Canadian Women gather here

[scorpioanne]

I am Anne from Regina Saskatchewan and am wondering if there are any other Canadian women on this board.

[LeslieandPaul]

Hey, I'm a Canadian girl too!!! I live in Surrey, BC

[lovebugs2003]

Hi

I'm Becky from White Rock, BC and PROUD TO BE A CANADIAN!!!!!!!!.

[LeslieandPaul]

Welcome lovebugs2003 I love White Rock. Most of our friends live in White Rock/South Surrey and we go to the beach for cheap wings every week. I plan on living there one day (if only real estate wasn't so darn expensive!)

[scorpioanne]

I am glad you could join us. Did you do anything special for Canada Day? We stayed at home and just vegged...I ended up falling asleep on the couch and in bed by 9:30 and only saw the fireworks when I got up at 11:30 to go to the bathroom. :o

[LeslieandPaul]

FH had to work Canada Day :( I went to a party at a friend's parents' house. They were having a block party with free food, punch and cake, and there were games in the field across the street. In the evening I went to Ikea.

[al'sgirl]

Hello! I'm Andrea from Hamilton, Ontario.

I went to college outside of Moose Jaw, SK, Anne ... the prairies grew on me. Do you like living there?
DH lived in Port Coquitlam for a while, when we were dating ... I loved visiting BC ... so pretty!

[scorpioanne]

Yes, I do enjoy living here, the quality of life is great as the citty is small and I can do several things in one day without having to drive all over the place. We live near one of the largest urban parks so have a great setting. I didn't appreciate it here in the past but I sure do now! BC is lovely, my son just finished his degree at UBC and we were there for his graduation. My first husband was from Vancouver so we spent a lot of time there. The flowers and plants are amazing there! Here on the prairies we are cathcing up this year as we have had way more rain than usual.

[LeslieandPaul]

I love hearing ppl say nice things about my province!!! It really is beautiful here! I love that we the ocean and mountains (real mountains too-not large hills). My FH actually has pictures from years ago with the date on the bottom-one day he went skimboarding at the beach and the next day he went snowboarding!

[Mrsbuw]

hey everyone!

I am Heather and I too am from Hamilton. Small world Andrea! I am a transplantee in Hamilton but my husband is a lifer.
You ladies in BC are very lucky. I am in sales and am responsible for the BC area.
Have a great day
Heather

[Kates]

Another Canadian here! I'm Kate and I live in Ottawa, ON.

We just ended up having people over for Canada Day. A long time ago we would have braved the crowds and gone down to Parliament Hill, but not this year with a 9 month old!

Did anyone watch the Canadian feed of Live 8? I thought everyone was pretty good for the most part.

[al'sgirl]

Anne, I think SK must have stolen the usual Hamilton rain. This spring has been so hot and dry.

I love how Canada can be so diverse ... boarding on snow and water all in the same day :)

Hey Heather! It is indeed a small world :) Like you, I'm a transplantee ... I came here for work. DH moved here when he was around 5 years old, so I guess he's almost a lifer :)

I was born and raised in a small town up the Ottawa river from Ottawa. I'm definately not a city girl ... but for hubby I "suffer" :D

Hi Kates ... yes, venturing to the Hill for fireworks would certainly had been brave with a 9 month old! What I saw of the Live 8 was pretty good (it was a yardwork day).

[maplekitty]

Hi everyone!

I'm Sarah, and I love in Coquitlam, B.C.

I know LeslieandPaul in RL, and Al'girl is one of my journal buddies...so I'm happy to say there is a small community of Canuck girls around!

Also Tamara is from Ontraio as well...once she finds her way over here :)

[lovebugs2003]

Welcome lovebugs2003 I love White Rock. Most of our friends live in White Rock/South Surrey and we go to the beach for cheap wings every week. I plan on living there one day (if only real estate wasn't so darn expensive!)

Hey Leslie

We absolutely love White Rock, we are just now listening and trying to watch the 4th of July fire works from our deck.

Where do you get the wings? Any good places, i have cravings many many times for wings.

[Sare79]

I'm Sarah and I live in New Westminster, BC.
There are a few of us around here!
I know Maplekitty in RL- we're aquafit and WW buddies and lovebugs2003 is one of my best friends. It's a small world, isn't it?
For Canada Day, we had a few friends over for a barbecue and some poker- a pretty low key night.

[maplekitty]

I'm Sarah and I live in New Westminster, BC.
There are a few of us around here!
I know Maplekitty in RL- we're aquafit and WW buddies and lovebugs2003 is one of my best friends. It's a small world, isn't it?
For Canada Day, we had a few friends over for a barbecue and some poker- a pretty low key night.

Heehee, your avatar makes you look like a nudist :p

[LeslieandPaul]

Where do you get the wings? Any good places, i have cravings many many times for wings.

We go to the Ocean Beach Hotel. Just got back actually (the wings are $0.15 on Tues and Thurs). The waitresses there are awesome-we've been going there a long time and they just renovated and got all new girls, but they already know all of our orders-which is awesome because there's usually at least 5 of us, sometimes 10-15!

[al'sgirl]

Hey Sarah ... good to see you here :)

And hello to Sarah (sare79) as well !

Hi Melanie (bex)! How are things on the east coast these days? I love your pic ... they were some of my favourite characters :)

[bex]

Hey al'sgirl - Things are pretty non-summery on the east coast :( Although I don't envy the smog warnings and such in Ontario, it sure would be nice to have a bit of summer - yip yip yip yip yiip :D

[Kates]

bex, hopefully things will warm up fast! DH, DS and I are leaving for a holiday in PEI next week! BTW - I love Halifax, DH and I went on our honeymoon to Halifax and the east coast.

[LeslieandPaul]

Hey al'sgirl - Things are pretty non-summery on the east coast :D

It's not very summery on the West coast either. We had one of the rainiest June's in BC weather history, and so far July isn't looking too nice either.

[bex]

Kates, Have a great time in PEI! The beaches are so beautiful.

LeslieandPaul, Sorry to hear the weather's been bad on the west coast too. Jeez, you can tell we're all Candians with the weather talk :p

[maplekitty]

Yay, it was sunny today...but then it's going to rain tomorrow and all weekend :(

Ugh, And I just went out and bought new summer clothes! I *need* to break out my new shorts!! I don't want to be pasty white for my wedding...and horrors...my honeymoon! I'll scare away the poor little mexican children with my pasty white legs!! HAHA

[Kates]

maplekitty, where in Mexico are you going on your honeymoon?

[al'sgirl]

I'd be willing to trade some heat for rain!

maplekitty ... I totally know what you mean. All I do is burn, then turn white, so there's no hope for a tan in my world. I have to wear high sunblock to avoid the burn, so I'm always pasty white.

But, when we were in Dominican Republic for our honeymoon, it was the fifth full day of the week there. We were talking with one of the tourism staff trying to plan our day, and she asked if we arrived that day. When she heard that it wasn't she said "You need to get out in the sun, you're too pale!" :)

[maplekitty]

maplekitty, where in Mexico are you going on your honeymoon?

We are going for one week at the El Dorado Seaside Suites Resort (long enough name, eh? lol) in the Yucitan Peninsula. The resort is just south of Cancun.

[gf&js]

I'm glad to see so many Canadians! I'm one also but I live in the states. I was born in Thunder Bay, ON but moved to the states when I was 2. I still have family in TB and most of my mom's fam in on Vancouver Island. BC is absolutely a gorgeous place!

[scorpioanne]

Greetings to all the new women on this thread, I am so glad you could join us. Are you enjoying your summer? It has gotten hot and humid here, hot for here is normal but not humid. I am looking forward to some time off work so that I can just enjoy our deck and relaxing. What are your summer plans? We are going to renovate our kitchen so the summer holiday won't be much of a holiday...it'll be mess and the stress resulting from the mess! :eek:

[Mrsbuw]

Hi everyone,

Well it is sooooo hot in Ontario right now, well at least in Hamilton. We get the extra joy of smog with our humdity. I am preggers right now so I am throughly enjoying anywhere with air.
We don't have any real plans for summer, my husband is trying to keep most of his vacation time for when our son is born in December. I am taking a few days here and there but I really really need to get away. We have a few cottage options that are looking pretty good right about now.
have a great day
Heather

[al'sgirl]

Heather ... I hear you! Isn't it just too warm in Hamilton today?

I would love some rain for a nice break in this heat, humidity and smoggy air.

We don't have any plans for this summer. DH and I are saving our holiday days for a trip out west in September and then possibly a trip to Cuba in November/December. That just makes more time for redecorating at home.

[Clubqueen]

Hello ladies!

Another Canadian here (from Toronto... *gulp* don't hold it against me! *L*)

I didn't know there were so many of us here!

It's so stinkin' hot here. Many temperature records have been shattered the last couple of days. We've only received 4 millimetres of rain in the past month, so we could use a few days of rain.

Looking forward to getting to know you guys better!

[Twylla]

I'm also Canadian! I was born and raised in Regina, went to college in Calgary, worked in Medicine Hat for 3 years, and I'm back in Regina now! (Hi Anne!!!) DH and i were married in Kelowna, where his dad still lives.

It's super humid here right now, a thunderstorm is looming!

What does everyone do for a living? I work in tv... blame the weather on me, that's what I do!

[snowzilla]

Anne! Such a cool idea for a thread! :)

I was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Prince Albert. Moved back to Saskatoon after graduation, and then ended up in Edmonton, Alberta, where I've been ever since!

I absolutely love it here, although I wish we were somewhat closer to the mountains (at least you can see them from Calgary!).

It's nice to see other Canadians here! :)

[Clubqueen]

What does everyone do for a living? I work in tv...

I used to work in TV... I went to school for Film and Television Production.
I work in print production now (newspaper) and really like it so far.
Film and television is so competitive in Toronto, it's hard to find steady work, unless you know someone on the inside.

[al'sgirl]

What does everyone do for a living?

I do the bookkeeping for a non-profit organization. Even though the pay isn't too great, it's a good feeling to work at a place where we can do some good in the world for those in need.

[snowzilla]

What does everyone do for a living?

Up until a year ago, I was an accountant. But due to a change in the Child Welfare Act, the non-profit I worked for had to downsize severely, and I was laid off. :(

But I am a certified professional wedding planner, and I own my own wedding accessory business, so I'm still busy, but enjoying the benefits of being at home with my kids during the day. :)

[LeslieandPaul]

What does everyone do for a living?

I am currently not working, but usually work retail. I need to find a job in September!

[scorpioanne]

Hey Carla, I too was born in Saskatoon and still have a very fond place in my heart for the city even though my family moved here when I was almost 7.

What does everyone do for a living?

I am a social worker/counsellor at the local sexual assault centre. I have worked there for 16 years (yes, I am that much older than all of you). I also am a sessional lecturer for the faculty of social work at the U of R.

My question/suggestion: If you feel comfortable, tell us all more about yourselves.

My husband and I were married last labour day weekend. I have a 24 year old son who just got his engineering degree at UBC and Philip (DH) has 2 kids who live with us half time, Max is 16 and Carmen is 16. We have a cat named Scorpio and a neighbourhood squirrel who spends a lot of time around our house. I dance with a women's modern dance group and take Pilates. I am trying very hard to be a gardener and am doing a better job this year and ever before.

So, how about you?

[LeslieandPaul]

tell us all more about yourselves
Paul and I might Canada Day 2003 and started dating 3 1/2 months later and moved in together a few weeks later. We got engaged last June and get married August 20, 2005. We bought a condo in December.
FH is a technologist, and with his new job gets to do lots of travelling (good and bad). He has a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Doe and a blue belt in a newer martial art. I try to do Pilates, and am currently taking Pole Dancing classes! And I LOVE decorating!

[scorpioanne]

tell us all more about yourselves
I try to do Pilates, and am currently taking Pole Dancing classes!

I love Pilates, as a matter of fact I was at ball class earlier this evening. Pole-dancing sounds like too much fun! Philip would LOVE it if I took that kind of dance! ;)

[T&M'sMommy]

:D I'm Sarah and I'm from small town Ontario. We're moving in two weeks, so I'm moving close to London ON. I have two kids and have been married for almost 4 years. I have lived in Ontario all of my life :p

[T&M'sMommy]

I was at Live 8. It was awesome! My brother was in the front row. My friend and I were in the middle right behind the mosh pit :D

[Clubqueen]

Tell us all more about yourselves.

DH and I got married on June 12th, 2004, and we bought a new home in late January of this year. It's still under construction, but the closing date is August 25th. Just over a month to go!
Right now, we are living with my parents, and have been since we got married. We're looking forward to finally being TOTALLY alone for the first time!

I'm 28, DH is 31. I work for a newspaper and DH works for a cell phone company.
I like to read, watch TV, surf online, hang out with friends & family, go to lounges/clubs with friends, work out (although I should do more of it!).

Things on my list that I want to learn to do:
- drive stick (already have the basics down, just need to practice more)
- cook awesome meals from scratch (again, want to get better!)
- roller blade
- yoga and/or pilates

[al'sgirl]

Hi Sarah (T&M'sMommy) ... Live 8 looked like so much fun ... were you there for the whole concert? or just part of it?

[al'sgirl]

Tell us all more about yourselves.

Allan (DH, 35) and I (33) married May 2005 after a 5 month engagement and dating for 5 years.
We purchased our little house just 2 months before the wedding. (We needed somewhere to live ... my apartment was too small and he was temp. with his parents to save $'s ... and DH just didn't want to rent.) We've been busily renovating and redecorating. This year we put in a garden and with this heat it's been growing like crazy!
We are slaves to one black silly cat named Shadow ... but he will only answer to "Cat". He started off as a barn cat, but DH rescued him one rainy day. He's really a friendly creature :) We also have a fresh water fish tank going at home with danios and guppies (who just had 15 babies!). There's a 55 gallon salt water tank in my living room, going to start cycling this fall hopefully.
I enjoy scrapbooking, reading, hiking and surfing online. I like Pilates too, but I need to get back into exercising!

[Mrsbuw]

Tell us more about yourselves

DH and I meet when I was 18, he 19, his sister was my bestfriend in University. Fast forward 5 years I moved to Hamilton, we started dating and now my bestfriend is my SIL. We got married August 9/2003 and we are expecting our son in December. We also have a very fat cat named Tico, that's his picture in my aviator.
Hubby works for Canwest and does sports statistics. I am in inside sales, I sell Ductile Iron pipe of all things. Andrea, I work right between Stelco and Dafasco, aren't I lucky! We just bought our first house, which we love.
I love reading, hiking (though can't do as much of that anymore) playing on the computer, looking at baby stuff :D

[T&M'sMommy]

We stayed for the whole concert. My friend and I slept overnight in the car, then went to wait in line at 4:30am. It was an amazing rush and a chance for me to get away from kiddieville for a while :-)

[mlfallis]

Wow I didn't realise there were so many of us here.

I live in Ontario close to Stratford. I grow up close to Lake Erie and now my parents live in Port Dover, home of Friday 13th.

I am 24 and my FH is 23 (6 months apart). We met first year university and have been together ever since. I graduated last year in Engineering and he graduated this part year from Engineering and Business from Western. We currently have two cats named Sophie and Patch and an Alaskan Malamute named Bear. We are also in the process of bringinning our most recent adaption home. Her name is Tala and she too is an Alaskan Malamute, we are just waiting for the shelter to realse her. We are in the process of purchasing my FIL's house and all of us moving there.

Enough for now.

Melissa

[al'sgirl]

Hi Melissa and guinevere :)

Melissa ... Port Dover is pretty, but how can your parents stand it on Friday 13ths?? DH's family just spent an afternoon there on the beach for a birthday celebration, along with those 100's of other people that thought it was a good day for the beach :)

guinevere ... how are you handling your various home projects this summer with all this heat and humidity? I'm having a hard time getting my DH inspired to tackle our list huge to-do list. Actually, we started painting a room last night (after bribeing him with steak), but it was so humid out that the fumes didn't want to air out of the house nicely.

[mlfallis]

al'sgirl: Friday the 13th has gotten crazier over the past few years, but it is just something that is the norm to us. Plus my brother comes down with about 15 of his friends and camp on their front lawn, so they take is as long as is isn't every month :rolleyes:

guinevere: Glad to find someone close by. I can understand about you DH, my FH thinks I am crazy.

Hey I just realised we are missing a few people, off to find them :D

[guinevere]

deleted

[Pamela]

I'm Canadian too :) I grew up in BC, but I've been living in the States for the past 10 years (DH is American). I desperately want to move back to BC!

[LeslieandPaul]

Hi Pamela! Where in BC are you from?

[scorpioanne]

I just wanted to let all you women know my great news, my son (who graduated from UBC in May) just got a job here. He has his degree in metallurgical engineering and will be starting a job at Ipsco. I am so happy! :D

[Mrsbuw]

Congrats scorpioanne What exactly is metallurgical engineering ?

[scorpioanne]

I'm not sure exactly - UBC offers the specialisation of metals and materials engineering but Christopher focused more on metals. The upshot of this is that he will be working in a steel mill. I guess he takes samples and analyses them for flaws etc. Anyone here know any nice young women in Regina around 24? He'll hate me for this tee hee. :D

[al'sgirl]

Great news, scorpioanne! I bet you will be happy to have him back close to home :) When does his new job start?

[mlfallis]

scorpioanne: I hope you don't mind but I can explain a bit more about metallurgical engineering.

It is the study of the make-up of the metals. Also they analyise the 'left-over' material from making steel and other metal products and figure out how to extract valuable components. Such as cooper and other precious metals. In some cases they are in very small portions, ex: 2%, but they are so expensive it is worth getting that out.

Your son is lucky to get a job in Canada, there are many people that end up in a third-world conutry.

[lil_geek]

Hi all!! Nice to find this group of 'locals'!!

My name is Tara, I currently live in Guelph, Ontario (about an hour from T.O and an hour from Stratford and and hour from Hamilton!!)

Let's see if I can remember all the past discussions!!

I am a website developer. Sometimes fun, sometimes boring!!

MY FH and I met while we were both students at the University of Guelph. We didn't start dating until the year after I graduated.

My FH grew up on a farm near Kingston. The goal is for us to end up down there within the next few years. We will likely be milking 50 head and I hope to become a stay at home mom!!

We are getting married May 13, 2006!


Oh, and BC girls... you are welcome to our weather!!!

[LeslieandPaul]

Oh, and BC girls... you are welcome to our weather!!!

It's actually heated up quite nicely out here! But from what I've heard, it's still much better than being in the east! Thanks for the offer though :p

[scorpioanne]

scorpioanne: I hope you don't mind but I can explain a bit more about metallurgical engineering.

It is the study of the make-up of the metals. Also they analyise the 'left-over' material from making steel and other metal products and figure out how to extract valuable components. Such as cooper and other precious metals. In some cases they are in very small portions, ex: 2%, but they are so expensive it is worth getting that out.

Your son is lucky to get a job in Canada, there are many people that end up in a third-world conutry.

Hey thanks so much for the explanation, he ususally just rolls his eyes at me and tells me I wouldn't understand as I am an artsy :cool: . This might be a bad thing to say but he worked in Arkansas for an 8 month work term and said it was like a third-world country. He starts August 8th so he'll be home a couple of days before that. He will have been gone for just under 6 years so it'll be a joy to have him back, squishy here in the house but a joy nevertheless. Since he left for school I had a relationship end, my sister had her last baby, my mum died, I met my husband, he (DH) moved in (along with 2 kids parttime), I finished my masters, I started teaching as a sessional, I got married, we did home renos, my dad had prostate cancer...lots of stuff in that time!

[T&M'sMommy]

Hey lil geek, I'm in Cambridge. Small world eh??

[JillianS]

Yay. didn't know this thread existed :)

Saskatoon Sk here :) 24 year old Commerce/Law student at the UofS. I'm equally surprised and pleased that there are fellow's sk's here as well :) fun.

[scorpioanne]

Welcome Jillian! How did all you women spend the long weekend?

We are painting the hallway - cupboards and all (it is not a conventional hallway, it is more like a small room that the office, bathroom and kitchen come off of) and then starting on the kitchen. This is how I am spending my holidays (I must be nuts!). It is a lot of work and it is so hot here now but it will be beautiful when it is finished.

[lil_geek]

I had the most crazy long weekend!!

Friday we drove out to the farm (near Kingston,on). Terry spent Saturday working and I took his sister bridesmaids dress shopping. We found one 2 peice that I really liked. Then we met his mom and cousin.

Saturday night we went out with his friends from highschool...k, we are all 25-27.... but it was like going out with high school kids. Very weird!!

Saturday we drove home to my parents and saw the wedding crashers

Monday we had a HUGE ITALIAN/GREEK wedding in Woodbridge. It took 4 hours to eat dinner!!! Crazy!!

I am dragging my butt this morning... I think we need 4 day weekends!

[al'sgirl]

Why does it always feel like I need another long weekend to recover from a long weekend? :)

My parents came to visit DH and I for the weekend. My Dad wasn't feeling very motiviated to go and do anything, so we hung out at the house a lot.

Mom and I went shopping on Saturday for bedding and material for our new guest room (converted from an office last week). Monday we spent all day sewing pillows.

On Sunday we went on a dinner cruise on the Grand River. I've never done anything quite like that, and it was fun!

[lil_geek]

al'sgirl Was the cruise down south of Brantford? I've only been in that area once and remember seeing signs about a cruise. How was it?

[LeslieandPaul]

I had a great long weekend! I went camping Thursday to Sunday which was a blast. Then Sunday night I went on a "date" with two of our friends-we saw Wedding Crashers and went out for appetizers. Then yesterday I had my bridal shower!

[al'sgirl]

Tara ... the boat started just north of Caledonia (south of Brantford, yep!), went to just above the dam in Caledonia, then towards Brantford. It was about a 3 hour trip. It was fun ... the weather was beautiful, and the river was calm. They served a roast beef dinner, yummy. Definitely enjoyable!!!

[mlfallis]

Well our long weekend was of course not long enough, I we took Tuesday off. We spend more of the time on the house and shopping. I did way to much. Just think less than 1 month till we get another one :D

[LeslieandPaul]

This weather is killing me. I just put ice in a bag between the bra part and shirt part of my excercise top. Its supposed to be 31 degrees today in Vancouver. The worse part is that my apartment gets so hot we've had the heat off since February! Ugh. Off to melt some more

[DianaFaye]

Hey Ladies :) Just wanted to pop in and say hi since Leslie mentioned this group existed in my canadian coupon thread. I live in the GTA with my FH and I'm hoping the weather stays this nice for my upcoming wedding day!

[ez2luv]

Just noticed this thread...nice to meet you all.
I'm in Alberta, anyone else?? :D

I'm 26 and DH is 27 - married since Sept 29, 2001.
We have one DD, Isabelle, and she was born on Sept 18, 2004 - almost 1!!!
My husband is a consultant and currently I am on maternity leave, but *supposed* to go back on Sept 1st, but am having the hardest time trying to find childcare for shift work (I work with disabled adults)

There's a canadian coupon thread??!!??...I'm off to search...later! :D

[al'sgirl]

Welcome Diana and ez2luv!

Diana ... another GTA girl! :) Hope the weather stays nice for your special day too.

ez2luv ... hope you are able to find someone to take care of your little one soon.

hmmm I should look for that coupon thread too!

[LeslieandPaul]

al'sgirl-I just realized your name is Andrea. We know a couple here named Al and Andrea!

[LeslieandPaul]

I don't know if anyone else in BC went and fought the crowds, but the Snowbirds (Canadian Armed Forces planes) were performing at White Rock Beach on Tuesday. We only saw them do one fly by but i got a pretty cool picture after they'd gone over head.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid181/p390ce416a6129f4d0ad37d238173fb22/f2e14366.jpg
Just wanted to share!

[scorpioanne]

I just thought I'd drop in and say hi, we have been in the thick of renos to our kitchen and have been working like dogs (and last week it was soooo hot here). I haven't had much time to do anything else, much less rest on my holidays and I have to go back to work on Monday and I am more tired than I was! :(

[al'sgirl]

ooo I love the SnowBirds! Cool pic Leslie! btw .. there's another Al and Andrea couple? That's scary to be more of us (teeheehee) :D

Anne ... why does it always seem that we need a vacation to recover from our holidays? Hope your kitchen will be completed soon!

[LeslieandPaul]

btw .. there's another Al and Andrea couple? That's scary to be more of us (teeheehee) :D

:p

Okay, what is with this weather? The other day it was cloudy, and then would clear up. Today I feel like I'm going to die from the heat-I'm actually sitting around the house in a bra. Ugh!!!

Oooh, I went to the Aquarium the other day b.c Paul's cousin is in town from Montreal-we had so much fun. It's awesome being a tourist in your own city!! We haven't been in so long.
So, now I have a QOTD:
What touristy thing in your city do you want to do?

[guinevere]

LeslieandPaul, I've done that too!

We've been having humid weather this summer, but the past few days haven't been too bad. We do have air conditioning, but are trying to limit the use of it. The local news constantly reports that people running A/Cs all the time are in for a nasty bill!

Oh almost forgot to answer the question. We have those old "pioneer houses" type things that I want to go through again. I went through them as a child but I didn't take anything in back then. There is also a museum or two I'd like to see and maybe an art gallery.

[scorpioanne]

It is absolutely freezing here! I have had to wear sweaters and am too cold in shorts! It went down to +2 the other night and they were saying we could have a frost or worse yet, snow!

[JillianS]

yup scorpio, i'll second that brrrrrrr! it feels like the end of september/beginning of october all of a sudden...don't know where this came from.

anyone else think it's kinda funny (perspectively speaking) that the americans on this site are complaining so much about their gas prices? They're up to $2.45 a gallon down there and they're howling. If we ever got down to that (which translates to about 65 cents/litre), we'd be dancing in the streets and throwing parties and buying gas like there was no tomorrow. so funny....i know to them it's a huge jump, but still...

[LeslieandPaul]

anyone else think it's kinda funny (perspectively speaking) that the americans on this site are complaining so much about their gas prices? They're up to $2.45 a gallon down there and they're howling. If we ever got down to that (which translates to about 65 cents/litre), we'd be dancing in the streets and throwing parties and buying gas like there was no tomorrow. so funny....i know to them it's a huge jump, but still...

I find it so strange that they think that's outrageous. I posted on there about our $1.10/L and $1.13/L(luckily that was shortlived) and how that's about $6US/gallon and no one seems to think that's too expensive! 65 cents for them! If it was 89.9 here I would be ecstatic!!!

I can't believe it's so cold in Saskatchewan! Makes me glad to live on the West coast! Maybe it will warm up for you guys a little bit.

[Angelfish]

Hi everyone,

It's great to find other Canadians. I am from Nova Scotia and I attend school in Halifax. I have been married since November 2001. As for touristy things, there is not much in my town, but I wouldn't mind taking a boat cruise in the Halifax harbour. The Harbour Hopper looks interesting (it's an amphibious bus). But there are lots of things to do in Nova Scotia.

[scorpioanne]

QOTD:
What touristy thing in your city do you want to do?

Well, we are having the Canada games right now and there is lots of entertainment at night so I might want to do that if there is a good band. I also haven't been the the sunset ceremonies at the RCMP depot since I was a kid and with this being Saskatchewan's centenerary I think they are having extra stuff. I also haven't been to the RCMP museum in years or on a tour so that would be fun. My in-laws just had family from England here so they did all that stuff and got me thinking I should do that as well. I also would like to do some of the stuff in Moose Jaw, like the tunnel tours and the mineral spa as I haven't been there. It's hard, real life gets in the way doesn't it?

Today my son came with DH and I to a free concert in the parking lot of Future Shop, a local band opened, then the Northern Pikes and Wide Mouth Mason. We had a great time and didn't freeze to death as the sun was quite warm.

[lil_geek]

QOTD:
What touristy thing in your city do you want to do?

Hmmm, Guelph? Not really anything 'touristy'. We sometimes head to St. Jacobs (http://www.stjacobs.com/), it's a small town with a large mennonite population. They have the BEST farmers market!

In Toronto... I haven't done the CN Tower (http://www.cntower.ca/portal/) in ages! Or an old favorite is Casa Loma

[DianaFaye]

It is absolutely freezing here! I have had to wear sweaters and am too cold in shorts! It went down to +2 the other night and they were saying we could have a frost or worse yet, snow!

Snow in August?! OMG... I feel for you!

It's sunny and warm here but maybe the smog has something to do with it. Heh.

[Kates]

Angelfish, DH, DS and I were just in Halifax. We were also there on our honeymoon two years ago. We love Halifax, on our honeymoon we visited the Maritime Museum, the Alexander Keith's Brewery, and took a tour of one of the ships. This visit because of DS we did a lot less, we went to the Citadel one day and looked around the public gardens another day. Have you been to the Maritime Museum? Their exhibit on the Titanic was really good. I don't think in two visits we've ever had a bad meal in Halifax.

scorpioanne, The Northern Pikes AND Wide Mouth Mason, how lucky are you? :D I loved both of those bands growing up. We recently had Honeymoon Suite play in our city (a suburb of Ottawa) and they drew a huge crowd.

There are so many touristy things to do in Ottawa. The Parliament Buildings are really nice, they have a sound and light show there every night, and the Changing of the Guard on the lawn of center block every morning in the summer. The new Canadian War Museum just opened a few months ago and it's supposed to be very impressive. There's also the National Art Gallery, which has some well know art exhibits. During the summer, the market, right downtown, is just packed with people walking around and there are a lot of nice restaurants. In the winter when the Rideau Canal gets frozen over, it's the world's longest skating rink. We also have the Ottawa Senators :)

[scorpioanne]

We haven't gotten below zero here yet but have been close, the leaves are falling of a few trees and I noticed that a few leaves on my virginia creeper arbour are turning red. The days are getting dark earlier and it is starting to feel fallish.

I just read what I wrote and thought..."how Canadian is that? Talking about the weather" :D

So, any plans for labour day weekend?

Kates, the bands were great and it was so nice to have that time with my son again now that he is back in Regina.

[al'sgirl]

QOTD: What touristy thing in your city do you want to do?

There are some interesting touristy things in Hamilton that I've done when my family comes to visit that I would love to go back and visit.
The Dundurn Castle http://www.city.hamilton.on.ca/culture-and-rec/MUSEUMS/images/dundurn_sm.jpg
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum ... which has one of the last working Avro Landcaster Bombers from WWII
The Royal Botanical Gardens ... beautiful gardens and trails
The HMS Haida http://www.hmcshaida.ca/almost_there_030830_feathered.jpg

We also walk and hike on this section of the Bruce Trail at least once a month.

[mlfallis]

This weekend was our engagement party and after my mom spotted this funnel cloud over lake Erie and I thought I would share.


http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d603b3127cce93cf6d79e13900000016108AYsXDFmzZOK

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d603b3127cce93cf6d62601200000016108AYsXDFmzZOK

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d603b3127cce93cf6d61e12100000016108AYsXDFmzZOK

Kinda cool, but scary after this weather we have been having.

[lil_geek]

Melissa... that is a CRAZY picture!!! The weather here on Friday was insane, eh? We saw some serious flodding on our way into Brampton on Friday night, and on Sunday comming home there was still a few roads with water over them!

[T&M'sMommy]

WOW, that would freak me right out. Awesome pics!

[scorpioanne]

You were awfully brave to get those pics out there in the midst of it all. Notice how the sky is still blue? I would have expected it to be all dark and stormy looking.

[LeslieandPaul]

Okay, random stuff here.
Vancouver fall/winter may have started today. It's raining. I wonder if I'll ever see the sun again :p So dramatic. If it snows, it will get sunny then and melt all the snow immediately. Ah, Vancouver, gotta love it. At least we don't have funnel clouds-those are so freaky!
Anywho, enough weather. Now as a true Vancouverite I shall complain about traffic. Friday, the highway was shut down-kinda inconvienent since we were actually going to Vancouver that day. And school starts next week, and there's an absurd amount of construction going on (YAH, Olympics!) so traffic will be a pain in the @$$. It will be so much fun :D

Okee, now onto more interesting stuff.
I got to be a tourist in my own city again! Last week we stayed downtown for 2 nights (mini honeymoon) and we walked everywhere. Went to Gastown-so pretty, and Canada Place (at night so it was quiet) and went shopping on Robson. It was so great!

[al'sgirl]

First ... congrats on being a mrs, Leslie!!

Gastown is indeed pretty. Isn't it fun to play tourist at home?

No! Not fall/winter already! It isn't allowed!!!! DH and I are leaving in 1.5 weeks to visit the west coast and I don't want it to rain on our holiday :( (and on you too ... not nice!)

DH lived in the Vancouver area for about 2 years ... and he *still complains about Vancouver traffic. With the 1 highway shut down, traffic would be a nightmare!

[ez2luv]

I went to Van a couple years ago, I loved it there. Gastown, Canada Place - all was awesome.
I have a cousin who works there who works on movie sets - so we went to visit him.
We'd love to go back soon.

(Actually it was the first time I seen the ocean! LOL)

:D

[LeslieandPaul]

No! Not fall/winter already! It isn't allowed!!!! DH and I are leaving in 1.5 weeks to visit the west coast and I don't want it to rain on our holiday :( (and on you too ... not nice!)

DH lived in the Vancouver area for about 2 years ... and he *still complains about Vancouver traffic. With the 1 highway shut down, traffic would be a nightmare!

Okay, it won't rain! :p
It wasn't even the number 1 that was shut down-it's bad enough without being shut down. It was the 99-(runs between Vancouver and the border) there was a jack-knifed semi and a motorcycle accident with a fatality. Then on Saturday afternoon we were driving on a highway 1 overpass and the bridge traffic was backed up SOOOOOOO far-worse than rush hour!
Where in Vancouver did you guys live?

[Angelfish]

I can't do the conversion to discuss gas prices with Americans. What are you currently paying for gas?

Yesterday, the prices in Halifax went up to 1.19/L, but Ultramar remained at 1.10. Since I usually go to Ultramar, this did not bother me, but when I arrived at my favourite station, I found that they had run out of gas (and the Irving across the street raised its price to 1.28!) so I had to turn around and wait in line at the smaller Ultramar down the street.

I was supposed to go back to Halifax today (a 100 km drive, each way), but I cancelled my appointment because I don't feel like paying even more today (I haven't been out, but I suspect Ultramar has raised its price by now too).

[lil_geek]

This morning in Guelph (about an hour outside of T.O) gas was 126.6/L

1 Gallon = 3.785L

3.785* $1.266 = $4.79 CAD/Gallon

Exchange courtesy of RBC.com.... $4.79 CAD = $4.10 USD/Gallon

We managed to get out of going to the farm this weekend... but I want to go to the cottage... but part of me just doesn't want to drive anywhere!! I wonder what gas will be tomorrow with it being Friday of the long weekend?

[mlfallis]

This morning in Stratford it was $1.169 at the gas station on my way into work. Around the 400 series highway it is closer to $1.30. I am just waiting for the cost of food and clothing to go up because of shipping cost.

I agree with you guys about not wanting to travel. Scott and I are trying to carpool and save paying the gas in the truck, plus we aren't going to go anywhere that we don't need to. Thankfully the grocery store and other stores I normally go to are on my way home, which saves a special trip.

[al'sgirl]

On my way to work in Hamilton I saw $1.34/litre. Mind you that was a full-service station, but *still! There were people lined up for gas there.

Out on errands this morning, I saw a more reasonable (ha!) $1.14.

Thankfully, DH and I work at the same company and can carpool together. We've put the 4runner in the garage for a cheaper gas day. :(

[LeslieandPaul]

Wow, and I thought gas was expensive here in B.C.-it hasn't gone over 1.13 yet. But it's sad when you think 1.049 or 1.019 are good deals!!

[faerycloud]

Hi Ladies, i used ot be Canadian, can i still join in ;)

I moved to Florida 8 years ago and got my american citizenship so that i could sponsor my mom so she could stay down here!!!
But i am still a Canadian in my mind.

I haven't read much except for the first couple pages.
And gas prices, i'll be back i got to work a bit ;)

[JillianS]

Gas prices here in S'toon:

1.11 this morning

1.18 this afternoon

rumoured to be 1.22 by tonight/tomorrow am.

jeepers...

The funny thing is, they can't even "blame" it on Katrina, as we don't import any of our oil, we get it all from our own country...just another "excuse" for them to raise those prices. yay for them.

[ez2luv]

I thought our was bad...98.9/L (I'm in Alberta)

But, in just a few years look how much it's gone up!!!

Wish I still ahd my little car, now I have an SUV and boy, do I notice the $ I go through!!!

:(

[LeslieandPaul]

I thought our was bad...98.9/L (I'm in Alberta)

But, in just a few years look how much it's gone up!!!

Wish I still ahd my little car, now I have an SUV and boy, do I notice the $ I go through!!!

:(

You have cheap gas AND your province has a $7 billion surplus!! NOT FAIR :D

Gas hit 114.8 today!!! DH wanted to insurance his Jeep for a week but I convinced him not to due to 2 factors: 1) it costs more for a week than it did for a month!!! 2) it takes a lot more gas than my little VW golf!
He wanted to have his Jeep so I had something to drive, but I took the bus instead-it was worth the savings (especially when I passed the gas stations and saw how much gas cost).

[lil_geek]

I think I can top it all (again!)

$1.34!!!

Okay, having a slow and steady rise in prices I can handle... it's the fact that it went up 34cents in the last 2 days! WTF!?!?

[LeslieandPaul]

I think I can top it all (again!)

$1.34!!!

Okay, having a slow and steady rise in prices I can handle... it's the fact that it went up 34cents in the last 2 days! WTF!?!?

In 2 days??!!! How can they possibly justify that??

[lil_geek]

That is what I totally don't get! How can it go from $1.06 in the moring to $1.34 in the afternoon... when the price per barell DROPS!

Ugh.

[T&M'sMommy]

My little gas station was 129.9 today. Its sad when 10.00 gas only gets me 1/4 of a tank.

[LeslieandPaul]

We bought a new car on Friday-a VW diesel!! Diesel is only 102.9-105.9 AND it goes further! Between going I drove 50 km yesterday and the gas gauge moved about a millimeter. Our car insurance is also less and the car is a year newer and a model up from our last one (we had a 97 golf, this is a 98 jetta)

[Angelfish]

It's $1.389 here now. I have cancelled my trip to Halifax for this week as well, but I'll have to go twice next week.

I'm glad you got a new car, Leslie. My Subaru turbo station wagon is quite a gas guzzler... and it only takes Supreme.

[ez2luv]

Just as I posted it, it went up.

Went from 98.9 - 114.9 overnight!!!??

45.00 to fill, doesn't last long....they should really up minimun wage, i can't image anyone survivng unless they have a high paying job...this is getting rediculous!!

:mad:

[JillianS]

I think we're still 118.9....but then again I don't recall looking today....

crappers when my little student car-escort costs 47$ to fill....


PS- totally un-gas related, but does anyone know if there's TiVo (or a related service/product) in Canada? Anyone have any experience with it??

[lil_geek]

PS- totally un-gas related, but does anyone know if there's TiVo (or a related service/product) in Canada? Anyone have any experience with it??

Doesn't rogers have some PVR thing with their digital? A personal recorder or something that sounds suspiciously like TiVo....

Rogers PVR (http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/ptv/control/pvr.asp?shopperID=Q6PNNHQ2FX2D9GXK054V1DK4063C2GSB )

[red_canuck]

Jut found you guys! Boys, i guess i haven't ventured far enough into these boards :p

ugh, gas prices are killing us. DH drives over 1000km a WEEK for work, and his reimbursement seems like a drop in the bucket nowadays. I HATE this, i feel like I am being taken advantage of, and there's nothing I can do about it. I live in the same town as lil'geek, so my gas prices are already posted. bugger gas companies :p


As for the Tivo, Rogers PVR is ok, we have it. kinda fun, but expensive. :rolleyes: Sucky trade off - can't go anywhere due to gas prices, but get bored at home without paying tonnes of money for cable!

[LeslieandPaul]

As for the Tivo, Rogers PVR is ok, we have it. kinda fun, but expensive. :rolleyes: Sucky trade off - can't go anywhere due to gas prices, but get bored at home without paying tonnes of money for cable!

So true!! We just can't win!

[Sare79]

I was so excited last night- I needed to fill up the car, the signs said 1.16 and my pump was 1.039 - minus the 3.5 cents that everyone does around here, and when I went to pay, the cashier said I was lucky because it was a mistake. They were lowering it to 1.139, and I caught it at the exact second!

[bubbles]

Hi!
Great to see so many Canadians.
I'm living in greater Los Angeles, but originally from Ottawa. I've been married for almost 3 years, and I practice law.

Oh I soooo... miss the Tim Horton's Coffee! Good to find this thread.

Okay, back to gas prices....

[ez2luv]

Mmmmmm, Timmy's....our pride and joy!!!!

:D

[JillianS]

Yeah. Tim Hortons..the sellouts. I just saw a commercial for Tim Horton's on an American channel...and, come to think of it, I remember seeing a "coming soon" type sign somewhere in the US awhile back....

Someone also once told me that Tim Horton's is actually an American-owned company...it just has a "canadian name" to make us buy into the whole "canadian company thing"...anyone know anything about this?

[LeslieandPaul]

Yeah. Tim Hortons..the sellouts. I just saw a commercial for Tim Horton's on an American channel...and, come to think of it, I remember seeing a "coming soon" type sign somewhere in the US awhile back....

NOOOOOOOO!!! It's ours!!! They can't have it!! :p


Someone also once told me that Tim Horton's is actually an American-owned company...it just has a "canadian name" to make us buy into the whole "canadian company thing"...anyone know anything about this?

Sounds strange-I hope it's not true

[ez2luv]

I really hope not...is anything truely ours anymore??!!!

:mad:

[bubbles]

I wouldn't mind if they opened a tim's in LA. I'll be the first in line for a extra large coffee and some tim bits! No more starbucks and their $3 coffees for me!

[Angelfish]

Hmm... According to this, Tim Hortons merged with Wendy's in 1995 and Tim Hortons is now a division of the U.S.-based Wendy's chain. Does that make sense to anyone else?
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/wentworth/timhorto.htm

[LeslieandPaul]

Yeah, that means it's owned by an American company :(

[lil_geek]

As I'm sitting here drinking my XL DD.... that made me so sad! I just thought that Tims were expanding into the states.... :(

[Angelfish]

The corporate headquarters are in Ontario though.

[bubbles]

Is Tim Horton's our National Obsession or just mine?

I like Wendy's. The last time I lived in Canada they had the best dollar menu! The chili and dollar bacon cheese burgers were great. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Oh yeah, the cesear salad too.

Who plans on reading Brian Mulroney's new book? It's all over the news. I always disliked him...to put it mildly.

[LeslieandPaul]

Any other lower mainland feeling the effects of the bog fire yet? Up until today I didn't notice it (i live about 5-10 minutes east of the bog), but this morning I looked outside and the air is all hazy and smells gross (smoky and gassy).
For those of you who don't know, just south of Vancouver there's a 40 sq km bog (Burn's Bog-it's 10X the size of Stanley. Bogs have methane-rich peat that goes very deep in the ground. The bog has caught on fire before and burned for weeks.

bubbles-yesterday I heard that Brian Mulroney has a book coming out, but don't know what exactly it's about. I don't really have an interest in reading it-a little before my time :p. Did you live here when Canadian Idol started? If not, Ben Mulroney, his son hosts it. I dislike him (so I'd probably dislike his dad :)).

[bubbles]

Wow..really? I never watched Canadian Idol.

I'm old. I'm almost 30 :)

[JillianS]

I can't STAND Ben Mulroney..he's such an idiot.

and sorry for bursting everyone's bubble about Tims.... :o

[vancouvergirl]

leslieandpaul,
yes, we are in vancouver and could not open our windows because of the smell of the fire although it's improved today. terrible news.

[LeslieandPaul]

leslieandpaul,
yes, we are in vancouver and could not open our windows because of the smell of the fire although it's improved today. terrible news.

It is much better now, no smoke in my area-but that smell! Ugh! They found an illegal dump site near where the fire started and think that may be a contributing factor.

bubbles-count yourself lucky you haven't seen Canadian Idol. I've only seen bits and pieces and it's pretty bad, IMO.

[al'sgirl]

I just returned from a vacation in the Seattle area. I was very amused about the coffee shop ratios there.

In Hamilton, there is a Tim Hortons on almost every corner, and a smattering of Starbucks stores.

In Seattle, there was a Starbucks on every corner and a few Tim Hortons scattered around.

:D

Tim Hortons was started in Hamilton, but did indeed merge with Wendy's. I think we can still claim Tim's as 'ours'!!!

[scorpioanne]

I just popped in to say hi, I have been swamped as I am teaching a university class this fall (on top of my regular job) and am spending all my computer time writing lectures.

[ez2luv]

So is this an Alberta thing or Canada-wide....

We're getting a $400 rebate per person as a sorry for gas hikes.....
Hey, it seems even my 1 year old daughter will get one too. Ya!

:D

[mlfallis]

I would really like that, where did you hear that?????

[lil_geek]

Hmmm, definatly haven't heard about that.

There is an article on CP24 about a gas rebate, but it seems to be for heating of homes and 'those in need' so not sure what it would end up covering.

http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050917-007/page.asp

Even if we qualified for a rebate based on the household that would help a lot!

[LeslieandPaul]

So is this an Alberta thing or Canada-wide....

We're getting a $400 rebate per person as a sorry for gas hikes.....
Hey, it seems even my 1 year old daughter will get one too. Ya!

:D

I haven't heard anything about this. It's most likely an Alberta thing-you guys do have a $7 billion surplus!

[T&M'sMommy]

Its only an Alberta thing unfortunately.

Gas prices are rising here in Ontario. Hope you ladies filled up. Gas is 160.1 around the corner!!

[lil_geek]

1.60?!?! :eek:

You must live in the Chatam area! (I saw on the news that most of T.O was around 104.9, but Chatam hit 179.9!! WTF??)

Luckily I filled up last week... and have such a short drive to work that my tank lasts a month! Now, FH on the other hand has over an hour drive each way.

[T&M'sMommy]

I am a few hours away from Chatham. However there is a town within 15 mins of me that had gas at 160.1(the news was lying last night) and I know some places within London that had gas that high.

[lil_geek]

mlfallis How's gas there? I heard on the radio that gas was over $2 there!!

[mlfallis]

Actually the gas here is only $1.05. I heard London was the same. I was actually informed by Scott two days ago to fill up, since he is in the states he was hearing more about how the price was going to raise.

Normally my tank would last a while but I have to go to TO this weekend, it sould be interesting to see what the prices are after Rita hits :rolleyes:

[mlfallis]

Ok i need to add another reply as we just got word for a co-workers husband that gas is.



$2.25 in London


ahhhhhhhhhhh

[scorpioanne]

Yesterday here it was 103.9 I believe. We are very lucky!

[ez2luv]

Ya, it's just an Alberta thing, sorry.

It'll be nice, but with about 3 million people, at $400 per person - that's a lot of $$$$$$.

I'd give up my share if they'd take that whackload for education, healthcare etc....

Alot of people are really mad at their decision......

[Angelfish]

So is this an Alberta thing or Canada-wide....

We're getting a $400 rebate per person as a sorry for gas hikes.....
Hey, it seems even my 1 year old daughter will get one too. Ya!

We're getting some kind of rebate in Nova Scotia. I'm not sure how much or who is eligible though. It's supposed to help low income families, so it will probably be based on income.

There was a rumour today about the price of gas increasing to 1.79 or 2.00+/L (based on reports from Ontario), but it turned out to be a false alarm. The line-ups for gas were crazy today as a result.

[DianaFaye]

We filled up for 1.03 today! The gas stations were crazy busy though!

[LeslieandPaul]

Gas has been sitting around 109.9 here-sometimes going up, but never down. I have a diesel though, so I don't really pay attention. I've used almost 3/4 of a tank and gone 530 km. I don't know if I remember how to fill up :p Unfortunately diesel was 115.9 when I filled up.

[duke's flygirl]

Hello all! I just found this thread!

It is great to see so many Canadians on here!

I'm originally from Burlington, ON, but spent 2 years in Victoria, BC, 2 Years in Kingston, ON, and a year in Winnipeg, MB, and have been in the Halifax Area in NS for the past 7 years. I'm in the CF, so I had to move for training.

My DH and I are both in the CF, him the Navy, and me the Air Force. I'm a Sea King Navigator, currently on my maternity leave, and not looking forward to returning on November 1st.

Ryleigh, will be 1 on the 4th of November, and we have 3 furbabies, Tigger and Razz who are 6 years old, and litter-mates, and Bruin who is 4 months old and Ryleigh's playmate.

I look forward to follwing along with fellow Canadians!

Joelle

[Sare79]

I just returned from a vacation in the Seattle area. I was very amused about the coffee shop ratios there.

In Hamilton, there is a Tim Hortons on almost every corner, and a smattering of Starbucks stores.

In Seattle, there was a Starbucks on every corner and a few Tim Hortons scattered around.

:D

Tim Hortons was started in Hamilton, but did indeed merge with Wendy's. I think we can still claim Tim's as 'ours'!!!

Starbucks overpopulation has migrated north of Seattle a couple of hours! ;)
In Vancouver, you can't go a few blocks without a Starbucks, in the downtown core they average one a block. The further into the burbs the Tim Hortons take over, but the closer to the city you are, there are a lot of them! You begin to take them for granted.
In my current job, I work at different offices around Vancouver and I get upset when I can't find a Starbucks- not because I like coffee, but it's a measure of how secluded the area is.

[LeslieandPaul]

Starbucks overpopulation has migrated north of Seattle a couple of hours! ;)
In Vancouver, you can't go a few blocks without a Starbucks, in the downtown core they average one a block.

And then there's the corner of Starbucks and Starbucks, AKA Robson and Thurlow! Two starbucks on opposite street corners-and they're both ALWAYS busy!

[LeslieandPaul]

I just found out that my cousin is really good friends with Will Exner, the guy who went missing in Vancouver on Friday night. They're from the same town in the B.C. interior. They called off the search yesterday, but they're still hopeful. "We just need to find him, for better or worse" is what my cousin told me. I wasn't really following the story, but now I think I will, since there's a small amount of personal involvement.

William Exner (http://www.williamexner.com)

[L'il Bit]

Hi there!
I am also from BC, thought I would join in this group.

Hey, has anyone heard that maternity leave has been extended for 2 years? I can't seem to find any info on it.

[mlfallis]

Welcome.

Mat leave for 2 years would be great. I will have to go and search.

[mlfallis]

Found this. Mat leave has to do with what province you live in

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hr=/en/lp/spila/clli/eslc/06Rate_of_Maternity_Parental_and_Adoptoin_Leave.sh tml&hs=lzl

[LeslieandPaul]

Hi there!
I am also from BC, thought I would join in this group.

Hey, has anyone heard that maternity leave has been extended for 2 years? I can't seem to find any info on it.

That would be cool, but I don't know if they would do that b.c EI will only pay out for a max of 1 year, but our government likes to keep us guessing!

[L'il Bit]

Yeah, I didn't think it was very realistic, especially in this province, LOL.
Just wanted to post this too:
We're being gouged at the pump
September 29, 2005 - 10:39 am
By: Jim Goddard

A study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says we're paying an unjustifiable price for gasoline. The Consumers Association has done some number crunching and agrees with that report. A $1 US increase in the price of crude should cost you no more than 0.8 of a cent a litre more, according to the study. The resulting price, about 95 cents a litre, not what you see at your local gas station right now. Bruce Cran from the Consumers Association says he was just at a Commons hearing on gas prices and he asked the oil companies some tough questions that they didn't seem to have much of an answer for. Cran says keep phoning and emailing your MP about gas prices, because the government keeps claiming it hasn't received any complaints.

[LeslieandPaul]

They found my cousin's friend. His body was found under the Granville Street bridge this afternoon.

[Angelfish]

That's too bad. :( Well, it's good that they found him.

[L'il Bit]

I had a feeling that's where they were going to find him. :( It seems to out of character, I wonder what happened? His girlfriend must be just beside herself.

[LeslieandPaul]

According to all the news reports, he and his girlfriend were engaged, and that he had job interviews on the Monday-and had outfits picked out already. So I have a feeling he didn't jump. The autopsy is being performed ASAP apparently so hopefully his family and friends have answers too. I sent my cousin a condolence e-mail and hope to hear from him soon (or hear that he calls my mom on Sunday when she's home).

[guinevere]

LeslieandPaul, that's awful...

I tried clicking the link about the story but it didn't work.

[LeslieandPaul]

LeslieandPaul, that's awful...

I tried clicking the link about the story but it didn't work.

It looks like they took the site down. Friday afternoon all they had was the press releases, now nothing. If you go to google you can search web or news for William Exner and they have a few stories.

[ez2luv]

So sorry to hear.........:(

[Kates]

Couldn't find the Canadian coupon thread:
2 for 1 at Cineplex Odeon (www.startsampling.com/sm/cineplex/images/coupon_en.jpg)

[LeslieandPaul]

Thanks Kates, that's awesome!

[Sunshine]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, I am Just finding this thread now?!?!?LOL!
I am born and raised in Alberta and DH was born in BC and lived in Ontario, Alberta and BC, and we currently live in Alberta!

Hmmmmmm, and I just checked the maternity leave link and for some reason Alberta get 2 less weeks than the lowest province?!?!? WHY?????????
and.....My brain just isnt working for me today.....Engligh please?
(4) The Alberta legislation stipulates that there is no requirement to grant parental leave to more than one parent at a time if both parents of a child work for the same employer.

TTYAS:D Home time!

[LeslieandPaul]

I'm watching the 6 o'clock news and all they've talked about so far is hockey. Some hockey store had $5000 in jersey sales last year, compared to $400 000 the year before!!! And the Shark Club, across from GM Place had $1.1 million less in sales! I couldn't believe it! That's just one restaurant. And apparently the birth rate went up during the NHL lockout because husband's were "more amourous."

[L'il Bit]

And apparently the birth rate went up during the NHL lockout because husband's were "more amourous."
That explains a lot! I was wondering why I was meeting so many pregnant women (me being one of them!). He he he :p

[ez2luv]

Hey Sunshine, where are you in Alberta???

:D

[LeslieandPaul]

GO CANUCKS!!! How exciting! They won! I'm a happy girl (and I don't even like hockey!)

[Sunshine]

Hey Sunshine, where are you in Alberta???

:D

Southern AB.....You?

[ez2luv]

Red Deer....just wondering - it seems like there's never anyone on here anywhere near me....nice to meet you!!!

[Sunshine]

Nice to meet you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

SO, how was everyone's Thanksgiving?
DH and I were sick the entire long weekend so we missed the whole turkey celebration :( We will cook one this weekend coming up so we at least get some turkey eats! I LOVE Turkey:) .....and stuffing, and mashed potatoes, and gravy.......:p

[al'sgirl]

Mmmm turkey. We had thanksgiving dinner at my brothers with my family on Sunday, and then at DH's parents with his family yesterday. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of food!
I can never get enough of turkey and all the fixings!

[LeslieandPaul]

I just heard on the news that the Vancouver Aquarium is getting 2 new dolphins!! How exciting!
Canucks won their game last night!!

[mlfallis]

Wow that is so cool and exciting!! Maybe we will have to make a trip out there soon rather than later.

[LeslieandPaul]

Wow that is so cool and exciting!! Maybe we will have to make a trip out there soon rather than later.

You definitely should!!! The West Coast is awesome! (I am a little biased though :p)

[mlfallis]

Ok Canadian Brides I have a question for you, where did you get your bustier to go under your wedding dress???

[lil_geek]

Good Question!!

Can I add to it? Anyone ever seen/tried on a Ls Mystier bustier? On the WC they were THE bustier to wear under your dress... not sure if they are available in Canada and if it would be worth looking into getting one shipped.

[LeslieandPaul]

I didn't wear a bustier (didn't work for my dress), but I would have gotten one at La Vie En Rose if I did.
As for Le Mystere, they have a store locator on their websitehttp://www.lemystere.com/store_locator.php?country_id=11111111111112&state_id=11175409759312

[lil_geek]

Thanks LeslieandPaul! Everytime I tried to search I could only find retailers sites that carry them, not the actual manufacturer!

[mlfallis]

Yes thank you. I am now going to look on my lunch hour tomorrow. Hopefully they will have something that works. I really want something to try on with my dress when we go BM shopping in a month.

[lil_geek]

Hey ladies!

This morning I realized I NEED new clothes!! And I have no time/effort/desire to shop... so I want to order online. I found a few things I liked from the sears catalogue.... but was wondering....

What online stores ship to Canada (and are worth it!!)??

Share with me your experinces, good and bad!

Good: I bought a pair of boots at American Eagle. They came out to be cheaper then anything I could find here and exactly what I wanted.

Bad: They cost $25 american, but the time I did currency conversion, taxes, duty, shipping etc. I paid $75 Canadian!! Thank goodness they fit!

[mlfallis]

The main US based store that I buy from is Lansend. I have also gotten stuff from Victoria Secret. I think it is worth it, but I really try to make sure I read all the measureing stuff first, since I do not want to pay to send it back. I do most of my online shopping through either the airmiles website or kidsfutures so that I get rewards, which helps justify the exchange rate and stuff.

Also most of them have a free or reduced shipping rate to Canada. YOu could also see if the shipping codes in the freebie thread work to canada.

[Sunshine]

What online stores ship to Canada (and are worth it!!)??
The only places online I have purchased from is Sears.ca , ebay.com or .ca and victoriasecret.com. (Mind you this was YEARS ago for Victoria Secret.....)
I have good words for all 3 :D

[anniebananie]

Hi Ladies,
I thought I would join in the Canadian thread since FH and I are currently living in Calgary. I'm originally from Saskatchewan and FH is from Calgary.

As for online stores to order from, I'm not sure if any of you are planning a wedding, but http://www.netbride.com/ (http://www.netbride.com) is a great resource for cheaper bridesmaid and wedding dresses. There is duty and shipping but the shipping is $35 for the whole order and duty isn't too bad. It's worth checking it out since you can save over $100 a dress compared to some stores.

edited to fix link

[T&M'sMommy]

Hey ladies. Don't get on here much anymore. If anyone of you are from KW area-London area and you want to attend a Fantasia party, you can PM me or e-mail me. I'm having one at the end of October :-)

Hope all is well. Sun is shining just a bit here and it hasn't started to rain yet!!

[Sunshine]

Well, nothing like starting off the week on a Wednesday!
I AM STILL fighting off the ear/sinus/lung infection and it isnt fun :( I woke up today feeling alot better ear and sinus wise but I can still feel it in my lungs.
So yah, wish I only had to work 3 days a week everyweek....I REALLY didnt want to go to work this morning.....:p

TODAY, 2 years ago, DH proposed to me!!!!! Do any of you do something special for this, or is it just the year anniversaries now?
I Still wish DH a happy 22nd, which was the day we started dating, altho I am not buying him cards for it anymore, just the wedding day month:p I am Obsessed with cards!

[al'sgirl]

Sunshine ... hope you are feeling better soon!

Happy 2nd proposal anniversary! :)

My DH and I haven't celebrated our proposal anniversary. Actually, I think that the day came and went before we realized it. When we were dating, we celebrated our dating anniversary, but not since. I think my DH believes that the wedding superceded all other anniversary obligations :D

We do celebrate our wedding and half-year wedding anniversary though.

[LeslieandPaul]

Tomorrow is 2 years since we started dating, and 2 months since our wedding!! We won't be celebrating our dating anniversary anymore, and we didn't celebrate the anniversary of our engagement.
T&M'sMommy-you're lucky it hasn't started raining yet. Out here on the Wet Coast it's been raining for quite some time. Every few days the sun will come out for a day and then it will start raining again.

[Sunshine]

al'sgirl First of all, THANKS! It just feel weird to NOT celebrate our dating anniversary b/c we have been together for 7.5 years, and then when we got engaged, just like you said, DH figured that erased all anniversaries we celebrated before, and now we have the wedding anniversaries.
It feels weird to say we have been married for 2.5 months instead of together for 7.5 years:p
And thanks for hoping I feel better soon, it's been like 3 weeks already:(

LeslieandPaul Early Congrats on 2 years of dating! WOW! When did Paul propose to you?
And ugh, rain, it has rained every night for the past week here....At least it hasnt snowed yet. Yikes! We were in B.C 2 months ago visiting the IL's! We love to visit there:D

[LeslieandPaul]

LeslieandPaul Early Congrats on 2 years of dating! WOW! When did Paul propose to you?
And ugh, rain, it has rained every night for the past week here....At least it hasnt snowed yet. Yikes! We were in B.C 2 months ago visiting the IL's! We love to visit there:D

He proposed June 22, 2004.
The weather here is disgusting. It's so grey and dismal and cold.

[Angelfish]

For anyone who is interested, I just started a thread on Degrassi:
http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=9418

[Clubqueen]

I try to avoid buying anything on U.S. based websites. It turns out to be quite expensive once duties, tax, conversion, etc. is all taken into account.
I once saw a really cute sweater on the Victoria's Secret website that was on sale for $25 U.S. However, once I did the conversion and everything else, the total came out to over $75 Canadian. So I cancelled it. I can find that sweater here for less than that so it wasn't worth it for me.

Thank goodness Sephora opened up shop here because I was SOOO close to ordering some stuff online! Now I don't have to :D

[Sunshine]

Anyone have them yet? Cant seem to log on to the lotto website.

[duke's flygirl]

05-11-20-30-37-43
Bonus : 31

Those are from the Atlantic site!

It was some Multi-Millionaire in Alberta. One stinking person won all$54,294,712. That just seems so wrong to me!

[Sunshine]

So he was already a millionaire?
The only thing I love about an Albertan winning is it RARELY goes to Western Canada!
I guess the Extra went in Alberta too..........why not me?????LOL!
I got 2 numbers.

[LeslieandPaul]

It was a group of people who work for an oil company. Jerks. :p

[Sunshine]

...At LEAST it went to more than 1 person:D

[L'il Bit]

Gas prices have come down a little bit where I live. Anyone else? It was 89.9 this morning, less the 3.5 cent discount. At Costco it was 85.9

Happy Halloween! :)

[Sunshine]

LUCKY YOU!!!!!
So crazy you have cheaper gas than us, when we were in BC the gas prices seemed alot higher than AB.
The lowest I saw on the way to work this morning was 90.4 including the 3.5 discount...so, uh, 93.9:p

[LeslieandPaul]

it's been hovering around 97.9, but as dropped as low as 94.9 (less 3.5). Diesel is still 115.9!!!! That makes me so angry (but at least a tank lasts 600-800 km!!)
Did everyone have a good Halloween?

[Sunshine]

OMG, Diesel is SO HIGH there! It is still lower than our gas, but WOW, that is ridiculous isnt it?

Halloween was great for me! We only had 50 trick or treaters, but we definately had a Lot of cute costumes!:D I have LOTS of leftover candy.....

[L'il Bit]

Oy! I didn't realize diesel was so expensive! Thank goodness for it going a long way though.
Halloween was fun, although we didn't get a lot of kids either. I thought we would get AT LEAST 100, we got about 65. Better than last year, though, we only had 15 kids.

I so thought it was my destiny to have a Halloween baby, thank goodness that didn't come true. Now I will have a November baby for sure! :)

[mlfallis]

Well I live in the country and got ZERO. We missed the 3 kids next door as they were heading into Stratford, we didn't get home until 6pm.

[LeslieandPaul]

I went to my parents to hand out candy, and I couldn't believe how few kids they got! We had one full bowl of candy (b.c my mom and sister ate the rest!) and we went through it, handing out about 2 candies per kid. I'd say we had about 40 kids tops.

[lil_geek]

We live in the 'burbs... we got about 70 kids. Down from last year when we got about 100.

My parents said they ran out of candy! They had enough for a little over 100.

When I was a kid, we lived across the street from appartment buildings, we used to get 200-250 easily! So I have a skewed idea of how many is 'normal'

[Jill1228]

Not a Canadian girl, but I am married to a Canadian guy (who is originally from Montreal). I work in Bellingham but spend a lot of time in Surrey. Mother in law lives off of 80th and 122nd. DH works in Richmond, BC

[LeslieandPaul]

Not a Canadian girl, but I am married to a Canadian guy (who is originally from Montreal). I work in Bellingham but spend a lot of time in Surrey. Mother in law lives off of 80th and 122nd. DH works in Richmond, BC

Welcome!!! You're close enough to Canadian! :)
That's very close to where I live!!! And my DH works in Richmond as well! It must be hard working in different countries! You must be a pro at crossing the border!

[Kates]

Just wondering if anyone gets Wish (http://www.wish.ca/Wish/Public/default.aspx) magazine? I currently get Real Simple but find the content too American (shopping-wise, the rest of the magazine is pretty good), and I just wondered if anyone has a subscription and enjoys it?

Kate

[L'il Bit]

I don't have a subscription, but I have read it. I don't mind it at all.
Have you seen Lou Lou magazine? I really like that one.

[Sare79]

Would any other ladies in the Vancouver area be interested in a get together?
Sarah (maplekitty) and I have a hard time getting together as it is, but I thought if anyone else was interested, we could try and meet for a Vancouver girls CC dinner!

I don't mind organizing it, if I can get some interest. :)

[Sunshine]

awe, sounds like fun:) If I lived closer I would So be there:)
Just wanted to post to let you know I am too far away:(

[LeslieandPaul]

Would any other ladies in the Vancouver area be interested in a get together?
Sarah (maplekitty) and I have a hard time getting together as it is, but I thought if anyone else was interested, we could try and meet for a Vancouver girls CC dinner!

I don't mind organizing it, if I can get some interest. :)

Sounds good!

[al'sgirl]

Sarah ... sounds like fun! But, alas I'm too far away as well :(

[Sare79]

Yay! 1 person on board! Thanks Leslie.

You mean Alberta and Ontario aren't close to Vancouver? :p

I once had a boyfriend from England here on a visa, and he had all these huge plans to see all of Canada in one week- Victoria to St. John's. He quickly learned after Greyhounding it to Calgary from Vancouver that is was impossible. Pretty funny when he called from Toronto to say he'd had enough and he was flying back here.

[LeslieandPaul]

Anyone else been watching the news? It looks like we'll be having an election soon. Woo-hoo :rolleyes:

[Lulu]

Hi, I am not from Canada - but I will be soon!!! So I wanted to come and say Hi and follow this thread so I can get to know some fellow Canadian Women.

[mlfallis]

Welcome Lulu. Where will you be living in Canada??

[ceaserbride]

Hi, I'm new to CC and I'm from Ontario Canada. "Rural" Ontario. Lol. About 2 hours North of Toronto.

[mlfallis]

Welcome Ceaserbride.

[Sunshine]

Welcome Lulu & ceaserbride!!!:D

[LeslieandPaul]

Welcome to the new Canadians!!!

[al'sgirl]

Lulu -- Welcome!

Ceaserbride -- good to see another Ontario representitive here! :)

[Sare79]

Hello to the new girls!

[Sunshine]

Does anyone have snow yet?

Looking at the extended forecast on theweathernetwork.com it says we wont get snow until the 30th.

[scorpioanne]

We had an ugly snowstorm last Monday that got even worse as it went towards Manitoba but it is absolutely gorgeous here today and the snow is almost all gone now...and it can stay away as far as I am concerned! :D

[LeslieandPaul]

None here on the west coast (it's too early here!), but it's super foggy and the temperature's dropped down to 5 during the day! (that's fairly cold here)

[Lulu]

Hi would like to thank all for the welcome!

To answer the question of where we are moving to: we are intially coming to Toronto - have family in Bellville - going to move around until we find a place that we love.

[Clubqueen]

We had a dusting of snow in Toronto late last week, but it disappeared pretty soon after that. Forecast calls for some flurries on Tuesday and Thursday here too. I hope they're wrong though. It's too early for snow :(

[lil_geek]

What was with the traffic from that snow in Toronto on Friday!! It was a dusting... and the 407 was at a CRAWL the entire way across the city!

Come on people... we live in Canada! You can't forget how to drive in snow every year!!

[Sunshine]

Still no snow here, we are still in the plus's! SO ABNORMAL for here.........
Wonder if one day people will flock to Canada to get away from the snow? LMAO! Every year the snow seems to push back more and more......
We barely had snow last year....

[LeslieandPaul]

Come on people... we live in Canada! You can't forget how to drive in snow every year!!

Here it's the rain. Whenever it rains ppl seem to lose their ability to drive! It's so frustrating!

[Sunshine]

The weather network has pushed our snow date back again....now it says Dec 2!

[L'il Bit]

It was -2 when I woke up this morning, how strange. The rain is definitley annoying, but at least it keeps our trees green. And there's snow on the mountains! Blackcomb opened on the 11th and Whistler opens on Thursday! Hopefully it's a good season this year... not that I ski at all (I used to snowboard when I was fearless and injure-free), but it will definitely bring more dollars into the BC economy! :)

[LeslieandPaul]

I believe Grouse mountain is now open, or opening this week (our friend works there and he's already working weekends, which he only does during ski season)

[Lulu]

I was giggling at the comments made by lil_geek and LeslieandPaul - regarding the driving in the snow - here in SA we have the same problem - the minute any bit of rain comes down drivers seem to drive either way to fast or crawl along like they are snails - nice to know when I move to Canada nothing much in that aspect would have changed - so looking forward to it:D

[MelodySoul]

I'm from Ottawa :)

[al'sgirl]

Welcome MelodySoul! I grew up in Arnprior, so I know Ottawa pretty well :)

It seems that some drivers forget how to drive with snow, for some unknown reason ... or they are afraid of the strange white stuff falling from the sky. The first couple of storms here are full of bad drivers.

[Lulu]

I am so looking forward to seeing snow fall - never seen it.

[mlfallis]

OK, we are getting our first real dumping this morning. Got to love those Alberta Clipers we get :rolleyes:

The worst part is I am one of only three people in my office. Boring day ahead.

[guinevere]

mlfallis, yeah not loving it... i'm definitely not a winter person.

So ladies how's the Christmas shopping coming along? I'm almost done! I'm usually one to leave it until the last minute but I didn't want to do that this year.

[mlfallis]

guinevere: Its not that I don't like snow. I just perferr it on weekends

[lil_geek]

Ohhh! I LOVE snow! Especially when it's too bad for Terry to drive to work. Unfortunatly I have a 5 minutes drive (whic took 15 this morning) so I am ALWAYS here! We got a few inches... but it was snowing really good on my way in.

Shopping... haven't started/thought about it! Oh, that's not true! I bought my sister something on thanksgiving that happened to be on sale. Thankfully Ter and I are sharing gifts this year... so WE will need to buy for his parents, mine and our sisters.... that's it!

[LeslieandPaul]

We don't have snow. Right now we have sunshine! (we had fog Saturday to Tuesday and yesterday is was sunny during the day and the fog rolled in when it got dark). But this is Vancouver, it'll be raining soon enough!