Tuesday, August 16, 2011

CINDERELLA GOT TO GO TO THE BALL

I am back. I know it has been a month, but as I mentioned on my last post, I have been celebrating life. Here is the story. I took 600 photos, and will try to spare you from all of them....YOU'RE WELCOME

Part One

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you've imagined. (anonymous)

my dream vacation


This is the lady behind it all, Claudie. She has spent nearly a year
planning her event.....called SUMMER BREEZE

AND
like Cinderella.......I was invited



Let me introduce you to the other Summer Breeze Gals



JULIE....From Vancouver, British Columbia

CC....(Catherine) from Georgia


Miss Bee....(Deborah) from North Carolina



Jeanne......also from North Carolina

all these photos were taken from my trip. I had to borrow from Jeanne for hers, but I tried to "catch" some of their personality. We promised each other to only post flattering pics.
We are all blogging pals
My FIRST time in meeting them

What an eclectic group we were.  Ranging in ages from 72 to 50, different upbringings, faiths, experiences
and YET

Joy and Sorrow.....Pain and Pleasure has sat at all of our tables


Claudies place was truly like a fairy tale.  Everything there was so fanciful, fun, colorful, and almost magical

The little cottage in the back is for guests.


This is an outdoor shower. It has a BIG pool at the back. Oh yeah, we spent time there.  Ontario is hot and humid.

Claudie even went to extraordinary efforts to  make our rooms just "perfect" for us.  She took the bedspreads off the hotel beds and put on some lovely ones from her own home.  She tried to decorate every ones room according to their personalities, styles, and likes.

Being the country girl I am, I had a country patchwork quilt on my bed.  She knows I love ladybugs, so she had these lights put around the mirror. The little picture on the desk was from her.


She made huge paper flowers and streamers that hung from the ceilings.  Since her favorite color is pink, she even put pink toilet paper in our bathrooms, along with lovely soaps. 
Not to mention the  room fridges stocked with soda, juice, cheese, chocolate
a simple hotel room was transformed
befitting Cinderella


Meet her husband Randy.  He did ALL the cooking for us and he is a chef supreme-o.
(he is opening some of the gifts we brought for him)


We all brought each other wonderful surprises, gifts. My whole carry on luggage was full of gifts
and even more full going home




Here is the bunch of us enjoying one of his breakfasts. Claudie's kitchen is like a doll house. I adored it.



Me and Claudie enjoying one of Chef Randy's meals outside.
yes, that is a river that runs along her back yard (sigh)


We did a lot of This..celebrate
and we also "danced to the music"



Since she had a pool in the back yard......she made sure we understood we would ALL be getting in, no matter if we still fit in our swimsuits. (or not)

so before getting ready for our first swim.....we had our "ah ha" meeting
get it out
tell everyone what we Hate about our bodies
but we also had to tell what we Loved about our bodies.
Guess which list was longer.

Now that they know of my still post pregnancy belly fat (youngest is 26), I guess I am ready for the Plunge
I am 5th one in


Even though I had 6 full days there, we were busy every day and still ran out of time

we went to Montreal...Oui
Old Montreal
It was like nothing I have ever seen before
Cobblestone streets, amazing architecture, shops, oh the food!! 

Julie and CC seem happy about their room




just being friends who can hold hands
and be ok
cause that's what friends do


We all had autograph books (which was one of our many gifts)
Everywhere we stopped, we tried to get people to sign our books.
We'd paste paper souvenirs in them
Here is one of our waiters signing our books
Can I just say the French men....Oooola la

Before we left, all the waiters came over
and they left us each with a red rose they bought from a street lady

Did I mention..........Ooooo la la 

We went for a walk along the pier and saw this sign.
Claudie, using her french charm
talked the owner into letting us get one for $5.00


MISTAKE
why...I'll tell ya why
Henna does not last or set like a real tattoo
and it was so hot and humid that evening
the slightest touch would rub it off

All we had them put on each of us was the words
SUMMER BREEZE
Well, I thought I'd get my sexy on, and have mine on my neck/chest area

So.....I am not really the french floozy that this photo looks like
I had to pull the shirt down so it wouldn't rub off
(that's my story and I'm sticking to it)


However, after all my efforts to protect it
by the end of the night it was a mess
It ended up looking like some broad who was getting laser treatments for a Bad Tattoo

Since it was such a muggy night, we all did a little dance in the fountain.
Sure, you're not supposed to
Whatever

(Claudie)




Not a bad photo for all us felons I guess.  Poor Julie isn't in this photo as she was our official picture taker.
That water felt dang good for all us menopausal women




We took a little detour home. Went on a ferry boat ride.  AGAIN, Claudie, using her irresistible charms, talked the captain down on the price
and
as it turned out.....he took us across 4 times just for fun
(it is only a 15 min. ride across the river)
One side of the river is Ontario, the other Quebec

(CC and Claudie)


Don't worry Jeanne, it's not that big of a river.
If you fall off, just paddle hard






Of course no trip to Canada would be complete without some POUTINE.
Eastern Canada makes the best
It is french fries covered with cheese curds and brown gravy

We only wanted one family order for our southern friends to try, but when they found out where we were all from
they gave us 2 for the price of 1
SO
instead of only 1000 calories a mouthful, we got 2000
NICE




This is where I will leave you for now.
I am sure my carriage is about to turn into a pumpkin

enjoy this sunset from Claudies back yard
along the river

"a dream is a wish your heart makes"




stay tuned for part deux
that's french talk for two


41 comments:

Melinda said...

Oh wow Wendy. WOW! That just looks...well, magical--just like you said! I'm so glad you got to do that! I am wondering though, did Claudie find the hottest 50-72 year olds in the world?! Sheesh you are all gorgeous!

Kristina P. said...

I have just been smiling all throughout this post. You guys are so great!! You are all clearly living life to the fullest.

Becky Andrews said...

Sounds purely delightful. Love it all. So glad you were able to go and enjoy with your dear friends.

CB said...

I think I said "Wow" about 10 times!!
What a completely fabulous get-away!!
claudie is amazing - all the stuff she planned and her home and yard - WOW!! (See I am still saying it!).
You gals looked like you had the best time running around getting tattoo's and jumping in fountains!
I must say it truly does look magical!!

CB said...

P.S. I forgot to mention how she decorated your hotel rooms - now that is really going the extra mile and SO FUN!!!

Teachinfourth said...

Sorry I couldn't make it...I guess my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. I guess it wouldn't have mattered because my fairy godmother was on vacation that week and the carriage mice had been poisoned.

Don't ask about the singing, gown-making birds...

Unknown said...

You so stinkin' deserved that trip and I love that you had such a great time with obviously fabulous women! I cannot believe all the work that went into making everything so cozy and inviting. Every detail. Can't wait to see the rest of the photos!

Julie Harward said...

That looks like so much fun! I bet you naughty ladies laughed from beginning to the end. You will be healthy for a good year now from all the good times! ;D

Barbaloot said...

Looks like a wonderful time! You totally deserved this:)

DB Stewart said...

I'm happy you had so much fun. What terrific people there are in so many places in the world.

nitebyrd said...

What an AMAZING trip! It looks and sounds just flat out FABULOUS!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
corrie said...

How fun! I'm so glad you got to do that. And I'm glad you took so many pictures. What a great trip.
love you.

C'est moi Claudette said...

I guess the guy that commented "Please for C sakes save this boy from Haiti" wasn't looking at our pictures, lol. I know not funny.
You did good Miss Wendy girl. You crammed a lot of stuff in this post. Why is mine SOOOOOO long? Don't answer that.
Great friends, great times, great pics, great memories.
It was my pleasure and my family to have you all here at the cottage.
We did have fun didn't we BGF?
Love You
Love Me
xoxoxoxoxo

Saimi said...

Holy Cow girl what an awesome time with obviously awesome friends!!

You girls all look AMAZING!!

"Alone again.... naturally!" said...

Aww, that looks so wonderful and what a great idea to get together like that! Glad you had such a fantastic experience...next time yu'all will have to come to Vancouver Island. My hubby used to be a tour guide here!

SherilinR said...

what a fantabulous vacation! you deserved every minute & you looked beautiful too!

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine the laughter and guffaws. Ya, I know you guffawed.

So darling! Every one of you ladies are so gorgeous. A ton of work and planning but WOW, so perfect.

So glad you shared!!!!!

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

I think I need some more exclamation marks!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Deborah aka Miss Bee said...

Oh, Wendy honey, I love your post!! You captured a lot of the fun we had and I'm looking forward to more. I just posted about the fountain yesterday. Lawdy, girl!...you should have mentioned that I'm not really dirty under my picture...it's that danged tatoo....NEVER again!!!!!

Pinky promise...we will keep in touch!

xoxoxo
Deborah

Heidi said...

Wow! How wonderful! You were due for some magic, that's for sure! Hugs!

jeanne said...

Oh Wendy, this post is the best story of our time in Canada with Claudie. You did a 'fantastic' job on this. I have so much to post I get dizzy thinking about it. All I need is time. I have only had two days without company since I arrived home from Canada. As much as I adore my company I am in huge need of some me time. Our friends leave next Monday. Then I will post away. I so miss our wonderful time together. I do 'love' my new friends and dearly loved having time with the girls I had met before. We are all Cinderella's in our own way. I love your post title Wendy. I laughed myself silly over the pic on the ferry of me. I do look SCARED. HA! What fun we had every minute we were there.

You rock my fun loving dear friend.
Love you bunches,
Jeanne

Melanie Jacobson said...

AMAZING! What an incredible gift to be able to do something like that. I want to be you when I grow up!

Valerie said...

Oh my gosh!!! That looks (and sounds) like so much fun! Glad you had a wonderful time.

Connie said...

OK, where do I begin!
It looks like SO MUCH FUN!!

I wish I looked as good as Claudie with her beautiful gray hair. She looks tres chic! I just look old!

Enough about me! I can't wait for part deux because part un is fantabulous!

" Hit It......." said...

I am so happy that you had such a great time. Do you know how happy you look? I am so grateful that you were able to go.

They all look like a great bunch of ladies. I also love your beautiful pictures.

Blogging is so worth it. You have made life long friends.

~CC Catherine said...

Dearest Wendy, Summer Breeze Sista, I awoke this morning at 4am thinking of my SB adventure as I listened all day yesterday to our SB CD that Claudie had Randy make us. I wanted so badly to do my post today and ran into "technical" complications. Drats - instead I decided to visit ya'll. :) Southern slang for YOU! ;) teahehe. I MISS You Bella! This post was an excellent narration of our time together and man did you share some super memories and I loved seeing it again through YOUR lense! I love you friend and miss you to the MOON & BACK....till we meet again! Just look at the moon and remember that I'm lookin at it with ya friend!

Love ya,
~CC, the Bike Rider and Driftwood Gal :)

Unknown said...

Wow, Wendy what an amazing, amazing time. I'm guessing you feel refreshed and your soul is brimming over with love and happiness...and hopefully some peace.

Her house was adorable! and I love the decorations!

It sounds amazing. I'm going to have to invent one of those girls retreats!

Love the jumping on the bed, that's a riot!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh Wendy. The enchantment. I still am sick to think of what i missed out....it was just impossible for us to afford it this year. But all the humor, the fellowship and most of all, the LOVE is a true PROOF that there is a great force within us, around us, forever living, in spite of us. But when WE make it come alive by going beyond ourselves, it is a miracle. What Claudie did here is a miracle. She oozed out the love, rolled out the red carpet and made a memory for each one of you, as YOU in turn, contributed to this CINDERELLA MOMENT. YOU, I'm sure, had everyone rolling and laughing so hard. I am grateful that I was thought of in this plan.

WHAT FUN...THE FOOD, THE SIGHTS, THE WAITERS!! teeeheeee...and the cool water! MENOPAUSE GO AWAY!!!!! I am getting there dearest, I AM GETTING THERE!!!

YOU LOOK WONDERFUL and ......thank you. Thank you for confirming to me, as a reader, that I am a writer. I have been approached about my art, and i was not expecting it. This year will hold some interesting decisions for me about how I will use my art, but I do know that writing is something I want to do and do it well, in a professional capacity ONE DAY. I am not there yet, but I strive for that.

MILLE MERCIS MON AMIE...TU ES MAGNIFIQUE!!!! Anita

tammy said...

What a truly amazing time! Wow! You girls know how to play.

Kazzy said...

W O W ! That looks like the absolute perfect vacation for you! Women that look good and have survived hard things and are rediscovering themselves. I loved every second of this post. Thanks so much for sharing!

pilgrim said...

WENDY!! How wonderful to be a small part of your amazing trip through this post! Hats off to you girls for making it happen! Your hostess and her husband are gems - all the trouble they went to to make this a perfect couple of days - truly special!

Claudia said...

Oh sweet darlin-- thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi!

Get you hinnie to Ashville -- its not too late. We will sneek you in!!

Also, when you are SLC next pleeeeeeeeez give me a heads up and we will make a date.

Hugs!
Claudia

Unknown said...

okay .. Wendy ? This is just incredible!!!!!
I'm beaming all crazy here . For you. Your friends. For women and life and joy and gratitude !!!

this is beyond fabulous and I'm so so glad you got to do this and so very blessed that you shared it.

you are such a blessing in my life. and Claudia seems like an angel.

mCat said...

Holy freaking cow!! It most def was a trip for a princess! Can't wait for part deux

Oh, and I'm thinking Claudie's got one hell of a good boob for all the deals she worked!! : )

jeanne said...

Good morning Wendy, TODAY, the last of my company went home. Sigh! I have been so anxious to start posting more about our trip. I did a bit today. Lots more to share.

I know life on you place must be busy too. A farm is lots of work. As a young girl my memories of the farm are so vivid. I might do a series of stories about our dairy farm. Then I would have a journal of those days. My family have begged me to do this. Ideas are forming as I write to you this morning.

I just enjoyed this post once again. Your story is perfect and covering so many wonderful times we had together.

I better get visiting. So many to visit and finally some time to play.
Love you and miss you,
Jeanne

June said...

OMG Wendy...what FUN this had to be. I'm sitting here feeling a teensy weensy bit jealous down here.
I loved every single photo of you girls having a great time togather.
sending hugs...

Mimi Sue said...

Looks like lots of fun! So glad you could get away. Mimi

Manzanita said...

Gosh, your pictures are sooo good. What a time that must have been. And to meet the bloggy friends in the flesh..... WOW. You have had one marvelous time off and vacation with friends. Who could ask for more?

Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

Pedaling said...

Claudia is an angel, isn't she?

beautiful. everything is truly amazing.

C'est moi Claudette said...

Why this showed up in my email feed to your blog is beyond me... but I think I needed to re-visit. Someone up there said " go back and look at how much fun you are with your girls"... so here I am.
We had soooo much fun didn't we Wendy girl? I would take those days back in a heart beat, but just longer ones, longer hours, longer everything.
It's been a "boring as hell" week for me. I'm feeling like I'm drowning in this house. I'm in a "I don't like Randy" mood. I get that a couple times a year. I say he's boring and he just said I'm boring. I'm thinking in my head "REALLY?" You think I'm boring? I'm just bored with you. Let me out and I'm nothing but boring. I really need to get out of dodge like Julie says. It's not good to be upset when I'm planning a trip. It's like I need revenge... on what I'm not sure.
Well on a good note, I think, I just had PIZZAGHETTI. Yup. Randy broke down since the summer, and ordered from Motel Champlain. I've been so good with the bird food and now I'm stuffed. I'm not cooking, he's not cooking and I'm sure it's all my fault, but too freakin bad. Listen to me dump, OMG. Thank God nobody will come back to this post and read this nonsense.
So there you have it. Feel free to delete this ok? Yeah you better delete it.
Thanks for the memories. Funny how that happened today isn't it? Don't answer this one. Randy might read it... just saying.
Love you BGF
Thanks for listening.
xoxoxoxoxo