Corporate Travels

These past two weeks have been a tad uneasy to say the least. There is plenty of excitement going on in my home life, personal life, and as an employee, I must admit my work life is splendid. After confirming I had my paperwork which is needed to travel crossboarders, I arrived at the airport this morning very late and I only had an hour to check in, go through customs and security. My plane was departing at 8:05 AM. Luckily, there are nice people living in the GTA who helped me bypass lines so I may make my flight. After a four hour flight, I find myself in the desert state of Arizona, across the continent and the furthest west I have ever travelled from home.


Working from the hotel and putting in hours for today feels different and very much at ease. It is just me in the room and it is quiet. I waited until the lunch hour to pick up the gift surprise I had told you about in Foster the People blogspot. I have searched in Canada and in the USA for these beauties which are in my proper size and it only took two months after my birthday. Leaving my hotel and turning the corner to find a trolley waiting for passengers to come aboard for free. The trolley is a city wide service that is predominantly used to take people around the the city of Scottsdale visiting all the tourist places with pitstops along the way.

The trolley led me to visit Fashion Square mall where you can find high end stores as well as great sales stores and great restaurant options for a bite to eat. As I walked through the mall, plenty of stores caught my attention, but I was on a mission to find Barney's.

Louboutin beauties

After some time in the mall, I boarded the trolley back to the hotel for a much needed shower. The weather is great in Arizona with no humidity that you encounter in southeastern Ontario but the summer heat is still in the high 100s (degrees Farenheight). Sweat dripped off my back as I waited for the trolley to come to a full stop and let the boarded passengers off first. The trolley took a different route this time, showing us the various street shops along N. Scottsdale Road which reminded me a little of El Salvador and San Marcos, Texas.

I was on crunch time to get back to the hotel because of the three hour difference from Toronto and I wanted to skype with Jordan before he headed off to bed. I miss him terribly even if I had just seen him this morning after waking up. When you are in a committed relationship and have shared many things together, you come to realise how much that person makes you feel when you are with them and when you are not. I love you baby and I'm glad we were able to use modern technology so I can see your face.

I am looking forward to this week as I am in Arizona for business helping out our sister office with some training and document management of the engineering projects being handled in Scottsdale. This is a learning opportunity for me and I am most excited to meet new Hatchlings.

See all my Ottawans next Saturday!

Foster The People on a Tuesday Night

Taking the 407 is such a peaceful drive especially when there are only a few cars driving along side of you. Jordan, his mom and I are off to see Foster the People perform live in just a couple hours. They are a group of men who sing pop rock headlining their single "Pumped up Kicks" which I am sure you have all heard.

I have never seen Toronto highways with such clearance and non-congestic traffic especially around 4:45 in the afternoon. We left work early in case we were to hit bumper to bumper traffic... It appears we will have more time to eat dinner after all.

I am enjoying my last week here in Canadaland, as my American cousins call it, before I am to travel for a work assignment to Arizona. I should be arriving next Monday morning, working remotely that day from the hotel, loosing the jet lag hopefully and then picking up a gift I put on hold at Barney's.

When I come back to Canada next Friday, Jordan is picking me up and we are headed north towards the capital city of Ottawa. I am looking forward to seeing my mom, little brother, Hector and all my friends whom I have missed so much. Sandee darling you must stay that weekend and not go camping. Vero get ready for some concert T-shirt making, Brendis will jay be with you? Jason here is your official shutout, yes I cannot wait to see you too buddy. There are many others to mention and I too look forward to seeing you, downtown Ottawa perhaps on July 1st?

I am off to my concert as we have just arrived.

Hugs and kisses always,
Jessica

MamaJo + Dbart's Nuptials

Two years after popping the question, Dbart is now legally entitled to call MamaJo his wife. As I type this post, their current location must be flying over the Atlantic Ocean enjoying some bubbly and the joy of being "official" to one another. 

As I walked through the doors of the Artifacts Room at the Liberty Grand, the ushers directed us towards the left where a room was filled with blue-accent lights and chandelier lights dangling from the ceiling. An open bar awaited for patrons after they made their way past Jo and Damian's engagement pictures and various servers with hors d'oeuvres. Jordan and I ordered our usual drinks and sat down on the white couches that were adorned with silver chandeliers. With all the decor in the cocktail area, I was only anticipating what the reception was going to look like. The couple and their families did a marvellous job with the detailed touches of the cocktail area along with the room next door which opened up to true class. 

When the curtains were opened to the crowd, the reception could not have looked any better with the blue-accented and chandelier lights continuing on to the other side of the hall. It looked endless. After the bridal party, Jo walked into the room holding hands with Damian, which was the first time I saw them glowing, relaxed, and extremely happy all at once. This day was a long two-year journey to finally sharing the moment with their families and closest friends. Jo's ivory-cream dress was designed by Vera Wang and was beautifully paired with blue satin heels and a bouquet of red roses which was a perfect contrast to her light skin. She looked absolutely stunning and sure met my expectations for throwing a party.

The best thing about the wedding wasn't just the open bar, the hall decor, the dress (although very pretty), or even the food that left me full. It was at around 10:30 PM where the garter was to be taken off the bride's leg by her groom's mouth - the party hit an extra peak of entertainment. I wished I had recorded the scene and I hope a guest uploads it to Jo's page. The newlyweds sure know how to put on a show! Jo and Damian's relationship is a playful, amusing and loving one and I am blessed to have them as friends in my life. A wedding at the Liberty Grand has never disappointed and this was one to top the charts.

me with the bride, MamaJo

the shoes

Vera Wang dress

me and my blue-eyed prince

love these two, congrats!

Euro Cup Fever

For all you soccer fanatics, another anticipated tournament has just begun and will be closely watched around the globe for the next three weeks. I decided to watch yesterday's game opener of Poland vs. Greece at a local Boston Pizza with a couple of my colleagues. GTA workers are one of the craziest soccer fans and it feels good being in an environment when an anticipated tournament is showing on the television screens. 

The game began with the ball being more on Greece's side as Poland continued to push and push demonstrating their hosting skills are not just about sharing the stadiums, but actually performing well in their pool. After about five mintues, the Polaks got around the greeks defencemen and scored the first goal of the tournament. The group of Polish workers sitting at the table next to us, got up and cheered so loud that they almost knowcked their pitchers of beer over. Yes they were very happy!

Right now, I am sitting down in front of the television watching Germany play a mean game against Portugal... and it is already a close game. No score yet but both teams are very hungry for a goal. Winning in this pool is important as it holds the consistent powerhouse of Germany and the latest World Cup finalists that is the Netherlands, so there is a lot on the line for this group.

I am more eager to watch tomorrow's match of Spain vs. Italy. This year's Group C pertains of two teams you see regularly in world tournaments and two others who are quite green. Ireland being the first time qualifying to this type of tournament may be a fan favourite but that game that will be played against Spain, the point will go to the Spaniards. I can say as defending champions of the last Euro Cup, Spain is my favourite and I will be cheering them on.


Here's to some great game of soccer,
Jessica

It's pleut-ing

raining with a side of wine:

Came home from work a tad tired than usual and all I wanted to do was undress and rest. However, my stomach would not allow me to do so. Jordan began prepping the rice and chicken for some Indian style curry while I decided to bake some tilapia covered in panko crumbs. If you have never tried panko check this website for Asian creations using Panko, they are Asian-born crumbs and are much healthier for you. 

It was shining bright today, making it 24 degrees Celsius for the current temperature that we felt tilapia would be ideal on such a beautiful day. We began to cook/bake tonight's dinner that suddenly, it began pouring rain. It was very windy and the rain was coming down very strong. I decided to capture this moment using my iPhone, but I just noticed you might not be able to see the drops of hail as it is not very clear. The rain seemed as though it would not stop and the hail was hitting the top of the BBQ cover while the drops later fell to the ground. Sure was  something for the history books especially since there was no sign of hail after the storm passed through.

 

Nothing beats a curry, fish, and salad dinner like a nice glass of wine:

Cheers to my lovelies,

Jessica xo

Lobster Feast with a side of FIFA

This weekend was really busy for me as Jordan and I were rearranging our room and doing a lot of Spring Cleaning. I can see what people call it Spring Cleaning as some do purge a lot of things that are probably never used. As for myself, I can admit I fall into that category. I have filled two bags full for a donation to Salvation Army since I am in a position to donate to those less fortunate. I have loved my things dearly and when they were used/worn, they were my absolute favourite. Now, I must come to terms that some things are better to be donated or thrown out.

Today is a lovely Sunday compared to Friday where it poured in the GTA like there was a hurricane coming through the city. This day is perfect for the FIFA qualifiers match Canada vs. USA - but first, I will join my colleagues on a lobster feast. 

Days after the game:

I am sitting down days after, writing a continuation of my drafted blog post regarding the soccer game and lobster feast. It is always nice to see my colleagues and share moments with them since my close friends are living in Ottawa/abroad in Europe as it is very difficult to make friendships in a new place if you do not take the time to spend quality time with new people. These folks are educated, responsible, career-oriented but most importantly, very respectful. We had a great time cooking up three live lobsters for all to share.

Though it would have been a better time if Jordan came, it is nice to share some time apart at times. While sitting at the BMO field, it made me realize that I would much rather be home nestled in bed or cuddled with him. Partly because the game was not the greatest even though Canada played better than the USA, but mostly because I do miss him when we are apart. I wanted to come home and see him, but the game had merely just hit half time. Being with someone you love is a great gift and it does make you understand the meaning of selfless and putting the other first when decisions are to be made. Never take what you have for granted for you never know what tomorrow might bring. I can honestly tell you, I have the best boyfriend in the world whom I love dearly.

Love always,

Jessica xox

Holding up the live lobsters

Going for the first bite

Canada vs. USA FIFA qualifiers