Ottawa Information Guide

Halloween Activities in Ottawa

2010-09-09T08:08:00.002-05:00

The stores are stocking up with costumes and Halloween candy so you know the time is near. Halloween can be a lot of fun for young and old alike.

While working on our website we have found lots of great stuff to do for Halloween in Ottawa and the surrounding area. Some events take place on Halloween, other things you can do leading up to Halloween.

I am sure there are even more ideas so we'll keep adding them as we find them. In the meantime, if you are looking for something to do for Halloween, take a look at our Halloween in Ottawa page for some great ideas!

Happy Halloween!

Pools in Ottawa

2010-08-05T11:07:00.002-05:00

A friend recently asked me if I knew of any outdoor pools in Ottawa. I really had to think about it because my kids are the age where they are really enjoying the splash pads so I haven't had to think a lot about pools.

I did a quick search for her and came up with a lot of locations in the East and West end of Ottawa.

Here is a list of indoor and outdoor pools in Ottawa. There are way more than I thought there were.

There is also the RA Centre. I went a few times when I was MUCH younger and loved it.

Happy swimming (and staying cool)!!

City of Ottawa Recreation Guide - Fall/Winter 2010-2011

2010-08-04T11:29:00.003-05:00

In case you don't already know, the City of Ottawa Recreation Guide for Fall/Winter 2010/2011 is ready and available now!!!

Registration is VERY soon:

Registration for swimming and aquafitness programs begins August 9 at 10 pm for Online/Touch Tone and August 10 during regular business hours for In person.

Registration for all other programs starts August 11 at 10 pm for Online/Touch Tone and August 12 during regular business hours for In person.

If you are anything like us and want specific classes at specific times, you would be wise to sign up early.

Here is where you can find the information online on the:
City of Ottawa website

Ottawa Buskerfest 2010 is on NOW!!!

2010-07-30T14:10:00.002-05:00

Shame on us for not mentioning it sooner! If you didn't know, the Ottawa Buskerfest 2010 is on now (July 29 - Aug 2, 2010) on Sparks Street Mall.

The best place to find out all the details is on the
official Buskerfest website.

They have a schedule that breaks down the various sites for entertainers. There is a circus area, fire performers, singers, musicians and so much more. There is even a kids' section on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 12-5pm at O'Connor & Sparks.

There is SO much to see and do at the Buskerfest. Grab the family and c'mon out! You won't be sorry!

Ottawa Dragonboat Team (Galley Girls) in China

2010-07-30T12:32:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Ottawa has a Dragonboat Team, called the "Galley Girls", in Macau, China right now competing in the world championships? I am sure a lot of people don't know but I am trying to help get the word out.

One of the team members' daughters is blogging about it here:
Galley Girls in China blog

If you want to hear how the team is doing then take a look at her blog.

The Ottawa Citizen also has some stories as well. Here is
a Galley Girls update from July 30th in the Ottawa Citizen.

Go Galley Girls Go!!!

O-Train Closed for a few weeks

2010-07-12T10:33:00.003-05:00

I don't take the O-Train but I know many who do. I also know quite a few people who wanted to use it for Bluesfest. In any case, if you didn't know, the O-Train is going some major rehabilitation. It is supposed to last from July 12 to August 14.

Here is information directly from the OC Transpo website.

O-Train information

I hope the above information helps!

Ottawa Splash Pads - Perfect Way to Stay Cool!

2010-07-11T07:41:00.002-05:00

Friends of mine who don't live in Ottawa (or Ontario for that matter) can not comprehend our drastic temperature changes. It is crazy. I chat with them on the phone in the winter and explain that it is -30 with the windchill and then I chat with them in the summer (like last week) and explain that it is in the mid-40's with humidity.

So, how are you staying cool in this humidity? If I didn't have children, I would probably just spend more time indoors in the air conditioning (or possibly a pub with a cold drink)!! But, I do have children who LOVE the outdoors and don't comprehend humidity. So, I need to think of them.

I am not much of a beach person (bathing suits and I dislike each other VERY much) so the next best thing is a splash pad. To me, they are the best way to keep cool on these hot summer days.

Here is a list of the splash pads in Ottawa (from the City of Ottawa website):

City of Ottawa splash pads

Grab the kids and their bathing suits and towels and go enjoy the water! Don't forget hats and sunscreen. You can also pack a picnic lunch so you could spend a few hours there.

Enjoy!

Two Year Hiatus - I'm Back WITH a Partner

2010-03-19T08:18:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Is anyone still reading? From my traffic stats, it appears as though some people are still finding this blog. I haven't posted in almost 2 years because I was taking a little hiatus. My sincerest apologies.

I have been busy these past couple years with my young family but I have continuted to work on my Ottawa website. We are receiving over 25,000 visits per month which is awesome. Hey, wait, did I just say "we"? Yes, I did. We refers to my new business partner and I. There are two of us working on the website now which means that we can add more information and expand the website at a much faster pace.

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact us on our Ottawa Information Guide website!

Toodles!

See you around this blog or our website soon.

Cheers!

WOOHOO! Sens are going to the Finals!

2007-05-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!

Just a very quick entry in our blog to say how completely overjoyed we are (and the rest of Ottawa) that the Ottawa Senators are going to the Stanley Cup Finals!

GO SENS GO!

Bluesfest 2007 - Tickets go on sale today!

2007-04-28T19:25:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling that this year's Bluesfest is going to be one of the best ever. The concert lineup is amazing. It is going to be difficult to decide on who to see. Artists include Kanye West, INXS, Blue Rodeo, George Thorogood, Steve Miller Band and so many more. Way too many to list here.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Festival, check out our Ottawa Bluesfest page on our website.

PLEASE NOTE - the location of Bluesfest is back at LeBreton Flats across from the Canadian War Museum.

Last weekend of Winterlude

2007-02-15T09:29:00.000-05:00

This is just a VERY short message to remind everyone that this weekend is the last weekend for Winterlude 2007. Make sure you find some time to stop in at one of the events taking place or go skating on the Rideau Canal. It isn't supposed to be too cold this weekend so it should be perfect.

Have a beavertail for me, ok? I won't be able to make it this weekend.

Have fun & enjoy!

The Red Violin Concert in Ottawa

2007-01-08T14:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you looking for something to do this Friday, January 12th, how about checking out a concert called "The Red Violin"? The Thirteen Strings Orchestra will be performing at St. Andrew's Church on Wellington at 8pm for their first concert of the New Year.

For more information please visit their website Thirteen Strings.

It will obviously be a great concert for violin lovers but would also be a great idea for those who want to do something different on a Friday night.

Enjoy the concert.

Upcoming concerts in Ottawa

2006-12-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

Looks like 2007 is going to be another great year for concerts in Ottawa. Some of the bands/artists that will be coming to Ottawa in 2007 include Nelly Furtado, Rod Stewart, Il Divo, Josh Groban, Barenaked Ladies and much more.

We have a page on our website called Concerts in Ottawa that we update regularly. Make sure to bookmark that page so you can check back often and see what other great bands/artists are coming to Ottawa. You don't want to miss out!

I'm still here!

2006-12-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

My apologies for my absence. Life outside of blogging and our website on Ottawa has been very busy. I won't get into any of the personal details but I will apologize to any of my "regular readers" if I had any.

I hope to be blogging more regularly from now on!

Fun times at Ottawa Superex

2006-08-19T08:01:00.000-05:00

If you live in Ottawa then you must not forget that the Ottawa Superex has officially opened and will be open until August 27, 2006.

If you are looking for somewhere to bring the family and to have some fun then the Ex is a great place. There are amusement rides for all ages, free concerts, games and much more.

Read more about it on our Ottawa Superex page.

Enjoy the Ex!

FIFA U-20 World Cup games in Ottawa

2006-07-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

Now that the World Cup is over we can now start to think about next year's big event that is taking place here in Ottawa! The FIFA U-20 World Cup will take place in Canada in 2007. Some of the games will even be held right here in Ottawa at Lansdowne Park. If you thought the World Cup was exciting, wait until you see the amazing players at the U-20 World Cup.

The games in Ottawa have not yet been determined but the dates have. They will be held between June 30 and July 15, 2007.

Tickets for the event go on sale on Saturday, July 15, 2006 through Ticketmaster.

Read about other sporting events, performances & concerts on our Ottawa Concerts page.

Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa

2006-06-24T08:32:00.000-05:00

What are you doing for Canada Day this year? We find that the older we get the less we want to do on Canada Day. Usually it is just a BBQ with friends at our house. Don't get me wrong, this is still fun but I think this year we may venture downtown and check out some of the festivities. There is so much going on this year. I don't remember all of these activities when I was younger.

If you are interested in reading more about everything that is planned in Ottawa, then check out our Canada Day in Ottawa page on our Ottawa website!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

BJ & Tyler at the Lynx Stadium!!

2006-06-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

Have you heard that BJ & Tyler, the "hippies" & winners from Amazing Race 9, will be at the Ottawa Lynx stadium on June 30th? How cool is that? They will be signing autographs for fans and they will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Don't miss the game against the Syracuse SkyChiefs at 7:05pm on June 30th.

Besides BJ & Tyler visiting the stadium, there are a lot of other great activities planned at the Lynx Stadium this summer. Hope to see you out at a game. Let's show the Lynx our support!

Cisco Systems Bluesfest Lineup is Hot!

2006-04-29T07:32:00.000-05:00

Every year we always look forward to seeing who will be coming to the Ottawa Bluesfest. This year is no exception. They have just announced the lineup and there are a great number of bands/performers that we want to see.

Here are some of the shows that you can get tickets for:

Keb'Mo' (we saw him about 10 years ago when he opened up for Joe Cocker and he is absolutely amazing - definitely worth seeing him again)
Etta James
The Great Big Sea
Nelly Furtado
Blue Rodeo
Gloria Gaynor
Sam Roberts
and so many others!

To find out more about the 2006 Bluesfest, check out our Ottawa Bluesfest page.

Ottawa Senators on the Big Screen!

2006-03-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

No, the Ottawa Senators are not starring in a movie! The sold out April 6th game against the Montreal Canadiens will be shown at some of the movie theatres around town! How cool is that?

Here are some of the details:

doors will open at 6:30pm for the 7:30pm game
the following three theatres are participating:
- SilverCity Gloucester Cinemas
- Coliseum
- Galaxy Cinemas Cornwall
tickets are free of charge (donations will be accepted for Roger's House at the two theatres in Ottawa and for Agape Centre at the Cornwall theatre)
tickets available at Sports Experts or Scotiabank Place

If you aren't lucky enough to have tickets to the game then why not come out to one of the movie theatres above and see the game on the huge movie screens? Amazing unobstructed views & surround sound! It will be the next best thing to being at the game.

Enjoy! Go Sens Go!!!

Sign Up for our FREE Ottawa Newsletter

2006-03-18T17:21:00.000-05:00

We have something new and exciting on our Ottawa website! Well, we find it exciting!

We have decided to offer our readers a free newsletter (also called an E-zine). All they, or you, have to do is go to our website and fill out the form to request the newsletter. It is quite easy!

So, what are you waiting for? If you want new information on Ottawa, more of our recommendations or special offers, then go and sign up for our free Ottawa newsletter!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Fun Events in Ottawa this Weekend

2006-03-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

There are some fun events in Ottawa this weekend. You won't want to miss them.

National Women's Show
Saturday, March 11 - 10am to 6pm
Sunday, March 12 - 10am to 5pm
Congress Centre
$12 Admission at the door
Fun show featuring wine & food sampling, health & wellness information, makeovers, decorating tips and much more. Grab your girlfriends and enjoy the show.

St. Patrick's Day Parade & Party
Saturday, March 11 - beginning at 11am and finishing at approximately 1pm
The parade begins at City Hall (Laurier & Elgin) heading west along Laurier to Bank Street. Heading south on Bank Street to Lansdowne Park.
The party will be held from 12noon - 4pm in Salons A, B & C in the Civic Centre. Admission is $5 per person (13 and under are free)
Find out more information here: Irish Society website.

It is supposed to be a mild weekend (+11) so enjoy the nice weather and have a fabulous weekend.

Sheryl Crow Concert in Ottawa - Postponed

2006-02-26T17:59:00.000-05:00

Quick post to let you know that the Sheryl Crow concert that was scheduled in Ottawa on March 19, 2006 has been postponed.

Here is the information from her website:

MARCH TOUR POSTPONED
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA

Friday 24th February 2006

Sheryl Crow underwent successful minimally invasive surgery for breast cancer on Wednesday February 22nd. Her doctors confirm her prognosis as excellent and she will receive radiation treatment as a precaution.

With much regret, she must postpone her complete tour of North America which was scheduled for March/April.

It is Sheryl's intention to reschedule as much of the tour as reasonably possible. Specific details will follow shortly. For any patron who wishes a refund and not wait for the new date, they should redeem their tickets at point of purchase only. Please check in with www.sherylcrow.com or with the local venue directly for updated information.

“Approximately 1 in 7 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and more than 2 million American are living with breast cancer today. I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

We are a testament to the importance of early detection and new treatments. I encourage all women everywhere to advocate for themselves and for their future – see your doctor and be proactive about your health.

More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, and they demonstrate the ever-increasing possibility of living beyond cancer. I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the
support of family and friends.”

Sheryl Crow

For assistance to help survivors face the everyday physical, emotional and practical challenges of cancer through education, qualified referrals and counseling services, please call LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare at 1-866-235-7205.

[posted 2/24/2006 U.S.A.]

All the best to you, Sheryl.

Harry Potter film at the IMAX!!!

2006-02-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

Very cool! I just read on the website for the Canadian Museum of Civilization that they will be showing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at their IMAX Theatre.

This special screening will be part of the CBC IMAX Film Festival and it will run from February 25 to March 31, 2006. There will be an extra $3 charge added to the regular IMAX price.

The IMAX screen is seven stories high and is supposed to be much clearer than a normal movie theatre screen. I imagine it is going to be absolutely brilliant watching the Harry Potter film on this screen.

For dates, times & prices, please visit the IMAX Theatre website. Seats are limited so make sure to book early.

"Night Fever 70's Party" in Ottawa

2006-02-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

The newly named Scotiabank Place (formerly known as the Corel Centre) will be hosting a really cool party in April. Here are the details that have been confirmed so far:

Event:
"Night Fever 70's Party"
Date:
April 15, 2006
Time:
8pm - 1am
Price:
$16 per person
Tickets:
Go on sale on Feb. 24 at 10:00am through CapitalTickets
Details:
Local DJ will be playing 70's tunes
Entire arena floor will be turned into a dance floor for 1,500 people
"Funky Threads Competition" so wear your best 70's outfit

I called them today to find out information such as if their is a minimum age requirement or if alcohol will be served but they didn't have any of the details yet.

Stay tuned to find out about this cool party that will be happening in Ottawa this spring!

March Break in Ottawa

2006-02-18T23:11:00.000-05:00

Soon enough the schools will be closed for one week so that all the children in Ottawa and surrounding area can have a well deserved break.

The students in Ontario will be off from March 13-17, 2006 whereas the students in Quebec will be off from February 27 - March 3, 2006.

What do you have planned? Are you taking the family skiing? Or are you going down south to break up the long winter season? Or are you planning on signing the kids up for a week long camp here in Ottawa?

For those of you who will be staying in Ottawa, there are literally hundreds of camps & activities for the children to participate in. You can choose from:

sports camps
educational camps
arts camps
cooking camps
family camps
and much more

The camps are held at various locations throughout the city such as:

museums
colleges & universities
grocery stores
sugar bushes
libraries
ski hills
sports facilities

You can find out more about March Break camps in Ottawa at any of the locations listed above or at your school board or your local library. Today's (February 18th) Ottawa Citizen also had a large section listing March Break activities in Ottawa.

Hope everyone enjoys their March Break!

CanSpell National Spelling Bee in Ottawa

2006-02-16T20:10:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of CanSpell? CanWest Global Communications held the first ever CanSpell in 2005. This annual national spelling bee is for students and schools all across Canada. There are four different stages of the competition:

Classroom and School Bees
School District Bees
Regional Bee Finals
National Spelling Bee Finals

The CanSpell National Spelling Bee Final will be held in Ottawa, Ontario on April 5, 2006.

If you didn't have a chance to catch any of the 2005 competition, then we strongly recommend that you take some time to see some of this year's competition. The kids are amazing. I pride myself on someone who can spell relatively well but these children, they can spell words that I have never even heard of.

If you would like to read more about CanSpell then check out their website.

Good luck to all the students out there who will be participating!

Sheryl Crow & INXS are coming to Ottawa

2006-02-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

I must tell you about a couple great concerts that are coming to Ottawa in the upcoming months:

Sheryl Crow
March 19, 2006
Scotiabank Place
Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 17 at 12pm

INXS
May 12, 2006
Scotiabank Place
Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 17 at 10am
INXS tickets have been selling out fast in other cities so there is a very good chance that they will sell out in Ottawa too. If you are interested in seeing them then you should get your tickets as soon as they go on sale!

Last year was a great year for concerts here in Ottawa but 2006 is shaping up to be an awesome year too. Check out our Ottawa concert listings for other great shows & performances.

The Winterlude Sno-Bus

2006-02-10T05:51:00.000-05:00

If you are worried about getting back and forth between the various activities at Winterlude, don't worry. OCTranspo is offering their Sno-Bus again this year.

The OCTranspo "Sno-Bus" travels along the Canal from downtown to Dow's Lake.

The STO "Bal de Neige" travels from downtown Ottawa to Jacques-Cartier Park (Gatineau).

The buses run every 10-20 minutes on the following days.
February 4 - 10am - 10pm
February 5 - 10am - 5:30pm
February 11 - 10am - 10pm
February 12 - 10am - 5:30pm
February 18 - 10am - 10pm
February 19 - 10am - 5:30pm

The ticket prices are as follows and are good for the whole day:
13 and over - $2.50
12 and under - FREE

Bus passes are not valid on the Sno-Bus.

Enjoy your day out at Winterlude 2006!

Weekend # 2 for Winterlude

2006-02-09T19:48:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks the start of the second weekend of Winterlude. Even though the temperatures were mild last weekend, the NCC says that there was still a great turnout for the first weekend.

The temperatures have been much colder this week which is great for Winterlude. Hopefully they will remain cold so that the Rideau Canal can open in its entirety. It was re-opened this morning from Lisgar to Dows Lake but some parts still remained closed. Let's cross our fingers that the entire skateway will be open for weekend #2 this weekend.

What are you planning on doing this weekend? Hopefully you will find some time to come out and enjoy all the activities that are taking place downtown.

Bundle up warm & enjoy!

SAHMs & WAHMs in Ottawa

2006-02-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

Are you one of the hundreds of Stay at Home Moms (SAHM) in Ottawa who want to become a Work at Home Mom (WAHM)? You are not alone. We have so many friends who are at home right now with their children (either on maternity leave or permanent leave) who have all expressed their desire to start a home based business to help pay the bills.

Our friends have told us that there are many reasons for wanting to stay at home with their children and work from home:

to help pay the bills
to learn a new skill
to interact with other adults
to spend time with your children when they are not at school instead of putting them in daycare
save money on daycare
and many other reasons

If you are interested in exploring other options then we have just recently created a new page with Work at Home Moms in mind. We dedicated it to all of our friends in Ottawa who are mothers but it doesn't just have to be about mothers. It can also be for stay at home Dads too. Take a look and see what you think!

Canadian Idol Auditions in Ottawa

2006-02-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

I imagine there are many people in Ottawa and the surrounding areas wondering if they will be able to audition for Canadian Idol 2006? Well, you are in luck - the auditions are coming to Ottawa again this year.

Here are the details:
Dates: March 25-26, 2006
Times: 8am - 5pm
Location: St. Laurent Centre, 1200 St. Laurent Boulevard

Read more about it on the Canadian Idol website.

Good luck to those who will be auditioning!

Black History Month in Ottawa

2006-01-25T21:36:00.000-05:00

Did you know that February is Black History Month?

Did you know that Ottawa celebrates Black History Month?

Some of the activities planned include lectures, book readings, book signings, presentations, concerts and much more. There is something for the entire family.

To find out more about Black History Month in Ottawa then visit the website for Black Ottawa 411. It is jam packed with great information for the African and Caribbean community in Ottawa.

Ottawa Senators' Fans need a Chant/Song!

2006-01-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

We went to the Ottawa Senators game last night against Anaheim at the newly named Scotiabank Place. The first period was great (Ottawa scored 2 goals) but the second period and most of the third weren't very exciting (Anaheim scored 3 goals). The last 3 minutes of the third period were quite exciting - Ottawa scored a short handed goal to tie the game 3-3. Then it was the 5-minute overtime with 4 on 4. Then we went to the shoot out and lost. Oh phoo-ey!

But this post is not intended to give you a recap of the game. You can hear all about it on the radio or read about it in a newspaper.

The purpose of this post is to talk about the fans and how we go about cheering on the Sens when we are watching a home game. For those of you have been to a game, you have to admit that the majority of the time we are told when to scream and how loud. We are also told what to scream "Go Sens Go". If we aren't being told when and what to scream, then it can be awfully quiet in there.

Have any of you ever been to a football (soccer) match in Europe? Have you seen one on TV? I am sure most sports fans have. Have you heard the chanting that goes on for practically the entire game - the chants/songs about the home team and the away team? The chants that over 10,000 people participate in? It is absolutely amazing!

Why don't the NHL fans have chants? Really, how hard could it be to come up with some words about the Sens to the tune of a popular song that everyone knows? I am not saying they should be rude (like some of the European chants I have heard) but what about a nice family-friendly chant that can be chanted at a Sens game?

I don't know who to make this suggestion to so I am putting it out there to all of you (my readers - there are some, aren't there)? What do you think?

Maybe the Senators Foundation should have a contest for the best "Sens Chant". The words of the winning chant could be displayed on the scoreboard for all of us to sing along to. We could be the first team in the NHL to have a chant! It wouldn't take long for the fans to memorize the words. Then, we would have something of our own to sing along to. It would only take a couple people to start the song at each game and the rest of the 19,000 people would join in. We wouldn't need to be prompted. We wouldn't need to be told when to scream. We would just chant when we wanted to!

I hope this post sparks some interest (and maybe some replies). I am really curious what you all think. There may be some very valid reasons as for why this hasn't happened yet.

Speak up!

The Soup Man is in Ottawa, Canada

2006-01-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of the Soup Man? Did you ever watch the Seinfeld episode about the "Soup Nazi"? The character was based on Al Yeganeh - the owner of the real Soup Man in New York City.

They have just opened up their first Canadian store ever and guess where it is located? Yep, you guessed it...it is located in Ottawa in the Bayshore Shopping Mall.

So, while we were doing a little shopping at Bayshore yesterday we decided to get some lunch. I absolutely love soup so I decided to try the soup at "The Soup Man". Being vegetarian, I was impressed to see a few vegetarian selections. There were 3 sizes so I chose the medium size because I was starving. At first I thought it was a bit pricey for soup but I was pleasantly suprised to see that I also got a fresh piece of bread (not a slice of regular bread but a portion of a baguette) and an apple for dessert. When I finally tried the soup I then realized why the Soup Man has become so popular. The soup that I chose, Tomato Basil, was absolutely delicious. It was filling too. I had to bring half of it home with me. I re-heated it today and it was just as delicious.

If you are at Bayshore, you must try one of their soups. Enjoy!

Welcome to Ottawa, Soup Man!

Disney on Ice is coming to Ottawa

2006-01-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

Grab the kiddies and head on down to Scotiabank Place for Disney on Ice. Tickets go on sale to the public on January 20, 2006. The performances will be held from March 8 - 12, 2006.

For more listings of other great performances to bring the family, check out our Concerts & Performances in Ottawa page.

Enjoy the great shows that are coming to Ottawa in the upcoming months.

Corel Centre to be re-named Scotiabank Place

2006-01-11T20:23:00.000-05:00

The Ottawa Senators Hockey Club announced today that the Corel Centre will be re-named Scotiabank Place.

The official launch will be on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at the home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hockey club is encouraging fans to wear red clothing and their Sens gear to the game that night. It should be another fun night at the Corel Centre...I mean Scotiabank Place. That sure will take some time to get used to.

Go Sens Go!

Rideau Canal is officially OPEN for skaters!!!

2006-01-07T11:06:00.000-05:00

I have just heard that the Rideau Canal Skateway is officially open today. It has reached its 30cm thickness so it is safe for skaters (or walkers) now. It is a bit chilly out today (-17) so dress up warm if you are going to venture out of the house today. For me, I'm staying indoors where it is warm. I'll skate another day. I'll probably head down to the canal for Winterlude! I can't wait.

Enjoy your weekend. Bundle up & keep warm!

For the Ottawa Families

2005-12-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

I have just recently added a couple new pages to our website on Ottawa. These pages are geared for families in Ottawa. So many visitors to our site have emailed us asking for advice on where they should go with their children or where they can hold a birthday party in Ottawa. For the past few months we have been trying to find the time to create some pages based on what some of our visitors have asked us about. Well, we finally found the time. Here are some pages that may interest you:

Families in Ottawa - provides a listing of places to go with your children

Ottawa Tobogganing - provides information on local tobogganing hills. Please keep in mind that if the hills are icy then they won't be safe. I also heard that Bruce Pit & Conroy Pit are closed right now due to the icy conditions (from the freezing rain a couple of days ago). It is pretty icy out there still. Hopefully this beautiful sun will melt some of that ice.

Have lots of fun with your kids out in Ottawa! There is so much to do indoors and outdoors at this time of year (actually at anytime of year).

New Year's Eve in Ottawa

2005-12-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

So, what are you going to be doing for New Year's Eve in Ottawa this year? Are you going to a house party or do you prefer to get dressed up and go out dancing? We have decided to get together with friends at their place again this year. This will actually be the fourth year in a row that we opt for a house celebration over a bar/club celebration. We spent many years going to bars, taking taxis downtown in the snow or freezing cold, waiting in line etc. At the time we had a blast and enjoyed the evening but now, as we have gotten older, we much prefer to go to someone's house party instead.

For those of you who want to go out, here are a few suggestions:
1. Some of the Ottawa Restaurants are offering great meal & drink packages. Some have hired DJs or live bands to entertain you.
2. If you are looking to go out to one of the Ottawa bars or clubs then there are plenty to choose from. Maybe you want to start off at one of the restaurants and head over to a bar or club to dance the night away and ring in the New Year.
3. If you want to have a good laugh then check out one of the Ottawa Comedy Clubs.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure to plan ahead. Find a designated driver, call a taxi, call "Operation Red Nose", book a hotel room, have someone pick you up - just please do not drink and drive. We want you to have a great night and to arrive home safely.

Happy New Year to everyone. We hope that 2006 is a great year for all of you!

Cheers!

A blog dedicated to SBI

2005-12-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you who just want to read about my journey with Site Sell and Site Build It (SBI), come check out my new SBI blog.

For those of you who just want to read about Ottawa then stay right here!

Hopefully this will please all my readers!

More Christmas Activities in Ottawa

2005-12-09T23:09:00.000-05:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There are lights up everywhere and there is snow on the ground. Are you in the Christmas spirit? I have started putting up the decorations in our house so I am definitely in the mood now. Too bad I haven't finished writing all my Christmas cards - oops!

Are you looking for something fun to do in Ottawa? Are you looking for a Christmas tree in Ottawa? We have included a lot of information for you on our Christmas in Ottawa page.

Ottawa's Bell Capital Cup

2005-12-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

Here is some information on the Bell Capital Cup. It is an amazing event that is held every year in Canada's Capital. It is a hockey tournament that hosts 9-12 year olds from all over the world. It is fun for everyone!

For those of you who will be participating, good luck! Enjoy your time in Ottawa and have lots of fun! Hope you get a chance to catch one of the Ottawa Senators' games while you are here.

Cirque Extends Visit to Ottawa

2005-11-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in this post, Cirque du Soleil's Quidam is coming to Ottawa. I have just found out that they are extending their stay seeing as it is their only Canadian stop with this show. They will be in Ottawa from May 18 - June 11, 2006 (instead of June 4 as originally planned).

Cirque du Soleil's Quidam Tickets on sale TODAY!

2005-11-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

You may recall our blog entry about Cirque du Soleil's Quidam coming to Ottawa. I promised to give you more details when I had them so here they are:

Cirque du Soleil's Quidam
May 18 - June 4, 2006
Grand Chapiteau at Lansdowne Park
There will be one show each weeknight (except Monday) and two shows on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for adults range in price from $55.00 - $215 per person.
Tickets for children range in price from $38.50 - $150.50 per person.
Tickets for Seniors/Students range in price from $49.50 - $81.00 per person.
Tickets are not on sale yet to the general public BUT you can purchase tickets in advance as a Cirque du Soleil member. Signing up as a member is FREE and easy. Go to their website: Cirque du Soleil. Tickets go on sale TODAY for members.

Make sure to get your tickets early! We already did and we can't wait.

Trying to find a hotel in Ottawa?

2005-11-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

We have always provided information on Ottawa accommodations on our website. We listed hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and other accommodations. In keeping with that theme, we have just added a few new pages on our Ottawa website:

Top 5 Hotels in Ottawa - this lists the best hotels in Ottawa

Top 5 Hotels in Ottawa for Children - this lists the best hotels in Ottawa for people travelling with their children

We hope this makes your search for accommodations in Ottawa much easier! Enjoy your stay.

OC Transpo - Work to Rule

2005-11-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

I just read this news update from the website for CFRA. So far it is the only place that I have been able to find ANY up to date information on the OC Transpo situation. I will be listening to the news this weekend to find out more details.

Here is the story from their website:

------------------------------------
OC Transpo Union Gives Notice of Work-to-Rule Campaign
CFRA Staff
Thursday, November 10, 2005 12:23 PM

OC Transpo is set to begin a work-to-rule campaign Monday.

City officials confirmed Thursday afternoon that the Amalgamated Transit Union has given them 72 hours notice of a pending job action.

The Union says it will come in the form of a work-to-rule campaign. Details of what that will entail are being worked Thursday afternoon.

This latest development comes one day after talks stalled between the City and the Union.

Christmas in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

2005-11-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

Yup - it is that time of year again. The Christmas music is playing in the malls, people are out putting up decorations on their houses, the stores are full of Christmas gift ideas etc. Personally we find it all a bit too early BUT we know that a lot of you are planning for Christmas. You want to know where to buy your tree, what activities to bring your family to and more. Because of that, we have built a new page on our site called Christmas in Ottawa. It is full of very useful information for celebrating Christmas in Ottawa.

Ottawa Christmas Craft Show

2005-11-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

Now that Halloween is over in Canada, you know what is coming next! I specified Canada because the United States has not celebrated their Thanksgiving yet. They still have that to look forward to. Canada on the other hand has already started advertising for Christmas.

I don't want to be too premature and start discussing Christmas but I do need to remind everyone in Ottawa that the Ottawa Christmas Craft Show (Signatures) is coming soon. It is a terrific place to get some unique gifts for friends & family (even if it isn't for Christmas). Here are the details:

Signatures Christmas Craft Sale in Ottawa
Congress Centre
November 8 - 13, 2005
Weekdays 11am - 9:30pm (Nov. 11th: 12noon - 9:30pm)
Saturday 10am - 9:30pm
Sunday 10am - 6:00pm

Adults: $6.00
Seniors (65 and up): $4.00
Children 13-17: $4.00
Children 12 & under: Free

Happy Shopping!

Wine & Food Show in Ottawa...Mmmmmm!

2005-11-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Once again, Ottawa is hosting the Wine & Food Show. We LOVE going there each year to sample the wine and the International beer. We don't go for the food, although after a few drinks, food IS necessary! If you are trying to find something to do this weekend (without the kids) then here are the details:

Ottawa Wine & Food Show
Congress Centre
November 4 - 6, 2005
$15 per person (19 and older)

Friday, November 4th: 12noon-9pm
Saturday, November 5th: 12noon-9pm
Sunday, November 6th: 12noon-6pm

When I was in University here, I loved to go on Friday and/or Saturday night because lots of students would go. It was a great place to get dressed up (well, at least out of our usual comfy university clothes) and go somewhere different for the night with friends. Now, hubby and I usually go on the Sunday to avoid the large crowds! Whichever day/night you go..have fun! Make sure to write the name of the wines down that you like.

Cirque du Soleil in Ottawa in 2006!!

2005-10-29T07:33:00.000-05:00

I have just heard that Cirque du Soleil's new show "Quidam" is coming to Ottawa in May 2006! Awesome! Have you ever seen a Cirque du Soleil show? We saw our first ever Cirque du Soleil show called "O" in Las Vegas last Spring and we were absolutely blown away. We have been fortunate enough to see a lot of different shows over the years but this was by far the best show that we have ever seen.

The location of the show in Ottawa is still hush hush but the tickets are supposed to go on sale in the middle of November so they will be annoncing the location soon. When I have more information, I will let you know immediately. This is probably going to be one of the most popular shows for Ottawa next year so don't miss out on getting your tickets. What a great present for a loved one. Even if they didn't specifically ask for it, I can't imagine any one NOT loving the show. You can even add it to your Christmas Wish List too!

So, keep an eye on this blog or our Ottawa Website for up to date information about the Cirque du Soleil's Quidam in Ottawa in 2006!

Bars, Nightlife & More Concerts in Ottawa

2005-10-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

Has it really been this long since I posted on our blog? Why have I been slacking? I would love to say it was because I was busy with our website on Ottawa but that isn't the main reason. We have just been really busy with life outside of our jobs & our website.

We have found some time though to work on the "entertainment" side of our website. We did write a few more pages about:

Ottawa Bars - lists bars, nightclubs & gay bars

Ottawa Nightlife - lists various places to go at night in Ottawa like the bars (above) and comedy clubs! Lots of fun to be had here in Ottawa.

Like we have said numerous times before on our blog, this has been THE year for concerts in Ottawa. Check out the latest Ottawa Concert Listing. A few more bands have been added like Bryan Adams, Hilary Duff and much more.

Cheers!

Kids Activities in Ottawa

2005-10-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Here are a few ideas for activities to do with the kids in Ottawa this long weekend:

Saunders Farm - hayrides, mazes, picnic area, Halloween festivities and a lot more!

Ottawa Sugar Bushes - trails to go walking, hayrides and a lot more!

Ottawa Berry Farms & Pumpkin Patches - too late for berries at this time of year but you can find some pumpkins to decorate for Halloween.

Ottawa Museums - Nature, Civilization, Science & Technology and many more!

Gatineau Park - trails & picnic areas. Perfect place to go this time of year with the changing colours of the trees.

Other Adventure - listing of other activities for families in Ottawa.

Have a great long weekend everyone! It is going to be a bit chilly so dress up warm!

Going to the chapel and were going to get married...

2005-10-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

Is that song going to be stuck in your head now? I have been humming it for the past few hours. No, not because I am getting married (I am already married - very happily for over 2 years now)! But I am humming it because I have been adding a few more pages to the wedding section of our Ottawa website. Here are the new pages:

Ottawa Wedding Flowers - gives useful tips on what to shop for and what to ask the florists and also gives a list of florists in Ottawa.

Ottawa Musicians - information for those that are looking for quartets, trios, duos or harpists to play at their Ottawa wedding.

Ottawa Wedding Photographers - lists photographers in Ottawa and also gives some tips on choosing the best one for you.

I must admit that I do love weddings. I wasn't one of those girls that had planned her wedding since she was a child but when I got engaged and I was given the task of planning my own wedding, I loved it! I had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is one of the reasons why I am having so much fun adding information to the Ottawa weddings section of our website. It also helps that I have "been there & done that" already!

Good luck to all the future Ottawa Brides & Grooms!

Aerosmith & Lenny Kravitz in Ottawa

2005-09-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

They have just announced another great concert for 2005. This has been the best year for Ottawa concerts by far which has included bands like Pearl Jam, Green Day, Rolling Stones and U2 (who will be coming in November)!

The concert that has just been announced is: Aerosmith & Lenny Kravitz! They will be playing at the Corel Centre on November 16, 2005! Now that would be an amazing show to see.

Hope those who want to go will be able to get tickets because this will probably be another sold out show. Enjoy!

Ooops - long time since I have posted!

2005-09-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to say hi. I haven't been doing too much with the site lately because life off of the computer was very busy. My regular job was busy AND our social life has been busy.

As for Ottawa, there is still lots going on that I need to write about. I think I mentioned in a previous post that even though summer is over, the activities never seem to end in Ottawa. The Carp Fair and the Fall Home Show are on this weekend, the Ottawa Fall Wedding Show is on next weekend and the Gatineau Fall Park Rhapsody begins next weekend as well. So, you see, there is still a lot do to keep you busy in Ottawa!

I hope to add more new pages soon to our website. I have few more in mind so now I just have to get writing.

Hope everyone is well and hope you had a great weekend!

Cheers!

4-day weekend = 4 new pages!

2005-09-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

I have been so productive this long weekend. I also had Friday off so it was a 4-day weekend for me. Most imporantly, for those who want information on Ottawa, we created four new pages. I already mentioned two of them in a previous post but here are the two newest pages:

Ottawa Entertainment - this lists all the venues that offer great entertainment in Ottawa. We had a lot of entertainment listed already on our site but this page makes it easier for our visitors to find what they are looking for.
Ottawa Comedy Clubs - there are two in Ottawa and they are awesome. We absolutely love going to see a comedy show - it is a fun night out and we find it helps us to unwind.

Besides the new pages, we also visited with friends, spent some time outdoors because it was beautiful, watched a couple movies and relaxed. Now, back to work tomorrow.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

Ottawa 67s & the Ottawa Little Theatre

2005-09-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

We have created a couple more pages on our Ottawa website in the last two days:

Ottawa 67s - Ottawa's OHL team

Ottawa Little Theatre - an old, beautiful theatre that features local talent in some unique production shows

Even though summer is coming to an end, there still seems to be so much going on in Ottawa. There are some great fundraisers coming up like the Terry Fox Run and there are a few local fairs like the Carp Fair. Who says that the fun needs to end when summer is over? I guess the school kids do! There is still a lot for them to do on the weekends.

Have a great long weekend everyone!

Donate to the Red Cross

2005-09-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

This has nothing to do with Ottawa or Site Build It but I thought it was important due to the recent events with Hurricane Katrina:

I wish I could have found one for the Canadian Red Cross but I couldn't.

Thank you.

I have made my decision finally

2005-09-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I have finally made my decision. I think I am going to split my blog in two. I am going to keep this one so I can continue to discuss Ottawa and new pages on our site. My second blog will be about our journey with SBI and how we made our site. It won't be too technical because I don't know anything about the technical side of building a site - this is why I am using SBI.

I think in the long run this will be better for our readers. Often people find us by doing a search on the internet for something related to Ottawa - I am certain they do not care that we are doing well with traffic or that we are doing well with Adsense. They just want their information about Ottawa and that's it.

So, as soon as I make the new blog, I will let you know what the blog address is. I don't have any idea yet as to what it will be.

Cheers to all my readers (I know there aren't many - but maybe my readers will increase now that the topic will be more specific to what they want).

I'm back online!

2005-08-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted on here for awhile because we have had some problems with our computer (something about the motherboard...or was it the motherload...ha ha ha)?! Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it to keep the computer so we had to buy a new one. I wasn't too happy about it but I guess our new computer has a lot more memory that can accommodate all the new programs that I am adding to it on a regular basis. Even though I am knee deep in building our Ottawa website, I still don't know a thing about the technical side of computers. Thank you, Site Build It (SBI)!

Anyway, before the problems with the computer I had created a couple of new pages:

Saunders Farm - a really cool place in the west end of Ottawa that has mazes and hay rides and activites for all age groups (even the group of us 30-year olds that went one weekend in July)! We had a blast!

Ottawa Wedding Cakes - information on places to buy wedding cakes in Ottawa.

Besides building a couple more pages in the past couple weeks I have also signed on to a couple travel related forums. The intent was to get a bit more traffic but I have to say that seeing as I love to travel and I have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit in my life...I am hooked on one of the forums. Great! All I needed was another distraction to take me away from building more pages on our website!

Anyway, I must get going!

Cheers!

The Ottawa Folk Festival

2005-08-15T17:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I almost forgot to create a page on our website about the Ottawa Folk Festival. It takes place this Thursday, August 18 to Sunday, August 21, 2005 at Britannia Park in the west end and will feature acts like Hothouse Flowers, Joan Armatrading and the Arrogant Worms. It is another amazing festival in Ottawa that shouldn't be missed. We'll definitely be making it out one day (hopefully) if all goes well. We were also thinking of going to the Lanark Highland Games this weekend too. Where will we find the time to do it all?

Hope you will be able to enjoy a bit of the festival this weekend too!

To split in two or not?

2005-08-12T12:23:00.000-05:00

A little while ago I wrote a post about whether or not I should start a new Blog. You can read about it here. I am back to thinking that this may be a good idea. I really wish I had a lot more people (or anybody) who read my blog so they could give me their opinion.

I have a very strong feeling that those who find our blog while they are looking for information on Ottawa don't really care about how we built our Ottawa website. Why would they? If I was looking for a recipe on line (for example), would I really care about how they made their website? I would really just want the recipe and that is it.

And for those who are looking for information on Site Build It and to read about my experience with it, would they really care about Ottawa? I highly doubt it.

I am really starting to lean towards splitting this blog into two. They don't take a lot of time to create or update so I don't have to worry about that. What is my problem? Why can't I just make my decision? Or have I? Maybe I just want to stick with one blog?

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh....pardon me while I pull my hair out!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Ottawa is having some much needed rain right now and our grass, flowers & trees are loving it! Unfortunately, my long bike ride has to be postponed.

Cheers!

Hockey, cars, movies & the arts (in Ottawa)

2005-08-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we have been busy writing some more pages for our Ottawa website. They are four completely unrelated pages (apart from the fact that they have to do with Ottawa). Here they are:

Ottawa Senators - this is about Ottawa's NHL team

Ottawa Car Rental - information on renting a car in Ottawa

Ottawa Movie Theatres - information on movie theatres and cinemas in Ottawa

National Arts Centre - the NAC is an amazing complex for the performing arts (dance, theatre, concerts etc)

So, we now have 76 pages on our site. There are still so many more to create. When will we find the time? I guess when we are hibernating in winter we will be able to create a lot more on a regular basis.

Our traffic is also increasing as well which is really exciting!

Good luck to everyone else who is building their own website. I hope you are having as much fun as we still are!

The 2005 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa

2005-07-22T18:41:00.000-05:00

Well, there will definitely be a hockey season this year. It looks like there are mixed feelings from the fans and I can understand why. But this isn't a blog to debate who was right and who was wrong. There are plenty of other blogs to do that.

The good news for Ottawa is that the Ottawa Senators are back! They had a huge fan base in Ottawa and I am sure they will return to support them.

The other good news for Ottawa is that the 2005 NHL Entry Draft will be held in Ottawa on July 30 at noon at the Westin Hotel.

The Draft will bring a lot of people to Ottawa for a few days which will be great for Ottawa Restaurants and also for Ottawa Hotels & Motels. This sure has been a busy season for all of the local businesses.

Welcome back Sens! Go Sens Go!

Aren't people wonderful?

2005-07-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

I hope you answered "yes" to that question! We have been getting really good feedback on our Ottawa Information Guide website. We love it! We love opening up our email each day and reading comments from people who live in Ottawa or people who used to live in Ottawa but miss it (we missed it too when we were away for so long).

Anyway, enough of my rambling! The reason for my post today was to let you know about someone who contacted us through our website. They wanted to tell us about a fundraiser that was going to take place in Ottawa on August 1, 2005. Read more about it on their website: The Road to Recovery. It really is a remarkable story.

That was really it for today. Hopefully we will find some time this weekend to create some more pages on our website.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Traffic is increasing!

2005-07-15T06:45:00.000-05:00

How exciting! The traffic on our Ottawa Information Guide website is doing much better this month than last month. We are only half way through July and our numbers have doubled (visitors per day AND total of visitors for the month)! We are so excited that more and more people are finding us.

The SBI process is still a lot of fun! We would hate to get bored of something that we put so much time into! We definitely don't think we are ever going to get bored of this. We love Ottawa and we love talking about Ottawa!

We have been a little slow at creating more content. We built another page last night on Ottawa Mortgages which makes only the second page that we created this month (eek)! Like I have said before, it is just too nice outside to be sitting in front of a computer. We would much prefer to be outside! Oh well, if all else fails we know that we will be hibernating in the cold winter so we can create more pages then!

Cheers! Hope you all have a fun weekend.

A few more concerts in Ottawa...

2005-07-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to report that Sum 41 and Billy Idol will be coming to Ottawa this summer too (on separate nights). Check out our concerts in Ottawa page on our website.

Black Eyed Peas

2005-07-09T07:09:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a show last night. We went downtown last night to see the Black Eyed Peas at the Ottawa Bluesfest along with over 25,000 other people. It was awesome. They are quite the entertainers! We were all up on our feet dancing, swaying, rocking, foot tapping, singing along etc! The show was outside so we were all happy that the rain stayed away. It was the perfect night for an outdoor concert.

Everytime I go to one of Ottawa's festivals I am reminded (once again) what an amazing city this is. There we were smack dab in the middle of downtown Ottawa on the grounds of City Hall taking part in one of the best outdoor festivals in Canada.

There are many more upcoming concerts in Ottawa including the remainder of the Bluesfest, the Chamber Music Festival and other individual shows at various venues throughout the city!

Get out and enjoy some of the great entertainment coming to Ottawa! Have fun!

Happy Canada Day 'eh!

2005-07-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY! What are you doing to celebrate Canada Day? Ottawa is the best place to celebrate Canada Day seeing as it is the Nation's capital. There are concerts planned as well as an amazing fireworks show at night. According to the radio it is already getting quite busy downtown. The weather is going to be pretty reasonable today so it would be a great place to be to enjoy a few cold beverages on a patio!

As for our Ottawa website, I created a page on the Chateau Laurier which is one of the most stunning hotels in all of Canada. It looks like a beautiful castle situated right in the heart of downtown Ottawa. We have toured around inside and seen some of the rooms - WOW! It is spectacular.

Hope you all have a great day. We are off to celebrate Canada Day in Ottawa!

Cheers!

Just TWO words for you...

2005-06-23T17:24:00.000-05:00

Yup, this is a very short post...I just have to share two words with you:

FRESH STRAWBERRIES!...in Ottawa of course! Mmmmmmm...I can taste them now!

Ottawa Renegades, Robert Plant and more...

2005-06-23T05:15:00.000-05:00

I don't know what is happening in Ottawa but this year is our year for concerts. I have added two more concerts to our Ottawa Concert page. It has recently been confirmed that Robert Plant & the Backstreet Boys will be here in Ottawa on separate nights.

This is also a reminder for all of you Ottawa Renegades fans. The one-day sale for the special $99 season ticket passes is this Saturday, June 25th. You can order them on line through capitaltickets.ca or you can pick them up at one of these 3 locations:

Famous Players in Gatineau
The Coliseum Theatre on Carling
Silver City in Gloucester

This is an amazing deal that is hard to pass up.

I have a few new page ideas in mind that I will have to work on in the next couple of days. I'll let you know when they have been added to our Ottawa website.

Some more interesting pages!

2005-06-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

It has been slow going lately with our Ottawa website. I should be putting way more time into it then I am right now.

Site Build It has a few new updated features and I haven't even been able to find the time to read about them. I really need to find some time to sit down in front of the computer and NOT read forums and/or blogs and just focus on these new features. Hmm...maybe I should be doing that now.

I guess I will keep this short then. I just wanted to say that I have created a couple more pages in the past week (Pages #66 and #67):

Diefenbunker - a cool nuclear bunker that was built in 1959-1961

Ottawa Jazz Festival - another amazing music festival in Ottawa

And that is it for now! Cheers!

Updating pages

2005-06-19T19:57:00.000-05:00

There isn't too much new with our site but I did have to update the Ottawa Concerts page again because I just found out that Bruce Springsteen will be in Ottawa this summer too. Ottawa is definitely getting their share of great concerts this year. Just take a look at who is coming!

On top of all that the Jazz Festival & the Blues Festival are all coming up very soon too. This is going to be one happening city this year.

Apart from updating our concerts page and a few other pages recently I haven't done too much with our site. I have been quite busy off of the computer and outside of the house. Our site may not have too many new pages but our landscaping is looking pretty good!

Hope the rest of my fellow AMers are getting much more accomplished than I am!

Huh? I've been tagged?

2005-06-13T11:30:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged? What does that mean? I really haven't explored too much yet of this Blog World so I don't know if this is a common occurrence. Anyway, Tara has tagged me.

I don't know if there are rules to follow so I will just go ahead and answer the questions:

1. How many books do I own?

I can't stand clutter or collecting dust so I only have about 75 books. They are all hard covers that I want to read again or they are keepsakes or they are from countries that I have visited. A couple are even University text books that I didn't pay close attention to while I was in University but I thought I may want to read them later in life. Haven't yet!

2. Last Book I Bought:

Full price: Dogs Never Lie About Love by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Book Sale: About 10 or so easy reads to read on the bus to and from work

3. Last Book I Read:

Violets are Blue by James Patterson (one of the easy reads I bought for the bus)

4. Five Books That Mean A Lot To Me:

I don't really consider myself a book person so I actually really struggled with this one.

Diary of Anne Frank – I read this when I was around the same age Anne was when she wrote it so it had a huge impact on me.

Living, Loving & Learning by Leo Buscaglia – I read this in my late teens and I will always remember his lecture about why, in today’s society, we can't just walk up to a complete stranger and give them a hug (long story but very interesting)

The Little Engine That Could – my favourite childhood book – I read it daily for years and I think it says a lot about who I am today…VERY determined (some call it stubborn)!

Most of Maeve Binchy's books - I read about 5 of them one summer when there was some very emotional stuff going on in my life. They were a great escape.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - I started reading this quite a few years ago (never finished) but I think it is what really got me seriously thinking about my personal finances & making money etc.

5. Tag Five More:

Uh-oh! I only know of three other bloggers (Tara & Jon) and they have both already been tagged. I guess that leaves Megan!

Well that was interesting!

Some More Affiliate Links & Another Page

2005-06-11T09:05:00.000-05:00

I have accomplished a few things in the past couple days:

I have finally added a few more affiliate links on our website. I guess I had to be reminded that what I am trying to accomplish with our website IS "Affiliate Marketing". I don't know if I was scared to add them in the fear that nobody clicked on them or if I was afraid that they would take away from the personal tone of our site. I don't want people to read it and think "oh, she is just trying to sell us something". I am really enjoying creating our Ottawa website and I don't want it to be all about marketing.
I have moved around some of the Adsense because supposedly it does better in certain areas of the page. I keep hearing that the left hand side increases the clicks. I had originally placed them on the right hand side because, once again, I didn't want to seem like I was pushing the advertising in my readers faces BUT if it increases my clicks and the reader finds something they want then it is a win-win situation!
I have created page #65. It is information on the Ottawa Airport. I guess it is necessary considering a lot of tourists will be flying here!

So, there you have it. I am going to go do some more research to find out what other keywords my readers are looking for so I can create some more pages. I may have to take a bit of a break to go out and do some yard work. Ick - it is 40 degrees celsius with the humidity today. Well, at least I can come back into the air conditioning and work on the website!

Ottawa Tour Guide for Two Weeks AND Page # 64

2005-06-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

Well, if I was going to build any other page right now it had to be about Ottawa Bluesfest. We are going this year but just to one show - the Black Eyed Peas. There are hundreds of other shows to go see but we just don't have the time. I am happy though that I finally got another page built on our website (page #64).

As you know I have been busy entertaining a guest for the past two weeks. We have seen a lot of Ottawa and some of the surrounding towns. In no particular order, here are some things that we have seen or done:

- visited Upper Canada Village

- went to check out the new War Museum

- visted a cute town called Perth (west of Ottawa)

- went on a 3-hour boat cruise on the Thousand Islands (1.5hours west of Ottawa)

- went on a cruise on the Rideau Canal

- went to quite a few Ottawa Restaurants such as the Canal Ritz, Empire Grill, D'Arcy McGees & Alfonsetti's

- walked around Parliament Hill

- checked out the garden centres so we could start some gardens

- drove through Gatineau Park

- and lots more.

It was a very busy two weeks but we had a great time. Now I must put some serious effort into our Ottawa website. No more slackin'! My to-do list is huge.

Off I go!

Another HUGE concert in Ottawa?

2005-06-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

There is a possibility that Ottawa may be hosting another huge concert event this summer. Nothing has been confirmed yet but there has been talk that Live 8 may come to Ottawa on July 2nd.

What is Live 8 you ask? Bob Geldof is organizing free simultaneous concerts in some of the G8 countries to take place days before the G8 leaders meet in Britain. The goal is to bring attention to the poverty in Africa.

So far concerts are being organized in London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome and Paris. Some of the acts at the various locations include U2, Duran Duran, Elton John, Coldplay, Sting, Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox, Madonna and MANY more.

If I hear anything more about it I will be sure to let you know. In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out what other concerts are coming to Ottawa this year (and there are many), then check out our Ottawa Concerts page!

Where Have You Been Ottawa Girl?

2005-06-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been away from the computer for ages. Realistically it has only been a few days but it feels like more. So, what have I been up to? We have had a visitor here from England and we have been all over the place. We have been all around Ottawa and some of the surrounding towns. Touring around Ottawa has just confirmed to me what an amazing city this is and that there is SO much to do here. We have been going non-stop and we still have a few more activities planned before our guest leaves. I am also finding some new information to add to our Ottawa website which will have to wait until our "tour guide" duties are over.

Some other big news is that Lynn & Alex from the Amazing Race just got married here in Ottawa this morning at the Ottawa Congress Centre. I hear that they were supposed to go to the Empire Grill for their reception later on in the day. Supposedly Lynn & Alex loved the menu for the Empire Grill which is why they chose it. It is funny because we just went there for dinner last night AND we have had the restaurant listed as one of our favourites on our Ottawa Restaurants page for a few months now! They've got great taste.

That's all for now. I am pooped & heading off to bed.

History Lesson & a Casino

2005-05-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

Well today was an interesting day. I got a history lesson AND I wrote a new page for our website. One doesn't have anything to do with the other though.

First off - my history lesson. I went to the new Canadian War Museum with my husband, my father and our guest from England. All I can say is - WOW! I know that is not the most intelligent way to explain a museum that has so many emotional exhibits and content within it but I was amazed. It was an informative tour to say the least. I have taken so much away from our 3-hour tour and I just hope that I remember most of what I read. I would highly recommend a visit to the Museum when you get the chance.

On to our newest page/article for our website - I created page # 63 tonight. It is on the Casino du Lac Leamy. It offers quite a bit of information about the Lac Leamy complex.

Hope these creative juices keep on flowin'.

Cheers to anyone who is reading my blog (is there anyone out there)?!

Ottawa Public Schools - CLOSED

2005-05-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

This has nothing at all to do with our Ottawa website but in order to provide up to date information for our blog readers we felt that it was necessary to mention about the closure of the public schools that is going to take place on Wednesday, May 25.

We don't have children (well, not the 2-legged kind) so this doesn't affect us but I am sure it will affect a lot of people in Ottawa.

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board - Strike.

At least it is supposed to be a nice, sunny day so you can send the kids out in the yard or to the park to play!

Westin Hotel Ottawa is Page # 62

2005-05-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

I have just created our 62nd page for our website. I can't believe that I have created 2 pages in 3 days - that is the best I have done in a long time. Maybe I am back on track. Yipppeee!

So, our most recent page is on one of the best hotels in Ottawa, the Westin Hotel, which is located in downtown Ottawa. It is in the perfect location to all of the attractions.

Not only did I create page #62, I also figured out how to create a list within a list with HTML. If you check out our Site Map page you will see that I needed to create another list within our Accommodations section! I was very impressed with myself. For all of you expert HTMLers...don't laugh! It was new to me and much easier than I thought!

Have a great Monday and I am sure I will post again soon!

One of these things is not like the other...

2005-05-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here at "stupid o'clock" (as my husband likes to call the early morning) on a Sunday with a cup of tea sitting beside me, staring at my Ottawa website and also staring at this blog and my mind is blank! I don't have any creative juices flowing at this time of the morning. So, instead of adding new information to the blog and/or the Ottawa website, I will ask you (my loyal readers - are there any?) for your suggestions.

I was pondering the whole idea of having this blog that mixes information on Ottawa and information on my Site Build It (SBI) journey and I realized that the two probably don't mix very well. What I mean is if someone finds our blog while they are looking for information on Ottawa then they probably don't care about how I am building the website, any problems that I am having, Google issues etc. And vice versa - people who are interested in my website building process probably don't really care about what is happening in Ottawa (although some might).

So, my question is "what do I do"? Apart from creating a second blog - I would prefer not to do that because I have enough distractions as it is so I don't need another blog to think about. What if I split the blog entries in two sections? Maybe with headers like these:
"Ottawa Information" section and "Site Build It" section
or
"What's New in Ottawa" section and "How's the website coming along" section
or
"Hey there Ottawa" section and "Hey there fellow webmasters" section

Yeah - those aren't too creative, are they? Seriously, I told you I didn't have any creative juices flowing at this time of the morning. If any of you have a suggestion on how I should split my blog entries, I would greatly appreciate it.

Hope you all have a nice Sunday. I hope it isn't grey & dreary as it is here in Ottawa.

Cheers!

Page # 61 - Complete!

2005-05-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it has been 10 days since I created page #60 on our Ottawa website so I felt that it was time to create another one. I should be pumping them out much quicker than this because there is so much to see and do in Ottawa but I just keep making excuses. Everything & anything has been coming in the way of creating more content for our website.

Anyway, the newest page is all about a really cool 1860s historical village called Upper Canada Village. For those of you who live here you probably went there when you were younger. I remember going on a few school trips and thought it was neat but then I returned as an adult and seriously thought "WOW, this is very cool"! I will even be going again in a couple of weeks because we have a visitor coming from England.

Besides the new page that I just built I have also been playing around with the location of the Google ads on some of our pages. Unfortunately, as soon as I moved them the ads changed and were completely irrelevant. They seem to have fixed themselves for the most part. Thank God! I had a mild panic attack when I saw that my playing around had messed them up so bad.

Well, I hope everyone in Ottawa has a great long weekend. And for those of you in Affiliate Marketing land, have a great weekend! Hope your sites are doing well!

Happy 20th Anniversary!

2005-05-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

No, it is not my anniversary. I haven't been married that long (yet)! I am wishing a Happy 20th Anniversary to one of our favourite Ottawa Restaurants, Chahaya Malaysia.

We just went there (again) this past weekend and they told us that they were having a raffle because it was their 20th anniversary in September. The prize is a dinner for four and they will be choosing a new winner every month. If you haven't had a meal there then you don't realize what an excellent prize this is!

Chahaya Malaysia has Malaysian, Indonesian and Vegetarian food. The food is absolutely amazing and the selection is huge. Being a vegetarian I find it one of the best menus in the city. The service is also wonderful. The owners come out and serve and talk with the customers when they aren't too busy. It is like going to dinner at a friend's house.

My suggestion (even for you non-believers of tofu) is V12 - it is a Vegetarian Malaysian noodle dish with lots of tofu and vegetables. For those that want meat, there are plenty of dishes with beef or chicken or lamb.

Can you believe that after our meal we even ordered a couple of dishes for take out so we could have it for dinner throughout the week?

Once again, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHAHAYA MALAYSIA! We'll be back soon (even if we don't win a dinner for four).

Bright Colours on a Rainy Day (Part 2)

2005-05-14T16:37:00.000-05:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival 2005_Picture # 2

As promised, here is another picture that we took today at the Ottawa Tulip Festival. There were all different coloured tulips. There were red, purple, pink, yellow, white, orange and multi-coloured. I can't decide which ones were my favourites but the purple ones were just about to open and I imagine that those will be absolutely gorgeous by next weekend (which is when I hope to go back again & I hope that the sun is shining).

Enjoy the rainy day photos!

Bright Colours on a Rainy Day

2005-05-14T16:13:00.000-05:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival 2005

My husband and I made it to the Ottawa Tulip Festival today. At first we were a little bummed because it was a pretty rainy day but that made for less crowds and some very interesting photos like the rainy tulips above. We checked out the tulips, watched a great band play outside under a tent, saw the Tulip Cafe and of course, we found time to have a beavertail at a Beavertail stand! The rain sure didn't dampen our spirits and we had a fun time taking photos on our semi-new digital camera.

I also tried something else new today - I posted a photo to my blog for the first time. It wasn't too difficult but I had to download a program called "Hello" so I could post images on Blogger. It seemed to work out okay but I don't know how to post more than one. I would love to share some more photos but I think they will have to be in separate blogs (sorry)!

For those of you who live in Ottawa, I sure hope you can make it down to the Tulip Festival. David Wilcox is going to be playing tonight. It should be a fun show!

Amazing Race Couple - Wedding in Ottawa

2005-05-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

If any of you watched the most recent Amazing Race 7 series then you will know who Lynn & Alex are. They were the gay couple from California. You know, the ones that couldn't stand Rob & Amber.

Well, one of the local Ottawa Radio Stations, HOT 89.9, has invited Lynn & Alex to come to Ottawa, where it is legal for gay couples to get married. They are even going to cover all the costs of the wedding. The wedding is going to take place on June 1 with the couple expecting to arrive around May 29th.

Rumour has it (not that I am a big fan of rumours but it does sound believable) that Entertainment Tonight will even be here in Ottawa for the event. It is going to be interesting to see who else makes it to Ottawa.

I may be a bit biased but I think Ottawa is a great city to get married in. We got married in Ottawa in 2003 and we even have a section on our website (not this blog, our other website) about Ottawa Weddings. So, if anyone else wants to get married in Ottawa, take a peek at our wedding page!

So, Congratulations to Lynn & Alex on their upcoming wedding!

The Rolling Stones in Ottawa

2005-05-10T14:54:00.000-05:00

It has been confirmed that the Rolling Stones will be coming to Ottawa. The whole city has been talking about this rumour for the past week but it is true. They ARE coming! Read more about it on our Ottawa Concerts page!

Not only am I excited about this fantastic concert, I am also happy to say that our concert page is now page #60 for our Ottawa Information Guide website!

Shall I celebrate tonight? I think so!

Cheers!

Personal Challenge - Complete!

2005-04-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

On April 28 I posted about distractions. I have been doing everything BUT working on our website lately. So, in my April 28 post I gave myself a personal challenge to complete. I had to complete one (yes, only one) new page in two days. Well, I am proud to say I did it! It is a page about Ottawa Hospitals. Okay, so it may not be the most interesting for any of you but it is for those that live in Ottawa that are looking for information on our hospitals.

I didn't write this one down in the blog but I also created a personal challenge to find out more about Site Meter. That challenge is complete as well. I have actually signed up and I now have a traffic meter at the bottom of this page. I can now check out my stats for this blog. For our website though, SBI takes care of all that for me (phew)!

So, what will my next personal challenge be? I seriously think that this idea of giving myself personal challenges and making them publicly known by putting them in my blog will help me out a lot! I was thinking of adding some more Affiliate merchants to our website but I don't think I have enough traffic yet. Let me think about this one and get back to ya'!

Vote Ottawa Vote!

2005-04-29T06:27:00.000-05:00

I just heard some very exciting news (well it is very exciting to me). The Canada Soccer Association (CSA) is going to host the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship. Six cities are going to co-host the three-week long event which will bring teams from 24 different nations. Two of the cities have already been chosen: Edmonton and Toronto. That leaves four cities yet to be decided (they will be chosen on May 4th).

Now this is where YOU come in! You can vote for Ottawa! If you are a soccer fan (actually it is called football but seeing as the majority of people who are going to read this are Canadian or American, I will refer to it as soccer)....so, if you are a soccer fan PLEASE vote. Even if you aren't, I beg you...please, please, please...vote for Ottawa anyways!

It takes 2 seconds to do it! Just follow the instructions on this link to the "Support Your City Online Interactive Soccer Initiative".

Thank you, thank you and thank you!

Distractions & Warm Weather

2005-04-28T19:18:00.000-05:00

If you live in a climate that has very cold winters then you will understand how I feel when the warmer weather arrives in the spring. I do NOT want to be cooped up indoors. I would prefer to be outdoors walking, biking, sitting on a patio etc. Needless to say I am getting NO work done on our website. I have created only a few new pages in the past month. I have lots of ideas for more content but I just can't get my act together and write anything.

Now I can't blame it completely on the weather. I am the type of person that easily gets distracted. Take this blogging thing for instance. I have been wasting time searching for interesting blogs, reading other people's blogs and trying to increase my traffic on my blog. The plus side is that the more traffic I get on my blog, the more people will visit our website.

I must remain focused. I must do more work on our site. I must create some deadlines for myself. I must just give myself one big kick in the a** and get working.

I have an idea (which I should probably think about first before I type it on this blog)...oh well! Maybe I should give myself a deadline or a challenge to complete by a certain date and write it on my blog. If I have someone else to answer to other than myself then maybe I will just ignore all the distractions and get down to work. Let's try it!

Task to complete by the end of the month (2 days to go): Create one more page/article on our Ottawa Information Guide website! Yeah, yeah - you are probably saying "that isn't so hard" but when you throw work into it, then a lunch date one day, dinner with friends one night, taking care of puppy etc...it doesn't leave a whole lot of time.

Ottawa 67s Advance to OHL Final

2005-04-28T05:36:00.000-05:00

Woohoo! For all you hockey fans...Ottawa won their game against the Peterborough Petes last night! They won the series 4-0. This means that they will advance to the OHL final. It hasn't been decided yet which team they will play.

I must admit that I haven't watched many games throughout the season but I am happy to hear that the fans have gone out to the games to support them. With the NHL strike, I was afraid that a lot of people in Ottawa would turn their backs on anything related to hockey. I am happy to say that I was wrong.

Go 67s Go!!!

New Canadian War Museum Opens Soon!

2005-04-25T18:53:00.000-05:00

They broke ground on November 5th, 2002 and it has been a long process but the new Canadian War Museum is going to open in less than 2 weeks. The Grand Opening weekend is on May 7th & 8th. It will be open to the public on May 8th. This is not only the 125th anniversary of the CWM but it also marks the 60th anniversary of V-E day.

I drive past it every day on my way to work and it has been non stop construction for a long time but the hard work has paid off. From what I can see of it, it is truly amazing. The building is so impressive and the architecture is hard to describe. So much thought was put into the inside and the outside of the museum. I will be honest that I hadn't visited the old War Museum since I was in grade school and I never had any desire to go again (I get too emotional). But I definitely think this museum is going to be worth a visit (or two).

If you do go, make sure to read as much as you can while you are there. One of the stories that I read (I can't remember where) that sticks out in my mind is that the width of all the corridors are no more than 9 meters. This was because soldiers had to travel in a straight line on land and they kept to a 9 meter band (4.5 meters to their left & 4.5 meters to their right)- it was considered no man's land outside of the 9 meters.

There are a lot of Museums in Ottawa and I think that the CWM is going to be a popular one to visit for a long time to come.

"FUN"draisers in Ottawa

2005-04-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

Fundraisers in Ottawa are FUN!!!

In a previous entry in my blog I mentioned a 3km walkathon that I was going to do on May 1st. It reminded me that I needed to put some information on our website about Ottawa Fundraisers. There are hundreds of them every year!

There are some over the winter months but the majority of them are throughout the spring, summer & fall. Every weekend there are a few different ones to choose from. One of our friends who moved to Ottawa a couple years ago always comments on how many fundraisers that we have here. I am very proud that we have so many.

Have you ever particpated in any of them? I have volunteered for a few, participated in some and watched even more! They are exciting, fun & all for a good cause. Let me know what ones you enjoy participating in or watching.

Hopefully you will find some time this year to volunteer for or participate in some of the Ottawa Fundraisers.

Hot Off The Press - SBI Special Gift

2005-04-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

I just received the local newsletter from SBI (SBI members receive newsletters to keep us up to date on what is going on). Lots of great stuff happening!

I just found out that SBI (Site Build It / SiteSell) is having a case of Spring Fever. Have you thought about building your own site with SBI but you were holding off? Well, now is a great time to buy because they are having a "May Madness $100 Special Gift".

If you are interested, then you can read more about it on the SBI's May Madness page.

Webmasters may prefer to read the special Webmaster SBI Info.

Either way, it sounds like a great deal.

Happy Earth Day!

2005-04-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

What are you doing for Earth Day? Are you walking to work? Are you planting a tree? Or are you doing nothing different then you would normally do? When I was younger we used to plant a tree on my parents' property in the West end of Ottawa every Earth Day. We don't do that anymore but I wish we did. I wonder what the rest of Ottawa is doing?

While trying to figure out if Ottawa had any interesting & environmentally friendly activities planned for Earth Day, I came a cross a really cool site. It is a great site for kids, schools, families & individuals too. Check out the website for Earth Day Ottawa. I didn't realize that there was a site out there specifically for Ottawa!

Happy International Earth Day Ottawa (& the rest of the world)!

Woof, Wag & Walk!

2005-04-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

Our dogwalker just emailed us about a great fundraiser here in Ottawa. I should clarify that there are A LOT of great fundraisers here in Ottawa, this is another one that you may not know about (we didn't until a day or so ago).

B.A.R.K. (Bytown Association for Rescued Kanines) is having their 4th annual walkathon on May 1st.

Here is information that I found on the B.A.R.K. website:

B.A.R.K.'s Fourth Annual "Woofs and Wags" Walkathon (3 km)

When: Sunday May 1, 2005
Where: Arboretum (Central Experimental Farm: detailed map on pledge form at bottom of page)
Time: Registration 8:00am (free coffee and donuts will be available)
Walk starts at 9:00am

Anyone not collecting pledges can pay a $20 registration fee and participate in all activities.

--------------------------

It sounds like a lot of fun. We'll be there with our little pooch. Hope you can make it out too!

Ottawa's Best Blog Contest

2005-04-18T17:47:00.000-05:00

I read a really interesting article in Saturday's Ottawa Citizen (yes, I only read it today - I was busy all weekend)! Anyway, in the City section there is an article by Alex Munter about Blogs in Ottawa! How cool. The article goes on to describe what blogs are (for those that don't know what blogs are...ahem...that was me 2 months ago)! He uses a few examples - a political blog, a local resident talking about her neighbourhood and one that rates the various pizza places in Ottawa.

On to the contest - Alex Munter will be collecting nominations for Ottawa's best local blog. The winner will be announced on April 30th. That winner will have a link to their blog on the Ottawa Citizen website. For those of you who are trying to increase your traffic then this is one way to do it! If you want some more details then check out the website for the Ottawa Citizen.

In no way am I intending to submit my blog (nor am I asking for anyone else to submit it) because it is no where near as creative as some of the others I have seen (remember, I wrote about this a week or so ago). However, I do think it is a great contest because there are some very interesting blogs out there. I think I may submit a few local blogs that I have enjoyed reading.

Edited this on April 25 to say that TODAY is the deadline to submit your blogs!!!

BBQ season is here in Ottawa!

2005-04-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

There are definitely the die hard BBQ'ers who BBQ all winter long! Kudos to them for braving the cold. But if you are like the majority of us, you wait until the weather gets warmer when you don't have to shovel 5 feet of snow off the BBQ before you turn it on!

So, BBQ season is upon us here in Ottawa. Just put your nose in the air and you can smell the food cooking. I think about every 2nd house was having a BBQ yesterday in our neighbourhood (us included). It is so relaxing sitting out, getting fresh air, having a nice cold beverage and letting your lunch or dinner be prepared on the BBQ!

Although, not all of them were in their backyards. Some of them were in their driveways. I don't know if I will ever understand the amount of people that have beautiful back yards & gardens but they still insist on BBQing and lounging around in their driveway. We see it all the time. I am not judging anyone who does this, I just don't understand it. If you know why, please explain!

Well, it is supposed to be in the 20's today so I imagine we will be having another BBQ outside (in our backyard on our new patio set) tonight! Obviously that means that it will be more time spent away from working on our website (oops)!

Happy BBQ'ing!