Recovering in Maryland

Things have been very busy here in Maryland, but I have had some opportunities to relax, take naps (who remembers what that is!!!) and just recharge. On Saturday, we all went to Leesburg outlet. While walking out of the Williams-Sonoma outlet, I did something to my foot. My heel precisely. I'm not sure what happened, but I felt this shooting pain just above my heel. It became very tight and difficult to walk. That night was probably it's worst. I could barely put any pressure on it and I walked with a stick as a makeshift cane. Every day since it has gotten a little bit better. Today I can still feel a stiff soreness but I can walk on it with only a slight slower pace. (For a while, Cat was referring to me as her "handicapped" cousin. )

We have been enjoying all my favourites while I've been here. California Tortilla, Chick-fil-A. We've made some yummy food. I made last night for dinner Chicken Parmigiana with Tomato Basil Spaghetti and Salad, with my Chocolate Chunk cookies for dessert. Today we're making my Chicken Mandu, with Apple Pie for dessert… Grace said to me last night after dinner, "I love it when you come to visit, Aunt Carol!"

We've also watched a couple of movies courtesy of the local Redbox. Warrior (About two brothers involved in MMA…very good.) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Good…but a little fantastical)

Thank goodness, I still have a few more days.

Arriving in Maryland

My parents and I arrived at Cat's place last night.

When my parents went to Florida last year, the one thing they commented about was how the mountains they past on the drive made their drive a little harrowing and difficult. I told them then that I would help them drive down this year and save them some of the ordeal. My original plan was to drive down to Orlando with them (me driving most of the way) then flying back. Maybe stopping at Cat's, spending a few days there, then coming back home to TO. What we ended up deciding on was for me to drive down to Cat's, all of us spending the night, then my parents heading down to Florida on their own. If it were up to my dad, he would have just stopped long enough to let me out and continue on. I wanted them to relax and get a good night sleep before continuing on. Let's face it, they are getting old!

The trip started at 7:45 Thursday morning. The rain was pretty bad for most of the drive to Niagara. (I had worked until late the night before so I slept in the car until the Peace Bridge.) I then took over and drove the rest of the way down until arriving at Cat's at exactly 5:45pm. We made pretty good time, since we stopped a few times along the way, duty free, snack/coffee, lunch, stretch our legs, gas, bathroom. Apart from the rain, it was an uneventful smooth drive.

Once at Cat's, we showered/got cleaned up, relaxed a bit before meeting Cat and the kids at Chopstix for dinner (a local asian/fusion eatery). Afterward, my dad went straight to bed. Cat and I stayed up a bit, catching up and trying to figure out the schedule for the next few days.

When I woke up, I could hear my mom's voice. It was 9am and I expected them to have already left. Apparently my dad had been very ill all night. He said he was feeling a little upset stomach even before we went to the restaurant last night. Suffice it to say, they decided to stay another night. They've been resting and napping the day. As long as they make it to Orlando by Sunday, they are good.

As for the rest of us, the kids are incredibly busy as usual… Cat and I have already gone to Costco, and made Ginger spice cookies. More updates to follow.

New Years Day at Uncle John and Aunt Sandy's

We all gathered at Uncle John and Aunt Sandy's around 1:30pm for Duk Gook, a traditional rice cake soup. Food, family and babies were plentiful...Marley, unlike her older cousins seemed thrilled to be playing with Sadie (the dog) She was so cute. Despite the late notice, everyone was happy to see the home made desserts come through the door. Elijah was so cute enjoying his cupcake.
I didn't get to try it but Uncle John's new toy, the full body messager he bought himself for Christmas was a huge hit. Everyone who tried it, Cat included, thought it was incredible. Even Samara asked her mom Meredith if she loved the chair more than her daughter. (Actually I think that was Mark, Samara's dad asking her through Samara's voice...lol)
Happy New Year everyone! Hoping 2012 brings you good health, good luck and many "sweet" memories. xo Carolyn

NYE at Barque Smokehouse and last minute notice again!

For the last few years we've celebrated New Year's Eve at Ferrovia. This year we decided to try something different. Nelson arranged reservations for the 5pm seating at Barque Smokehouse on Roncesvalles. The 5pm seating (or the Geriatric Seating as I called it) was perfect since I was finished work at 4:30pm. It was delicious but a crazy amount of food. Competition Chicken Thighs with Apple Fennel Slaw and Boston Bibb lettuce. Glazed Baby Back Ribs with pork belly studded Baked beans. Wilshire Farms Pulled Pork Shoulder with garlic crostinis, red onion compote and Barques Signature sauces. Brisket slices and Burnt Ends with sauteed kale and paprika dusted potato chips, and finally Southern style Galette des Rois with bourbon spiked almond cream.
It started innocently enough, a single chicken thigh with the salad. I thought delicious but small portion, perfect for pacing though. The ribs were delicious. I would come back for them. 3 ribs each. Nelson ordered us a side of smoked bacon to try. Pulled pork, good but not my favourite. The portion was huge! I was full after that. It didn't stop me from eating the brisket but I couldn't fully enjoy it. Vivian couldn't even finish the brisket. It was way too much food for her. i definitely would go back. Just not too soon. They have a nice patio. I can picture us sitting there on a warm summer night enjoying those ribs...yummy.
While I was eating, at 6:04pm, I get a text message from Diana asking me if I was going to Uncle John and Aunt Sandy's on New Year's day. Apparently, Uncle John notified her that morning. Talk about last minute notice. Brutal. I called my parents to find out if they were going. They decided not to. With my brother out of town, I was once again going to be my family's representative. After dinner, I headed to Cat's parents' place to pick her up then we swung by my place to pick up some ingredients to make my Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Vanilla Cupcakes. We baked and spent time with Gracie and Hoseok, ringing in 2012. 2011 went by so fast. Hopefully 2012 will be my best one ever.
Note. Your eyes are not deceiving you...that IS smoked bacon rimming the Caesars. Also, that just "looks" a lot like my Jewish friend Nurit enjoying the ribs. It's really not her at all.:) Nelson knows and fully expects he'll be going to Hell for that.

Charlotte, the Accessorizing Queen!

My four year old niece Charlotte is a girly, girl. During her birthday dinner in November, my cousin Sooky had a "talk" with her about her jewelery choices. She told her it was a little much and that "next time", before she leaves the house, she should take one thing off. A little while later, Charlotte's dad emails Sooky, asking about her "advice". Apparently Charlotte, before leaving the house took off one ring and gave it to her daddy. "It's too much." she declared to him. When Sooky told me the story, I thought it was hysterical...
When I arrived at my Uncle John and Aunt Sandy's for New Year's Day, Charlotte came running to me to give me a hug. This is what I saw. Whoa! It was a lot to take in. Obviously her penchant accessorizing seems to have taken a disturbing turn...LOL. When I showed Andy (at work) the photos, he thought she looked like a miniature Jewish grandma...although I think her bright blue nailpolish gives away her age.:-)

Queen's Park and Banjara

Cat, always thinking of learning experiences for the kids, thought it would be a fantastic idea for the kids to have a tour of Queen's Park and learn about provincial government. (Being Americans, this would be an all new experience.) We entered through the East entrance. We asked a construction guy for directions for the tour. He directed us to the security desk on the lower level. Unfortunately, security was surprised that we were able to get in since everything was supposed to be locked tight for the holidays. (We had actually passed by some of the MP's private offices) We took a few pictures and made our way to Banjara, an Indian restaurant near Christie Pits. The food was good and the warmth from the room was cozy after being outside in the cold and snow.

Lunch at Queen Margherita Pizza

Even though I was getting over a cold...(I had stayed home for a day) I wasn't going to let it keep me down too long. I met up with Cat and the kids, with Sooky and Diana and Miss Marley for lunch at Queen Margherita Pizza. The pizza was delicious as usual. It was Cat/Gracie/Hosie's first time eating the Naples style pizza. They loved it. Miss Marley, ever the energetic little miss, kept us all hopping until Diana could get her to fall asleep. At least then, Diana was able to enjoy her pizza. We then headed to Sooky's for dessert. Cupcakes from Diana's favourite Desmond and Beatrice. It's so nice to be able to have a lunch date in the middle of the week. It felt positively decadent.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Another festive celebration at the Kim house. Cat and the kids made it for the first time in years. Cat had decided it would be a good idea for an "ugly headpiece" component to our usually fun get togethers. She found reindeer antlers and I found springy Santas, snowmen and Christmas tree headbands. About 20 of us suffered effects from our various colds, but that didn't stop the babies or grown ups from having a good time and enjoying the craziness of Christmas. Even with my cold, I managed to make my Bread pudding, a huge Caramel apple pie with pecan toffee streusel, chocolate brownies and Vanilla bundt cake. Everything turned out really well. I think I've found my go to recipe for apple pie. It was gone in a flash. I had to stop someone from taking the last piece just so I could take a picture.

All the kids were so cute. My gifts went over really well. John was surprised and relieved that I was his secret Santa again. It was another successful and memorable Christmas. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing family.

Oh, and congratulations to Justin and Jenny on their engagement. Justin, you've finally knuckled under the inevitable truth that you are part of the Lee family. Soon you'll be legally bound to all of us. Welcome!

iPhone heaven

I've been wanting to change to the iPhone for ages. My old Samsung phone was working perfectly forever. That is until this week. I kept having trouble hearing when I called home. Even when I tried to call Cat a couple of days ago, I couldn't hear her but she could hear me. That was the last straw. After I finished work, I went straight to Rogers to get the new phone. After some deliberation, I got the iPhone 4S 32G. I cannot fully express the feeling I had. First fear of the unknown, since I've never used a smart phone before. Then this feeling of excitement. While I was there, I also bought my brother a blackberry. I had been scoping out what kind of phone to get him. John has not carried a cell phone for the last 10 years. To say he was overdue, is a gross understatement. Sometimes he can be gone for days and no one can get in touch with him. He mentioned his friend Joe had a Blackberry so I thought, he could BBM, use it for emergency purposes. I got him the cheapest plan that could still text and message. Rogers was having a promo where if signed up for family plan, you get a Samsung Galaxy tablet for free. The problem was it didn't make sense to sign up for more plan and money than we needed. The next night, I was showing him what his phone could do and he was playing with my iphone. His comment about the iphone was "this phone is sick!" After analysing all the plans on the Rogers site, he decided it made more sense to go for the iPhone and get the larger plan. So the next day he came to Sherway and spoke to the Rogers rep. We returned the Blackberry and he got the 4s in the 16G. We signed up for a larger family plan and he got the tablet. After years of being the anti phone guy, he goes to the other extreme, the most coveted technologically advanced phone there is. The whole day at work, I had this odd feeling...like the world had tilted on it's axis. The world as we know it is forever changed. Possibilities are now endless.

I'm not quite sure what happened?

I posted this collage with my post about Charlotte's birthday and my crazy Saturday, but I'm not sure what happened. So here it is again.