Anniversary

Alas, Fourteen Years is Far too Short a Time…

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Dear family, friends, and fans;

Roughly seventeen and a half years ago I met a geeky girl online ,and after chatting for a few weeks we decided to go on a date. It was awkward. I was late and talking about a girl I liked in my classes. She disappeared in the bookstore we started in. I asked her to help me pick a grad photo. She talked about her exes and how she wasn’t sure it was over.

Despite all that, we talked about everything and anything. We shared banana cake and I walked her home. We kissed in the cold outside her house for way longer than was appropriate and a few weeks later we decided to be exclusive.

It wasn’t an easy start and I’m surprised we survived that first year. I’m very insecure (I have RSD) and it felt like we came from two very different worlds. The only thing that really saved us was that we talked about everything.

We’ve been married now fourteen years and we’ve both been through a lot, both good and bad. I really think it’s our quantity of communication that has saved our relationship. We might not have always been talking about the things we should have, but we were still talking. Sometimes until way too late at night

Jen is my wife, my best friend, and the best business/writing partner I could ask for.

To paraphrase Bilbo Baggins, (in words not spirit) “Alas, fourteen years is far too short a time to live among such an excellent and admirable wife.”

I know that if we keep talking, we’ll be able to enjoy each other for a long time to come. Even if we don’t get much sleep.

I love you Jen!

Hocus Pocus, Massachusetts!

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We recently introduced the classic Disney movie Hocus Pocus to our 3yo Dragon. She loved it. Obviously.

But it got me thinking…why haven’t I written a post about visiting the sets of Hocus Pocus yet?

Most of the movie was set on a sound stage (kinda hard to rig a flying witch in the real world, I guess!) but the outdoor, daytime sets were in Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Image of Max’s house in Hocus Pocus. Image from boston.com

With the 25th Anniversary of Hocus Pocus last year, the cities saw an up-tick of Halloween tourists, happy to see the outsides (and some insides) of buildings that made up part of their favourite Halloween movie.

You can too!

References

boston.com
salem.org

You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Dear Dragon and Pegasus – Your Mum

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Dear Dragon and Pegasus,

As of this writing, it’s been exactly 4,950 days since I met your mother. On Wednesday, it’ll be our 13.5 year dating anniversary and our 10th wedding anniversary.

By the time you read this, you’ll probably think we’ve been together forever. Sometimes I feel that way too. It’s hard to imagine my life without her.

The two of us have been through a lot together. She’s helped me through some of the toughest parts of my life. To you, she’s just your Mum, but I don’t think you’ll ever understand how much she loves you. (I’m not sure she does either.)

If there’s one thing you have to know about your Mum, it’s that she’s always thinking of your best interests. (Well maybe not always, but in all the big things.) She wants you to be happy.

She’s not perfect; she’ll get completely sucked into a game or story. She can get overwhelmed and get grumpy. She’s WAY too hard on herself about almost anything. But no matter what, she will drop anything for family, friends, and especially you; to listen and support.

She throws herself body, heart, soul, into her relationships. Because of that, she leaves herself open to being hurt, but so often she makes amazing friends. She sees the best in everyone and loves everyone.

If you reach out to her, she will always be ready with a hug, an attentive ear, and a kind word.

There’s a lot in this world that’s scary, a lot that is bad, and even more that’s sad. Count yourself lucky that you have a Mum that will hug you and be there for you when you need her. The world can’t be all that bad when it has someone so open and willing to love.

She’s my favourite person, my best friend, and by far the best part of me. Remember to take care of her the way she will always take care of you.

Your loved Papa

P.S. She gives great hugs.

A Haunted Anniversary

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The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland is celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary this August, and they’re inviting all of the living to join them!

Celebrating 50 Years of Retirement Unliving The Haunted Mansion Disneyland. Image from disneyfoodblog.com

Well, all the living that manage to buy a ticket, that is.

There are only two dates for this special celebration: August 7th and 8th (until 4am the next morning).

Tickets are priced at $299 USD per person, and while the wording is vague about what is free and what is not for food, they do specify “a commemorative event memento, […] a guide map, event credential, and unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass® photos taken during the event [are] included with each ticket.”

Don’t want to miss out on a once in a lifetime (or deathtime?) event in Disneyland California? Tickets are available starting tomorrow, May 23, 2019.

If you’re lucky a ghost might even follow you home.

You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Manila, Philippines

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On Facebook yesterday, a lot of people were sharing an article about The Nook Cafe – a Harry Potter themed coffee shop. Being a huge fan of Harry Potter, I decided to write a bit about it today.

The Nook Cafe in Manila. Image from aminoapps.com
The Nook Cafe in Manila. Image from aminoapps.com. Great article at the link, from someone who has actually visited the cafe!

The Nook Cafe is in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and celebrated their one year anniversary yesterday, June 7. (Happy Anniversary!)

They are celebrating all week. If anyone reads this blog and happens to be in Manila, go check them out! But be prepared for a wait – if they’re packed on a regular day, I imagine that it will be even more so during this week!

I now have another reason to travel to the South Pacific!

If you’d like help booking this trip (or others!). You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Anniversary

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I missed my blogging anniversary. Ok I missed one of my blogging anniversaries. I have four, the latest being the creation of this blog way back in August, then there’s the decision to blog regularly even farther back in December 2013, and the creation of my previous Aspiring Something Blog in May 2008.

I’d say I’ve been blogging seriously since December 2013, sporadically since 2008, but I’ve been blogging since 2004.

Back in 2004

Back then the word blog wasn’t in the dictionary and many people hated it. Some used Web Log, or Electronic Diary, serious news types had Ezines. I used a popular site that still exists called Livejournal.com, the original blog is long dead.

Surprisingly the content I wrote back them wasn’t all that different. Mostly I wrote about my life and trying to find love, but you’d find the occasional rant and pseudo-philosophical stuff I still do today. I had no idea I wanted to be a writer despite the half-finished novels and dozens of Dungeons & Dragons stories that could be found on my giant 256mb USB drive. Instead of talking about writing I’d write bad poetry.

I love poetry but I have the hardest time writing it. My in-laws are amazing Limerick writers but I spent all of dinner trying to write one and couldn’t get it. I know the theory and the words but I can’t put them together.

 

What would you like to see me write more of in the next 10 years?

Eric