with her (and destroying them vocally) – you could tell she just loves it!  If anyone reading this has recording industry connections, there is a diamond in the rough here…Just watch this - http://youtu.be/CLpyTpn_wz4 - and then have a peek at some of her other stuff.

Wendy and Jeri call her a 2^nd daughter and even brought Ana and her husband a Canadian Care Package.  Ana responded in kind with a bottle of fine Cuban Rum, cigars (naturally) and chocolates I believe.  We all cannot wait to see/hear her again in February!  And she has family in Miami – right near us - so I’m sure Terri and I will see her again sometime soon!

Tequila Jenga - you lose, drink booze!

With Thursday having such an amazing ending, we REALLY were not looking forward to Friday – the trip home.  Well, mixed I should say…we got to see the pups so it’s always nice coming home to that!  But when we picked them up, we quickly discovered that boarding your dogs in Miami is NOT cheap…Not…One…Bit.  They seemed happy and healthy so we were pleased with that.

Overall, a GREAT trip – shorter for one than for the other – but nice to see Terri’s parents and we are eagerly awaiting February when Jason and Jessica join us!

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The pick-up at home was a quick turn-around for little Jonny.  He had surgery scheduled for Sunday to have his dewclaws removed.  Go back a few blogs and you can read about the fiasco caused by Waldenway in Ste. Anne.  We took the dogs there a few times in the summer months to have them groomed – but they ‘forgot’ to clip the dewclaw nails.  Jonny’s dewclaws became inflamed and then infected and we had to have them cut down when we first arrived in Miami as they had ripped pretty much right off. 

Well, with that done, he began chewing on them incessantly and after a trip to a new vet to discuss, she took a sample and then gave us some anti-inflammatories and antibiotics to try and calm down the inflammation.

Turns out there were two kinds of vicious bacteria in his dewclaws and they needed to be completely removed.  That was done Sunday night and we had him back Monday morning – all bandaged up with his cone on! 

Jonny was grumbling during this photo..

And he was ANGRY Jonny too.  Anyone reading this who knows or has met Jonny has likely experienced his ‘grumbles’ (internal growling)…well, every time we went near him he was grumbling!  He did not want ANY part of us – those who took him to that place where he had surgery!

He’s doing better now as I write this and is slowly returning to his old self.  Bandages and sutures come out in a week – just in time to go BACK into boarding for the Xmas holidays.  :(

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That’s all for now but coming up on the Terri & Jeremy Florida Blog….The Xmas tree goes up!  Terri has her first Adult birthday party (and it WAS very ADULT)…and Jeremy will take you through Food in America.

Watch for those in the coming weeks.

Cheers!