what flowers?

two months have passed and i can't even begin to write what i have been up to. my creating this blog seemed like a good idea at its creation, however i have found myself caught up in life... when does one get a chance to slow down and smell the roses? being in toronto has been great. catching up with family and friends also great, but perhaps haven't done as much as I would have hoped. i'm terribly missing my friends from far and can't wait for the reunion in SF. I hope to write more soon and of course more often, but I guess I'm not too good at this!

A new chapter

So I have been very absent from my blog... bad girl! Anyways I have now left Paris and am in Gijon, Spain. A welcome change of environment where everyone is relaxed and lives a much slower pace of life. Gijon is a mojor tourist destination for Spaniards - a small city which began as a fishing town now boasts beautiful beaches and local cider (you should see how they pour it - one arm with bottle over head and other hand with cup around your waist!!) My walk to work is about 40 minutes but about 30 minutes of it is along the boardwalk of the beach. Packed with people baking in the sun, surfers and sandcastles - needless to say sure beats public transportation! We have completed set up and tonight is dress rehersal and tomorrow premiere. Should be a great party tomorrow night, at the fancy casino, and also an emotional one where it means the departure of yours truly from Alegria and the end of tour life for some of my new found close buddies :) On the horizon is Canada... my departure is set for July 30th Toronto bound to join Kooza our newest touring show. Very excited to get there and also to be back in my home town. Visiting with friends, boyfriend and I also get to meet my new niece!! Can't wait. News on my condo - Mike got the official word that construction has begun.... best news to come home to and can't wait to see the final product :) Well off to work for me - miss you all.oxoxoxx

And here is what I've been up to....

Since many of my friends and family aren't on Facebook here is a link to my most recent pics of Paris. They are all out of order so sorry about that, but for the most part you'll know what you're looking at!! Enjoy:)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4531&l=a966a&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7155&l=0a04c&id=508686559
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7158&l=b140d&id=508686559

Rainy days...

From day two of arriving in Paris we have seen quite some rain. It has rained almost every day at some point. We have had some huge storms and not so much heat... leads me to ask is it really the second week of summer? While I hear that Ontario is suffering from a heat wave, 35-40 degrees with the humidity, here I am in Paris wearing a sweater and a scarf! I'm not complaing about the lack of heat - we all know that I hate hot temperatures, but a nice 22 degrees while touring wouldn't ruffle my feathers!
The past 3 weeks have been a blur - with my mom leaving and then Mike coming... and going. We had a great vacation together... I worked far too much, but Mike got almost everywhere he wanted. Much better than my mom he mastered the metro on the second day! I got him addicted to the lovely baguette sandwiches and he found himself drinking Orangina by the litre! WIthout boring you all to bits - Mike's first European vacation was a success and he was not wanting to go home at all. One place we didn't manage to get to was Normandy, but with my schedule it was impossible. Alas, we will plan a vacation for just the two of us when I don't have to work!
On Monday I, along with some tour buddies, got in a car and escaped crazy Paris for some lovely french country side. Our destination: Champagne region! Lovely drive and scenery and about 1.5 hours later we arrived at our destination of Reims, France. Some of you who are champagne lovers may know that the lovely champagne bottle adorned with a red ribbon comes from the beautiful city! We got out of the car and proceeded into the front door of the MUMM building and signed up for a tour. Not just any tour, but a tasting tour! Our guide was a lovely German lady who was very knowledgeable of the entire "Champagne creation process". We toured the caves where there are over 25 million bottles of champagne just waiting to finish their "process". The best part at the end of the tour our now expert Champagne minds got to taste 3 different champagnes from the MUMM house. Right to the head it all went, but definitely an experience not to be missed. My mom and dad will be happy that I picked them up a VERY nice bottle of Champagne that is not sold in Canada and they can enjoy upon my return in just over 1 month!
What else is there to do? I do have a couple more spots to hit in Paris - this coming Monday I am going to see Moulin Rouge (yay free tickets!), and I also have to go to Musee D'orsee and Notre Dame. After that I can say au revoir to Paris! Double dark is quickly approaching and I'm heading to Nice, Cannes and Monaco. My new friend Laura (accounting) and I are going and it will be a blast. We are going down by TGV (aka the really really really fast train), and then will be returning by plane. Definitely looking forward to that trip!

Tout a l'heure!!

Special Delivery

I am happy to announce the birth of my new niece Abigail Campbell on Wednesday June 13 9lbs, 11 oz. Congratulations Greg & Anne.... Colin you will make an excellent big brother :) Looking forward to meeting you Abigail in August.

Congrats!

Come and gone

Well my mom has come and gone and safe to say she had a blast. Despite a bum knee she managed to walk just about the entire city. The metro, usually 15 degrees hotter than the air temp outside, makes getting around paris quite easy but she was determined not to use it - "far too confusing" - she much preferred the bus so she could still see all the sights. On my days off we managed to see some great sights - Versailles Castle and the beautiful endless gardens, Montmartre & Sacre Coeur, shopping at Galeries Lafayette and drinking a cafe overlooking the Opera house. We ate baguettes shaped in hearts, drank wine and beer at cafes and ate delicious crepes both savory and sweet :) She's now settling back in Toronto life and enjoying the smuggled cheese!
After a few days rest my next visitor is due to arrive on Monday morning... Mike:) He has never been to europe let alone Paris and I think he's very excited. I know the flight doesn't exactly excite him, but certainly worth the 7+ hours flight.
The weather in Paris has taken on a change - it doesn't rain every day like it did in May. While no rain is nice it has turned very muggy and humid which makes the hour commute on the metro almost unbearable. The show of course continues to go well and sales have increased dramatically. Due to the length of the shows in this city we have two double darks. This Monday and Tuesday is the first and I'll be touring Paris with Mike.
On a side note I will be back in Toronto on the 30th of July. The show has been extended in Toronto so I will be there until mid-October and then straight off to San Francisco. Great news for all my Toronto and Kitchener buddies :)

Still alive and kickin'

Yup I'm still here. Amazing how once I get a job I seem to find little time each day to myself! I have been in Paris for about 3.5 weeks - but it really seems like I just came yesterday. The time has absolutely flown by and this Monday my mom arrives! She has never been to Paris and has dreamed about it her whole life and at last her dream come true. Our location in Paris is pretty good - we are situated about a 10-15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower in the 15eme arrondisement (15th ward). It is quiet and known for housing the elderly population in Paris. Just a two minute west of our residence is the Seine - if you follow this north you can hit most of the popular attractions in Pairs such as the Eiffel tower, Louvre, Palais Royale and Notre Dame. Shopping here... well... what can I say but that it is phenominal :) From boutiques and markets to the Galerie Lafayette which houses the "big brand labels" to the Champs D'elysees where Louis Vuitton and Channel rule all you need is an endless budget and Paris is yours to be had.
Now I never thought I would say this but there is definitely one big thing I miss about touring in the good old USA.... the shuttle bus! Here in europe they are mucho dinero $$ so main form of getting to and from work is the metro. Normally fine, but here in Paris our commute is especially long ranging from 40 - 60 plus minutes. Not only that we transfer to 3 metro tains and the last one we take (RER D) is the worst in Paris - ie. NOT SAFE AT ALL! Needless to say we travel in groups and don't really venture on there after dark. There is a shuttle @ night for the lovely "artists" but the shuttle isn't all too convenient for the Box Office schedule so we take either take the metro or after dark a taxi. Notes about the metro- it is great to get around the city in Zone 1 (downtown section) with about 15 different lines! Sure kicks Toronto's TTC in the butt! The smells have taken some getting use to and thank goodness that my allergies often leave me with no sense of smell. Most days I get serenated by a smelly man with an acordian... they are oh so popular in the metro. Avoid eye contact and they won't come bugging you for $$.
I have managed to see some of Paris on my days off - I have visited the Louvre and saw the "well known art" and more. The Mona Lisa was definitely on the list - after seeing replicas of her it was great to see the real deal. I think her eyes are the only difference I saw... other than that the painting is quite simple, plain and tiny in comparison the the huge canvasses that reach heights of 40 feet. Probably the most intersting for me was the Egyptian section. I spent quite some time in there and managed to see various tombs and also a mummified person. Quite fascinating indeed! I saw about a third of the museum and will go back a couple more times to see the rest. I also hit the big mall in town, Galerie Lafayette, and picked up a couple tops. The shoe section was the best I have ever seen and I was in heaven. In the back of my head I heard my mom's voice saying i do not need another pair... but oohhhh they are all so pretty. I managed to escape without any shoes - this time - but don't you worry I haven't changed and I'm sure I'll be back! The best way to see Paris is by foot and for two days off I have wandered around different neighbourhoods and lunched at many cafes. Good thing there is tons of walking in Paris because the bread here is sooo tasty and everywhere. I managed to go two weeks without bread back home in Toronto before I came on tour, but when I arrived in Paris I couldn't resist the warm baguette. Once back in North America I'll have to go off bread for a while.
Work wise I have settled in fine and the new team on the whole is great. The Box Office in this city is chaotic as our new ticketing system is very technical and can't perform the many functions we need it to. Our nightly sales report which should take about 5 minutes takes 2 people together just about an hour! Our half-assed training, without a manual might I add and completely in French... parisien French which is totally different than the Quebeqois jargon that I have come accustomed to on tour and it also left the two others with me who are from Quebec slightly confused! Thus it was not helpful and it left us baffled for the first couple of weeks. It has gotten slightly better as we now explore the system and find out new things everyday and probably when we are ready to leave Paris in July we'll be experts! The local staff are great and are a great resource of how to get off the beaten track in Paris.
Pictures are to come so stand by for a few more days... I conveniently left my battery charger at home so one is on its way. I hope everyone is doing well - and again apologies if I have been horrible with comminication... I think the work hours will start to go back to normal shortly and I will not be dreaming about work any longer! Loving all the updates that I get from you all so keep 'em coming.

Do you know what today is?

Happy Birthday Mike!

Love you!

4 cities, 3 flights, 2 continents, 19 hours of flying and 0 hours of sleep...

Yes you have read it... after a crazy 19 hours of flying and standing-by I finally arrived in Barcelona last Saturday afternoon after leaving Toronto Friday at noon. The flight path... Toronto to Montreal... meet a random guy at arrivals in Montreal to pick up passport.... through customs and wait 4 hours and fly to Frankfurt.... arrive in Germany and head to McD's for a breakfast wakeup.... stare at the strange "Indian Menu" on McD's menu board... go through german customs... weeee i get a stamp.... wait another 4 hours for flight.... decide to fight off sleep and shop some duty free!!!.... board last flight en route to my final destination of Barcelona! Barcelona has a beautiful airport... full of shops, dining, people, light, glass and art! After a 30 minute cab ride to my hotel centrally located on Las Ramblas I open my bags and take out what I will need to get me through 5 days until we arrive in Paris. It's now time to repack my bags, taxi to site, get luggage on the luggage truck en route to Paris and meet my team! I'm sure I looked like an absolute disaster but I met many people, most whose names and faces escape me. They all seem lovely... except there are a few things missing.... my gals! Where my gals at? At this moment it has all hit me - the good and the bad. The familiarity of being back on tour, seeing the big top and exploring new places is great. The bad... really missing those faces on tour that I love so much and had such great frienships with. Starting over is hard and only once I get comfortable here I'm off to be the new kid on the block on my next tour in North America. ah well... near or far the gals will always be together! After a couple hours on site I decided I was too shattered to see the second show which began at 10pm so in a cab I hopped and back to my hotel room I went. Finally a good sleep in a bed! Not too much sleep for me due to the fact that Sunday was tear down day. A 10 am start... I got to see the show which I love and thought was amazing and then packing up and moving on. I am working the Box Office on this tour but tear down remains the same with us helping the House do the chairs. Let me put this simply.... every chair is single... is loaded in a trailor... this process is slow and tedious and takes about 4 hours longer than the usual 3 chairs. 17 hours later at 3 am I was on my knees and made it home with no juice left. I could have slept anywhere that night - my body was beyond exhaustion and my mind fried. What a sleep I had and I didn't wake until 3pm the next day.

Now remaining is 1.5 days in Barcelona and I want to see as much as possible. Please stay tuned for my next chapter on sight seeing in Barcelona and travelling to Paris. This is a long read so I'll break it up a little. It also gives me time to write it all as we are now in set up. Take care all and don't be afraid to drop me a line when you have a moment or two!

Summer in the city

Enjoying the first "hot" weekend this spring in ottawa i surprised mike after his shift on saturday. We went for a great walk along the canal to dows lake and partook in some bevies and food. The best part was the beautiful sunset on the way home. The base tan is set... now can someone please bring on Barcelona & Paris???

yay for chocolate...

Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend! Most of all I hope the easter bunny is good to you and leaves you lots of delicious little eggs! I have already had my fare share of easter treats - afterall they arrived in stores in full force over a month ago! Ever so conveniently placed right by the checkout one can't resist. May I recomment the Caramilk Cream Egg??

Since I've had my fare share of chocolate I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend because Mike is coming to Toronto! Since I am still here and should be leaving late next week (according to a Montreal immigration advisor) why not?!?

Sending big hugs to all my friends near and far (Luc-ee I think you win the farthest away award!).

xxxxoxxoxo

4 weeks and counting

Over the past few weeks I have had it in mind that I am leaving the country for a while so I have been getting up to date with my favourite people in the GTA . This morning (YES AM) I was off to the park with my little nephew Colin. My mom and I took him for a fun morning in the park on what we thought was going to be a beautiful day. Turned out to be about 3 degrees, windy and no sun! Freezing while pushing swings, sliding on slides and playing in the sand box! I always forget how busy little ones are and it certainly brings the importance of birth control to the forefront of my mind! We had a great morning and ended it with lunch and a nice HOT tea!

I am really looking forward to tomorrow - Cookie and I are meeting up for a good ol' "Tour Brunch". As my tour buds know I am a sucker for Eggs benedict and bacon so I am literally counting down the hours! ...mmm I can taste it already! Like me, Cookie is heading back on tour and we can say at the least she is elated. I do wish that she was heading to the 2007 tour for selfish reasons, but am so happy that she has found a new adventure and challenge. I will miss this gal more than she knows and I am looking forward to meeting up with he while in the US and of course having a little reunion with Morrie... Bonne chance Cookie!

Onto week five waiting i go...

Heading to the land of white tents...

Geesh how time flies especially when I'm having fun. What does fun entail? WELL, for one I am going back on tour (yay) so the prepping has begun! From buying more black clothing and making Dr appointments to having cocktails with friends. I also recently made a trip to my future home in Ottawa. I was there a week and Mike and I chose all our finishings for our new place, bought all dishes, glasses, cutlery and tools a kitchen could need, finally found and bought our dining table and also found a great tv stand. Needless to say we were shopped out by the end of the week but felt a great weight lifted off our shoulders! Also keeping me busy is packing to move to Ottawa. While our place isn't ready until December-ish I am leaving anytime for tour and will be away pretty much until our place is built. So I have been packing boxes with all the things that I will move to Ottawa. I really don't know how I have accumulated all this stuff but I have managed to throw a bunch out. Let the packing continue...

Today I received an email from my soon to be Director and attached were some pics of the site in Barcelona. Seeing the tents of my new tour is pretty neat. I have come from the blue and yellow striped big top and now travel and look forward to the calm of the white tents. In her note my Director stated how beautiful the site is specifically because it is right on the beach. I am a pretty lucky girl as well because the Box Office which will be my home has an Ocean view! I will definitely send / post tons of pics.

My departure date is still unknown, however it will be in the next couple weeks. I will keep you all up to date on the news and am definitely looking forward to being able to write of all my travels in Spain and France in the months to come.

Clock flashing 7:15

What a storm that was! It started with a wall of snow at 2pm and it dumped tons of snow on the city. At 10pm the snow subsided and decided to change to rain! Definitely one of those nights you stay in and watch tv! How pumped was I that it was a Thursday night Grey and ER.... NO it's time for re-runs. All cozy in my bed I get woken up three separate times due to power failures.... the scream of appliances and electronics being killed then brought back to life is a sound one can't miss. Now laying in bed it's 10:34 but I find myself way too lazy to get out and fix the annoying flashing clock.... perhaps in another hour after the view. Cookie - spring is coming, spring is coming. Now repeat that 100 times and it will be spring.

The Secret works!

Have you heard of The Secret? I initially heard about it from Mike's Mom. Watched the DVD and the basic premis is our universe responds to our thoughts, hopes etc whether positive or negative. When I came off tour I had said "I don't want to work until after the holidays". I did apply for a few jobs during those two months and I didn't hear back. An opportunity came up for Cirque for a week but in the end the schedule didn't work. Why? Well I had said I didn't want to work. The Secret. Now The Secret was the topic for discussion on Oprah, has been on CBC and also on Fox News.... the secret is out! Fast forward a month - have applied for a job the beginning of January and never heard back. Was feeling a little down and was really ready to get some work. So began to look... all of a sudden the job I had applied for way back when phoned asking for an interview! Great.... so beginning of this week I'm gearing up for the interview scheduled for Friday. Yesterday I got a call from Cirque..... oh yes...... a tour which is in Europe needs someone to cover a position. This job would end mid-August once the tour goes to South America. The only problem is I am due to start my job on the new tour beginning of August. So the conversation ended that she would try to get back to me before my interview. She needed to discuss with the Directors to see how it could work. Fingers crossed for having the good news on Friday! This morning I get woken up by a phone call... it's Cirque. Long story short I got the job.... the best part? Barcelona, Paris and Gijon anyone??? Nine weeks in Paris!!!
I'm not leaving ASAP apparently Spain's immigration is awful so I am to expect 5 weeks... Will definitely be hard to be away from Mike for this long but we have decided he is coming to Paris... ohhhh so romantic!

The lesson.... positive thinking and leaving all the negative out of your thoughts definitely works. Just give it some time.

The Secret

Not down and out afterall...

I returned to Toronto at the end of October ready to take it easy for a while. My plan was after the Christmas holidays to get a job.... how hard could that be? Well first of all I'm fairly picky and wasn't ready to work 40 + hours a week and bring home very little bacon. So I applied for a couple worthy jobs and waited. And waited and waited. Talk about a blow to my confidence! I thought I was at least worthy of a call but nothing. So I then became content with my easy lifestyle... after all when would I ever get to do this again??? NEVER! Watching Dr. Phil yesterday my phone rings and low and behold it's Vince from the Ricoh Coliseum wanting me to come in for a job interview for the position I applied for. WHAT? That was almost 2 months ago what have you guys been doing? So interview is scheduled and now I have to get my brain fresh since it's been in hiding for a while and find some nice clothes.... other than black! I'm back baby!!!

Black Beauty is a healthy girl!

I was biting my nails, crossing my fingers and toes and talking out loud hoping and praying that my car's check up went ok. Sure she needed some fresh oil in her... but anything more than that I was not looking forward to. Something to do with the whole unemployment thing. No need to worry when I was called up to the front of Honda saying she is in excellent condition and nothing needs attention. WOOOHOOOOO! Big sigh of relief for me... and the visa.

Toronto has been absolutely bone-chilling freezing the past week with windchills near the -30 degree mark. Three layers certainly aren't enough when bearing the elements so most around the city have opted for staying indoors. I have managed to get out a bit - met Cookie for lunch (well we actually had breakfast @ 2:30pm) and watched Sex and the City with Tim and Laurie. Also with a new condo floating in my mine I have been wandering around Ikea for ideas, Home Depot for paint chips.

This week has also been interesting... the demolition of the Campbell house kitchen. The noise, dust and obvious inconvenience has only just begun. One week down, three to go. A break in the house madness - Mike comes tomorrow for 4 days to reinstate my sanity and I can't wait. As long as he is prepared for the Norma & Norman inquisition (me moving to Ottawa) all should go well. Good luck Mikey :)

Not answering your emails....

Hey Mr. Vancouver! So just in case you don't check your comments Shamayne called me this morning and she is trying to get in touch with you... to wrap things up from our former show. Drop her an email or give her a call @ IHQ. How is the skiing going???

xxx

Face Book

So I am officially addicted. I must have far too much time on my hands because the past two days I have been doing nothing but finding friends etc on facebook. Go the the website www.facebook.com and create an account - it's not a hassle like many... and you will find long lost friends / co workers whatever! Just try... and hey let me know if you go on because I will add you as a friend!
Loving it and already addicted.... thanks Sanja and Tim

I'm a homeowner!

Yes yes you read that correctly.... I own a home! The deal... Mike and I bought a two bed two bath condo in Ottawa. Brand spankin' new - get to do all my girly stuff with colours etc and it is sooooooo much fun. Who knew there were so many upgrades to be had??? Jeff we are close to Paulette & Art so we will have to do brunch more often :) Many more details to be had but just thought I would let ya'll know.

A month too late

So does everyone, in Ontario at least, feel like now it should be Christmas? Mother nature gave us a wintery blast last night and this morning with freezing rain, hail and then snow. Contrary to most I actually like snow! Sure the driving is crazy... but hey where do I have to go?!? My dog loves the snow and rolls in it even at the age of 13 so how bad can it be. I shoveled for the first time in many years... escaped it last year in California, and before that at my apartment I wasn't responsible for it :) So I had a great half hour of fun. Ready for more winter I am off to Ottawa tomorrow! It's only been 2 weeks since I was last there but seems much longer than that. Mike and I are off to Mt. Tremblant on Friday until Monday for a mini holiday. So next time I will have snowy tales. Take care everyone... miss you all Dawn how is the puppy doing? Shannon maybe a tanning bed will solve the winter blues... Gals.... what can I say - miss you! Tim - feel better and save those dancing shoes for me! Tanja have you booked your coffee date yet??? Laurie hang in there and keep the hunt going on. Kitchener ladies... well don't think any of you have the time to read this but if you do let me know!

Nothing new to report in boring boring land.... My gal in Vancouver has greatly upset me. The one who started me on this blogging thing is on hiatus! What?!? Seriously if you read his blog you would laugh out loud and become quickly addicted. Sad sad day. On another note it appears as though winter has finally arrived in Toronto. Much colder temps, high winds and that dreaded white stuff started falling tonight (Shannon I can hear your screams from W. Toronto all the way on the E. Side). So instead of my walk/runs outside I have joined the local gym. Great I just missed sweating with 90 year old men who watched all my "parts" bounce. ewwww... yuck. ah well. So tomorrow I'm off to a lovely dinner with two great gals with such a similar name... Sanja and Tanja! Thai food, martinis and a whole lot of catching up. It has been a while.

'07 to be a good one.... I can feel it.

I'm not one for making new year resolutions so I don't have to bore you with tales of healthy eating, going to the gym and abstaining from alcohol. I rang in 2007 with some good ol' grease from the big arches and later that night caught the end of Fast Food Nation on TV.... hmmmm if that isn't a sign i don't know what is. Hit the spot none the less. My trip to Ottawa was fantastic... caught up with Jeff, Shannon and my Mike, had some bevies, tons of food, played some cards and monopoly. My man spoiled me absolutely rotten with gift certificates and presents galore now comes the fun time to spend it all! Now back in Toronto and celebrated mama's birthday yesterday (as if she didn't get enough presents at Christmas!) and it's time to get back into the swing of things.... or atleast for a couple weeks before I head off to Mt. Tremblant for a mini-holiday with my mike.