Back to Basics

Greetings my humble friends and foes,

As you may have noticed, Jenny has been the one creating all the interesting posts for all to indulge in on this blog of ours. Yet this day yields another suprise... It is I (Jeff) that has been writing all the blogs in the guise of my lovely wife Jenny A.K.A "Delia"!

BREEWHAAHAA! Just joking It was Jenny all along, like you suspected, that has been creating the interesting blogs. However, I had you all going there for a second huh? Oh yeah! You all know it too! Anyways, here is my "beef" (vent) for today! What is with "cops" A.K.A "C'OPs" (SEE-OH-PSS), "PoPo" (PO PO), "Oinks" (Oh-INKS)? As you may have all read by now (see last post)Jenny and I got a Quebecquois speeding ticket (I assure you, Jenny was the one driving... or at least telling me how to drive, hehe).

Well this is my question: How is it that cops are like good salesmen? I mean, he comes to my window and knocks just like a regular salesman would at a door. I roll down the window (knowing who it is always makes it a little slower of a roll) and say "Yes, officer" kind of like the ol' "yeah I know why you are here and can we just get on with this already" thoughts run through my mind. This is probably how I feel everytime a sales guy tries to pitch one on me. Anyway, the cop comes back with the ticket and tells me, "You were going 115 km/h in a 90 km/h zone, but I marked it down 114 km/h. This will save you $25.00." WOW! I thought after he left and I quickly reverted my window to its original position. "I got a deal on this one, I saved $25.00"!

The funny thing is, I still have to pay $111.00, and I didn't get anything out of it. But because of the "discount" I felt like I got a deal on the whole thing, and a part of me felt like I ripped the guy off. I'm not sure if this all helps but here is a picture to envision what I was thinking at the time.

Easter in the East

If you can't fly, just drive. At least that was our motto last week. We looked for cheap flights to New Brunswick for Easter weekend to no avail. So Thursday afternoon we decided to just drive the 15 hours. It was a relatively uneventful journey there minus snowy conditions (yes... in April!) and a speeding ticket in Quebec. Apparently pretending you don't speak French doesn't make you ineligible to receive an all-French ticket. I can see the headlines now: "French-speaking couple hides behind Ontario plates and Anglophone facade in hopes of evading speeding violation on snowy Quebec highway." Don't worry, I already mailed in the fine payment.

It was a surprise visit for the family and, thankfully, they hadn't moved or changed the locks since we were home at Christmas. Conveniently, we arrived just in time for turkey dinner. Spending time with family was amusing and memorable. We also had brief visits with friends in Montreal on the way there and back. Jeff and I both miss the uniqueness of the Acadian culture, so it was delightful to be back.



Ethan and Uncle Jeff




Jeff's mom and our niece


Jeff's dad (aka "Beau pere") giving Jenny some well-needed tips






traditional stop at the beach, come snow or shine


Driving back to Ontario through la belle province (i.e., Quebec)

New York, New York!

Jeff and I decided that we hadn't seen enough of the Canadian winter, so we took a road trip south with 4 other Canucks to experience a New York City snow storm. That wasn't exactly the plan, but cars in the ditch along the highway, ankle-deep slush and torrents of blinding ice pellets in the city make for a good story. On a warmer note, we enjoyed the Broadway performance of Les Miserables, followed by hot chocolate and cheesecake. We also went to church at the Brooklyn Tabernacle (check out Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala). Ellis Island, with its view of the Statue of Liberty, was a fascinating step back into the experience of the immigrants who had to pass through various inspections before being granted entrance to their new home-much like Pier 21 in Halifax. Here are a few photos from the journey. Note: we were much colder than we look and our feet were soaked!

Times Square






Lower Manhatten from the Empire State Building






A quaint cafe in Greenwich Village near Washington Square

A Walk in the Park

On Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk in the park to try out our new camera. The local wildlife was quite willing to join us for some poses.

Western Adventures

While Jeff was speaking in Alberta and New Brunswick with CMI last month, I took a trip to BC to visit my folks (thanks to their Air Miles). Although initially disappointed to not be able to accompany Jeff, I had a delightful trip and Jeff now appreciates my homemaker skills even more.

So while in BC, I decided to face my fear of failure and of ending up in the ER, and I learned how to snowboard, thanks to my teacher-friend who has only gone a few times herself. The first and last time I tried snowboarding was in France about 9 years ago, and I fell and dislocated my shoulder before I even made it up the rope-tow. But with more than half my twenties now behind me, I figured it was time to suck it up and give it a try before I'm any older and feebler.

I also went ice skating, running and biking with my retired and extremely fit mother. I shopped and enjoyed coffee breaks and treats with my dad. I reminisced with my grandmother. Plus, I connected with over a dozen other friends. And since I hadn't been "home" for my birthday in 7 years, I was able to lay heavy the guilt and enjoy pancakes, spaghetti and triple-layer chocolate cake for the occasion, all homemade.

Although excited to be reunited with my loving husband, I was a little teary-eyed leaving beautiful BC for not-so-beautiful-but-learning-to-like-it Ontario. However, Jeff surpised me with 2 nights at a cabin in the country north of Waterloo when I returned. How enchanting and refreshing!
-Jenny

I won an AWARD!!

Greeting everybody!


For those of you who have heard of www.Worth1000.com  I entered a competition and Won! The competition was to place a cow into an everyday scene. This is encouraging because there are alot of graphic desiners that enter these comps.

Jeff (CMIman) on "Worth"

Gramma Grammar

 One evening a week, I dress up in a grey wig with a bun, a lovely knitted scarf and a floral-patterned skirt. Then I teach grammar to New Canadians. Why the gramma get-up? I’m not really sure, actually. Apparently Gramma had made appearances at the English as a Second Language class in the past and the coordinator thought it would be a nice idea to bring her back again. It’s comical because I’m the youngest one there, students and volunteers included. It is handy to be able to blame any errors I make on my age.
-Jenny