Our first video.......enjoy, it's funny.

Please pardon the fact that you hear what I'm saying quite a bit after you see my mouth move. Still ironing out the kinks.

All Skyped Up

Hi!!

Just wanted to let you know that we did get Skype set up. I should post the video Gary and I made as a trial run on our new webcam...it's hilarious. Anyway, even if you don't have a webcam, you can still use it because they have an instant messaging service, much like MSN or AIM. Our user name is erin.gary if you're interested.

www.skype.com

Merry Christmas!!

Click here for my version of a Christmas Card!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1288380015

'Tis the Season!

Hi!

So as usual, I'm a little bit behind on my posts, but I wanted to share a few pics from the past couple of weeks. First, we had our Co-Ex-Tec Happy Holidays party last weekend, and it was a great time! We had to be there at about 5 to help set up, and we closed the place down at around 1:30. There was lots of good food, good fun, and dancing done by all. The highlight of the night had to be when the DJ had three of the managers put on red pajamas and then they had to pick three ladies each (I got to be on the Assistant GM's team) and we had to stuff their pajamas with balloons! After they were stuffed to the limit, they each got to do a catwalk dance to "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. All of this in front of about 900 people! They were great sports.

Grace and me filling Steve's red suit

Don't they look studly? The "back corner crowd" AKA the ones that closed the place down! Me, Kristen, and Emma in our holiday best

Earlier this week, Gary had meetings for two days in Detroit and I had the first phase of my crown done (ugh), so we got to hang out with Ben and Theresa and our adorable twin nephews for a couple days. It is so hard to believe that they're going to be two in just a couple of months. They're running all over the place and starting to put words into sentences. Seeing their individual personalities come out is really fun, too. They are just too much fun! We've come to find out that traveling on highways 401 and 402 with any type of snowfall accumulation is really not fun at all! Semis drive slow and block all the lanes, and sometimes there are whiteouts, and those are scary! Let's just hope that all of our holiday travels to come will be safe trips!

Ethan playing peek-a-boo under his crib Growing up fast!

On Saturday night, Gary and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we live near a huge metropolitan area and have a date night downtown. We drove our car about ten minutes south to the closest subway station and took the subway the rest of the way downtown. We went to a really cool bar called The Loose Moose for dinner and a live band called Wheelhouse. They were really good! The bar atmosphere was cool too, it was decorated nicely and there were tons of people downtown because of Christmas parties and the Leafs game. At one point, we looked towards the front of the bar and the whole standing area was full of people in Santa hats!

The date night siteThe Santa hat invasion--too bad I didn't stand on a chair, there were tons of them!The CN Tower--all lit up for Christmas!

Gary and I waiting for our train at Union Station (yes, I got new hair!)

Lastly, Gary and I went out to do some shopping tonight and while we were out, we picked up a webcam. We thought it would be a good idea since it tends to get expensive to talk on the phone to everyone back in the States, and there is a free service on the web called Skype which hosts video messaging between its members. We're hoping that some of you will pick up a camera for 25-30 bucks and meet us online! Once I get everything set up, I'll give you more info. If I don't get time to post again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday break!

All of my cute boys-- in one blog post!

We were watching football tonight (Go Packers)--and it was what I considered to be a pretty exciting game. I was sitting in the chair, and things got pretty quiet. I turned around, and this is what I found:

Awww, isn't he so cute? He works so hard every day that he really is this tired by 9:30 on most nights. :)

Speaking of cute, we went home for Thanksgiving last week. Overall, it was a great trip--we got to see lots of people, including my adorable future nephew, Joel. He's getting so big already! Here he is with Uncle Gary, giving me one of his lady-killer looks.

And I even got to see my wonderful god-dog, the famous Frankie. I know most people probably can't believe that I have a god-dog, but that's what happens when you can't have your own dog. Here he is. He was so excited to see me that he kinda peed on me in three spots. But I haven't seen him for quite a while, and he missed me sooooo much, so it wasn't his fault. I still love him. I mean, seriously, how can you resist that cute face and those big brown eyes?

Ok, I must go. I'm getting really excited because the Co-Ex-Tec annual Happy Holidays party is this Saturday. We're getting all dressed up and going out to the banquet hall for what should be a great time. I'm going to try and take my camera....but there's not really anywhere for me to keep it in a halter dress. I'll try to get some pics, though.

P.S.: It snowed yesterday. It snowed today. Boo Winter.

Home again, home again!

I'm all excited because Gary is on his way home from a six day hunting trip to the cabin. He didn't get a deer, but two of his friends did, so hopefully soon we'll have some deer jerky to show for it. Unfortunately, he didn't take my camera with him, so I don't have any pictures yet, but hopefully someone will send me some and I can post them. I guess the weather was good, it snowed a bit, but not enough to be annoying, and they saw a lot of deer. While he was off hunting and having a good time, I stayed up here and worked all week! It was a bit lonely at times, but I had enough things to do to keep me busy. I pulled off what I consider to be a pretty good surprise, but Gary's not home yet, so I'm not sure if he will like it or not. When my parents were up visiting, we went to IKEA and Gary saw this drafting table that he liked. He mentioned that he though it would look good in our room, and if he had it, he would have a place to draw because he wants to get back into it, since he's really good and he enjoys doing it. Well, while he was gone, I went to IKEA and got the table, got it into our room, and started to set it up. I had some issues getting the screws all the way in, so I had to borrow some power tools from a friend since I couldn't find ours, but I got everything all done yesterday, put a pretty bow on it, and hopefully he will be surprised when he gets home to see it today.

Here's my handywork:

My day yesterday was pretty fun. I wasn't really planning on doing much besides hanging out around the house and maybe watching some college football and working on the shawl I'm knitting at the moment. Instead, I got invited to go shopping with Emma (her husband works with us at Co-Ex-Tec and we went to their house for dinner last Saturday--they're from England) at Yorkdale Mall, which I'd never been to. She was looking for a Christmas party dress, but she didn't find anything. However, I found a new pair of jeans and a cute new dress. At night, her husband, Mat, had a gig with his band, Runs with Scissors, at a little pub about a half hour north of our house. He invited me to go, and since I love live bands, it was an easy decision to say yes. There were some other people from work there, too, including Kristen, who left about a month ago. It was nice to see her again. The band was great! Mat is the drummer, Louise is the singer, and Sarah is the bass player. They do lots of different stuff, but mostly songs from female artists like Jewel, Sarah Maclachlan, and the Dixie Chicks. They also write some of their own stuff, and Mat wrote a really cool song a few weeks ago when he was on business called "Gonna Come Home Soon." It was really neat to watch, because it was the first time that Emma had heard it, and since he wrote it for her, she got all teary eyed at the end. How cute! They did four sets, and I ended up being the only person that stayed for all of them, but it was totally fun. I'll be excited when they play again so that Gary can go with me! I'm such a groupie....here are some pictures!

Runs with Scissors

Mat in action I really love it here. It's nice to feel like I'm finally making some friends! All of you "staters" need to come and visit us after the winter is over! Until next time!

Busy as a Bee

Hello!

It's hard to believe it's been a month since I've posted on here! Our lives have become so busy now that we're finally starting to settle in up here. All of our stuff is slowly but surely getting put away, and it really feels like home here. I am settling into my job, getting more and more responsibility, and meeting everyone at work. I love my job--in face, I love it here! Here's why. In the past two or three months, I have meant people from so many different countries and cultural backgrounds. I've learned about so many different backgrounds. I've eaten so many different ethnic foods. This is exposure that I would not get anywhere else in the world. Everyone that works at our company is so nice and helpful to each other. I really feel accepted. The one thing I sort of regret is that we have responsibilities at home, and I feel like we haven't had as much time as I would like to explore the area. There are so many different things to do here! I don't know how long we're going to be here, and I want to experience as much as I can in the time we do have. I just hope that we get some visitors! It's a great place, unlike anywhere I've ever been. I feel like many of our friends and family think it's too far to travel. Yes, it can be a haul, but it's SO WORTH IT! Coming here would be an experience you'll never forget. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. My parents came up to visit and we took them to the CN Tower and exploring downtown. We were on a platform on the tower that's 1100 feet or so in the air. You can see the whole city and beyond from up there! The best part was the glass floor--you can look straight down to the ground! It was awesome!

Taken from the base of the tower

Looking out on Toronto Island and the airport

Looking north, towards where we live

Me, laying on the glass floor of the CN TowerFor those of you who don't know, I have a statue fetish.....

I got to dress up as a wizard for work on Halloween!

I have more pics to share, but I'm going to save them for the next post. Gary is off hunting this week, so I hope that my next post will include news of a big deer that we will be having made into jerky!!!

Working girl....

Hi!

For those of you who don't know, I actually started working last Tuesday in the HR department at Magna Co-Ex-Tec (where Gary works!). It's been a bit overwhelming because it's such a big place (like 800 employees or something like that), and I had to be at work at 5:30 on my second day.....5:30 IN THE MORNING! Yikes that was scary, but I made it through, and so far, so good. They're easing me into things, I've started off with pretty basic stuff like filing, but the girl who is training me now is actually leaving for another position, so I'm going to be transitioning into her job, as her last day is the 26th of this month. There's a lot to learn in a short period of time, but everyone I work with is great and I feel completely comfortable asking them for help. I still am not sure of what all of my responsibilities will be, I'm just learning as I go. I actually went out for a glass of wine with my boss and another lady I work with tonight after work, which was really nice because it made me feel like they're welcoming me with open arms. :) In other news, we were made it down to MI last weekend for Liam and Ethan's (my twin nephews.....well, soon to be nephews) baptisms. It was great to see everyone then, too! All the kids are getting so big, and cuter by the minute! I'll add some of those pics too, plus I have some pics of our townhouse now that it's starting to get livable. :) We got a backyard this week, our garage and front doors were painted, and they're going to be pouring a sidewalk and hopefully a driveway either tomorrow or next week! It's getting there! We miss everyone. Stay in touch.

Settling in, slowly but surely.....

Hello again!

I'm taking a bit of a breather today...I mean, yeah, I'm not working, but to me it's pretty stressful and strenuous to try to put things away from a big move. Especially one where you're downsizing in space but not necessarily in stuff. Haha. Yeah, it's been a big challenge, but I think that all things considering, we've done a good job so far. We have almost everything on the main floor the way we want it with the exception of a few little things, and we just have to move on to the upstairs and also figure out how we're going to dispose of all of the cardboard moving boxes and packing paper. There is a TON! Our place is great though. It's really nice to be so close to work....it's nice because Gary's come home every day and we've eaten here and just hung out. Better than going out to eat every day, that's for sure. I've had the cable, phone, and internet installed by the fabulous Rogers people, so I'm finally almost completely reconnected. Hopefully I'll get the cell phone this weekend, that way I can start calling home without things costing an arm and a leg. I'm so excited to be spending our first full weekend here and hopefully just laying low. Maybe we'll go bowling or get a bottle of wine and watch a movie or something. Either way, I'm excited we're not traveling back and forth....but we will be next weekend! :) Gary will be bow hunting Up North and I think I'm going to head to Indiana to try and get some wedding stuff done and just hang out with the fam. Maybe we'll take an extra day or so off. Maybe we'll get some venison out of that deal....yummy. Wow, I thought this was going to be a lot more exciting than it is. I'm running out of things to say....astounding. I don't think I've posted a townhouse picture yet. Here's where we live. It's a duplex. We're on the left side.

Still no yard or driveway, but there were construction-like dudes behind our house all day today with measurement paraphernalia, so I think maybe we'll be getting our section of wooden fence behind the house...sweet. Other than that I haven't done much than listen to my new and totally awesome music, so I'm pretty much a big geek. But hopefully I'm going to be starting work soon. Routine sounds good. We went to visit the big health club up the road last night too, because I need to make working out part of my routine. It's crazy huge, two pools, three major workout areas, a spa, a salon, yada yada. 390,000 square feet or something like that. Also a bit pricey. We're going to check out our other options as well. We have to look our best for this wedding that's coming up in like 260 days! Crazy! Anyway, I'm rambling. Everyone have a great weekend, and I'll leave you with a Go BOILERS and a GO COLTS!

Fall in God's Country

Oh my goodness....I HAVE INTERNET....AND IT'S ALL MINE!!

We're getting a lot closer to being settled in.....but yet there's still a lot to do! I wanted to tell you all about this past weekend Up North before I even get into the whole unpacking thing. This past weekend was so so awesome, it was great to just get away and be up there in the middle of nowhere enjoying nature. I know that sounds so cheesy, but when you really get up there and see how beautiful it is.....ahhhh, it's just so refreshing. My favorite thing to do is go on walks through the property and track deer and just see what else I can see! This past weekend we saw rodents, snakes, turkeys, and lots and lots of deer! I even had one run right at me, stop, look me right in the eyes, and turn around and run the other way! I couldn't get my camera out fast enough. But you know how there's always one thing that has to happen to put a little bump in the road....literally, a bump.....well, ours was a BIG ol' bump on the way home from Pinecrest Extended (yeah, that's right Mare, I named your cabin). We came home from dinner and a bonfire at around 1AM on Sunday morning, and of course we hit a bump on a dirt road, and we got a flat. Well, we were so concerned about figuring out whether it was really a flat or not that we missed our driveway, and you have to remember that there are no streetlights to speak of up North, so we ended up pulling off the road like almost a mile away from our cabin. So here I am, cold, scared of the animals that will come at me in the dark, and also a little under the influence of Captain Morgan. It was an interesting walk home, but we made it, and the next morning I got to play rescue girl on the quad! I had to go get the quad once Gary got the tire fixed. It was fun, even though I'm still a little Nervous Nellie on those things. So I'll post a couple of my favorite pics from the weekend, most of them involve some wildlife. But I like leaves more than the average bear, so bear with me....haha.

I forgot to mention that I got into a tree stand for the first time! It was pretty cool, and the best part was hearing all of the animals around us....the only animal I saw was that one in the red shirt that you see in the picture above. Haha.

Burly Men Make Good Movers

Hello again!

You should see this house! Oh man, oh man....we have nothing! Well, we do, but it's all in boxes. Maybe I'm just new to this moving business, but I cannot believe all that four guys can accomplish in one day! It was crazy, Gary and I just sat around and waited for them to have questions, and they did everything. I got tired of being in the way, so I retreated to a room in the basement just to stay out of the way and I took a little nap....this is what I found when I returned.

The Kitchen:

The bedroom:

Our poor, lonely, empty closet

The Living Room

And last, but not least, the truck.

So, overall, a productive day, I guess.......and tomorrow they load it all up and take it away. We'll be heading Up North with the Pinecrest Club, so it won't really matter that we don't have a bed to sleep in or anything to eat. I can't wait for life to get back to normal.

Have a good one!

Testing, 1, 2, 3

For those of you who know me well, you know that I'm a major technology geek, especially when it comes to the internet. Since I've been jobless for over a month--UGH--I've had a lot of time on my hands, and I've rediscovered the world of internet blogging. I figured that since Gary and I are about to embark on a new and major adventure, blogging would be a good way to keep everyone that we'll be further away from up-to-date on anything new and exciting that's going on with us. So, since I'm online quite a lot, I would anticipate that I'll be updating quite a bit, and hopefully this will help us to stay in touch with everyone. Sounds like a good idea, eh? (Look at me, using Canadian lingo already!) So this is my first post. A trial run, if you will. Enjoy, I hope there will be more to come.