Dear Diary...

Okay...so it's been a bit crazy around the Metz household as of late...I should have posted this weeks ago. Well...better late than never eh?

Our UK/European trip was spectacular!!! Here is a brief listing of what we did each day.
If you want to see more pictures visit us on Facebook. I have an album titled "It's a UK/European Vacation: Metz Style"

Fri Aug. 31 – Toronto To London
-Mom and Dad drive us to the airport (saves parking!)
-11:50pm flight is delayed…great
-slept for most of the flight (or at least that’s what Ryan tells me)…we did get a hot meal (1/2 way thru)…so what’s that? Dinner? Lunch? Breakfast?

Sat. Sept 1 – London
-took us an hour waiting in line to get thru customs! (at least at Canada’s Wonderland you get to ride a roller coaster at the end)
-found our way to Cindy and KJ’s (my cousin’s)…they have such a cute flat!
-had a drink at their local pub…a great way to ease ourselves into London life.

(With Cindy and K.J at their "local")

Sun Sept 2 – London
-we had the yummiest breakfast…scones with double cream and lemon curd…just divine!
-explored London…saw Buckingham, Westminster Abby and Big Ben…did some shopping AND found some souvenirs.

(Buckingham Palace)

Mon. Sept 3 – London
-toured the Tower Of London…saw the crown jewels, the beheading block and it’s legendary ravens…so cool!
-lunch at Pret A Manger. Canada NEEDS to have this sandwich chain!
-Evening: Pub crawl…4 pubs and LOTS of drinks! (and crisps!)

Tues. Sept 4 – London to Paris
-took Eurostar train to Paris…through the chunnel. We sat across from a couple…she was super sweet and he was a complete JERK!
-arrived in Paris without a clue how to get to our hotel…other than it was near the Eiffel tower…so we fought like cats and dogs…
-walked circles around the Eiffel tower…eventually found our hotel.
-booked a tour to Versailles and walked around the Louvre…absolutely breathtaking!

Wed. Sept 5 – Paris
-Palace of Versailles tour…oooohhh I want a palace! AND just for the record: Louis XIV who built it was a complete DIVA…even using a leg model for his Royal portrait. Can I have one too?
-toured Notre Dame
-dinner out (I had the BEST lasagna!)

(Versailles: Hall Of Mirrors)

Thurs. Sept. 6 – Paris to Rome
-up at 5am to make it to the airport…um…ya
-arrived in Rome without a clue how to get to our hotel…fought like cats and dogs.
-found our hotel and we were so tired we napped from 5:30 – 9:30…then tried watching TV in Italian…and fell asleep again!

Fri. Sept 7 – Rome
-took an English speaking tour of the Coliseum, Circus Maximus, The Emperor’s Palace and Old Rome…completely AMAZING!
-did laundry…ate gelato…and pizza
-found a store that sells cheap wine…approx. $3.00 for a bottle.
…make mental note to buy more…

(Our daily "When in Rome" ritual: Pizza and Gelato)

Sat. Sept 8 – Rome
-toured the Vatican City: St Peter’s Basilica and The Vatican Museum (where the Sistine Chapel is)…breathtaking! (had to wait in line for 2 hours though!)
-ate gelato…and pizza and bought more cheap wine
- Saturday night: went out for Notta Bianco (White Night) the city is lit up all night and public transit is free!

(Colosseum during Notta Bianca "The White Night")

Sun. Sept 9 – Rome
-slept in and relaxed…because our feet felt like they were going to fall off!
-bought souvenirs and walked around the city. I bought a purse, a “Gussaci”…a TRUE Italian knockoff…the perfect blend of Guess and Versace…why have one brand name when you can have two?!
-ate gelato and pizza and bought cheap wine.
-ate supper out…very tasty!

Mon. Sept 10 – Rome to Prague
-arrived in Prague without a clue how to get to our hotel…fought like cats and dogs.
-found hotel
-ate supper at “The Spirit Bar”…yummy cheese, sausage, pickles, goulash and beer! (Ryan looked like a kid in a candy store when our meals arrived!)
-watched MTV in German…and went to bed because it was really boring

Tues. Sept 11 – Prague
-took the Metro to Wenceslas square…the touristy part of Prague…beautiful
-walked to the Prague castle…Prague is very Bavarian…so cool! Even found the church at the Prague castle had real gargoyles!
-bought souvenirs…very fun souvenirs!!! (nesting dolls, sweaters and Absinthe!)
-ate gelato and pizza and bought cheap wine (we couldn’t get off the habit we formed in Rome)

(gargoyle)

Wed. Sept 12 – Prague to London
-flight to London: Ryan sat beside “The Ice Princess”, a beautiful slim Prague girl who didn’t talk, smile or eat. Later we discovered she had packed KFC & dipping sauce in her purse…the dipping sauce must have leaked out covering everything! (Yikes…it reeked!)
-found our way to Cindy and KJ’s…and we didn’t fight like cats and dogs.
-ate supper, vegged and did laundry.

Thurs. Sept 13 – London
-toured the British Museum…very cool, lots of Egyptian, Assyrian, Chinese and Tibetan artifacts.
-walked around London for more pictures of the city
-went out for supper, Cindy and KJ took us out for Indian food…it was delicious!!!-checked out some bars and then “cabbed” our way home…let me add that Ryan was simply hilarious ALL evening

(bus beer with K.J)

Fri. Sept 14 – London
-I got up at 9:30…Ryan…slept in…
-toured Westminster Abbey…so beautiful!
-lunched at “Pret A Manger”…mmm…so good!
-Friday evening: Camden Town…wow…a whole area dedicated to Goth, punk, rock, raving…you name it and merchandise, pubs and clubs. I got the coolest earrings and shirt…can’t wait to wear them!

Sat Sept 15 – London to Toronto
-left for the airport…said a good bye to Cindy and KJ…such great hosts!!
-8 hour flight home…so cramped and BORED! I mean…how many movies and music can one endure until you just gotta get up and run around!
-found Mom and Dad and made our way home.

…now starts the battle against jet lag…

Love Kath

Oh...The GREAT outdoors!

What do you get when you mix: My family, The Outdoors, Lots of Food and Coffee? “Adventures in Camping!” Yes folks, last weekend was the annual Krumrei camp out. It is the one weekend of the year I shed my diva ways, forego the hairdryer and shrug off the bugs to get a taste of the good ‘ol outdoors! We stayed at a little campground just outside of Collingwood, along the shores of Georgian bay. The view there is beautiful, the food was great and the beach is a fossil beach! Of course we had some help along the way with shopping in Collingwood and a Starbucks drive-thru…but whatever…it was still, all in all, a low maintenance weekend! Here are some pictures of our stay:

The View From Our Campsite

US

Cooking Breakfast: Saturday morning

Our Friend the Chipmunk...he only came around when we had food...figures!

Ryan and Me

Desert! Look at Ryan...that guy! Trying to steel MY dessert!

Campfire Popcorn...it was more fun to make than eat!

Making Breakfast: Sunday morning.

Unfortunately Kevin and Brenda are in Korea so they weren't able to join us. We had a good time but certainly missed them! That's ok...we plan on keeping this tradition alive for many years!

~KATH~

Confessions of a "Space-Facer" Part 4

Yes I’m aware that this is my forth blog about my online networking antics.
No…I’m not finished…yet. I could get to part 15 for all I know!

So…today I added another face book application. It’s called Superlative.
Until today I have been turning down application invites left right and center in hopes of keeping my facebook profile page less than a mile long.
Today I caved.
I don’t know if it was a moment of weakness or that I was just plain curious about the word “superlative” (I love words). Actually it was probably a bit of both.
It turns out that this application made it possible to make my favorite part of my high school yearbook and every day event. I get to nominate my friends for “most likely to…”.
My only regret (other than being even more addicted) is that I somehow clicked an option to add a link below all my nominated friend’s profile pictures…oops…sorry for cluttering up your facebook if you were victimized by my momentary lapse of “click happy superlative’ness”.
Anywho…back to the topic at hand.
I can even make up my own superlative if I can’t find a pre-existing one that fits the person I want to nominated.
So far I’ve nominated:
Evangela: most likely to make me laugh. (because she’s hilarious)
Brenda: most likely to be cuter than a Koala bear (because she’s very cute)
Peggy: most likely to work for Dunder Mifflin.(we talk about “The Office” a lot...it's so funny!)
Mehar: most likely to be Batman (I made this one up…because he thinks he is…so why resist it?)
Ryan: most likely to vibrate my hamster (because…ummm…it sounds a bit naughty and he’ll get a kick out of it)
Trish: most likely to party like a Rockstar (because if you knew her you’d know this is the absolute truth!)
Kevin: most likely to drop his keys in the toilet (because I’m actually surprised he hasn’t already done this)
Janelle: most likely to be a trophy wife (because she’s amazing)
George: most likely to take over the world (because he’s my boss and…well…he certainly has the potential!)
Tom: most likely to save the environment from global warming (because it was the most “green” option to chose from)

…and the list goes on…

Ryan asked me the other day: “What are you going to do if facebook gets cancelled”
…what the…?! Ok…*crying*
(wink, wink)

Sooo….What should I nominate you for? My fingers are ready and poised at the keys…

What The...?

Every day around this time (it's about 4:30...give or take) my ears get hot. And when they get hot they get red.
I don't get it.
I'm not stressed.
...or embarrassed.
I exercise...on a semi-regular basis (which is of no particular interest to you...but I felt better saying it)
I had coffee...but it was this morning, now I'm on the water...so it's not a result of some caffeine high...

Some people would probably giggle and say "someones thinking about you..."
And I'd say "Ya...it's Ryan...and he's wondering what I'm making him for supper"

But I still have red, hot ears.

Over the years I've learned to listen to my body...because it can tell me a lot. Of course there's the obvious stuff: I'm hungry, I'm tired...yadda, yadda, yadda...
There is also the less obvious stuff:
-I'm not getting enough water (I don't really get thirsty...more of a weird nauseous feeling)
-Mu blood sugar is too high (I feel "wingy"...don't ask...)
-My blood sugar is too low (I feel like I'm really drowsy)
-Too much lying around (my back gets achey)
-I've pushed myself too hard while exercising and my muscles aren't getting enough oxygen (stomach cramps that occur after I've cooled down...they aren't much fun.)
...etc...

But try as I might I can't figure out the hot, red ear thing.
Is my body just trying to tell me I'm a nut?

...hmmmm...it IS a strong possiblilty...

~Kath~

The Other Side Of The Coin

I don’t read Maxim. Neither does Ryan…for that matter
But…I happened across a copy of the July 2007 edition recently.
After flipping through it I think I’ll call Maxim “Cosmo” for men…and now I know how the guys feel about Cosmo…or at least in some respects.
Maxim magazine, like Cosmo is filled mostly with ads ( but featuring hot girls), pics (but featuring hot girls) and a few sports and health tips (instead of Cosmo’s fashion and make up tips…and Maxim features hot girls)…just to round it off.
Okay…I’m not being completely fair…there are a few articles too. And as I flipped through I noticed one that was of particular interest to me.
It’s entitled “Woman’s Mags” and it’s a guys guide to deciphering what women are thinking BUT also poking fun at women’s magazines that are trying to decipher men.
This caught my interest because I have always laughed to myself when reading an advice column that generalizes men…I wonder how I would feel having my actions and words translated?
The article poses 6 statements/questions that women make and then goes on to show the reader what article we’ve read to make us say or ask them and then how men are to deal with it. For the sake of length I’m going to pick three of these questions…randomly (honest!) and see just how accurate I think Maxim is. I’ll even keep score!

The very first question already had me smirking:
“Watch how you spend your money”
Thanks to Maxim I now know what I mean when I say this.
I’m actually saying: “You’re spending money we need for our future”
Hmmm…ok. Ryan’s pretty smart with his money, in fact, I’m really the one who has to watch it!
AND according to Maxim I got this little idea from an Article in the Jan. 2007 edition of Marie Claire.
Wow…and I didn’t even read that…I’m better at multi-tasking than I thought! I wish I could clean my house this way…get it done without even doing it!
According to the Maxim article, women stake their territory by reaching into their guy’s bank account.
Really?...I mean…of course! I laid awake countless nights when Ryan and I were dating trying to figure out how to mark my territory…especially since I pee sitting down. Neither of us had any money when we were dating, come to think of it…we still don’t…
Score: Me 1: Maxim 0

The next discusses the age old question: You don’t think I’m fat do you?
Maxim goes on to explain that what I really mean is when I ask this is: YOU think I’m fat. Don’t you?
This little thought was put in my head when I supposedly read People magazine’s Oct 9th 2006 issue.
Wow…so when I was asking this question of some poor unsuspecting guy way back in high school (and I did…trust me) it was just my 6th sense telling me I was going to read about it years later…so I better start asking the question…years earlier?
I actually don’t buy People magazine…okay, okay…sometimes…but it’s a rare event.
According to Maxim I’m worried I’ll get traded in for a skinnier girl and they’re advice: lie, lie LIE!
The proper response for the guy is to say: I have no idea what you are talking about, You look great.
Hmmmmm….that’s actually not a bad answer…okay…fine…BUT I’m not worried Ryan thinks I’m fat but more that with his reassurance he’ll stop the irritating voice in my head telling me I am…if only for a few minutes. However that said…I certainly don’t want a truthful answer if the answer to this question is: “Yes…I think you’re fat”
Kudos Maxim, kudos.
Score: Me 1: Maxim 1

The third question I picked was: “Do you think my friend is hot?”
Hahaha!!! Maxim just had to do this one!
According to Maxim, I’m insecure and trying to trap my man when I ask this.
Wow…like I have time to try and verbally trap Ryan…plus, if I think a friend of mine is hot (and I have a lot of hot friends!)…I’ll just say it, not ask him first!
Now THIS doozey of a question came from the article in Cosmo called “Hold His Attention Like This”…Oct 2006
…I’m quite the little magazine reader according to Maxim! Eh?
AND…Maxim minces no words with this explanation of what I’m really trying to say: “ I am a raging lunatic with massive self-esteem issues.
Yep…that about sums me up…
YIKES!
Score: Me 2: Maxim 1

So…there you have it. Maxim does have a point…but I have two…proving that I know myself better than Maxim does. Excuse me while I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Of course…Ryan did remind me that Maxim can only really profile an “average female” and that most women will disagree with one or more of the analysis’s. Okay…Ryan “the voice of reason” Metz…why must he have so much common sense?! (Ryan, if you’re reading this…LOVE YOU!!!)
Actually…what I discovered as I read the other three questions in the article was that Maxim actually had a couple more points…but we won’t go there because this is my blog.
:)
I guess in all of this I’ve learned that it’s somewhat entertaining to read an article that tries to decipher the tangled web I weave of female thought…as entertaining as Ryan might find a Cosmo article that takes a stab at analyzing what his actions, answers, kissing style or clothes say about him…
In the end it’s all relative and nothing can replace good ol’ fashioned communication!

Love Kath

Confessions of a "Space-Facer" part 3

Wow…first I hardly blog then I pump out three blogs in three days!
…and let me also add: the irony that these blogs are about blogging and my internet addiction is also not lost on me...

So, today I hear on the radio that Facebook is becoming so popular that more people are joining it than myspace. (or something to that effect)
That explains why my myspace friends are dropping like flies.

The latest facebook news…(in my world)
I have recently discovered the various applications one can browse and add.
Yes, this is where I got “catbook” from. As much as I’d like to take the credit for my originality, alas, I cannot.

These applications are a one stop shop for all your facebookin’ needs.

With these applications I can:
-Add a countdown: so everyone knows what’s on the horizon of my social schedule
-Post Graffiti: for others to spend a few valuable minutes drawing that special picture just for me.
-List my top friends: In case they weren’t feeling loved enough
-Add sparkle words: to “pimp” my page
-Super poke people (like regular poking wasn’t enough!)
-Get into a food fight (actually…I think a few of my friends have already thrown food at me)
-Get someone’s honest opinion with the: Honesty Box
-Post a magic Eight ball: To answer all my cosmic questions
-Bite people and turn them into Zombies
-Add a quote of the day
…and many, many, many more…

Of course…in keeping with the facebook addiction…I cannot participate in anyone’s application unless I have added it too.
(which is what you would have to do to become my cat’s “friend”…sorry)

Oh boy…let the festivities begin!

Soon my facebook page will resemble my myspace page I lovingly refer to as:

"The carnival that is Kathleen"

Confessions of a "SpaceFacer" Part 2

Okay...I just added my cats to facebook, posted their pics AND wrote profiles of them in the 1st person...

Wow...I think I need to get a hobby.

Chase

Belle

Confessions of a "Space-Facer"

Okay…I’m blogging…it’s been a while…too long actually.
If anyone out there is accustomed to checking our blog to see what we’re up to they’ve probably given up thinking we started a blogspot just “keeping up with the jones’”.
Well maybe we were…or are…but that’s no excuse.
So here it is my excuse…but it’s more of a confession: I’m addicted to Facebook and Myspace…or “spaceface” as Ryan affectionately refers to these networks.

Here’s a short history on this addiction because it didn’t come about overnight.
No, I’ve been nursing this addiction for some time.
I remember Ryan explaining the “blog” concept a few years ago.
“It’s like an online diary” he said…or more appropriately an online journal (journal sounds less “soap opera-ish”).
Cool.
He could find people we and he used to know and see what they were up to and see current pics.
I remember being mildly interested at the time. But not giving it much thought,
Every now and then he’d show me someone’s recent update and we’d reminisce on the good ‘ol days.
And that was it.

So….skip to December 2005.

A local band advertized that they had their schedule on something called myspace…
The funny thing with myspace is it sucks you in…you aren’t privy to ALL the information until you sign up.
So…I signed up.
And…suddenly I was online AND “Tom” was my first friend.
Tom is the myspace mastermind and he is available for quick tips and a bit of trouble shooting.
I remember thinking “What if I don’t WANT Tom as my friend? I mean…he didn’t even ASK!”

Fast forward to Feb. 2006.

I get a notification email telling me someone has sent me a message on myspace.
Overcome with curiosity I checked it out and it was my friend Sarah…she was on myspace and searching to see who else she’d know.
And she found me.
Unbeknownst to me my profile page was completely “unpimped”, without a picture and just the default settings…like saying I was single.
Needless to say Sarah thought this was pretty funny and after accepting her as a friend she commented on my page about me being single.
By that afternoon I had changed all my settings, and had a picture up.
The following months were a flurry of friend requests, HTML “pimping”, adding profile songs, more pics and surfing myspace to see just who was out there.
Then came the blogging…
On myspace if you click on the link for blogs and there is none it says “Why don’t you try writing one…if you don’t like it you can always delete it”.
So…I tried it…and became hooked…that was sometime last summer.
I know myspace has received a bad rap for it’s spam and what have you…but I like it, it’s music orientated and that’s right up my ally.

Now…fast forward to Dec 2006.

I had coffee with a friend and in and amoungst all the chit chat she said “You should check out facebook”
Again…curiousity got the best of me and I was sucked in…signed up…didn’t do much and then suddenly…I started finding people.
The funny thing about facebook is that it starts to increase exponentially…the more people you know…the more people you find.
The home page is crazy because you can see what everyone else’s doing…which is even more addicting than myspace because you don’t’ even have to go looking for it…it does the work for you.
I can join groups, comment on people’s walls, send emails, post pictures, blog and even have a profile song.
Then there’s the poking…
What is a facebook poke anyways?
I noticed a group people were joining called “Enough with the poking already…let’s just have sex”…but I think that’s taking poking to an extreme…I mean…I return a friendly facebook poke to my brother but lets face it…I’m not trying to put the moves on.
So I joined a group called “Enough with the poking already…let’s just have pancakes”.
And there you have it…I poke the people I want to have pancakes with…although I think I could have pancakes with just about anyone…as long as they don’t try and eat my stack!
Another “facebook’ism is tagging.”
I can post a pic of…say Ryan and me and then tag us in it…this then links his page with this pic and notifies him. It’s a great idea…except of course when the baby pictures or really bad highschool pics are scanned in..yikes!
It’s all good though…I have no complaints.

I love myspace and facebook because it allows me to network with everyone…and keep in touch with people I wouldn’t normally see in the course of a week. It’s also great to keep in touch with family as Ryan’s is spread out in various places and my brother and sister-in-law are in Korea. AND local goings’ on and band schedules are posted here…so I’m all set. My vocabulary has changed too…I now frequently say: friending, tagging, poking, comment, upload, blogstalking, and HTML.

I have been doing my best to multi-task but I fear this blogspot page as suffered in spite of my best efforts. I will try and do better…but I can’t promise anything…myspace and facebook have me wrapped around their fingers!

Do you “spaceface”?
If so I’m friending you!!!

Love Kath

A RARE Moment

I don't have a green thumb.

I can't garden...I don't have the patience for it.

Once Ryan and I planted a vegatable garden together, I planted the carrots and lettuce, Ryan planted the peas and cucumbers. Only the peas and cucumbers came up.

No...really.

Ryan said I planted the carrots and lettuce upside down and that they were infact growing but heading towards China.

Ryan has a green thumb.
Ryan can garden and he has all the patience in the world for it.
As the weather gets warmer he spends the week nights looking longingly at the lawn......wish to mow it.
He loves raking, weeding, fertilizing and watering. (AND shovelling the driveway and sidewalk in the winter!)
How did I get so lucky to marry a guy who loves all this stuff?
Well...I don't call it luck...I call it God's plan to ensure survival of the green stuff around our house!

This past weekend was our annual gardening day...to plant the gardens around our house.Ryan spends approx. 2 months leading up to the date prepping me for it.Each time he mentions it...I cringe knowing what lies ahead.Okay...it's not all that bad...once I get going...

This year we decided to document the event.Just for you...our blog readers.Ryan was up bright and early Saturday morning getting stuff ready.
I rolled out of bed...threw on some clothes and ventured outside. Yeah...not the prettiest of sights...sigh...














Even Chase joined us for the morning...of course he wouldn't have had it any other way!











Window box: Before

Window box: After

Ryan...doing what he loves.

Side Window boxes

And...the front planter.

I don't think it looks too bad...all said and done!

Love Kath

How To Spend A Sunday Afternoon!

Sooo...we headed to my parents place for Sunday lunch. We used to go every Sunday and do laundry in the afternoon but now that we own a house we have the luxury of doing the laundry at home. These days we usually make it out to Camp Krumrei every couple of weeks. This Sunday was a gorgeous day!!! The sun was out and we couldn't resist sitting in it on the deck in the afternoon! My parents live on a 30 acre piece of land about 1/2 hr outside of St. Kitts. It's so peaceful to stand on the deck, feel the warm breeze and look out over the fields! This is the view from my parent's porch


Everyone chatting and drinking coffee...Krumrei Sunday afternoon tradition!


Me...thinking...I think. (I don't know)


Even the cat couldn't resist the sunshine!


Ryan and the cat (affectionately known as Miss Mieux)


And here is the four of us...I think we're lookin' pretty cute!

So...there you have it, an afternoon with the Krumrei's...almost makes you wanna stop by eh? Well, if you do I'll tell my Mom and she'll put the coffee on!
Love Kath.

Sam's Town

I am so excited! We got our tickets today for the Killers Concert. It's Monday May 7th at the ACC. I really like their new album...and believe me I'm gonna sing along! The Killers have such a different sound and their song's, while having a certain continuity, all sound unique. Do you know what I mean? Of course...here I am critiquing them like I know a thing about writing or composing music. I couldn't write a unique melody to save my life! Oh well...I know what I like, and I like the Killers!

Love Kath

It's Been Awhile...

Here's a few pics to let everyone know what has been going on in our lives the past month:

My Friend Shawn Vidal was in Toronto with his band "The Details" (check out their myspace) for Canadian Music Week March 9th. Kath & I saw the show, and loved it, nice to see you Shawn












My Dad came down for a day this week. We spent a few hours at the Hockey Hall of Fame &...















...then we were off to the Convention Center for an evening with the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Champions. This was a charity function that my Dad had tickets for and he chose to invite me, what a night!

Damon Allen (QB for the Argos)









Clear the track, here comes Eddie Shack








Johnny Bower, what a gentleman, 82 years old, he signed autographs all night. You should see the "mitts" on this guy, and remember he played goalie without a mask...



Current GM of the Leafs- John Ferguson. I shook his hand and said, "good luck this weekend against the Sabres" (they really need it) He said, "thanks, can you make it to tryouts on Friday?" (well not quite...the "thanks" part was right, the rest I just added)

The evening ended with an interview by Elliot Friedman (CBC) with Jean Beliveau, he was on the losing Montreal Canadiens in 1967 and offered some insight into the rivalry that still exists between these 2 clubs, very interesting, again another great ambassador for the game.




Thanks Dad for making the trip out here, I had a great time. We are looking forward to seeing you guys in the Summer.