Ottawa Icebreaker 2009

Last weekend was our first competitive soccer tournament. The Ottawa Icebreaker consists of 120 girls teams and 160 boys teams, all U12 and older. This was the 15th annual tournament and the logistics of running this show are insane.

By the end of the 2-day tourney we had played 7 games winning only 2 of our matches but showing some definite team development. More importantly the girls did some serious bonding and had an absolute blast.


Some down time between games.

Luckily the weather was perfect which allowed the parents to enjoy a weekend in the sun. Oh, and no bugs either... always a bonus.

May toofer weekend

Friday night I was out strolling the new Metro grocery store for some goodies that I could spend my airmiles bucks on when my new BlackBerry started buzzing. It was one of the clan McMullan on the line wondering what we were up to for the weekend. Well after some chatting back and forth I found myself making another lap of the store to top up my cart. Yes sirree, the McMullans were coming to town. (read "no more yard work")

They arrived Saturday afternoon in the middle of a thunderstorm and it was at this point that they mentioned that they were so happy to get out of the house as they've been suffering from a little cabin fever brought on by strep throat and a self-diagnosed strain of swine flu. Yikes.

After everybody had a chance to unwind we decided to try something new. We decided to leave the kids at home alone while we, the adults, headed out to Pho Thi Fusion for some supper. The kids were more than happy with the plan (possibly a little too happy?) and we left them with some take-out pizza, pop, and a long list of instructions. This opportunity also allowed the older kids to test out their newly acquired babysitting skills on their younger siblings. Thankfully it worked out quite well all around.

Sunday's plan was to check out Sara's exhibition soccer game against the older Nepean Storm girls and then head down to Dow's Lake to check out the Tulip Festival.




These are the smiles you get when you don't buy a round of fudge and cotton candy.

Surprisingly, given the cold dank weather, the crowds were the largest I'd ever seen. And I swear every third person had a camera (and only half of them seemed to know how to operate it).

After a quick tour through the tulips we zoomed off to our local dog park to run off some of Izzy's energy.




Good times once again.

Rik Emmett plays Clapton

Saturday night we went down to the Centrepointe Theatre to see Rik Emmett. Yes you read it right, the one and only Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Icon Rik Emmett from the classic band Triumph. Only this time Rik would not be performing Magic Power, Rock'n'Roll Machine, or even Midsummer's Daydream. Tonight would be a night of self-endulgence for Rik, a night of showcasing his all-time favourite Eric Clapton tunes. We're talking classic Clapton from Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes, and of course his endless selection of solo hits.


First off, a big thanks to Ken who managed to score us some primo seats well in advance. "Us" being myself, Rich, Pete, Terry, and of course Ken who has been stalking Rik around since at least the early 80's.

Now the Centrepointe Theatre is not your usual barroom or rock arena. As indicated by the title, it is a theatre and as such it is extremely laid back with assigned seating, volunteer ushers well in their 70s, and all shows come complete with an intermission and cash bar. And although it's not the kind of joint where you'd be likely to see Angus Young or the Boss there's not a bad seat in the house and with the right band to match the atmosphere the night can be well worth the price of admission as was exactly the case tonight (and two nights before with the Cowboy Junkies which I've seen here in the past).

My only complaint is that they don't allow any cameras or bootlegging devices. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to roll old school and settle for the memories.

That said, here's a YouTube clip of Rik playing Clapton's Crossroads. Not the best quality but you get the general idea. Enjoy.

Hannah turns two

Little Hannah recently turned two and to celebrate Jason and Christine threw a big gathering for family and friends at the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre. Three fun filled hours of friends, family, and food, interspersed with gym time and a swimming pool complete with an awesome slide.


The kids, of which there were many, had a blast. How could they not? Especially when you top it all off with cake and ice cream washed down by coke and root beer.





Happy Birthday Hannah!!