08.24.09
Posted in Casino Reviews, Hotel Reviews, Restaurant Reviews at 7:27 am by skay
It is weird to read what someone else’s experience is about an event that you share. It really depends on what you contribute to it and how that colours how you enjoy it. For example, according to Nicole I seem to have napped most of the time this past weekend and her overriding memory seems to be of the casino. For me, the poor sod who has to drive the car, the experience is completely different. Mostly I like driving, but when it comes to having to drive in torrential downpours and endless traffic jams my enjoyment is diminished significantly. My overriding memory of the weekend then is not the casino, which was a lot of fun, especially since I didn’t really lose any money. It is not the room, which was amazing, a pass through window to the bedroom from the jacuzzi bathroom and a view of the falls and the Casino. It is not our discovery of a brand new shopping and restaurant area in Amherst (I guess this would be like driving from Etobicoke into Mississauga and discovering all the different stores there) including the same ring store where we can now take Nicole’s engagement ring to get cleaned. It is not even the enormous pile of nachos that I had at the British Pub style restaurant at the casino as outlined below:
Their description:
After a busy day in Niagara, come meet friends or simply relax in the warm and inviting pub atmosphere of The Falls & Firkin. Enjoy a wide selection of domestic and imported draught beer, as well as wines and cocktails, while you seek refuge in a variety of comfortable seating overlooking the Falls. Their extensive menu includes traditional pub fare and delicious daily specials, covering lunch, dinner, late-night snacks and weekend brunch.
My description:
After a busy day in the Casino losing all your money and getting bumped from your machine by grumpy senior citizens with menace in their eyes even though you only stood up to stretch your legs, come and relax in the comfortable but oddly low booth seating in the Falls & Firkin. Enjoy watching us eject unruly Asian people as they attempt to eat their own food on our patio and marvel at the inappropriately tight Lululemon pants on our (obviously oblivious) slightly portly waitress. Enjoy a wide selection of food as long as it is fish and chips, nachos or beans and mash since our understanding of British Pub cuisine obviously comes from The Simpsons or Family Guy. You can have a myriad of different beers but in order to do so you have to catch the waiter with the weird hair or try and track down the bartender who is occupied chatting up some pierced face weirdo who looks more like a pincushion than a fashion statement. But take our advice, have the nachos, it will make all the rest of the experience go away.
My overriding memory of the weekend then was none of the above, and no, it was not even the traffic. My overrriding memory of the weekend was how amazing it was to me (if not to her) that Nicole was able to read tiny street signs, to see wonderful cloud formations and to see the beauty of the falls from our room without her glasses or contacts. It took me right back to when I had my eyes done and the marvel it was finally to be without contact lenses for the first time in 20 years. I know exactly how she feels, something which for men and women is rare. I even know how she will feel as the days and weeks pass which is even more strange. But most of all I know that she is happy which to me is the best Anniversary present of all.
The hotel was nice, well appointed, comfortable and clean. The service was good, although we did not use any of the amenities. I would recommend the hotel but only of you can get a good deal on a room. There is no way I would pay $250 a night for it, but then again, there are very few places I would pay that kind of money for. The place is well built, pleasant to walk through which is nice, the lobby area is large and welcoming and the halls to the rooms are equally appealing and clean. The room itself as noted was very nice and interestingly laid out. However, the shower door seal leaked and the door did not close properly meaning that after I had finished showering the floor of the bathroom was completely flooded, not only a pain for me to mop up, but also extremely dangerous. The shower door has a full width handle on the outside but a very small and difficult to grip cylindrical knob on the inside. This makes it impossible to pull the door hard enough to close it should it not have been built properly, which our obviously had not. The windows were a decent size however I think that a flagship hotel overlooking one of the Wonders of the World could have full length windows or at least full width… Anyway, my enjoyment of the hotel was not diminished by these items. There was an amusing item as we walked from the parking lot to the hotel. Each floor has a “Hotel Events” large screen monitor encased in an expensive looking wooden display on which the hotel displays any conference information, helpful visitor tips and so on. The one on our floor however indicated that today’s Hotel Event was that “There are unused items on your desktop”. Maybe someone should call the helpdesk?
I am not sure if we reviewed the casino last time but the review is short and sweet. If you try hard you could imagine you are in Vegas. The casino itself is very nice, large and bright and well ventilated. It is not quite as loud as some of the Vegas casinos and certainly not as large but it is about as close as you will find anywhere around here. The machines play differently, there is no doubt that the payouts are less and that the variety is not comparable however it really doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the place. You can winn enough to keep playing which is the key and if you are very lucky like my wife (in more ways that one!) you can win enough to go shopping in Buffalo. One thing I did notice is that the Players Club works differently than in Vegas. They only bank points for the money that you put into the machine not for the time that you play. In Vegas you can put in $20 and play for an hour racking up credits enough to get you a free buffet in no time. At Niagara, unless you are putting cash into the machine you don’t get credits. Playing isn’t enough in other words, you have to pay! Their system calls for 100 points to get $10 play cash. However it notes that you have to put in between $40 and $60 to get ONE POINT!!! Enough said. Basically if you can’t get to Vegas and you want the next best thing go to Atlantic City. If you can’t leave the country then go to Niagara Fallsview. Just check the weather and the traffic before you go!
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08.23.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 6:06 pm by Nicole
I spent the afternoon reading through our wedding guestbook for old time sake. Here is some brilliant advice we got from our friends and family:
- Be patient, understanding and always take time to talk to each other -MomM
- Be patient and be friends -MumK
- You should not take anyone’s advice except each others -Fiona
- Take time to spend quality time together, also time away from each other is also good -ShirleyA
- Love each other lots! Laugh lots! Have fun! Make memories! Enjoy each other – Alleta
- Love your life….Love your wife…and Love everyday you have together -MichaelK
I would love to spend hours typing everyone’s comments, but I don’t have the time today. I also wish I could scan everyones drawings of us….they really make me lol. I think I’ll have a contest for the best and the worst drawings! I love my scrapbook…one of my best wedding ideas actually. I highly recommend it to all brides and grooms to be!
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Posted in Diary Entries at 5:48 pm by Nicole
This week marks our 2nd wedding anniversary! Simon treated us to a weekend getaway in Niagara Falls (thanks to Hotwire.com) and we got a great room in the Hilton Fallsview Casino Hotel. It was *almost* like Vegas, it even had its share of brides running around in their dresses. We got our room upgraded to have a jacuzzi pool and view of the falls which was brilliant with my new eyeballs. After checking in we went straight to the slot machines. Spent a couple hours and hundred dollars there and then went to the Falls and the Firkin for dinner. The English style pub reminded us of England a year ago (minus the sticky toffee pudding!) we shared some good memories. Back to the casino to win $460 on the Quick Hit slot machine! WOOHOO! Winning is so much fun…I’m a terrible loser. With cash in hand, we went back to the room to relax and rest Simon’s back. I tried out the jacuzzi, Simon napped. I went to the casino again, Simon showered. I won $100, Simon napped. Bedtime.
Cash Money
Jacuzzi bathroom
Hilton Fallsview Room
View of the Falls
I can never sleep in when I’m near a casino…the excitement must wake me up! 6am, headed over to my favourite machine, I brought Simon with me but we didn’t have any luck…no hot machines at this hour. So we decided to pack up and head out while we were still ahead. Off to Buffalo, trying to navigate to our iHop and Kohls but found a different set of stores in Amhurst. We had never been lost in Amhurst but found out it is full of goodies! Boulevard Mall, iHop, Jareds, Kohls, Olive Garden, Target, Marshalls – all of our faves. We had a delicious breakfast at iHop then did Kohls and Walden Gallera. I got my ring cleaned (which is really the point of the trip to Buffalo) and off to the border we went. I was hungry after the 30 minute slow motion border crossing so we went to Red Lobster for some flaky white fish and crabcakes.
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08.22.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 7:29 am by Nicole
This will probably be my last specific update on the eye surgery…because things are going so well!
I woke up at 6am, did the drop thing and got on with my day. Things seem to be pretty good, I can see far, I can see close but my head still seems a bit fuzzy. Its like things are in slow motion when I look at them. Weird to explain, but I think that sums it up.
I can see the time on the oven from the computer chair
I can see there are houses for sale in our backyard
I can see other cars when I’m driving!
Last night I did notice lights were like starbursts, not halos, just big bursts of brightness. I’ve been told that will go away, so I will monitor it. I have packed for our trip to Niagara Falls today to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. We are spending the night at the Fallsview Hilton Casino hotel! We have never been to it before so I’m excited to try it. I’m going to wear my sparkly Wynn hat and pretend I am in Vegas. Without the free drinks! Unfortunately because I can’t get water in my eyes yet, I won’t be able to experience the water park. Speaking of that, Hairdresser Simon washed my hair for me in the sink. It wasn’t at *all* like the salon (like I was hoping for) but it did the trick.
Off to work I go for 3 hours then we head off to Niagara and Buffalo tomorrow.
New Eyes & Hat
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08.21.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 8:52 am by Nicole
I awoke with some crusty eyes, but able to see myself in the bathroom mirror from the bed. I could see the menu on the television and I can see the Tim Hortons out the back window. All things that I couldn’t before. I started with the array of eye drops prescribed and got ready for my followup appointment at 8am. I drove half way to save Simon time…I was worried but was fine to drive. I got to the clinic on time so I grabbed some breakfast (of course, with my sunglasses still on) and waited. I met one of the guys from yesterday (who also had surgery) and he wasn’t doing as hot. He said he couldn’t see anything. How scary! I felt bad that I could see…
The doors opened and I was first to be called in. First had an eye test done and my vision was 20/20! How cool is that! They also looked in it with the machine and was told everything is looking good! I’m ok to do some normal things today but will probably just go back to bed.
I’ll write more when I wake up 
The rest of the day wasn’t very eventful. I spent it in bed watching tv and napping on and off. Did the eye drops 4x throughout the day as directed. My vision is constantly improving but goes through bouts of blurriness. Usually after the drops, which is probably to be expected. I went to the store to get foaming face cloths to prevent water in the eyeballs and they worked out well.
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08.20.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 8:47 am by Nicole
I was very nervous when I awoke today, knowing they would be cutting into my eyes made for a terrible sleep. Simon treaded me for an exquisite breafkast at Golden Griddle and then we headed off to the North York Lasik MD office. I was early as usual but that let me talk to the people who had surgery yesterday. All positive reviews and they helped calm my nerves. My appointment was at 830am and at that time they double checked my vision and we went through the payment details. I paid by Visa in hopes to collect points for a free flight somewhere After this came alot of sitting. Waiting. For what? I’m not too sure actually. I watched Planet Earth in the waiting room, wondering why mokeys were swimming in the ocean and watching the silly penguins and their babies. Perhaps it was the tranquillzer I took an hour before hand. I’m glad I took it. I met another girl who was also happy she took the cute little pill. She was from Pickering and even more nervous than me. Finally at 1030, they called me into the Operating room. I spoke with Dr. Cabrera about what was going to happen and he wanted to discuss my double vision and that this surgery will not correct that. I agreed I understood and had to have one last test before the procedure. At this point, I was worried…
My new friend, Stephanie, got to go ahead of me due to the change of schedule. She emerged from the OR with a smile on her face. That calmed my nerves. My turn!! The doctor explained how the procedure was going to go…so here is my replay:
- Lied down on the OR table, there were 4 of us in the room (Doc, 2 assistants and myself)
- I was given squeezy balls because there were no available hand to hold
- He taped my eyelids open to prevent blinking. They did the right eye first.
- Panic set in
- Drop are applied to numb the eyes and pressure is put on when they are putting something on the eyeball
- From this point on, I can’t feel or see anything but the flashing red light. I stared at it for the rest of the surgery. Flaps are cut in about 1 minute, 20 seconds of laser action with bad smell. Over very quickly.
- Switch to the left eye and repeat
When lying on the bed I was thinking….Am I actually doing this? Am I dreaming? Will anyone notice if I try to run away? The doctor was very calm and walked through everything as it was happening. I felt very safe.
Out to the recovery couch I went…things were very blurry and the sunlight was bright. I sat with my sunglasses on worried that this vision would last forever. I saw the post-op nurse and she said I was good to go home. Simon picked me up and brought me home to bed. By this time it was 2pm. I curled up in bed with my eye drops and sunglasses and slept the day away. Simon woke me up every couple of hourse to administer drops, he was a great doctor. He even fed me timbits and bagels. There was a major storm happening outside that I couldn’t see…only hear. Turns out tornados struck about 30 minutes away. Scary!
I woke up every couple hours to see if I could see…I couldn’t. Things were still blurry. But by about 3am I could see the television pretty clearly. This was good!
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08.18.09
Posted in Diary Entries at 7:29 am by Nicole
- Simon’s dedication to his weight loss, exercise program and new lifestyle have really impressed me. I know he can do anything he puts his mind to, and has done it again. I love reading his blog every day, not because I want to hear how his workout went, but just to read what is going through his mind and how he is coping with everything. Now…if we can only make some cash from his site, we’ll be all set!
- Laser eye surgery coming up this week. Both scary and exciting at the same time…I am not trying to think about it too much or I’ll panic and cancel the appointment!
- I love hearing Alleta’s stories at work about the Adventures of Evie. I really do look forward to updates on what she is up to, her likes and dislikes, new words she has learned and all the trouble that she gets into.
- I got a cute lil laptop (HP Mini) that is so portable I can put it in my purse (if there was less junk in it). It will be great for keeping journals during travel, working on nutrition assessments with clients, and hanging out on free wireless at Starbucks.
- I’m loving the weekly Farmer’s Market. My staple shopping list is: green beans, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach/kale, and berries.
- My Dad always impresses me! He took an idea and made it into a business in a couple days. I hope it works out for him or he may have to start at the drawing board. But so far so good – 2nd week and he has 5 properties for rent!
- I’m so happy for David & Bobbie to get an amazing condo of their dreams in York. They moved in last month and spent the rest of the month cruising around (literally). We have seen the photos and it is absolutely stunning!
- September is almost here…that means gymnastics coaching is around the corner. I’m enjoying my time off but have been super busy so I don’t feel like I have had a break at all. I’m tired just thinking about working an extra 15 hours a week. It doesn’t seem like that much…but…it is. I can’t say that I”m excited to get back this year
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Posted in Diary Entries at 7:28 am by Nicole
1st – Pre & Post Natal Fitness Specialist Course (Day 2) I passed! Ok, so I still have to take an exam, but I feel confident that I know about Moms, Babies and exercise. We got to wear our backpacks on our fronts to experience the awkwardness of having to work around it. (Not fun) Exam scheduled for December, will study later.
Simon was nice enough to buy me FitMom2Be.com for my new business… I’m excited to start working on it.
15th – Penetang Gang Visit - To tell you the truth, as much as I enjoy seeing the Marchand gang, I really have hated going to these things recently. Both sides of the family get togethers have been very difficult for me emotionally. I feel is sadness. Sadness that the family is having fun together, and my Mom is home in bed. I feel guilty. Guilt that I can’t help Mom get better. I have been told not to take it personally, but I do. I need to do something, but I just don’t know what to do to help her. I feel pain. My heart feels like it is broken and leaking throughout my body. I have to help her…nobody else can.
Umm, back to the visit…the entire Marchang gang (besides Paul and Penny) were there. Peter and Janina came, Jonna, Carl and Michael. We got there just in time for the Country Legends performance at Kings Wharf Theater (our usual August hotspot). The show itself was quite entertaining, however, the younger generation (myself included) didn’t know many of the songs. We were surprised to see/hear our favourite 2005 Canadian Idol, Melissa O’Neill! She stole the show in my opinion. After the performance, we headed back to Nana’s for some relaxing, chatting and eating. All of our favourite things to do in Penetang. Unfortunately it was so hot outside we hung out indoors in the air conditioning and went out after the sun went down. Simon and I drove home the same night as I had to be at the doctors early Sunday morning.
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Posted in Diary Entries at 7:28 am by Nicole
July
1st - Evie’s 2nd Birthday Party: Had a good time with the gang, unfortunately Simon was sick at home and couldn’t attend. Evie got lots of cool gifts, a fun toy chest full of dressup stuff from Aunt Judy & Uncle Jason! She is getting so big so quickly…
Evie – 2 Years Old
9th – Downtown with Sarah & Jenn to celebrate upcoming wedding: Both Jenn and I met Sarah after work (on a weekday!) to hang out and celebrate her marriage to Hidde. Since Sarah and I had a couple hours to waste before Jenn arrived, I thought of something fun for Sarah and I to do. A Wedding Scavenger Hunt! Here’s how it went down…I thought of a bunch of different wedding related things (Cake, Dress, Favours, Flowers, Invitations, Dessert etc) and Sarah had to find items (all under $40) that had to do with the mentioned item. We started off on Queen Street, but found it to be too pricey so we hit Spadina and ended up in Kensington Market. I think she had fun, and I did also. Some goodies she found were: Cupcakes (and day old *free* brownies) , a yellow and white wedding dress(it wasn’t *that* see through), a peacock feather for her hair, some chopsticks, fancy feather fans and some postcard invitations. After all this work we got to relax with a drink and then met Jenn for some dinner at a Mexican Tapas restaraunt. It was a great choice as we got to share lots of different dishes. Time was ticking and we decided to go to a show. We chose a comedy show that was a short walk away. We arrived just in time to be last in line and actually didn’t know what we were in for. That was the fun part. Until we found out it was about Sunday BINGO at a church…haha The show itself was ok, we got to play real bingo and enjoy some time together. Our next get together will be in Ajax or Aurora. Sarah gets married on September 5th @ Black Creek Pioneer Village.
16th – Nicole starts a budget. Yikes. Recording all purchases, limiting spending, increasing savings. Goal = rich.
18th – Nicole redecorates. Spent the day painting the bathroom and cleaning/organizing scrapbook room.
Scrapbook Room – Before
Scrapbook Room – After!
Post Bathroom Makeover
25th – Pre & Post Natal Course (Day 1) – I decided to take this course because I wanted to help Alleta with her fitness during her second pregnancy and to add to my Personal Training qualifications. Nobody at our gym has this specialty, mind you, I’ve only seen 2 pregant women at our gym so I don’t have many clients to choose from. Anyways, I headed out to Humber College with 3 other girls and learned about baby making stages, what exercises should and shouln’t be done and how to modify exercises for people with big bellys. Fun stuff, learned alot and now I feel confident in prescribing exercises to Alleta!
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