The Soloway JCC: Meet our new patron and favourite hangout!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW PATRON, THE SOLOWAY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE!

 We have a new patron on the blog, and it’s one I’m really, really excited to have on board: the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. I have been a huge fan of the JCC for a few years now; it was where I went when I decided to return to a fitness regime. The JCC was my first (and only) choice, because they have an indoor salt water pool and I’m sensitive to chlorine, and swimming was all I wanted to do. But as the weeks went by, I found myself peeking into the fitness area, scoping out the cardio machines with built-in TV’s, ogling the gorgeous full-sized gymnasium, and checking out the squash courts. What appealed to me even more, though, were the people: the staff at the JCC are absolutely lovely. I felt welcomed from Day One, with big genuine greetings from the front desk staff, who are some of the nicest reception staff I have ever met.

The amazing saltwater pool

When I retired from roller derby and needed to return to a regular fitness program, Brian and I got memberships at the Soloway JCC right away. Brian fell in love with the place, and the people, just as I had. There are many programs running at the JCC aside from fitness, of course—indeed, it’s a hoppin’ place with programming for a wide range of ages—and you can access their activity catalogue online or stop in for a hard copy.

We interviewed Patrice Berdowski, Membership Director at the JCC, and this is what she shared (Note: Patrice is amazing and you will definitely see her smiling ‘round the JCC when you visit!):

1. WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS NAME?

Soloway Jewish Community Centre (Soloway JCC)

2. WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND YOUR POSITION?

Patrice Berdowski, Membership Director

3. HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

21 Nadolny Sachs Private (one block south of Carling off Broadview)

(613) 798-9818 ext. 233

pberdowski@jccottawa.com

www.jccottawa.com

TV's on treadmills? Yes, please!

Facebook

Twitter

4. WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS DO?

The Soloway JCC is a hub of activity encompassing everything you need to feel your best from

the inside-out. We house a top notch fitness centre with all the latest equipment, a full schedule

of fitness classes such as Yoga, Pilates, Bootcamp, Zumba, Kettlebells, Tai Chi, and SpinFit to

name only a few.

The Soloway JCC Fitness Centre is a complete health & wellness facility with everything you

need to look and feel your best including the latest cardio and weight equipment and a saltwater

pool. Members have access to all of the hottest fitness classes like Power Pump, Bootcamp,

FastFit, Step’n Glide, Bosu Ball, Kettlebells, Tai Chi, Weight Training, Zumba, SpinFit and

more. Personal Trainers and Nutritional Coaches are on hand to help you achieve your health and

wellness goals.

SJCC Members have access to our 4 lane 25m salt water pool with a beach like ramp, hot tub,

shallow baby pool and slide and in the summer our outdoor pool is a great place to swim laps or

spend a day in the sun.

The SJCC has a full size gymnasium basketball nets as well as squash and racquetball courts.

So much more than just a great place to get in shape, the SJCC offers programs and classes for

all ages and interests like insightful lectures, art, language and special interest classes. SJCC

Members get priority registration and pricing on most of our top notch programs and classes.

The SJCC is wheelchair accessible and is open to everyone.

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

Since 1998

6. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?

We are primarily known for our fitness centre and amazing pools.

7. WHAT WARMS YOUR HEART OR MAKES YOU SMILE?

When people leave here with a smile on their face. We aim to make people feel better when they

leave than they did when they arrived.

8. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG NEWLYWED COUPLES?

Be active together. You have your entire life to sit on the couch and watch TV. Try a Zumba

class, learn a new language; keep discovering different things that you can experience together.

The Soloway JCC is a happenin’ place, for families, singles, and couples both young and old. We’re happy to have them on board as one of our blog patrons, and we do hope you’ll check them out! Whether you're a sesasoned gym bunny or just starting out (as I was, and still feel like I am), you will find yourself welcomed, with all the help you need to get started. (Can you tell we love this place?!)

My BFF leaves: the start of 'short stories'.

My bestie.

My BFF migrates, and my dog smothers me. 

 

My best friend MJ is moving away. This is a recent and relatively sudden development, at least for MJ, who usually takes eons to pick a flavor of chips at the gas station. She has good reasons for going, and I am trying hard to put on a brave face, but inside my chest is a whirling black hole of loss and anxiety. Sounds a bit extreme, I know. That's how extremely I love this person.

One of the first things that hit me was that I wasn't going to be able to tell MJ every little thought that comes to my head. The solution, of course, was right in front of me: the blog. MJ is where all my mini anecdotes usually find an audience. As you, reader, are likely stuck on a bus, in a waiting room, or at your boring desk job right now, I figure I've got a captive audience that may actually enjoy some of my random daily dealings. It's a win-win situation for all, because YOU get more blog posts, I find an outlet for my tales, and MJ doesn't have to walk around Toronto with her Bluetooth permanently on. So here's a story, just for practice.

Woman Vs Dog: dog wins. 

 

Bri and Mr Darcy.

On Wednesday night, we headed over to my parents' house for our weekly guitar lesson with my dad. We brought our fat pug, Mr Darcy, so Dad could help clip his nails. As we drove along, Darcy started his usual wailing howl of excitement, which I usually silence by reaching back behind my seat and whacking him. It sounds bad, but it's a very light tap and it's the only effective intervention because he's so stupid. It's a bit like whacking an old TV to clear the static. Anyway, this time Mr Darcy managed to find a corner of the back seat that was just too far away from my seat to reach him. For a while I waved my arm around wildly, but he wasn't threatened and continued to squeal like a grotesque furry pig with laryngitis. In desperation, I pulled the lever and leaned my seat all the way back so I could reach out and whack him, but he had a flash of brilliance and instead of ducking, he ran straight at me. Suddenly he was standing on the headrest of my seat, his hairy jelly belly on my face. I screeched and tried to pull the seat lever again, but Darcy's added weight kept it firmly down. He snuffled and licked my ears, chewed my hair, and settled into a sort of neck pillow on my seat; and that is how we continued the whole trip.

More stories to come. Then I will teach MJ about Blog Reader apps for her phone. Then it'll be like she never left. 

(Sigh.)

Friday's with Bri - Beaudry’s Flowers and Silk Green house

MEET BEAUDRY FLOWERS, OUR NEWEST PATRON!

Have you ever seen a jungle indoors? Have you ever wanted to walk through a garden that would never die, no matter the season?

Beaudry Flowers and Silk Green House is all this and more!! It was so cool to walk into their store for the first time, and find out that they have their own personal jungle; from roses to maple trees, this shop is choc-full of amazing flora. We're welcoming this Ottawa institution as a patron of the blog this week, and interviewed them all about their family-owned business.

Surprisingly I found myself extremely excited when we walked in to their flower shop; I could not believe that these were not living flowers or trees! They have their silk shipped from suppliers in Toronto, Montreal, and the USA, and they create the plants right here in their shop. This makes for some very exciting, unique arrangements and allows for incredible custom work. Say you wanted a 12 ft tree for your lobby… they can make it for you and it would never die! You can even specify the type of 'bark' and the shape of leaves; you can literally invent a brand new tree.

And for the more traditional flower lover, as you move your way through their shop you find fresh cut flowers in the back. Beaudry has a prolific fresh flower business, mostly via online orders, but they have been famous in Ottawa for their silks for years.

Beaudry Flowers took some time to answer some questions for us so everyone can get to know them better:

INTERVIEW WITH BEAUDRY FLOWERS AND SILK GREEN HOUSE

1. WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS NAME?

Beaudry Flowers and Silk Greenhouse

Beautiful silk arrangements.

2. WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND YOUR POSITION?

Andreea Sincu – Business Developer and Decorator

3. HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

Address: 1761 st. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa,

Moving soon to 505 Industrial Road
Office: 613 789 7676

www.beaudrys.ca
Like us on FaceBook: http://on.fb.me/beaudryFB

Twitter: @beaudryflowers

4. WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS DO?

We are one of the leading florists in the country when it comes to fresh flower deliveries. We create and deliver beautiful fresh flower arrangements, delicious gourmet baskets for retail, home and corporate clients. We help our customers express their feelings whatever the occasion.

We are the wedding and event planners committed to making our client’s day easier! We bring the WOW effect through exquisite flower designs and professional customer service. 

Our Silk Greenhouse specializes in fresh and silk plants and trees for commercial & residential spaces.

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN FLORAL BUSINESS?

Oh, it would be 17 years now!

6. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?

We are the only authorized florist in Ottawa to supply Vera Wang’s wedding flower arrangements.

We are Ottawa’s specialists in the designing and manufacturing of silk trees from natural trunks and the highest quality foliage. All of our trees are custom made and come in many sizes and as large as requested. We also offer unique and elegant silk flower arrangements for commercial and residential clients.    

7. HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS GET STARTED?

The owners started the business as an outlet for their passion for flowers and love for design! They still carry that passion with them after 17 years.

8. WHAT WARMS YOUR HEART OR MAKES YOU SMILE?

Apart from my daughter’s laugh, I would say an amazed client! Seeing our beautiful arrangements leaving the door with a happy and content customer warms our hearts. 

9. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG NEWLYWED COUPLES?

I would remind them to enjoy each day to the fullest and never go to bed angry.

And a quick note: everyone should check out their Facebook page this week, because there's a great Mother's Day contest going on: share your best mom story and you could win flowers for your mom. 

We will definitely be talking with Beaudry’s again, and they will be an awesome place to get some flowers for Mother’s Day. Certainly check out their store at 1761 st. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, Ontario, K1G3V4 and score some amazing flowers at 50% off, as they prepare for their big move over to a space near the Trainyards shopping complex.

Stay tuned to the NEST for more information about their move and their new store's grand opening. And in the meantime, I may pick some silk flowers up for Jordan; that way we may actually have some flowers that last in our house despite her knack for killing plants.

The NEST welcomes CheeCha Puffs!

LADIES AND GENTS, OUR NEW BLOG PATRON: CHEECHA PUFFS

Those of you who have been following the Project: Priceless blogs since Chapter One (the wedding blog) are likely quite familiar with our new blog patron, CheeCha Puffs. CheeCha had given us oodles of mini bags of their treats to share with our wedding guests, and we ended up falling in love with their healthy, tasty snacks. In fact, we were able to get Brian weaned off of fried potato chips, and for over a year now, he’s been far more likely to grab a handful of air-puffed CheeChas instead of greasy, nasty snack foods.

CheeCha Puffs offers a range of puffed snacks, not dissimilar to cheesies in their texture; but these snacks are very low fat, low calorie, and several flavours are also gluten-free! If you haven’t tried them yet, you’re seriously missing out. All it took was one bag for Brian and I to become CheeCha fanatics. With all the crunch of a traditional snack food, plus flavours like Ketchup, Blue Cheese, Dill Pickle, Salt & Pepper, and even Sweet Cinnamon, there’s no end to your snacking pleasure.

We interviewed Tracey, the bubbly and effervescent CheeCha Puffs spokesperson; here’s what she shared about this Canadian, family-owned-and-operated business:

INTERVIEW WITH CHEECHA PUFFS:

1. WHO ARE YOU?

CheeCha Puffs!

2. WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND YOUR POSITION?

Tracey Cadrin, National Sales Manager.

3. HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

 Find us online: www.cheecha.ca or twitter or Facebook! 

4. WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS DO?

 We manufacture CheeCha Puffs, a healthier crunchy snack!

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

Since March 1999.

6. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?

 We’re quite famous for our Gluten Free CheeCha Puffs.

7. HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS GET STARTED?

Elaine Cadrin [Tracey’s mom] began the business in her kitchen with 6 hot air popcorn poppers, and an idea to create a great tasting healthy snack with simple ingredients.

8. WHAT WARMS YOUR HEART OR MAKES YOU SMILE?

Seeing a stranger with a bag of CheeCha Puffs, or receiving a message from someone who just tried them for the first time!

9. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG NEWLYWED COUPLES?

 Always remember who you fell in love with in the first place; they are still standing next to you. :)

CheeCha snacks!

From time to time, we’ll be checking in with CheeCha Puffs, seeing what they’re up to and hearing what’s new in their product line. In the meantime, you can get your hands on CheeCha’s at a variety of locations; connect with them via social media to find out what stores in your area. (Ottawa, you can find them at various Bulk Barns, Loblaws, Metro’s, and Walmarts.) Or if you don’t want to move a muscle, you can order CheeCha’s straight to your house. 

We love supporting independent business, and especially Canadian business. Why not support them, too, and be good to your belly at the same time!

Koko Chocolates Review: For Mother's Day and beyond.

Jen is a mom, and a chocolatier.
Officially, she knows what moms want!

MOTHER’S DAY WITH KOKO CHOCOLATES

Our good friend Jen Winter, owner and chocolatier at Koko Chocolates, asked us to review two of her new spring/summer flavours. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, we figured many of you might be looking for something traditional to gift—but with a little twist. Why pick up the usual box of big-brand chocolates for Mama when we have scrumptious truffles handmade by a local artisan just around the corner? And make no mistake, Koko chocolates are probably closer to you than you realize: they are now being carried at various retailers including The Candy Store in Westboro, and other great shops (or online).

Koko’s two newest flavours are described here, as taste-tested by yours truly (Jordan), who is a chocolate fanatic, and by Brian, who has been formally trained in tasting wine, beer, and coffees; his clever palette picks up all sorts of nuances that you, 

the reader, can then strive to pick up, too.

PLUM STAR ANISE TRUFFLE 

Features jam from michaelsdolce with a layer of star anise-infused dark chocolate ganache.

This adorable little truffle with its swish of sparkly pink is deceptively lighthearted in appearance compared to its rich, bold flavour. When first bitten, notes of strong dark coffee hit the tongue before the liquorice bite of the star anise sets in. The smooth anise-scented dark chocolate ganache is complemented by a bubble of tart, juicy plum jam that sits in the middle. There’s a complex spiciness to this truffle that keeps you coming back for more. Brian also noted that the flavours pair well with a Bridgehead Costa Rican Cloudforest black coffee; so perhaps make Mom a breakfast in bed with some fairly-traded coffee and this truffle on the side.

LAVENDER TRUFFLE 

A creamy white chocolate ganache infused with dried lavender. 

This truffle is a real treat, and way too easy to eat. The chocolate shell of this truffle manages to be rich but not overpowering, as your teeth sink down into the white chocolate centre. This creamy ganache has a distinctive “cheesecakey-ness”, with a rich denseness to it. The taste of lavender is subtle in this chocolate, which Brian liked, but I—a seasoned lavender-chocolate muncher—would have been happy to have amplified. It was delicious, however, and a pleasant introduction to the almost rosemary-like taste of lavender that would be a new experience for many chocolate eaters. Brian felt that with its floral, bright, yet calming flavour notes, this chocolate should be eaten on its own. I added, yes: in large quantities.

If you’re sick of the teasing sunny-but-cold spring weather, and you’re yearning to slip on some flipflops and shorts, we heartily suggest picking up a few of Koko Chocolate’s bright new flavours. It may be a frosty spring day, but it doesn’t have to taste like one. Treat yourself, and amaze your mother with true artisanal quality treats that are truly worth the indulgence.

Friday's with Bri - Asian Cooking Class

A COOKING CLASS WITH MY FATHER-IN-LAW

I have done a lot of cooking but never have I taken a course on it, so when I was invited by Bill to go learn some Asian cooking I immediately said yes. We were going to learn how to make egg drop soup, General Tao chicken, pot stickers, and a red bean dessert pancake. 

Class watching chef Nguyen

The classroom where the course took place is upstairs in the Westboro Loblaws Superstore and it is really cool. The room is huge and the kitchen is at the front with an awesome mirror on an angle so you can see everything on the counter, no matter where you are sitting. This really lets the chef do their work and not have to stop ever few seconds to hold up the cutting board or the pot so we can see what’s happening. The really awesome part was all the ingredients that we used: we could have walked downstairs a bought right then and there.

TOFU IS SAFE TO CUT IN YOUR HAND? 

The class was led by chef Thuy Nguyen; she probably was the most powerfully commanding lady I have ever met,  and she is only 5ft-nothing. She made the class so much fun and easy; she talked through every step and really shared her knowledge around all the health benefits of all the ingredients. My favorite was watching all her techniques, like how to get juice from a dry ginger root. My favorite quote of the day was “Tofu is safe to cut in your hand, tofu is really soft and your hand is really hard, so you know where to stop the knife”(as she cubed tofu in her hand with the chef’s knife)… until I develop hands of steal I still don’t think I’ll try this.

I particularly loved the fact that there was a hands-on portion of the class, where we as a class got to make the pot stickers (dumplings) and yours truly was given an extremely hard pat on the back, from such a small lady, when I made a different shaped dumpling.

CHINESE DUMPLINGS:

It was surprisingly simple:

1. Prepare the filling; we used pork and vegetables.

PC Cooking school

2. We used the prepackaged dumpling wrappers.

3. Take egg whites and use your finger to coat the outside edges.

4. Take a tsp. of the filling mixture and place in the center.

5. Fold the dumpling paper over the filling and press the edges together.

...and voila! a ready-to-cook dumpling.

For the full instructions and the recipes check out the PCcooking school’s web site and sign up for a course. I don’t want to give away all the fun!

My favorite part of the class was definitely the teacher. She was loud excited and totally in charge of the class, and you could see everything she did thanks to the mirror over the counter. Oh, and the food was amazing! Jordan said I came home smelling like a Chinese restaurant.

It was an awesome experience and I encourage everyone checkout some cooking classes at a PC cooking school near you.

In Sickness & Health: newlywed blues (and gratitudes)

source

So I’m going through a bit of a health crisis.

I’m not dying or anything—no ‘big C’, says my doc—but something is broken and needs to be fixed. It’s been broken since mid-February, and it’s been relentlessly antagonistic ever since. My doctor is throwing around potential diagnoses, but I have to see a couple specialists…which is why I’m still suffering: because the waitlists for specialists are terrifyingly long.

By the by, if any Ottawa/Kingston/Toronto urologists happen to read our blog and are taking new patients, please contact us. That’s the hardest specialist to get so far.

Yeah, I’ll spare you all the details but basically, either a urologist or gynecologist is going to be taking care of this problem. I just have to wait another five weeks before I can see either of them. Once I get that diagnosis, maybe I’ll fill you all in; in the meantime, I’m refusing to throw any words around or label myself with anything. No point tilting at the wrong windmill.

When 'Acute' teams up with 'Chronic':

Mr Darcy expresses my sentiments here perfectly.

 You know, I’ve talked before about being ill. I have a couple physical issues that are chronic and pretty friggin’ awful, but they’re intermittent and manageable (after years of hard work). There is more time in my day spent feeling good than feeling awful. But this new thing…oh man, it’s persistent. The part that really kicks me? That, right before everything went so very wrong inside me, things were going so very well around me.

I had a happy partner who was Acing school; a new job (just two days in) that pays well and is in the field that I love; an apartment that we finally had heated up and looking good; some steady happy relationships with a handful of good friends and even my parents; a growing blog; and tons of physical activities that I love. Suddenly, quite literally overnight, this incessant pain showed up and won’t go away. And I don’t even have a name for it yet.

Things started to slip. I have a big cry almost every day, usually after work when the effort of keeping my spirits high for 8 hours finally drains me. I’m physically uncomfortable to the point of distraction, so my personal projects suffer. Cardio exercises seem to trigger stronger symptoms, which means my beloved elliptical hasn’t seen me in weeks. They’ve got me on a medicine that is supposed to dampen the symptoms until I see the doctors, but I’m not sure it’s working and instead I’ve found it very effective at blurring my vision and drying my mouth. Because this problem is a low-low abdomen problem, certain ‘keep the home fires burning’ activities are affected, if you catch my drift. My sleep is nightmare-ridden. I am shaky and dammit, I’ll just say it: I’m freaking scared. I don’t like not knowing what’s wrong, and more importantly, I don’t like not knowing if they can fix it.

I’ve talked a lot about turning 30, and I have tried to keep my chin up about it, but the coincidental timing of this problem (starting less than two weeks before the big birthday) has sort of added to this feeling that I’m over the hill or past my youth. Maybe that sounds dumb. 

My daily gratitudes:

My amazing bestie, MJ.

What I actually wanted to note here is that I have some major gratitudes in my life. I have the most wonderful mate in the entire world, who holds me when I cry, and talks to me non-stop when I beg for aural distraction. He’s keeping the house clean and helping with everything. He pets my belly and wraps me in his big warm arms and tries so hard to keep me safe.  

I have a best friend who is like medicine for me. She soothes me with her simple presence. She loves me and I actually believe her when she says this is going to get better. She lets me take sips from her lattes (I’m not supposed to have caffeine but we all need to be naughty). She plays Words With Friends over our Smartphones with me.

I have some really special blogger friends who probably don’t realize how much they’ve come to mean to me. They keep me thinking about the positive future, and about my ambitions to build our blog into something incredible. They invited me to help plan a conference, and this gives me so much joy—which may sound weird, but I love planning stuff. Lara and Karen, thank you for just being yourselves, and believing in me.

I have a job that is so fast-paced and insane that I hardly have time to breathe, and that’s exactly what I need right now.

I have a pharmacist who is fanatical about his job and takes phenomenal care of me. I also have a family doctor who is determined to see me better; and her receptionist has been calling specialists every day for me, for almost two months.

Mom, Dad, Brian.

I have yoga. Yoga makes this feel better. I don’t know why and I’m not questioning. I’m just glad. 

I have a blog: a kick in the pants to keep writing, always writing. Thank you, readers.

I have friends that I’m not seeing much lately because I just feel so awful. But I know they’re out there, and when I get tweets, texts, or facebook messages, I feel loved. Hell, I just like to watch ‘em post status updates full of their quirky humour and wit.

I have parents who have been available for me, everytime I momentarily regress to a scared child and need to hear that everything's going to be okay. Hugs from my mom and jokes from my dad: these two things are irreplaceable.

I usually believe that everything happens for a reason; maybe it does. I can tell you that this experience has provided me with the opportunity to be completely awestruck by my own feelings of gratitude for the people in my life. I’m actually glad to know how much these people mean to me. (But hey, God, if that’s what I was supposed to learn from this whole thing, then mission accomplished…now please fix me up?)

The good, bad, and ugly:

It took me over two months to decide if I would blog about this. Please know, I’m not looking for pity or sympathy. I just realized that my writing has become a bit…shallow…over the last couple months as I hid this issue away, trying to write without touching on the real meat of things. This blog is meant to be an exploration of the newlywed experience, and so I’ve decided to include the ‘in sickness and health’ component, after all. It’s not all craft projects and cooking catastrophes, this journey; there are, it turns out, late night sobbings, and doctor appointments, and endless repeats of Modern Family as we lay on the couch with hot water bottles. And always there, constant and unending, those big warm arms, those encouraging tweets, those Scrabble battles, and those meals with my parents. Thank god for every one of you, who adds to my day just by being a part of them.

I'm going to tweet, from time to time, my gratitudes, so the universe hears me looking to the light, not the dark.