Wow, it's been too long!

I was chatting with my friend C. B. and he commented that I had slacked off on the blog... so this is for you sir!

Just a few updates since March, 2006.

Katie and I got married on September 9, 2006! We had many friends and family members present (including C. B.!) and we had a great time at the wedding and the reception. It feels like ages ago now.

We found out that we're pregnant just a few months ago... she had her first ultra sound last week and I was ecstatic to see the future addition to the family. She/He is definitely stubborn! "Cashew" (we're naming him/her that for now) refused to move for the doctor. A measurement was finally able to be taken and it confirmed that Katie is into her 12th (now 13) week of pregnancy. My trusty 'Guys guide to pregnancy' has been a huge asset during the first trimester... I'm confident it will help during the next adventures a head.

As if that wasn't enough... we're also looking for a house up in the Barrie area. I've been living in apartments far too long and I refuse to raise a family in that setting, and in the city of Toronto. We've gone up a few times, but last time was a huge deal as we went through 11 houses! More houses to go next week.

Cheers,
Dan

Pics from Europe

  

Katie's Chance to Brag!

Hello Everybody:)

I wanted to take this chance to post something while Dan isn't here. I wanted to brag about how amazing my fiance is!

As you know, in May 2005, we got engaged and left our jobs to go on our big European Adventure! What you may not know is that Dan was originally not going to go with me. I'm so proud of him for making the decision to join me so that we could share in the time and experiences together as it made it soooo much more fun! But what I'm most proud of is how he has dealt with the challenges since we've come home.

Our hope had been that we would be able to come home, find new jobs, and just start living together in Toronto and planning for the wedding in September. However, that isn't quite how things have gone. Yes, one of us has been living in Toronto (me) and yes, we've definately been planning for the wedding. However, Dan had to go back to work in Ottawa since the beginning of January. Thankfully, he has been hosted by Uncle John and Aunt Danielle who have graciously given him room and board for the last couple of months. This means that Dan has been living out of a backpack since June of last year.

Well.....I am very happy to announce that as of Friday at 7:30 pm, he will be back here with me in Toronto FULL TIME! His transfer with the Big Blue has come through and he'll be working downtown doing computer support.

But the reason that I type this is not to tell a sob story about Dan, but to say how proud I am of the way that he has managed to keep his spirits up and his optimism high. It cannot have been easy having to leave home every other week to go away, but he did it in his uncomplaining, quiet way and he has become wiser and stronger because of the experience.

So, as much as I know that he would not want me to type this stuff (don't write about me, he says), I just need to say how proud I am of him, how excited I am to be marrying him, and how much fun I know that we'll have in the future together.

Thanks for reading:)

Love ya,
Katie

Still alive...

We have been very busy since our return! We have just moved in to an apartment in North York, Ontario (north-east of downtown Toronto). The boxes are still being unpacked. More news soon...

All the best,
Dan

WE'RE HOME!!!

Hello All!

Well.......WE'RE HOME!

After 5 1/2 months of adventures/misadventures/experiences, we flew into Toronto yesterday and into the welcoming arms of our families. We thought that for old times sake and to get the feeling of completion, we would send out one more mass email/blog update to let you know about our last week in Paris and our flight home.

Here's the skinny on what we were up to in Paris since our last update.

November 13 - Today being Sunday, we decided to take in another free service at a beautiful landmark. Because we were in Paris, the best place to go was to Notre Dame Cathedral of course. We were awed by the music from the organ, the 4 person choir, the beauty of the building and the service in a completely foreign language!! Although one of the readings was in English. After church, we wandered around the area, taking pics and visited St. Sulpice of 'Da Vinci Code' fame. St. Sulpice is also the church in which C-M Widor spent 60 years of his musical career! He has composed amazing works for organ and it was a huge thrill to see the organ that he once used.

November 14 - DISNEY DAY! Today, although we awoke to cloudy skies and thought it might rain, was a beautiful day. So, we bundled ourselves up and headed off to Disneyland Park here in Paris. What an experience! Katie, of course, is a Disney freak and dragged Dan all over the place. Dan was brave though and went on his very first (not one, not two, but three!) loopety doopety roller coasters! We saw the Lion King (shortened version) show, the infamous 'It's a Small World' ride, braved the Phantom Manor, escaped from The Pirates of the Carribean, were amazed at the Stunt Demonstration, and last but not least enjoyed all the characters and their parades, including the Electrical Illumination display.

November 15 - Relaxed from the busy day of the 14th! Dan moved rooms in the hostel and we enjoyed some quality time together.


November 16 - Le Bourget day! We paid a visit to the famous museum at Paris' Le Bourget airport. It hosts the famous Paris Airshow every 2nd year. The museum has hundreds of planes on display including 2 Concordes! Dan has always wanted to go onboard a Concorde... and here he boarded two of them! Prototype 001, the very first Concorde and Production #13 are in the great Concorde Hall. There is also a Boeing 747-100 on display outside the museum which you are able to walk through, when it's open ;) A small security breach occurred when Dan opened the 747's forward door, although his excuse was 'well the gate was open and the lock wasn't on!'. Security quickly came and informed us that it was lunchtime and the plane was closed for an hour....we returned when the 747 was re-opened and enjoyed our stay.

November 17 - Another relaxing day as we recuperated from the busy day of the 16th! We moved rooms in the hostel and we enjoyed some more quality time together.

November 18 - Last day in Europe! We searched for dead people, as it is free to do so! We visited Pere Lachaise cemetery where Frederic Chopin, Georges Bizet, Jim Morrison and Isadora Duncan (among others) are buried. Then off to downtown to walk around the Eiffel Tower and visit the Montparesse cemetery where Cesar Franck and Camille Saint-Saens are buried. We paid our respects and then returned to the hostel for a well deserved pizza treat!

November 19 - Never fly with Dan on commercial airlines!! He's cursed! Our flight was originally delayed 2 hours and 50 minutes but extended to 5 hours thanks to the ongoing labour dispute with the bus crews at Paris airports. The flight was smooth and we enjoyed 3 movies enroute. When we arrived in Toronto, and strapped on our bags, Katie's family and Dan's parents were there to greet us, with a great huge sign! Hugs and kisses all around, and we enjoyed a feast at Tucker's Marketplace with stories, photos and laughter galore.

It's great to back in Ontario! We are spending a few days in London before a busy weekend and then some time with Katie's family. Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch and all of your support through this adventure!

Pics from Paris

Letter from Barcelona & Paris

Hello All!

This is a french keyboard today, so some words might look weird.

Our last overseas update! We can't believe how quickly the time has gone, at times, especially since we've begun travelling around Europe!

Here's a quick update on what we did this past week:

November 4-8 - we hung out around Barcelona visiting the Cathedral; the beach; La Rambla; the Olympic Grounds 1992; Parc Guell (Look that one up online.....it was awesome!); and L'Aquarium. At the Aquarium, our favourites were the sharks, rays, seahorses, seadragons, PENGUINS, and a nemo fish :) We also learned a new card game from some Aussie and American friends at the hostel and enjoyed having a kitchen to cook in again!

November 9 - We left Barcelona and the heat for Paris and the cold! The temperature in Paris is about 10-15 degrees cooler than Barcelona, so it was a little shocking......it will be fun to come home to Canada and feel what real cold feels like again! Dan isn't cold and calls Katie a wimp for thinking it is here! We found our hostel and checked in no problem and found out that there are free movies in a movie theatre every night! Katie is in heaven!

November 10 - After looking at a map of our area, we thought we'd try to walk to Walt Disney Land.....unfortunately after 1 hour of walking, we realized that it is quite a bit further away than we originally thought.....but ze had a lovely ti,e walking around St Mandé and discovering our area.

November 11 - Today, being Remembrance Day, we had wanted to be at Vimy Ridge.....unfortunately finances were tight and this was not possible. So we stayed in the city and went to the service downtown at the Arc D'Triomphe. It was okay with a band playing while they rode their horses (and we thought it was difficult to march and play!), but it lacked the emotional effect that the Ottawa service has always had for us. Afterwards we walked along the Champs Elèyseés, found some cool car dealerships and Dan even sat in a F1 racecar!!! He looked cool!

That's pretty much it....we bought our tickets for Disnleyland Park yesterday and are hoping for better weather next week to go have a nice day there. We're also going to Le Bourget, near Charles de Gaulle airport where we can go onboard an actual Concorde! Dan is very excited about that!

Here's a few pics for you to look at....don't worry? we'll have lots more to share when we get home next week!

Love to you all,
Dan & Katie

Some more photos