Let's go for a run... to the pub

Yes, running a couple times a week is a GREAT idea. What better way to enjoy the sunshine, the neighborhood, and each other's company? A couple times a week isn't even all that much. Seems like an easy commitment.

Then in rolls this big ass cloud. A real one and a figurative one. So I looked out the window, while waiting for Danica to get there so we could go for our big run, and said "Screw you cloud, rain on my running parade? I'll show you." And I opened a beer and put away my running shoes for the night. Then Danica still didn't show up, so I drank another beer. Then she said she was 15 minutes away, so I opened a third beer quickly, so that I would have enough time to finish it before she got there. I drank three beer in about an hour. Totally worth missing the run.

It had been two days since Danica and I had seen each other. To most people that is no time at all. Believe it or not, we had a lot of shit to catch up on with each other... and some business to take care of. There are some things in life that you just need your friends for. So we did our thing, and then headed up to The Royal Oak on Wellington. For a "few" pints.

The Oak actually has some decent food on their menu. I should know, I ate half the items they have to offer that night. We shared some fish n' chips, and I continued to drink. I wouldn't say that I was drowning my sorrows, because I wasn't sad by any means. I was perhaps trying to get my feelings drunk so that I wouldn't have to feel them. Not that night anyway.

Eventually it started to get chilly on the patio, so we went inside and grabbed a couple stools at the bar. Turns out the Wellington Oak has a fantastic bartender, David, who was super chill and entertaining. He also put up with my constant demands for "Another Shot!". I pretty much quit the beer all together and switched to shots of... you guessed it, Burt Reynolds. 

Katrina joined us, coming from another Oak location. And the shots continued. Unfortunately, Danica is actually a little bit responsible, and decided that it was time to head home, leaving Katrina and I there to do MORE SHOTS.

Banana Jacks (Jack Daniels and banana liqueur)

Dirty Hookers (Sour Puss and banana liqueur)

Windex (I forget, but it was gross... looked and tasted like Windex)

And I forget what else. All I know, is that we did quite a few shots, and the bartender was quite impressed with my tolerance. That's like a badge of honour in our world. Mission Accomplished.

So we closed the place down. Not before having quesadillas (yum) and philly cheese steak wrap (double yum!). Oh, and some pretty detailed conversations ranging from self-worth to scandalous sex stories from the past. We left with a good buzz though, let's just agree to that.

Another great night. As usual. Not planned, just a last minute thing that turned out to be a great night. Too bad I had to work the next day... 

Looking forward to this weekend! Lots of fun stuff planned.

Ta da!

Michelle, #19

Danica's Rebirth, and the Death of Red Wine Pre-drinks

While it certainly wasn't our first night out together, it has definitely been one of our most memorable nights to-date. A couple of the girls wanted to experience a true night out in Renfrew. Get away from Ottawa for a bit, and see what it feels like to party in a small town. So we packed an overnight bag, some pillows, beer, red wine, and hit the road.

Now, I should start off by saying that we are very good at planning new adventures. The Saturday morning was supposed to start with us going for a hike in the Gatineau Hills, but needless to say, that didn't happen. Friday night it was decided that we would not have enough time to hike, pack, and reach our destination in enough time to do all of the drinking we were planning on doing. So while planning is a forte of ours, execution may not always be.

Friday night's adventure took place at Lieutenant's Pump on Elgin Street. The Ottawa Senators lost, thereby throwing them out of the playoffs, and we may have drowned our sorrows with pitchers of Mill Street Organic beer and shots of Burt Reynolds (spiced yum, I mean, rum, and butterscotch liqueur . So Saturday morning/afternoon, we were a little tired. Not the greatest way to start our night out on the town.

As the author of this  section of the blog thus far has failed to mention, she was not lacking in sleep just a little bit, but entirely void of sleep while our adventure continued on into the day on Saturday. Due to the fact that she chose to leave The Pump a tad bit early to experience the insane things that happen in Ottawa (but seriously, only when she is around), she had missed one last adventure or the evening that enabled Danica and myself to really call the night a memorable one (and caused us to have even less shut eye).

Now, most of the time when the bars are closing and people are stumbling around drunk you may get one or two guys who think that this is the most opportune moment to try to get you home with them, but luckily this night brought on a group of gentleman who come into Ottawa once a year as a tradition. Each of them "wooed" us in their own way, and eventually convinced us to join them at the Elgin Street Diner (a well known location for the drunks of Elgin Steet at 3am, which sells reasonably priced and pretty good breakfast food). After hours and hours of polite and pleasant conversation we found ourselves leaving satisfied and happy (as one of the kind gentleman has paid for all of our breakfasts).

Now, as uninteresting as this story really is, in the end it has a point. Previously mentioned, one of our trio has a tendency to wander off or stay behind with groups of individuals (sometimes inappropriate, sometimes not). She is a socialite, and well, is well known to beg the question, "where is the party at". Lets just say this may not always be the best approach to any situation. At the same time it always gives her a days worth of stories to tell to us the following day. As our adventures have just begun and I have no doubt that our spontaneous groupie will find herself in said situations once again I only ask that you keep this picture in mind  incase we are ever in need of assistance...

Our destination for the Saturday night was Coco Jarry's in Renfrew, Ontario. A great little Greek restaurant with a pub attached to it. The vibe there is really comfortable, and the staff treated us so well. We were given a round of Polar Bear shots (creme de cacao and creme de menthe) by Nick, the owner, and enjoyed many martinis and pints. AND some more Burt Reynolds.

It had been decided that Saturday would be Danica's rebirth. What it means to her is one thing. What it means to the world that night, was that for all intense purposes we pretended it was her birthday and cheersed her at every opportunity. It was probably one of her best birthdays yet, believe it or not!

Now, I should probably mention, that when the girls met me at Coco Jarry's, they had already had 'a few' while getting ready. This fact, interpreted, means that they showed up already half drunk. Not a bad thing, unless you were drinking red wine, and are now switching to beer, martinis, shots... pretty much every type of alcohol other than red wine. Oh, and did I mention that this certain SOMEONE didn't eat dinner. Lessons learned.

Our time at Coco's was hilarious. We laughed, SO much. Between Stacey spilling a full beer on a cop, my mum getting drunk with us, Katrina climbing UNDER and OVER tables,  Danica discovering her new love affair with Crispy Crunch martinis, and myself discovering just how much fun I can have on so little sleep... yeah, it was a great night!

Needless to say, we had an amazing night. We eventually made it to the 'dance club' (LOL) that Renfrew has to offer, which is in the basement of Finnigan's Roadhouse. Dancing, more drinking, and Katrina probably singing. The night ended off with a walk to a house party which included an out-of-town makeout session for someone (I will never say who!), livingroom dance party, and eventually someone put a kids movie on tv. Not sure how that happened. Haha, and let's not forget the walk TO the party. A Renfrew counterpart MIGHT have peed on someone's front lawn, while another literally tried to walk right in the house to use their washroom.  I think it was one of those 'seemed like a good idea at the time' situations. Thankfully, the door was locked/no one was home. That time.

Now, most people, after two nights of partying like that, would sleep in, hide from the world, take some aspirin and go right back to bed. Not us. No, no, no. After an arrival back home after the sun had already come up, we were back up again around 10, and spent the next hour getting ready to go for breakfast. And by getting ready, I mean that we sat in Stacey's kitchen telling ourselves that we should just go, yet continuing to sit there.

Most of us felt pretty good, just tired. The birthday girl, on the other hand, was not feeling so hot. Here is the part where we tell you to always eat before you go out, and easy on the red wine pre-drinks!! Our lesson to you.

Breakfast was great, and you can't be there without running in to people you know, and like the night before, what started as a small table of friends, ended up being three or four tables pulled together and everyone laughing again. We of course went to Coco's for breakfast. Yum. Well, MOST of us enjoyed our food. See the last two sentences of the previous paragraph for an explanation.

We went back to the house, and while Danica had a bit of a nap, the rest of us sat out on the back deck with a beer (it was afternoon by this point!) and enjoyed the sunshine. What a beautiful day. Turns out we have some alter egos that show themselves when we are hungover.

Drunk people are funny. Especially drunk girls. We lose stuff enough when we're sober, imagine how much is left behind when we're feeling a little tipsy. There were four pairs of sunglasses left behind at Stacey's place. FOUR.

All good things must come to an end though, and eventually we had to pack the car up and head back to Ottawa to end the weekend. And catch up on some sleep, hopefully! We weren't even all the way home, and already plans were being made for the next weekend. That's how we roll.

Ta-da,

Michelle, #19

In the beginning...

Life is crazy sometimes. Not everything can be explained, but things definitely happen for a reason.

Why we each joined the same flag football team is simple; we wanted to be active, play some football, meet some new people, have some fun on the field. All of us showed up with different reasons, different past experiences, and very different personalities.

After only a few practices, and some team gatherings on a patio, it became pretty clear that several of us should be more than just teammates. Draft was poured, glasses were clinked, and the planning began.

This summer was going to be our best summer yet. Our pasts brought us to this point, where we each wanted to experience the greatest summer we could imagine. Patios. Concerts. Sunshine. Road trips. Great food. And don't forget the beer! Katrina may even sing.

Each week, each weekend, sometimes every day, there is some new adventure that we are planning for. After only a few weeks of these amusing, unforgettable (yet sometimes groggy) memories in the making, we drunkenly decided to start a blog to track our progress to greatness. Partly because we found our endeavors so amusing we wanted to share them with the world (or whoever was bored enough to read about them), and partly because we wanted to be able to remember everything that we do. Oh, and because we eventually ALL agreed that we are just too lazy to do the scrapbooking thing. Who prints pictures anymore??? We may even let you in on some of our hilarious inside jokes (we think they are, anyway). Maybe. And though we cannot claim to be food or beverage connoisseurs, we look forward to sharing our own opinions with you, whether you want to hear them or not! (I am sure Danica could share her opinions on red wine).

Thanks for reading!

May our readers enjoy all of the fun, without having to feel our hangovers.

Ta-da!

-Michelle, #19