The Start of Summer

In Canada, Victoria Day long-weekend unofficially marks the beginning of the summer season. In the US, the same can be said for the following weekend - Memorial Day. Victoria Day is celebrated on the last Monday before or on May 24th and Victoria day is the last Monday in May.

Christopher and I returned to Canada both of these weekends for weddings back home. It always amazes me how much of a temperature difference there is between Toronto and West Hartford. It's a 7.5 hr drive and yesterday there was a 7 degree Celsius difference in their highs (22 in Toronto, 29 in West Hartford). Typically, West Hartford is ahead of Toronto by 3-4 weeks weather-wise.

I think if they Memorial Day and Victoria Day could be swapped that would be a good thing! I remember celebrating many Victoria Day weekends where cold and rainy conditions prevailed on our camping trips. And for all those who wait until Memorial Day to open their pools, they could have had two extra weeks to enjoy them (in Connecticut at least). The states that are further south would probably have no problem with this, and the colder states - well we can only do so much, if the colder weather bothers you that much you should think about moving south...

Oh well - since I celebrate US holidays now, at least my Memorial Day holidays in CT will be BBQ & pool friendly :) (hopefully I haven't jinxed myself by saying this!) If you're ever in the area for a Memorial/Victoria Day weekend feel free to stop by our place for a cold one and a BBQ (or cookout as they call it in New England).

Vegas Vacation

I know I am super-late in posting about our trip to Vegas, but I needed to wait until our friends told their families that they got married in Vegas. Yes, that's right - married in Vegas! How much fun is that?!?

So 3 other couples joined Christopher and I in Las Vegas the week following a trade show I was working at Mandalay Bay. Out of the 4 couples, 1 wasn't married and prior to the trip I was scheming as to how we could convince them to get hitched. (BTW - the couple had been together for 9 years I believe, so they were practically married as it was) But these two had it planned all along - and it's a good thing too because my plans were all pretty weak - most involved pumping them full of cocktails and insisting that they accompany Christopher and I to a cheesy wedding chapel to renew our vows, hoping to pull off a drunken bait & switch.

One afternoon the (newlywed) couple met the rest of us us by the pool at the Bellagio (fabulous pools with several water temperatures available to please everyone. My only complaint would be that they're too shallow, but I've found this in other hotels in Vegas as well and wonder if it's a preventive measure to keep the drunks from drowning...) . After we asked what they had done that afternoon they responded with an oh-so-casual "walked around a bit, got married". Needless to say, we were all quite excited and ordered some fancy poolside cocktails to celebrate :)

After so many trips to Vegas, I finally got around to riding the rides at the Stratosphere. Christopher and I rode all three:

• Big Shot: shoots you up 160 ft in the air, from the platform on the Stratosphere 921 ft high
• X-Scream: a large roller-coaster-type car that teeters back and forth, erratically dangling you over the edge (this one made me the most uncomfortable - I was quite glad when it was over)
• Insanity: sort of reminds me of those circular-swing rides like Swing of the Century at Canada's Wonderland, except over 900 ft high

I love amusement park rides - when I was younger I used to get a season pass to Canada's Wonderland. But the rides at the Stratosphere made my heart rate race and my palms sweatier than anything I've ever been on before. If you're a thrill seeker I totally recommend them!

I have yet to visit the Six Flags in Agawam, Massachusetts (about 40 minutes from our house), but it is definitely on the to-do list for this summer.

Cheated!

I know it's just a stupid TV show, but I can't help but feel cheated from last night's 2 hour Grey's Anatomy. It was more like 30 minutes of Grey's Anatomy and 90 minutes of the lame spin-off that ABC was shamelessly trying to pawn-off on Grey's viewers.

Personally, I was not impressed by the prospects that the new show "Private Practice" has to offer. It will be interesting to see if it takes off...

Neglect

I know, I have shamelessly been neglecting our blog. I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post.

Here's a little catch-up on what's been going on with me since my last entry:

• I was in Las Vegas for about 2 weeks for work (hence the lack of blog posts)
• I caved and decided to join Facebook (hence the lack of blog posts)
• Christopher is finally finished school and has returned home to Connecticut (hence the lack of blog posts)

Vegas was fun - probably one of the most fun trips for work I have been on. It's a huge trade show so lots of people attend. I heard from some people that our company alone sent 450 employees... insane. Needless to say, there was no shortage of people to party with - new colleagues, old colleagues, college/random friends that happen to work in the same/related industry, and miscellaneous friends I have made over time with competitors/partners/etc.

I'm actually leaving for another work trip this Saturday, back to Vegas. This time Christopher will be coming with me - yippee! We're planning to stay for the weekend afterwards for a little holiday and some friends are flying in to join us. Should be a blast - I'm looking forward to some fun times!