Well it's that time of the year again - that time when you take stock of the year behind you (and while personally I can't say that 2016 was especially bad for me, I think we can all agree that its merits were questionable overall). Enough said on that subject.
In better news, the start of a new year is traditionally the jumping off point for a fresh start - and for SO many of us, that means re-evaluating your eating habits, and trying to shed pounds put on over the holiday season - or in some cases, over several years.
Full disclosure - back in June of 2016, I re-joined Weight Watchers - (for what I believe was maybe the 4th go-round for me). While I probably carried it fairly well, I knew I had an extra 25-30 lbs. that weren't doing me any favours - from both a cosmetic AND a health standpoint. So one fine June morning, I walked into my local WW location, and said "sign me up!" (again!)
I'm pleased to say that since June, thanks entirely to following the WW program, I've shed about 10 lbs., increasing my level of daily activity in the process, going down a size, and just feeling better overall. I'm NOT so pleased to say that for the past month or so however, I've fallen off the wagon somewhat. :( Totally my fault - I think in my case, because I didn't have THAT much to lose, I was fairly satisfied with my 10 lb. loss, and my motivation to lose more started to wane.
Aaaaaaaaaaaanyhooooo.....all that to say that Weight Watchers has a fantastic new program since I'd last joined - their more holistic "Beyond the Scale" program still uses their familiar point-counting system - but the items that have points have changed. For instance, the vast majority of fruits and veggies count as 0 points - so you're encouraged to load your plates with them, and keep the higher-point items to a minimum. You're allotted a weekly amount of points (plus a few extra for good measure) - and if you track your daily & weekly points, you should gradually lose weight. It's that easy, and it works!
While I don't think I'm going to go all out and blog full-time about my progress, you may still see posts here from time to time documenting my WW experience, and offering some tips, tricks, and recipes along the way. Circling back to the beginning of this post, I believe the time has come for me to get serious about finally reaching my goal weight and becoming a lifetime WW member. So here I go again! Today, I'm starting off with something quick and easy, while showcasing an inexpensive little kitchen appliance that I love!
Who doesn't love a good breakfast sandwich? And contrary to the fact that the world's biggest fast-food chain popularized them, they're not really that unhealthy a choice. They're easy to make, easy to transport, and yummy to eat. Now, of course you can make them the traditional way - toast an English muffin, fry an egg, add toppings of your choice - OR - you can invest less than $30 and use the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker:
This little beauty puts it all together for you in less than 5 minutes, and has you walking out the door with a restaurant quality (perhaps better than!) breakfast sandwich in hand. You start by heating up your machine until the "ready" light glows green, then adding your ingredients to the top and bottom rings (in my case, English muffin, shredded cheese, and ham slice on the bottom; cracked egg and English muffin on the top).
In a about 4-5 minutes, you've got this little beauty:
Every ingredient cooked/toasted to perfection! You can also add other toppings of your choice after it's done should you choose (i.e. tomato/lettuce/avocado) - and you're not limited to English muffins either - you can use croissants, bagels, or any other type of bread product you can fit into the ring. And for all you WW points counters out there, the sandwich as I prepared it is a very manageable 8-point breakfast:
English muffin: 4 points
2 tbsp. shredded cheese: 1 point
1 slice ham: 1/2 to 1 point
1 large egg: 2 points TOTAL: 8 smart points
So, let's all sit down and tuck into 2017! My very best to you all for a happy and healthy new year!
Although I sort of abandoned writing about my transition to grey hair a while back (even though it was the inspiration to start the blog in the first place) it's still pretty apparent to me that a LOT of you find your way here seeking some kind of information on that very topic. Perhaps you're contemplating the transition yourself? Perhaps you're part way through your transition and are wondering if you've got the patience (or the guts) to take it all the way? Or maybe you're long over the transition, and still have the occasional urge to return to the dark (or blonde, or red, or even shocking blue) side? :)
My original transition
Well, I'm here as yet another voice (from the increasingly vocal) grey-haired community to give you my two cents about how it's gone for me so far. That being said, I've always maintained that going natural is a highly personal choice - I don't think for a moment that what I say will influence you one way or another - I'm strictly here to ramble on about my own thoughts on the subject and leave it to you take from it what you will.
I've been pretty much 95% happy with the choice I made to go grey. I like the way I look and am very comfortable living with it. I still receive compliments on a regular basis from friends and strangers alike regarding my hair colour (outside validation, while NOT necessary, is of course always lovely and appreciated).
A shot from this past summer
The other5% of the time? Well, I'm sure there are those that still look at me and think, "she'd look SO much better/younger if she dyed her hair" - and while that's their prerogative, of course I have days where I wonder if others see me as the proverbial old hag who's just let herself go - or even worse - maybe they don't see me at all. Maybe I've become part of the "invisible generation" - those women that figuratively cease to exist to society once they've reached that "certain" age where they're no longer seen as sexually attractive/viable. This can even hit home to me when I'll be talking to a female friend or colleague (usually younger than me) who lament that they're way past getting their grey touched up, and they just feel so "horrible and ugly"...as if they're not standing talking to someone with a full head of silver grey hair!
I try not to take it personally when that happens. I mean, I've been there. I remember those days. Those times when that telltale stripe that shouted to the world - "I'm an imposter!" "I'm not really as young as you might think!" or "I can't afford to go to the hairdresser right now!"...you name it, either way it all ties into to self esteem, self-respect, self-image. I totally get it.
I've had daydreams where I show up to my office on a Monday morning and surprise my co-workers with a newly-coloured head of blonde hair (or maybe a lovely auburn?) - but then I think of the time and effort it would take to re-transition if I didn't like it - or the time and money it would take to maintain it - and I'd also immediately feel as if I'd let myself down, or cheated myself somehow. That's when it's reaffirmed for me that I DID do this for all the right reasons - and that I have zero interest in getting back on the hair colour merry-go-round.
But again - going grey is a very personal choice. If I hadn't been ready to do it, I wouldn't have, and that's that. So, I believe if you're going to do it, you've got to WANT to do it, to invest the time, and see it through. No matter how many times I've encouraged others to give it a shot (when they complain about dying their hair), I'm usually met with, "Oh, but my grey isn't as nice as your grey" - or "I just don't have the courage" - there's really nothing I can do to convince them they should give it a try.
HOWEVER - if you are ready to give it a go? In case you haven't noticed, grey/silver is a much-coveted fashion statement these days - so if ever there was a time to go for it, the time is now. (I must admit, I feel a small amount of smug pleasure when I see a 20-something rocking a head of obviously dyed silver hair, and know that mine is the real thing). :) It's also a great time to have some fun with your new look - there are SO many fashionable women who are making splashes on Instagram and other social media platforms displaying a playful confidence in themselves:
Confidence. That's a word you'll hear a lot throughout a transition - that, and Courage, as in, "I don't have the courage/confidence to pull that off!" or "That must have taken a lot of courage!" Wellllll...yes, I suppose in some small way it did - but what of it? Again, the times they are a changin' - barriers are being broken down in SO many areas that were once taboo to even speak of - mental health issues, gender equality to name but a few....so I'd say having grey hair is waaaaaaay down there on the list of things that takes courage - I mean, after all, we're not fighting a disease, or jumping out of an airplane here people - it's only hair!
(Sorry. Maybe that last bit did sound a bit preachy). :)
Anyway...if you ARE curious about what your natural hair is doing under years of hair dye, and contemplating a move to the silver side, and you're really ready to do it - I say go for it! The worst that can happen is you'll just dye it back. To me, what it comes down to is this: You only have yourself to answer to - and whether you choose ravishing red, jet black, bombshell blonde, rainbow mermaid or platinum silver- listen to your inner voice, and do what feels right for YOU. You can't lose. :)
This past Friday (July 1st), was my country's 149th birthday! Happy birthday Canada, you're the best! :)
As is likely the case in most countries, we celebrate by shutting (almost) everything down, and calling a national day of partaaaaay for citizens and visitors alike. We had planned on a little road trip up north to Ontario cottage country - but as the evening was winding down around 11 p.m. on Thursday night, we took one last look at the weather forecast for Canada Day in our neck of the woods, and it looked......crappy. :( East and west of the city within driving distance didn't look any better, so right then and there, we made a crazy decision to take our C-Day celebrations to an ENTIRELY different part of this great country of ours - Banff, Alberta!
Now, for those who may be unfamiliar with traveling in Canada - it's big. Banff is no 3-hour drive from Toronto, it's a 3+ hour FLIGHT. But as I've mentioned previously on this blog, we have the incredible good fortune to be able to make spontaneous decisions like this because my S.O. works for an airline - so as long as there are seats available, we're able to travel just about anywhere pretty inexpensively. That said, we've NEVER made such a hasty travel decision before - but literally within minutes, we had our flight booked, hotel locked down, rental car reserved, and bags packed. Calgary here we come! Yeeeehawwww!
Amazingly, just about everything went according to plan for us - which isn't always the case when you fly standby. But this time it must have been meant to be, because we not only had assigned seats on the plane, we were also able to book (through Aeroplan) one FREE night at what is probably one of the most famous hotels in Canada, if not the world - the Fairmont Banff Springs:
Just look at that maple leaf flying high and proud atop that beautiful old hotel nestled deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains! It doesn't get any more Canadian than that my friends! :)
So as mentioned, we had one free night here (regular prices starting at $400+++ a night). Upon our arrival, we were asked if we'd like to upgrade to a better room, because "the one you're currently booked into is located off property" (or did he say in the basement near the boiler room??) - whatever he said, he made it sound MOST unpleasant (scenes from The Shining started running through my head) - and I thought, okay, HERE'S the catch - but when I replied that it would depend on the cost of said upgrade, he said, "that'll be $40.00 ma'am - and you'll get a much larger room with a view, located in the main building". Well, HELL yeah! True to his word, we were shown to a beautiful corner suite with views of the surrounding mountains, AND, as it turned out, a perfect vantage point from which to watch Banff's Canada Day fireworks! Bonus!
The hotel is located within the boundaries of Banff National Park, where the Canadian Rockies surround you (just wait, it gets better):
And again, as luck would have it - because it was Canada Day, admission was freeeeee!!
After refuelling with some delicious tacos at the hotel's outdoor patio restaurant (no photos, but trust me, the surrounding view was to die for), we took a late afternoon/evening walk into downtown Banff to check out the C-Day action. As is the case with most tourist-driven towns, Banff definitely has its share of the ever-ubiquitous souvenir shops, chain restaurants, and area attractions - but this was no time to be a cynic!! We were in Banff on Canada Day! And what a beautiful town it is:
A view down Banff's main drag
(The above pic was taken quite early the morning after C-Day - hence the quiet streets). :)
We ended our evening stroll along the banks of the beautiful Bow River, with sounds of live music bouncing off the mountains around us from the park bandshell:
...and it was here that I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the natural beauty that surrounded us. This has happened to me before - during our visit to Yosemite National Park in California - where it all becomes too much to take in - and you are just simply and purely awed by the beauty of our planet. Walking along the river in the evening light and seeing sights such as this...
and this...
and this...
...I found myself wondering if I'm truly living the right life. Oh don't get me wrong - I know I have PLENTY to be thankful for (I mean just that fact that I'm able to travel to such a spectacular spot on moment's notice is reason for deep gratitude) - but these are the times where for a big city dweller/worker like me, you wonder what is it all for - and if the answer is the pursuit of the almighty dollar, just so you can live in an incredibly overpriced city that you can't truly afford to appreciate to the fullest...well, you know where I'm going with this. The sad reality is that we do need money to survive - but the older I get, the less I need or want - and a simple life lived in beautiful surroundings starts to look like a far more attractive option...(said probably EVERYONE at one point or another in their lives)...
Ah well - at the very least perhaps this little adventure will motivate me to make the small changes in my life that may eventually lead to me making/selling homemade jewelry/pottery/baked goods etc. etc. from a stall on a beach or a cabin in the mountains, and I'll never have to wear socks again!!!
Alrighty then!! I won't bore you further with my life's lament, so back to the travelogue it is - and what better way than to show you more photos of this most beautiful part of the world. We had just about 48 hours in Banff National Park, and didn't want to waste a minute - so we woke up EARLY on Saturday morning (5:30 a.m.) and set out on a photo safari - first stop, the morning calm of the Vermilion Lakes, reflecting both Mount Rundle...
and Sulphur Mountain:
From there, we hopped in the car and took a short drive to Lake Minnewanka:
The sun still hadn't fully risen over Lake Minnewanka, but it was still a sight to behold. However, just a little further up the road.....shazam!!
Two Jack Lake
We rounded the corner and came upon this spectacular sight - Two Jack Lake (where I filed away the fact that this was a campground), this time reflecting the other side of Mount Rundle. Needless to say, our photographer's hearts did a little happy dance, and we spent quite a bit of time here watching the changing morning sun:
And just to put it all in perspective - here's a photo of Rob (on the right), with a fellow early morning photographer on the shores of Two Jack Lake:
Our early rise had been totally worth it. Surprisingly, we didn't see too much wildlife - which would have been expected in the early morning hours - but we did catch sight of this poor hungry fellow (lady?) foraging in the woods - not the greatest shot, as I had to stretch my zoom to its fullest, but she (he?) is looking right at me...incredible.
By this time, we were ready to forage for food ourselves - so back to the hotel for an amazing buffet breakfast, and check out. :( But we weren't done yet...
No trip to this part of the world can be called truly complete without a visit to what is probably THE most famous landmark in Banff National Park - Lake Louise. I'd visited Banff once many years ago, and unfortunately was unable to view this most remarkable lake due to heavy fog - so I was excited that I'd finally be seeing it with my own eyes. For a minute it appeared I may still not get a chance to see it, as there was a ridiculous traffic backlog on the off ramp leading to it - but persevere we did, and at long last, there she was - the beautiful turquoise lady, in all her glory:
Lake Louise
Curiously, on first sight, my initial reaction was mixed - perhaps it was because I'd seen so many photos of this natural wonder over the years, and it was just, "yep, there it is!" - or perhaps it was because, despite the tranquil scene above, just behind my lens, the shores were absolutely jam PACKED with tourists. (I took photos, one of which can be found on my Instagram, but I'll leave you with the fantasy and spare you the reality on this blog). Yep, I know, I was one too, doing what everyone else was doing, coming to gawk at this otherworldly phenomenon - honestly, it's just SO beautiful it's hard to comprehend - it's as if it has been manufactured by Disney - or another thing that came to mind while watching those colourful little canoes paddle furiously all over the lake was the Venetian hotel in Vegas with its man-made canal and gondola rides. Probably what made me the saddest though, was the fact that about 80% of the visitors to the lake were standing on the shores of this living testament to the beauty of nature with their backs turned to it - you guessed it - taking selfies. Look - I get it, I do - we all want to share it, to prove we've seen it with OUR own eyes too - (yep, I took a selfie too) but it's still a sad commentary on how technology, for all the good it does, is also taking away from us. There are many times when I really miss the pre-smart phone world - and this was definitely one of them. :(
Oops, there goes the cynic in me again! Time to pop her back in the genie bottle and get on with sharing some more photos:
Lake Louise truly is one of the world's most spectacular sights/destinations - and please don't let my diatribe on the evils of selfies deter you from seeing this for yourself - people flock to it, and take selfies with it because it IS so spectacular - there's truly nothing else like it on earth. Except maybe...Moraine Lake?
Moraine Lake
Rob had promised me that if I liked Lake Louise, I'd LOVE Moraine Lake - and he was right. Situated about a 20 minute drive from Lake Louise in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, lies THIS otherworldly turquoise lake - NEVER have I seen such vivid natural colour in a body of water before - and set against the backdrop of those magnificent mountains, in a valley teeming with an unbelievable abundance of the most striking tall and narrow evergreen trees I've ever seen - this was an overwhelming treat for the senses. Again, almost too beautiful to be believed...I could have sat at this vantage point for hours and just listened to the bird song in the air, felt the rush of mountain breeze swirling through the valley, and inhaled the sweet scent of the evergreens. While the area is still a very popular destination for tourists, its rugged beauty seems to retain more of a sense of wilderness, perhaps due to its more remote location. We'd truly saved the best for last.
That said, it's actually pretty difficult to put a rating on any of the sights we saw during our whirlwind 48 hours in Banff - it's ALL spectacular. We clearly only just started to scratch the surface in visiting a few of the "must see" destinations in the area. Someday if we have more time to spend there, it would be lovely to hike and/or bike one of the area's countless trails, or if we're feeling even more adventurous, I'd be game to rent a motorhome, find our spot in the woods, and just stay in one place and drink it all in. As it is, it feels like we fit a week's holiday into two days, and I think we did our best to make every minute count. Happy birthday Canada! I really do love you. :)
Hello again! It's that time of year (winter in my part of the world) where everyone is hopping a plane to escape bitter cold and frozen snowscapes - but not me! I say who needs icing sugar sand, swaying palm trees, and bone warming sunshine, when you can find fun and adventure a mere four hours from your own front door? So come with me, if you will, on a journey through blinding lake effect snow and gale force winds to Cleveland, Ohio - the birthplace of Rock & Roll!! (Who knew?)
Hey, please don't let my tone take ANYTHING away from the good city of Cleveland - on the contrary, it has a LOT going for it - the Cavs and LeBron James for one:
It's also where you'll find Progressive Field, home to the Cleveland Indians:
Despite being gated up for the winter, this looks like it would be lovely place to spend an afternoon watching the boys of summer! Right across the street from Progressive Field is the Quicken Loans Arena, home to the Cavs:
You'll also find First Energy Stadium, home to the Cleveland Browns NFL team, on the scenic shores of Lake Erie:
All these first class venues are located minutes from one another in a clean, vibrant downtown core, also home to many fine restaurants and several other attractions that we may have to return to check out.
Now, you'd think given the above that we were on a sports expedition to Cleveland - but on the contrary - we were there to see an attraction unique to Cleveland that had been on our bucket list for years - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which upon our arrival, looked like this:
Um, yeah, it just so happens that the hall is located literally ON the shore of Lake Erie - and that's that lake effect snow I mentioned earlier. BUT!!! I ask you - what better kind of day to spend indoors taking your time exploring a museum? Why choose the glass half empty? This was our winter getaway, and this was perfect! AND - we were there on a Wednesday, when the hall was open until 9 p.m. - so we had all day and night to rock on! Woooooooot!!
I really don't know where to begin - there was just SO MUCH to see (and hear!) As you can see, this I.M. Pei designed marvel is pyramidal (he also designed Paris's Louvre pyramid), so the largest and most time consuming gallery hall is on the lowest level, and the subsequent halls get accordingly smaller as you go higher. The entrance to the lower level gallery:
Not a bad place to start, right? From here you are taken through the history of rock's roots, from the Blues:
Through to cities that influenced the path of rock history (in this case [haha literally this CASE] London/Liverpool):
Other cities that are highlighted are Memphis, Los Angeles, and of course, San Francisco, where you'll find a section devoted to Janis Joplin, which includes her scarves, glasses, jewelry, and even an invitation to her funeral - a sober reminder that she left us too soon:
Yep, got a little psychedelic on you here :)
There is a section devoted to rock and roll's controversial past:
And of course a tribute to Elvis:
Poor headless Elvis looks a little forlorn here... :( and you can also see that another bonus due to the weather was that we almost had the entire place to ourselves!
Of course there were countless guitars on display - one which I was particularly excited to see was newly inducted (2015) Stevie Ray Vaughn's:
This particular 1961 Fender Strat was SRV's main instrument for the last five years of his life - he acquired in 1985, originally intending it to be given away as a prize at one of his shows. However, he liked it so much that he ended up keeping it for himself, and gave another guitar away instead. The tiger stripe pick guard is an homage to one of SRV's heroes, Buddy Guy, who had a similar pick guard on one of his guitars.
This is the type of detailed info that accompanies almost each and every one of the thousands and thousands of artifacts housed in the museum - there literally is too much information to take it all in in one visit - but we gave it our best shot!
There was a hall devoted entirely to the Beatles...
John Lennon's passport
...and other icons of rock such as Jimi Hendrix:
As a John Mayer fan, it was interesting to see this guitar was a part of his personal collection
I could seriously fill this blog with pages and pages of photos alone - if you've got some time to kill and are interested in seeing ALL the photos I took, I've created a flickr album, where I cover exhibits devoted to (in no particular order) Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Metallica, the Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and many, MANY more.
A few exhibits that I believe are not permanent (i.e. on display for a limited time) that we enjoyed immensely were those devoted to Graham Nash (member of the legendary Crosby, Stills and Nash) and Herb Ritts (photographer to rock royalty).
The Graham Nash exhibit was an in-depth exploration of his life, from childhood through to his time spent with bands such as the Hollies, CSN, and as a solo artist. There was SO much information in this exhibit alone, you could have taken an afternoon to get through it - I particularly enjoyed an interactive exhibit where you can harmonize with Graham in a sound booth:
Thankfully no audio on that! But our hair colour is definitely in sync... :)
I also loved this portrait of Graham, painted by his then girlfriend, Joni Mitchell, back in their Laurel Canyon days:
See what I mean!? SO much to see!!!
The Herb Ritts exhibit was the located at the "top of the pyramid", and as such the last exhibit we saw - but certainly not the least. I have long been a fan - he is one of those photographers whose work is instantly recognizable:
Elton John
Madonna
It was such a pleasure browsing this gallery. Not only are Ritts's photos stunning works of art, but they also evoke such a sense of nostalgia for the point in time they were taken, and also an appreciation of the impact the iconic artists he captured have had on music history. Amazing.
The late, great, David Bowie.
So there you have it! Well, actually, not really - I've only scratched the surface of what's available to see at the R&R Hall of Fame. Besides what I've mentioned, there are loads of interactive exhibits, and several films, (including footage from past induction ceremonies which gave me goosebumps!) So if you've been on the fence about going and this post has piqued your interest, I would heartily recommend a trip to Cleveland to check it out for yourself. If you're a music lover (and who isn't?), you will not be disappointed.
The weather finally did clear up :)
A few closing thoughts about our little mini-getaway. While of COURSE it's great to get away to sunnier climes when the weather in your part of the world is cold and snowy - it occurred to me that it's not really about where you go when you travel - it's simply about the travelling itself. As I said to Rob this morning - I honestly got as much excitement out of rounding the corner and seeing that LeBron James mural looming before us, as I did when seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, or viewing the Diamond Head volcano in Hawaii with my own eyes. Before you roll your eyes way back in your head at that statement, hear me out - I'm beginning to realize it's not how FAR you go - it's just that you GO. Somewhere. Anywhere. Whether it be on a trip across the world, or a trip to the next town - just get out there and experience something new, something you've never seen before. You'll come back having learned something you didn't know before, seeing things you didn't know existed, and meeting new people who are either doing the same thing you're doing, or welcoming you to their part of the world. Travel is AMAZING. :)
