Conestoga Residence Conference Centre, Kitchner/ Waterloo

Free juggling show at the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market

Lots of interesting booths selling different things

Recently, we stayed overnight in Waterloo and booked a place on line.

Planning and arranging all the travel plans and bookings,  S. booked us into the Conestoga Residence Conference Centre in Kitchener.

 

Even though we needed and asked for a room for two people,  we were informed that there would be a two room unit for the same price. So we invited my brother and his friend to come along with us.

We visited the St. Jacobs Farmers Market on this trip. It is the largest farmers market in Ontario offering fresh produce, plants, flowers, clothing and crafts items.

We took our time and enjoyed some freshly prepared food at the Peddlers Village.

Beautiful children's clothes at great prices at the market!

Jenny was excited when she saw some beautiful children’s clothes at great prices.

 
Without hesitation , she bought two for her nieces.

Conestoga Residence Conference Centre is not near any attractions in the city

The Conestoga Residence and Conference Centre is a little far from the St. Jacobs Farmers Markets ( about a 20 minute car ride) and other attractions that we know in the Kitchener/Waterloo region.

Fortunately, we were not in town for any sightseeing, so we just stayed in our suite. I worked on my presentation while the others watched TV.

Front entrance of Conestoga Residence Conference Centre, Kitchener/ Waterloo

The Conference Centre is in fact a student residence for a local college. The rooms are rented out during the summer when the students are not there.

 It cannot be compared to a regular  3-4 star hotel stay, but much better than a motel if you have more than two people. The unit where we stayed was a self contained basic unit with two bedrooms, one shared bathroom with shower and a kitchenette.

A bedroom furnished with the basics at the Conference Centre

 Each bedroom was furnished with a double bed, a big desk for work, a little TV and a small closet.

The night we were there , there was only one remote control which meant that we needed to share the one remote between the two rooms  for TV watching.

The kitchenette equipped with a microwave and fridge

Since I had presentations to do the next day, I stayed up late polishing my power point in the kitchenette while my husband was sleeping in the bedroom. 

Surprisingly, he had a really good night there! He got up and was happy after a restful night of sleep. 

 

I prepared my work in the kitchen area

Into the cafeteria, we went for our continental breakfast, supposed to be included with our room. 

A nice sitting area in the common/cafeteria area

The cafeteria looked modern and had some comfortable seating. Unfortunately, the service fell short of our expectations.

No coffee nor hot water was available for breakfast

 There was nobody there to help us nor could we find much to drink or eat for the continental breakfast.





What a disappointment after a restful night of sleep! There was not much laid out in the cafeteria available for breakfast, no coffee nor hot water for tea.

The patio outside the cafeteria

After we talked to the receptionist, she brought out some juice bottles and refilled the milk jug. She explained that the server just started her work that day and was not sure what to do.
I grabbed a banana and a juice before heading out to my meeting.

There were not many activities available for guests to do in the building. For around $ 100.00, including taxes, we had two bedrooms with a kitchenette.

This unit slept four people  which was good for a family or two couples traveling together like us.

If you are looking for a budget accommodation and you need two rooms, this could be a place to consider. Be sure to check  if this place is available during the school year when students are there.

R.T.
Waterloo 

Sharing My Best Friend's Joy at Derrick and Angela's Wedding

Ceremony at the Knox Chapel - courtesy of Dr.V. Chan

Our little Derrick is all grown up and married!

We have known Derrick all his life since he was a few months old baby.  Our families go back a long way as his mother and I served on the same church board for many years.

 We often had meetings and bible studies while Derrick was sleeping peacefully in the car seat placed on the floor.

Lighting the unity candle together - courtesy of Dr.V.  Chan

It was a joyful event when we were invited to his wedding celebration a couple of Saturdays ago.

It was a beautiful blue sky without a cloud in sight! 

The wedding ceremony was held in the Knox Chapel in Toronto.

A gallery in the Yorkville area

Derrick could not ask for a better day for his wedding!

Right after the church ceremony, there was a reception at the Four Seasons Hotel located in the Yorkville area in downtown Toronto.

Due to another commitment we had to attend in the early afternoon, we were unable to witness the ceremony at the church. We did make it to the Four Seasons Hotel for the reception.

Tea ceremony at Derrick's wedding

 The new couple met at a Christian fellowship during their undergraduate studies.  Derrick,  the groom is Canadian born while Angela, the bride is American raised.

Though both have been raised and educated in the North American culture, the bride and groom still observed part of the Chinese culture with the bride dressed in red during part of the celebration.

It was delightful to watch them taking part in the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony at their wedding celebration receiving blessings, marriage advice and gifts bestowed on them by their senior close relatives just before the dinner reception.

Delicious appetizers before the dinner reception!

There were quite a number of close relatives from both sides who flew in from across the continents to attend this wedding.













While the  Tea Ceremony was taking place for the relatives, the majority  of the wedding guests were served cocktails and delicious appetizers in another room. Many guests were busy taking part in a prepared activity that reflected the couple's interests.

The crossword puzzle Derrick prepared for his wedding guests

Derrick and Angela used to take long daily commutes from the suburb into Boston on the train. While on the daily commute, they  kept themselves busy solving crossword puzzles. Over time, it became a daily activity for them and they could do them with ease.

For his wedding proposal, Derrick created a special puzzle for Angela who thought she was working on her regular crossword puzzle but discovered Derrick's proposal in the answers! Imagine how surprised Angela was and  how romantic was that!

These beautiful ladies were busy solving the puzzle!

As a pre wedding dinner reception activity, Derrick also prepared a special puzzle for their wedding guests!

Many of the guests took the crossword challenge very seriously spending a lot of time and energy trying to solve it.

Would there be another proposal hidden there for another love struck young man ?

The new couple with their friends

We had the opportunity to have a picture with the new couple and congratulated them in person.

Table setting at the wedding reception

After the Tea Ceremony, the door to the wedding reception opened and guests entered the elegantly prepared dining room.

An elegant table setting for the bride and groom - wedding reception at  Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto

Entering the banquet hall, guests were greeted with jubilant music by Soul Band

We were greeted with a live band -  Soul Power playing upbeat wonderful music.

We were surprised to hear really good hits from the 70's such as Killing Me Softly and Stand by Me! The Soul Power band was playing some songs that we ( the more mature folks) could recognize!

The bridesmaid and Groomsman danced their way into the reception

The  bridal party entered  with each pair of  the groomsmen and bridesmaids dancing their way into the reception hall, each making their own special moves.

The bridle party at the reception

We gave a loud cheer and applause when the new couple entered!

After grace was said by the Pastor from their Christian fellowship, we were served our first course.

All the courses were delicious and beautifully presented!

The colour of  the rose indicated our main course selection

I really liked the idea of having our pre selected main dish indicated on our name tag with a specified  coloured rose on the upper right handed corner :

Red rose - means roast beef
Pink rose - roast duck
White rose - bake fish

Derrick and Angela on their happiest day of their lives

Half way through our dinner,
the father of the bird spoke about the bride.

We learned that the bride is a very calm person who never seems to be stressed out under difficult circumstances - an excellent character trait for a doctor!

The father of the bride

He talked about how difficult the birth it was for the bride's mother and described some touching moments that brought tears to Angela's  eyes.

( Angela was not the only one choking up; many of us were too.)

Dr. Leung - the father of the groom

After the main course,  Dr. Leung, the father of the groom spoke and talked about how happy he was for
his son's wedding and partner choice.

The beaming mother in law

 The mother of the groom was beaming all evening!
The immense happiness she was feeling was evident from her broad smile all night!

Sharing their romance journey and long distance courtship

The new couple got up and shared with the guests their romance journey.

The first dance as a husband and wife

They almost did not make it to this day as they had split up after a couple of years.

The mother in law embraced the new bride

A beautiful floral centerpiece

But their commitment to maintaining their long distant courtship brought fruition to their union.

 A great lesson for many couples who are in the same situation!

Wedding guests enjoying their dancing to live music with the new couple

It was a fabulous wedding celebration! We were honoured to share this special event with Derrick, Angela and especially  with Marie, my best friend for many years.

May God bless the new couple as they start a new chapter in their lives together!

R.T.
A Wedding Reception
Four Seasons Hotel
Toronto, Ontario

Funji's Retirement Party

Funji and Yoda

 In Canada, we have a reputation of being a fair, peaceful country therefore we attract immigrants from all over the world. 

Many new immigrants come to Canada to pursue their dreams. In doing so, many sacrifice their comfortable lifestyles and often their business back home when they land in this cold northern country.

Funji, whose retirement we just celebrated last weekend did just that.  She used to own a street booth variety store next to a local hospital selling hundreds of items which included tissue paper, tooth brushes, clothes, shoes & household products.

Funji worked for Rosie's family for fifteen years

However, she wanted a better life for her family, especially an opportunity for higher education for her son in Canada. 

She gave up what she had in China and came to Canada working as a full time housekeeper for a Canadian family.

Funji helped the family moved a few times

Funji has helped the L's family members from three generations

 Funji has been with her employer’s family for fifteen years. 

She shared and celebrated with her employer’s many family milestones such as both children’s graduation from university, their weddings, Rosie’s promotion and retirement.

 

She was there helping the family moved three times and even outlasted their three cars – a silver BMW, the convertible Mercedes, and a Red RX8.

.

Funji also lends her hands to look after my sis's grandkids

Funji witnessed births & death in three generations:  Tammy, Dad & Lien Ching's passing. 

She knows not just Rosie's family but her employer's big extended families as well as she often prepares food for our big family gatherings.








She also shared in the immense joy of the birth of my sister’s grandchildren, helping with her daughter with the care of the third generation from birth till Brandon turned 4 and his brother, Mason, 3 years old. 
 
Brandon, after spending overnight at my sister’s place, when it was time for Funji to leave, he said " I miss Funji!"

Rosie threw Funji a surprise retirement party last week

Many of us came to honour and wish Funji farewell

 Funji was there cooking and helping the family during our big family gatherings at Christmas and major holidays. My son said in his email to my sister:

"I definitely see Funji as part of the family and she will be missed even though I'm on the other side of the world"  

Below is some fond memory recalled by Rosie, in her own words about Funji who is considered a family member:

The Rogers' and Funji

“It was 2002 when Funji started working for us for over a year. Richard, our younger son invited some of his closest friends over for a get together on a summer night. They were to watch a game of baseball, have a few beer and to talk about life and girls. 

Funji was very attentive all evening & stayed up to make sure the boys were well looked after.

Micheal and Danielle

Having been served food and drinks, the young people wanted to be left alone and tried to get rid of her constant presence. The boys invited Funji to sit with them, offered her some beer together with all the other kind of liquors available in the house. 

M. and Roxy

They thought that she would soon be sleepy from all the alcohol and would finally leave them alone.  

Jordon and his dad

 However, things didn't go as planned!  What they didn't know was that Funji was a business woman in China before she migrated to Canada. 
 
Drinking is in any business person's blood in mainland China - a mandatory and necessary skill acquired thru business meetings back in those times.

One after another, the boys swore they didn't know what happened, they were all drunk & fell asleep before Funji did. 

All they remembered was Funji talking, laughing and having a great time. From that time on, the boys have a lot of respect for Funji who's only half their height and size but could not be out drunk!”

Funji knows our extended family!

 For her dedicated and loyal service for the past fifteen years, my sister threw a surprise retirement party for Funji and she invited all the people who came through her house and were served by Funji.

Thank you, Funji! Happy Retirement!

Presenting Fungi with a retirement gift

 

Our extended families showed up in full force to express our appreciation to her. 

Funji’s son graduated from Chemical Engineering and is currently working in Calgary as a Chemical engineer. She will retire at the end of June and  move to Calgary to join her son there.

We will certainly miss her and her wonderful culinary skills in our next big family gathering.

Funji, our hats off to you for your loyal and great services to Rosie’s and our families.
May God bless you in your new leisure retirement life! 

R.T.

Funji’s Retirement Party

Richmond Hill, Ontario

May, 2015