Tuesday, March 27, 2007
tea time
I am home from Canada, quite a bit more rested and relaxed. My final exam went excellently well - I got a 90% and ended up with a 3.3 in the class, which is quite a bit higher than I'd been anticipating. All but 2 of my classmates passed into next quarter - one of them was a "backfill" student second quarter so now we're down to 19 of the original 30 students that started first quarter together.
The day after the final, I spent most of the day cleaning house because my parents came into town and spent the night at our house. I know it doesn't sound like much fun to clean the house on my break but it's awfully nice to have a clean house again.
Friday morning we got up super early and went down to the waterfront to catch the Victoria Clipper to, uh, Victoria. Upon arriving, we cabbed over to the Empress Hotel and checked in. R* was dissatisfied with our allegedly upgraded room and went back to the desk and asked for a new room - so we ended up in a little suite with a harbour view and a lovely sitting area. I would not have asked for a new room if it were up to me because I'm embarrassed by things like that - but I have to admit that our room was gorgeous and we were much more comfortable there.
After moving into room #2, we went downstairs and met my parents for afternoon tea. It was posh as it always is at the Empress. I started my tea collection there, as the waitstaff pass out boxes of "Tea at the Empress" tea bags to each customer. We went back up to our room and changed and relaxed for a little while, then went down to the spa and had massages and soaked in the mineral pool for a little while. I felt so much better afterward. I've been really tense! We had a nap and then all 4 of us went for an early dinner at Cafe Brio. We had a really good time and the food was terrific. The only letdown was that dessert was not as stunning as the previous courses had been. R* and I had been there for dinner several years ago and I was very happy to find that the restaurant held up to my fond memory.
On Saturday we wandered around and shopped and lunched at an Irish pub which was fabulous - best fish and chips I've ever had - and took a nap and had a delicious seafood dinner. Then we went back to the Empress and had cocktails and dessert and listened to a jazz trio which was actually very good, not "hotel jazz" at all. During my shopping I loaded up at Lush and at Murchies... in fact, I'm having a cup of Queen Victoria blend as I type this.
Sunday we went on a tour bus out to the Butchart Gardens and strolled around and had tea again in their restaurant. Then we caught a bus back to the Empress, where we had left our bags to be taken over to the Clipper terminal, and discovered we had a couple of hours to kill. So my parents and I went to the Victoria Bug Zoo, which caused R* to announce that he would meet us later and hightail it for the bookstore. He doesn't like bugs very much. :) My folks and I had a great time, though - I guess we're kind of weird that way. R* found some jazz CDs in the sale bin and a book he'd been wanting, so he also had a good time. We went into a deli and bought sandwiches for the boat trip home - the one major problem with the Clipper is that the food on board is awful - and then strolled over to the terminal. We got home without incident and hopped in the car and drove home. It was a very nice vacation and I remembered why I like Victoria so much - it's friendly, pleasant, has plenty of things to do and isn't too far from home.
Now I've got just a few days off before school starts again. I actually have a CPR class all day on Friday and then regular classes start on Monday. Sigh. I need a longer break. The good news is that I don't have to get up so freaking early, though, since my earliest class this quarter is at 9:30 AM.
In other news, R* and I have decided we need to get back on the health kick again. Our plan is to have oatmeal, yogurt & fruit, or cereal for breakfast (maybe smoothies as well?), salad for lunch, and protein (chicken or seafood) and vegetables for dinner. I think I'll serve fresh fruit for "dessert" at dinner time. I went to the grocery store today and got a bunch of salad ingredients and chopped them all up and stashed them in the fridge for easy salad packing. Hopefully that will make it easier to stick with the plan.
The day after the final, I spent most of the day cleaning house because my parents came into town and spent the night at our house. I know it doesn't sound like much fun to clean the house on my break but it's awfully nice to have a clean house again.
Friday morning we got up super early and went down to the waterfront to catch the Victoria Clipper to, uh, Victoria. Upon arriving, we cabbed over to the Empress Hotel and checked in. R* was dissatisfied with our allegedly upgraded room and went back to the desk and asked for a new room - so we ended up in a little suite with a harbour view and a lovely sitting area. I would not have asked for a new room if it were up to me because I'm embarrassed by things like that - but I have to admit that our room was gorgeous and we were much more comfortable there.
After moving into room #2, we went downstairs and met my parents for afternoon tea. It was posh as it always is at the Empress. I started my tea collection there, as the waitstaff pass out boxes of "Tea at the Empress" tea bags to each customer. We went back up to our room and changed and relaxed for a little while, then went down to the spa and had massages and soaked in the mineral pool for a little while. I felt so much better afterward. I've been really tense! We had a nap and then all 4 of us went for an early dinner at Cafe Brio. We had a really good time and the food was terrific. The only letdown was that dessert was not as stunning as the previous courses had been. R* and I had been there for dinner several years ago and I was very happy to find that the restaurant held up to my fond memory.
On Saturday we wandered around and shopped and lunched at an Irish pub which was fabulous - best fish and chips I've ever had - and took a nap and had a delicious seafood dinner. Then we went back to the Empress and had cocktails and dessert and listened to a jazz trio which was actually very good, not "hotel jazz" at all. During my shopping I loaded up at Lush and at Murchies... in fact, I'm having a cup of Queen Victoria blend as I type this.
Sunday we went on a tour bus out to the Butchart Gardens and strolled around and had tea again in their restaurant. Then we caught a bus back to the Empress, where we had left our bags to be taken over to the Clipper terminal, and discovered we had a couple of hours to kill. So my parents and I went to the Victoria Bug Zoo, which caused R* to announce that he would meet us later and hightail it for the bookstore. He doesn't like bugs very much. :) My folks and I had a great time, though - I guess we're kind of weird that way. R* found some jazz CDs in the sale bin and a book he'd been wanting, so he also had a good time. We went into a deli and bought sandwiches for the boat trip home - the one major problem with the Clipper is that the food on board is awful - and then strolled over to the terminal. We got home without incident and hopped in the car and drove home. It was a very nice vacation and I remembered why I like Victoria so much - it's friendly, pleasant, has plenty of things to do and isn't too far from home.
Now I've got just a few days off before school starts again. I actually have a CPR class all day on Friday and then regular classes start on Monday. Sigh. I need a longer break. The good news is that I don't have to get up so freaking early, though, since my earliest class this quarter is at 9:30 AM.
In other news, R* and I have decided we need to get back on the health kick again. Our plan is to have oatmeal, yogurt & fruit, or cereal for breakfast (maybe smoothies as well?), salad for lunch, and protein (chicken or seafood) and vegetables for dinner. I think I'll serve fresh fruit for "dessert" at dinner time. I went to the grocery store today and got a bunch of salad ingredients and chopped them all up and stashed them in the fridge for easy salad packing. Hopefully that will make it easier to stick with the plan.
Labels: nursing school, vacation, weight loss
Comments:
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That sounds like a terrific little vacation, and just the ticket for getting rid of the accumulated stress of the quarter. Enjoy your tea and the remaining days of your break!
Our instructor was all about telling us the 25% attrition rate nursing has this week (we've lost a few, including a good pal of mine).
Anyway, sounds like you had a hella good vacay, just what you needed. Glad u had a good time 8-).
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Anyway, sounds like you had a hella good vacay, just what you needed. Glad u had a good time 8-).
# posted by 
: March 28, 2007 2:22 PM
: March 28, 2007 2:22 PM << Home
