Love for Long Weekends

This past weekend was the first long weekend of the summer. Despite predictions of thundershowers, it turned out to be the perfect weekend. And thank goodness for that because we had a special visitor and an activity packed three days. I love how the nice weather brings my friends and I together even more.

BBQ on the terrace at Shan's new place.



Trampoline fun in St.Bruno.



Girls lunch by the pool.



Strawberry picking up North.






Trying a new recipe, strawberry vanilla muffins.

Looks like it is going to be a good summer...

Tracy

A Letter To My Fathers

Yesterday, like many families did, my family celebrated our father and grandfather. We gathered for dinner and, even though my grandfather couldn't be there, we celebrated the men in our lives who we love very much. 

Growing up, you don't quite understand how lucky you are to have the family you have because... well... you don't know things any other way. It isn't until you get a bit older, experience a little more, that you come to realize how blessed you are to have those around you that you call family. And boy, are my sisters and I blessed. 

We were not only given one incredible father who loved us, cared for us, played with us, taught us, supported us... but we were given a grandfather who also loved us, cared for us, played with us, taught us and supported us. We didn't only have one strong, smart, wise man in our lives... we had two. 

My father was very present during our childhood; coming home every night to sit at the dinner table and ask us how our days were, play with us in the park, coach our soccer teams, take us for Dairy Queen and all of the wonderful things that our father did. But, unlike anyone I know, my grandfather was always right there with us too. 

He taught us to fish, he took us swimming and to golf lessons, taught us about politics, saving our money, and science. He helped shape us into the strong, independent young woman we are today. Without both of them, my sisters and I would not be the people we are today. 

My relationship with my father, and with my grandfather, is uncomplicated... I am, and will always be, their little girl. 

Being the baby of the family, I spent more time with both of them as my sisters were closer in age and older. I have countless memories of me, as a little girl, being pushed on the swing by my father, eating banana popsicles in the grass with my grandpa while my sisters were playing soccer or baseball, playing board games at our summer house with my dad and hitting golf balls into the water with my grandpa. 

My sisters and I will never be able to thank my father, or my grandfather, for everything they have shown us and taught us. There is no Polo Shirt, Bottle of Wine, or golf GPS that can explain how my heart burst with happiness when I think of either of them, how much I love spending time with them and learning from them. 

Father's day is just one day and, like Mother's Day, is not enough. Though I know that my dad and grandpa know how much we love them, I hope that K, T & I make them proud everyday because we have truly become who we are because of the love we were given by our family. Without them, we would not be the same and for that we say HAPPY FATHERS DAY.

We Love You Dad and Grandpa,

S, T & K 

ANOTHER Birthday Shoutout!

Hello again! I was just informed by my sister that today is ALSO our 4th sistah K's best friend Ivana's birthday as well. So, I would like to give another very special birthday shoutout to the very beautiful Ivana who, unfortunately doesn't live in MTL. I hope you're birthday is filled with fun and people you love. You deserve nothing but the best on your 25th birthday and in the year to come. 

K and I

Happy Birthday from Life of Three

xxoo

A Friday Birthday Shoutout

Good Friday Morning Everyone! It's almost the weekend, and a beautiful one at that! They are predicting a nice, hot and sunny weekend and I can't wait to be able to enjoy it by spending some much-needed time outside with friends and family. It is also father's day this weekend, so we will spend Sunday showering the very special fathers in our lives and making sure their weekend is as special as they are :)


And because we here at Life of Three love a good celebration, we also love when we have multiple celebrations. So, I would like to wish a very happy birthday to a very special co-worker. It is L's birthday today, and because she is very special to all of us here at the office, I would like  to take the chance to wish her a very happy birthday. She is always ready to greet you with a smile, or give a hug to someone in need, and you can always go to her when you need to talk or tell her about something that is bothering her.  I hope that this extraordinary woman gets treated like a Queen on her birthday weekend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY L!

With Love, 

S and CW Staff

Piccola Italia

Good Wednesday Morning Everyone! I know it's already Wednesday and I am only posting about my weekend now, but it has been a busy week at work and my laptop is currently being worked on at apple... so I apologize for being a lazy blogger, but I'm back with a weekend post. You know what they say, better late than never! 


Though I didn't make it to any real Grand Prix Festivities, I did have a great weekend and spent lots of time outside enjoying the great city Montreal is in the summertime. E and I decided to head to the St-Laurent street Fair on Saturday to enjoy a drink out on a Terrace, enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, on Sunday, we headed to Little Italy to watch Italy face Spain in the Euro Cup. And, of course, with the Grand Prix on and the Euro Cup, Little Italy was buzzing with activity. 

Some old Fiat 500 on display

Kids playing soccer on a temporary soccer field in the street

Tourists and locals enjoying the sunny weather 

After walking around for a little while, we settled in at a nice little restaurant to enjoy lunch, some Sangria and to watch the game. I think E and I were the only ones not wearing Italy jerseys...

E enjoying the game

My lunch

E's lunch

We had a really nice time, despite the tie between Italy and Spain, and I was really happy we got out and did something different for a change. Because I often work on the weekends, and E has been as well recently, we haven't spent much time doing stuff together that we enjoy. We were lucky to have the day together and we then headed over to my parents house that evening for a BBQ. All in all, a very successful weekend. As I mentioned here, in my summer post, summers are short and sweet in Montreal and you have to make the best of them. You can't sit around and wait for summer to happen, you have to make it happen. I plan on taking advantage of all the free time I have in the next couple of months to do as many exciting new things as I can, as well as the usual summertime traditions that we have. So, who's in?

With Love,

S

Summer Essentials Part 1

There are some key elements when preparing for a rocking good summer. For all those Sundays at the Tams, picnics in the park and hot summer night BBQs, sangria is like the cherry on the top. So first on the list: a good sangria recipe. Here is my favorite...

T's Summer Sangria:

1 bottle Barefoot Moscato White Wine

1 shot Spiced Rum

1 cup Orange Juice

1/2 cup Ice Tea

Raspberries, Strawberries & Blueberries

Cheers,

Tracy

If I Ever...

Good Monday Afternoon Everyone! Work has been hectic today so I haven't had time to post recently, but I promise that I will do a better post tomorrow. For today, I decided to share this very funny E-Card that my bestie LB sent me.

It's a scorcher out there, so stay cool and hydrated! Oh, and wine doesn't count as hydration! Enjoy and Happy Monday.

With Love,

S

Sunday BBQs

Nice weather = Sunday night family BBQs at mom and dad's. I am excited for tonight as it is our first BBQ of the season. I made a marble pound cake with fresh fruit for dessert.

One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruit available.

I was debating between a chocolate cake or pound cake which is why I decided to make a marble pound cake. I used this recipe. It turned out a little dryer than my usual pound cake but with all the fruit (and probably ice cream), it will be delicious.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Tracy

The BIG Prize

Despite the greater-than-usual "bad press" surrounding Montreal*, the City of Festivals is about to kick-start the summer with two amazingly entertaining events: Beerfest (which I mentioned a few posts ago) and the ever popular Grand Prix race.

(*We Montrealers, who know and love our city can attest to the fact that it is NOT as bad as the media makes it seem- PROMISE!)

The race - Picture taken from montrealvip.com

For those of you who have never attended this event, it is important to know that this weekend extends itself far beyond a simple race. Montreal's Crescent Street is closed to vehicles for various weekend long events. For those who aren't interested in dropping cash for the weekend, just simply walking around the downtown area (namely Crescent Street) is a great way to enjoy this event.

Crescent Street Festivities- Picture taken from tourisme-montreal.org

In addition to the race itself, Montreal clubs also tend to attract many out-of-towners who are looking to partake is this exciting weekend. This year, Tiesto will be getting the Grand Prix party started on Thursday night at New City Gas followed by the tremendously talented David Guetta on Saturday, June 10th. And, if you are looking for something to do in between, CeeLo Green will be performing at Club Arena on Friday, June 8th.

I, being the spoiled gf of a Ferrari Quebec employee, I will have to skip Tiesto as I will be attending the always entertaining Ferrari Gala on Friday evening.

Really, there is something to do for everyone this weekend in Montreal. Whether you plan on attending shows, shopping your heart out, enjoying the race or aatending Beerfest (or all of the above) have a wonderful and safe kick-off weekend in Montreal!!!

Let the games begin!

xoxox

K

Every Summer Has A Story

Good Monday Morning! I'm back after a relatively uneventful weekend. I say uneventful because, even though it wasn't particularly exciting, I did get some much-needed tasks accomplished; I re-potted my plants, E and I cleaned our entire apartment, I got rid of some clothes I no longer wear, and we made a trip to Ikea to buy curtains... this was long over-do considering we have been in our apartment for almost a year. On top of all of this, I also managed to get something done that I have wanted to get done for the past couple weeks: my oh-so-very-important, not to be ignored, super duper super 2012 to do list! Yes my dear readers, it's that time of year again when I must decide what goals I want to set for myself to achieve over the three short months that are Montreal Summers. 

For those of you who live in a warm climate... or in one where it doesn't reach -30 in the winter months... you may not appreciate the few sweet weeks as much as we do here in MTL. We must suck every possible moment out of every day, enjoy all the nice weather that comes our way... Taste The Stars.. if you will. 

So here it is... sisters, please feel free to edit/add/change... and I'm also open to any suggestions!

Sara's Super Duper 2012 Summer To Do List

1. Go berry picking 

2. Host a themed party

3. Stay up all night

4. Make a new friend

5. Rekindle an old friendship

6. Go on an adventure

7. Be spontaneous

8. Surprise someone

9. Make someone's day

10. Visit somewhere new

11. Grow and cook with my own fruits and veggies

12. Spend more time with family

13. Spend more time with friends

14. Spend more time doing things that matter

15. Spend less time doing things that don't

16. Learn the difference between the two

17. Try a new food

18 Organize a baseball game

19. De-clutter my life

20. Have a water fight

21. Teach someone to do a back dive

22. Buy and set off sky lanters 

23. Spend a day at the beach

24. Have a picnic

25. Go to a drive in movie

26. Witness something magical

27. Try a new restaurant

28. Enjoy sangria with the girls

29. See a play

30. Read the fifty shades of grey trilogy :)

These should be called my summer resolutions instead of my to-do list. Now I know that this seems like a lot, but a year is long... summer is not. You have to take advantage of everyday; you don't have the option to put them off. That's why summer resolutions are more successful, because you have to jump right into them. If we had winter and summer resolutions, instead of just new year's resolutions... then we would probably be more productive. I plan to quickly start crossing these things off my list... because before I know it, summer will have passed us by. 

Here's a quick little slideshow of all the fun my sisters, friends, and family have had over the past few summers. 

So, let's start writing our story girls.

With love,

S

Not To Get All Political Or Anything...

Good Friday Morning Everyone! So it's finally Friday and the weekend is upon us. Work has been hectic, both in and out of the office, and I am looking forward to having the weekend off. T & B will be back from their West Coast Honeymoon, and I have to say, I've missed my sister and look forward to having her back here in MTL. I'm sure she won't be as pleased however, as it looks like they are having an amazing time. They will be especially annoyed since tomorrow the students, who have been protesting for over five weeks now, are planning a huge demonstration tomorrow due to a breakdown in negotiations with the government. Now, without getting into the politics of the matter, because my view may not necessarily be shared by all, I found a great picture that sums up what has been going on in MTL for the past couple of months. 

And for those of you who missed the whole 'time magazine cover page' scandal.... here is the original from Time Magazine's May Issue. 

I thought the student protest version was much funnier... so I hope you get a good laugh out of it. Have a great Friday and an even better weekend! Oh, and try to stay dry!

With Love,

S