Top 10 in Toronto!

When we started our planning 4 years ago, leaving for our trip seemed like a long, looong way away.  However, over the past year it has felt as though time is accelerating, and we feel that we still have so much more to do before we can leave!  Dates are set, flights are booked…

We decided to kick off our trip with a “Pre-trip Top 10 in Toronto” … things we wanted to see or do ahead of our trip.  Here they are, in no particular order:

 10 – Go to a Toronto Blue Jays game. 

The Jays are doing extremely well, and it’s been a while since that’s been the case.  We all love baseball, so when the opportunity came to see our Jays in action, we could not resist!  Jays over the Chicago White Sox 7-0!!!

The Jays take the field

Getting the final out!

Take me out to the ball game…

Wow, what a view…and we’re winning!

Nothing like a baseball game with friends.

 9. Visit the 

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears…oh my!  Toronto has a world class zoo, and it is always a fun time for the whole family.  Zoe decided that, before we left, she absolutely must spend a little time at the zoo with her sister and one of her favourite cousins, Giselle!  While we will certainly visit zoos throughout our trip, it is also nice to recognize that there’s a fantastic facility right in your own backyard.

Great day for a trip to the zoo!

“Is it lunch time yet?”

“Ok, well wake me up when it’s time to eat…zzzzzzzz….”

“Maybe I’m not as popular as the polar bear, but I’m still pretty cool!”

That Komodo Dragon is going nowhere!

Ghostly jelly fish.

What an awesome day at the zoo!

 8. Frozen Yogurt at  

Nothing says “summer” like Menchie’s frozen yogurt!  In fact, about the only thing better is sharing the frozen goodness with good friends!

7.  Hockey Night in Pickering!

Nothing says Canada like a good game of hockey!  What you may not realize is that it really doesn’t matter what the weather is like outside, the passion for hockey runs deep in all Canadians.  Not everyone knows that fact, but it is true.  It’s all part of the evolution of the Sapiens Canadianas.

Unfortunately, there were no professional hockey scouts at this game – Oliver’s last for the next year!  Kudos to Katina for catching the action on her phone!

6. Running through the sprinkler on a hot summer’s day

Sometimes you just have to get out there and enjoy summer to it’s fullest.  It doesn’t have to be difficult…some sun, water, and a sprinkler and you’re good to go!

5. Fun with Friends!

We can’t help it…we’re a social bunch!  Over the final 2 weeks we spent some excellent, quality time with friends.  Whether it’s a dance pool party, going to our first ever “FFOB” (Friends and Family Out Back) backyard club party, or simply hanging out and enjoying life, we can honestly say that we have spent some wonderful quality time with our friends and neighbours,

 4. Doggy Daycare!

Anyone who knows Zoe, knows that she loves animals, especially dogs!  After we moved out of our house, we spent some time “couch surfing” with some of our friends and family.  Zoe would likely agree that one of her “top 10” highlights was the 3 days we spent with Quincy (Golden Lab) and Charlie (Pug) – and their owners Amanda and Scott!  Late nights of packing (and partying!) resulted in Zoe sleeping in during the scheduled morning walk time, with Oliver and Katina picking up the slack!

3. Shakespeare in the Park

A Summer tradition for us is Shakespeare in the Park at High Park in Toronto, which is live Shakespearean theatre performed outdoors.  This year the production we went to see was “As You Like It”.  In typical Shakespeare form, there was a girl, dressed as a boy, who fell in love with a boy and was trying to get the boy’s attention.  Then there’s the girl, who fell in love with the girl dressed as a boy…and wow, things just got complicated!  We enjoyed a picnic dinner on blankets under a clear moonlit sky while the actors guided us through the story.

Here’s a shot of the fantastic stage!

2. Party at the Beach!

As we said earlier, we’re a social bunch.  And not just us…our extended family enjoys a good party as well!  Cousin Mae and Anthony hosted a beach-side soiree complete with soccer and swimming, followed by a lovely dinner back at the condo party room.  It was just big enough to hold all of us!  We had an amazing time and had a chance to say ‘farewell’!  We then couch-surfed at cousin Mae’s place for the night and were treated to a lovely breakfast!

1. And we’re off!

After 4 years of planning, it has all come together and now we’re finally on our way!  It was kind of like driving on the autobahn in Germany.  You look in your rear view mirror and you see a pair of headlights way, way back there in the distance.  Then they slowly get closer…and suddenly there is a sports car flashing its headlights for you to get out of the way!  It seemed like it would be a long time until our trip would begin, but before we knew it our trip was upon us!

We are looking forward to sharing all of our adventures.  Please do feel free to share our site with your friends and family…we love to share our adventures!