ROAD TRIPPIN '

Road trippin' is one of my favorite things in the world. Sometimes there`s a destination, sometimes none : a nowhere trip. What a joy.

I had the chance to have one this weekend but with a specific goal in mind: Picking up a LARGE parcel in Burlington Vermont for a certain 1973 Mustang.

After a week of waiting, our parcel from California was finally at the bus terminal in Burlington Vermont. They called us very early in the morning and an hour later, Mamma and Pappa bear were ready to hit the road with their two baby bears.

But to have a successful road trip there is a certain minimum of preparation : books, crayons, paper, a Gameboy with headphones, a picnic basket with provisions, a map ( thank you MAPQUEST ) , classic rock music, sunglasses and official papers to cross the border. With that you`re ready to roll.

Lunch time and we`re finally there already. The kids are great, no fantastic, no whining or complaining, everyone is enjoying the ride, the sun and the music.

After the border Pierre and I get a bit nervous. We bought our parcel on EBAY.They were sent from California. The WHAT IFS kick in : What if they`re not like in the pics on Ebay, what if they were wrecked during transport, what if we don`t like them ? Etc, etc.....

We finally get to the Greyhound bus terminal and we collect our Large, no make that VERY large parcels. Pierre and I inspect the goods and we smile and high five each other. Mission accomplished, they are fantastic. God it`s fun to live on the edge isn`t it ?

We litterally roll the parcels out of the bus terminal with the help of our kids and put them in the trunk. Before closing the trunk we stare at them once more, sigh, smile and giggle : " She`s gonna look great with those on isn`t she ? " Darn straight she will, it was worth the trip.What a great way to spend a Sunday.The kids are happy simply because Mommy and Daddy are happy . Bless them.

While we`re here why not go downtown on Church street ? It`s lovely and rustic and the kids really like it there, they deserve a break and so do we. We go for the American classic : pizza and fries. We stroll and enjoy the family time in a very quaint corner of Vermont. We have very good family memories in Vermont: camping, swimming in Lake Champlain at midnight with the kids with only a lantern for light, meeting new people, visiting Ben and Jerry ice cream factory......

Sadly we had to leave but we`re going to come back this summer, on the way back from Boston right ?

Need I say the trip back was loooooong. Not because the kids were pests, they were great. All we could think of is getting our parcels installed on the Metallicar. Wait till I get my hands on her Pierre says.

We finally get home, I get the kids ready for bed, Karyna called during the day so I call her back. The trip with the Sec.5 kids went super well she tells me ! I`m so glad you all had a great time and everyone`s back safe. I can`t wait to hear more tomorrow.

I hang up and there it is ! The 8th wonder of the world, after Pierre that is : my Metallicar with her brand new accessories !!!!!

Do you wanna see what we picked up in Vermont ? You`ll have to scroll down at the very bottom.

BUT WAIT ! Before you do that, one last thing . To the kids in Sec.5, please do NOT forget May 9th.

Karyna and I have worked on this evening since August and we really wanna see you guys there. I know we didn`t want to tell you anything about it before but I am willing to compromise.

Here`s the deal: the evening is composed of many surprises, some you can bring home and some you can`t . It should be an evening you won`t forget for a while. For Karyna and I, it is an occasion to spoil you one last time before you leave Jean Nicolet for good. We loved teaching you guys and wanna show you how much we did. So there, I gave a little input, but don`t tell Karyna I did, she`ll have my head on a platter. May 9th, 5:00pm, be there otherwise you`re gonna regret it.........

Here are the pics.

My 2 Vermont parcels are at the bottom if you haven`t figured it out yet.

Kevin : our own personal mechanic in my garage with Pierre " helping ".



The real pro is under the hood, the apprentice is holding the manual book.




In Vermont : " can we go now Mom, you got what you wanted ? "




What you DO NOT see between the takes is me pinching Félix-Antoine`s shoulder so we can take a proper picture.


I should have pinched harder.


God they`re cute.

Eating pizza the American way : no fork nor knife !


" A Whole Lot Of Rosie "

The 2 parcels and 1 happy Momma : authentic 1973 tires from California.

One on already while I was on the phone with Karyna !

She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean......She shook us all day long........I simply could not resist posting this one. Nadia and tonton Sébas, this is for you. Game 4 Montreal-Boston. Filou and Pierre watching the game in the cinema room.

Me and my Kat.

A big hug and kiss to my pal Kat who helped me with my shopping for clothes Friday night.

I hate shopping, she doesn`t and whenever we walked in a store she owned the place. She`d bring me clothes to try, told me when I looked nice or stupid and truly gave me a helping hand.

What a great evening : shopping, dinner and a hockey game in Trois-Rivieres. This Kat is hilarious, we had a grrrreat time. So Dany Dallaire stayed on the bench, we had a blast. Speaking of, I still owe you 5 bucks.

Love you darling,

See y' all later,

Over and out,

Annie

BEAUTIFULLY UNDONE

April 15th will be for some of our Intensive Students a memorable night.
It certainly has been an unforgetable one for their parents, friends, teachers thus their supporters.
The Secondaire En Spectacle semi-finals were for them and us a celebration of their talent, creativity and guts no matter the results.
They were all winners to us.

The evening was intense, electric and well, darn straight fascinating.
Thank you for the grrrrrreat evening.
You made going to bed very late and getting up early worthwhile.
We were all so proud of you.
Congratulations to all of you , Caro ( you nailed it honey ! ) and Georges ( hot legs ) Caron.
It couldn`t have been possbile without your time and devotion to these kids.
On to Gatineau!!
All aboard.

Eye candy of the evening.


PS: You`re probably wondering what the title of my blog today is all about?
It`s actually the title of my favorite song in the world : Beautufully Undone.
This song will play at my funeral I swear.
Anyway, this song haunts me, practically everyday when I least expect it.
When I saw Une histoire Frappante at school, this song ( chorus )whispered to my ear when their performance was done, while I wiped away the tears.
It happened again last night, beautifully undone.



Song : Beautifully Undone
Artist :Lindy Music
Album : Suspension Of Disbelief

I had the honor of meeting Lindy in person last December in Ottawa and adored him instantly.
One of the best evenings of my life.
We were both talking quietly ( my sister was there) and honestly, the rest of the world disappeared for about 15 minutes.
When I left, he simply said " Goodbye Annie, je t`aime " with a big grin on his face.
I tell ya, I will never forget that moment.
I`m glad my sister was there otherwise I would have thought I had dreamt it all.
Beautiful human being for writing such beautiful music and was happy to see that he had a beautiful soul too.

Official suspension of disbelief theory ( it`s an Art theory ) :
Suspension of disbelief is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize people's relationships to art.
According to the theory, suspension of disbelief is a quid pro quo: the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend their judgment in exchange for the promise of entertainment.

The characteristically vivid phrase and concept ‘willing suspension of disbelief for the moment’ was coined by the poet, literary critic and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge .
Ok, enough, I got carried away there.







Une Histoire Frappante

Meggie and Alex

Do you guys do kids` birthday parties ?

Intermission, before the results........

Swell, Swell and Swell

The final bow.

Look at Etienne`s suprise look when he was chosen for La Petite Vallée Camp.

We were as happy as he was but certainly not surprised.

Congratulations Etienne !

The Cup

The Cup take II

loyal supporters, fans, friends

proud P.V/ Peavey

cheerful fans

I want to thank the superduper kids that were on the bus with me yesterday.

What a good bunch you were!

Annie xx

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

What a grrrreeat outing we had !
Aside from the crummy weather, everything else was perfect : the activities, the atmosphere and the company. What a great gang !

It started with the McCord Museum ( beautiful by the way ) with its exhibition : Reveal Or Conceal ?

It was about fashion throughout history and what was considered sexy at the time and today.

We get to understand after the visit that before, the clothes shaped the body ( like the " S " dresses ) whereas now the body has to shape the clothes hence the pressure for the perfect body today.

The museum counts the largest clothes collection in Canada.

We had the chance to see beautiful, funny and downright weird pieces of clothing.

We got to learn how the first bikini got out , why wedding dresses are white, since when and how did this trend start , the different fashions of the different decades etc.

Bottom line : fascinating.

The guides were very passionate, helpful and fun.

Then we went to live an unforgettable experience.

We had dinner at the O NOIR restaurant.

The owner was just as friendly in person as on the phone.

With a 150 people waiting list, we were very lucky to have a reservation.

I really looked forward to this dinner but I must admit, I almost choked and have Paul take over for me.

I took a good breath and the bull by the horns.

I can do this I said.

And I survived.

Actually, we all did.

Well o.k, so Kathleen almost passed out, but I made sure she breathed and we had the chance to eat our dessert in tête-à- tête.

After a few minutes, she was fine.

What`s the deal ?

Well you eat in total darkness.

Yes ladies and germs, like you were blind.

Nothing, nada, niet, you saw nothing even if your life depended on it.

Whether your eyes were open or closed there was ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE.

Blind as a bat I say.

Our waiters : Ray and Christopher were very blind for real.

Great guys, so friendly.

Need I say they were not only our waiters but our lifelines.

Our only safe extension.

Leave your table on your own at your own risk honey.

The weirdest phenomena occured right after everyone was seated ( that alone took 15 minutes ! ) was everyone was shouting.

Here we are sitting at a table, side by side, in front of each other and we`re all yelling at each other.

I turn to Paul and aked him : Is it just me or all we all shouting but yet we`re so close our shoulders touch ?

You`re right he says, weird huh ?

We spoke to the owner afterwards and said we were perfectly normal.

All the customers do that : we overcompensate for our lack of sight.

It was a very sensual experience.

We could order what we desired on the menu or live dangerously and order the SURPRISE main dish or desset.

What it means in reality is that you get your plate and have no clue but figure it out as you eat.

Another strange phenomena : try using a fork and knife when you can`t see a bloody thing.

After a few minutes, we called it quits ( including myself ) and basically ate with our fingers !

What a great guilty pleasure- and nobody sees you.

Eating with my fingers gave me flashbacks to when I was a kid.

How quickly we forget how much fun it really is !!!

To put on my to-do list more often.

But never in front of my kids.......They`ll bring it to a whole different level and start playing baseball with their food. I just know, trust me.

Did I mention the food was FANTASTIC ?

We had filet mignon that just melted in your mouth.

Didn`t really need a knife to begin with so much it was tender.

I ordered the surprie dessert and had a chocolate mousse cake that was simply divine.

I should know, I`m an expert in chocolate mousse cake.

I go to CMAM`s regularly : Chocolate Mousse Anonymous Meetings.

All that to say you should have seen the look on my kids face when they got out of there.

Superlatives just rolled out of their mouths.

" You have to come back next year with your students ! " they all said.

This WAS a first time for all of us and what a great and special meal.

I respected the blind before but there`s a deeper understanding of the respect now.

Wow.

Then after a brief moment at Starbuck`s just across the street from the restaurant, we get back on the bus.

Destination : The Centaur Theatre to see a play.

The title was : The Mystery Of Maddy Heisler.

For some students I must admit it is still a mystery because they had a bit of trouble understanding the play.

Darn that Nova Scotian accent !

And they spoke fast.

I have to admit the accent had some getting used to, even for me.

Don`t you fret, I shall get everything back in perspective on Monday.

I have to mention our bus driver.

Man, if Santa Claus really existed, it`d be him!!!

He looked just like him ( without the beard ) I tell you.

He was the sweetest man I`ve ever met and that smile.

One million dollar smile.

He was so relax and nice.

He even offered me his cookie after mine crumbled all over the bus floor.

I did tell him and apologized about that.

I didn`t know if I wanted to sit on his lap and give him my Chritmas list in advance or ask him to adopt me as his granddaughter. Seriously.

So without further ado, here are a few pics.

Didn`t get to take much since we had such a tight schedule to respect.

Enjoy.

Tata darlings and to my kids in Sec.4 who came to Montréal: Thanks for the great day.

You make it worthwhile.

PS : Paul and I are so gonna knock your socks off with the next activity day !

We were quietly talking on the bus on our way back when : BOOM.

That`s a very good idea we said.

To be continued.

We need to check a few things this week.

I`m looking at May 15th.

Block it now in your agenda darlings.

Now, enjoy.

MAKE- A- WISH FOUNDATION

The annual Grant-A-Wish Foundation show took place Wednesday April 9th.
As usual, the performers were great ( few surprises- a certain Jessica ) and the evening was not only top notch but very entertaining.

The fact that all the proceeds went to the foundation for sick kids was not neglectable either.

I brought my daughter to the show .

My boys had planned a hockey night ( on t.v ) so us girls

had our own girls` night out.

We made ourselves pretty and off we were.

On with show already !

When a show is good, it also seems to pass too quickly.

Next thing you knew it was intermission and I had to

tuck my princess in.

It was already WAY too late for her.

She`s going to be so cranky tomorrow, I`ll have hell to pay, but she really enjoyed it AND it was for a great cause right ?

So I say good-bye to my other kids, take final pictures and congratulate them.

Etienne T and Marie-my sunshine Luce ask me to come back after the intermission.

I CAN NOT say no to these kids I`m telling ya they have me in the palm of their hands.

Ok.

So I make sure my princess has her p.j.`s on right, brushes her teeth, I tuck her in, kiss her goodnight and off I go.

I made it just in time .

It was worth it.

Need I remind everyone these kids gave their time and effort for a good cause.

Congratulations to Étienne Bergeron and his team !

You guys pulled it off.

Big hearts, huge talent and great souls.

You`re the best.

So here are a few pics of the evening.

They are so fresh they`re still warm.

Here goes.

I count my blessings EVERYDAY that both my kids are healthy.

GIRL POWER ! SUPER NANAS

ESJN`s great performers and two of their best fans.

I`ve seen this skit more than once and I still find it hilarious

Sad koala GRRRR

Beauty and talent

This is how I will always remember those two.

On that, I`m off to bed, I`m falling asleep on the keyboard and drooling all over it.

Be back soon,
Tata darlings,
Annie

IT`S OUT!!

Yep, the truth is out- finally!
Karyna and I handed out THE tickets today to the Intensive English Sec.5 students.
Don`t even bother asking what the evening is composed of, you`ll NEVER know till you get there!

And I`d be there if I were you.

This whole shingding was not improvised, trust me.

Make sure you write your name at the back of your ticket !!!

For the other Sec.5 group who didn`t get a ticket yet, do not fret, you`ll get yours Friday.

As promised here are some of the pics I took in the last few weeks.

Some are from the kids in Sec.2 to 5 and no, I did not forget the staff.

I can not include all the staff since I took so many, but I chose a couple of good ones.

The kids first ( Hey-I am old enough to be your MOM ),

then the staff , in other words, beauty before age.

Enjoy!

Can you spot the 2 goofballs ?

On the left : Francois Malouin

On the right : the father of my kids...

On with some of the staff members.

No, I did not forget the kids in Sec.1, I just did not have time to get them yet.
Notice Sylvio`s student is snipping her hair...

Mad ScienceEven madder Science..A comment or impressions would be appreciated-bring it on .

Tata,

Annie xx

PS :

our students are very much like our kids :

they are simply the cutest, smartest little creatures who walk the earth.

Nadia,

this is for you, Rosie with her new look à la mode.

Same haircut, same face as you : a mini you......