Lindsay: Hunnie.....want to help me braid my hair later?
Phil: It's football night.
Lindsay: Do you want to help me braid my hair while we watch football?
Phil: No.
Monday, January 3, 2011
FOOTBALL ONLY!
Lindsay: Hunnie.....want to help me braid my hair later?
Phil: It's football night.
Lindsay: Do you want to help me braid my hair while we watch football?
Phil: No.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Poor Effort or Lack of Sleep?
Examples of "bad Catchphrase play".....
Number One:
Phil: It's the name of a motorbike and a keyboard!
Emily: Yamaha!
Phil: Yes....but...NO! I gave you the wrong clue! I was trying to get you to guess Suzuki!
Number Two:
Phil: Those things that a baby wears...when they get dirty you put them in a...?
Emily: Garbage can.
Phil: No!
Emily: Diaper genie!
Phil: No!
Emily: Then WHAT?! (buzzer runs out)
Phil: Diaper bag!
All three girls: PHIL!!!! That's where you put CLEAN diapers!!!
Number One:
Phil: It's the name of a motorbike and a keyboard!
Emily: Yamaha!
Phil: Yes....but...NO! I gave you the wrong clue! I was trying to get you to guess Suzuki!
Number Two:
Phil: Those things that a baby wears...when they get dirty you put them in a...?
Emily: Garbage can.
Phil: No!
Emily: Diaper genie!
Phil: No!
Emily: Then WHAT?! (buzzer runs out)
Phil: Diaper bag!
All three girls: PHIL!!!! That's where you put CLEAN diapers!!!
"SRI LANKS" - DEC. 20
You know those stray cows in the sketchy field that I was referring to earlier? Well, one of them chased me this morning. It was horrifying...and Colleen and Emily saw it from a distance and LAUGHED! I didn't find it that funny, until a worker witnessed the incident and chased the cow in revenge! That made me feel better. As did Lal's birthday present of three miniature elephants at breakfast!
Today was a busy day. We visited Nalanda temple (where we met a dog named "dog"), Dambulla Cave Temple (famous in Sri Lanka), a spice garden in Matale (where Phil - I mean SPIDERMAN- climbed a coconut tree), and Aluvihara temple (where we got our names written in Sinhalese on palm leaves!). But the attraction we had all been waiting for was the "GEMMMMMMM" factory (which must be pronounced with an exaggeration on the "em" part of the word!).
Let's talk about GEMMMMMMMMS. Sri Lanka is known for its many precious and semi-precious stones. Sapphires are among the most popular, but the "land of gemmmmmms" also bears rubies, pearls, garnets, opals, moonstones, amethysts, and so on. At the factory, you get to learn about the process of making those shiny stones that jazz-up our finest jewellery. (Side note: the ladies on the trip may have been too excited to see the final product and failed to appreciate the hard work of the factory's beautifiers).
The part that comes after the making of the "gemmmmmmmms" is the BEST part (well...maybe not for Phil). We were taken to an older, but lovely, building where we were seated in those fancy office chairs at a fancy conference-like table. There were various other tables with tourists engaging in the same thing as us - "gemmmmmm" shopping! One by one, large boxes of jewellery were revealed - earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings - both silver and gold. The lighting in the room was bright and there was no mistaking the exquisite "gemmmmmmms" before us. We tried on ring after ring, held up earring after earring, and awed over the selection of charms. While Colleen and "Gemily" (her trip nickname, dictated by her knowledge of gemmmmmmmms) browsed their own rings and necklaces, Phil told me to pick out a "6 month-iversary" ring! And so....I did! My newest ring (which I couple up with my silver wedding band) is also silver and has 30 blue sapphires placed in two long rows on the front of the ring. It is absolutely beautiful (and Leafs colours, Dad!). I also was spoiled with an elephant charm that has sapphire eyes and pearl toes! I will try to post photos of these soon...
Going back to the hotel, called the "Majestic Tourist Hotel", was a MUST after this shopping spree. And so we settled in to our rooms and Emily surprised us with an Asian craft while we waited for our meal of rice and curry! The craft was origami stars that would eventually be sewn together to make Christmas garland! It was tricky to learn at first (Phil had to order a few beers to survive the learning process), but in the end we were all quite good! In fact, Phil went from hating the activity to being a team leader when it came to star problem-solving and repair! (WAY TO GO, PHIL!!!)
The night concluded with some hilarious matches of Catchphrase. I think Emily and Phil were particularly "bad" at the game this evening (sorry, pals!). But really....Colleen and I were leading the series 6-0!!! (Phil - had you have been the one to blog this, you could have expressed it differently).
Then it was off to bed to dream of "gemmmmmmmmmmmms".
Today was a busy day. We visited Nalanda temple (where we met a dog named "dog"), Dambulla Cave Temple (famous in Sri Lanka), a spice garden in Matale (where Phil - I mean SPIDERMAN- climbed a coconut tree), and Aluvihara temple (where we got our names written in Sinhalese on palm leaves!). But the attraction we had all been waiting for was the "GEMMMMMMM" factory (which must be pronounced with an exaggeration on the "em" part of the word!).
Let's talk about GEMMMMMMMMS. Sri Lanka is known for its many precious and semi-precious stones. Sapphires are among the most popular, but the "land of gemmmmmms" also bears rubies, pearls, garnets, opals, moonstones, amethysts, and so on. At the factory, you get to learn about the process of making those shiny stones that jazz-up our finest jewellery. (Side note: the ladies on the trip may have been too excited to see the final product and failed to appreciate the hard work of the factory's beautifiers).
The part that comes after the making of the "gemmmmmmmms" is the BEST part (well...maybe not for Phil). We were taken to an older, but lovely, building where we were seated in those fancy office chairs at a fancy conference-like table. There were various other tables with tourists engaging in the same thing as us - "gemmmmmm" shopping! One by one, large boxes of jewellery were revealed - earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings - both silver and gold. The lighting in the room was bright and there was no mistaking the exquisite "gemmmmmmms" before us. We tried on ring after ring, held up earring after earring, and awed over the selection of charms. While Colleen and "Gemily" (her trip nickname, dictated by her knowledge of gemmmmmmmms) browsed their own rings and necklaces, Phil told me to pick out a "6 month-iversary" ring! And so....I did! My newest ring (which I couple up with my silver wedding band) is also silver and has 30 blue sapphires placed in two long rows on the front of the ring. It is absolutely beautiful (and Leafs colours, Dad!). I also was spoiled with an elephant charm that has sapphire eyes and pearl toes! I will try to post photos of these soon...
Going back to the hotel, called the "Majestic Tourist Hotel", was a MUST after this shopping spree. And so we settled in to our rooms and Emily surprised us with an Asian craft while we waited for our meal of rice and curry! The craft was origami stars that would eventually be sewn together to make Christmas garland! It was tricky to learn at first (Phil had to order a few beers to survive the learning process), but in the end we were all quite good! In fact, Phil went from hating the activity to being a team leader when it came to star problem-solving and repair! (WAY TO GO, PHIL!!!)
The night concluded with some hilarious matches of Catchphrase. I think Emily and Phil were particularly "bad" at the game this evening (sorry, pals!). But really....Colleen and I were leading the series 6-0!!! (Phil - had you have been the one to blog this, you could have expressed it differently).
Then it was off to bed to dream of "gemmmmmmmmmmmms".
Thumpity, Thump, Thump, Thump.
Phil got up in the early morning to turn on the heat. He wanted it to be warm for me when I woke up to blog.
It sure is nice and cozy in this living room! Best Husband Ever.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
"SRI LANKS" - DEC. 19
Introducing my BEST BIRTHDAY YET! Wow - where to begin? The day was one awesome thing after another, just as Phil had requested when we booked with Lal!
I woke up to a special birthday delivery from Lal - Sri Lankan wedding flowers! They were so beautiful and he had adhered them to a styrofoam board with red ribbon. So cute.
At breakfast, Emily spoiled me with a "heart-themed" birthday gift! As you know, I have this thing with finding hearts, and let me tell you, I found heart after heart during the unwrapping of my birthday presents! Heart shaped magnets, post-its with hearts, heart shaped ornaments, paper bags with hearts, lip smackers with hearts, craft paper with hearts on it, a green heart rock, a purple heart rock, and a silver heart charm! I WAS SPOILED! Colleen and Emily even had a toenail decorated with a heart (from their most recent pedicure)! It was awesome. Oh I LOVE hearts!!! (And love).
To begin our tour for the day, we went to Habarana for an elephant ride! Now I wish you were all there, too, because it is one of those things that leaves you with a constant smile throughout! All four of us climbed onto one elephant (named Manika) and we were taken on an hour long walk by a mahout (or elephant caretaker) and a photographer (yippee! photos ON elephants!). The walk included a highway portion (a little scary, but people enjoyed our birthday enthusiasm), a jungle portion (monkeys freak me right out), and a water portion (dear crocs, stay put please!). Along the way, a young girl gave us necklaces made of flowers and we purchased two bunches of bananas to feed Manika. Phil and I got the opportunity to sit in the "pilot seat" and both had the chance to feed her! It was a wee bit frightening, as she swung her trunk back and gobbled them up! Several times she would blow in my face with her stinky breath and make my hair go all over the place. Very funny to watch. Not so funny to be the person people are watching. Ah well - the ride was AWESOME and we received official-looking certificates when we got back to the starting point!
Before the next elephant adventure (yes, there were two in ONE day!), we visited another ancient city called Polonnaruwa. Here, we fought with hot pavement and sand as we toured the temples in barefoot. The king coconut Phil and Colleen had served as a refreshing break for the two of them, although Emily and I gagged as we watched them drink and then eat the insides. If you have ever seen one, you may understand. The texture is FREAKY.
Woo hoo! The day continued at Kaudulla National Park where we went on a big search for elephants! I was overly excited in the beginning (well - the whole time, really) and decided to stand up with Phil and be the first to spot my favourite creature! Baha - my first "I SEE ONE!" turned out to be a man having a bath in the river.....so I settled myself a wee bit and did a double take on following sightings so as not to embarrass myself! Fortunately, there was no mistaking the KA-ZILLIONS of elephants we saw that afternoon! The park is known for its elephants, and MAN OH MAN, that reputation holds true! There were more elephants than any of us had ever seen before and we snacked over pineapple and mango as we watched them play, bathe, and eat! The experience was unforgettable.
Well, a long day of touring calls for an evening of relaxation! We returned to the Grand Tourist and my travel mates teamed up with Lal and the guest house staff to throw a surprise party for me!!! There were balloons and a banner and a personalized CHOCOLATE CAKE and candles and noisemakers and OH it was so thoughtful and FUN! We shared the cake with others at the restaurant and enjoyed sporting the party hats and "high school musical" masks that Emily so luckily found in Vietnam!
Even with a bed time of 8:30, this party was one of my favourite parties yet! THANK YOU LAL, EMILY, COLLEEN, and PHIL! You made a special day an EXTRA-SPECIAL ONE! xoxo
I woke up to a special birthday delivery from Lal - Sri Lankan wedding flowers! They were so beautiful and he had adhered them to a styrofoam board with red ribbon. So cute.
At breakfast, Emily spoiled me with a "heart-themed" birthday gift! As you know, I have this thing with finding hearts, and let me tell you, I found heart after heart during the unwrapping of my birthday presents! Heart shaped magnets, post-its with hearts, heart shaped ornaments, paper bags with hearts, lip smackers with hearts, craft paper with hearts on it, a green heart rock, a purple heart rock, and a silver heart charm! I WAS SPOILED! Colleen and Emily even had a toenail decorated with a heart (from their most recent pedicure)! It was awesome. Oh I LOVE hearts!!! (And love).
To begin our tour for the day, we went to Habarana for an elephant ride! Now I wish you were all there, too, because it is one of those things that leaves you with a constant smile throughout! All four of us climbed onto one elephant (named Manika) and we were taken on an hour long walk by a mahout (or elephant caretaker) and a photographer (yippee! photos ON elephants!). The walk included a highway portion (a little scary, but people enjoyed our birthday enthusiasm), a jungle portion (monkeys freak me right out), and a water portion (dear crocs, stay put please!). Along the way, a young girl gave us necklaces made of flowers and we purchased two bunches of bananas to feed Manika. Phil and I got the opportunity to sit in the "pilot seat" and both had the chance to feed her! It was a wee bit frightening, as she swung her trunk back and gobbled them up! Several times she would blow in my face with her stinky breath and make my hair go all over the place. Very funny to watch. Not so funny to be the person people are watching. Ah well - the ride was AWESOME and we received official-looking certificates when we got back to the starting point!
Before the next elephant adventure (yes, there were two in ONE day!), we visited another ancient city called Polonnaruwa. Here, we fought with hot pavement and sand as we toured the temples in barefoot. The king coconut Phil and Colleen had served as a refreshing break for the two of them, although Emily and I gagged as we watched them drink and then eat the insides. If you have ever seen one, you may understand. The texture is FREAKY.
Woo hoo! The day continued at Kaudulla National Park where we went on a big search for elephants! I was overly excited in the beginning (well - the whole time, really) and decided to stand up with Phil and be the first to spot my favourite creature! Baha - my first "I SEE ONE!" turned out to be a man having a bath in the river.....so I settled myself a wee bit and did a double take on following sightings so as not to embarrass myself! Fortunately, there was no mistaking the KA-ZILLIONS of elephants we saw that afternoon! The park is known for its elephants, and MAN OH MAN, that reputation holds true! There were more elephants than any of us had ever seen before and we snacked over pineapple and mango as we watched them play, bathe, and eat! The experience was unforgettable.
Well, a long day of touring calls for an evening of relaxation! We returned to the Grand Tourist and my travel mates teamed up with Lal and the guest house staff to throw a surprise party for me!!! There were balloons and a banner and a personalized CHOCOLATE CAKE and candles and noisemakers and OH it was so thoughtful and FUN! We shared the cake with others at the restaurant and enjoyed sporting the party hats and "high school musical" masks that Emily so luckily found in Vietnam!
Even with a bed time of 8:30, this party was one of my favourite parties yet! THANK YOU LAL, EMILY, COLLEEN, and PHIL! You made a special day an EXTRA-SPECIAL ONE! xoxo
"SRI LANKS" - DEC. 18
I haven't been THIS happy to wake up in a very long time...but Emily and Colleen were arriving today and I couldn't be wishing the time away any sooner! They showed up half way through breakfast and I made a running leap into Em's arms! Ah - it had been a year and a half since we saw each other last and we reunited with our "perfect hug" (yes, Em and I have this theory that we are two people that form a perfect hug).
After a big chuckle over Emily leaving her bathing suit at home (the last five days were on the beach!), we set out for "Sigiriya". The car ride there was a lot of fun and we had lots to share and laugh about. We made a stop for the sweetest tea along the way (now known as "Lal" tea - pure sugar) and of course I made my usual request for washroom breaks every 45 minutes or so (BAHA).
Our guest house in Sigiriya was called "The Grand Holiday Tourist Resort" and our rooms were placed at the very back of the premises, near a spooky field with stray cows. Our room had an ongoing ant parade between the door and the bathroom and smelled of moth balls with an intensity you've never smelled before. Their room was even better - with a bloody bandaid on the mosquito net, a non-flushing toilet, a family of geckos on the walls outside, and a nest for party animal mongooses on the roof. But - this is what traveling is all about - STORIES! And we got them.
Following lunch, we went to the ancient city of Sigiriya - which was accessible only after a big climb to the top of the rock fortress. Now, if you know Emily, you know she is hiking's worst fan - and in this circumstance - she was on NO sleep! However, the miraculous part is that she toughed it out and made it to the top with ease (WAY TO GO, EM!). On the climb up, we had to combat grabbers of inappropriate body parts, dancing cobras, tree-jumping monkeys, and aggressive sales people. But, WE DID IT! And the view from the top inspired our trip-long phrase "Sri Lanks?! YES, THANKS!" (and also, "Sri Lanks?! NO, THANKS!" - used only when we didn't like something).
Back at the guest house, we enjoyed more curry and rice and Lal MAY have assumed Emily was an American based on her "choice of words". We also engaged in an action-packed game of "Catchphrase" and fought our fear of "Children of the Corn" music that was blaring form the sketchy field beside us. (We soon found out the music was actually a prayer for safety...which made it that much funnier the next day!).
Ah - shower, then bed. The next day was my birthday!
After a big chuckle over Emily leaving her bathing suit at home (the last five days were on the beach!), we set out for "Sigiriya". The car ride there was a lot of fun and we had lots to share and laugh about. We made a stop for the sweetest tea along the way (now known as "Lal" tea - pure sugar) and of course I made my usual request for washroom breaks every 45 minutes or so (BAHA).
Our guest house in Sigiriya was called "The Grand Holiday Tourist Resort" and our rooms were placed at the very back of the premises, near a spooky field with stray cows. Our room had an ongoing ant parade between the door and the bathroom and smelled of moth balls with an intensity you've never smelled before. Their room was even better - with a bloody bandaid on the mosquito net, a non-flushing toilet, a family of geckos on the walls outside, and a nest for party animal mongooses on the roof. But - this is what traveling is all about - STORIES! And we got them.
Following lunch, we went to the ancient city of Sigiriya - which was accessible only after a big climb to the top of the rock fortress. Now, if you know Emily, you know she is hiking's worst fan - and in this circumstance - she was on NO sleep! However, the miraculous part is that she toughed it out and made it to the top with ease (WAY TO GO, EM!). On the climb up, we had to combat grabbers of inappropriate body parts, dancing cobras, tree-jumping monkeys, and aggressive sales people. But, WE DID IT! And the view from the top inspired our trip-long phrase "Sri Lanks?! YES, THANKS!" (and also, "Sri Lanks?! NO, THANKS!" - used only when we didn't like something).
Back at the guest house, we enjoyed more curry and rice and Lal MAY have assumed Emily was an American based on her "choice of words". We also engaged in an action-packed game of "Catchphrase" and fought our fear of "Children of the Corn" music that was blaring form the sketchy field beside us. (We soon found out the music was actually a prayer for safety...which made it that much funnier the next day!).
Ah - shower, then bed. The next day was my birthday!
Not the Same.
After a few drinks....
Lindsay: I'm not sure I can drink all of this! (referring to glass of wine)
Phil: Well then I will finish it for you.
Lindsay: (sarcastically) Ya, because you're going to handle it any better.
Phil: Babes, its like riding a bike. You just get back on and pound the pedals.
"SRI LANKS" - DEC. 17
Phil and I arrived in Sri Lanka very early on the 17th after a TERRIBLE turbulence-filled flight. We were greeted at the airport by our guide, Lal, who drove us to the Silver Sands hotel in Negombo for a much-needed "morning nap"!
Breakfast was an interesting one. The guest house served us fresh pineapple juice (YUM!), fried eggs with white eggs yokes (weird, right?!) and "banana pancakes" (which are actually deep fried pieces of banana...eek!).
Lal came shortly after to retrieve us and we began our tour of Sri Lanka - visiting the local fish market, a prison (well the outside of it), the market (where I purchased my first elephant item - a t-shirt!), and a Buddhist temple (oh - it was SO BEAUTIFUL!). After these stops, we made our way to Lal's house to have dinner with his family. Now this is where we fell in love with Lal.
Lal's family - including his wife, daughter, son, grandson, and nieces - met us with big smiles as the van pulled up outside. You could tell they were excited to meet us and it wasn't long before the little girl was showing us her certificates from school, singing us Christmas songs, and teaching us how to speak "Sinhalese". The son was happy to tell us about the job he was applying for and to show us photo albums of his older sister's wedding. While waiting for dinner to be ready, we enjoyed a cup of tea and some chocolate cake and watched the movie "Home Alone 3" on the television. It was a HILARIOUS experience watching this with Lal and his family. They were laughing so hard that we couldn't help but roar with them. It was adorable.
Dinner consisted of rice and curry (both dal and chicken), papadums, and spicey dishes of eggplant, beans, and potatoes. It was DELICIOUS! Lal's daughter responded quickly to Phil's "spicey response" and brought him bottles of water and tissues as they ran out! Dessert was fresh pineapple, mango from the mango tree in the yard, and bananas! The meal was a perfect representation of the meals to come and we give the chef an A+ for having the best curry out of all the ones we sampled (and believe us, we sampled A LOT!).
After an enjoyable welcoming to Sri Lankan culture and cuisine, Lal drove us back to the hotel to catch the sunset on the beach! We were excited to be on the Indian Ocean for the first time and to have a few legal drinks to celebrate the holidays! It was a great day. And it was made even better by the excitement of Emily and Colleen's arrival the next day!
Breakfast was an interesting one. The guest house served us fresh pineapple juice (YUM!), fried eggs with white eggs yokes (weird, right?!) and "banana pancakes" (which are actually deep fried pieces of banana...eek!).
Lal came shortly after to retrieve us and we began our tour of Sri Lanka - visiting the local fish market, a prison (well the outside of it), the market (where I purchased my first elephant item - a t-shirt!), and a Buddhist temple (oh - it was SO BEAUTIFUL!). After these stops, we made our way to Lal's house to have dinner with his family. Now this is where we fell in love with Lal.
Lal's family - including his wife, daughter, son, grandson, and nieces - met us with big smiles as the van pulled up outside. You could tell they were excited to meet us and it wasn't long before the little girl was showing us her certificates from school, singing us Christmas songs, and teaching us how to speak "Sinhalese". The son was happy to tell us about the job he was applying for and to show us photo albums of his older sister's wedding. While waiting for dinner to be ready, we enjoyed a cup of tea and some chocolate cake and watched the movie "Home Alone 3" on the television. It was a HILARIOUS experience watching this with Lal and his family. They were laughing so hard that we couldn't help but roar with them. It was adorable.
Dinner consisted of rice and curry (both dal and chicken), papadums, and spicey dishes of eggplant, beans, and potatoes. It was DELICIOUS! Lal's daughter responded quickly to Phil's "spicey response" and brought him bottles of water and tissues as they ran out! Dessert was fresh pineapple, mango from the mango tree in the yard, and bananas! The meal was a perfect representation of the meals to come and we give the chef an A+ for having the best curry out of all the ones we sampled (and believe us, we sampled A LOT!).
After an enjoyable welcoming to Sri Lankan culture and cuisine, Lal drove us back to the hotel to catch the sunset on the beach! We were excited to be on the Indian Ocean for the first time and to have a few legal drinks to celebrate the holidays! It was a great day. And it was made even better by the excitement of Emily and Colleen's arrival the next day!
Surfing Pre-Cautions.
While waiting for our flight to Sri Lanka.....
Lindsay: Hun - you can't wear smelly lotion while surfing. You'll attract sharks.
Phil: What?! (giving a 'are you serious?!' look)
Lindsay: No, really. Is our sunscreen smelly? I hope not. Because you have to wear sunscreen when you're surfing.
Lindsay: Hun - you can't wear smelly lotion while surfing. You'll attract sharks.
Phil: What?! (giving a 'are you serious?!' look)
Lindsay: No, really. Is our sunscreen smelly? I hope not. Because you have to wear sunscreen when you're surfing.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Well, I made it until 8:30 last night and Phil lasted one more hour on top of that. We're so WILD! Especially when you consider all that pizza and pop!
At least I can excuse our early-to-bed's with this: in 30 minutes - our family and friends in Ontario will be welcoming the new year! And.....we wanted to celebrate at the same time as them! Haha.....believable?!
Regardless, HAPPY NEW YEAR FAMILY & FRIENDS! We will be thinking of you when the clock strikes 8:00 a.m.
Wishing you a healthy and happy 2011,
Love Lindsay and Phillip
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