4 more months

It's done.
It's booked.
Cuba.

After a look of "have we just met? Do you know who you are talking to?" shot at my husband for his suggestion of "Happy Pete's" Bed and Breakfast, we have settled on a beautiful resort - Rio del Sole y Mares in Honguin, Cuba. There's sand, rum, beach, a pool, rum, a late night snack bar, rum....

We leave Dec 19th and arrive back in Vancouver Dec 26th. Sadly we're not spending the holiday with our families this year and will have to console ourselves with...more rum. (Insert Pirates of the Caribbean joke here). I have never been to Cuba and am looking forward to it. I understand that it is on the Atlantic, but the water and the beaches are amazing none the less. Looking at the this picture makes all the pain of my workouts absolutely worth it. Who cares if my legs are shaking so bad I can't use the clutch and drive the 2 KMs home in first gear? It will all be worth it as I lay on the Cuban beach. Oh, yeah sure, there are health benefits, but right now - it's all about the beach.

Let us know if you need anything. Vanilla and yes, of course, Rum.

4 Months and 23 Days Later.....

Hello Everyone.

I first must apologize for being a lazy blogger. Oh, I had opportunities- I just didn't. No fancy reasons, excuses or tales of me being way too busy. I just didn't.

Over the last 4 months a few things have happened.

I attended The Swellegant Awards. A little known, but soon to be well known group called The Art of Delusion, hosted an improv awards ceremony in Penticton on June 21st. Consisting of Conrad Burek, Jay Martens and (my personal favorite) Mark Reinelt, The Art of Delusion put on a great show. Mark and I have been together for 11 years and I still am blown away by the talent, skill and passion he has for this. He did an amazing job-they all did. Funny, Funny guys.

I have joined Surge Fitness. Run by Chris Stratis, it is a short but powerful workout. Each day you focus on 3 different muscle groups. You work HARD (for 30 seconds) on each exercise and then rest for 2 minutes. You do this 3-4 times for 1/2 hour four days a week.

The only thing that doesn't hurt on my body is my hair. I sneezed on Tuesday and was pretty sure that I needed medical attention. It will all be worth it for when we go to....

CUBA!! Mark and I have decided that we are going somewhere warm for the Christmas holiday. I have over 2 weeks off in December and the library is closed so we are making plans. Cuba is in first place, with a Caribbean cruise following closely in second. Conrad and Jo are thinking of joining us and to warm up we have been perfecting the art of the mojito. (A lovely little drink consisting of rum, club soda, sugar and mint). Very Refreshing!!

And of course where would we be without a concert!! (ask Mark this question and you will definitely get a different answer). In November we are going to go see....The New Kids on the Block!!!! C'mon. You all know that you sang along and were in love with Jordan Knight just like I was. Mark is thrilled. He got the tickets for me for my birthday and as luck would have it the actual concert falls on November 21, which is HIS birthday. Everyone wins!!

We are now all up-to-date and will try to make entries consistently in the future. Happy Summer to everyone, I'll leave you with some pictures from Linden Gardens in Kaleeden. Definitely worth the trip!!

Happy Valentine's Day, I got you a.....

BANJO!!!

February starts out like EVERY February. I say to Mark, "Valentine's Day-no gifts- really no gifts, cards or anything". He says, " O.K. but I kinda already got you something, well... not just for you, it's more for US. I only hope that it's here by then!!"

Dread. Fear. Cautious anticipation.

I am running late for our after work dinner date, racing into the house, when I am stopped dead in my tracks by the lovely? twangy sounds of a banjo coming from the next room.

What do I do next? Do I flee? Obviously some one has broken into the house and is sitting in the living room playing the banjo, because (if you've been keeping up) we all know that it CANNOT be my husband.

But it is.

"I'm serenading you", he says proudly, looking like a kid at Christmas. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
I'm very proud to say that he has purchased himself a very nice banjo and is currently learning (Banjo's for Dummies) how to play. And, although the "song" that he played for me on that very first night wasn't anything I could recognize, I expect big, big things for this handsome musician.

Thank you Sweetheart, Happy Valentine's Day to you to.

Just your average rat-pack-turned-accordian-playing birthday party

It was Conrad's birthday recently and Mark an I were invited to a "rat-pack" party. Lately, Mark and Conrad have been revisiting and enjoying the hijinks and shenanigans of the late greats: Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, and of course the legendary Dean Martin.

This is how it started-Mark goes to Value Village to put the finishing touches on the Tuxedo look he has going on, picks up some fake cigarettes (because ALL the cool cats somked back then), finds a big, round, short glass to drink his brown liquour from and were off to Penticton.

When we arrive, Joanne (looking as gorgeous as ever, and Mark looking EXACTLY like Deano after one-too-many) has everything set up so nice. Amazing appetizers, candles and Frank playing in the background as everyone arrives looking stunning in their cocktail attire.

NOTE: For those of you who are unaware of the musical talents of my husband, please refer back to the famous "recorder-off" in December.

Linda and Niko brought in the most bizarre aray of musical instruments I have ever seen
anyone carry around in a car including a mandolin and then, Well....

Yes. This is Mark. Banging the crap out of a pot with a wooden spoon. Joanne was nice enough to give him a wisk as well, so that he could make different sounds. That didn't last long.

Happy Birthday Conrad. We love you.

The Coles Notes version....

I realize as I sign on, that the last post was Oct 14th. So here is a brief description of What's New with the Reinelt's.....

We were kindly invited to Cheryl and Jason's Halloween party this year and most of you know we went as Dog the Bounty hunter and Beth (his wife). Shortly there after the real Dog was outed for saying very bad things about his son's girlfriend. A similar incident happened a couple of years ago when Mark dressed up as the Scottish guy from the beer commercials....who was arrested very soon after for having inappropriate pictures on his computer. Hmmm, Mark and I have decided that we are no longer dressing up as famous people for any function of any kind.

We took a trip to Seattle on the 30th of November. We went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For all of you out there who enjoy Christmas carols and LOVE 80's hair band rock music, this is THE concert for you!! (I loved it). The trip home was in the ridiculous snow storm and there were some white knuckles on the steering wheel that night I can tell you.

WE (I) put the Christmas decorations up.....

And our next adventure took us to Leavenworth, WA on a bus tour with our very good friends, Conrad and Jo and 20 other passengers whose collective age totalled 1400. We had a great time and Leavenworth is beautiful. It's a small Bavarian (or as Donna called it -Barbarian) town overflowing with Christmas spirit. The Campbell's Resort Lodge in Lake Chelan is where we stayed and it was really nice.

The trip started with a stop at the duty free and then some shopping where the girls picked up sippy cups to hold the contents of what was bought at the duty free, and the boys picked up paper and pens for a new game we like to call "motion sickness pictionary" and recorders. Yes. Recorders. The recorder-off at the end of the night was somethin' else!!

My sides hurt from laughing, the conversations went from deep and thoughtful to stupid and ridiculous and everyone had a great time.

We love our friends Conrad and Jo. Mostly Jo.

And finally- I quit my job!! Too many reasons to list here as this is already too long, but I've started at a new place call Summit Chiropractic and after one part-time week, LOVE it. A very positive change for me and definitely in the direction I want to go. Focusing on proactive rather than reactive health care. Come on in anytime!!

So, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll be back before another 2 months go by.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

a little inspiration

The past couple weeks I've been trying to get up early and go for a walk.

Every morning I really don't feel like it.

Every morning the bed is so warm and comfy.

Every morning it's a chore to actually get out of bed.

However, once I'm outside...

There's no one else around,

There's a crisp breeze that wakes me up,

There's a different color on every tree,

And I say to myself, why didn't I do this yesterday?

Allow me to introduce myself...

My name is Cara Reinelt.

For those of you who know me well, my name is Cara Simpson Reinelt


For those of you who know me very well, my name is Cara Symonds Reinelt


and For those of you who know me better than anyone (mom) my name is Cara Simpson Symonds Simpson Reinelt (there is a story behind that, and in no way does it involve the law).

I like food.

A LOT

If I have a good day- I'll treat myself to something sweet because I've earned it.

If I have a bad day- I'll have some unhealthy (but very tasty) comfort food and then I'll have something sweet because I've earned it.

My favorite is any simple carbohydrate of any kind. If I could have a sandwich made of potato, rice, bread and pasta with a side order of popcorn...it would be a perfect day, and that would deserve another treat!!

Before leaving Germany, I made the very grave error of stepping in the scale.

The Result?









'nuf said.


Another thing about me...
I don't usually like drawing very personal attention to myself.
So this is how it's going to go...


ME?
I've decided to work really hard to not eat my potato, rice, pasta and popcorn sandwiches and lose 50lbs. (okay, just writing that number down and putting out there for the world - and I do mean world because I googled myself yesterday and I actually come up several times thanks to this blog - to see, makes me slightly nauseated).



YOU?
you won't mention any thing about it.

Just knowing that you know will be enough.




So there you go. Just before Thanksgiving and Halloween and Christmas, I've decided to swear off simple sugars and starch. I don't think that's the only swearing I'll be doing.