A Hogwarts Graduation!

Hello!

Well, it's official, we have FINISHED the Harry Potter books and movies!!!!!!!!

We're super happy that we read them all and are even sad that they're done... now what do we read?! Since we can't continue on the journey with Harry, Ron, and Hermonine anymore, there will now be a void in our reading! What wonderful, magical and creative books, which inspire so much imagination! It was great that we were able to watch the movies after each book to help bring the story to life. Although we are much bigger fans of the books, the movies were well-done and gave as true of a representation of the books as possible.

One thing we were so happy about was that when coming to the end of the seventh and final book, we did not know what was going to happen. We were lucky to have been kept completely in the dark as to how the story unfolded - the ending was not spoiled and we were able to read with such anticipation and excitement as we turned the pages of the last few chapters. We needed to know.. does Harry survive.. does he die... what happens??! It was fun to not have any clue and to read about it with no idea of what was to come!

Now... we have to visit Florida (somewhere we've never been!) and see Hogwarts in person!!!

Overall, what an amazing, unique and fabulous series of books which have inspired, and continue to inspire, young people to read. It must be wonderful for J.K. Rowling to know that her books have encouraged so many people of all ages to pick up a book and read. Our Grandpa actually started reading Harry just before we did!! Oh, how reading unites us all!

Reading and education are a big part of this "Drive to 25" and we definitely chose a fantastic series to show our support to literacy.

Happy Reading... whatever it is you may be turning the pages of right now!

Tee-Off Time #1

Hey all!

This week, we had our first golf lesson and we had a lot of fun! We actually can't wait to go again! We couldn't believe how much we learned in just the first hour, and we've got 4 more lessons to go (we signed up for a package of 5).

Since we told our instructor, Bill, that we were very much beginners, that we really didn't have much experience golfing before (other than the golfing range), and that we needed to start from the very basics, that's just what we did!

Our first instruction was to learn how to hold the club and get into a position to swing. Ok, that's easy enough, right? We thought so... Well, turns out we actually didn't even know how to hold the club 'correctly'! Oddly enough, there's a specifc grip and when you hold it for the first time, it's rather strange and uncomfortable. Maybe you didn't think we were that basic, but when we said we needed to start from the beginning - we really meant it! Bill kept showing us different tips and explaining different positions for our feet, our shoulders and our hips. He told us where we should be looking and to practice a few swings. We took it all in and learned a new vocabulary too! The funny thing is, we never let go of that initial grip - we didn't want to lose it and forget how to do it again!!!

One really awesome aspect of taking lessons at Golf Town is that they have this special camera and software that tapes you! As we each took a shot, the camera taped us and our instructor dissected our moves in super slow mode. Very cool! The best part is that we can watch ourselves (even though that's kind of awkward and strange!) and learn from seeing what we are doing right, or moreso what we're doing wrong!! We won't be posting these videos here for you all to see, but they are for our own viewing and to improve our skills! We will be anxious to rewatch these videos after our 5 lessons to see how far we've come!

Overall, we had a blast! We did manage to hit a few balls, although emphasis on 'few' - there were definitely more misses, but it can only get better. Our instructor's goal is to make us 'golf crazy'. We'll see if that happens, but we do think we're going to like it! It does make it a lot more exciting when we already feel like we've learned so much! And, what better time than now to start our lessons - the week of the famous Master's tournament! We may have to tune in to catch a glimpse of the best of the best to see how they swing, hit and follow through. It may not be until the final day, and maybe not until the final hours, but we will probably turn it on at some point!

Happy Golfing!

Let's GOLF!

Happy Spring everyone!

We think it's about time we learn something new!

The weather's getting nicer and we know that golf season is starting up so we thought, why not try to learn the ins and outs of the game and challenge ourselves to a round of golf? We've been to the driving range several times, and even done one round of 9 (way back when....) but we really want to learn how to golf properly and to improve our very basic skills (if you can even call it that).

Our previous (and limited!) golfing experience has also been a little trickier since one of us is a lefty. Despite trying to use right handed clubs, it just doesn't work! We're looking foward to being able to excel with the 'right' equipment! That should make things a lot easier!

We've registered for 5 golf lessons with Golf Town here in Ottawa and we're so excited to get started! Our first lesson is this coming week! Hopefully the instructor will be patient and start from the basics, because although we have taken some shots before and have practiced putting a little (mini-putt counts right?!), we don't really know the 'real' or 'professional' way to golf.

Then, this summer, we will be prepared to go out on the course and play, hopefully not like beginners, but like golfers who look like they know what they're doing!! It's the perfect time to learn - we'll have the rest of the spring/summer to enjoy the outdoors and have fun!

After our lessons, we'll be asking anyone who wants to play a round of golf to give us a call because we'll be anxious to get out and put our skills to the test!

So, here's to spring and to learning something new! What's great about this is that it's something we'll have forever, like riding a bike. Once we're taught the basics, we will be set for life!

Happy Golfing! We'll be eager to post about our lessons to let you know how they go!