Italy.....Vivere la Dolce Vita!

Yes, we have moved again. Boring you say? Tired of updating our address?? Well how does Italy sound to you?? DOLCE!!!!

10 years ago we took a whirlwind dream trip to Tuscany and fell in love with Italy. Ever since we have been inspired to "one day" go back and see if it is all that we remember.

We hoped, but never expected to be posted outside of North America....when the Career Manager called and asked Shawn if we would like to move to Italy she was given a VERY prompt YES!!!

So, just shy of two weeks in....we are officially residents of Italy. Specifically in Lago Patria which is about 25min outside of Naples. Granted we are still in the hotel as our shipment most likely will not arrive for another 2-3 weeks. (We are slated to move into our place on the 1st of Sep.)

The experience of finding a rental here was very entertaining. We (not the landlords) were able to negotiate and ask for things. We asked to be able to pick the paint for the outside of the house and they said yes. So last week I went on a field trip with my new landlord Pepe (who speaks NO English) and his wife Pina (who speaks a bit) to the paint factory and picked out the colours. I have picked a soft butter yellow for the outside and a cream for the interior. We also asked for a Brick Pizza Oven to be built and they agreed to that :) Guess I now not only need to learn to speak Italian, I also now need to learn how to make proper Italian Pizza.

Yes, once again I have packed away the uniform. I was not planning on working while here for the three years.....however, I have accepted a position as Villa Manager and Travel Consultant. The pay is pretty good and my boss is super cute....so I am pretty sure I will enjoy it ;)

We head to Tuscany for a week of wine and leisure on Mon. We are so excited to get back there and see if it lives up to our memories. We plan to fill the car with wine so when our wine fridge arrives we will already have supply to fill it.

OK.....time for a re-fill on my coffee.

Thanks for tuning in!

Ciao

Day 10 - Done

Sault Ste Marie to Ottawa 796km

OMG.....we were so happy to finally pull into the Westin here in Ottawa. It meant we were done!!!!! Finally Home. Ok, well almost....we still need to get the keys to the house and actually move in. But.......we are here!!!!! All said and done we drove 4,640km (for our American friends that is 2,833 miles).

Back to the Westin for a moment.....N.I.C.E.....please and thank you.

Last day of driving.....we were up super duper early so we could get a jump on the day and be able to stop and visit with friend's in North Bay. We were supposed to spend the night, but the snow storm that landed us in Thunder Bay for an extra day bit into our overnight stop.

North Bay is where our good friends Mike & Sonia live. They have four...yes four boys, and their eldest Brandon is one of our God Sons. So we were very motivated to get a stop in to at least say hi.
We were greeted with many hugs and a feast that left us so full we were barely able to eat dinner when we got in to Ottawa 4+ hrs later.

From Left to Right: Jordan, Ryan, Brandon, Shawn & Cameron.

Nice one!

The "Boys" let me squeeze in for a picture.

Goofballs :)

After lunch we headed back on the road to finish this road trip off. Why does the last day, especially the last 30km feel like the longest part?? Anyways....we finally saw Ottawa in the distance and started to realize we were "home". 

We pulled up to the Westin and handed our car over for valet service. They guys had a good laugh at how dirty it was. They handed it back to us the next morning all sparkly!!! Thank you!! (I do realize that the outrageous valet fee we pay covered the cost of it being washed....but it was still a surprise all the same!)

OK, so now all we need to do is hand over the biggest cheque we have ever written and get the keys to our house. 

Day 9

Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie (FINALLY) 754km

Today we woke up to Sunshine!!!! (Cold, but sunshine!!!)

This was a long one....8hrs once all was said and done with pee/coffee & lunch stops.

When we headed out this morning it was such a 180 from yesterday. Blue skies!!! Sunglasses were a must. Here is my first view of Lake Superior. This is just a small section....but so beautiful :)

So...this is our 5th time doing the cross country road trip....to date we have only ever seen ONE Moose (it is was a juvenile one at that.) So we are always on the look out. One day left on this trip and still no sighting. Sheesh. LOTS of signs warning us of their presence....but nada. However we did see this sign below and it made us laugh. Anita...this is for you.

The sky may have been blue but man o man the roads were WET and all the flying mud and rocks left our poor car dirtier than we have ever seen her. Also 2 new cracks in the windshield compliments of the rock perps of Ontario. Boo.

Lunch time came and went so we finally decided to stop for Tim Hortons. I actually prefer Starbucks, but for some reason the majority of Ontario hasn't figured out how good Starbucks is, so Tim Hortons won by default. I used to really like Tim's but now it just gives me gut rot. ugh. But, when you have a 8+ hr drive to get through caffeine is a must. 

Our first Tim's Donuts in forever. I might not love their coffee, but man they make the best Boston Creams EVER!!!!! And yes, Shawn's is the Sour Cream Glaze. Yum.

Ok, so with out much else to report we finished our drive and landed in Sault Ste. Marie. We were so knackered that we picked up a pizza and hunkered down for what remained of our evening. We knew we had a VERY early start the next morning now having to head straight to Ottawa. 

Shawn was passed out by 10:21pm precisely.

I stayed up till midnight though. Reason being......My best friend Becca and her Husband are expecting, and they hosted a "Sex Party" to reveal the sex of the baby. For you people with dirty minds, it's not a "Sex" party........but a "Sex Party"....lol....what happens is someone other than the couple are given the results of the ultra sound. That person then fills a box with either pink or blue helium balloons and seals it shut. Then at said "Sex Party" the couple ceremoniously open the box and the balloons fly out revealing the sex!!!! Super neat idea! And a fun excuse to have a party :)

By way of the wonderful world of the internet, family and friends were able to participate live via "gotomeeting" (much like Skype). With the time change (they live in Yellowknife) the reveal didn't happen till Midnight for me, but that's ok....it's what best friends do. XOXOX

YIPPY YIPPY YIPPY.....drum   roll.....it's.....a......GIRL!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEE!!!!!

Day 8

Thunder Bay to.......Thunder Bay 0km (Yes.....0).

Well to be more precise we did do some driving today....50km out of the city, only to turn around again. We had been given the all clear to go...but go slow, and since we still have 17hours between here and Ottawa we really felt we needed to put some distance in. We got as far as 50km and after having passed a few jack knifed transport trucks, trucks that literally could not get a grip on the road, and really big gusts of snow that rendered us blind....we (me) finally said lets call it and go back.

This is the start of the drive.....not great, but you could see the road and we had good traction.

This was when we decided to turn around. 

All in all it was a two hour exercise that left us rather drained and in need of a nap. I'll hand it to Shawn though....he did a great job driving. (Even if I did have to pry his hands off the steering wheel when we pulled into the hotel parking lot.)

The Ladies at the front desk of the Days Inn were both pleased and sad to see us back.

This has altered our drive for the next two days somewhat. We were supposed to be in Sault Ste. Marie tonight. (7hrs 30mins from here) and then off to North Bay for a night then cruise on into Ottawa Sunday. Now we will sprint for Sault tomorrow as early as possible (weather dependent of course) and then up early again on Sunday to make the now 8 hour drive to Ottawa. Ugh.

On a silver lining note we get to have diner again with our friends from last night :)

Day 7

Dryden to Thunder Bay 350km

Yesterday's drive was quiet and uneventful. This whole drive so far has been pretty good. I guess we have used up all our quiet & uneventful chips?

We rolled into Thunder Bay about 3:30pm. Checked into our hotel Days Inn  (This is a new one and we were pleasantly surprised! Would easily stay here again.)

The snow had been off & on while we were driving yesterday, but that hasn't been unusual in the drive so far. Nothing to be worried about. Well, while we waited to go to dinner (met up with one of Shawn's old collage buddies Geoff "Abby" & his Wife Laurie) the snow started coming down seriously. The front desk lady told us that there was a storm coming and we could expect to see up to 20cm of white stuff.
Of course this "storm front" is in our direct path and want's to follow us all the way to our next stop which is Sault Ste. Marie and it's a long haul too.

Here is what our car looked like when we went to bed last night. (I don't think she is too happy.)

We have indeed woken up to a winter wonderland today. Thankfully we both packed boots, mitts & scarves! We are going to sit tight till lunch and then head out. We are told this is passing and if we let it get ahead of us we should be good. Don't worry though Mom/Mum....our friend from dinner last night is well connected with the OPP and said he would update us with the best accurate road information before we go. We have confirmed that our room here is avail for one more night should we need it.

Day 6

Portage to Dryden 450km

Today we crossed into Ontario!!!! 

One more time zone to go and Ontario is so big that we still have 4 days of driving to do. Ugh.

Here is a pic of us almost at our stop today. 6 days in....we don't look too tired?!

So today we were supposed to stop in Kenora. But when we pulled up to the hotel we sort of  wondered what we had booked. It looked nice on-line.....but ick. Standards people. So, we got back in the car and said where to? We found Dryden on the map and here we are. That helped shave 1hr and 45min off our drive tomorrow. Which is good because tomorrow include another time zone. 

We are staying at the Best Western.....not much to say....the "upgrades" that were done seem to have been mostly in the lobby. But, it is clean. 

Dinner was a mistake and our taste buds are wondering what happened. If you ever happen to stay here in Dryden.....please for your health and safety....do not eat at the B&B Roadside grill. It is here at the hotel and had received some fairly good reviews. Again....Standards. I just thew up in my mouth thinking about it.

Night Night

Day 4/5

Medicine Hat to Regina 466km

Regina to Portage Le Prairie 485km

I've combined these two days because well...really...it was the Prairies. Not much to say.

3 points about these two days come to mind.

1) My Sister-in-Law Andrea is from Saskatchewan as is my Brother-in-Law Josh. This was a shout out moment for them both.

2) I left my bamboo in the car over night. Ummm....it was -10 (Celsius) and in the morning when I rescued it, lets just say it didn't look so good. 

Here is what it looked like after we "saved" it.

Not terrible, but most certainly limp and lacked a certain.....umph.

Here is what it looks like today.

I don't think it's making a comeback. Sigh.

Back story about bothering to even travel all the way across the country with this bamboo. Well, two moves ago when we relocated from Vancouver to Halifax I brought my beautiful bamboo with us. Carefully transported each day in and out of hotels. Making sure it was watered. Finding a safe spot for it in the car. (That trip across was a full car....we also had Shawn's Sister Anita with us as well as Hunter.) So, 7 days into the drive we landed in Thunder Bay. On the 8th morning we drove off and headed for the HWY. I think about 1 hour in I pictured my bamboo sitting in the bathroom sink. We did not turn around and go get it. 

This trip I was determined to not forget my bamboo in some random sink. This time I clearly decided to take the approach of torturing it. Now just on principle (no matter how dead and soggy it gets) I plan on getting this to our new house. 

3) Dinner with amazing friends in Portage. 

Thank you to Danielle & Erik for hosting a superb dinner!!! (We hope your house sold?!) And of course it was a stupendously awesome bonus to also have Robbie & Kathryn there!!!

Day 3

Calgary to Medicine Hat 294km

I'd like to start by saying that this was intentionally a short drive. We usually plan a day off during our cross country drives (yes...I know....I use the plural form because we are old timers at this. In case you were wondering...this is our FIFTH time.) ....but this time decided to have a few short days and change some of the destinations to allow for it. 

Before I go on about the drive today, I would like to reminisce about a morning in Calgary 6yrs ago. Picture it......Day three (again) and we have woken up and packed the car. Oh, and my sister-in-law has joined us for that road trip from Vancouver to Halifax. (MISS YOU ANITA!!!!)  So....before the drive begins every morning, we always make sure there is a coffee of some kind in hand. This hotel was the Westin (same one as this round) and there happened to be a Starbucks in the lobby. I LOVE Starbucks. So...I was put in charge of coffee orders....I got back to the car and handed out the coffees. We were about 5 min out of the city and Shawn sipped his....oh lord help us the noise he made......apparently his coffee was NOT to order and was only a steamed vanilla milk. Ooops. So in my mind...I'm thinking ok....well...we will need to stop soon for a caffeine hit for Shawn. But nope.....he totally blamed me for this mix up. Um....I ordered what you asked for. I can't control that that is not what they gave me. Needless to say....a huge fight ensued (sorry Anita) and the rest of the day was done.  In fact the next two days were less then pleasant. To this day I would like to stand by my point that one should always sip their coffee before departing any establishment to ensure it is what they asked for. 

So....what I am trying to say is that this time....the morning in Calgary in the SAME hotel with the same Starbucks, we were anxious to see how the day would start. Good news.....our coffee orders were made as requested.  Thank goodness. Oh, and I made Shawn go get them. 

Moving on from my rather long winded rant...sorry about that....but to this day I feel verklemt just thinking about it!

Heading towards Medicine Hat.....hmmmm....not much to report....very much an introduction to the Prairies. Long, straight and boring. Lots of trains....very long trains. Tried to count, but got bored so I just stopped cause I couldn't be bothered. 

This is why I couldn't be bothered......it really made me sleepy.

Have you ever wondered why it is named Medicine Hat? I know you have lost sleep over it. Here it is....Medicine Hat trivia. You can thank me when this comes up in Trivial Pursuit.

 The name "Medicine Hat" is the English translation of 'Saamis' (SA-MUS) – the Blackfoot word for the eagle tail feather headdress worn by medicine men – or 'Medicine Hat'.

Did you also know that Historically, Medicine Hat has been known for its large natural gas fields, being immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as having "all hell for a basement"

Ok....we pulled into the Holiday Inn Express and proceeded to relax and have a beverage. 

I won't bother you with posting the link to the hotel....it's rather self explanatory. But it was nice and new, so not bad really.

We did however eat at a particularly yummy spot. We have become slaves to Trip Advisor. They haven't steered us wrong yet. So if you are ever in Medicine Hat we would highly recommend the Thai Orchid Room.

http://www.thaiorchidroom.ca

Ok, well that was fun!? Tomorrow.....on to Regina. Yes....for our American friends.....REGINA is the name. It is not mis-spelled ;)

Day 2

Vernon to Calgary 555km

Still an un-eventful drive. This is good. Knock on wood.

Our window crack has grown by one inch. Precisely.

Every time I get to drive through the Rockies I am amazed at how beautiful they are and just how small I am.

This is but a small section of the Rockies....but loved this particular shot.

I love to think about the poor souls who had to make this "pathway" through these here GIANT rocks.

This was one of our longer drives and it included driving over a time zone. Ugh....just when your think your making great time....bamm....tack on an extra hour.

Anywho....the snow storm we were warned about didn't end up being so bad. We did however need to use our snow brush that we remembered to throw in the car at the last minute though. But, really.....it's wasn't going to stop traffic.

Calagary for me has always been a traditional stop with family. My Aunt Nancy and my Uncle Jim have lived in Calgary as long as I can remember. Same house too. So over the years as a kid I have fond memories of visiting them. Shawn and I have now made it a tradition to always stop in Calgary as we (continually) relocate ourselves across the continent.

It was a delicious visit as per usual. Thank you to Uncle Jim who always provides a feast. I relish these  (too infrequent) visits with my family. I am always pleasantly reminded how much my family resembles each other. I also cherish the stories and tidd bits that I get hear about my Dad as a kid/young man. I did learn the other night that my Dad got his love for cheese from his Father. That made me smile because I now know where that love comes from and am pleased to say that I also got my love for cheese from my Father.

Me and My Aunt Nancy XO

It has been so long since our last stop in Calgary (6yrs!!?) that a whole new person has been created and joined this world!!! My second cousin Andrea had a baby and he is already 5!!!! Joshua is his name and he is a cracker!!

So after a wonderful evening filled with laughs, food and of course wine.....we headed back to our hotel to rest our weary heads. We stayed at the Westin. It was lovely.

http://www.westincalgary.com

Official Day 1 of the Drive

Vancouver to Vernon 434km

Uneventful...which is a good thing. 

Well....ok...there is one thing. Nothing major....don't panic.  But we already have a crack in the windshield. Jumpin Jimminy.....the sound of the rock perp as it assaulted us was so loud it scared the bajezus out of us. Needless to say...we will be marking it's "spread" as it progresses into our line of vision.

Other than that hiccup we made good time. Lunch of course was Subway in Hope. There really isn't much to say about that except that I LOVE Subway and am pleased to report that my Subway count for this trip so far is 2.

We thankfully managed to avoid the forecasted snow storm on the Coquihalla Hwy (I looked up this spelling so you know). There was still lots of snow, but nothing that made us have to stop. 

And right on schedule we pulled into our stop for the evening. Check out the view from our room. Yes....we now need to come back. 

Here is the link to this little "slice" of Heaven :)

http://www.predatorridge.com/stay/vernon-bc-room-predator-ridge-lodge.php

Unofficial Day 1

So after the stupidness of our "clean day"...we did eventually make it across the boarder (minus a few car admin details) and are officially back home in Canada!!!! YIP YIP!!!

We drove as far as Delta yesterday (I know....the 1hr & 45min drive nearly did us in!) We thought since it was Shawn's Birthday we would take it easy the first day. Oh, and of course we wanted to spend some quality time with family.........And pick up our 20+ bottles of wine ;)

After shaking off the horrors of the morning, we arrived at Shawn's Brother's house for a surprise gathering filled with Family!!! It was wonderful :) 

(two different pics - see if you can spot the diff - is what happens when you don't have a tripod!)

There was also birthday cake....of course....I mean you only turn 42 once....oops!!! Sorry Shawn...was I not supposed to say??? XOXO

It was such a lovely end to a horrible day that we both said thanks for family. They make everything better. 

We want to say a huge shout out to: Mum, Dad, Phil, Andrea, Eric, Samantha, U.Den, A.Helen, Brent, Karen, Brandon, Cathy, Jason & Remi for coming out to celebrate Shawn's special day as well as to wish us well as we embark on another Perry Style Adventure. We Love You. Miss you already.

Clean Day (11 April)

O.....M.....G.....what a frick'n nightmare. What should have been a fairly easy day turned into such a drama show.

"Clean Day" should entail....cleaning (as the name gives away) and then as a renter (shoot me now, may I never rent again) the "march out" where the property manager should come in and make sure we have left the house better than we found it (We did) and give us our deposit back. Then bata bing bata boom we head to the boarder and go home.

No. That is not how it went at all. AT ALL. To start I should just let you know that our Home owners were/are very nice. BUT that is not who we have had to deal with while renting. Property Managers.....words of advice if you own property.....get references for who you have manage it.

Long story short....we drove away 3 hours later than anticipated and no returned deposit cheque in our pockets. We left that house in better condition than when we took it on. $600 worth of cleaning (Carpets & Merry Maids) and the property manager is refusing to give us our deposit back because "we weren't ready" for them to do the walk through. The carpets were still wet. Ummm.....well....excuse me, but they were just cleaned that morning...on their advice. Of course they aren't dry....sweet baby jesus. Oh, and there were weeds in the yard/garden (yes....spring finally arrived and in the last two weeks some weeds have said "hello"). Give me a break. (There is a lot more that didn't pass their greedy assessment...but if you want the full story you best come for a visit and we will pour you a glass of wine.)

So we missed the hours at the boarder office that we needed to get to so we could clear our car back into Canada. That will now have to be done at a boarder crossing in Ontario at some point so we can licence our car. The whole thing was basically a messy mess. It's still not settled, but we do now have the home owners involved, as well as some amazing neighbours/friends who have stepped in to represent on our behalf now that we have left.

So we leave the USA behind with a bitter taste in our mouths. But thankfully it is only towards Property Managers.  Lesson learned: be very detailed on your initial walk though when renting property. Take thorough note AND photo's of EVERYTHING.

OK.....that rant is over....my telling doesn't do it justice....but let me tell you.....it was one of the shittiest days that we have experience to date. Oh....and it was Shawn's Birthday. Happy Birthday Babe.

Can we start the drive already?

Before we even start the drive, we have to survive the pre-pack, pack, load and clean day.

Today was the load day.......TWELVE hours to load the truck...maybe we do own too much stuff for just two wee people?! Ok, so yes.....Shawn's bike took up a whole end section of the truck. You should have seen him watching with eagle eyes as it was loaded! :)

Here is a pic of the almost finished pack job of the bike:

By time they were done building protective bars and planks around the bike you couldn't even see it!! That baby is probably the best packed item on there!

Tomorrow the cleaners do their thing and the carpets get a good 'ol steam clean. Then....inspection by the property manager and hopefully we will be presented with our deposit.

Then for reals....the drive begins. Ok, so we are only going as far as Delta BC for the first stop. Yes, to see family....but most importantly to pick up our stash of wine we have ever so slowly been stockpiling at my In-Laws. 2 bottles here, 4 bottles there.......do you know how cheap Dom Perignon is at Costco here in the States???

Meanwhile...while all this packing, loading and cleaning is being done, we have been staying at the nicest Inn in Coupville. It's about 10 min down the road from our house, and for those of you who watch the news, it is 10 more minutes to the major land slide that CNN was all excited about.

I've attached the link so you can have a looky lou. You just never know when you might need a place in Coupville WA.

http://www.thelovejoyinn.com

So yep...that is the first three days of this adventure and we are already tired. But, tomorrow the real fun begins as we drive from one country in the morning back home to Canada. Sigh......pray for a speedy and uneventful boarder crossing.

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY To The LOVE of My Life SHAWN PERRY!!!!! (tomorrow) (I am typing this today) (Does that make sense?...) Don't say I didn't take you anywhere for your special day ;) XOXOX

The Move

The packers arrive in three days. Holy heck where did the time go?

We are pretty much ready for them. I think. We have designated what's going in the car. We have printed, copied, scanned and pulled all paper work we feel should be with us. And even the dogs (who are no longer with us as you know) have been packed in a lovely satchel to join us on one more road trip.

We are off to the NEX this afternoon for one last panic shop. We will miss no tax purchasing. Especially when headed back to Canadian prices + 15% tax.

All our hotels are booked for the drive across.

The part of moving that never gets easy are the goodbyes. I've moved every 2-5 years of my entire life. You would think I'd be good at this. I think it is actually becoming harder. Gulp.

The flip side of course is the excitement when you move back to a place you've lived before and you have family and friends there. So once the sadness of saying goodbye has subsided the happiness of seeing everyone takes over. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions.

Well, that's my page for today. (Mostly procrastinating......I have bathrooms to clean.)

Tax Time

Today's thought is in the form of a joke. I "borrowed" this from a friend's post on Facebook.

We just filed our taxes this week, so when I saw this I needed to share.

Enjoy.....hope it makes you laugh!

Happy Thursday
XO
Sarah

******************************************************************************
Revenue Canada

At the end of the tax year, Revenue Canada office sent an inspector to audit the books of a local hospital. While the agent was checking the books, he turned to the CFO of the hospital and said "I notice you buy a lot of bandages. What do you do with the end of the roll when there's too little left to be of any use?"

"Good question," noted the CFO. "We save them up and send them back to the bandage company and every once in a while, they send us a free roll."

"Oh," replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in his obnoxious way? "What about all these plaster purchases? What do you do with what's left over after setting a cast on a patient?"

"Ah, yes," replied the CFO, realizing that the inspector was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. "We save it and send it back to the manufacturer and every so often they send us a free bag of plaster."

"I see," replied the auditor, thinking hard about how he could fluster the know-it-all CFO. "Well, What do you do with all the remains from the circumcision surgeries?"

"Here, too, we do not waste," answered the CFO. "What we do is save all the little foreskins and send them to the Revenue Canada office, and about once a year they send us a complete prick."

****************************************************************************************************

Tuesday's Rant

Just a quickie.....something that is close to my heart....Dogs. 

Watched a video this morning that made me cry at first and then smile. 

This is very much worth the 3 1/2 min to watch.....a happy ending from a nightmare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj7A-pUe9NI&feature=player_embedded

Puppy Mills need to be stopped. Please don't buy your animals from pet stores!!!!


You have two smart choices....

1) Rescue 

2) Use A Reputable Certified Breeder.......BUT if you do go with a breeder.....please research the bajeezes out of the breeders you chose.

Tuesdays rant done.
:)
Sarah 

Time To Go Insane

I'm more of a "program" fitness person. I am motivated by deadlines and parameters. Herein lies the problem. I do a program, get fit and feel good about myself. Then.....6 months later none of my clothes fit and I feel awful. Then the hunt for a program begins again.

So far my Husband and I have both done "Body For Life" (Good results) and P90X also with good results. We have also done Weight Watchers (which by the way.....actually works!). Yes, I know WW isn't a workout program, but it certainly helps with the weight loss :)

One of the phenomenons of moving here to the States has been the weight gain. We were a little slow on the uptake and have only just recently learned to split most meals that we order in restaurants. Really, when one orders an omelette, does it really also need to come with a "Stack" of pancakes as well as toast, potatoes and a side of pig?

Needless to say we are both back up to our lounging weight and have started the latest work out craze. This is were Insanity enters the Perry Household. Please note at this point that my Husband has been told he will be participating.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/best_sellers/insanity.do

If you are aware of P90X then you probably know the empire know as Beachbody. Well, this is the same empire that has put out Insanity. Shaun T is the likeable trainer that will indeed put you through your paces and make you want to die. Literally.

Insanity is a 60 day workout program that does not require any equipment or a lot of space. It's all about cardio, power and the use of your core. All the workouts are also 45min and under.....this was not the case with P90X which did make the motivation a bit hard after a long day of work. With Insanity you will sweat like you have never done before and the whole time your doing the workout you will wish you hadn't had that last beer the night before. The best part of the workouts is when they are over. I will add here that before you start the program there is a Fitness Test that you do to give you your bench mark. You will then repeat this test every 2nd week so you can see how you're improving. This test made my Husband look at me with daggers in his eyes and whilst trying not to throw up he promptly told me that he wasn't going to speak to me for a few days.

Today is day 9 of 60.  Breakfast is still digesting, but my stomach is already nervous because todays workout is called "Pure Cardio". I seem to recall from last week that I nearly threw up while attempting to make it to the end of this workout. Hhhmmmm.....maybe that second coffee this morning wasn't such a good idea?

Now that we are in week two, we are starting to repeat some of the workouts. It is motivating to already see an improvement in our ability to keep up. Every time I start a work out I just tell myself to do my best and that the only person I have to impress is myself. If I give it all I have for a whole 45 min a day I will thank myself (especially when the workout is done) and will be grateful to the changes that I hope to make to my body both physically and mentally.

The main reason I wanted to blog about this is to hopefully encourage you to get your butt off the couch and do something that your body will thank you for. It doesn't have to be some insane workout that will potentially kill you if your not already in some form of half decent shape, but at least get out there for a walk and then go from there. All you have to do is start...that is the hardest part.

In case your wondering, Yes....My Husband is now speaking to me again and I think he almost smiled as he headed downstairs to do his workout today!

The Best EVER Buffalo Chicken Dip!!!!

The Best EVER Buffalo Chicken Dip!!

4 x boneless/skinless chicken breast

1 x 12FL.oz Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce “Buffalo”

2 x 8oz cream cheese softened (let sit on counter while you prep the chicken)

1 x 12FL.oz jar Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing

2 x 8oz bags of shredded Mexican blend cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350

Cook the chicken in microwave till done, then blitz in a food processor

In one bowl mix the blitzed chicken with the bottle of Frank’s

In another bowl mix the softened cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and shredded cheese

Blend the two mixtures together and place in a baking pan at least 11in x 9in x 2in

Bake in the oven for 45 min

Our preference for dipping is to use Tostitos Scoops

This can be prepared before hand and kept in the fridge, and then baked just before needed!!

ENJOY!!!!!

Nick Rees 2012 ©

Sarah Perry 2012 Revised ©

Craving Canadian Products

I love my food. I have a thing for food. I like what I like. When I either can't get it here or what I can find doesn't taste the same, then I have to admit it makes me a little homesick. 

Listed below are some of the items that I regularly stock up on when we head North across the boarder.

Excuse me as I go make a Caesar to sip, while I write this :)

1) Mott's Clamato = Caesars: The essential ingredient in Canada's Cocktail and one of the best "hair of the dog" remedies!!

I went to the Mott's website to get some info on this wonderful ingredient and this is what it had to say:

A Canadian creation, the Caesar (or Bloody Caesar) was invented in 1969 to celebrate the opening of Marco's Italian restaurant at the Calgary Inn (now the Westin Calgary). Resident mixologist and food and beverage manager, Walter Chell, was commissioned to develop a new cocktail. He took inspiration from the flavours of Spaghetti Vongole (spaghetti with clams), and combined sweet (tomato juice), salty (clam nectar), sour (lime), spicy (Worcestershire sauce) and bitter (celery salt) into his new concoction. After naming it for the Roman emperor, legend has it that he served one to an Englishman who exclaimed: "That's a good bloody Caesar!"

That same year Mott's Clamato was introduced and is, without a doubt, Canada's original and most popular Caesar mix found on store shelves across the country and isused in most bars and restaurants. In fact, many establishments use the Caesar as their signature cocktail, with more than 350 million Caesars made with Mott's Clamato every year! No wonder it is Canada's Cocktail.

Traditionally you would use Vodka in a Caesar, but we prefer to use Gin. 

2) Shreddies: come on people....who doesn't know what Shreddies are??? They are simply yummy :)

3) Smarties: need I say more?? Ok, yes....maybe I should clarify.....Smarties are NOT Rockets.

4) HP Sauce: I realize this is a British Dietary staple, but we Canadians love it! My Husband puts it on just about every meat product. 

5) Bick's products: All of them.....the pickled beets to the hot hamburger relish, a must for a great tuna salad sandwich.

6) Bagged Milk: You may ask "What?" and I will answer....the best way to buy and store milk!!! It doesn't take up nearly as much room in the fridge, and you only open one bag at a time so the milk stays fresher for longer. You still get your gallon of milk, only you open it in smaller steps :)

7) Hawkins Cheezies: Yum. Yum. Yum. Best Cheezies EVER!!!

OK, now lets discuss a particular item that appears to be the same but simply is NOT. 

Kraft Dinner....oh how I do love my KD. Even as a grown up I love it. Now, I do realize that there are all kinds of KD varieties, but my favourite is the Sharp Cheddar. 

Upon moving here and stocking up our pantry we purchased our usual supply of "KD".  When I made our first batch and took the first bite....ick....both my Husband and said at the same time that this didn't taste very good. We though maybe it was a bad egg, a one off....you know? It is after all a food that will survive a nuclear war, so we assured ourselves that every once and a while a bad box makes it to the store. Not so, the next time we made it had the same result. 

So the following weekend that we happened to be heading North across the boarder for a family gathering we went and bought a few boxes. When we got home we made a batch and oh yes...there was that familiar delicious flavour. Hence we are happy again and well stocked with Canadian KD. 

Please refer to the picture below and take note that while at first glance you are seeing the "same" product, you actually aren't. 

                                     

Did you know???

Kraft Dinner (Canadian) is manufactured by Kraft Canada Inc., Don Mills, Ontario and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (American) is manufactured by Kraft Foods Global, Inc., Northfield, Illinois. Knowing that it is manufactured in two different places would certainly explain the difference in taste. 

A box of Kraft Dinner is 225g compared to the Macaroni & Cheese that is only 206g. (To think I was led to believe that everything is bigger and better in the States.) 

Let me assure you that Canadian KD tastes WAY better. Just saying.