Thanks to my good friend Nick, my birthday present was a trip to one of my favorite places, Vancouver, Canada! I got to go the weekend of December 11th and heading down there is just as much fun as getting there, with all the great scenery along the way, including Bellis Fair! A great mall, I snuck in and shopped a bit, noting the ol country buffet they had, but not being able to stop and chow down.

We hit the border, and it was hardly any time before we crossed it. (perhaps December is a good time for border travel?) Anyway, we made sure to not let the roads get the best of us and found our way to King George Highway (which goes by many other names just to confuse you) and made our way to Burnaby. Burnaby is a great town just on the outskirts of Vancouver, and I love staying there, cause the hotel is right in the Metrotown Mall! Over 500 stores, three food courts, a video game place (bigger than Gameworks), movie theaters, and you can make your own trading cards there, which I have done every time I go. Plus, the Skytrain is right there, and it's about twenty minutes to be in downtown. You really can't lose!

Minute I got in, I called up my posse! There's Sean Tataryn, who is the famous Myumee doll creator ( you really have to check out his site, http://www.myumees.com), and then I called Jason who juts put on a huge Madonna event up there, and Patty, who runs a Donna Delory fan club. We agreed to a late-night meetup at a scrumptious dessert place, and that gave me time to hit the mall! I made my way (late to get my money exchanged) and got some grub. I opted for KFC, as they do things a little differently there, with fries instead of mashed potatoes and gravy on those fries. It's a lot of fun to experience what you are used to but with a whole new spin on it. I also had a root beer float (couldn't help myself) and checked out a few stores. It was time to get back, gather the gifts for my friends, and hit the train!

The SkyTrain is a marvel, and something that Seattle really should have. One Monorail that only goes to two places just pales when you try out this huge transit system, and they have one going about every five minutes! When you wait a half hour most times for buses, this is a true miracle. So, away I went on the skytrain with my friend Nick and Vancouver was soon on the horizon. The city is so beautiful that it really does take my breath away. I get there and walk the streets with all the beautiful lights all the way over to my friend Sean's place. Sean has the most amazing apartment and I met up with his cute adorable puppy and proceeded to meet all the new dolls (he is working on a project called "The Journey of Man" right now, it's tres' cool) I videotaped a bit then it was time to walk to the dessert place and meet up with Jason and Patty.

The place was awesome, we had lively conversation (usually about Madonna) and shared a walk back, and said goodbye to everyone. Nick and I found our way back via the Skytrain and it was time to rest my tired bones. That was a lot of walking! And the teriyaki noodles I bought along the way were very yummy!

I woke up to the sounds of the SkyTrain (which I could see from the window) chugging along and was ready for the next day! We checked out and headed to the mall! It was shopping time! I got some great things for friends, myself and ate something new again (a great turkey place with potatoes, stuffing, the works!) After a spell, we headed back on the train to downtown and hit the other shopping mecca - Robson Street! I walked up and down it and had a blast! Didn't buy much, but hey, shopping is all about the zen, you know what I mean? I picked up this awesome Madonna shopping bag at an 80's store, more "Sunrise" single copies and heading back we stopped at a pho' place and got Tim Horton's donuts. Now, that's what I call a vacation!

Thanks to Sean, Patty and Jason for meeting with me! Thanks to Nick for making this trip possible! Thanks to Canada for rocking!

Mariam