Author Archives: lorifranze

The love affair might be over…

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in Ski

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With skiing that is…

Cold but scenic at Calabogie

Cold but scenic at Calabogie

Last season ended with a great day of spring skiing (read more about it here) so I couldn’t wait til summer ended to be back on the slopes.  Well it wasn’t as wonderful as I remembered and I hope this is just a short falling out I have had with the winter sport.  Things I forgot:

It is cold out! Now you are thinking ‘yes, to ski it has to be cold’.  Well where I am is -13 degrees celsius and waiting in line for 30 minutes to get a lift ticket felt like torture.

It is a workout to just get dressed. Because it is so cold out there are 2 layers before the ski pants and then a neck warmer a hood, a helmet a face mask.  And don’t even get me started on how hard it is to get your ski boots on. It is reason enough to change over to snowboarding!

I am sure hoping that the awkwardness and lack of joy comes from it being the first ‘date’ of the season and over time my love for the winter sport will return since it is one of the few ways to survive a Canadian winter!

Watch for my next post which will be a review of Calabogie Peaks! 

Twas the night before Christmas in Leslieville

25 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Leslieville

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not Lola or Otis was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung on the ledge with care,IMG_3616

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Pups were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of rawhide danced in their heads.

And me in my jammies, not wearing a cap

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

When in the spare room Otis made such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the patio door I flew like a flash,

Flipped on the light and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a Leslieville raccoon without much fear.

Merry Christmas 'Coon!

Merry Christmas ‘Coon!

A teenage Procyon lotor, looking for a place to rest,

I knew in a moment that scaring it off would be best.

We barked, we growled, we banged on the glass,

Until that ‘coon decided he should move its ass!

His eyes-they were beattie! his belly robust!

He knew that vacating the deck he must!

He jumped on the ledge and reached for the tree,

Looking for one that would allow him to flee!

It took him several moments to actually get away,

Merry Christmas he did not actually say

He cursed and he mumbled and growled as he left,

I will be back again another night to make a great mess.

The day I almost won 50 Million dollars!

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in Contests & Deals

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If you have been following my blog for the last year or know me well then you know I had a strike of luck in 2012 and won two contests with great prizes – a trip and a car.  (Read more about my contest wins) They say good things happen in 3s so I am still waiting for the 3rd big win…

This Saturday (December 22nd) I woke up and was scanning my twitter when I read that the Lotto Max big winner was a single ticket in Toronto, not GTA but Toronto and I had a ticket! I play a regular set of numbers usually and then one quick pick.  My regular set of numbers are (I wish I had taken a picture of my ticket – you will just have to take my word for it):

7 – my dad’s birthday,

8 – my boyfriend’s birthday,

17 – my boy dog Otis’ birthday and my cousin’s

18 – my girl dog Lola’s birthday and my cousin’s and my other cousin’s son

20 – my birthday

36 – my age

49 – (this is another special number but the reason will remain a mystery to my readers)

When I went to the lotto max site this is what I saw on my phone:

I could barely breathe!

I could barely breathe!

My heart started to race… and we headed out to the corner store to check the ticket and while I didn’t want to get my hopes up for a decent chunk of money I had my fingers crossed.  Well I am $124.90 richer… but I sort of wish I wasn’t cause all I can think about is the 50 million that I was so close to.

We have now been playing the ‘what we would do’ game and it isn’t as much fun playing after the draw knowing that I was only 2 numbers away.  I know that there is more to life than money but I could have done so much good with so much money!

What would you do with 50 million dollars!?

Where to Give During the Holidays

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Advice & Recommendations

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Every year I try and organize some sort of charitable activity for my teams at work.  If you have been unfortunate enough to be a colleague of mine then you know what I mean.  We have packed and sorted at the Daily Bread Food Bank, adopted families and donated toys.  I was also lucky enough to work at Canada Post and be an elf on the Santa Letter Writing team.

This year I ended up with 2 families from Holiday Helpers (long story that isn’t that important to tell) and reached out to friends and associates to help make Christmas great for the 6 people. As always there were things on the list that if I needed I would just go out and buy – it makes you realize just how fortunate you are seeing the wish lists.

I was not disappointed and have amassed a whole truck-load of gifts for the families.  Thanks to all those who offered up something I know that 2 moms and 4 kids are going to have a merrier Christmas than they thought they were.

I think I might have to make this a tradition. Share with me your traditions or where you volunteer your time or donate your money this time of year.

Getting out of a rut?

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Health & Fitness

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It has been over a month since I blogged last… maybe you noticed, maybe not (don’t worry I won’t be offended if you didn’t).  I have been a bit blah and a bit lacklustre and a  bunch of moody! As I had posted previously, I have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and that broken thyroid of mine sometimes does things to mood and energy… however there is no evidence that I can blame this on that organ in the middle of my neck.

So my self diagnosis tells me I fell in to a rut.  That ever happen to you?  Where you are just sort of blah and not yourself?  At times you aren’t even sure why (and you surely get asked enough by friends and family!)…

Well I am looking for your best tips to get out of a rut… I think I am on the way out of it but would love your tips and tricks on how you turn things around.

I think every Monday should be Thanksgiving Day

08 Monday Oct 2012

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I realized today that I haven’t blogged in awhile but had lots of things I wanted to get down on paper… er, I mean pixels.  I think it is sometimes hard to remember how great your life is when you are sometimes taking on water and don’t have a bucket to bail with nearby.  I am guilty of this…

I have a great family and a special someone in my life, I have two great dogs who love

Synchronized napping in front of the fireplace

me even when I forget to fill the bowl or don’t want to take them for a walk.  I am relatively healthy (see early post about my broken thyroid for more details on that one) and so are most of my friends and family.

More recently I have been reaching out to a lot of social media connections, former colleagues and acquaintances and am thankful to have the channels available to me to meet so many people who I otherwise wouldn’t have.  And doubly thankful for those people who do take the time to respond, advise and counsel.

Fall in Muskoka

I could go on and on with what I am thankful for – Canada, freedom, a roof over my head, food in my fridge, dollars (as few as they may be right now) in the bank, trips to the cottage, the upcoming ski season… but I will stop right here.

I think I might start making every Monday thanksgiving day and kick it off by making a list of all the great things in my life.  Imagine if everyone focused on the good in their life to start off the week, how different things could be…

What are you thankful for?

Avli – most perfect place to stay in Rethymnon

20 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Pleasure, Travel

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The second stop (and first island) on our great vacation through Greece and Istanbul was Rethymnon in Crete.  We flew there from Athens on a short, inexpensive flight.

Tip: It is easy to get around Greece and her islands with planes and ferry trips.  All are reasonably priced (cheaper than flying around Canada!) and pretty painless to book. 

Garden (Avli means garden in Greek) seating

I had arranged a car from the airport (for the hour long ride) with the help of Thanasis the hotel manager at the  Avli – I had found this amazing, welcoming place to stay on Airbnb – that is a whole blog post on its own still to come.

As we got close to the hotel Elias our drive told us Thanasis was the man on the corner and he was waiting for us.  He also mentioned he was funny.  Elias was right.  Thanasis was the one to greet us and as a good host he also saw us off three days later early in the morning. I think the only way to describe the experience at the Avli was like being welcomed in to someone’s home – every member of the staff must truly love what they do as we were always met with smiles and conversation.

Delicious!

The food was wonderful at the restaurant – we had breakfasts and a dinner there.  The wine selection is the best on the island.  Our room (ask for the Cristina when you book) was quaint and comfortable with a balcony overlooking the patio of the street covered in flowers.

Thanasis also arranged a tour for us with Elias on one of our days in Crete as he recommends to everyone who visits to get out and see a bit of the island not just the town of Rethymnon.  Our evenings were happily spent sitting outside under the trellises at the Avli restaurant sipping wine and chatting with others staying at the Avli and the staff.

View from our balcony

I can tell you we were truly sad when we left the Avli on to Santorini by Ferry.  Now the beauty of Santorini helped easy our sadness but I can tell you we didn’t find anyone like Thanasis and his team anywhere else along our travels.

Some day I hope to get back to the Avli to stay again with Thanasis, George, and Zoey.  I recommend you give them a try if you ever plan to visit the island of Crete – I can’t say enough good things about the Avli.