NYE 2014

Courtney and Mike invited Chris and I up to their home in Huntsville for New Year’s Eve. I had never visited before, and was eager to see Court, their new place, and how Muskoka celebrates New Year’s. We drove up in the morning on the 31st, and toured their chalet/condo. It is absolutely beautiful! Three floors, overlooking the lake, with a big fire place and lots of balconies. A ski hill is right behind them, and it was so crazy to look out the windows and see people skiing by. We headed out to Deerhurst for lunch and ciders. I had a wild trout salad with Strongbow. Delish! Then we rented snow-shoes and spent the rest of the afternoon snow-shoeing on the lake (aaah scary!) and through the golf course. I loved snow-shoeing, and desperately want a pair! What a great way to enjoy winter outdoors.

It was pretty nerve-wracking stepping onto the icy lake for the first time. Despite Mike and Chris’ constant assurances that we were definitely safe, Courtney and I were super nervous the whole time! Little did we know that it was literally 2 ft thick. They had so much snow up there, which made everything look like a winter wonderland! I can’t believe they live there year-round!!

When we returned to their chalet, Court set about whipping up a spread fit for kings and queens. Seriously, she went allllll out. We had veggie trays, cheese platters, charcuterie boards, and a nacho dip. We ate for like, 3 hours straight. No joke. We played Jungle Speed and Cards Against Humanity, which kept us occupied for hours! So hilarious. We had a great time playing those.

Near midnight, Chris tried to “saber” the champagne bottle with a little axe Mike had. Needless to say, it did not end well. The bottle ended up exploding in pieces, covering Chris in champagne.

Down to one bottle, we popped it just in time for Ryan Seacrest to say “Happy New Year!!!”, and Chris and I kissed leaning over both sides of the island, laughing hysterically at the over-flowing champagne bottle. Below is my attempt at “couple” shots to commemorate 2013. I think our personalities shine through here, don’t you? hahah, my boyfriend is insane.

Then we quickly slipped on our snow gear and ran down to the frozen lake, where we laid down and made giant snow-angels to ring in the new year!

The next morning, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at a nearby hotel, and then Chris decided to partake in the “polar-bear dip”. It was –25C outside. We broke through a crowd of people who were watching, to find a 6 x 6 hole cut through the thick ice in the lake. Chris immediately stripped down to his bathing suit and vibrams, and canon-balled in! Yikes! His skin immediately turned purple-red, and he had a hard time getting up the ladder because his fingers were frozen. He met me over on the dock, where I draped him in towels, removed his vibrams, and helped him get on his Columbia snow-pants and thermal shirt. Then we warmed up in the hotel lobby with hot chocolates and an interesting conversation with a crazy old man. It was hilarious!

The perfect way to spend New Year’s Eve! I can already tell 2014 is going to be the best yet.