Happy Valentine's Day

Do you remember when you were in elementary school?  You would make valentine pouches to hold all those cute cards you would get from all your classmates. 

I looked forward to getting home to those chocolate covered marshmallow hearts my parents always got me. That is what I believed Valentine's Day was all about.

When I got older, it was more about receiving heart shaped boxes of Purdy's chocolates, flowers and dining out.

Now a day, trying to make a reservation for Valentine's dinner must be made two months in advance, my midriff doesn't need chocolate and flowers seem like a waste of money.

My husband must think the day was made-up by card companies. He never misses a funny card with sexual innuendo. I have to admit, I do look forward to  receiving those. Where he finds them, I have no idea.

Here are some hunches on where and when Valentine's Day came to be.

Video provided by Encyclopedia Britannica.

National Umbrella Day

Fun facts:

February 10th marks the day the Umbrella was invented some 4,000 years ago. First seen in Egypt and China. It's one of the most useful tool of the fashion accessory industry, created to keep us dry and shaded. 

                             Concourse, Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas

Superstion has it that the Ancient Egyptian Sun God "Ra" would hail his wrath to anyone opening an Umbrella indoors. In Chinese culture,  gifting Umbrellas ends relationships. And, whatever you do, don't put one on your bed. Apparently doing so invites illness. Maybe avoid walking under all those Venetian Glass Umbrellas at the Bellagio if your planning on winning some money.

National Pzza Day

Today is a day for pizza, especially if you're hungover from the big game yesterday. 

Screw that, every day is pizza day in my opinion. It is actually the healthiest junk food.

Modern Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy. What I mean by modern is, putting toppins on flat bread. In some offbeat locations of Italy they only have bar pie, which is just a tomato based sauce. They seem confused by the idea of toppings.

Ancient Greece and Egypt had a form of pizza, so did pizza really come from Italy? Being Italian I want to say, yes!

The Margharita Pizza is the earliest form of the flat bread treat. So eat pizza every February 9th!

                            Brisket Pizza

A great way to use up leftover brisket

BBQ Sauce

Brisket

Sautéed Onions

Cotiga or Feta

Grilled Pineapple

Enjoy!

If you leave this unit unlocked, I may go for a joy ride!

The financing was quit the undertaking to secure. Going to the financial institution I normally deal with in regards to business was a complete waste of time. My personal banking is done elsewhere, and that was futile as well. I was told Credit Unions are the way to go, so off I trotted. Again, no luck! My builder gave me a recommendation, so I tried that avenue. He said he was not the right guy, but he could refer me to someone. At this point anything was worth a try. Bingo! Finally someone that understood.

I own my home out right, have several income producing properties, and own the land I plan on building on. With all that equity plus my RRSPs and other assets, who new it would be so hard to borrow the funds to build a house.

Oh well, it's done. Now for the real adventure to begin!

Excavators: Triple B Excavators, Abbotsford, BC

Groundhog Day - Fun Facts

On the 2nd day of February there has been a celebration of sorts. A fun way Americans as well as Canadians show a sense of Community. The folklore was brought over to America by German speaking, Dutch immigrants settling in the state of Pennsylvania in 1887, though it must have been an event started long before that. 

A Groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his den, if he sees his shadow he retreats back inside to den for another six weeks, if he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early. It should be known that this little creature only has a 40% accuracy rate. Pennsylvania makes a lot of hoopla over this form of forecasting, drawing crouds from all over the state. Phil's inner circle says he is the original groundhog, kept alive with a magical elixir. You should take that with a grain of salt. 

National Plan your Vaction Day

Plan your Vacation Day! I had no idea there was such a thing. I just assumed you can do this any time, but I am wrong🤣. An example is a trip over seas. I am planning to visit Portugal, Spain & Morocco. This will be my first time to these countries and I want to use tour packages. I feel this would be the best way to see the highlights and at the same time, educate myself to see if I would want to return on my own.

Well, as it turns out,  these packages sell out and therefore makes it difficult to line up which country to visit first. My guess is, this is why travel agents are still in business and I will definitely be using one.

I travel to Mexico once a year for 2 weeks and these trips are easy to plan on your own, but more intricate vacations have proven to be difficult. So it makes sense to have a starting point. 

January 26th is the official day, but as I see it, close to it will suffice. Sit down and figure out where you want to go, what you want to see and the best time of year to go, how much it will cost and start saving your spending money, not to mention making sure your passport is valid.

Now knowing all of this, I will not be going to Europe/Africa as I wanted to. I have to push this trip off for the time being and await the travel agent putting this all together for me. 

In the meantime, I have picked a new destination in Mexico. I will travel to Hautulco

via Westjet and stay at the Barcelõ Hautulco , and use Viator to book all the adventures that interest me, Easy Peasy!