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Sunday, November 30, 2008
Eggspectations - the finish to a weekend with lots of yummy food
Hello again really quickly. Can't believe it's Sunday already and time for us to head back to CT. Before we leave we are going to Eggspectation, a really yummy place we discovered a while back, for breakfast.
Had a nice last day in Quebec yesterday. After a yummy breakfast we walked around town some more. The sun came out for alittle bit so we were able to snap some more photos. Afterwards we went to the Museum of Civilization and then headed to Montreal.
Got here around 5:30pm. Checked in at the hotel and relaxed for a bit. Then we went for dinner at Les 3 Brasseurs. Discovered that place last time we were in Montreal and just had to go back. Along with a bunch of beers/drinks they also have really great food (and some awesome pizza). Today we are heading to Eggspectation for breakfast and then to the Museum of Contemporary Art. After that it's back home to CT and reality.
Posted by Hanna at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, November 28, 2008
A day in Quebec
Another Quebec update. Had a really nice day today. It's been snowing pretty much the whole time we have been here which adds a real Christmassy feel to everything. The whole city looks so European and is totally decorated for Christmas already. Along with the snow it definitely gets you into the spirit of the season. :)
Did a walking tour today which was fun. I love looking at all the old buildings, the narrow lanes and cobble stone streets. It's so removed from the rest of North America. Had lunch after our walking tour and then headed back to our hotel. Had a cappuchino while I wrote my postcards and then enjoyed a nice bath in our whirlpool tub. Yay for relaxing weekends. :)
Going to have dinner at D'Orsay restaurant in a little while. Tomorrow we are going to check out the Museum of Civilization after breakfast. Will walk around a little more and then head to Montreal later in the day. Going to spend 1 night in Montreal. This weekend is already flying by way too fast again.
Mail Update: Mailed the letters I wrote on the way up today. Received letters from/still owe replies to: N/A
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Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone in the US. :) I hope you all had a really nice day with loads of food surrounded by people you truly care about.
We went to Canada today for the Thanksgiving weekend. I am really happy to be off from work for 4 days. Got up around 5:30am this morning. had breakfast at our local diner and then started our drive. The border crossing seemed to take forever but we got to Quebec City around 3:30 p.m.
It's been snowing/flurring the whole day and the city is decorated very festively already so it brings up a very Christmassy feeling. Will be spending 2 nights here and 1 night in Montreal.
Short mail update for today. Wrote letters on the way up to: Becki/KY, Emilia/Finland, Lotte/Denmark, Tizz/Holland and Celia/MA. Received letters from/still owe replies to: None (wow I don't think I've been able to write that in a long time).
Posted by Hanna at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Work = Stress
Yeah the holidays are definitely the busiest time here at work for me. Thanksgiving is crazy but it's only going to get worse once Christmas & New Year's roll around since they are back to back on the same day of the week. Oh well what can I say ? It's crazy every year and I stress out beyond belief but somehow I always get through it. So I am sure it will work out just fine as it always does.
"Mary Poppins" on Sunday was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the show. I so wish Mary Poppins was real .. ha ha. :) Had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant afterwards. Our usual place closes earlier on Sundays so we couldn't go there but the place we picked instead was still nice.
And tomorrow we are off to Canada so I am definitely looking forward to that. I feel slightly guilty about not working Friday or Saturday but I guess I shouldn't. I work crazy hours all the time and have worked plenty of holidays so I should just relax and not worry about it. I am really looking forward to Quebec City and Montreal. It will be nice to have 4 days off.
Mail Update:Letters to Jessica/DE and David/IN have gone out since the last update. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Emilia/Finland, Celia/MA, Tizz/Holland, Lotte/Denmark and Becki/KY.
Posted by Hanna at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, November 21, 2008
Random Post
Ok I really don't have a whole lot to say but thought I would make a post anyway. Not all that much new really. Been battling a nasty sore throat for the past few days. Today my voice started to go too which really isn't a good thing in my job (I am pretty much on the phone most of the day). Been drinking lots of tea with lemon & honey and OJ. Hoping that my voice will recover soon. Still need to work for a few hours tomorrow.
Sunday we are going to the city to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway (remember my birthday gift !) so I am excited about that. Will probably also go to our favorite Italian place Osteria al Doge after the show. Yummm.
Going to try and start my Christmas cards tomorrow. I want to get the international ones done fairly soon so they are ready to be mailed. Decided to go away over the Thanksgiving weekend (to Quebec City & Montreal) so I won't be able to write any cards that weekend. Really looking forward to the trip though. I am especially excited about the place we are staying at in Quebec. It's called Auberge St. Pierre and looks really pretty. Due to it being off-season we got a really great deal/rate. Yay. :)
Mail Update:No letters have gone out. :( Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tizz/Holland, Jessica/DE, David/IN, Lotte/Denmark and Becki/KY.
Posted by Hanna at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, November 16, 2008
R.I.P. Stupsi
Let's start with the sad news first. My Austrian cat Stupsi had to be put asleep on Friday. He would have turned 17 in February so he definitely had a long and happy life but of course it's still sad. We found him in our backyard all skin and bones when he was less than a year old. I was only 12 years old at the time so he's been a part of my life for a very long time. I am glad that he didn't have to suffer much and lived pretty happily until the very end. He wasn't doing so well over the past few days so my parents took him to the vet and found out that he had a liver tumor that had already severly spread. Poor kitty. I am glad that he didn't have to suffer much and is now in kitty heaven. Endless treats, the best places to nap and tons of affection. What better place to be ? :)
Let's move on to more happy news. Had a pretty productive weekend. Managed to get a lot of my Christmas shopping done online which was great. On Thursday I also had the day off and went to the Clinton Crossings outlets with my friend Lydia where I managed to get a bit of gift shopping done as well. Went to lunch at the Southport Brewing Company afterwards and also went to Ikea in New Haven before I had to catch the train back home.
Mail Update: Letters went out on Friday to: Tiffany/OK and Nicki/CA. Received letters from/still owe replies to: David/IN, Lotte/Denmark and Becki/KY.
Posted by Hanna at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Autumn Sunday
Just a quick update to wrap up the week. I am still very happy with the election results and have been following the news very closely. I am really hopeful and happy about the developments for once - a first in a long time.
Not too much else new really. Had to work yesterday (Sat) but it was a pretty ok day. Can't complain. Today we slept in really late. Haven't done all that much yet. (chatted with my friend Joanne online for about 1 hour, surfed the web for a bit, did a few things around the house). Later today we are going down to NYC to meet up with my friend Elisabeth at Cafe Steinhof. Yay for Austrian food. :)
Can't believe that it's already almost mid November. Time is flying so fast. Before we know it Christmas will be just around the corner. My goal for this year is to get my shopping done as early as possible. I really want to try and get everything done by the end of the month. I doubt that will actually happen but I guess I can at least try and give it a shot. :)
Mail Update: Letters are going out tomorrow to: Celia/MA, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK and Nicki/CA.
Posted by Hanna at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Thank you America - Yes we can!!!
I am so happy today that it's even hard to express in words. I finally have hope again that there is a better future out there. I could not believe that this country elected George W. Bush TWICE and was in shock during the 2004 election (see my post from back then) but I am feeling hopeful again. Mike & I were glued to the TV all night last night watching the election results as they came in. I was so excited as some of the swing states went in favor of Obama and the trend seemed to be continuing in his favor.
I am very happy to live in this country right now and am glad to know that the Americans have come together and have decided to do the right thing. I know it's not going to be easy and change won't be immediate but at least there is a chance. I am glad to be part of a historical event like this. I was moved to tears by Obama's victory speech in Chicago, partly by his words and partly by the crowd reaction they were showing all over the country. It also makes you realize what a president should sound like. Listening to Bush for 8 years has really set the bar very low I suppose.
I am very happy to see the reaction across the world to Obama's victory as well. I am happy to know that maybe, just maybe, the US will be able to work together with the rest of the world again.
I am definitely very happy that Obama has won but am somewhat saddened about some other things that happened during the election. California approved a same-sex marriage ban along with some other states. Here's an article about it if you are interested. But I guess every victory tends to be bitter sweet in some respects.
I know some of my friends were McCain supporters and I do respect that. I do hope that this nation can come together though and work towards positive change no matter who you originally supported.
Had the day off from work today and went to lunch with my friend Sharon at Bluu. Had yummy sushi and a salad. Also wrote one letter and caught up with my emails. I orginally wanted to go through some catalogs to get a jumpstart on my Christmas shopping but so far haven't gotten around it.
Mail Update: So far a letter is going out tomorrow to: Tizz/Holland. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta.
Posted by Hanna at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Hello from Philly
Hello from Philadelphia. It's been a crazy and long week at work but we finally made it through it and were rewarded with a nice weekend trip to Philadelphia. Originally we planned on going last weekend for my birthday but then decided to go this weekend. Had a nice day in the city today sightseeing and walking around. The weather was really nice today so we had a really great day walking all over the city. Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Triumph Brewing Company. Tomorrow morning we are going to have brunch at the Valley Green Inn (a place that was recommended by one of my blog pals). Afterwards we are going to the art museum and the Hard Rock Cafe. Definitely a really nice weekend trip. It's great to get away, even if it's just for one night.
Ps: Happy Halloween everyone. :) We didn't do anything too special. Went out for dinner to a local place. It was funny to see all the waiters/waitresses dressed up in costumes.
Mail Update: So far a letter is going out on Monday to: Alex/Germany. Received letters from/still owe replies to: Tiffany/OK, Eunice/Malta and Carmen/Malta.
Posted by Hanna at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack