Hello from my new home, Toronto Canada! I’m devoting my blog to share my experiences with the world as an American coming to live in Canada! I wanted to try and keep this blog as a fun way to further explore my surroundings and to talk about what I encounter here. I have learned many new things and look forward to many Spring events!
One year ago today I moved to Toronto! Yeah!! I have learned so
much about the city, found my favorite places to visit, went to some fantastic events and have met so many
wonderful people. This year has gone by so fast- but one of the best moments this year was when I officially “landed” as a Permanent Resident of Canada. What a year! :)
Today is Memorial Day in the United States! This federal holiday is observed
annually in the US as it falls on the last Monday in May. “Memorial
Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the
United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated
after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the
Civil War”. (1) I wish I was able to spend some time with family and friends this weekend for the many BBQs, parades, concerts, fireworks and events!
My deepest gratitude to all that have served, are serving,
and especially the men & women who gave their lives on our behalf.
Today is Victoria Day, which celebrates Queen Victoria's
birthday (May 24th). Looking up the history it states, “Canada is still
a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which the Queen is head. Victoria
Day is always on a Monday, and thus the holiday is part of a long weekend”.
According to CityNews, “This year’s Victoria Day festivities
will have an extra royal flare in Toronto with Prince Charles and Camilla, the
Duchess of Cambridge, scheduled to take in the fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park
(in Toronto) tonight”. I look forward to taking in the fireworks and celebrating my first
Victoria Day in Canada!
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are greeted as they arrive in Canada. The royal couple are visiting to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
I wanted to post about the amazing 2012 Stars on Ice show I saw at
the Air Canada Centre! I have been a fan and skater myself so I just couldn’t
resist a chance to see Kurt Browning, Virtue & Moir, Joanne Rochette,
Jeffrey Buttle, Jeremy Abbott, Cynthia Phaneuf, Ashley Wagner, Weaver &
Poje, Shawn Sawyer and Davis & White perform!
The show showcased each athlete beautifully and Kurt
Browning directed most of the innovative choreography! One of my favorite cast
routines was when the ensemble skated to “Dog Days are Over” by Florence &
the Machine. It was also a treat to see Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate to
“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley in a beautiful and strong routine that literally
had me mesmerized. To my surprise Davis & White came out and performed
their 2012 World Championship routine “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss and it
was fantastic!!
Such a great night for all skating fans out there- I hope to
see another show in the future!
In celebration of my
Permanent Residency in Canada, I received the most beautiful Miansai anchor
bracelet! I was just thrilled to learn more about the creator/founder of these magnificent Miansai pieces Michael Saiger.
According to his website, he is a
New York bred, self taught designer, that incorporates nautical designs that
stems from his childhood memories of the beaches of New England. I was born in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, so his innovation and nostalgia really rang true with
me. Each bracelet is handcrafted from military grade custom rope and some
metals are used from salvaged machinery. This anchor bracelet is the perfect piece in
honor my “landing” here in Canada!
For all space exploration and NASA fans out there- today was a bitter-sweet welcome home for Space Shuttle Discovery as it took it’s final fly-bys on the back of a NASA Boeing 747 around Washington, DC- three times before it’s final landing at Dulles International Airport. It will spend its retirement at an annex to the Smithsonian National Air & Space museum in Chantilly, Virginia.
As stated by CNN above, “…As it left Florida at first light, the shuttle made a pass over launch pad 39A - the site of all the manned Apollo launches as well as the first 24 shuttle launches. The symbolic salute to the nation's space program was followed by a flight down the beach and over the space center's visitor complex before heading north”.
Per CNN, I found some interesting facts about this historic craft:
- Discovery is the oldest of the three remaining orbiters from a shuttle era that officially began on April 12, 1981, with the launch of the shuttle Columbia.
- Discovery - named after one of the ships used by British explorer James Cook when he traveled to Hawaii, Alaska and Canada in the 1770s - carried 252 people and the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit during its career.
- It was also the first to return to space flight following the loss of the shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
- NASA retired Discovery after it traveled 148 million miles.
So what is next for space exploration? They state, “In some ways, the past is meeting the future. Just a few miles to the south at Cape Canaveral, Space X is in its final preparations to launch its Dragon spacecraft. It is a hugely crucial test scheduled for the end of April. Space X hopes to be the first commercial company to rendezvous and then berth with the International Space Station. Next year, Space X plans to start ferrying cargo to the station and in four years, U.S. astronauts”.
Yesterday, the Toronto Marlies held a school assembly that focused on anti-bullying in conjunction with the Safe Schools Network. The students in attendance had an opportunity to hear stories and advice about how to help themselves and other friends if they see or hear bullying around them.
Toronto Marlies goalie Chris Noonan took the stage and talked about his career coming from Niagara University to sign with the AHL affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The students were excited to hear about his favorite food and tv show which were “House” and “pizza with olives”. He also had a chance to talk about his experiences dealing with bullies in school and how he handles this issue on and off the ice.
With a little help from Toronto Marlies mascot, Duke the Dog, this pup got the students chanting and cheering as they separated into teams and held a game with Chris Noonan about things they learned about bullying and how to help stop it.
It was quite a fun afternoon for all in attendance- and I was happy to see the Toronto Marlies organization tackle this issue and help talk to students about it. For more information about the Toronto Marlies click here.
