Australia Bound

On Saturday night, October 8 2011, we left on British Airways headed to London, England. From London we will board a flight to Sydney, Australia! Our first major trip as a family for a very long time - I'm excited!

Summer Highlights 2010

Summer has been an amazing time for us this year, at least so far! July 1st weekend saw us hosting 20+ family at Buck Lake for a memorial to Ash's mom. Despite our loss we shared some great memories of Dhadima/Nanima and also got some water activities in as well.
The weather has been hot and sunny for most of July, allowing us some great days at Buck Lake with some golf mornings thrown in. Suniel joined us for several days leading up to Ash's birthday so some quality family time was had as well (often enjoying leasurely lunches in downtown Kingston with wine). My girlfriend Carol joined us at the cottage for an evening so lots of laughs were shared.
The last weekend of Ash's vacation saw us in Montreal, golfing with the newphews and visiting Gita in the hospital - she managed to have her gall bladder attack while we were visiting. At least it wasn't MY cooking!
The end of July has taken us to England to cousin Kiren's wedding at Monkey Island. Two days in London partying/sightseeing/pubbing with friends Tom & Helen from Copenhagen led into two days of family visits, culminating with a gorgeous wedding on an island. We also toured Windsor Castle with the Passis, and caught up on all of our lives.
Next was a three day stop in St. Lucia in the Caribbean (BA directly from London, how convenient!) - a longtime desired visit for Ash. The scenery and weather has again been gorgeous, and our hotel fantastic. Outdoor rooms, but with butler service - how decadent!
We will end our journey with a stopover in Miami Beach, hoping to finally find some art or photos for the condo living room, and joining Stephanie for two nights. We will need long walks on the boardwalk to compensate for the calories consumed (both food and liquid) on this trip, before we head home and back to work for Ash. Hopefully the pictures soon to be posted will accurately reflect the amazing time and views we have had on this, yet another amazing trip!

30th Anniversary Trip!

Greetings from our Celebration Trip - the one where we celebrate Ash & my 30th Wedding Anniversary (Aug. 4), Mom's 80th Birthday (Aug. 5) and Barb & Mark's 15th Wedding Anniversary (Aug. 6)! Along with the 6 of us for the ride are Stephanie and Stacia (albeit only for the first week of the trip).
We have spent 2.5 days in Ireland and are now in London, enjoying the pubs, the history and the sights. Tomorrow we head to Venice for the Italian experience. One night there for us before we board the cruise ship headed for the Greek Isles. The girls have two nights before they head home on Sunday. Another day - another city! Magnifique (not sure what that is in Italian...)

Rain in Maui :-(

So it does apparently rain in paradise, and torential downpours as well! But the whales still jump and play and the palm trees still sway, so a little rain is good for the Hibiscus flowers I suppose. The sun is now starting to peek out, so all is not lost for our trip to Lahaina this afternoon.

Maui

Now we are all on Maui, and staying at the most decadent hotel with an incredible view of the ocean, whales and property. They have just lit the torches and the sun is setting on another incredible day. Ash and I are on the balcony (he is reading) enjoying the last of the sun's rays and starting to think about our "happy hour".

I'm feeling very guilty about being here in this magical place on Barb's birthday, but know she is in the country (Bondville) with family and friends, so hope that she is enjoying her special day in her favourite way!

The Big Island

We arrived safely on the big island of Hawai'i on Sunday, landing in the pouring rain - so sad. Monday was mostly cloudy but Tuesday was hot sun and warmer temperatures, so all is good now! Ash is attending his convention, and Wendy just the cocktail parties and dinners with customers & friends at night. Lying on lawn chairs beside the ocean watching the whales is the order of the day, along with swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, reading and generally lounging around relaxing. Let's hope the sun sticks around!

Hawaii 2009

We are off on another adventure, this time to the Hawai'ian Islands for a convention and a family March Break trip. Stacia's best friend Ainsley is joining us this time - we sure hope she has fun!
Our first three nights are on Oahu, in the city of Honolulu. We are staying at the Moana Surfrider for the first time, and are enjoying the views of the surfers on Waikiki Beach. The weather has been overcast and drizzly, however, so no sunburns for the first part of the trip.
Stacia has already made her traditional "trip visit" to a medical clinic, having fought a sore throat for a few days. Strep Throat it is, and antibiotics are now the order of the day for her. She is still managing to get some shopping in, however!
We are hoping to get a visit to Hanauma Bay and some surfing in today before flying to the big island, Hawai'i, tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get a break in the weather this afternoon.