My First Trip To Disney World!

It has been a little over a week since I left the place "where dreams come true" and re-joined the real world. Returning to Nova Scotia in full-fledged fall was a shock to the system, when we left for Florida we had been experiencing unseasonably high temperatures for Canada's Ocean Playground in October. I'm talking a week

long stretch in that had hit 20 degrees every day. I don't think we have had a truly nice day here in the sunny Annapolis Valley since we returned... gross. 

Back to the magic... Our trip to Disney World was amazing! It was my first time visiting Florida and it turns out going at the end of October is the perfect time of year (for me anyways) to go. Everyday was sunny and in the high 20s or low 30s and I don't think I felt a drop of rain after stepping off the plane! 

The entire trip was fabulous; we spent everyday of our seven-day trip exploring the four Disney parks. There really is so much to do we were fully immersed and could have used an extra day. Our longest day was Saturday (the first day we were at the park) we started at the Animal Kingdom when it opened and finished the day off with "Extra Magic Hours" at the Magic Kingdom until about 2am. It was a long day, so we napped after lunch. Taking advantage of the extra hours was key, we felt like we accomplished so much in one day so we did not have to rush as much the rest of the trip. 

So much of the "magic" actually happened before we ever left Nova Scotia. If you are a seasoned Disney Adventurer you may not be a fan of the new "My Disney Experience" app and system for reserving "Fastpasses" and experiences but it was a huge help and a nice guiding hand for our trip. We never waited more than 30 minutes to get on a ride and that only happened once in the Magic Kingdom for the hottest ride at Disney, "The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train". To be fair 30 minutes is a very short wait to get on this red-hot ride; we experienced it at about 1am during the "Extra Magic Hours". The only unfortunate thing about the new "My Disney Experience" app and planning website is that things can be fully booked up (like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) before you start planning your trip! This happened to us so we knew that it was do-or-die to get on the ride and we took our one shot when we could in the middle of the night. It turned out that as I was trolling the system the night before our last day of vacation someone else cancelled Fastpasses for the ride so we snagged them and got to ride New Fantasyland's crown jewel a second time. 

Speaking of New Fantasyland lets take a second and talk about the addition to the Magic Kingdom that is bringing the crowds back to Disney World to re-experience the magic. I am so happy that my first visit to Disney World was after the New Fantasyland expansion. We truly experienced New Fantasyland from hanging out in Gaston's Tavern to telling Belle a story as part of "Enchanted Tales With Belle" we did it all! I strongly recommend booking meal Fastpasses and pre-ordering food at "Be Our Guest". We only did quick-service dining in the Magic Kingdom and our meal in the Beast's castle was by far the best quick-service meal we had! (You can check out the Fastpass system for "Be Our Guest" here) 

Well now that the magical part of the trip has been discussed lets travel back to the adult world. As a twenty-five year old woman I would have to select the World Showcase as my favourite part of the trip. We were lucky enough to experience the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival while we visited, making the World Showcase even more interesting. With the added booths it truly made it feel like you were walking around the World. We had the majority of our table service meals at Epcot's World Showcase; it was like dining in a new country every night! For a look at some of the restaurants we visited you can check out my profile on Trip Advisor. 

We also enjoyed The Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios. We felt as though The Animal Kingdom was a true half-day park for us but we also felt that it was home to the best roller coaster of any of the parks, Expedition Everest. Yes, we liked it more than the Mine Train! Hollywood Studios also had rides that we loved, but overall had an empty feeling... like there was a lot of space ready to be transformed. The "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster" and "Tower of Terror" were rides that we absolutely loved and had us coming back to Hollywood Studios day after day. We also had one of the BEST meals of our trip at Hollywood Studios at "Hollywood & Vine". Yes, this was a little questionable as the restaurant is the host of the Disney Junior character dining experience and we really did not care to see any of the characters because we are adults without children, but the menu looked amazing! The food selection did not disappoint. Though the kids rain around willy-nilly chasing the characters and mowing down chicken nuggets, I totally recommend this restaurant (and the lobster mac & cheese) to everyone! 

"Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" was another highlight of the trip, getting to dress-up and run around the Magic Kingdom trick-or-treating made me feel like a giant child! World Showcase may have been my favourite adult part of the trip, but my inner-child loved the Magic Kingdom! We brought a massive haul of candy back to our hotel room and still had a full bag leftover when we arrived home. The photo opportunities were really neat with rarely seen Disney characters and the atmosphere in the park was spooky... It was busier than I expected on a Tuesday night with ten days to go before Halloween, next time I would try to go in late September to beat the crowds. 

Overall we had an awesome time at Disney World. It was the first time in a long time that I have skipped the gym and discarded my healthy eating habits. I was feeling a little sluggish towards the end of the trip after being fuelled by sugar and sweets for an entire week, but that is part of vacation, right? On a side note, everyday we took on average about 30,000 steps! Tracked with the brilliant "Breeze" app it was fun to keep track just how much we were walking and then figure out the distances. 

We celebrated #Halloween last night at the #MagicKingdom. Adult trick or treating, parades, fireworks and very short ride lines. It was so much fun! #disneyworld

A photo posted by Kate Bruce (@kategbruce) on Oct 10, 2014 at 6:33am PDT

Kicking Off My Calgary Trip to the Calgary Farmers' Market

I have had an amazing couple of days in Calgary so far! I have done a little bit of all of my favourite things. The trip started with amazing Crave cupcakes (as every trip to Calgary should). They were waiting for me on arrival with the new feature flavour of the month (it may have changed now that it is August), lemon meringue. It was perfectly light and flavourful, the perfect cupcake for summer! We have Crave cupcakes every week when are living in Calgary and every trip when we visit. My sister is such a big fan that I always have to bring some home to Nova Scotia with me when I am flying from Calgary. When I leave Wednesday morning I will be carrying Crave cupcakes on the flight with me by request for Kevin in Quebec and Beckie in Nova Scotia. We sure do crazy things for the people we love! Want more on Crave, do your sweet tooth a favour and visit their homepage by clicking here. 

After indulging in amazing Crave cupcakes for dessert I nestled into bed and met an early morning alarm for a trip to the Calgary Farmers' Market. I am of the opinion that visiting Farmers' Markets earlier rather than later is always the best call. This was my first trip to the Calgary Farmers' Market and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the Calgary Farmers' Market, it is right up there with my favourite market in Vancouver (Granville Island) and the Open Aire Market in La Jolla. 

I tried a little bit of everything and much like Kootenay Festival I started my day with a little breakfast gelato from Frank & Mabel’s Frozen Treats! I had a “cookie” flavoured gelato pop and it was amazing. It left me wanting an entire serving, but it was a little too early for the full serving for me.

I should note before I made it to the food court in the Calgary Farmers' Market I had already indulged in some almonds. As you can see Going Nuts has a wide range of almonds for your tasting perusal, I tried a little bit of everything. There were amazing flavours that everyone can love and then innovative new almond flavours that only Going Nuts makes. For example, they have two new summer flavours “Watermelon” and “Sour Patch Kids”. Yes, two very unique flavours of almonds. Honestly, I enjoyed them both. They are different and fruity, perfect conversation starters for your next gift or gathering! What did I end up choosing? Well, after three months away from almonds and our low-carb diet I picked Kevin up the most popular almonds Going Nuts sells “coconut almonds”. I am so excited for him to try them. You can visit their website here for a full look at the amazing nuts, trail mixes and everything they offer.

Another item I picked up for Kevin’s “welcome back to the real world” goodie bag is one of my favourite things to eat but not make, peanut brittle. I tired a wide range of Sweet’s peanut brittle and I was so impressed with each flavour. I had to pick up a bar and I immediately knew which flavour I needed as soon as I saw it, I had to give it a taste too and I was so impressed with the salty/sweet balance, of course I had to buy Sweet’s “Bacon Brittle”! I am equally as excited to open the brittle and give it a go! Sweet can be found on the web here... 

We finished our trip to the Calgary Farmers' Market with a coffee from the Fratello Analog Café. We are big fans of Fratello coffees but I had to try their special feature “Iced London Fog” which was Earl Grey tea with vanilla and milk. I’m not a fan of any type of tea (so to be honest with you I am not sure why I chose this) but I absolutely loved this creation. For more on Fratello Coffee click here.

On top of the many fun, tasty products I sampled and bought on my first trip to the Calgary Farmers' Market we also bought a great deal of healthy stuff too! 

-Flat iron steaks from Silver Sage Beef. Check them out here. 

-Basil, greens and rhu-berry pie from Innisfail Growers. Mare about Innisfail Growers here. 

-Lobster mac & cheese from Simple Simon Pies. Your path to indulgence starts with a click here. 

-Lots of fruit from Cherry Pit. Much, much more than cherries! For all the details on Cherry Pit click here.

On top of the amazing assortment of goods we walked out of the market with there were many other unique goods at The Calgary’s Farmers' Market everything from a wide range of bee’s wax products, dog treats, vinegars, oils, flowers, gluten-free foods (I am seriously excited to try the gluten-free bakery’s bread) and farm fresh eggs. I could list the amazing goods and services at the Calgary Farmers' Market for pages (if blogs had pages). 

More than just a market for your basic necessities, Calgary Farmers' Market is pretty much a mall that you can go to and feel good about blowing your budget at. How often can you say that? I love spending my money and meeting the people who it will be benefit, that is something that will never truly happen at a big-box store. I think sometimes in cities we take for granted how important buying local is, we think that someone else who has more money will do it or that the market is a place for stroller-pushing mums to meet up and hangout at. The Calgary Farmers' Market is definitely not like that at all. I saw business men meeting up for a quick bite of lunch, picking up a couple of groceries and then sitting down for a quick meeting. The Calgary Farmers' Market is designed to appeal to a wide range of people and I can guarantee you will enjoy it!

It was the perfect way to start my Friday! After the Market the day continued to be awesome with a quaint BBQ on the deck and then a Stamp’s game. They won 99% of the game, if only they would have won the 1% of the game that mattered…

Need all the details on the Calgary Farmers' Market you can visit their website here. The Calgary Farmers' Market is open all year long on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9am until 5pm! 

Mountain FM and AM Ford Ride the Heart & Stroke Big Bike!

Team AM Ford... not everyone was ready for the picture!

On Tuesday Jenny Fines and I experienced our first Big Bike ride together as Team Mountain FM, a division

of Team AM Ford. It was so nice of everyone at AM Ford to invite us to take part in this massive fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. We were a little intimidated by the huge 29 seat bike, but the hardest part was getting on. 

We really did have so much fun ripping around downtown Trail with our friends from AM Ford. We made a lot of noise as we passed through the streets and people inside businesses came out to cheer us on. We may have run a few red lights, but that is not why cars honked and people waved at us--- everyone we passed in Trail was super supportive. 

I still can't believe we were invited to take part in this incredible event! 

Not that it is a competition (but it kind of is) but when we sat our butts on the bike we (Team AM Ford) were tied, neck and neck with Teck's fundraising efforts!

Our fundraising goal for Team AM Ford is $3000.00; right now we have about $500.00 to go! You can donateby clicking here. 

My First Real NHL Game

Last weekend I got my first real dose of NHL hockey. From paying big $$$ to have a casual drink at the game, to paying more $$$ to eat Saddledome favourites like ‘Pocketdogs’ and mini-donuts; I truly experienced and NHL game for the first time.

I will admit, I have seen a pre-season game; an exhibition match between the then Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians in Halifax. But it wasn’t the true NHL experience. We had great seats, we decked ourselves out in team apparel but it was not the real deal. It was a great night, but not quite and NHL game.

Last winter I took in a Ducks game in Anaheim, Nashville was in town and I was in awe. It was closer to what I had expected an NHL game to be like, the Honda Center was incredible. Again, we had great seats; but something about it was still lacking. The rink wasn't even close to full. It was quieter than the Metro Centre’s pre-season exhibition game (where there was no home team). People were more concerned with taking selfies than watching the game.

Other things seemed off too, the lines were WAY longer for food than drinks. Something my boyfriend (a guy who grew up with Flames season tickets) said was the opposite in Canada.

But, I got to have a moment with Wild Wing (the Ducks mascot). This was a great moment because as a kid, before I ever even thought about playing hockey I was a fan of the short-lived Disney animated Mighty Duck series.

So, last Saturday night I was ecstatic to finally be seeing a game in Canada. I had always thought it would be a Canucks game, I have been a fan of the Canucks for ages and it had been a goal to see my first NHL game in Vancouver. But, then life happened and I found myself calling Calgary home and things changed a bit. I could no longer avoid popping on Flames merch and smiling at the dream of playoffs.

I don’t think we could have picked a better night to see the Flames. It was Western Night at the Dome, Paul Brandt made both national anthems sound incredible and the Flames pushed their home winning streak to five games. Minnesota was in town and made a comeback after pissing away the first part of the game, pushing it to overtime.

Things I loved about this game:

-Dany Heatley, scored his tenth of the year at the Dome. I know this is counter-intuitive, I was totally cheering for the Flames but when the All-star himself is in town you want to see him put something on the board.

-Mikael Backlund achieved redemption after a horrible pass (that led to a Wild goal) with not one, but two goals; including the game-winner in OT.

-It was Western Night. I love how hokey Calgary becomes during the Stampede and that kitchy environment was part of the Flames Western Night. Gunfire after the national anthems, the ice cleaning girls in plaid and denim, white Stetsons in abundance and LOTS of Stampede talk; Western Night recreated the feeling of Stampede at a hockey game.

-No matter how big the crowd is, you can always find a friend. Without knowing where our buddy was sitting (he didn't know where we were either) we ran into him during the first intermission. No barn is to big to keep friends apart!

My first NHL game in Canada was not what I expected. The fact that it was Western Night was a delightful surprise that made my trip Calgary complete.

The 117th Rossland Winter Carnival

What a crazy weekend!

I believe I have the best job out there. 

My Saturday started with a trip to my first ever Rossland Winter Carnival. This year was the 117th Rossland Winter Carnival and it was the talk of the station all week leading into the great event. I love Rossland, if it was closer to the station I would love to live there. I get excited whenever I get to go to Rossland, so I was pumped to say the least to get to go to Day 3 of the Winter Carnival. 

It got off to an interesting start, we parked on a side street and walked down to Columbia Avenue, but the street we took was covered in snow and people were snowboarding down it! It was incredible, there was a live DJ mixing for them and people took turns completing their trick run. One snowboarder almost ate-it and nearly came off the snow covered part of the street and into me as I watched. It was slightly terrifying, but overall very cool! I have never witnessed anything quite like it!

The Mountain FM and 1035 the Bridge team was hard at work when I got to our Columbia Ave. location, handing out hot chocolate, coffee, popcorn, Queen City Crisps with Antoinette's Dip (what nice people, eh?). Our team also gave away Mountain Sky lip balms and I must say, I snagged one and love it!

On top of interacting with everyone attending the Rossland Winter Carnival I got to check out the many food vendors and explore Rossland's Columbia Ave. like never before. I made my first s'mores on the street, it was amazing! S'mores flavoured things just cannot compare to the real thing! Everyone told me I burnt the marshmallow, but I still thought it was addictive... so tasty!  

I can't wait until next year's Rossland Winter Carnival, it truly is the perfect winter festival. To be honest with you, I have never been to a Winter Carnival and I am not sure any other could compete with the Rossland Winter Carnival.

Keep up with the Rossland Winter Carnival all year long and get involved volunteering at the 118th Rossland Winter Carnival by checking out www.rosslandwintercarnival.com!

My First Halloween On-Air

Sorry to anyone included in this photo collage, I guess
you have learned an important lesson about taking photos
with me.

My stomach feels like an alien baby is trying to escape me. I have consumed more than my fair share of Halloween carbs today. 

This morning I woke up dreading today, dreading a day that has in the past been one of my favourite celebrations of the year, Halloween. I have not really taken part in Halloween the past three years since I graduated from university and started dating a Halloween’s Eve Baby. Yes, my boyfriend’s birthday is the day before Halloween so he (rightfully) opts out of Halloween every year because he claims it steals the attention he should be receiving because of his birth date. My birthday is the day before April Fool’s Day (March 31) and my little brother’s birthday is the day after April Fool’s Day (April 1) so I completely understand how annoying it is to have another occasion steal your day.

Today, I am committing one of the cardinal sins of Halloween. I am wearing a Halloween ‘costume’ that is basically defined by a prop. Here’s why: yesterday it was decided that we would acknowledge Halloween here at the station by handing out cookies and hot chocolate and as a bonus we are would be expected to take photos. Last night, I rushed to decorate the studio for photos and then I rushed to get home in time to pick up groceries for a nice supper for my boyfriend’s birthday and some Halloween garb to dress up in to appease the boss-man. Only one of those things ended up happening, the studio ended up getting decorated.

So today I am in a jean jacket, a lbd, cowboy boots and have to carry a guitar around with me all day for my Taylor Swift ‘costume’ to make any sense. Seriously, no one gets it. Not even after I markered a 13 on my hand. I have to drop, “oh my gawwwwd” and stand speechless with my hands covering my mouth, wonderstruck on life for people to understand. Fun fact: my ‘costume’ is three small items away from being the simple witch that I wanted to be. Another fun fact: it was impossible to find a witch’s hat after 6pm in Castlegar and Trail the night before Halloween.

For the first time today, I am having a lame costume Halloween. My mom has always prided herself with giving us children incredible costumes, no matter what the challenge was she always rose to the occasion with the help of my grandmother. Here are a few epic costumes from the past; some of them were used both for our town’s children’s parade and for Halloween. We may have also had a pretty impressive recruitment process to find people to take on additional characters.

But, after hammering out a four hour radio show where I almost exclusively talked about Halloween I had the most fun I think I have ever had on-air. It really turned my attitude around, getting a ton of requests and talking about something that clearly so many people are excited about.

I guess I will start planning next year’s costume now… 

Here are some pictures from today around the station.

Rant: Girls Night Out

I have come to realize that the phrase ‘girl’s night out’ is one of the most annoying things you can say to a guy…ever.  Seriously, even in a text message you can feel things tense up the second those words are used together. When I throw the idea out there to my boyfriend his eyes squint, just a little bit, as if he is imagining the high decibel screams and eventual tears that will be shed as part of the festivities.   

The headache is also is because most of the time when screaming ‘girl’s night out’ there is a chorus of two or three other ladies joining in and you all have had one or two adult beverages (on the night of). I know just in the planning stages when I say those three little words I picturing those ladies saying it with me in my head, as I pop a bottle of champagne and look hella fine.

That is exactly what is going on in my head every five minutes as we approach the end of this short work week (yes, I know it is still Thursday). As the clock counts down minutes to freedom, getting ready for Friday, I have already pre-planned my outfit for Saturday night and about 90% of the details after my plans changed a slightly. Yes, in my head, I have the ideal Saturday night ready to go. It involves one of the two new dresses sitting in the JJ’s back beside me that I picked up on my lunch hour, a bottle of sparkling rose, some of my favourite people I have ever met working in radio (yes, they all have vaginas… it’s a girls night) and high heel shoes that I will most likely end up carrying at some point.

Yes, I am all about the planning. Always have been, always will be. As much as I love the wild, free, careless disregard of a ‘girl’s night out’ I still love being in control. I am not a very spontaneous person, not at all. Even when I was in university, when ‘girl’s night’ would happen at least twice a week I was all about the plan.

Growing up, I thought it was silly that all my female relatives would flock to the city together, complain that they never went out together enough and drink way too much. But, at the ripened age of 24 I have started to get it. I have a serious boyfriend and single girlfriends so I feel pretty guilty going out without him, it is pretty hard to find nights when we can all make plans without leaving anyone out (or sidelining the boyfriend without annoying him). Now I know half the pain my female relatives faced, the other half being kids… don’t even get me started there.

I cannot wait to sit in a car for hours with my favourite people in the Kootenays and get into Vancouver this Saturday night, end rant. Happy girl. 

My Minor Addiction to McDonald's Monopoly Explained

Monopoly is back at McDonald's and I have found myself there pretty much everyday since it launched. 

We have our team boards posted up here at the office, everyone's contributing to the team effort (some more than others). When I worked on the front line in high school we would secretly save all the extra tokens and collect them... just in case. Not that we could win legally as a group of employees. 

What can I say, I am a little obsessed with McDonald's Monopoly. Have you ever won? Does McD's Monopoly give you the same thrill I get when it starts up? Also, I love the double thrill of it being coupon season at McDonald's and Monopoly... I am so lame. 

Let me know if you have any trades you'd like to make ;)

My First Natural Waterslide Trip

Yesterday I did something pretty cool; I visited my first natural waterslide right here in the Kootenays. It was a pretty big deal for me, I am not a great swimmer and I don’t really enjoy anything about water. To be honest with you I have an irrational fear of drowning, so I when I “swim” I tend to keep my head above water.

I had heard tales about how fun the natural waterslide was at Deer Park and I knew immediately that it was something I would have to try during my time here in the Kootenays. But, as our pre-determined time came closer and closer I started getting pretty nervous about it and even considered backing out of going with my friends.

I am so happy I did go. I was a little scared, I must admit. I watched everyone go down once before I braved the natural waterslide. But, on the second run I gave the natural waterslide a shot and loved it. For a second you think it is going to tear your butt apart but then everything smoothes out, you catch a little air and go flying into the water. To be honest with you the water was not as cold as everyone was saying it was. Honestly, that maybe because I am partially numb to cold water; when I was a kid I swam in the Atlantic Ocean quite a bit every summer.

If you are new to the Kootenays (like I am) or just visiting you should check out the natural waterslide at Deer Park. It is the perfect Sunday afternoon excursion, grab an iced coffee and go for a scenic drive through Syringa Park to Deer Park! 

Back to the Wild West in Grand Forks for Moonlight Madness

Jenny Fines and I had a great time down in Grand Forks today helping celebrate ‘Back to the Wild West Moonlight Madness’! It was such a great time, we met so many families out taking part in the western themed event.

On top of events like horse and buggy rides, family movie screenings, street hockey, cow milking contests and a pancake breakfast there was a great line-up of artists taking to the stage to perform.  Our setup was outside Work & Play and we got to see TONS of people find steals of deals on jeans and summer wear, there were so many happy customers!

The highlight of the day for us seeing a good-ole-fashion bank heist, don’t worry it was just for fun. You can watch the video of that below.

But our younger friends LOVED the mist tents. At first I thought everyone was just really sweaty from the heat, it was really just that everyone was getting their shot at the mist tents, young and old.

Overall, I must say it was a great first trip (for me anyways) to Grand Forks. I can't wait to go back and visit again!