The Honeymooners
The Pipers are headed to Quebec.
Honeymoon,
HERE WE COME!!
As I'm learning (slowly), compromise is no easy feat. Thankfully I negotiate for a living and was able to figure the best deal possible after lots (and lots) of fierce conversation. And probably some tears on my part -- compromise is hard for me y'all. He gets the location, I get a new (winter) wardrobe (with a promise not to complain about the arctic temps) and full veto power over the next vacation.
Win, win.
Shopping for a proper wardrobe had its perks. Let's talk about gearing up (see what I did there?) for our trip.
Of note: Mark has been winter sporting more recently than I have (circa eighth grade), so most of the new wardrobe burden was on me. Hence, why I negotiated a new wardrobe into the equation. Momma didn't raise no fool.
Moving on.
Thanks to our friends Angie + Charlie's wedding gift we were off to a smashing start: handwarmers (in various sizes), wool socks, base layers, aquaphor chapstick, a winter ski coat (for me, Mark already has one, but ended up buying a new one -- don't ask) They totally knocked it out of the park. And that hat? Stylish, and warm.
Balaclava -- I had no idea it had a real name ("creepy murder mask" was my guess), but best believe I ordered one to keep my face from falling off.
Skin Care -- I'm a moisture freak, so I bought Kiehls oil (ask for a sample, its magic!) to wear under our face moisturizer/sunscreen. For our body, My mom gave us my favorite L'Occitane shea butter hand cream (she calls it "Lancome" bless her heart), and I still have some really thick body butter I got from Deb a few Christmases back.
Who knew finding winter gear, in the winter would prove so taxing? Clearly we didn't plan far enough ahead. All praise to Jesus for the procurement of these babies. His (black fur)are from Amazon, mine (white fur) from Sports Authority (plus 10% off coupon).
Goggles -- We plan to ski and either snowmobile/dog sled, so proper eyewear was key. Plus, they are purple.
Snow pants -- remember my mortifying tete-a-tete in the fitting room?
Base Layer (top) -- run tech tees with thumb holes. I have one million of these.
Base Layer (bottom) -- I have two pair of running tights, and I bought a pair of Cuddl Duds as recommended by my friend Lauren.
Fleece -- run pullovers, plus I bought an extra fleece on super sale for $23 bucks.
Gloves -- I bought these liners a few months back and wear them as my everyday glove, they are so warm! For extra protection (since we will be in subzero temps) I got a pair of mittens to go over them.
Now for the fun(er) stuff. Exploring Quebec. A tauted "winter wonderland" brimming with history and plenty of things to see and do (article on 36 hours in Quebec) and eat.
Our (loose) itinerary includes their annual Winter Carnival , hot tubs, loads of hot cocoa, exploring the city and plenty of winter sports.
We decided not to stay at Hotel de Glace after getting our eyes on the preparation guide, plus the fact you sleep, in the cold. Pass. We'll go there for a drink instead and call it great.
When I told Jennifer about toying with the idea of stay there she replied:
"Nordic adventure" is in the first sentence. I wanted to stop there....WTF is the swimsuit for?...who sleeps in an ice hotel without a sleeping bag? Hopefully those people bring their own...the "nordic spa concept" sounds cold... Sleeping only....Further proof that visitors can't go to sleep on a block of ice....when you wake up you will be cold. So we'll give you some tea before we kick you out. Ya'll were playin.
Cheers to a fantastic honeymoon, I'll be back soon, promise.
Pray that I don't break my leg. I'm accident prone.
