Well, actually it's been 14 - but who's counting.  N and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in the Niagara area.  I love Niagara-on-the-Lake and that is where I wanted to stay but alas there were much sweeter deals to be had in Niagara Falls so we opted to stay in Ontario's "mini Vegas" and enjoy the relatively close proximity (10 minute drive) to the peace and serenity that can be found having a picnic while staring at beautiful vineyards.

We got a beautiful "falls view" studio suite at the Niagara Hilton.  While it was a beautiful room with great views of the falls, our stay was not without it's share of problems.  First, our room was supposed to be non-smoking, but there was a faint smoke odour and there were ashtrays in our room.  When I called the front desk, they claimed that this was because people like to burn incense in their rooms.  I laughed because cigarette smoke and incense hardly smell the same.  They did offer to come deodorize the room but I was annoyed that they had lied - there is no way our room was non-smoking.

We dined at Brasa, a Brazilian Steakhouse in the Hilton.  It was an all-you-can-eat steakhouse with a large salad bar and where "Gauchos" walked the floor with spits of different cuts of meat.  You waved a disc at them if you wanted them to come to the table and then they'd carve the meat right at your table.  It was very very good and very very expensive (though everything about Niagara Falls is over-priced).  We got up to fill our plates at the salad bar and when we returned to our seats (which had been a wonderful, cozy spot by a window with a nice view), they had seated new people at our table.  We were then re-seated but we didn't get as nice a spot the second time round.  However, the staff were very professional; they apologized profusely many times and we did get a free dessert for the inconvenience.  Even with the little bumps, N and I agreed that we would return to Brasa. 

We had a delicious wine with dinner.  It was called, "Red Moose,"  a 2007 Zweigelt from Konzelmann's Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Konzelmann's is our favourite Niagara winery and this wine is fantastic.  We stopped there on our way home and picked up a few bottles.  If you are lucky enough to see this one at your liquor store you should give it a try.  We loved it.

After dinner, we wandered through the Fallsview Casino and then took in the fireworks over the falls (there are fireworks every Friday and Sunday evening in the summer).  Overall, it was a great way to celebrate 5 years!

The next day we had the buffet breakfast at the hotel and then spent the morning wandering around "kitchy" Niagara Falls.  If you have never been, imagine walking into the biggest tourist trap known to man-kind and there you have it, Niagara Falls, Canada.  We stopped at the Rock N' Bowl and bowled a few games and then wandered down to see the falls up close.  

In the afternoon, we wandered throughout Niagara-on-the-Lake.  We snacked on fresh fruit and took in the loveliness and small town charm of the place.  We walked the main street, bought jam at Greaves (best jam ever!), checked out the fruit stands, visited a winery and then declared our mini break over.  Time to head back to the big city.

 Late August = fresh peaches in the Niagara Area.  Yum!

My flickr set from this trip can be found, here.

 

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Summer in Saskatchewan means one thing: the Kendra Chorney Golf Classic (KCGC)!  This year, I was was lucky enough to be in Regina for the event.  Naturally that meant my golfing prowess was visible for all to behold.

Every year, one lucky person gets to win the prestigious brown jacket that Kendra and I picked out as "most befitting a champion" from an assortment of other lovely jackets at the local Value Village.  So you can image -- there was a lot at stake!!

This year, the tournament was held on the August long weekend at the Sherwood Forest  golf course.  I believe there were around 40 golfers and all 40 golfers took it VERY seriously. 

My brothers demonstrating their professional warm-up stretches.

My team consisted of Kendra, Darby, Heather and myself.   Naturally, we set the bar high for excellence.  When we found out pre tee-off that there was to be no beer car driving around the course, we stocked up at the club bar beforehand.  When we discovered we were incorrect and there was indeed a beer car going around, we rejoiced and demanded they bring us chocolate.  When I shot an astounding 9 on a par three, we hailed the beer car and did jager shots!  So as you can imagine, the competition was intense.

My teammates look on as I undoubtedly hit a fantastic shot (and snap a picture at the same time -- my skill knows no end!)

At the end of the afternoon, a winner was declared at the Chorney BBQ.  I, to be honest, still don't know if I believe the results but it turned out to be a tie between my brother Joey and my friend (and last year's champ) Kevin.  In the end, it was decided that Joey could have the jacket as Kevin had already possessed the resplendent jacket for a year.

Here is Joey looking fittingly smug as he is wearing the Championship Jacket.

Already looking forward to next year.

Part of my stint out west involved a road trip with my mom, sister and 2 nephews (aged 6 and 10 months).  My dad wanted my mom to have an escape with her daughters so he arranged for us to spend a week at a chalet in Banff. 

Traveling with young ones stressful??? Not!

Driving with the two young ones was less stressful than I had thought it would be and posed many silly moments.  Harry (aged 6) had this habit of saying, "Auntie, I need to go to the bathroom."  To which I'd reply that I'd stop at the next road-side stop we came upon.  Seconds later he'd always counter with, "... but it's an emergency."  This led me to become quite adept at swerving onto the shoulder and throwing on the hazards so he could go about his business.

I also learned that while fruit (for example, blueberries) may be a healthy snack, it is perhaps not the snack you want to be feeding your 10 month old while on a 9 hour car ride.  I now know how blueberries interact with a baby's digestive system - info that I could have lived without knowing.

When we were little, my family would always travel to Banff at least once a year.  Often, we'd do nothing other than stare at Bow Falls and shop Banff Ave.  This time, I wanted to show my mom that there was more to see and do than those two things.  Lots more.  So true to form, I crammed a lot in and probably overwhelmed/nearly killed my mom in the process.

On day one, we went to Johnson Lake and drove the Minnewanka loop.  Harry loved this because he got to swim in the lake and play in the sand.  I also learned that he is a very social creature.  He walked up to everyone he found interesting and talked to them like they were best friends.

The whole lot of us at Johnson Lake.

One of my favourite moments at Johnson Lake was when Harry needed to use the facilities which were of the outhouse variety.  He looked down in the hole and proclaimed, "Gawd, that is SO wrong!"  I laughed and laughed.

We saw so much wildlife this first day it was amazing - goats, goats and a huge elk that emerged from some trees onto the side of the road just as we were passing (which startled me quite badly).

Baby Goat!

Also on the agenda was Johnston's Canyon.  My mom really wanted to go here, so off we went. 

Digging for gold @ Johnston Canyon

Harry and I hiked up ahead of everyone.  He was taking pictures like a tourist with his DSi.  It got a little sketchy in places: long dropoffs and inadequate fencing - well, these were my thoughts -- perhaps I was being a wee bit paranoid.

Not another picture Auntie, jeez louise!

By the time we got to the first set of falls, Harry was super annoyed with over-protective Auntie K - so we hiked in silence... until naturally, he had to get to the bathroom and we had to high tail it back to a washroom.

Moraine Lake

We also ventured to Moraine Lake.  I really wanted to take my mom here as I had stopped here a few years ago with my brothers and had thought it was mind-blowingly beautiful.  It is still a very nice spot but I was so annoyed with the many, many tourists that did not respect my personal space (apparently, I have a bubble and it was violated!)  While I can appreciate that I don't own a public bench, I'd still like to be able to sit for 10 minutes without having people stand in front of us and balance themselves on rocks using my 10 month old nephews stroller (that he was sitting in) as their f%$#ing balancing bar -- all in an attempt to get a photo that was easily shot from many other nearby locations.  Seriously rude.  While my sister thought this the most lovely spot on our trip, I'll admit to being so annoyed by the onslaught of inconsiderate people that it was my least favourite stop (by far). 

Oliver: Ladies, can we leave now please.  There are WAY too may tourists here.

Next stop was Lake Louise.  We didn't stay long.  Just got out to quickly look around and take in the views.  

My mom and I at Lake Louise.

It was great to hang out with my mom, sister and nephews.  Each night we'd hang out at the chalet or hit the swimming pool.  We dined on frozen pizza, orange jello and popsicles!  Good times!! Good times!!

 
Back from the pool!

On our last day, we took my mom shopping on Banff Ave. and to Bow Falls.  Overall, we had a great trip!!

To see the entire set of pictures from this trip, click here.

For the last 3 weeks I've been hanging with my prairie peeps. 

The first week, I hung out with N's family.  We spent a lot of that time with our super cute niece, Ashley.

I also had an evening I'd rather forget (man, am I real chatty after a few glasses
of wine -- oh and some rum punch -- and oh yeah and some misc shots),

We also took in a Rider game (vs Montreal -- talk about a drag -- worst game I've ever seen live),

and golfed 9 holes.

After the first week, N headed back to TO and I took off on a road trip with my mom, sister, a 10 month old baby and a 6 year old. 

More on that later.

To view a few shots from my time in Regina -- click here.

I love to camp.  Neil and I both do.  After a long afternoon hike, supper cooked over an open fire, a night sitting by a campfire under the stars, N and I are both struck with an overwhelming desire to never head back to the city.

My brothers had never camped before and thus were uncertain they would enjoy it, but enjoy it they did.  We took them out to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula.  The Bruce Peninsula is a little slice of heaven -- so beautiful.  

We camped in the Cyprus Lake Campground and our site backed onto the lake.  We hiked some rather treacherous trails thanks to Neil and his mastery with a trail map.