10 posts tagged “steve”

Last Friday was Steve's birthday.  This year didn't mark just another birthday but a milestone birthday as Steve turned the big 3-0 so big celebrations were in order.  Now that we live together, it's really hard to surprise him with a gift especially since we live in a condo and there's not much space to hide a birthday gift.  So I had to outsmart him and hid the gift at my sister's place.  On Thursday night when he wasn't expecting the festivities to begin yet, my sister and her husband came over and we surprised him with gifts and a Reese-flavoured ice cream cake. 

Steve's bday gift

Steve is the hardest person to shop for b/c first he's a guy and second he has everything he actually wants and needs.  I walked around the mall for 5 hours and ended up buying him the very first thing I saw.  I decided to buy him the Sony VAIO travel laptop so he doesn't have to lug around his huge HP laptop every time we travel.  Of course he loved it b/c I'm just that good at anticipating what will make him drool.

On Friday we hit the golf course with Steve's parents and we lucked out b/c the forecast was calling for rain but instead we got clear blue skies with lots of sun.  A bit too much sun though b/c I actually got a nasty arm tan.  Think golf shirt with short sleeves and golf gloves =(

After 18 holes of golf we raced home, showered, and were out the door again to meet friends for dinner and dancing.  I picked a restaurant that turns into a lounge with a small dance floor at 10pm so we could take our time after dinner and enjoy some good music.  We weren't disappointed as the food was great and the DJ was spinning great top 40, RnB, and reggae that made us get up and dance.

Sunday night Steve's parents had a BBQ at their house and invited my parents, my Godfather and his family, and Steve's Godmother and her husband.  Again the weather was nice and warm so we sat outside in the backyard and ate steaks, pork, and mango, potato and seaweed salad (so yummy).  I love how our families get along so well.

Steve and I were up super early on Monday morning b/c his little bro (who lives in Hong Kong) came to visit with his gf and we had to pick them up at the airport at 7:30am (hey that's early for a Saturday!).  I realized that I love being a tour guide for our beautiful city, Toronto.  There are so many places to visit and so much food varieties to try that throughout the day I kept changing my mind about which restaurant I wanted to take them to.  We began the day with breakfast at Cora's, then swung by Steve's parents' house to say hello, headed downtown to the C.N. Tower, stopped by the distillery district for lunch, drove up Yonge so the gf could see the city, brought them to our place for a visit and a nap, and finally took them to a Chinese seafood restaurant for dinner with Steve's family.

We were exhausted by the time we got home that we all crashed as soon as we got back to the condo.  The next morning we were up early again and made the 2.5 hour drive north to cottage country.  I was psyched to chill on the dock and get my tan on but it was soooo cold and windy.  So, no tan for me.

It was back to work on Thursday and as soon as I was greeted by the 220+ emails in my inbox, I was kicking myself for not taking the last 2 days of the week off.

Anyway, I can't complain b/c Steve had an awesome birthday with lots of food, drinks, family and friends, and so I am happy that my goal was accomplished  =)

Steve is not one to waste things whether it's food, money or anything really.  While I can certainly appreciate that, there comes a point where a line needs to be drawn.  I've brought this up to him before but I was recently reminded of the situation the other day when I was being a good wife and folding 30 of his white t-shirts (yes he is somewhat obsessed with white t-shirts!).  Three of them caught my attention b/c they have MAJOR holes everywhere... especially around the collar, shoulders, and bottom hem. 

Why does he keep these shirts?!  They absolutely drive me nuts.  He only wears them at home but seriously... what's the point in wearing a shirt with so many holes that it doesn't even hang on your body anymore but sags!  It's the same thing with some of his socks.  The holes are there and completely visible but he wears them anyway, sometimes forgetting we're going to someone's house. 

I have begged him to throw them out and have even offered to buy him new shirts and socks but for some reason he's very attached.  Hence I had to send him a gentle reminder...

Time to throw out

He eats the weird looking, non-perfectly shaped cherries that don't look too appetizing after I pick them up and decide I don't want it.  But he was nice enough to save me the best for last... a cherry shaped like an ass!

Cherry

Steve and I own two cars because we each had our own car before we were married.  Our condo only came with one parking spot so we had to rent a second spot from a resident in the building.  It worked out well since Steve was able to talk the guy down $10, but after living here for a year we realized we really don't need two cars.  I take the subway to work 5 days a week while he drives to work, and on the weekends we pretty much use the car together.  So for the most part, my car is sitting in the parking garage taking up space and costing us money.

So we decided to get rid of Steve's car since his is older, and it just so happened that my brother was looking for a car.  After a couple months of planning, today was the day we officially transferred the car over to my brother.  It was such a sad moment for Steve who has grown so attached to this car.  He bought it when he was 20 and he's now going to be 30 in a few weeks so this was the car he drove all throughout his 20s.  He's had so many awesome adventures with this car and will definitely miss the after-market stereo system and speakers he put in that makes the car vibrate.  I took a couple pictures of Steve with his car to show our future kids that this was the car daddy drove in his "younger" years.

Steve has been through many drive-thrus over this past decade and every time he received change he would put it in the pocket at the bottom of his driver's side door.  You can imagine how much change has accumulated over the years.  Today we emptied it and went to a local grocery store that has a machine where you dump all your change in for exchange for bills.  So we started dumping and at one point the machine actually asked us to stop so they could "catch up" with the total.

Dumping change into the machine

We were staring in disbelief as the total surpassed $10, then $20, then $25.  After a 10% usage fee, here was our grand total.

Total change

On Saturday morning Steve and I had an appointment booked for a side by side couples massage.  My sister and I normally go for massages once a month and our husbands felt left out so we decided to bring them along this time.  We booked a 60 minute full body massage and I told my massage therapist to focus on my lower back.  She was extremely good in the sense that her pressure was strong and never wavered but I felt she worked too much on my shoulders and not my lower back. 

I tend to tense up if the pressure is too strong around my neck and shoulders, and I think she thought she had to put extra focus there b/c my muscles were stiff.  A word of advice for those new to massages: tensing up is probably the worse thing you can do during a massage b/c if the massage therapist is working on the tense muscle, you're going to feel pain.

It still felt good but I wasn't completely satisfied after the 60 minutes were over b/c my lower back was still stiff and uncomfortable.  This was totally my fault though b/c afterward when the four of us were comparing notes in the car, I found out that it's not my lower back that's the problem, it's the part where my back meets my butt which is called your glutes.  Or the top of your glutes.  It must be the way I sit at my desk all day that makes my glutes sore.  I have the worse habit of bringing up my legs and sitting cross-legged or crossing one over the other... almost like the spine twist yoga pose but on my chair instead of the floor.  Next time I'm not going to ask for the full-body massage but a 60 minute back massage with a focus on my upper glutes. 

Unfortunately Steve didn't get the great experience I was hoping for b/c his massage therapist sucked.  Apparently she'd do a full 2 minutes on a left muscle and slack off and do 1 minute on the right.  And THEN she massaged his face with the eucalyptus oil (awesome btw!) right after massaging his feet.  LMAO!!!  Only Steve would care about that.

Luckily Steve's a sport and said he'd go back b/c I promised him I'd book him with Vicky who's probably the best massage therapist there.  She's the one who realized my glutes were sore and needed attention before I even knew it.  I'll probably book our next appointment for 3 weeks from now. 

Gotta love Steve's work benefits =)

The warm weather has finally arrived and it was the first time I could bust out my new Michael Kors sandals which I love to pieces. It was free hamburger day at my favourite burger joint but I was starving and one look at the long line-up was enough to make me turn on my heels and find something else to eat. Free or not, I will not wait for a ridiculous amount of time for food.

So Steve and I went across the street and ordered a rather pricey (but delicious)burger which we enjoyed outside on the patio. There was a slight chill in the shade but it was nice and warm in the sun. Felt so good to have some sun shining on my bare arms again after being cooped up inside all winter.

Burger on the patio.jpg

Steve made me the most wonderful breakfast this morning. It was so delicious that I can't resist sharing it.

What you'll need:
> Sliced bread
> Eggs
> Peanut butter
> Syrup or honey
> Steve's secret ingredient: bananas!

How to prepare:
1. Spread peanut butter on 2 slices of bread.
2. Slice bananas in 1/2 inches and put on one of the slices of bread. Put other slice on top and squish.
3. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl.
4. Heat pan and pour in eggs.
5. Fry bread on both sides.
6. Enjoy with syrup or honey.

I have to admit the peanut butter kinda threw me off but it was so delicious so don't skip!

HK French Toast.jpg

I had an amazing long weekend. Friday night we had dinner with our church friends and tried out a Korean restaurant just a few steps from my condo. The outside of the restaurant was thankfully NOT a reflection of the delicious food with multiple side dishes. The place was nice and clean but kinda small for a group of 10. Afterward we all headed back to my condo for a wii party.

Saturday started off with an hour of work (booo) followed by an hour and a half of hot yoga (yay!). I was finally able to do the entire standing series without taking a break and.... I did the plank THREE times! Remember, my goal was to do it by the tenth class but I managed to do by the fourth. I can't hold it as long as I'd like to but that will come with practice. I was so proud of myself!

The night ended at the movie theatre where Steve and I, along with my sis and her hubby, went to watch the new Star Trek movie. For someone who is not a Star Trek fan, I loved the movie. I finally understand the premise of the original TV series. I've only seen a few episodes when I was a kid and always thought of Star Trek as a soap opera of weird looking people aimlessly flying around in space in a UFO. I now know there's a bit more to the series than that!

Had a late start on Sunday as Steve and I slept in. We finally woke up, rushed out the door, grabbed brunch, and drove across the city to meet his parents for a game of golf. This was only the second time I've ever been on a golf course. The course itself was well-maintained and most of the holes were long and straight so I got to practice my long drives. It was so nice to be outside after a long nasty winter and take in the fresh air and beautiful view of the Niagara Escarpment. Unfortunately it was a very windy day so we were freezing cold! The loud wind and my runny nose was very distracting and I couldn't focus so much. I had a wonderful time though. We plan to golf with Steve's parents once a month.

Today we spent the entire day at my parents' house. We had lunch together and then my Godfather and his family and my cousin and his family came over for a visit. I don't think I've seen them since Christmas so it was really nice to catch up.

And now I'm just relaxing on my big comfy sofa watching The Hills aftershow and waiting for Steve to finish cutting his hair in the bathroom.

My weekend was perfect. All that was missing was the fireworks.

The golf course.jpg

I decided last week that I wanted to write an exam to obtain a certificate in my work industry. The exam is offered at the end of every month but since work is going to be crazy busy in May, June, and July, I decided to suck it up and start cramming so I can write the exam next week.

I've been studying every night since Monday and have been neglecting my husband along the way. He's been very supportive though by taking on our everyday chores such as cleaning/washing up after dinner, packing our lunch, getting things ready for breakfast and bringing me a cup of hot, steaming green tea with just the right amount of honey while I'm sitting in the office studying. He also takes out the garbage, does laundry and makes me breakfast. Yes... He really is perfect in more ways than one and this is why I love this man!

Green tea with honey.jpg