- I dare you to listen to the video above and not be completely annoyed by my voice. I swear to God that I am not normally an up-talker. Although interesting piece of information. When looking up "up-talker" in the Urban Dictionary, it says that it is common among people who work for non-profit organizations. Hmmmmmm, I work for a non-profit organization. Coincidence?
- This is going to be a very picture heavy post. Hubby and I spent the night away from Julien for the first time EVER! Gasp! I think we all did very well. Julien got to spend quality time with his Uncle Ross, and hubby and I got to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in luxury!
- Just after I broke my ankle, I also won second prize in the Bright Run raffle. The prize consisted of a $750 gift card for Vintages Hotels and use of a 2013 Lexus for the weekend. Hubby and I decided to stay at the Prince Of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The gift card could be used for accommodation, as well as dining and spa treatments. We opted out of the spa treatments, but did indulge in dining. There are three Vintages properties in Niagara-on-the-Lake, so we had a lunch at Prince of Wales, dinner at the Pillar and Post, and breakfast at the Queen's Landing.
- Even though hubby did not follow my lead, I was able to stick to Paleo during the weekend. The only things I ate off off plan were ketchup on my burger, dressing on my salad and cheese with my breakfast. I swear to God, I never learn with the cheese! But it was the little red creamy cheeses that I love. It was worth the stomach issues this afternoon.
 |
| Top left: On our way to get the Lexus. Right: At the dealership. Bottom left: Hubby was like a kid in a candy store. |
- We left yesterday morning and headed out to the Lexus dealership in St. Catherine's where we were given a 2013 Lexus car to drive. Don't ask me what make it was, I have no idea. I really didn't pay attention. This was hubby's treat. I didn't care about driving the Lexus until we pulled into the Prince of Wales. Then we looked like we fit in. That was one parking lot full of Lexus!
- Once we got to Niagara-on-the-Lake, we headed to the Prince of Wales and had lunch in the lounge. Very nice establishment. Way too nice for the likes of us. I felt like we were the Clampetts pulling into Beverly Hills. All these little touches I'm not used to. Linen napkins. Tiny personal ketchup and mustard bottles from Heinz. Real important stuff.
- After we had lunch, we drove along the Niagara River all the way to Fort Erie. Check in time wasn't until 3 pm and we had a couple of hours to kill. So we drove along the same route that hubby ran his half marathon last weekend. It's the partial route that I ran my half back in June as well with Carol. You don't really know how far a distance truly is until you drive it. All I gotta say is 21.1K is far.
 |
| Top left: The pretty sinks in the lounge bathroom. Top center: My lunch. Bun less burger with sweet potato fries. Top right: We checked in! Bottom left: The gigantic bathroom (I love that hubby's checking his phone). Bottom right: Our very pretty bed. |
- The room we got was awesome. We got a premium room which meant it had a sitting area, a king sized bed and a Jacuzzi bathtub. It was really lovely. The only problem I had was that the bed was waaaaaay too soft for me. My bed at home is pretty firm and I like it like that. I felt like I was lying in a cloud when I was lying on that bed. I didn't sleep very well to say the least.
- After we checked in we walked through the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and looked through all the little shops. We were just there in August with my dad, but it's a different experience when you're with a senior and a 5 year old. This trip was much more relaxed and leisurely. I tried on lots of stuff I could never afford to buy and we had fun.
- We were sitting in a coffee shop shooting the shit when I asked what time it was. Hubby tells me it's 4:45 pm. I literally ran back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We had a reservation at 5:30 and I still needed to get dressed. The good news is that I ran with motorcycle boots on and I felt no pain in my ankle. The other good news is that I was able to get ready in 15 minutes. The other good news is that we made the reservation with minutes to spare. The other good news is that dinner was delicious. The bad news was, well there really wasn't any bad news.
 |
| Hat shopping. |
- After dinner, we headed out to the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. We already made a plan that we weren't going to spend more than $40 on gambling. Because really, we're just throwing our money away. And trust me, I have absolutely no extra money lying around.
- Before we headed into the casino, we looked through the shops and I tried on a bunch of leather coats that I'd never be able to afford in this life time. It seemed so bizarre to me that I could walk into these high end stores, and try on a medium size anything and it fit me like a glove. Two years ago, I would not have had the guts to get dressed up and go out for a swanky dinner and casino night out. I would have NEVER set foot in any of those shops. I have good days and bad days in regards to my self esteem. This was definitely a good weekend for me.
- So hubby and I ended up spending $50 at the casino. We did get a Players Advantage Card and that enabled us to get free parking and a free show. I have to call the number on the back of the card to see what shows we are eligible for, but I'm certain it's going to be some kind of local tribute band. Awesome! It's free, and I always say, beggars can't be choosers.
 |
| Left: Gotter done in 15 minutes. Top centre: At the Pillar and Post (and yes those are Xmas decorations). Top right: My awesome starter, beef tenderloin and spinach salad. Bottom center and right: At the casino. |
- I was beat when we got back to the room. And I could hear everything going on around us. Our room was right beside a courtyard where all the smokers go, so we had to listen to their conversations. I was stoked because it was daylight savings time and it could mean an extra hour of sleep. Instead I woke up at 4:15am. Are you freaking kidding me? I tossed and turned for a couple of hours before giving in and finally getting up to have a Jacuzzi bath.
- Yeah, that's right. I had no consideration for my husband and turned on the tub jets while he slept close by. Oh well. I had to try it out. It was pretty decent. Only problem was that I added waaaaay too much bubble bath. There were tons and tons and tons of bubbles. If they didn't go into clean the room up after we left, I could guarantee you that there would still be bubbles in that tub. These things should come with instructions!
- I used the hotel blow dryer to dry my hair. Only problem was that it was either too high, or too low. The high setting felt like my face was gonna get blown off. The low setting felt like nothing was happening. They needed a medium damn it! My hair dried in record time, but didn't look as smooth as usual. Sort of wind blown.
 |
| Left: Turn down service. Nice touch. Right: All cleaned up and in a swanky robe! |
- This morning we headed over to the Queen's Landing for their breakfast buffet. It was just what I needed because I was famished. I ate lots and lots of eggs, bacon, sausage and fresh fruit. I also drank some pretty awesome coffee. Did I mention that hubby ate what ever he wanted this weekend...again? I'll give him a pass. It was a special occasion.
- After breakfast, we headed back to the Prince of Wales to check out. Our grand total for less than 24 hours was...$595.00. Whoa! That seems like an obscene amount of money to me. But it was a fun weekend and definitely a once in lifetime opportunity for us. It's doubtful I'll ever win such an awesome prize again!
- We dropped of the Lexus in St. Catherine's before heading home in my shit box of a car. Hubby had a hard time saying good-bye (to the Lexus). As we drove into Hamilton, I saw the Road2Hope Marathon going on. A twinge of regret stabbed my heart. That was supposed to be my marathon. I know there will always be next year. But I still wanted this one now.
 |
| Top left: Outside the hotel. Top center: In a teepee. Top right: Behaving badly at the Queen's Landing. Center left: Breakfast! Center right: Hubby and his Lexus. Bottom: The Prince of Wales. |