Boooooooo

Good morning and Happy Halloween! It’s Monday (again) and even though the day is dragging on a bit, I am in a pretty good mood today. My mood, however, has nothing to do with it being Halloween. I’m sorry if I sound like a Debby Downer, but I am not a big fan of Halloween. Though I think it is a lot of fun when you are a little kid, or when you have little kids, I think there are many years in between when it is just an over-hyped occasion much like New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Now please, don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those people who won’t go to a party or who turns off their lights and doesn’t give out candy… but I do happen to be one of those people who does not like to dress up.  I really don’t like to be a poor sport, but I can never seem to find a costume that I feel comfortable in. And no one can say I don’t try. T & I spent most of our Saturday running from store to store trying to find ANY inspiration and found NOTHING.  They are either too expensive, too itchy, too goofy or …. How do I put this? Too … revealing.  I don’t dress provocatively in my normal life, so I see no need to use Halloween as an excuse to do so. HOWEVER, for those who like to dress up I say “More power to you!!” Just because I’m not into it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the work others put into their costumes. I give a lot of credit to all those creative people who really put their all into their costumes and totally rock it. On Saturday night T and our friend M threw a Birthday/Halloween Party and it was so much fun. With a Mexican themed menu, Halloween décor and plenty of drinks, it was a great success. So thanks again to T & M for all their hard work and Happy Birthday again to Miss S. I would also like to give a shout-out to K for the amazing Halloween Birthday Cake she whipped up on short notice… It was awesome!



 On another note, it was our Mom’s birthday yesterday and we all got together at their house for a delicious meal and birthday cake prepared by K. We laughed, drank wine, sang happy birthday and had a great time. So happy birthday Mom! You deserve the best for all you put up with :)

 One last thing… I had mentioned last week that my boyfriend’s brother and his wife were expecting their second child. Well, last Wednesday at around 3 AM they welcomed a happy, healthy, beautiful baby boy. They haven’t decided on a name yet, but they will soon. I have only visited him once since my boyfriend has a cold and doesn’t want to get the baby sick, but I plan on stopping by after work to see him and big brother in his Halloween costume. I posted a picture of me holding the baby. I apologize for my frazzled appearance but I didn’t get much sleep the night before… and boy can you tell! He, however, is adorable and chill... everything you could ask for in a baby. He didn't even cry when I was holding him, though I'm sure he could sense that I was nervous!



That is all for now… but Happy Halloween everyone! Try not to eat too much candy! I can't make any promises.

With Love, 

S

GOING BANANAS

Costco is great for many things - frozen pizzas, my favorite chips, books, fun toys, beer and best of all free samples.  Buying in bulk is a lot less expensive (I often find myself saying "x amount for one? I can get 10 of those at Costco for the same price" - btw flour is the best example of this) and easier as I don't have to run out nearly as often to get whatever it is I've run out of.  

Earlier this week, my husband came home from his weekly trip to Costco with the usual but this time he added bananas to the list.  I didn't want to criticize him because his intentions were good - he knows I love bananas and that I buy them each week at the grocery store.  But all I could think was who is going to eat all of these bananas....there were at least a dozen?  I knew that it was only a matter of time before one went bad and the rest of the bunch would decide to follow!  That was Monday, it is now Thursday and although I have eaten my share of bananas this week, I woke up this morning to the inevitable.  SOOOOO...guess what I spent my afternoon making.  Yes - banana bread.  I have banana bread for me (with chocolate chips), one for my husband (without), one for my dad and one for my grandpa. 



I don't love making it because mine don't usually turn out that great but today I used this recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-banana-bread-ii/detail.aspx) and it was delish!  My husband loves banana bread which now leads me to wonder if he didn't have an ulterior motive with this excessive banana purchase.  Either way, I am happy (because the bananas are gone), he is happy (because he has his fresh bread) and we have agreed to leave bananas on the grocery list, not the Costco one.

Good evening everyone.

Love T

Destination: Somewhere

I need to take a break from work/research for a few minutes, so I decided to write a quick post.  The research I have been doing is for our yearly ‘mother-daughter girls’ trip’ that we take every year in March.



The group is usually 9, but will (hopefully) grow and include a few new vacationers this year. The trip is always a huge success, despite the few unavoidable arguments that sometimes occur, and we always leave counting down the days until our next rendezvous. T is the ring leader of the group and does most of the work when it comes to looking for the perfect location for our next adventure. We are all pretty easy going, but we all have our ‘non-negotiables’ which, combined, make it near impossible to find a place that will meet all of our expectations. Here are some examples: direct flights ONLY, all inclusive INCLUDING WINE, somewhere safe, somewhere hot, somewhere clean, good service, nice beach… I think you can see where I’m going with this. Oh, but I forgot one small itty bitty last detail: We don’t want to go back to the same place twice.



 We’ve been to a few places in Mexico, we’ve been to Bahamas, St-Lucia, St-Thomas, Cayman Island, St-Martin, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Barbados and Cuba.

 We are so so so blessed to have been able to visit all of these amazing places and we are so excited for the opportunity to experience something new. So… Any ideas?

With Love,

S

Girls Night

Monday is gone and I couldn’t be happier. Despite an 8 o’clock meeting this morning, that went a little too long, the sun is shining and I am in a good mood. Why the good mood? Tonight is our weekly ‘Girls Night Out’.  Nothing in this world makes me happier than spending time with my girls and that is exactly what I plan on doing this evening. We will be meeting up at this cozy Italian restaurant that has live jazz on Tuesdays to chat over good food and good wine. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect Tuesday Night. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things in my life that make me happy: my family, my boyfriend, good movies… but there is something so special about being with a good group of girls, and let me tell you, this is one good group of girls. We aren’t catty or jealous with one another, but supportive and genuine friends. I am proud to know these girls and call them my friends. On a side note, something that makes me a little sad is that there will be two missing. Not just tonight, but every girl’s night. See, my sister in law K (ok not my sister in law, my sister’s sister in law but therefore also mine) and T’s friend P both live in Toronto and can’t make it to our dinners. They also fit so well into the group and we wish they could be here with us. We miss them though, and will be sure to have an extra glass of wine for them :).

T and I will be doing a quick yoga class before dinner which I am also looking forward to. For now, it’s back to work for me. So have a great day and I’ll be back tomorrow. Cheers!

 

With Love,

S

Moody Mondays (Part II)

If you’re like me, sitting in your office answering endless emails and phone calls that inevitable take up most of your Monday, then I am sure you are probably thinking some less-than-nice thoughts about my sister’s recent post. I, however, also work as a real estate broker (research analyst by day, real estate broker by night… and weekends) and I can tell you that she puts in more than her fair share of working hours and deserves her mornings to herself. As she mentioned, we work AROUND everyone else’s schedules which means Saturday and Sunday afternoons, evenings and most long weekends. We are always on call; ready to jump into action if someone wants to visit a property or make an offer, and have our cell phones glued to our hands 24/7. The real estate world is a shark tank and you can’t survive if you don’t want to live this type of lifestyle. Those that are around you also have to be willing to put up with you and let me tell you, many are not. We, however, are lucky to have a very supportive family who (usually) understands when we have to take a phone call at dinner or run off for ten minutes to answer an email. We have also managed to build a very strong group of friends who take us for who we are and everything that that entails. It helps that a good part of them are also real estate brokers, which is a feat in itself, and have the same hectic schedules as ours. We are so lucky to be able to say that, in a business that is so cut-throat, we have managed to make amazing friends who can put work and the competitive aspect of our business aside to be our friends. I know that these people are, in the same way as my sister and I, honest business people and genuine friends who we can turn to for help or advice.  We know we can call them when we just need to vent about our stress, and they will truly be there and listen without thinking about how they can steal our client or mess up our sale (believe me, I’ve heard horror stories). As they say, people change when money is involved… but not these people.  

But enough about real estate, I feel the same way about Mondays as everyone does. They suck.  As hard as I try, I always wake up in a grumpy mood and it takes me until at least lunch to shake it off. No matter how good my weekend was… Monday is always bleh.  Though I was able to relax for the first time in months this weekend, it wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be. I’ll admit it… I miss the wedding. I miss the planning, the showers, the surprises, the anticipation… All of it.  As T said in her post, we have filled up our time with girls nights, and family dinners and I am so happy to see her so happy. It’s not that I’m bored; it’s that I love planning. I love color schemes, and menus, and preparing. I truly miss it. And I truly miss this:



I am happy, however, to say that I will soon have something else to preoccupy me: A baby. NO!!! Not T’s baby! My boyfriend is going to be an uncle for the 6^th time and the baby is due in less than 2 weeks. Yesterday we went to visit his brother, the big brother to be (who is 2 and a half), and the expecting mother. I hadn’t seen them since before the wedding and it was so nice to see them. The nursery is ready, the house is prepped, and now they are just waiting. My boyfriend and I will be watching big brother during the birth, so we are pretty much on call. Any day now! So even though the wedding excitement has simmered down, now there will be a new baby in my boyfriend’s family and that is pretty darn exciting!  I better get back to my endless emails and voicemails that need to be answered. Happy Monday and Happy Week!



With Love,

S

Moody Mondays

Beware, moody girl in the house!  I always seem to wake up on the wrong side of the bed on Monday mornings.  For most people it is obvious why Monday does not excite them.  But I do not work a normal Monday-Friday job so it is definitely not because I have to head to the office for the start of a full week of work - in fact I woke up at 10 this morning and am still sitting on my couch in my pjs anxiously waiting the fresh pot of coffee I have brewing in the kitchen to be ready. 

 

Because I work in real estate, my hours are usually the opposite of most people's - evening and weekends.  Nonetheless, I enjoy passing the bars on the way to my showings and seeing the workers pilling in for happy hour.  I love the feeling in the air in Old Montreal on weekends with all the locals and tourists wandering around.  It always puts a smile on my face when I am doing an open house and a family comes in together - usually coming from some weekend activity: swimming lessons, soccer, or ballet - shopping for the perfect house for their family...how exciting.  It does not take much to make me happy. Put me with a group of people having fun and it is contagious - the positive energy will be flowing inside of me.  Well who does not love a good time?  But for me, it does not have to be my good time - I will happily enjoy others.

So my Monday blues...maybe it is because of the sympathy I feel for the people around me - my husband leaving before the sun is up, the construction workers I can hear outside, the cable guy I catch a glimpse of fiddling with the box in the alley, the dead silence in my building as everyone has gone to work.  Is there anyone having fun on a Monday morning...I need to track them down.

Have a great week,

Tracy

TRUTH OR DARE

Truth - I have the best family and friends I could ever ask for. Dare - I dare anyone to try and prove me wrong.

The past couple of weeks have been an incredible experience for me.  I had a memorable trip to the Bahamas, the most beautiful wedding, married an incredible man all the while surrounded by my family and friends.



My wedding was perfect because I had the most perfect maid of honor.  Plain and simple.  I never could have imagined just how much work planning a wedding was.  From the invitations to the color scheme, the location, the dress, the meal..........it goes on and on.  But luckily for me (and the sake of my wedding), I made the best decision I could have made right from the beginning by choosing my little sister as my maid of honor.  Without any experience, she jumped on the band wagon and led the parade.  My wedding was exactly how I had always imagined.  Romantic.  Dark setting, candles burning, live music with saxophone, white floral arrangements romantic.  My sister pulled it all together and made my visions come to life.  She was wonderful and for that I am forever grateful to her.



When it was finally all over, after months of planning and anticipation, I prepared myself for what I thought were the inevitable feelings to be felt- sad and down - the feelings that you would expect to come when you are thrown back into reality after all of the excitement.   But they did not.  My week quickly filled with dinner plans, girl's nights and time alone with my new husband and I soon stood corrected.  I realised, as long as I have the friends that I do, the family that I love and the life partner I cherish, my reality will always be exciting and I will always have tomorrow to look forward to.

Love,

T

Perfection

I don’t know how to put the happiness I feel thinking back on the past two weeks into words. I tear up just thinking about my sister’s wedding week in the Bahamas and reception here at home. But I promised a wedding blog post, so here it goes:

The weddings were perfect. The trip was amazing. The sun was beaming on both wedding days. My sister looked beautiful. It was absolute perfection.

We woke up at 3 AM on the Sunday to make it to the airport, and I’m happy to report that no one slept through their alarm. Everyone was there, excited and ready to go. We took the 45 minute plane ride to Toronto to pick up the rest of the family, and then we were off to the Bahamas! As all 26 guests boarded the plane, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness for my sister. It says a lot about T and her husband that all of those people were coming on a week-long trip to celebrate their marriage. I may have mentioned this in a previous post (or two) but I love a good love story and my sister’s is nothing short of amazing. All of our guests came because they truly believe in T&B’s relationship and that is something very special.

We arrived safe and sound. The resort was beautiful and the beach was absolutely breathtaking with its Turquoise water and powdery white sand. We had a couple of days to relax, eat, drink and explore before the big day which was nice because I think we all needed a vacation. We enjoyed cocktails on the beach, girl talks while the boys golfed and big family dinners all before the Wednesday Wedding.

 As anyone who has planned a wedding knows, it is impossible to get through the day without a single glitch and we had our fair share. BUT we laughed about them, thanks to our chill bride, and moved on. I could tell you a dozen funny stories ranging from an iron burn in the wedding dress the morning of to the maid of honor (I won’t mention any names) forgetting the ring during the ceremony but, as I mentioned, our bride laughed it all off. Continuing with her non-Bridezilla attitude, my sister was cool and calm. A little nervous about walking down the aisle… but she worked it like a pro and no one even noticed. I give her props for how laid-back and understanding she was about everything; her attitude really set the mood for the entire occasion and is the reason why I am confident in saying it was perfect. All of these funny memories are things that we will all look back on and smile about.  Though it wasn’t my wedding, I wouldn’t have changed a single detail. T couldn’t have chosen better bridesmaids dresses, or flowers, or ties, or bouquets… I could go on and on. 

Despite the small glitches here and there, we all laughed a lot, dance a lot and had a great time and that’s what matters.  But the most important thing is that my sister and her husband are happy and eager to start their life together. My only complaint is that the whole thing went by too fast which is a good thing… a sign of having too much fun. I had so much fun planning the whole thing, I am a little sad that it's over and that the dust is settling, and it leaves me with one important question: When comes baby?



 With Love,

S

LB

Such an appropriate Post Title... My sisters and I refer to LBs (Lazy Bloggers) when we follow a blog and they do not update enough for us to be entertained. Well, we have been the ultimate LBs... especially since we have been away for a week in the Bahamas and have had a wedding here at home and haven't posted ANYTHING. Well, we are back to MontREALITY and I promise many blog posts in the next few days with MANY pictures. So... please stay tuned and don't lose hope.

On a second note, the reason I said this post was so appropriate, is that today happens to be my best friend in the whole entire universe's birthday and her initials happen to be LB... she is not a lazy blogger... but she is the bestest friend a girl could ever ask for and basically my 3 rd sister. I love her with my all my heart and I hope her day was amazing and awesome and full of love. I, unfortunately, didn't spend as much time with her this weekend as she deserved, but I hope to see her soon because my life is not complete without her. So here's to you LB... for always selflessly giving up your birthday weekend attention to bar mitzvahs, turkeys and now weddings. Millions of hugs and millions of kisses to our selfless best friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LB