Montreal: Part Un

Prologue: The photos may or may not end up in the right order for descriptive purposes. I'm telling a story, people, bear with me...

What a trip! I and two of my friends have been talking about Montrèal for months (and I do mean several). We started this process in May with mere thoughts and ideas then booked our flights in August and finally, finally, it was time for vacation! October 24th, you're here!

We prepped an itenirary, we bought tickets where needed, and said, "let's just enjoy it,". And that we did!

I knew from the beginning that we'd all make great travel buddies because we were interested in similar things: history, fun, food, and picturesque scenery. And Montrèal has all of this, and then some.

DAY ONE:
I find it entertaining that on the eve of a 4:30AM pickup, I decided to stay up until 11. This makes sense, right? Needless to say, I was packed and waiting for my friend Jess who arrived quite promptly. We got to the airport very early, early enough to have a short security line and no open vendors. We decided to head towards our gate and at the turn towards our terminal, there's the Starbucks. That heavenly stop I always love to make whenever I fly IAH. The only Starbucks that hosts Cinnamon Chip Scones. What are those, you ask? Delicious concoctions that should be in every 'Bux across the land. Really.

I had my customary white mocha and scone in hand as we sat to wait for our other travelling companion, Lauren, to arrive. She lives in Kingwood which is really far away (in my opinion) but has one huge plus...whenever you're flying out of IAH you're merely twenty minutes away.

We knew that once we landed in Newark our layover was brief enough to warrant rushing from gate to gate and so we did. We walked fast, took the stairs, and hopped onto the bus to transfer us. It was beautiful scenery...who am I kidding...we saw the underbelly of Newark's airport and it ain't too pretty. But we made it to our gate in enough time to grab an Auntie Anne's pretzel snack before waiting patiently to hear "Now boarding flight...". But the words didn't come, the loudspeaker didn't announce and the scurrying back and forth by crew members had me thinking we were in for a...

"Sorry folks, we are experiencing maintenance issues. Please wait until further notice for more details."

...surprise. Well, drat. Ok, but surely they can fix it in no...

"Ok everyone, please be advised we are getting you a new plane. Please go to Terminal (can't recall, but I do know it was the one we had just come from) and Gate (it didn't matter at this point) and you will board there."

...time. Well, drat again. We lugged our goods back to our original terminal we landed in and proceeded to wait another thirty minutes before boarding. And thus we began our Canadian adventure...

My partners in crime for the week, Jess and Lauren.

We landed safely in Montrèal and with a brief jaunt through customs we were in Cananada! With some guidance from a very cheeky, flirtatious Information Guide we boarded our bus into town. Several days later when we left, I realized we should have made ourselves a mite more knowledgeable about the subway system to get us closer to our hotel, but no matter. The climb up the stairs at City Hall with my self-size suitcase was thrilling considering my heavily pumping heart at the top. No big deal.

The entrance to our hotel...this is not a joke.

Our navigational skills proved superb and before long we had arrived!

Success! ****Yes, this is not the first night we arrived. Please forgive the photographer in me.****

It was fairly late when we stumbled on our hotel. The first thing we noticed was the monstrous entrance to the Marche Bonsecours across the street...

Really intense dome! We couldn't make it up there, though. Rats!

And then we strolled down Rue Saint Paul, the main tourist thoroughfare. Night shots!

Plaza! To be referenced later...

City Hall.

DAY TWO:
I don't think any of the three of us was surprised when we all popped our heads up at 7:30AM (6:30AM our time). We are all early risers back home and in to work with the sun. But with a view like this, it was hard to want to leave the room...

Told you!

With a tasty breakfast under our belt (they are really big on sliced ham and cheese, no complaints!) we went in search of the Museum + Metro pass. Just a note to Tourist Information stops, maybe you shouldn't be cash only? Not all tourists come armed accordingly.

Failure count: 1

One block away was one of our impending historical stops, Chateau Ramezay, and we queried the lady behind the counter if she had any of these illusive passes.

Keep count now, because Failure count: 2

Not to be thwarted by circumstance we walked down the plaza (reference: above photo) to the Lychene Canal to the Science Museum. And with a quick walkie talkie conversation, magically three passes materialized! Thank you, Tanner looking Science man.

Our transactions concluded we began walking away from the counter before being stopped in our tracks by the map explanation of the museum and how best to view its entire length.

Sorry, Science man, we just totally used you for your pass.

The night before, the girls and I mapped out our historical circuit of Old Montrèal and began it with the Archaeological museum right across the street from where we got our passes. We were amongst many groups of small children speaking in French and I realized, oh right, it's a school day! I ended up learning quite a bit about the history of the city; that the area we were in, known as Old Montrèal is the site of the original fort and city when it was first established. We saw remnants of the stone wall underneath the museum as well as where they were continuing their ongoing archaeological dig. If only we valued the history of our own city like these folks do.

After gleaning what we could in French (and some in English) we headed back to the Chateau Ramezay.

Chateau Ramezay: Historical Society has been here since the late 1800's

 Quick history: Ramezay was Governor of Montrèal and when he was through with the house, a company moved in, then a teaching school, and during the Revolution of 1776, was occupied for about seven months by the US! Benjamin Franklin stayed here briefly before leaving in frustration basically saying it would be easier to buy Canada than to bring Canadians to our side. Funny!

The house has been well maintained and you can wander through both floors and nearly all the rooms.

Getting her knowledge on. In each room there were kiosk podiums with an audio and video collage of information and all you had to do was pick up one of these little remote controls with a speaker in them. I want this in my house...

Thankfully Lauren has a good sense of humor because I couldn't help but point out that she fits in this archway quite nicely.

And I do not. Rock star bump definitely didn't help, either.

There once were three CPA's who went on an adventure...

After enriching ourselves with some history of Montrèal, we moseyed down to the Metro and took our first spin on the mighty subway! Boy howdy, it's clean, it's fast, it goes everywhere! I love the Metro! We went in search of maps off the Tourist path and found our first non-English speakers. Which was a mighty challenge, I tell you what. While everyone approached you in French, they quickly transitioned to English when 1) asked or 2) you stared, wide-eyed at them.

The map adventure produced no goods, so we traversed back to the hotel to refresh ourselves before dinner and a night out on Rue Saint Catherine.  Another fantastic component of Montrèal visitation: all restaurants posted their menu's streetside. We ate at a Canadian micro-brewery chain called 3 Brasseures (translation and spelling, unknown) and wandered around, taking the night images in. Fascinating to see an Aldo store and a block down from it a strip club. For men AND women. Definitely a cultural eye-opener...oh, we prudish Americans.

We wandered without success so stopped in for a bottle of wine right before closing time and Metro'd home to chill on our terrace deck. Day two, success!

I bet you can't wait to see more! There's a mountain whose name became Montrèal's, hanging with ghosts and a Biodome, not to mention a Chocolate Star that made our day. Just you wait!

Sweat Equity

I love watching the leaves fall and cover the ground with their multi-colored beauty (yes, even in Texas...yes, it's mostly brown). What I don't love is raking leaves but rather sweeping...sweeping them directly into my slip of a backyard and letting them pile up.

I decided it was time to do some cleaning. My backyard was looking rough (at least to me as compared to when I moved in). I wanted to clean up the old mulch and dead leaves, weed and re-mulch, trim the grass plants and the trees. Finally the day arrived a week ago that I rallied myself with a great pep talk and got myself into the yard.

I had bought a small rake at Target just for the occasion and finally opened my new work gloves.

Look how scraggly and raggedy this looks!

The ugly decomposing leaves are taking away from my pretty patio.

Don't cover my tree!

After I cleaned up the old mulch and dead leaves I moved on to weeding. I hate weeding. Your knees hurt, your back hurts, sweat drips in your eyes and bugs crawl all over. But I did it!

Look at my fantastic work gloves...like a boss.

This ugly thing is ready for its close up.

 I finished half the work the Friday before Labor Day and enjoyed the weekend in Austin so fast-forward to the first Sunday of 2012 NFL and I called in the big guns...my dad!

This ended up being one of the more fun things that got done. I grasped the base of the plant and pulled my hand up to the height I wanted and *snip*!

I was tired of scraping my gate against this limb.

Look at the progress!!! I had to stop once in awhile just to admire it because this wasn't a DIY show that was capturing my hours of labor into a cute, 30-minute short. I did this!

Hello, gorgeous! Yeah, ya didn't know there was a downspout there, did ya? Surprise!

My dad counted out my mulch requirements and we hopped in the car and headed to Lowe's. He's a fan of Pine Bark Mulch due to its size and good decomposition so I went with the master and bought 7 bags for my back patio and front yard.

Look at Jack go! I'd still like to own my truck, thank you...

Mulching is actually far easier than expected and definitely more fun. I put my gloves back on and followed behind my dad as he emptied each bag, smoothing out the mulch. Dark, rich and beautiful it immediately transformed my patio back to its original beauty when I first moved in.

Tada! I think it looks phenomenal and feels so much cleaner.

I can see the plants, they look well kept and with the obtrusive limbs gone, the patio can breathe again!

I like my mulch to be a highlight to the growth above it.

A mighty big thanks to my Popsicle for helping out and making a big difference with both my knowledge growth and the healthy growth of my back yard!

My dad is the best! After we wrapped all this up, we went to Ace Hardware. We walked in and a very cute puppy in a very cute shirt was caged and waiting for a brand new owner so when my dad asked, "What do we need?" I said, "I need a puppy."

I don't. I'm really not ready to be a mother. I like being lazy and I like being carefree after work. All in due time...

We wandered the store picking up a few gardening essentials (the three-pronged piece that I always called a trowel incorrectly and a small shovel) as well as a hose nozzle so I can make myself start to water my back and front yard! Oh, and my new aloe vera plant that my parents gave me. Thankfully, it doesn't require much watering or I'd be screwed.

I am very grateful for his help and even more so for my new again back patio. It was very satisfying and I look forward to doing a better job of maintaining it all!

Now, what shall I do next...

Life's been a blur

The summer has come and nearly gone and I can't quite figure out what all I did!

I know there were two weddings:



Congratulations to the new Suter family, Allison and Greg!
(A 4 months pregnant SIL, I can hear the disbelieving scoff.)



So excited to see my friend PyL get married!
(And the SIL finally looks a little pregnant, hooray!)

There was some fun in the sun:

I love this crew! Read how much fun I had: here!



Try and tell me this little Boo isn't beyond adorable and completely squeezable all the time!



Then there was Bunco, Bingo and a birthday:



RING THE BELL!



The math was outta whack this night.




77 and still lookin' good, Papaw!



And studying inbetween.


So that's where the summer went...come on then, fall, I'm ready!

Shalom!

In May 2011, my dear friend, Tara, immigrated...yes, immigrated...from the United States of America to Israel. Her dreams had been calling to her since she was a child and she told me she feels perfectly at home and at peace.

Granted, I was left remiss considering my friend had moved halfway across the world, but alas, I could not forsake her joy for my sadness. It was too infectious!

Over a year has passed and when one trip home fell through, I didn't know when I'd get to see her lovely face back in the States. That is, until she suddenly posted she was IN HOUSTON. Wait, what say you? You're here? In my city? And literally down the street from me considering I now live in the same neighborhood as her old house? Check, ok.

I bombarded her with texts of when we could meet up and finally scored two dates: coffee on Sunday and a traditional taco Tuesday at Taqueria Laredo.

On Sunday, I learned about her life there and how different the culture could be at times from here. She told me she missed real Tex-Mex and especially Taqueria Laredo. She exuded such an incredible vibe, I knew that her life in Israel was exactly what she was seeking. We parted ways with the excitement and expectation for horchata and tacos on Tuesday!

I was glad time went by quickly and Tuesday came fast. I picked her up bright and early at 6AM and we were off to Laredo.

They love me? I love them!

Our good friend, Rosa, joined the party and our little troop was complete. We ordered a delicious array of tacos and they were better than I remembered.

Action shot: this lady was sooooo happy!

I was so mad at myself that I hadn't gone here since before my friend had left for Israel. Shame on me! And correction to be made soon!

They don't make 'em like these across the pond!

Horchata = this kid's favoritest drink potentially in the whole wide world.

Breakfast was stellar and over before I knew it and I was craving more! We had our horchata's topped off for a measly $1 and we exited the house of joy. 

In my opinion, there's no better way to say, "So long, for now!" than enjoying one last taco time breakfast with the crew. Rosa, Tara, myself and Tara's sister, Jenny, all gathered once more at Laredo and chowed down!

Once again the table was coaxed into silence as the delicious food filled our bellies and the horchata glided so tastefully across the tongue. Tara flew back home (so strange to say home is Israel!) and I cannot WAIT to see her again...be it across the pond or right here in Houston.

Bingo, not just for your Grams anymore

5 bottles of wine to 6 bodies of women. Almost but not quite equal...

Let me begin this post by freely admitting that I associate myself with the "hipster" crowd that has emerged over the last few years. I listen to the music, I shop vintage, I wear cross-body purses.

Though I still refuse to wear boots, hats, and scarves when the temperature gauge tells me not to be a fool.

Now that I've prepped you...BINGO!

Every Thursday at Lodge 88 located at 1435 Beall St. old ladies, children, teenagers and yuppies alike all gather to enjoy the droll yet invigorating game of Bingo. You remember Bingo, right? An older white haired caller will mumble numbers into a microphone for a period of hours during which everyone playing is furiously stamping their cards to keep pace!

And it's awesome. You giggle at O69. You boo at the winners, then clap as they accept their prize.

You buy cheap food and beer and enjoy a very cheap game with great friends and even better conversation. I've made paper airplanes and totally scored like 50 points playing trash can basketball. I've bonded with my neighbors and chowed down on freshly delivered pizza. It honestly feels so wholesome and clean it's hard not to have an even better time.


No wonder the girls were late, they had to buy all the crackers and cheese that could be found at Spec's.

Game cards cost $5. A stamp that will last you a lifetime costs $1. You sit for 4 hours and people watch, and gab and chat and eat and drink and then you go home. It supports a local organization and it's simple fun. Old school, fun. There's no electronic scoreboard, it's a Light Bright board of rows and numbers.



Workin' it. Here are the girls from work: Lallipop, the Russian, myself and Lauuuuura

 Needless to say, I've been many times and intend to go many, many more. Please join!

Ginger Jess joined the fun!

AP-Jess is one of the best. She took over for Marina when she quit. The Russian gave up! <--Not surprised.

Florida, where everybody drives slow and nobody seems to care

To my dearest friend, Carriecake,

How the hell do you manage living there when you drive 50x more aggressively than this kid? Lord love ya, woman, because, as you said, no one there does.

On the day of my departure to the great state of Florida, I was humbly requested to become a taco mule for my friend and her sister and I lovingly obliged. But not before completely spazzing out that I couldn't make it through security, no way, no how...thank you, my dear friend, for loving me despite my neurosies.

Body weight in burritos? Check. I'm ready to fly. This bag did get flagged for a second scan and when the guy said this I replied nonchalantly, "Tacos," as if that were the most logical explanation ever given.

I arrived in the sunny state of Florida at 7PM sharp the day after Independence Day. The traffic was light (thank you, summer) and the flight was short (gotta love that tailwind across the Gulf). Outside of one fairly major dip of the airplane upon descending through the clouds into Orlando (with a lovely screamer to boot) it was a quick trip, through most of which I read the last book (most likely) of a series I've been reading for a few years (Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore; check out the first book, Graceling).

One of the best people on this planet and beyond! No, not me, that ginger on the left!

One of my most favoritest people in the whole, wide world, Carriecake, picked me up and we were on our way to a great vacay....shun. We meandered East and slowly approached the ocean and she drove me through "town". Mostly one long road with not much on it except closed down shops and then an adorable little main street with cobblestones and sideshops. And a teenage boygirl that tucked it back really well and were it not for shim's outrageous heighth, I may not have guessed otherwise. Oh, and the voice. But other than that... In an old folk's town? I asked my friend. And she said, Oh honey, just watch for the old gay men in their spandex and neon.

And I saw them. All over. And I'm okay with not ever seeing a leathery old man in too tight and bright shorts without a shirt wandering down the street again. Ever.

She took me to the beach and I took in my first moment of meeting the Atlantic. I've now seen both coasts and both oceans and I am ecstatic about this! The water was chilling and the sand was comforting between my toes.

Hey, the ocean's thataways...

We finally arrived back at her home and settled in for the night after a brief tour of her new digs. They are PERFECT with tile floor and wood laminate, a screened in back porch, and two full bathrooms! Plus, I was completely envious of her enormous laundry room.

In the morning, she jetted off to work and I was picked up for a day of leisure by her sister (whom I love to bits and pieces...why can't y'all all live here?). We did yoga, I got French kissed by her dog while in down-dog (irony much?), and we made raw balls. Yes....I did just say that.

Comprised of natural peanut butter she had just made (and for which I shelled many a peanut), cocoa powder, walnuts, oats and dates with a dash of cinnamon I have now found my new favorite food. No, really...it's amazing. Blend all that together and ball it up...what a one-two punch of flavor and health! Pow-pow!

After this, we biked to the pool and I got to enjoy my first sun in quite awhile. I love being hugged by the sun! Her sister is a health and workout junkie so I knew that the afternoon workout would be just as, if not more, challenging than the morning yoga session! And I was ready...bring it, sistah!

Double fisting...and just because it's water doesn't mean it don't count!

How awesome is it that Carrie and her sister live less than two miles apart? And look at me all confident on a bike! No pictures were captured of my continued inability to turn very well. I'll get there someday...

Bug, Bex and beans:Taco Cabana burritos! Best burrito a trek across state lines and over a body of water can get you!

Owie....owie...it kinda hurts to walk a little. And it was completely worth every minute. Hope my bestest work buddy in the whole wide world is ready for some new fun things to do on our workout dates!

CC and I spent the evening with Max, Isabelle, Maria, Michael, Sheriff Valenti and our favorite, Liz, with a delicious coffee concoction created expressly for this occasion.

My kinda Friday night, I do declare...

All for the makings of a most delectable drink.

Saturday morning dawned bright and early and a little too early for my friend, Carrie, considering I woke her with a bunch of jibber jabber in my sleep at full Becca volume.

She has no idea what I said, and neither do I, but at least she was entertained. Um, hooray?

We loaded up the car with chairs and an umbrella, towels, snacks and drinks and lugged our beautiful selves to the beach. When we were joined later by Katie and Eric (sis and BIL), the crew was complete (except for Mikey).

Must love sand everywhere, even in your edibles.

This is how we doooo it.

There was much to celebrate whilst at the beach: two baby sea turtles made their way in to the ocean (not kidding), and so did Carrie! You mightn't think this a big deal except the woman hadn't been in any ocean since she was a kid. Yeah. This was huge...and assuredly entertaining. She traipsed out holding on to her sister's hands and I at her back for moral support. She ventured a step further with each breath and bore the brunt of the cold waves until she could stand hip-deep and dip her head under. We cheered and applauded and then watched as the bruises on our arms grew more pronounced from her grip.

Just kidding, she wasn't that bad! But she is funny..."Why aren't y'all moving as much as me?" To which I replied, "Because we are moving with the ocean!"


After soaking in the sun and enjoying the refreshing feel of new skin after getting sand everywhere, we meandered home for a lazy afternoon of recuperation. Carriecake attacked my eyebrows with her tweezers of fury before I even knew what hit me so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when later I caught her staring at them before my head was seized again and the tweezers appeared out of nowhere. In the end though, my caterpillarbrows were mangled into shape and groomed into submission and I love them! Thank you, Carriecake! (Note: I did NOT take before and after pictures up close...make your assumptions from the photos posted thus far and those to come.)

The night fell upon us and the house came alive with the smell of delicious turkey burgers, sweet potato fries (homemade, of course) and the sounds of chopping and sizzling vegetables. We was having a party and I finally got to meet my friend's main squeeze, Jase! My clever friend came up with a cleverer name for my SIL's drink (see 10/16/2012) Front Porch Brandy and the whole crowd enjoyed!

Wipe off your keyboard, nobody likes a drooler.

As if having a delicious meal, home cooked with love, for nearly every meal thus far wasn't enough, Sunday morning came with another guest, Carrie's brother, and scones from a delicious bakery. Oh, and I should mention the fresh brewed coffee with sweetened milk, also hand-created by the extraordinary Carrie.

Let me stress: I am 5'7'' and my head barely graces his shoulder. This gentle giant has dinner plate hands and a heart of solid gold! You're the best, Mikey!

The next few pictures will perfectly sum up my experience while at Downtown Disney, to which we three (Carrie, myself and her SO, Jase) ventured so I shall leave you with them as I bid adieu to a great vacation and one of the most refreshing weekends of my life with my dearest friend, Carriecake. I love you!

I seem to be fondling Buzz's left moob.

Jase and Carriecake, aren't they pretty?

My favoritest princess of all! Hail to the Princess Auroooora!

This picture encapsulates us fully: While I am willing to climb upon a brick stand and lean out from a pole like any ridiculous gal, I am still reserved in the end. But my dearest doll, Carrie, completely lives out loud without reservation or hesitation. Plus, she's gorgeous and always knows how to put together an outfit. She's my idol!

Thank you for being an amazing host, feeding me incredible food and driving me halfway across Florida twice! Until next time, my dear!

Not your typical Friday

(5/11/2012, I think...)

For me, at least, today was not typical, considering how lazy and busy (strange combination) I've been on every other red Friday (I work a 9/80 schedule where I get every other Friday off).

It began with an early wake-up (7:30AM after 9 hours of sleep, complete fair trade) and quickly transitioned into another Becker chapter in preparation for my exam in less than three weeks.  I couldn't help but feel accomplished when I wrapped it up and caught up on my study schedule.

Earlier in the week, I informed my work buddy that I had a treat for us to do in the gym on Friday: an all-body workout that I was introduced to by this super athletic chick that works with us. Hey, if I can do it, anybody can!
Perhaps I should rephrase that statement: Hey, if I can do it mostly successfully, then surely others can moderately match me!

And mostly successful we were! We only tipped over a few times, and collapsed to the mats a few others. But triumph we did and we've got something new to do on occasion in the gym to mix things up a bit.

After such a challenging workout it only made sense to imbibe in some deeply satisfying Starbucks coffee and good conversation. The weather was perfect: the sun was shining bright, the wind was light, cool and playful and I could order a hot drink and not start sweating just thinking about it. We discussed movies and television (everyone should see Temple Grandin and Extras, respectively) and cash diet logic, which is as follows:

When you return an item and get money back, it's considered free money.
As in, feel free to use it as you see fit, it's money back in your pocket!

I exercised this logic not but a few minutes after we'd split from coffee. I returned an item, I purchased a bike helmet. Boom, logicked. I think I should mention I saved two dollars during this process.  It was while I was at Academy that I decided to venture to the shoe arena and find a pair of bowling shoes.

Yes, bowling shoes. I have found cheap bowling, therefore I will buy bowling shoes to better my game. I walked the aisles and finally found my quarry...and was thoroughly disappointed in the selection. However, I persevered and grabbed a box of the black and hot pink (trust me, not as cute as you would think) and the grey and black men's shoe (because the other ladies' shoe option looked like an old woman's walking shoe; I may act old, but I refuse to dress it.) My vanity grew more pronounced with each shoe and I finally closed both boxes with a defeated sigh and moved to return them before being stopped by two guys I had seen wandering the aisles a few minutes before.  Turns out they work for Academy and happen to have bowling as their realm of marketing/logistics.

What are the odds? At least, that's what they said to me when they chatted me up about their shoes.

I was so excited that my opinion was impacting someone! I told them they needed more options for ladies and that the breadth of brand was paltry as to what I would expect at an Academy. They probably regretted initiating a conversation with me as I was very liberal with my opinions. :-D
After informing them I'd be buying nothing from the bowling arena of Academy, I sallied forth from their and made my way to the grocery store. If there's anything I'd ever recommend it's never go to the grocery store hungry...or right after working out. But, to give myself credit, I walked out with vegetables and milk, eggs and basic ingredients and only one pack of organic Oreo cookies.

And maybe a pint of ice cream.

And it was delicious.