Trip to Canadaland: Part Deux
And the story continues...
Friday:
I woke up early and disoriented and with NetFlix asking if I was still watching Friends to which I responded "But, yes, of course." I decided that I had had enough decadence for the last couple of days and I decided to try out the condo gym. The gym overlooks the CN Tower and the Sky Dome (always the Sky Dome, never the Rogers Center) and it is spectacular. I decided to to take a spin on the cross trainer and for 30 minutes I sweated out pizza and beer and bad life choices. When I got back to the apartment, I took a shower and was so pleased to see a message from my friend AS. The day before, I had happened to see his Facebook page saying that he was heading to Toronto from Sydney for a wedding. We haven't seen each other since Moscow graduation in 1999 so I knew we had to meet up.
He suggested we meet near Queen and Broadview and my first thought was "Wait, what?!" Back when I lived in Toronto, that area was not a place to meet unless you were of the illicit drug persuasion. But I trusted AS and he suggested a cute coffee/bar place and so I said sure! I got dressed and took a taxi and holy crap has the area changed. Slow down there, Toronto. I walked into the Boxcar Social and ordered a coffee. A couple of minutes later my friend walked in and it was amazing to seem him 18 years later! We checked the clock and waited until 11 to order a bottle of bubbly because these things need to be celebrated. We caught up for a couple of hours and it was fantastic. So much had changed but so little had too. What a walk down memory lane. At 12:30 we hugged good bye and promised to keep in touch and I walked back to the condo because Queen East seems a lot less stabby nowadays.
I picked up some lunch and went back to the condo and watched more Friends. I was excited because that evening was the rehearsal dinner and I could not wait to see my friends and the bride to be's family! The rehearsal dinner was being held at the groom's father's condo and I looked at a map just to make sure I knew where to go. Around 6:15, I made my way to the event and of course, I ended up at the wrong place. For 20 minutes I ran around like a crazy person trying to find a condo entrance but all I saw were offices. I finally walked into a skyscraper (where they may or may not film Suits there) and asked the lady at security where the hell I should be. She was lovely and looked up the address and told me I was on the wrong side of Yonge street. Of course I was. I finally located the condo, greeted the doorman and made my way downstairs to the room with the partay. They were still rehearsing when I arrived so I waited to the side. A few minutes later, they wrapped up and my friend FL ran over and we hugged! I hadn't seen her in a few years and she said "You need a drink!" The bride, my dear friend CF, looked amazing and happy and we hugged and then I finally saw KS who I haven't seen in about 16 years. It was all a little emotional and lovely and it felt so good to be back with friends.
I talked to the bride's parents who are the nicest, most kindest people in the world. I chatted with the bride's brother who is now an adult which makes sense mathematically. I almost sang Sunrise, Sunset in response. I caught up with a friend that I had met years and years ago. We have a funny connection and that is all that I will say about that here. But it was great to find out that she is pretty awesome and I enjoyed getting to know her during the wedding festivities.
KS and FL and I all caught up and drank wine and it was pretty surreal to be all together for CF's wedding. We ate dinner and I stood under the air conditioner because when I get excited, I get overheated. I would die in a jungle. After a couple of hours, we all made our way to a bar on Front street and it happened to be hosting a small beer fest which confused me because tickets were required for some beers but I think what confused me the most was that my beer cost 11 dollars. THE HELL, CANADA?!?! I had a couple of beers, hugged friends, took selfies with friends and then it was time for me to head back home. I walked back to the condo with a huge smile on my face even though I was almost trampled multiple times by groups of early twenty something year olds from out of town heading out to the Toronto clubs. I forgot about that.
I made it back in one piece, washed my face and fell into a deep sleep.
Saturday:
I woke up semi-early on Saturday and I decided that this would be the day I would do nothing but watch TV. The wedding was at 5:30 so that would give me a good solid 8 hours of watching Friends. Yes, I know, I was hooked. I made some coffee, crawled under the blankets on the sofa and funny enough, watched the season where Ross is getting married to Emily. Around noon I went and got some Pizza Pizza. Stop judging me. It was great to finally have a day of doing absolutely nothing but gain weight. At 3 I pulled myself off of the sofa and got ready for the wedding. I chose to wear a black halter sleeveless long dress. And... for the first time ever... wore flats. I wear flats more often these days to work and on the weekends if I am running errands... but if I am going out, always in heels. But I decided that since the dress was long, flat sandals would do. I am changing, it is scary. And I am just going to say right now that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.
Of course Toronto has about the worst traffic in the world. And I knew this. And I knew there was a Jays game on. And the Conservative convention. So I left super early. It took me almost 15 minutes to hail a cab and while the drive should have only taken 10 minutes to the Distillery District, it ended up taking almost 30 minutes. Luckily I was more than on time (if I am late, I will die) and I walked into the venue and the bride popped her head out of the dressing room and I ran over and gave her a hug. She looked beautiful in a tea length white dress and fascinator. I teared up and wished her luck and grabbed a seat in the hall. The venue is called Airship 37 in the Distillery District. It is rustic and lovely and it was the perfect place for a wedding. Just after 5:30, the ceremony started. The bride's brother sang a beautiful song and I started to weep. We stood up as the bride and her parents walked down the aisle and I absolutely lost it. A judge preceded over the ceremony, the bridesmaids cried, I cried, we all cried and then they signed the paperwork as one of the bridesmaids performed a song on her violin. And then it was time to partay! I grabbed a glass of rose with my friend KS and talked to some old school friends who I hadn't seen in years. We were ushered into the bar and there were some lovely speeches and I cried again. I chatted to a few people and then the buffet opened so I pushed them aside because food. I avoided the salad and went straight to the mac and cheese and asked the server to "Load her up!"
The food was fantastic and the people were lovely and then there were some more speeches. The bride's parents made speeches and a group of us in the back laughed and cried. It was a ridiculously emotional evening and it made me miss this group of friends so much more. I didn't realize how much I had missed Canada until that moment and some of my tears were of mourning. After the speeches, I met some new people and incredibly met someone who had worked with the politician I was going to be meeting on Monday. Autism was a common topic that evening (all.about.me) and it was incredible to meet so many people who were somehow or another, connected to it. The music started and then it was time to dance. I felt like I was back at college seeing so many familiar faces but at a better stage in my life, fatter, but happier. It was a night of stumbling down memory lane and it was pretty spectacular and at times, heart wrenching. It is amazing to see how my friends have turned out 16 years later. They are all so incredible and still some of the loveliest people I know. I feel lucky and honoured to have been able to have seen them again if only for a short time. Watching my friend CF marry her soul mate and her best friend was everything. And I am so happy for her and excited about her future with someone I think doesn't complete her, because she is already complete, but with someone who makes her the happiest she has ever been. Congratulations #jeffandcait! Oh, my heart.
Sunday:
I woke up around 8 the next morning and I must truly be an adult because I did not over imbibe at the wedding. I have this fear of making an ass of myself on someone's special day so at weddings, I try and behave... mostly. Other parties? All bets are off.
I decided to clean up the Air BnB and do some laundry. I packed my suitcase and threw out the trash. I left the hosts a note saying "I couldn't find the recycling. Please don't judge me for my pizza consumption." I took one last look around and left around 11:30 and headed out to Harbourfront where my brother lives with his girlfriend... in sin (I am totally joking, Dev. You know I love you). I found their condo, rang the buzzer and brought my suitcase up. They have a lovely place overlooking the water. The Husband and I paid a fortune for our little cave over 13 years ago and me thinks we should have hunted a little bit more. But I do have fond memories of our little place on Elm Street (the address was everything). The three of us decided to head out for brunch since my flight wasn't until 4:30 and he literally lives down the street from the city airport. We decided on a French bistro and I ordered a Bloody Ceasar. This is the Canadian Bloody Mary. Instead of tomato juice, it's clamato juice and while I hate seafood, I will drink this drink. I had a croque monsieur but when my brother's order came, I regretted not ordering the french toast. After lunch we got some coffee and walked along the water. Man, I love Toronto. We went back to the apartment and I picked up my luggage and walked to the airport. I have never used the city airport and now I am obsessed with it. It is on the island so you can either take the tunnel or a short ferry. Check in was incredibly fast and then, once you go through security, you end up in a lounge with plenty of seating and WiFi. My flight ended up being delayed by an hour but I wasn't too stressed.
We finally boarded a small plane (usually I am nervous but I just pretended I was rich and that calmed me down) and when we reached cruising altitude, drinks were served. I ordered a red wine and since the flight was shorter than planned, the flight attendant started collecting the glasses and we started our descent. I knocked my wine back but I wouldn't have had to since he was passing out plastic cups and saying "Just pour what you have left into the plastic cup. You can drink during the landing." Bless you, Porter Airlines, bless you.
It was a fast flight and when we landed in Ottawa, I was excited to see my parents. I made my way to baggage claim and as I came down the escalator, I spied Bamboo attached to a stick holding a sign. Let me tell you about Bamboo. Bamboo has been with our family for over 20 years. He is a stuffed monkey from Steiff. My mother brings Bamboo everywhere and my brother and I over the years would put Bamboo in inappropriate positions for our mother to find him in. Bamboo is the bane of my father's existence. Bamboo is everywhere. I hugged my parents and ignored Bamboo, picked up my luggage and my parents drove me back to their house which we call The Estate. Luckily the flood waters had receded and it looked spectacular in the evening light. My dad put on the bbq because I adore a bbq and we had burgers and wine and I told them about my trip and the wedding. My ear was bothering me and I was worried that I was getting an infection but my mom looked up walk in clinics which I think started the healing process quickly. By 9:30 I was exhausted, I said good night to my parents and then I headed downstairs to bed, happy to be home.
Stay tuned for part 3....
Friday:
I woke up early and disoriented and with NetFlix asking if I was still watching Friends to which I responded "But, yes, of course." I decided that I had had enough decadence for the last couple of days and I decided to try out the condo gym. The gym overlooks the CN Tower and the Sky Dome (always the Sky Dome, never the Rogers Center) and it is spectacular. I decided to to take a spin on the cross trainer and for 30 minutes I sweated out pizza and beer and bad life choices. When I got back to the apartment, I took a shower and was so pleased to see a message from my friend AS. The day before, I had happened to see his Facebook page saying that he was heading to Toronto from Sydney for a wedding. We haven't seen each other since Moscow graduation in 1999 so I knew we had to meet up.
He suggested we meet near Queen and Broadview and my first thought was "Wait, what?!" Back when I lived in Toronto, that area was not a place to meet unless you were of the illicit drug persuasion. But I trusted AS and he suggested a cute coffee/bar place and so I said sure! I got dressed and took a taxi and holy crap has the area changed. Slow down there, Toronto. I walked into the Boxcar Social and ordered a coffee. A couple of minutes later my friend walked in and it was amazing to seem him 18 years later! We checked the clock and waited until 11 to order a bottle of bubbly because these things need to be celebrated. We caught up for a couple of hours and it was fantastic. So much had changed but so little had too. What a walk down memory lane. At 12:30 we hugged good bye and promised to keep in touch and I walked back to the condo because Queen East seems a lot less stabby nowadays.
I picked up some lunch and went back to the condo and watched more Friends. I was excited because that evening was the rehearsal dinner and I could not wait to see my friends and the bride to be's family! The rehearsal dinner was being held at the groom's father's condo and I looked at a map just to make sure I knew where to go. Around 6:15, I made my way to the event and of course, I ended up at the wrong place. For 20 minutes I ran around like a crazy person trying to find a condo entrance but all I saw were offices. I finally walked into a skyscraper (where they may or may not film Suits there) and asked the lady at security where the hell I should be. She was lovely and looked up the address and told me I was on the wrong side of Yonge street. Of course I was. I finally located the condo, greeted the doorman and made my way downstairs to the room with the partay. They were still rehearsing when I arrived so I waited to the side. A few minutes later, they wrapped up and my friend FL ran over and we hugged! I hadn't seen her in a few years and she said "You need a drink!" The bride, my dear friend CF, looked amazing and happy and we hugged and then I finally saw KS who I haven't seen in about 16 years. It was all a little emotional and lovely and it felt so good to be back with friends.
I talked to the bride's parents who are the nicest, most kindest people in the world. I chatted with the bride's brother who is now an adult which makes sense mathematically. I almost sang Sunrise, Sunset in response. I caught up with a friend that I had met years and years ago. We have a funny connection and that is all that I will say about that here. But it was great to find out that she is pretty awesome and I enjoyed getting to know her during the wedding festivities.
KS and FL and I all caught up and drank wine and it was pretty surreal to be all together for CF's wedding. We ate dinner and I stood under the air conditioner because when I get excited, I get overheated. I would die in a jungle. After a couple of hours, we all made our way to a bar on Front street and it happened to be hosting a small beer fest which confused me because tickets were required for some beers but I think what confused me the most was that my beer cost 11 dollars. THE HELL, CANADA?!?! I had a couple of beers, hugged friends, took selfies with friends and then it was time for me to head back home. I walked back to the condo with a huge smile on my face even though I was almost trampled multiple times by groups of early twenty something year olds from out of town heading out to the Toronto clubs. I forgot about that.
I made it back in one piece, washed my face and fell into a deep sleep.
Saturday:
I woke up semi-early on Saturday and I decided that this would be the day I would do nothing but watch TV. The wedding was at 5:30 so that would give me a good solid 8 hours of watching Friends. Yes, I know, I was hooked. I made some coffee, crawled under the blankets on the sofa and funny enough, watched the season where Ross is getting married to Emily. Around noon I went and got some Pizza Pizza. Stop judging me. It was great to finally have a day of doing absolutely nothing but gain weight. At 3 I pulled myself off of the sofa and got ready for the wedding. I chose to wear a black halter sleeveless long dress. And... for the first time ever... wore flats. I wear flats more often these days to work and on the weekends if I am running errands... but if I am going out, always in heels. But I decided that since the dress was long, flat sandals would do. I am changing, it is scary. And I am just going to say right now that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.
Of course Toronto has about the worst traffic in the world. And I knew this. And I knew there was a Jays game on. And the Conservative convention. So I left super early. It took me almost 15 minutes to hail a cab and while the drive should have only taken 10 minutes to the Distillery District, it ended up taking almost 30 minutes. Luckily I was more than on time (if I am late, I will die) and I walked into the venue and the bride popped her head out of the dressing room and I ran over and gave her a hug. She looked beautiful in a tea length white dress and fascinator. I teared up and wished her luck and grabbed a seat in the hall. The venue is called Airship 37 in the Distillery District. It is rustic and lovely and it was the perfect place for a wedding. Just after 5:30, the ceremony started. The bride's brother sang a beautiful song and I started to weep. We stood up as the bride and her parents walked down the aisle and I absolutely lost it. A judge preceded over the ceremony, the bridesmaids cried, I cried, we all cried and then they signed the paperwork as one of the bridesmaids performed a song on her violin. And then it was time to partay! I grabbed a glass of rose with my friend KS and talked to some old school friends who I hadn't seen in years. We were ushered into the bar and there were some lovely speeches and I cried again. I chatted to a few people and then the buffet opened so I pushed them aside because food. I avoided the salad and went straight to the mac and cheese and asked the server to "Load her up!"
The food was fantastic and the people were lovely and then there were some more speeches. The bride's parents made speeches and a group of us in the back laughed and cried. It was a ridiculously emotional evening and it made me miss this group of friends so much more. I didn't realize how much I had missed Canada until that moment and some of my tears were of mourning. After the speeches, I met some new people and incredibly met someone who had worked with the politician I was going to be meeting on Monday. Autism was a common topic that evening (all.about.me) and it was incredible to meet so many people who were somehow or another, connected to it. The music started and then it was time to dance. I felt like I was back at college seeing so many familiar faces but at a better stage in my life, fatter, but happier. It was a night of stumbling down memory lane and it was pretty spectacular and at times, heart wrenching. It is amazing to see how my friends have turned out 16 years later. They are all so incredible and still some of the loveliest people I know. I feel lucky and honoured to have been able to have seen them again if only for a short time. Watching my friend CF marry her soul mate and her best friend was everything. And I am so happy for her and excited about her future with someone I think doesn't complete her, because she is already complete, but with someone who makes her the happiest she has ever been. Congratulations #jeffandcait! Oh, my heart.
Sunday:
I woke up around 8 the next morning and I must truly be an adult because I did not over imbibe at the wedding. I have this fear of making an ass of myself on someone's special day so at weddings, I try and behave... mostly. Other parties? All bets are off.
I decided to clean up the Air BnB and do some laundry. I packed my suitcase and threw out the trash. I left the hosts a note saying "I couldn't find the recycling. Please don't judge me for my pizza consumption." I took one last look around and left around 11:30 and headed out to Harbourfront where my brother lives with his girlfriend... in sin (I am totally joking, Dev. You know I love you). I found their condo, rang the buzzer and brought my suitcase up. They have a lovely place overlooking the water. The Husband and I paid a fortune for our little cave over 13 years ago and me thinks we should have hunted a little bit more. But I do have fond memories of our little place on Elm Street (the address was everything). The three of us decided to head out for brunch since my flight wasn't until 4:30 and he literally lives down the street from the city airport. We decided on a French bistro and I ordered a Bloody Ceasar. This is the Canadian Bloody Mary. Instead of tomato juice, it's clamato juice and while I hate seafood, I will drink this drink. I had a croque monsieur but when my brother's order came, I regretted not ordering the french toast. After lunch we got some coffee and walked along the water. Man, I love Toronto. We went back to the apartment and I picked up my luggage and walked to the airport. I have never used the city airport and now I am obsessed with it. It is on the island so you can either take the tunnel or a short ferry. Check in was incredibly fast and then, once you go through security, you end up in a lounge with plenty of seating and WiFi. My flight ended up being delayed by an hour but I wasn't too stressed.
We finally boarded a small plane (usually I am nervous but I just pretended I was rich and that calmed me down) and when we reached cruising altitude, drinks were served. I ordered a red wine and since the flight was shorter than planned, the flight attendant started collecting the glasses and we started our descent. I knocked my wine back but I wouldn't have had to since he was passing out plastic cups and saying "Just pour what you have left into the plastic cup. You can drink during the landing." Bless you, Porter Airlines, bless you.
It was a fast flight and when we landed in Ottawa, I was excited to see my parents. I made my way to baggage claim and as I came down the escalator, I spied Bamboo attached to a stick holding a sign. Let me tell you about Bamboo. Bamboo has been with our family for over 20 years. He is a stuffed monkey from Steiff. My mother brings Bamboo everywhere and my brother and I over the years would put Bamboo in inappropriate positions for our mother to find him in. Bamboo is the bane of my father's existence. Bamboo is everywhere. I hugged my parents and ignored Bamboo, picked up my luggage and my parents drove me back to their house which we call The Estate. Luckily the flood waters had receded and it looked spectacular in the evening light. My dad put on the bbq because I adore a bbq and we had burgers and wine and I told them about my trip and the wedding. My ear was bothering me and I was worried that I was getting an infection but my mom looked up walk in clinics which I think started the healing process quickly. By 9:30 I was exhausted, I said good night to my parents and then I headed downstairs to bed, happy to be home.
Stay tuned for part 3....
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