Christmas Bottles?

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Nothing beats Christmas time, at least not for us! And this holiday season, we're hoping you can help us out.

We all know that the holidays mean lots of parties, family gatherings and celebratations! What fun! We ask that as you collect wine bottles, beer bottles or cans throughout the course of the next couple of weeks (including New Years!!) that you kindly keep our 'Holiday Bottle Drive' in mind. Why not share in the spirit of giving this holiday season by donating your empty bottles to a deserving cause. Save yourselves a trip in the cold weather and let us do the dirty work! All of the proceeds will go directly to our Reading Room in Laos. We're trying to follow up a successful Summer Bottle Drive, and know that we can count on you to help share the spirit of Christmas this holiday season!

So, if you can help in any way, that would be awesome! Also, spread the word as much as you can; have your family, friends and neighbours save their bottles too! The more the better, every bottle counts, and it's for a great cause! Let's all help to build this Reading Room together - we can do it!

Thank you for your support! If you have any questions or want to let us know you've got bottles ready for pick-up, feel free to email us at thedriveto25@hotmail.com.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!

Happy 25th Birthday!

Hey guys!

So, as many of you know, we recently celebrated our milestone, 25th, birthday! The day was great day, but the weekend was even better! I drove down to visit Melissa in Ottawa for the weekend and stayed until the morning of our birthday. We had breakfast together - very exciting! - and then by 7:15 am,  Melissa was off to work and I drove home. So, the day-of was a little bit strange as it felt weird not being together. It was the first time that we were pretty much apart for our birthday. In 25 years, we have to say that's pretty good!

Since our 25th birthday has come and gone, we just wanted send a little 'thank you' to everyone for their support over the last 9 months as we've embarked on our 'Drive to 25'! We really appreciate everyone's donations to our Reading Room library, and we hope that you will continue to spread the word as we still need to reach our goal of $5000! We are so proud of how much we've raised so far and look forward to reaching our overall goal soon! Thinking about the difference that this library will make in the lives of so many kids makes us so excited!!!  On that note, we must thank all of our family and friends who have helped with fundraising, who have been there to encourage and support us during some of our new adventures and crazy risks, and basically everyone who has helped make this journey all the more fun and meaningful! We're so glad you've wanted to read about and share in this incredible experience with us. This past year started off amazing, with our spur of the moment Rachael Ray makeoever in NYC, and we know that this next year will be just as incredible and exciting. Let's make it happen!

So, here's to 25 - to new adventures, new experiences and to being happy! We can't wait to continue our 'Drive to 25' and challenge ourselves to take risks, to learn new things, to give back and most importantly, to have fun! Thanks for sticking with us and be sure to keep checking back for more updates!

The Drive Continues... the Road Ahead!

Hello all!

Can you believe it's already mid-November? Where has the time gone? We can't believe it! This is, by far, our favourite time of year. There's nothing like the start of the Christmas season, setting up the decorations and the tree and of course, listening to wonderful holiday tunes. Another fabulous part of the holidays is baking and we're excited to get that started too!

Anyways, as we have come to realize that our 25th Birthday is fast approaching (12 days!) we needed to figure out what to do with our 'Drive'. We are so proud of what we've accomplished so far and have had a blast! We've completed 16 different things since we've started and we couldn't be more happy and fulfilled! From making the baby blankets, to skydiving, to celebrating Movember for our Dad, we're so thrilled to be doing this and sharing our stories with everyone (thanks for following along!).

However, it is obvious that we are not going to be able to complete the 9 more things before our Birthday. There are actually a couple things that we weren't able to finish yet, like our Hot Air Balloon Ride, due to weather and our 10 km run, because the weather got cold quickly and we were busy moving Melissa to Ottawa. So, those two things will be done in the spring! It is for this reason and because we don't want to rush or just 'do' things to complete our 'List', that  our 'Drive' is going to continue...YAY!

We've been thinking...why not continue to enjoy our 'Drive to 25' while we're 25?! It makes sense to keep the fun going and really make each and every item on our 'List' meaningful, worthwhile and something that we're super excited to do! We have ideas and plans and will fill you in as we go. Thanks for sticking with us and being there! We love to hear from you too, so if you have suggestions, ideas or comments, send them our way: thedriveto25@hotmail.com

Finally, the biggest part of our 'Drive to 25' is our fundraising campaign to raise the $5000 we need to build a Library in Laos. We are over half way - yahoo! We thank everyone who has donated to our cause so far and truly appreciate your support! If you haven't donated or would like to, you can visit our 'Donate' page: DONATE. We can't wait to be able to say that we've raised enough funds to have the Reading Room built; what a way to cap off our 'Drive to 25'.

So there you have it. Our 'Drive' continues and we look forward to the road ahead! :)

Here is the link to the show again: we enjoy rewatching it and can't believe this amazing experience happened to us! We are so lucky! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7VGzhByF3o&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1 

Merry Movember!

We are beyond excited to share with you what we have in store for the month of November, or shall we call it MOVEMBER!

Today marks the first day of November, which can mean a lot of things. A) Your cupboard is full of leftover Halloween candy (which definitely a great thing!). B) You can officially jump on the holiday season bandwagon and have it be 'acceptable'! And, last but not least, C) you will notice that the hair on the upper lips of many men start to grow longer and longer, creating some unique and creative looks. Yup, that's right, even though we will now proudly play our Christmas music and will gladly polish off the Halloween chocolates (there's something about eating mini chocolate bars that makes you feel less guilty for eating them!), what we're most excited about right now is how we are going to support a cause near and dear to our hearts, MOVEMBER!

Just what is Movember, you might ask. If you've never heard of it, here's a brief synopsis, taken directly from the official Movember site http://ca.movember.com/?home

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives. Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

You may be wondering how two girls are going to participate in a moustache growing fundraiser....well do we have an answer for you! We are proud to designate ourselves as 'MO SISTAS', succinctly defined as 'a woman who loves a Mo,...a women who is committed to raising awareness of men's health issues and the much needed funds for men's health.' We are here to support, promote and bring attention to an incredibly important cause.

In the past couple of years, Movember has taken on a very personal meaning to our family. In January of 2011, our dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was a huge shock - hearing the word 'cancer' is definitely a scary thing. We were beyond lucky that the doctors caught it early and that he was able to have successful surgery. It was also a blessing that we were both not working at the time and were able to spend valuable time being his little nurses! As a whole though, this health scare was definitely a life changing experience for us and our family. Seeing the man who has always been there to protect you, the rock of the family, Mr. Invinsible, in such a weak and fragile state just proved to us that life is so precious and unpredictable. We are so grateful that our dad is now fully recovered, happy and healthy, but know that so many others can't say the same.

It is for this very reason that we have decided to include Movember in our Drive to 25! No, we aren't growing moustaches, but we would love for you to support someone who is raising money for this important cause. Last year alone Movember initiatives around the world raised over $125 million!!! That's incredible and more awareness = a  bigger global movement = more money = better funding for men's health programs - how can you go wrong?!

If you don't know anyone participating to sponsor, why not sponsor our incredible brother?! This is his third year as a Mo Bro and we are expecting great things...follow this link http://ca.movember.com/donate/ and type in 'Matt MacFarlane' in the search field.

Personally, we are going to show our Mo Sista support by wearing our newly purchased 'moustache' necklaces!!! We will wear them proudly and do our part in drawing attention to this worthy campaign. To have a look at some of the stylish jewellery, check out the following site, supported by Movember Canada:
http://www.foxyoriginals.com/movember 

So there you have it. We hope you'll join our Movember campaign and become either a Mo Bro or a Mo Sista with us. We'd love to hear how and why you're getting involved!

Stay tuned for updates and pictures throughout the month!

Melissa's story...

By now you've read Laura's blog post (if not go read it! We decided separate posts were the way to go this time!) and are completely up to date on what's been going on in our lives these past few weeks. I must say they have been quite the adventure. I would liken it to that of a roller coaster, there have been highs and lows and times when I have felt like I'd been thrown upside down. But, this roller coaster ride has already taught me many lessons.

First of all, even though I am a self-admitted directionally challenged person and am useless when it comes to reading or deciphering maps, I did manage to take the right bus to and from work the first day! I did a mini 'hallelujah' dance in my mind that morning - at least I got off to a good start! I have not ventured off those two bus routes, and probably won't, but at least I can proudly say that I know enough to get myself to point A and point B (and that's saying a lot if you've ever traveled or driven with me...!)

Laura mentioned feeling guilty. That seems to be a common sentiment among us. I have struggled with feeling guilty too - how could I not? I got a job, got to move out and get an apartment, everything we'd both been wanting and striving for since we graduated. It's hard dealing with conflicting emotions; how do I feel happy for myself, while guilty for having it all happen? Laura wasn't being given this opportunity - why did I deserve it over her? This is a very real and honest emotion that I know we both grapple with. I'm not sure either of us will ever be able to rid ourselves of that dichotomous feeling, but learning to deal with and live with it is a necessary step. In time I'll realize why this was 'my' time, but at this point, it's hard not to ask, 'why me'?

I've also learned that I need to keep myself busy. I didn't really know what it was going to be like living alone or how I'd spend my time, as I'd always had Laura to do things with. Being alone for the first time was a big shock. The first few days coming home from work, I didn't know what to do. This must sound weird, but it was just a strange realization that I had no built-in person to talk to. Watching favourite TV shows and reading (Harry Potter - coming along nicely!) have become my main go-to past-times. But it's just not the same as having the confidante right there with me. I know it's going to take some time to adjust to this new reality, but for now it's still sinking in and I'm still figuring out this whole living alone and apart thing. I have my moments, but that's expected. (SIDE NOTE: Tim's couldn't have had a better time for their $1 cafe mocha special - these delicious warm drinks have become my new secret best friend when I need a little pick-me-up!) All in all, it's been and continues to be a challenge, but we have to both look at it as an adventure that was bound to happen.

I know there's so much information out there about twins and people are so fascinated by 'twin relationships', but I think there's a bit of a gap in hearing about stories of challenges twins face. Although every relationship is different, there must be a some sort of commonality among experiences of 'the separation' phase. Who knows, maybe there isn't. In any case, hopefully reading about our experience doesn't sound to sappy but gives you a unique glimpse into the emotional and personal dimensions of 'our' twin bond.

Anyways, enough said....I don't want this to get boring and all sentimental. I hope our stories haven't made it out to be a horrible experience, or one we are struggling to deal with. We're getting by just fine! Of course we'd rather be together, but that'll come. We don't know how long this whole living apart thing will last (fingers crossed Laura will get a job in Ottawa soon - I'm putting in a good word!) but either way, whether it's two weeks or two months, it's an ongoing learning experience. We've been all about adventure this past year with our 'Drive to 25', so how fitting  for a job opportunity to come along at this time. Everything happens for a reason right...let's make it count!

Living Apart...

Hey everyone!

This post is kind of long overdue... but we must admit that things have been very busy and new in our lives lately!

First things first - we have our next adventure to add to our 'List'... we are living separately. It has been one week now, well more like 10 days that we have been apart and it feels EXTREMELY strange. It is so hard to describe, but it's just a unique situation and no one can really know how it feels unless you're a twin. Of course, things are fine, we're surviving and getting through it. We obviously knew that one day this would happen and that we wouldn't always live together - we do both want to have our individual lives and families in the future!! But, this separation and move came so quickly that we didn't have a ton of time to prepare for it. Who knows, maybe that's a good thing!

Here's how it happened:

Melissa got a job in Ottawa working for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Basically, after going through interviews and tests starting in February, she finally got an email at the end of September asking her if she was interested in a position. Of course, she couldn't turn it down! So, in the midst of a family wedding, visitors and a crazy, busy household for about a week, she had to finalize an apartment, pack and then, move to Ottawa. Since I work part-time retail, and didn't have a job in Ottawa, it didn't make sense to move there too. I didn't want to follow and just go without any sort of income just to be there as well. So, with that decision, we ended up having to separate. And now, we're over a week in.

That's how it happened and how do we both feel about it? Well, that's a toughy. It was a rough drive home from Ottawa for me... I stayed an extra 2 nights and left Tuesday - which was nice to spend the extra couple days together, just the two of us, helping to set up the apartment and make it a little more cozy/homey (and also be the designated cable/internet person!).  But, that drive home alone was just that, lonely and quite teary. But, I knew this was a huge step for the two of us and that we would both get through it. I was so happy for Melissa to be starting a new job, a career job, with the government - what a proud sister I was! Even prouder maybe, that she managed to get on the right bus and make it there on her first day!! But on top of that, I was upset and sad for Melissa, knowing that she would get home from work every night and be alone. You see, we both didn't really know what it was like to be alone - that's what we'll admit to be one of the best things about being a twin - we never had to be alone. Until now - and it was hard at first. I was guilty leaving her behind as I was leaving her alone somewhere new, yet I was going back to somewhere familiar. Anyways, the amazing thing about cell phones is that we can easily communicate throughout the day and text or call whenever we want. This makes the separation that much easier! And for all of those people who thought we'd never get cell phones - well we're happy we did and use them non-stop now! Obviously, I have my moments...Just the other night driving home from work in the evening I was thinking to myself, I wish Melissa would be there when I got home to watch our nightly tv shows with... but she wasn't. It's moments like those that make you appreciate more the time that you do spend, in person, with someone, although texting is great, their presence is irreplacable. But, that's life, that's separation and that's a lesson that we're both really learning right now! This was bound to happen at some point and I know I'm proud of us both!

So, this is the next item on our 'List'. Unfortunately though, it feels like we've somewhat hit a 'road block' on our Drive as we haven't written in so long. We're sorry about this! We will be posting really soon about this 'road block' and detailing our next steps... so stay tuned! We're getting back on track now and are ready!

We tried....

So yesterday was supposed to be an exciting day and we had planned on writing a fun blog this morning about it... but no such luck. We were scheduled to go on a HOT AIR BALLOON ride last night!!!! We were sure that since it was such a beautiful day, it wouldn't be cancelled. BUT, we got all the way to Kitchener and then called the special 'flight line' to hear that the winds were too strong and that the flight was cancelled. Booo!

This was extra frustrating because it's the second time that we've been all excited and ready for our HOT AIR BALLOON ride just to have it cancelled! We were all set in May while on vacation in B.C. to go and then with a major storm rolling in the next day, it was cancelled. Since we knew that we could reschedule in Ontario, we weren't too worried. However, it took a while to sort out our work schedules (shift work is so difficult for coordinating things!) to find the perfect time to go. And then, of course, when we finally did manage to have free time at the same time, it was cancelled again!! We are going to reschedule once again and are hoping that 'three times the charm'!! We think we're due!

So, needless to say, we do not have an exciting, fun, or adventurous blog to post today. This one is rather short and boring, but we thought we should let everyone know that we're trying! We will go on this balloon ride soon enough and can't wait to share it all with you, along with tons of pictures!

In other 'Drive to 25' news, we have had a huge crop of tomatoes lately, enjoying them in lots of sandwiches and tasty meals. It's so exciting to eat the food you've grown - such a great feeling! Our running is going along well too, we're not up to 10km yet but we'll be there soon! We're actually enjoying our runs and having fun with it! Who knew?! Harry Potter reading/movie watching is coming along as well - we've fallen in love with Harry, Ron and Hermione and are so so happy that we're reading this amazing series!

As for things that are coming up. You might be wondering how we're going to fill up our 'List'. We have a few things in mind and that are in the works, so we'll be updating you on those soon! Also, there is a BIG one coming up - it's pretty huge, so stay tuned!

We can't believe we've got just over 2 months to go... where has the time gone? Thanks for following along! :)

Time to Celebrate - we're half way there!

Although this post is a few days old, it's still beyond exciting!!!

WE HAVE RAISED OVER $2500 FOR OUR READING ROOM IN LAOS!!!!!!!

That means we're MORE THAN HALFWAY to our goal, $5000, the amount needed to build the Reading Room. We are soooooo happy and grateful to everyone who has supported, contributed, and helped us get to this point - YOU'RE ALL AMAZING! We wouldn't be this far without you - it's as simple as that.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

We have just over 2 months left to go - let's make this happen! It's a tall moutain to climb, but we still believe.

In the words of the Little Engine that Could : 'I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....'

Let's do this!!! Any donation you can make, big or small, will make such a difference. Please spread the word and pass along the message. Join our 'Drive to 25' and our Reading Room family. Donating is easy, visit our DONATE page to find out how to contribute.

Again, a major SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to everyone for your support. We truly appreciate it!

Looking forward to celebrating more milestones soon....

Melissa and Laura



Time to Train!

We thought it was time to post an update on our running progress - we're pretty pleased with where we're at so far (although we know there's a long way to go!!!).

Let's start off by saying that today we logged our longest run... just about 5km!! Woo woo!! We felt pretty good, and we were lucky that the weather was finally a bit cooler!! Although we haven't stuck to a very rigid schedule (we need to get on that), we have already come a long way and made some 'good strides'!!

Even though this is only half of our 10km goal, this is a huge step and with continued determination, committment, and a more focused schedule, we will get there soon enough! We definitely don't want to push ourselves too hard physically though, so it's hard to put a time frame on our training. That being said, we've got our fingers crossed and are hoping that we'll be ready to register for a 10km run in Newcastle at the beginning of October.

WISH US LUCK! If you have any tips, suggestions or comments - let us know! We'd be happy to hear from you :)

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Bottle Drive Blow-out!

As the last long weekend of the summer approaches (how is this possible?!), we want to remind everyone that we're still collecting bottles!!!! Please let us know if you have any bottles (wine or beer) or beer cans lying around and we will be happy to swing by and pick them up, either now or after the weekend!

We're hoping that you're all looking to clear out your garages as summer winds down, school starts back up again and routine sets in for the fall. We were so pleased and thankful to all who donated earlier in the summer and we've got our fingers crossed for another big turnout! If possible, please pass along the message to anyone you think could help - every bottle counts, right?!

Thanks so much for your continued support!

Melissa and Laura
thedriveto25@hotmail.com

Ready...Set...RUN!

We're excited to tell you about the latest adventure we've added to our 'Drive to 25'! It's something we've always wanted to do (in the back of our minds) but have never really taken the time or energy to make it happen. So we thought, why not now??

We have decided to challenge ourselves to run 10 km! Obviously this is going to take some time and a lot of dedicated training. But, we know that we are each others biggest motivators and that we can do it! We have always enjoyed hiking, walking, and have done some running in the past, but nothing to this extent. After watching the incredible athletes compete at the Olympics, we've been inspired to tackle a physical challenge of our own to prove to ourselves that we are stronger than we think. We're not looking for any records or anything, we just want to committ to accomplishing this feat and most of all, have fun. This challenge is about the entire journey to the finish line as we know that every step will teach us lessons of strength, focus and dedication (well not every single step, but you get the idea!). 

Once we get a bit more training behind us, we are planning on registering for a 10 km run hopefully in October - either way, definitely before our 25th Birthday! We're super pumped and motivated to get going. We've already started, albeit slowly, and look forward to improving bit by bit! We hate to admit it, but the morning after that first run was pretty painful. It can only get better though, right?! Bring it on!!!

We will keep you posted on our progress and hope you'll follow along as we make our way towards the finish line - 10 km here we come!!!

Celebrating Family - A 60th Wedding Anniversary!

Even though this may not fall in our 'Drive to 25', we thought it was still very worthy of posting! This past weekend, we witnessed a milestone that is truly remarkable and inspiring - our grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. We were lucky to spend the long weekend in Moncton, New Brunswick with everyone on our Dad's side of the family. It was a beautiful family reunion celebrating two very special people.

The MacFarlane's!


It's moments like these where we all get together that are so special, seeing as we don't all live in the same province! We're so fortunate to have such a wonderful family and it all started with our grandparents! And. they have a lot more to celebrate this year too. Not only are they toasting to 60 wonderful years together, they are ringing in their 80th and 85th birthdays as well! Talk about a milestone filled 2012!!! Before we know it, we'll be celebrating the 70th!

The couple of the weekend!



In all, it was a fabulous weekend - lots of good food, stories, and laughs (which made up for the VERY LONG drive!!!)

Cheers to love and family,

Melissa and Laura

Taking the 'Plunge'....

As some of you may or may not know, our palette for seafood or 'things that swim in the ocean' has always been non existent. That is, UNTIL NOW!! Last week, we 'dove' into trying new foods and went for it - we tried FISH! Even though this may seem like a rather small endeavor, for us, this was a HUGE feat. Not only did we try it once, but TWICE! And, we are pleased to admit, this will most likely not be our last!!!

Here's how this challenge came about:

With our entire dad's side of the family living in the Maritimes, we've taken MANY a trip out to the East Coast. We've sat in on our fair share of lobster suppers and been to many a fish fry. Yet, never have we 'taken the plunge' and tried the local delicacies. Why? Well, we don't have a very 'good' excuse. We typically throw the blame on the 'fishy' smell, but quite frankly, in our eyes, the thought of eating something from the ocean is repulsing! It swims - ew!!

However, since our whole 'Drive to 25' is about trying new things and taking risks, an annual family 'Lobsterfest' seemed like a fitting place to face our fear! In the past, we've sat at the 'chicken' table and thoroughly enjoyed our separate meals, as we watched everyone else crack away at their lobsters. This year, we promised to taste the lobster (albeit without doing all the dirty work!).

When the time came, we put on our lobster bibs and 'took the plunge'. If we had to describe it, well, it was rather chewy and rubbery. We got it down and resorted back to our chicken...would we have it again...no probably not. But, we tried it right? That's the main thing and now we can 'honestly' say that we've tried lobster and are not fans!

Here we go...

We weren't about to end our seafood challenge after tasting lobster. That clearly wasn't a big enough challenge. So, we decided that we were going to buy some sort of fish to cook for dinner one night. After doing some research on which fish to go for (leave it to google to give us results for 'converting non-fish eaters to fish eaters' or 'how to cook non-fishy fish'!!), we settled on halibut.

We must admit, we were feeling almost more anxious about this halibut eating challenge than we were to skydive - as ridiculous as that sounds! We found a pretty basic marinade recipe online, and not knowing what would taste good, we tried it! The barbecue was obviously used for this meal, we drew the line at bringing the fish smell indoors!! That wasn't going to happen!

After some build up, once again, we 'took the plunge' and ate our first bite of halibut!!!! And....low and behold, much to our surprise, it wasn't half bad!!!!!!! No, were we actually admitting this...could this be happening? A small part of us, liked it?!! WOW! It actually tasted very mild and was flaky in texture, definitely not chewy like the lobster. We just may, quite possibly, revisit this whole halibut eating idea, and perhaps throw in some other 'white' fish meat.....yes, hold us to it!

The first bite....not quite sure yet!

We survived!

In the end, we're super happy to have challenged ourselves to this seafood experiment. We discovered that, although we may not be in the market for lobster in the future, white meat fish, such as halibut, just might pop up at our dinner table every so often (not weekly - not yet!). However, that does not mean that our attitudes towards it's smell have changed... 'fishy' odor = yuk!

Here's to trying new foods :)

Melissa and Laura

Overdue Updates!!!

Hi everyone!

As we've been trying to focus on fundraising these past few weeks, we've realized that we're long overdue in updating you on some of our ongoing projects. For those of you who think that we have yet to pick up a Harry Potter book - think again! And no, we have not forgotten about our garden, not even close! Here's the scoop on what we've been up to on a regular basis with our 'Drive to 25'.

Our Vegetable Garden:

If we've learned anything from planting and maintaining a vegetable garden, it's that patience and persistence are KEY! Veggies don't grow over night, so we shouldn't expect to be producing cash crops or enough for a vegetable stand yet! We have been pleasantly surprised and happy with our turnout so far, and judging by the look of the plants now, we may have plenty of vegetables in weeks to come. But, again, patience, patience, patience!

Our snap peas were the first to sprout and at one point, we were picking a couple off on a daily basis. They were delicious too - thick and crunchy - YUM! They have since slowed, but our lettuce has now taken off, which is amazing! We used it in a salad just the other day! There's nothing like knowing you're eating clean, fresh, local food straight from your own backyard. We must admit, we were pretty satisfied with ourselves haha! We've had a few yellow and green beans here and there too, which have made a nice addition to our stir fries.

The garden in June - it's much fuller and livelier now!

Our first snap peas

Lettuce washed and ready to eat!

We did expect our tomatoes to have progressed a bit quicker than they have, but we are happy to announce that our FIRST tomato is starting to grow - it's rather tiny right now, but we're taking good care of it!! There are definitely more tomato buds too which is so exciting! The cucumber and pepper plants, as well as the carrots are also starting to sprout and are getting closer and closer each day to vegetable greatness!! Yay!

We're having so much fun tending to this little garden and get giddy every time we see another bud or potential growth! The whole thing has been a real family project, which makes it even more worth it. We are so happy to have started this garden and we're already planning next year's crops. This year has definitely been a learning experience, but we've been relatively successful so far and we know that much more is to come! Bring on the veggies!

Harry Potter:

We must admit that we thought we knew how long the Harry Potter book series was, but apparently we didn't really know! Man, are those books long!!!! We can officially say that Laura has finished books 1 through 4 and is currently reading the 5th. Melissa has finished 1 through 3 and is reading the 4th. Since we haven't been able to get two copies of each book, we've been having to wait in between for the other to finish. We're also proud to admit that we've seen the first three movies, thanks to a Harry Potter movie marathon with our brother this past weekend :)

Now, we must also set something straight. We both had never really given Harry Potter a chance. We assumed that we wouldn't like all the fantasy, wizard, magic and make-believe stuff that is Harry Potter and brushed the whole phenomenon aside. We should probably be slapped for this because now we're realizing just what we were missing out on! We can honestly say that we are now not just reading the books 'because it's on our Drive to 25 list', but because we are thoroughly enjoying every page! There's something captivating and well, frankly magical about it all and you can't help but get swept away into the world of Hogwarts! We're so excited to keep reading and to see what the next few books have in store. Then, we are SO going to Disneyworld to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park!!!!

And there you have it - you're all caught up to speed on what's been going on behind the scenes with us! Our garden didn't die and we didn't give up on Harry!!

Here's to more veggies and happy reading :)

Melissa and Laura

P.S. We've got another addition to our list coming this weekend! :) Stay tuned!




 

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...SUCCESS!

We know that we're a little late in writing about our bottle drive results, but we were waiting until we brought them in for the official total! Today was that day! So here's the scoop on our latest fundraising effort...

Last week, we delivered bright neon flyers to the homes in our neighbourhood asking them if they would be interested in donating bottles for our cause. We drove around on Thursday morning, collecting from those who were so generous to leave some out for us. We were definitely surprised at the turnout - some homes must have been collecting for years - haha! It must have been a sight to see; the two of us carrying many cases of 24's and loading them into our car!!! Thanks a million to our neighbourhood for being so helpful and cooperative. We were so happy to relieve you all of the tideous beer store trip and are so lucky to live amongst such great neighbours! A special thank you to the one household that donated $8.00 in change along with their bottles - what a lovely and unexpected surprise!

Not only did we get a great turnout from our neighbours, but friends and family also contributed beyond our expectations! Ms. Bonta, Mrs. Jackman (and friends!!), the Bishop's and the Kramer's - thank you, thank you, thank you! We REALLY appreciate your support :)

Our organized loot



Only part of one home's contribution



Part of the collection...



So, needless to say, our garage was pretty packed for a couple days!! Today, along with help from our amazing brother (who is much stronger than us!), we drove two PACKED cars to the Beer Store to see how much we made! After a couple stops along the way to fix falling bottles (the last thing we needed was broken glass!), after making several trips up to the 'returns' counter, and after several comments about the size of our load, we were DONE! We made a grand total of......$160.00!!!!! Much more than we had anticipated - yay!!!

The best part about the whole thing, besides raising that much money for our Reading Room, is the fact that the summer has only just begun, which means more and more bottles!!!! We know that some of you have mentioned that you have some bottles for us, which is awesome!! We will keep collecting throughout the summer, so whenever you feel like clearing up some space, LET US KNOW! We will be more than happy to pick them up! Beer or wine bottles, beer cans, anything that can be returned, we will take!

Let the continuous summer bottle drive roll on....

Melissa and Laura
thedriveto25@hotmail.com

We want your BOTTLES!

Hey everyone!

It's officially the summer!! Hurray!! Time to celebrate!! In honour of the upcoming long weekend and the start of summer holidays, we've decided to put our fundraising efforts into something 'seasonal'. We are starting an 'ongoing' summer bottle drive collection!! We know bottles tend to pile up throughout the summer and it's sometimes a hassle to take them in for the couple dollars you might get in return. So, why not donate them to our Reading Room campaign and know that they're going to a great cause?? What could be better - you don't have to wait in line for a measly couple of bucks, and you can be rest assured that those dollars are going directly towards helping to provide books for hundreds of children! Win - win!

So instead of driving around the neighbourhood on one particular weekend, we are kindly asking you to keep us in mind when you notice that you have a pile of empty bottles you want to get rid of. Let us know and we will gladly come to collect them! Every bottle is a little something, and it all adds up in the end, right?! Email us at thedriveto25@hotmail.com or facebook message us to get in touch.

We really appreciate your support - let's make this a successful fundraising summer event! Please pass this along to your family/friends/neighbours or anyone you think can contribute. The more people who know, the better! If you're at a party, why not suggest putting the empties aside to donate? We'll happily come to get them from you!!

Thank you, thank you!! Looking forward to seeing you and your bottles this summer :)


Melissa and Laura

Another Book Donation!

With several generous donations of children's books, both new and used, we had a collection of 226 books lying around in our basement. Some were left over from our garage sale, and some were donated afterwards. What were we going to do with them? It didn't take long to figure out where we wanted to them to go and who we wanted to benefit from them. We chose SickKids Hospital in Toronto!

Beyond the amazing work and care that goes on at SickKids on a daily basis, we have a personal connection with the hosptial that made us want to include it in our 'drive'. We were born 2 months premature, each with our own set of medical difficulties. Immediately after we were born, Melissa was rushed to SickKids where she spent the first ten days of her life. Yes, we were separated right at birth... that's probably one of the longest times we've ever been apart! Our mom has always said that the staff at SickKids were wonderful and called her several times a day with updates. A small relationship, but one nonetheless. There are so many brave and inspiring children who call this hospital a second home, and we wanted to give back to them in our 'Drive to 25'.

So today, we drove to SickKids and dropped off four boxes filled with an assortment of colourful picture books, big and small board books and chapter books for early readers. Everything from Franklin to Dora to learning your ABC's; even the Berenstain Bears, a personal favourite of ours! We couldn't have picked a hotter day to carry in two loads of heavy book boxes, but we managed! After discussing with the super friendly Donations Coordinator, we organized that the new books would be benefitting the Child Life Program. This means that the 154 new books we donated will be distributed among the Reading Rooms and play rooms in the hospital for patients to read and enjoy. The 72 used books will be donated to the Women's Auxiliary, who will sell them within the hopsital, with all of the proceeds going towards SickKids. We remember the excitement that comes from reading a new book and hope that this donation will create many similar experiences. It definitely makes us smile knowing that so many children will be able to share one of our favourite childhood pastimes while away from the comforts of their own home.

Here we are at the hopsital with our book donation:

We couldn't be happier to have included SickKids Hospital in our 'Drive to 25' and to continue to spread the joy of reading! Just being in the hospital, we could see the enthusiastic, positive and inspiring energy that we know is making a difference in the lives of so many children. We are proud to have contributed, even in a very small way, to this encouraging environment. What a special day; one to remember!

Our First Sale!!!

Today, we made our first sale!!!!!! We've been baking for a long time now, but today we officially sold our first goodies - two pies!!!! More than that, we're most excited that all of the money we raise is going directly towards our Reading Room!!

This morning, we were so happy to make an apple and a pecan pie for Mr. Usher's family lunch. They were still a little warm when he picked them up - YUM! Thanks for thinking about us, Rick, and for donating to our cause. You're the first of hopefully many more!

Here's a look at the pies and our little 'thank you' note...

We look forward to many more opportunites like this one - we want to BAKE FOR YOU! Get your orders in today :)

Fun.. Fun.. Fundraising!

Hey everyone!

So we've realized that our fundraising has slipped a little bit. Even though we know that's an inevitable part of fundraising, we need to kick it up a notch! Our most updated total, as of today, is $2000. In only three and a half months!!! We're super excited about this and thank everyone who has already donated! That being said, we still have a long way to go! Even though the $5000 we need to build our Reading Room in Laos seems so far right now, we know can do it! But, we need your help! Even the smallest amounts go a long way!

We've been racking our brains for some exciting fundraising ideas and here's our latest plan. We're offering up our culinary/baking skills!!! Why not put a passion of ours to good use?? After the massive success of our cupcakes at our garage sale (they were literally gone in like 20 minutes), we figure this could be the start of a new venture for us! So, if you need to bring a cake to that family bbq and can't seem to find the time, energy or would simply rather be out enjoying the sun, then you've found your match! Maybe you want to support a good cause and get a tasty treat in return - we can help! We are up to the challenge of meeting your baking needs - just let us know and we've got you covered! Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, muffins, loaves, etc.etc.etc... ALL of the proceeds will go towards our Reading Room campaign.

We are incredibly excited about this fundraising effort! It's a win-win-win for everyone! We get to bake our hearts out (yay!), you get to enjoy your creations (yum!), and we get one step closer to building our Reading Room, which will provide more happiness than we can all imagine!

So there you have it! Let us know what you've been craving or how we can fill your sweet tooth! Take a look at our blogs from our Cake Decorating course for some inspiration! Otherwise, email us at thedriveto25@hotmail.com or message us on Facebook. We can't wait to get started!!!

**As always, if you don't have a sweet tooth like us, we'd love it if you could make a donation to our Reading Room Campaign. Anything you can contribute is beyond appreciated!!!! :) Visit our 'Donate' page to find out how!

Home Sweet Home!

Well, after two fun-filled weeks, we're home sweet home. The trip was a blast and we're so happy that we were able to make it happen!

First off in Edmonton, we attended the beautiful wedding of our cousin Lisa! It was a very chilly day, but the sun was shining as we celebrated Lisa and Luke's marriage. It was so nice to be amongst almost all of our family (we missed you Matt, Ben, Brooke and Suzy!) and to get caught up on things in person for a change. Good times had by all, especially our grandparents on the dance floor!!!! Congrats again Lisa and Luke - so happy to be there for your special day! Looking forward to the next family wedding in October!!!!



Lisa and Luke and the bride's proud parents


After a very busy long-weekend, we headed to Vancouver to spend 10 days in the most beautiful city!!!! We packed in as much as we could, including our highlight 'skydiving adventure'! What an experience, what a rush, what fun!!!! We also went to the Lynn Canyon Suspension bridge, hiked some trails, walked the sea wall, spent an incredible day in our old hometown of White Rock, and met up with a friend from university! On top of that, we had a big 11th birthday celebration for our cousin Brooke, shared wonderful meals with our amazing grandparents, and even got to see our 'kindergarten friend' TWICE! How lucky are we?!



The famous White Rock Cherrio!



Many Cherrio pictures taken over the years!



View from our Grandparents house...AMAZING!



Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge


Some of you may be wondering what happened to our highly anticipated hot air balloon ride. Well, no, we didn't chicken out. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to 'unpredictable weather'. Yes, it was May in Vancouver, so our 'selection of sunny days' was rather limited. Just as well though, we wouldn't have wanted to soar through the air on a cloudy/rainy day. Luckily, we were smart and bought vouchers that are transferable, so even though the scenery may not quite reach Vancouver's beauty, we will give it a go here in Ontario sometime soon!

Well, in a nutshell, that was our trip! We couldn't have asked for anything more (other than a bit warmer and sunnier weather!). Thanks for everyone's continued support with our 'Drive to 25'. We're having a blast and are excited for what's to come!

Stay tuned for our next blog post with our NEW, UPDATED fundraising total.....!!! Remember you can visit our donate page to make a donation - every little bit helps!!

Here's to FAMILY, FRIENDS, and VANCOUVER :)

 

White Rock Beach - we miss you!



Happy Half-Birthday - SKYDIVING!

WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!

Skydiving = check! As we sit here and write this blog post, we can't believe that just this morning we were jumping out of a plane 10,000 feet in the air!!!!!!! What a surreal experience, one we will truly never forget!! It was filled with excitement, thrill and adventure, making for a very momentous day! Here's the scoop on what went down....

Before coming to Vancouver, we had put in writing that we were going to go skydiving. The main reason for this was so that backing out was NOT an option! We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 'half-birthday' (a day early because of weather) than by doing something we've always wanted to do, but been to scared to try.

This morning we drove all the way to Abbotsford for our skydiving adventure at Skydive Vancouver. A big shout-out to everyone there for being so friendly, helpful and supportive! You really MADE the experience for us and we are so happy that you were a part of our 'Drive to 25'.

After signing our life away (literally!), we were given very flattering jumpsuits to wear and harnesses which were extremely tight (but better safe than sorry right?!). We had a brief training session and then anxiously waited for our flight. At this point, we had figured that we would be extremely nervous and jittery, but we were suprisingly calm. There was much more excitement than nerves!

Before we knew it, we were boarding the plane each with our own instructors - thanks Fritz and Brian - and our own videographers - thanks Veronica and Mitch. (We decided to buy the video and pictures from our flight - we needed proof of our crazy adventure!) As we flew higher and higher, we knew we were just about ready for the big moment. Strapped in as tight to our instructor as physically possible (so it seemed!), there wasn't any time to think before our little legs were dangling out the door of a tiny plane. Neither of us had any second thoughts - we were all in and ready to go. BRING IT ON! No nerves, nothing - we were shocked!!! First out of the gates was Laura and her team, falling out of the plane doing a back flip (unbeknownst to her until afterwards!). After waiting for another guy from our plane to jump, Melissa and her team jumped face first overboard and the free fall began. The rest of the trip down went by so fast, before we knew it, we were gliding by parachute while taking in some of the most breathtaking views - picturesque snow-topped mountains, waterways and lots of forests. We couldn't have a picked a more gorgeous, sunny day! Before long, we landed smoothly and the after-dive RUSH set in! WE DID IT!

WE DID IT :)



Melissa free-falling




Laura taking in the views!



Overall, we didn't really know what to expect. We thought that we'd be really nervous, but for some odd reason, we were calm, cool and collected! Falling out of a plane thousands of feet in the air is no big deal right??!! There was really no need to be nervous though, we had fun with it and conquered a huge feat! We're proud of ourselves for not only trying something new, but something that is deemed VERY risky. You only live once and the fact that we were more excited than freaked out to skydive really proves to us that 'you can do anything you set your mind to'! Who knows, you might love it and want to go again....??!! We're not ruling it out!

Celebrating with the fancy certificate

So there you have it - maybe this has inspired you to take the plunge? We know this experience has certainly been a dream come true for us. Our Skydiving Saturday = EPIC! A day we will never forget!