Pie IX and waiting for the lights.

We had decided that on our third full day in Montreal we would go to the Botanical Gardens, Insectarium, the Olympic Stadium, the Tower of Montreal, and the Biodome. We had made this decision before we even arrived in Montreal based on three things, all of these places were located off the same subway stop, most of them were included in our museum pass which was only good for three days, and we had no set plans for the evening so we could wear ourselves out during the day without feeling guilty about ruining our evening plans. However, the mother nature had other plans, and put rain in the forecast. We were worried because our plans included some outdoor activities, and quite of bit of walking. So we devised a plan. We got up early, and looked at the hour by hour weather forecast online. Basically, we figured we had until about one pm until the rain started, and until two pm until the heavy rain started. We packed our backpack full of our trusty ponchos and Dalan brought a pair of flip flops so he would not have to deal with wet shoes again and off we went.

It was a longer subway ride than we had taken so far, but not a bad ride by any means. The stop we got off on was Pie IX, which I had been pronouncing like PIE NINE, however, when the voice on the metro announced in, it sounded just like PENIS. Maybe I was hearing wrong, but that is what it sounded like to me. Dalan claims it did not sound like that, but cannot tell me what is sounded like to him. I think it is because I am right! Any French speaking people can maybe help us out. Anyway, we got off on the Pie IX stop, and followed some signs toward the Biodome/Olympic Stadium out to the street. We had wanted to the Botanical Gardens first, since it was an outdoor activity, and we were trying to beat the rain. We saw signs on the street and followed them for about three kilometers before reaching the gardens.

The gardens were beautiful full of all kinds of flowers and themes. They had gardens of roses, and wild flowers. They had a garden full of plants native to Montreal with displays on how the native people used these flowers. They had a Japanese garden with bonsai trees, and a zen gardens. Our favorite garden by far was the Chinese garden though. It was so pretty. It had a big pond, all these beautiful plants, a waterfall, and really cool buildings. It was a magical place to visit. The sun even came out while we were there. Get ready for picture over load, because I took a lot while we were here.

Dalan at the entrance to the Chinese Garden.

Me at the entrance.

The Sellers and the Chinese Gardens.

The pond.

The waterfall.

Another view of the pond, and Dalan. We did not frame this one quite right.

Japanese Garden

Japanese Garden

Next, we went over to the Insectarium, which is inside the gardens. They have a really neat "bug walk" before you even go into the building. They have all the native bugs on display outside, so you can search for them in the gardens. They also have some interactive games and such you can play before you even get inside. Inside the Insectarium, you get to view a lot of live bugs in little habitats, and also play some more interactive bug games. It was a fun time.

Dalan standing next to one of the "bug bubbles."

Dalan the beetle!

Jessi the beetle!

A butterfly I found outside the Insectarium.

Then we walked over to the Olympic Stadium, which was only a few hundred feet away. We were now at the other end of the gardens, and apparently there was a much shorter way to get from the gardens to the Olympic Stadium/Biodome. Oh well, even though the signs had lead us astray, it had been a nice morning, and the walking was probably good for us. We got to the Olympic Stadium and signed up for a tour and also bought our tickets to go up the Tower of Montreal, which is attached to the stadium. It cannot be called the Olympic Tower, however, because it was not finished on time, and instead was finished 11 years after the Olympics. Crazy Canadians! The tour was interesting and informative. Dalan really liked learning all about the 1976 Olympics, and the construction of the building. We had a funny tour guide, who was basically the French Canadian version of Borat.

Inside the Olympic Stadium

Inside the Olympic Stadium.

Next we went up an elevator/tram type thing up the side of the Tower of Montreal up to the observation deck. I was nervous, because I don't like heights, but it wasn't too bad and I made it up without a panic attack. As we went up the elevator, the rain started. We got a few minutes of clear skies to look out over Montreal, but it quickly got darker and darker/rainier and rainier.

The tower. See how blue the skies are...not for long!

Dalan at the observation deck. You can see the storm rolling in behind him. By the time we went back down, it was as dark as dark can be...

When we got the bottom of the tower, Dalan decided to put on his flip flops, so we could walk over to the Biodome, which is basically a big indoor zoo, as it was raining very hard. He changed his shoes, and we step outside, and the rain stops. Go figure. Dalan decides to change out of his flip flops and back into regular shoes, since he thinks they are more comfortable. (silly boy) We wait in line to get our tickets to go into the Biodome, and who do I see? The inspiration for my game French Canadian or Gay? from the airport. So I had to get a paparazzi style picture of him.

I am bummed it came out so dark, but if you click on it, you should be able to see it better. He was wearing his man carpi's again!

Any who, the Biodome is a very cool place. It is divided into four different habitats, and instead of being in cages, you get to experience the animals in a more natural environment. We got to see all kinds of animals in each exhibit. It was cool to learn/see that porcupines climb trees. Also, we got to see a very cool penguin habitat, and some lemurs very up close and personal. I have no pictures of the Biodome, because it was very crowded, and in general animal pictures never really turn out. Plus I like to have people in my pictures.

That evening we decided to return to Old Montreal to see the lights at night. The church where we had seen the wedding was suppose to have really cool lights at night, and they also light up all the government buildings. We got down there before dusk, and did some shopping and got some gelato. Then about 8:45 we walked over to the church. I sat on the steps because my feet were killing me. Dalan told me I looked like I was homeless, but I did not care. (By the way, even the homeless in Montreal are bilingual.) And we waited for the lights, and waited and waited. They never came on at the church. We found out later that they only turn them on Tuesday through Saturday, and it was a Monday. Bad luck. We did get to see the rest of the town in lights which was very pretty.

A fountain that was all lit up. We tried three times to get a picture we liked...never were satisfied.

again

and again....

Dalan with his Montreal Canadians shrubbery.

Me with the Montreal flag shrubbery. It stands for the French, British, Irish, and Scottish.

Finally, we went to dinner at 3 Amigos, this Mexican restaurant by our hotel. We had passed it many times, and it was always crowded, with people drinking margaritas as big as their faces. We could not resist. We had a delicious dinner, with some yummy beverages, and then finally called it a night!

Dalan with his food and drink. The restaurant was very crowded, and thus the extreme close up!

Me with my yumminess!

Museums, getting locked out, and the Jazz Festival

During our second full day in Montreal, we decided to take advantage of our museum passes and check out a few places by our hotel in the morning before heading out to Montreal's International Jazz Festival in the evening.

We started our morning with clear skies and sunshine as we walked a few blocks to the Museum of Architecture. It was a beautiful building that was part new construction, and part old mansion. We looked at the exhibits, and then went on a guided tour, in which we learned more about the history of Montreal. We learned that our hotel was in a district once known as the "Square Mile" where all the richest people in Canada once resided. Unfortunately, most of the old houses were destroyed for new buildings. They also had some beautiful grounds that we walked around after our tour.

Dalan and me trying to get a picture of the view of the city, instead it turned out to be more of a picture of the off ramp!

Dalan showing off his incredible strength!

Look, how tough he is!

Next, we walked back to our hotel on the way to our next stop. As we got to our room we could not get the door open. We tried several times, but it was clear that the top latch was hooked from the inside. You know, the top chain link type latch in hotel rooms that you can only lock from the inside. Yep, that locked. We went down to the front desk, and they called maintenance. The maintenance man had a tool to unlock it, so it must happen on occasion, but it still took him over fifteen minutes to get in the room, and that was with him basically breaking it off the door.

Then, we walked up to the Museum of Fine Arts. It had a really interesting exhibit on the use of nature in the 19th and 20th century in American and Canadian Art. We saw lots of really beautiful paintings and it was neat to see how the influence of nature and man have affected art over the last two hundred years. I got a little silly while we were in the museum, not inappropriate, but silly. One of the problems was that the museums was so quiet and my shoes were still wet from the day before, and would not stop squeaking. At one point, I mimed oiling them, and Dalan was a little embarrassed. I don't think anyone even noticed. They also had a display on furniture, and I kid you not, there was at least 20 different chairs in one room.

Dalan and a cow outside the museum!

I had to sucker punch the cow as per tradition for seeing animals in Canada.

That evening we headed down to the International Jazz Festival. Ben Harper was playing that night for free. The Jazz Festival is a big deal every year in Montreal, and big names from all over play shows, and a lot of them are free. Stevie Wonder opened the festival, and Ben Harper was closing it. I love Ben Harper and was so excited. Dalan, on the other hand, not so excited. Although, he was excited to check out the festival. We got down there looked at the booths, got some food, and then found a spot over at the Ben Harper stage, which was already packed, and listened to a Cuban Jazz band preform. They were very good. The concert got more and more jammed packed. AND IT STARTED TO RAIN AFTER A DAY OF CLEAR SKIES RIGHT AS BEN HARPER CAME ONTO TO STAGE!!!!!!! Go figure. It was only a light to a moderate rain, and we never had to put on our ponchos, but at least we had them with us. Ben Harper played for two hours, and it was an excellent show. We were worried that getting on the metro might be difficult after the show, but they had everything super organized and we got home without any problems.

Dalan at the Jazz Fest. with a creeper in the background.

Waiting and listening the the Cuban jazz band.

Dalan's patience is wearing thin with all the picture taking!

Giant Dalan! I was still sitting waiting for Ben Harper, Dalan had stood up as the crowd got thicker!

Self portrait to the sweet sounds of Mr. Ben Harper!

This is how far away we were from the stage, despite getting there hours early!

Cute picture one of our fellow concert goers took for us, so we did not have to take another self portrait. My hood is up due to the rain, you can also see the rain drops all over the backpack!

Old Montreal, rain, fireworks, and more rain!

Dalan and I started out our first full day in Montreal with a plan to ride the metro and go down to Old Montreal after enjoying the complimentary hot breakfast that came with our hotel. Hotels with free breakfast are really the way to go, because you save a ton of money that way. We would eat a huge breakfast, a snack in the afternoon, and then get a nice dinner in the evening.

We navigated Montreal's subway system with ease, and found it to be an accessible and convenient way to travel. We arrived in Old Montreal and started to explore. Old Montreal is the former city center of Montreal that was forgotten during the 1960's, and then has since been restored mainly for tourist. It is beautiful, and has a lot of things to do. We walked along the Old Port, and went into the science museum. We learned how to tie nautical knots, and took some silly pictures. As we walked over to our next stop the wind started to pick up and the sky got a little darker.


We arrived at Pointe-a-Calliere, which is the museum of archeology and history for Montreal. We bought a pass that was good for three days and allowed us unlimited use the metro system and to visit as many museums as possible over the next three days. It ended up saving us so much money, and I would say was a must have for our trip. Pointe-a-Calliere ended up being one of my favorite places we went. It was built on the site that the old city was founded, and you get to go underground and explore the ruins of the old city. I love underground tours, and this one was unique. We also got to go on a tour and learn about pirates while visiting this museum!


As we left the museum and headed up to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the rain started. It was a light rain, and we were not too bothered. We arrived at the church, and there was a wedding going on so we could not go in. We took some pictures at the fountains across the street and waited for the bride to come out. I love a wedding! They rang the bells as the bride and groom emerged from the church and it was beautiful. The rain also started coming down much harder at this point. We ran into a gift shop, and bought some dorky Canada maple leaf ponchos and walked over to an art museum from our book. It clearly was not a museum, but a gallery instead. It was not my style of art at all, and not worth our time at all. As we walked back to the metro, the rain really, and I mean really, started coming down. Despite our ponchos, we ended up still being soaked. We got back to our hotel, and laid our clothes out to dry. They did not dry for about two days due to the humidity! We ended up having to iron and blow dry things to get them to dry!

Dalan is bummed about the rain!

Dalan is sucker punching the rain. A Vala/Sellers tradition!

That evening the rain cleared up, so we headed out for dinner. We ate at a really good Indian restaurant by our hotel, and got on the metro to go watch the fireworks. Every Saturday, there is an international firework competition in Montreal. This time is was Hong Kong's turn! We got off the metro and followed the crowd to go find a spot to watch the fireworks. Apparently we followed the wrong crowd of people, and ended up having to back track to the bridge where you can see the fireworks. Then it started to rain, and rained the entire time we walked to the bridge. Luckily we had our dorky ponchos and did not get too wet. We found a good place on the bridge and waited for the show to start. The minute the fireworks started, so did the rain! It only lasted about ten minutes, and our ponchos kept us dry again. The fireworks were awesome, then we started our walk back to the metro, and the rain started again. And it poured! And poured! And poured! We were totally soaked from head to toe again by the time we got back to the metro. So, we had another set of clothes we needed to get dry in the humid Montreal climate!

Waiting for the fireworks, you can see the amusement park in the background....it was a nice break from the rain!

Getting there is half the fun!

Dalan and I started out our belated honeymoon/summer vacation by getting up early and heading off to my mom's so she could drive us to the airport. I only slept for about three hours the night before. I wish I could say it was because I was so excited, but it was just me not being able to sleep again! We checked in and got through security quickly, and without much stress. Early morning flights always worry me when it comes to security, because it seems like they are never prepared for that first rush of the morning, but not this time!

Dalan and me waiting for our plane.

We arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth and ate lunch while waiting for our next flight. We did have a gate change while we were there, but other than that, out stop over in Dallas was pretty uneventful. However, I did invent a new game while there. Let me preface this by stating that I have nothing against homosexual people, in fact I am a huge champion of equal rights for everyone and support gay marriage whole heartily. I also pride myself on having an excellent "gaydar." It started out being called "European or Gay?" Eventually, it was changed to "French Canadian or Gay?" once we got to Montreal, because there were so many metreosexual/homosexual looking men that were clearly heterosexual that my gaydar was totally thrown off.

Here is a picture of the man who inspired the game. I will explain in later days why I have a picture of him, and why it is so dark.

We got to watch Race to Witch Mountain on the plane. Dalan thought it was ok, and I thought it was lame. I finally got a little sleep! We arrived in Montreal and waiting in line to catch our taxi. I hate taking taxis in general. I also watch the meter and worry about cost/being ripped off. However, this ride wasn't so bad. He got us right to where we needed to be and seemed to take the most efficient route.

Our hotel was very nice, although the room was small, it had everything we needed, including a little kitchen. The best part was the pink balconies, and since our room was on the fourth floor, we fully had a balcony engulfed in pink. Both our hotel and the one around the corner from us had pink lights on the balconies of the bottom five to six floors. I have no idea why. It looked like we were in Miami circa 1960. I loved it.

Pink!

Engulfed in pink!

Dalan and I then started out to explore our new neighborhood and grab some dinner. We walked about two blocks down to St. Catherine's Street and found a street full of restaurants and bars, as well as, about four sex shops. We settled on a little Italian Cafe. We had a very good dinner, and it was a good thing we picked that restaurant that night, because they closed the next day for a month to go on holiday. We then walked up St. Catherine's Street, and found a metro station. We knew our hotel was between two of them, and we were happy to find one so we could just get up and get going in the morning. We returned to our hotel, and called it a night so we would be ready for more fun in the morning.

In front of our hotel.

I love the summertime!

This week has been a perfect summer week. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Lots of long walks in the late evenings. Not too hot, but nice enough to wear shorts and flip flops and be comfortable. Piper is panting happily by the time with get home, and then crashes.

2. Lagoon with my mom and sister. Perfect temperature with a breeze. Riding the white roller coaster 4 times in a row. Classic!

3. Bees game with Dalan and friends. Beers and baseball. Good times with lots of laughing and heckling the players.

4. No work! Being lazy in the afternoon and watching movies with Dalan. Today we watch a little movie about abortion called Revolutionary Road. My favorite movie about abortion is still Dirty Dancing, however.

5. Getting ready to flee the country and enjoy a week in Canada!

It is the little ones you have to watch out for.....

I took Piper to the Humane Society today to get her rabies vaccination and her heart worm medicine. I am refusing to take her to her regular vet unless it is a seizure related incident due to the arm and leg they charge for everything. I knew taking her to her regular vet would equal a charge for the shot, the meds, the office visit, and maybe they would insist on doing some sort of seizure follow up while we were there. No thanks. And honestly, the vaccinations and meds at the Humane Society are the same thing just with a lower price tag, and less hassle.

We were sitting there in the waiting room watching as all the other dogs went back with a little hesitation, but no real fights. Then it is Piper's turn....she refuses to walk in the vet tech, instead keeps turning back and trying to come back to me. Next, she puts on her "brakes" when she can longer just turn around and try to walk away. People in the waiting room joke about how much she must love her mom. Finally, Piper and the vet tech disappear behind the self closing door, yet the door is very slow to actually shut all the way. And what do you know, before the door has closed all the way, there is Piper without her collar on, frantically searching the waiting room for me. The whole waiting room starts to laugh. I have to scoop her up, and hand her to the vet tech to carry to the back room. Mind you, the pit bull who went in after Piper had no problems following commands and going willing in with the vet tech, but not my little beagle/ chihuahua/poodle/ great dane/ lab/ cocker spaniel/ brichon frise mix, she gave the Humane Society a little run for their money!

I'm back!

Our computer is a bit of a lemon, has been since day one, and the latest thing to go wrong was minor, and fairly routine, but power cords are expensive, and I put off buying a new one until the old one completely stopped working, so I was without a computer for about a week. Thank goodness for Dalan's fancy iphone, which at least kept me up to date on my facebook and all the people I regularly spy on, otherwise I would have gone crazy! However, blogging from the iphone wasn't an option, so I was unable to keep all the people who spy on me up to date. Oh, and Dalan is now making fun of me for blogging about not blogging. He just doesn't understand!

Here is a quick summary of what has been going in my life.

We got a new t.v. from Dalan's parents' friends. Let's just say they made us an offer we could not refuse on a four month old 52 inch flat screen. Let's also say it is huge, and looks a little ridiculous in our living room, but it is practically brand new, fancier, and was cheaper than we would have paid for a smaller, brand new t.v.


I have recovered fairly well from my surgery, but one of my incisions (I prefer to call it my wound) still hurts pretty badly. I made an appointment with my doctor last week who assured me I was healing normally. However, it still hurts from time to time, usually at night. Also, my bra rubs against it and irritates it. Also if I keep a band aid on it, the band aid irritates the skin around it. I am damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I am now going band aid free, and just dealing with the rubbing.

This is the wound that hurts the worse. See all the irritation from the band aids! Now picture something rubbing against it for 18 hours a day! I think it looks like a pokemon!

My side wounds. They are healing nicely and don't even bother me!

Here is my belly button wound. It is least bothersome of all four.

On the third of July, Dalan, Ali, VaRonica, and I headed up to Granite High School for their open house for alumni as the school is closing this year after being open for 103 years! It was a lot of fun to see the school, and all the old pictures. Dalan and VaRonica got their Forever Farmers t-shirts, and gave an excellent tour of the school. My favorite part of the tour was when my mellow and laid back husband demonstrated how to break into the drama room by busting open a set of double doors. Ali and I just looked on in shock, and I got a little nervous like I was in high school again and we were going to get caught being bad. Good times! Also we forgot the camera, so no pictures of this night.

We celebrated the Fourth of July, which is one of my top five favorite holidays. We went to the West Jordan parade in the morning with my family. It was a lot of fun, and cloudy the whole time. Perfect! No one died of heat exhaustion, it did not rain, and we got to enjoy getting candy thrown at us. Then my family came over for some homemade crepes that I made, they were delicious and super easy. I am going to make crepes more often! In the evening, we went to my mom and dad's for a steak dinner, and then we headed over to Murray Park, well really the high school, to watch the fireworks.

Me at the parade. Not the most attractive picture, but I just posted pictures of my belly, so why not a double chin too!

Ali and McKay at the parade.

Dalan at the parade.

Mom and Dad at the parade.

Piper feeling festive!

Piper sunning herself in the yard.