Favourite Recipes - BBQ Chicken Pockets

Whether you're still digging out from the latest snowstorm in the Northeast, or whether you're looking for a simple recipe to get you through the mid-week slump, this recipe is a good one.

I am not a cook, so this recipe is one of my favourites, so simple, and my family loves it.

BBQ Chicken Pockets

Ingredients:

- Pastry dough - I usually buy the pre-made crescent dough, but even ready to bake biscuit dough would work, or, if you're more ambitious than me, make your own.
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Bottle of your favourite BBQ Sauce
- 1 Cup of Your favourite blend of Shredded cheese - I use a triple cheddar blend

First pre-heat your oven to 400 F.

On your stovetop, bring water to a boil and add your chicken breasts.  Boil approximately 20 minutes (maybe more depending on the size of your chicken breasts), you may want to cut in to your chicken to ensure it's cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the water and place in to a bowl.  Use two forks to shred the chicken (pull the chicken apart). Shred in to small pieces.

Add approximately 1/2 a bottle of BBQ sauce, and stir together.  Continue to add more BBQ sauce until you get your own desired consistency.  I add enough to cover all of the chicken, but no more, some people prefer saucier chicken.  It's up to your preference.

Add 3/4 cups of shredded cheese.  Mix together.

Spread out your dough in small squares or triangles and scoop your chicken mixture by spoonful and drop in the middle of the dough.  Wrap the dough up and over the chicken mixture.  Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese over the top of each pocket.  When I make these, it usually results in about 8 pockets.

Put in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough turns a golden brown.

Serve with veggies and maybe another small side.

Have you tried this recipe, or maybe done your own variation?  Share in the comments below!

Bachelor - Episode 4 - January 26

We start this episode with Chris telling the girls that Chris' 3 sisters will be deciding who goes on the "one on one" date.  In the meantime, the girls get a group date card for a "natural date", which, naturally, means... bikinis.

Remember when the scandalous outfit girls could wear was a low cut shirt?  I felt like Ashley"Kardashian" was wearing the opposite, high top that I felt like her boobs were going to pop out of the bottom of her top.  But apparently, that doesn't matter, because they start swimming, and Kardashian takes her top off to jump in the water.  Not to be outdone, Kaitlyn pulls her bottoms off.  Kelsey is horrified and doesn't think this is very dignified.

Back at the house, the sisters arrive and the girls are so excited... except Jillian who is sleeping by the pool.  When she wakes up, she has a black bar across her bottom half.  This girl obviously needs help picking out her bottoms.

The sisters chat with each of the girls.  It feels very much like a job interview.  I don't know about anyone else, but I thought it was pretty formal.

Back at the beach date, they play Red Rover.  The girls are having a great time, well, that is, except for Kelsey, describes this experience as being in a "hell hole", and then Chris breaks the news that they will be camping.  They have to put up their tent, and Kaitlyn is loving it.

We're back with the sisters again, they say goodbye to the girls.

Then we find out they've chosen Jade for a Cinderella style date.  Good choice sisters.

Back to the camping.  They're cooking, having a campfire and talking about how much they want the rose.  Kaitlyn and Chris chat, and he tells Kaitlyn he is a "touchy feely guy".... I guess that's why he's always kissing everyone.

The girls chat around the campfire, and Kelsey pouts hardcore.  And everyone notices that she giggles and smiles every time Chris is around.  And it does appear to be true.

And of course, the girls get drinking.... and Ashley gets a little crazy... singing "campfire songs"... although, I've never heard those campfire songs before.

We had a little "weather break" in the middle - so I may have missed something.... because apparently we're getting the storm of the century on the east coast.

When we come back... it's crazy Ashley.  I have to say, I selfishly want her to stay part of the show because I love me a little crazy.... and apparently she "loves Chris", because she told him as much.  She intensely stared at him and whispered a bunch of things that needed subtitles.  Is this just alcohol induced?  Or is she legit crazy?

So Kardashian says she really wants to show him how much she likes him.  I think the porno kiss last time was enough.  But she's doing it again.  And she, once again, insists that no one had as good a time with Chris as he had with her.  But, Kaitlyn gets the rose.  Everyone looks angry, but she's happy... and drunk.

Everyone goes to bed, except Kardashian, who decides to head over to Chris' tent.  For some weird reason, his tent is open, although he claims to have been "fast asleep".  Maybe he likes bugs and wildlife.  Kardashian tells him that she hasn't had a boyfriend and that she's "inexperienced".  Ugh, this is awkward.... and boring.  And Chris says he doesn't understand what she's talking about.  Then they makeout.  Ugh.

When the group comes back after camping, they break the news that Jade got the date.  Kardashian looks like she's going to flip out.  Then some people come in screaming for Jade, then they take her aside to transform her.  There's some crazy princess bling to transform her.  The girls are jealous... but none more so than Kardashian.  She gets some glass slippers and earrings that she gets to keep.  She comes out, and looks gorgeous.  She heads out in a fancy car.

At the ball, Jade walks in and Chris is happy with his sisters' choice.  They chat for a bit.  She shares that she was engaged young, which is a similar circumstance to Chris.  They toast.

Back at the house, Kardashian dresses up as a princess and eats corn on the cob and drinks wine.  Normal, right?

Just as Chris gets ready to decide what he's doing with the rose.... we get a "storm of the century update".  Ok storm, you're ruining my tv watching.  How am I ever going to catch up on what happened during your update?  Oh wait, I forgot how predictable things are on this show.  Jade gets the rose.  And they waltz to an orchestra playing some music... and some scenes from Cinderella play.  Sidenote - I really want to see that movie.  The waltz is over, and they kiss.... wasn't that unexpected?  No?  That's right, he kisses everyone.

In a cheesy montage, Chris and Jade kiss, the clock strikes midnight, and she runs away.

Last group date - called "let's get dirty", which comes with boxes.  They open them up and they have wedding dresses inside.  Jillian says she's out of her element... probably because her butt is covered.

They get on a private jet... and meet Chris in San Francisco.  They head to "muck fest"... looks like a mud obstacle course.  This looks like fun.  This run raises money for MS.  The girls are going to race, and the winner gets a one-on-one with Chris.  Chris runs through with them.  I do think that the style of the dress matters.  Strapless dresses suck.  Those girls are constantly pulling their dress up.  Jillian also has a shorter dress on than everyone else... so I don' really feel like it's totally fair.   Chris helps some of them get through.  And I'm disappointed when Jillian win because I know she will talk incessantly about what a force she is to be reconned with.  We get it, you're fit, move on.  I just wonder if she'll wear some butt baring outfit on the one-on-one.

Chris says he's physically attracted to Jillian.  But then she just can't stop talking.  She talks so fast, Chris says he gets confused and thinks of "unicorns and dancing fairies".  She clearly doesn't know much about the "give and take" in conversation.  Chris mentions that he doesn't feel the romantic connection that he thinks the romantic space warrants.  He starts to give a speech... as Jillian talks about how confident she feels about going back with a rose.  He says tells her he doesn't feel the connection.  She gets kind of weirdly defensive, then she cries.  In the end, he doesn't give her a rose.  Jillian says she hopes she finds love some day.  And I hope she does too.... and I hope that love comes with shorts and bathing suit bottoms that fit.

So we have a weird blind taste testing with Chris and Megan.  Is she drunk again?

Kardashian decides to pull Chris aside to tell him again about being "inexperienced".  So she comes right out and says she's a virgin and tells him not be to weirded out because she's "not super serious about it".  Huh?  Anyway  he says he's ok with it... but she goes inside and freaks out that now he might "respect her too much".  This girl is so strange.  Anyway, she assumes that because he didn't kiss her it's all over.  She's crying alot, and is seeking reassurance from everyone.

As word gets around that Kardashian is a virgin, the girls have a hard time believing it.  Then Becca reveals that she is also a virgin and Kaitlyn can't believe it!  Two virgins!  *yawn*

Britt is being her usual intense stuff.  She wants to find out where Chris stands because she notices he's making other girls feel special.  Then when they talk, she wants to know why girls are getting roses.  Does she remember what this show is about?  Chris stammers over defending why he gave Kaitlyn a rose.  But in his one-on-one interview he says he's disappointed that he had to spend his time with her defending his choices.

Chris leaves Britt, and says he's frustrated, and tells the girls that if they don't feel he's there for the right reasons, they should leave.

After all of the freaking out, Kardashian gets her rose.  Britt gets the final rose.  Unfortunately, for me, crazy Ashley doesn't get one, so we're not going to get those funny clips anymore.  As she walked out, I hoped for a little more of a montage of her craziness.

Chris takes Juelia outside to chat with her about how special she is, but he had to send her home to be with her daughter because the feelings weren't there.

Preview for next week - And it looks like Kelsey is going to take over the crazy.

Speaking of crazy - crazy Ashley gives us a last few flashes of crazy.  She says she feels nothing.  I love her.

What did you all think?  Did I miss anything major with the weather updates?  Share in the comments below.

Bachelor - Episode 3 - January 19

We open with Jimmy Kimmel waking Chris up, then going to see the girls where he teases the girls that Chris will pick the winner after sleeping with all of them.... Not far from the truth.  Then he leaves a date card for Kaitlyn teasing vaulted ceilings, a sweeping view and hors d'oeuvres, so naturally they end up at Costco.

Chris and Kaitlin head in with a list provided by Jimmy Kimmel, including enough ketchup to fill a hot tub.  Then they head back to Chris' place to get ready for dinner with Jimmy.  Personally, I don't feel chemistry between Kaitlyn and Chris.  It's like watching a couple of friends. But maybe she will 

prove me wrong.

Jimmy Kimmel makes this entirely more interesting.  Jimmy brings up the fantasy sweet and asks Kaitlyn how she would feel watching the show back and seeing him sleep with a number of girls. She says she's OK with that.  Jimmy says Canadians are the best. That we are, Jimmy.

Date card!  Group date!  It references party animals. I predict the zoo.

Rose time.  Sidebar - I like the way Chris says Costco.  Anyway, Kaitlyn gets the rose and Jimmy leaves.  Once again, I felt like this whole date was just some friends hanging out.  She always has an arm or a glass in between them, even when they kiss. Seriously, watch it back.

This Jillian kind of freaks me out. What's with the blurring out her butt all the time. Get some shorts that fit, girl!

We have a farm theme race.  Corn shucking, eggs, goat milking, manure shoveling and wrestling a greased up pig.  So this is what happens on a farm?  Chris says corn shucking is important to him.  Ooooookkkkk.  Mackenzie is disqualified in the egg round.   And then on to the goats.  On to Jillian's butt.  Seriously.  I vote we all pitch it for new shorts for Jillian.

Carly wins.  Then they have a funny photo shoot.

Then we get a series of make out sessions.  Mackenzie is offended and confronts Chris about it. He stammers hard core over his answer.  Britt agrees with her but she won't bring it up. Becca doesn't go in for a kiss, she says she wants to wait.  That never ends well.

So who gets the group date rose? Becca. Well I'm glad she got it after the no kiss thing... Because I thought she was done for.

On to the next date with Whitney.  Chris says he wants a girl that can strike up conversations with strangers so, naturally, they decide to crash a wedding.   No one will suspect anything.... With their cameras.  So they get all done up and bring a gift, and show up in a limo.  And once Chris starts talking, he almost blows it.    They dance.  It seriously looks like a super fun date.  Chris gives her a rose, as he should.

Well I was wondering if we'd see the outdoor shower.  Jimmy Kimmel is there too. My favourite line of the episode comes from Chris - "I'm not just here to shower with Jimmy Kimmel".

Time for a pool party.  But it's not all fun and games.... Juelia decides to have an intense conversation about living life to the fullest.  She gets in to the nitty gritty of her relationship with her husband.  And it's really sad.  That's a lot for a person to live through.

Back to the pool party and Britt meets up to talk with Chris, or should I say, make out with Chris.  

Then Jillian goes to pose seductively in Chris' hot tub while Chris and Jade make out inside... Complete with porno music.  

Then Ashley " Kardashian " and a couple girls spy on Jillian and Chris.  When they start making out the girls come down. Ashley tries to find a polite way to get Jillian out of there but polite doesn't work and it leaves Ashley in tears.

Chris comes to find Ashley and she cries, then they make out.  Ugh.

Rose ceremony, and Ashley "Kardashian" talks about how confident she is. Then we hear from some girls who don't feel confident, and they get roses.  Even crazy Ashley, who we didn't see much from this week, and Jillian get roses.  The last rose goes to Ashley "Kardashian".  *sigh*

Next week - more bikinis, more making out, more blacking out of bums and more crying.

We finish with Jimmy tearfully leaving the mansion.

Well what did you all think?  Let me know in the comments below!

Making our Home OURS

I was inspired by folks at Urban Compass, a fantastic site that helps people find a space of their own, to share my experience putting our personal touch on our first home. Their primary location is in New York City, and they focus on apartments and houses matched to an individual's personality.

When we bought our home in 2006, it was everything we could have hoped for:  Great neighbourhood, on the bus route, close to schools, and the "perfect size" (for us).  We even loved the way the previous owners had decorated it.  Despite all of that, we wanted to make the house "our own" rather than feeling like we were living in someone else's house.

After moving all of our things in the house, we decided to start by changing the kitchen and the bathroom.  Not that there was anything particularly wrong with them, but we decided these would be our first "personal touches" for the house.

The kitchen had laminate counter-tops.  These weren't the "new school" laminate which can be quite nice, this was the old laminate, that fit in with the original cabinets.  And given that our house was build in the early 1960s, we figured it needed some updating.  We also decided to take out the single sink, and put in a double sink.  Although it would take away some counter space, I always liked being able to put my dishes in another sink to dry after washing them.  We put a dark marble tile for the counter-top, a ceramic tile backsplash and the new double sink.  Not a complete kitchen renovation, but enough to make it look a little different.

Our big renovation came in the bathroom.  The previous owners had painted the bathroom a bright sunshine yellow, and had acrylic pieces for the walls and covering the bathtub.  Again, nothing particularly wrong with it, it was bright and cheery, we just wanted to put our own personal spin on it.

To change the bathroom, we painted the walls grey, and put in a new tub, sink and toilet, and surrounded the tub with white tile (with dark grout).  We also put up a new mirror to compliment the new colours.  This was my favourite change to the house.

Our most recent change came just a couple months ago when we pulled up carpet in our basement and put down laminate flooring and added a cozy couch and now it's a comfortable TV room.  It was a finished basement when we bought the house, but now, it has our personal touch.

Now, with these changes, our home feels like our own.  We'll be making even more changes this summer including painting the kitchen and residing the house, and putting in new windows!

Not all of our renovations went according to plan, and in some cases, didn't even go according to budget.  We've had contractors not show up, and we've had fixtures and supplies not work properly, but it's all part of the experience.

Putting your own touch on your space doesn't have to be as extensive as our bathroom renovation.  in some cases just a coat of paint, or some different artwork can change the whole feel of a room.  As we do more changes in our house over the upcoming year, I hope to share our experience and tips with you.

Have you done any changes in your own house or apartment to make it your own?  Share your experiences in the comments below.

My Personal "Fear Challenge"

I've written before about why I support the Canadian Cancer Society (click here for my previous post), but I've decided to raise funds in a different way that I wanted to share with you.

When my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2011, it was a scary time for many reasons: fear of the unknown, fear of losing my dad... but my dad remained positive through it all.  He fought hard.  If he was able to face cancer head on, I should be able to face my own fears.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a fear of heights.  To put my fear in to perspective, I used to work in tourism at a National Historic Site, and to reach the upper level of the site, I had to go up a set of stairs on the outside of the building.  These were good sturdy metal stairs, and we were about 2 stories, up, but it made me nervous.  Each time.  We had to give guided tours, and I would turn and look at the building each time I went up so I didn't see the ground.  Sometimes tourists would stand out on the step to take pictures of the city (we had a spectacular view) and I couldn't even watch them do that because it made me so nervous.

When I am up high, I can't talk to anyone, I don't want anyone to touch me, and I don't want anyone talking about the height.  I'm terrified.  But, what I've decided to do is face that fear, and I am trying to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society in the process.

Rides can be fun, and I've been on my fair share, but generally I avoid things like ferris wheels or things that take me for a slow ride in the air.  I tried to face my fear once before on the CN Tower, but I ended up turning my back to the glass in the elevator, so I didn't have to watch us go up.   Fast forward to today, I'm willing to face my fear when I head to Florida in March.  My family and I will be heading to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay where a new ride was opened in 2014. This ride, called "Falcon's Fury" takes riders, very slowly, up 335 feet in the air, rotates their seats 90 degrees (so you're facing the ground) and drops them at 60 mph back down to the ground.  I'm so terrified of this ride, my hands are literally sweating as I write this.

Want to see what I'm talking about, watch the hosts of "Attractions Magazine" take this terrifying ride:

If I can raise $2000 before my trip in March, I will ride this terrifying thing.  Read more about my personal fear challenge, and, if you wish, pledge me in my challenge.

Click here for Katie's Fear Challenge page.

Bachelor Recap - Episode 2 - January 12

Welcome back! 

Let's jump right in to it!  Newsflash... the girl that went back in to the house after being rejected in the last show, Kimberly, is allowed to stay.  What?  I'm not even going to get in to that.

We learn Chris is staying next door to the ladies.... Evidently with an outdoor shower.   Seriously.  And Chris says there are no rules here.  I wonder how many times we're going to see desperate girls knocking on his door.

Anyway, the girls get a date card and Chris puts on a zip up sweatshirt with no shirt underneath, so clearly this is going to be an upscale date.  We get a little preview that shows us that during the date they will be having a pool party and racing tractors in bikinis. Oooh la la!

One girl describes herself as "more Kardashian than country".  So.... Self-centered and uninteresting?

So the girls claim they know nothing about what the date will be but when he announces it's a pool party they all magically have bikinis on.

This next scene confuses me.  Two girls, Jillian and Megan, decide to creep around Chris' place.  Megan proceeds to put on Chris' motorcycle helmet and smash her head off various things.  Seriously, is she drunk? I can't tell if that's just her personality.  And Jillian has to have her bikini bottom censored in the front and back.  What the heck is she wearing???

Meanwhile, the girls on the date walk down the street in downtown LA in their bikinis.  Seems normal.  They're going to race tractors.  I knew this date screamed " classy. Nothing screams "true love" like bouncing around on tractor in a bikini. Ashley "Kardashian" wins.  *Zzzzz*

Back to the house - Julia talks about her daughter and her daughter's father, who evidently killed himself.  So the girls talk about how strong she is and how much they respect her.  I suppose that will last until they see her as a threat.  Negative, it know, but it's the nature of this show.

Back at bikini central, Chris has spent some time with Ashley "Kardashian", who is convinced she'll get the rose but Chris decides to take Mackenzie on a little private date instead.  The girls all look very depressed while they talk about how sweet he is for picking Mackenzie because he must have seen how nervous she was.  You can just feel the jealousy oozing from each of them.

Chris and Mackenzie head to a bar to chat and Mackenzie proceeds to talk about how big his nose is, aliens, his ears being pierced.... These are such weird topics.  She tells him she has a child.  He reacts appropriately.... As every Bachelor and Bachelorette have reacted.  So, of course, despite the weird conversation topics, Chris gives her a rose.  They dance, they kiss..... And I don't feel the chemistry.  Just me?

Megan is going on a one on one date, despite the fact that she thought it was just a note.  Does this girl not know this show? Or, once again, is she drunk?  I don't get this girl.

Mackenzie tells the girls all about her date and her 7 kisses.  And the girls all scowl at her.

On to Megan's date.  At least she looks sober. Then they get booze on a private plane.  On to Vegas and a helicopter.  They get to see some amazing sites. Even I am jealous.

They land in the Grand Canyon for....more wine.  Megan tells Chris she applied for the Bachelor but a month later her dad had a massive heart attack and eventually passed away, so it was a hard choice to come.  

Megan gets a rose.  They kiss. They go for a walk.  They kiss.

Back at the house.  Date card .... Group date... "Til death do us part".  Interesting.

The limo takes girls to a creepy spot and they all freak out.  I think there were some Zombies....I don't know.  Weird start to the date.

Chris shows up....and announces they're going to kill zombies.  Um, who designed tonight's dates?   Although Ashley doesn't understand that she's supposed to shoot Zombies... She's talking about shooting other girls.

Anyway, I find this scene hard to follow, it's dark and the screaming is giving me a headache.   But what I do gather is that Ashley is nuts.

At the house, Jordan is drunk.  I don't know what else to say except.... Wow.

So Kaitlyn and Chris talk for a minute.... And kiss. Haha

Then back to crazy Ashley.  Was this girl hit in the head? Is she on drugs?  Is she having a stroke?  I'm confused when she talks.  She interrupts his one on one interview.  He asks if she's ok and she literally says " I don't know what you're asking".  Ok....     We close out the Ashley segment with her talking to a cat.  Is the cat this year's raccoon?  (If you didn't watch Bachelor in Paradise, you will not understand that reference).

Chris gives Kaitlyn the rose. 

It's "cocktail party" time.  And I still am having a hard time remembering girls names and part of it is how different girls look between their "casual" look and their glam looks.

Ashley "Kardashian" is getting jealous.  She talks about sharing with Chris that she's a virgin.  So when she does have alone time with him.  She gives him her "Princess Jasmine lamp" and tells him he has 3 wishes.  He wishes for a kiss.... And she gives him the craziest porn style kiss.  So weird.

Then we have Britt crying over Chris kissing other girls.  This happens every year.  

Then Chris kisses Amber.  And she tells Jordan.... Who is drunk.   And that's always a good time to talk to Chris... Right?  (Newsflash.... It's not). She's not just drunk, she's sloppy drunk.  So bad.  So awkward.

Now it's time for roses.  Britt gets the first one so I'm sure that makes her feel better. 

Last rose goes to.... Crazy Ashley.  Wait.... What?  Didn't he see how crazy she was acting? 

Poor Kimberly is rejected again.

Next week.... Jimmy Kimmel.

A Hair Tutorial for the "Overtired"

I never thought I would see the day that I would be posting a hair tutorial, but I decided to do it after receiving many compliments and questions about a particular hairstyle.

This is my "go to" hairstyle on days that I just need that extra 15 minutes in bed, or when I'm having a crazy hectic morning and need something quick to do with my hair.

I usually do this with wet hair, just because I find it easier to manage, but I think you could very easily do this with dry hair.

Begin by brushing your hair and parting it in your usual spot:

(Forgive my early morning, tired, no make-up, pre-coffee look)

Take an elastic headband like this one (or similar):

And put it around your head like this:

Then, take a small section of your hair, approximately 1 inch in width or so:

And wrap it around the headband.  With each wrap around the headband, grab a little more hair:

Here's a little video to better demonstrate:

Then, when you have just a little bit of hair left, tuck it up in the hairband, and blend it in with the rest of your hair, like this:

You may want to look it all over to make sure no extra hair needs to be tucked in (sometimes little strands pop out).  On occasion, if my hair is being particularly difficult, I have used some bobby pins to hold it in place.

And you end up with this:

Have you tried this hairstyle?  Let me know how you made out in the comments below.

Bachelor - Episode 1 - January 5, 2015

Here we go everyone! Another season of crying, drama queens, crazies and the occasional likeable person. 

We get to begin with a live red carpet special with some of our "favorite" bachelor and bachelorette personalities. And by "some" Chris must be referring to the 5 likeable people we've met over past seasons..... Seriously.  Anyway, we get a token interview with one of the few couples who are still together, Sean and Catherine. 

I'm not going to lie, I tuned in and out to this red carpet special be cause hockey was on. Gotta love the World Junior Hockey tournament!  Anyway, I truly don't think I missed too much because each time I tuned in I was seeing shots of past contestants I was hoping to never see again.  But if you feel I missed out on something amazing, feel free to share your comments below.

So, on to the actual premier. We get to see some introductions to the girls and, of course, some clips of the dramatics too come on tonight's episode. Seriously.  We're barely in to the first episode and all ready some of the girls are coming out with the "that's so messed up" line. I wonder if they get paid a bonus for being the first one to say that, along with the first girl to cry, the first girl to get drunk and the first girl to show her crazy side.

We heard from Nikki about her breakup with Juan Pablo but Nikki sticks with her diplomatic answer about how they both tried... Blah, blah, blah.  She refers to his involvements in the entertainment industry which to me translates to how much he tries to extend his 15 minutes of fame.  Well, I refuse to discuss him any further because I just can't stand that guy.  I actually had to mute it at one point be cause I couldn't listen to Nikki talk about how great he is anymore.

Side note - I've seen Chris Bukowski walk past the camera half a dozen times now. We get it Chris, you're there.... You're always there. 

So we get to see some gratuitous shots of a shirtless Chris before the women arrive.  Then we hear a number of women talk about how hot he is and scream about it as they pull up in the limo.

And now, the moment we've been waiting for (I guess) the introductions.  Wow. We start with a cryer right away.

The cowgirl..... Very unique.  Wow... Lots of judgment from the other girls.... And she gives in to the judgment, changes and comes back through.  I think I would have liked her more if she had stayed in her original outfit.

Then the next girl had someone give Chris a card, which he reads and says "ok .....".  He has to close his eyes.... This girl comes up behind him, gives a little speech then runs away. Weird.

Ashley S looks terrified when she gets out of the car.

The next girl ..Kaitlyn... She said he could " plow the s#*t out of her field any day". Um. Wow.

I love how all of the women scramble over to Chris when he walks in.  So funny.

Then.... The joke.  If you didn't watch, the girl who made the joke about Chris "plowing her field" (Kaitlyn) makes another crude joke.  Ok.... I can see making jokes like that with your friends but, she's on national TV.... With strangers.  So awkward.

Chris and Britt have an intense conversation about how's much she wants him to put his trust in her and she'll be his shoulder to cry on.  Nice.... But you just met like 15 minutes ago.... I don't think he's going to confide all of his deepest darkest secrets at this time. 

We get to hear from a few farmers wives....huh?  Was I the only one who thought that part was kind of weird?

Oh dear. Amanda with the big eyes (the secret admirer).  She is intense.

Then we get more limos. To which one of the girls says it's so messed up.  It is?  Weren't you all just saying that there "had to be more girls coming"??  Is this really unexpected?  I don't think so. What is more " messed up" is that you girls go it the advantage of lots of extra time with Chris, so consider yourselves lucky. 

The first group talks about excluding the girls from the second group..... I don't get it.  They talk about how gorgeous these new girls are.  Again I say, huh?   Wasn't the first group gorgeous? 

The flight attendant... So cute.

Side note - this Kaitlyn is annoying.

Are the girls always this catty on then first night?  Or is this what I will refer to as the "Kaitlyn effect"?  This girl seems to be responsible for the majority of the nasty comments.

Kaitlyn decides to teach Chris to dance. I might like this scene if I didn't dislike this girl..... And of course, I don't like her, so Chris says he likes her.

The girls start to battle and steal him away, which always brings out the worst in these ladies.  I mean the clip of one girl saying " I'm looking around and these girls are not for him".   You mean you know that because you and Chris go way back..... To a couple hours ago.... So you know exactly what he needs.  Come on ladies!

And now, the drunk girls.  The cowgirl appears to not be able to hold her liquor. Yikes.  Moderation girls, moderation.

Evidently Chris likes intense, because he gives Britt the first impression rose and then they make out a little bit.  And she walks back in the house and all the other ladies hate her just a little bit.

Michelle Money decides to make  weird random comment about a rumour she heard about Britt and that she doesn't shower.  Again..... Huh???  Where did that come from?  Go home Michelle Money and comfort yourself with your headbands and big jewelry from last season, your 15 minutes of fame are over.

Random question - how does he remember all of their names?  I have a hard enough time remembering the names of two people I just met, let alone 30 people.  I would make them wear name tags.

Tara (the cowgirl) was looking pretty rough during this rose ceremony.  Was anyone else sort of expecting her to either pass out or be sick?  I mean, she almost fell while waiting.

Then.... Chris leaves. Oh the drama!!!

He isn't sure whether he should give Tara a rose given her drinking.  He comes back and continues. And she gets a rose.... Maybe to keep her from falling over.

Final rose goes to.... Ashley ... Who is starting to show a little of her crazy.  She is this season's Claire I think.

We see some tearful goodbyes....then one of the rejected girls, Kimberly, comes back inside to talk to Chris. Awkward.  Do these sorts of desperate pleas to be kept ever turn out well for the rejected person?  But Chris Harrison tells us that we won't see what happened until next week.

We do, however, get a little sneak peak of the season to come.  Looks like Chris gets a lot of action this season.  There's also a lot of crying (no surprise there).  There were a lot of shots of a few girls in particular so it will be interesting to see if that translates in to how far they go in the show.

So there we have it, what did you think of the Bachelor premiere?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

And YAY Canada and the World Junior Gold!!!  Tonight has made me a master channel flipper.

Planning our Florida Vacation - Part 2 - Park Tickets

On to part 2 of our Florida vacation planning.  In my previous post (which can be read here ),  we booked our holiday vacation house.  In this post I'll talk about our park tickets.  I'll have another blog post to discuss flights and rental car and another about itinerary planning.

Park Tickets

Depending on what sort of itinerary you have in mind for your own trip, this will be, minimally, a significant cost in  your trip.  In our case, it's one of the highest costs in our trip.  It's very difficult to find low priced tickets for the major theme parks (Disney, Universal, Sea World, etc), although temptation is all over Orlando.  Several little stores and kiosques boasting $25 tickets.  I would caution it is definitely a "buyer beware" situation with these locations.  These vendors are often selling partially used tickets.  Keep in mind that many ticket vendors link your name to your ticket, and are sold as "non-transferable" or, in the case of Universal, fingerprints are linked to your ticket.   In writing that, there's always an exception to the rule and I've heard people say they've had success with those vendors, but for every "success" story, there's often many unhappy people.  I recommend seeking out authorized vendors only. 

Let's start with Disney tickets.  We usually only buy 1 or 2 day tickets to Disney.  These tickets are usually cheapest at the gate, however, there's a risk of running in to a big line, and the savings is fairly minimal.  We've purchased our Disney tickets in 3 different spots and had a good experience at each.  We've purchased at WalMart, Kissimee Guest Services (http://www.kgstickets.com/) and this year we bought through Undercover Tourist (https://www.undercovertourist.com/).  Our purchase at WalMart was the result of a last minute decision to visit the Magic Kingdom when our flight was delayed 3 days due to a winter storm (tough times, I know).  As for KGS and Undercover Tourist, they were easy ordering processes.  Simply head to their website, select the tickets and pay.  Each site has support available should you have any questions.  In both cases, I had quick replies to any questions I had.  Both have local pickup available.  Undercover Tourist offers free shipping, and KGS charges a flat shipping fee of $25 (local pickup is free).  The nice thing about the Undercover Tourist site is that the prices on their site include taxes, so the price you see is the price you pay.  The more days you purchase on your ticket, the higher your discount.  

We also purchased tickets to Universal and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens.  A note that at Universal, to ride the "Hogwarts Express" that takes you between parks, you need a "park to park" ticket.  Also, if you plan to go to SeaWorld and/or Busch Gardens more than 1 day, there is a fantastic 14 day ticket for not much more than a 2 day ticket.  You can also add water park options for a minimal price.  

Both KGS and Undercover Tourist have special tickets available that include Universal, Sea World and water park tickets.  It's important to decide what are your "must dos" on your vacation before heading to buy your tickets, because there are so many different options, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

Also, take advantage of the tips each of those pages offers when planning your trip.  Undercover Tourist includes touring plans, videos, and crowd calendars, which I will discuss further in Part 3 of this series.

Any tips you'd like to share about purchasing park tickets?  Share in the comments below.