Making Memories in Moncton

Charlene and I discussed just a few short days ago how some of the best memories in life come out of nowhere. They aren’t always the moments you plan for days and days or the events that you think you will remember forever. They are the spontaneous and the unexpected, the funny and the fun and foremost they are un-forgetable.

Makin' Memories!!!

Charlene and I had a weekend of “making memories” in Moncton. After having a blast in Fredericton we made our way to the Delta Beausejour in Moncton, New Brunswick. After some much needed sleeping-in, we played tourists and explored the city and the surrounding area. We discovered Alma, NB, which claims to have the best Sticky Buns in the country (they were pretty darned good!). We visited the “Flower Pots” at Hopewell Rocks and hiked our way around the Bay of Fundy. We took some time to rest at Parlee Beach and visited the world’s largest lobster in Shediac. We then enjoyed the world’s best lobster (if I do say so myself!) at the Delta Beausejour’s restaurant Triiio. It was a weekend of exploring and discovering and just having fun making memories.

Lobster Feast

Today’s event in Moncton was a BBQ in support of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Moncton. Charlene and I had the great pleasure of meeting and chatting with Yves and Paulene from HFH, who took the time to discuss the ins and outs of this fantastic organization. It’s amazing to me how few people are aware of the stores that many HFH chapters have in their cities. These stores are called Re-Store, which is referring to the consigned items that they sell. I think the best part about these stores, other than the unique finds you can discover, is that this is how HFH collects funds in order to pay their administrative staff. So when an organization or corporate partner collects funds for HFH all of that money goes directly to a build, as they already have a source of income for their paid employees. Fantastic!

Sadly Charlene and I couldn’t spend the entire day chatting (which we are so good at!). We also spent some time selling. Since my tour is finished in a mere 10 days, I thought I ought to get back into the swing of being a sales person for my return back to the “real world”. Charlene and I nicely announced the charity BBQ we were there to support to those walking by the centrally located site. Charlene even went so far as to decorate herself in advertisement posters. We had a number of smiles and a fair number of takers!! All in all it was a great day, with plenty of sun, plenty of well-fed Monctonites and money raised, all in support of a fantastic cause.

Suiting-up for our sales pitch

Another fantastic tid-bit we learned about while in Moncton is just how “Green” the Delta Beausejour is. Charlene and I were lucky enough to be escorted throughout this beautiful property by the ever-so friendly People Resources Manager Ron Comeau. Our favourite part of the tour was the environmental initiatives being housed on the hotels own roof. Towering over the unsuspecting citizens below, the hotel hosts a bee-hive, an extensive herb garden and a composting bin. What a fantastic way to promote sustainable living. Kudos to our friends at the Delta Beausejour!

Roof-top Garden

Next stop….Halifax!

Suzanne

Moving homes and hearts in Fredericton

Greetings from NB… what a great few days we have had since we left Saint John. Thursday morning Suzanne and I drove out of the fog and straight to sunshine in beautiful Grand Falls NB. We were eagerly greeted by the staff at our GRS Satellite office in down town Grand Falls. Tina Desjardins and her staff fed us local YUMMY pizza and provided us with a great tour of their wonderful contact centre. It was so great to see such passionate employees!

Staff of GRS Satellite Office in Grand Falls, NB

After our visit to GFS we headed to the provinces capital city… Fredericton!!! With a huge smile Martin Gilbert welcomed us to the Delta Fredericton for what turned out to be an amazing event. Maple Leaf homes, Recycle NB and a wonderful company called Track joined the Delta Fredericton and GRS staff along with dignitaries, such as the honourable Mayor Brad Woodside to parade the new modular home onto the Delta Fredericton site. With an excited crowd watching, media snapping pictures and tears flowing, the Habitat for Humanity family along with their new home made their way on site.

The Barton Family

Suzanne and I had the privilege of meeting and spending a lot of time with the Barton family which included 3 young children and a 4th on the way on August 11th. They told us that they are counting down the days until they can settle into their new home. Tyson their oldest son (who stole my heart) loved the cruiser and NEEDED to wave from the sun roof as I honked the horn to get everyone’s attention … he had an important message… “I am getting my own room”! Needless to say I was happy to have my sunglasses on so no one could see me choking up!

Tyson making his announcement

While everyone mingled, the staff from the Delta Fredericton along with Delta Global Reservations Services worked diligently on serving the community with a free BBQ along with free face painting. It was an amazing day for everyone involved.

Delta Fredericton and GRS Staff Volunteers

Suzanne and I were thrilled to hear that the shingles that were being used on the house were made from recycled plastic and they are guaranteed to last a minimum of … 50 years! How impressive… and GREEN!
Our next stop is Delta Beausejour … look out Moncton… here we come!

Suzanne and I heading the parade!

Charlene

Burgers, Blue Skies and Baby Barns!

So yesterday was Quebec Regional Ambassador Jean Brilliants last day. I was extremely sad to see him go, as I am all of the Regional Ambassadors. It’s such a unique experience, in that you are literally thrown right into getting to know strangers in a very short period of time. What I have found nice is that all Delta people are like-minded folks, which has made the treks on the long and winding road much, much easier. So farewell to my fantastic friend Jean, who brought a lot of heart and energy at a time on the tour when I needed it most. Quebec would not have been the same without Jean’s pride and love for his home province and it’s people.
Salut mon amie!

Jean beatin' on Bob the Incredible!

Once Jean and I had successfully arrived at the Delta Brunswick in Saint John, New Brunswick, we had the great pleasure of meeting the final Regional Ambassador, Charlene Kaine. After a fantastic dinner together and a good nights sleep, Charlene and I were ready to rock and roll at the Delta Brunswick’s fundraising BBQ for Habitat for Humanity. Apparently we brought the blue-skies with us and the sunshine too, as it was a perfect day to set-up a street-side BBQ for such a great cause. We also lucked out in that a cruise-ship from New York happened to be in port for the day, sending many hungry and happy travelers our way.

Waiting for the rush!

Along with yummy food, there were also two fantastic draw prizes as an additional fundraising effort. One was a 50/50 draw and the other a draw for the cutest (my words, not the manly and tough builders) baby barn ever! The shed had been built by volunteer high-school students at the Habitat site, then transported to the Delta Brunswick to be put on display and for the final shingles to be placed on the roof. There were also three different sets of musicians keeping the street hopin’. I even had my very first taste of Maritime music on this trip, which will apparantly, according to Charlene, prepare me for some jigs in the time to come. It was all good fun for a great cause!

Cute Baby Barn

I wanted to share this photo of Charlene. She is extremely fun and high-spirited. She is going to be fantastic to guide the cruiser and I through the last leg of this amazing tour! Grand Falls and Fredericton here we come!

Welcome to the tour Charlene!

Suzanne