Seven Days to Go

The end is neigh and there is something we have realised -- we got too comfortable! When you're working 6 days a week with maybe one day off, all you want to do is relax! Its been like that for the past month and now that we are no longer working and planning our trip home - the holiday is really starting all over again!

So here is the beginning!! We have 7 days! We leave next Tuesday and its time to start doing all the things we loved and want to do again and all the things we always wanted to do.. A lot to cram into a week plus packing but here we go!

Snowtubing!!

Something silly but oh so much fun! If you are in Lake Louise, give it a go!! The guys will spin you hard and you just go skyrocketing down the hill and over the jumps! I honestly could not stop laughing - definitely an awesome way to end a gloomy Tuesday morning planning our trip home.

Melbourne Cup

Sorry for the delay, took a while to get the video...

It is a well known Australian tradition! "The Race that Stops the Nation!"

It stopped us in Canada! Lucky Australia is a day ahead, 5 hours behind because it was 9pm when the race started! We had time to get home from work, shower, eat and prep ourselves!

The night wasn't exactly a big one for Colin or I because Colin had training today but it didn't stop us from having some fun! We tried so hard to find a live FREE streaming of the race online but no luck. We did get the commentary online though, so we made drinking bets on which horse would place and had some fun with it. Of course, none of the Aussies won and the only Canadian in the room is owed something like 10 beers! WHAT HAPPENED MASKED MARVAL?!

We then played some horse racing card games, betting drinks -- it was a little bit more exciting than the Melbourne Cup haha! I hope it gives you a laugh.

Canadian Birthday!!

Jess here!

Another whole year older! The day after Halloween (forever shall be known as hangover day) was my Australian birthday! I had been receiving so many messages from family and friends back at home wishing me a happy birthday (mainly on my Facebook wall). It was great but at the same time it made me very very home sick! All I wanted was to be home, about to go to dinner at my favourite restaurant Luigi's with those I love most in this world. But I knew where I would be this year and I had to suck it up!!

When I woke on my Canadian Birthday the day started amazing, I was relaxed, made myself an awesome breakfast and oh yeah, it SNOWED! We hadn't seen it snow yet but it happened! It was snowing in Lake Louise and it was just so beautiful! It honestly didn't take me long to put on my snow pants and to go for a walk outside with my monster man Colin. I wanted to get some photos printed to put on our wall. He bought me a coffee and we began wandering down to the river. Colin distracted me by pointing at something in the distance then turned me around quickly to find a surprise party starting in the picnic area!

I was actually very surprised! Colin isn't great with surprising me, he always gives something away but I was genuinely shocked! It was awesome to see my new awesome friends (also known as my Lake Louise Family)!! They had balloons that shone bright colours in the snow. There was singing, candy and then of course we started building a snow man!

It was so lucky we had Alan our Canadian buddy to help us roll up snow properly, or the snowman would of been a massive fail! Then there was a massive snow fight! Lets just say I got back to our room soaking wet! It was so much fun and I am so so so very lucky to have such awesome friends already here with me!

There was time to chillax, bake cookies, eat nachos and then move to the common room to consume ALCOHOL! I may have treated myself to a very delicious Italian Moscato! We played pool, beer pong and there was more singing with an amazing cake made by Gill and Darcy!

Considering it was a day I was dreading due to home sickness, it turned out to be an amazing one! So a big shout out to those who really have made me feel like apart of the family and who I can't wait to spend the next 6 months with! Thank you, Colin, Scott, Alan, Chelsea, Gill, James, Darcy, Daniel, Ollie, Bonnie, Sarah and Dave! Love you guys!

Halloween

Colin here! Since last time you heard from me not much has really happened for me. It has been a hectic couple of days for Jess, but for me I have been bored out of my mind. It took 30 days of not working to send me insane..

Jess started work on Monday, I am yet to start so have been doing my best to not spend money, kill time and stay sane. Luckily on Wednesday a group of us had the day off so we decided to rent a minivan and go on a road trip to Calgary. We were all on a mission, our target destination IKEA!

I volunteered to drive as I had the most experience driving on the right hand side of the road and we were off. The company was great, by my side I had Jess (Mum) and in the back was Ollie, Dan and Bonnie (The Kids). There wasn't any real quiet moments during the drive, ohh except for the awkward silences when we made somebody feel awkward..

Once we hit IKEA we were in and out with what we needed, and many other things that we found along the way. After IKEA we had some lunch and we were on the hunt for a Thrift shop (Op Shop) so we could piece together our Halloween costumes. Everything started to go downhill from here..

Somehow we all got this idea into our head to go in drag, as old ladies and gentleman. Jess was the not so gentlemanly gentleman, and played it a bit too well for some people to feel comfortable about it. The party started in room 107 aka The Beast, all rooms in Chucktown are nicknamed after a ski run. Next move was to the Common room for the party, which would ultimately become to pre-party party.  Following the common room we were all drunk enough to walk down the road to continue this party. It gets a little hazy from there but all in all it was an amazing night to celebrate our first Halloween!

Today was nothing too crazy, Jess received an abundance of Happy Birthday messages even though its not her Canadian birthday. That comes tomorrow!

Life in the Pod!

With Vegas in the rear view mirrors and nothing but desert in from of us we made our move to Los Angeles. I will be filling you in on what has happened since Jess signed off with us leaving Vegas.

We left the Luxor nice and early and were on the road by 6:15am, the Mustang had to be returned to Thrifty by 11:30 and we picked up our Jeep Grand Cherokee from Alamo Rentals at 12. We were gassed and ready to cruise. Hollywood here we come!

For the next two nights we were staying at the oh so funky Podshare hostel conveniently located 200yards from the Hollywood Boulevard. Quite simply put, we have a pod to ourselves which contains a queen bed, TV,  room for our luggage and a few nicknacks. Only a total of 12 people can stay at the podshare, so be social and make yourself some new friends while you are here. To sum up our experience here in a few words, "I'll be back!"



We hadn't even unpacked and we were off to Anaheim. Jess and I were both filled with excitement, tonight was to be our very first Ice Hockey game. Calgary Flames, our local team to be were versing the Anaheim Ducks. Why didn't I call them the Mighty Ducks you may ask? Well I am glad you did cause I shall teach you something abou
t them.




In 1992 the Disney Corporation released a movie called The Champions, later to be renamed The Mighty Ducks. The movie was such a success that in 1993 they founded an NHL team called the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and it was owned solely by Disney, some solid advertising there. Two sequels later and 13yrs passed and Walt Disney lost interest selling the club and it's right to be the Mighty Ducks, so the Anaheim Ducks were formed.

Now we have hat out of the way, its game time. Seated no more than 3ms from the Calgary bench next to the players entrance we were stoked! End result of the game had the Flames down 3-2 to the Ducks even though they had 12 more shots on goals than the Ducks but thats the way the cookie crumbles, we won't talk about the disallowed goal the Flames were denied. It was an amazing experience and we can't wait for our next game.

Since Sunday Jess and I have been very much sleep deprived, Sunday to Wednesday we totalled no more than 20 hours sleep so were incredibly excited when we managed 8 hours of uninterrupted blissful sleep, we would need it for today we hit Universal Studios Hollywood...

If you don't act like a V.I.P when on holiday your doing something wrong, so Jess and I would settle for no less then the V.I.P treatment from Universal Studios. Our morning started off with a Continental Breakfast in the V.I.P lounge follwed by a 2 hour behind the scenes studio tour which took us on set of Parenthood, through the costume and props building, into audio dubbing rooms and places the public don't see. This tour was followed by the Waterworld show, its entire cast were actors from various TV shows and movies.

All this sounds like hungry work doesn't it? Picture that restaurant in the movies where the guy takes the girl on a date to impress her. That was where we were today, slight difference however, it was an all you can eat gourmet buffet. And we ate all we could eat forgetting that we would be hitting the rides afterwards.

Now how often do you see a V.I.P waiting in line? You don't because they go to the front each and every time. We rode every attraction, saw every show with reserved seating and saw more of the park than everybody else, it was nothing short of perfect.

Back in Hollwood after an indescribable day we decided to take a stroll along the Walk of Fame, see the Chinese Theatre have a delicious BBQ dinner overlooking a lovely courtyard and then have a drink in a classy bar around the corner from Podshare. As much as we would love to stay, L.A and Vegas have been too heavy on our pocket and we need to run. There is so much to see and do here that two days was never going to be enough. So until next time Hollywood, CUT!!

TWO

Its almost like the end of an era. The total beginning to something new. Its both exciting and incredibly nerve racking! Especially because we know that things won't exactly be the same when we eventually return.

Today we hosted a farewell party at Camden Hotel for the three of us. I don't think I mentioned before that Colin's best friend forever, Scott, is coming with us to Lake Louise as well. So we had a triple farewell. We did it so we wouldn't be out of pocket, so both family and friends could come and so anyone one could come at any part of the day and leave at any time. A simple stop in for a drink, lunch, dinner or dancing. We had an area sectioned off for our party from 11am to 11pm. Yes, a 12 hour shindig!!

It worked out very well, we recommend it to anyone who wants to throw a farewell. We saw all the people we wanted to in the two hours and now we are exhausted!! I have to admit, I cried when I said goodbye to my best friends Anna and Ayla, not having them close by will be the hardest. I know I am going to cry tomorrow when I say goodbye to my soul mate, my kindred spirit, my big (non related) short sister, Kylie.

And yes, we did start drinking 12 hours ago as well! It got a bit difficult around 5 when we had to start slowing down so we wouldn't be kicked out before 7!! Overall, a success..

Its finally hit me that we're leaving..