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Friends & Family

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, go on a beach crawl

February 26, 2015 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
ABC bag with my ABC beer koozie and my Costco towel.

Forget pub crawls, I'm all about the beach crawl. And who wouldn't be? Less time to get ready, less creepers invading your space, more sun, more fun. After our Little Beach [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Beach, Big Beach, Hawaii, Kihei, Maui, Photos, Travel, Ukumehame Beach, Wailea Beach

Lost in Little Beach loveliness

February 23, 2015 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Sunset at Little Beach, Makena, Maui, Hawaii

Little beach is full of... heart. Yeah, you thought I was going to go there, but I didn't. I say it's full of heart because entering the beach as tourists I expected to be [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Drum Circle, Hawaii, Hippies, Little Beach, Maui, nude beach, Travel

Maui wowie

February 20, 2015 by Kirsten Neil 2 Comments
Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Maui, Hawaii

My friend Denise and her husband Greg love Maui. Like really love it. Like if ever two people needed to pack up everything and move to a tropical island, it's these two. And [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Adventure, Hawaii, Island, Maui, Surfers, Travel

Harry Potter Night IV: A loony Hallowe’en

October 28, 2014 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Harry Potter Halloween Party

Just like the students of Hogwarts, our little HPN club took a break from magic during the summer holiday. With those warm summer days far behind us we were raring to get [Read more]

Posted in: Books, Food & Drink, Friends & Family Tagged: Books, Cocktails, Halloween, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, HPN, JK Rowling, Party, Pumpkins, Snape

Harry Potter Night III: The Chamber of Snacks has been Opened

June 4, 2014 by Kirsten Neil 1 Comment
Kreacher the house elf prepared a feast for us muggles. He was not happy about it.

Ok, so we are getting pret-tay darn good at this Harry Potter Night (HPN) thing. For the third instalment, we brought our A-game. I think we leave each party with our creative [Read more]

Posted in: Books, Food & Drink, Friends & Family, Photography Tagged: Books, Cocktails, Foodie, Harry Potter, HPN, Movies, Potterheads, theme party

A tapas delight

May 1, 2014 by Kirsten Neil 2 Comments
Whipped feta with chili honey, mint and pistachios. Two duck confit empanadas.

There's nothing like an evening out with my mom and sister. Every couple of weeks or so we try to plan a night out for just us girls (unless someone is out of town, which is [Read more]

Posted in: Food & Drink, Friends & Family, Photography Tagged: #exploremb, Dining, Foodie, Manitoba, Photography, Restaurant, Segovia, Tapas, Winnipeg

Harry Potter Night II: The Hippogriff takes flight

April 21, 2014 by Kirsten Neil 1 Comment
Harry Potter Night Part Two: The Hippogriff Takes Flight

After our first Harry Potter Night (HPN) was a great success, I was looking forward to the next. Part II took place at Lindsay's lovely home. For [Read more]

Posted in: Books, Food & Drink, Friends & Family Tagged: Cocktails, Dragons, fun, Harry Potter, Honeydukes, HPN, Movie Night, Party, Potterheads

Harry Potter Night and the Rise of the Death Eater

March 3, 2014 by Kirsten Neil 2 Comments
HPN prep!

If you know me, you know I'm absolutely batty over Harry Potter. I've lost track of how many times I've either read the books or watched the movies. Everyone has a guilty [Read more]

Posted in: Books, Friends & Family, Photography Tagged: Cocktails, fun, Harry Potter, HPN, Movie Night, Party, Potterheads

Cruising for sun and fun

January 11, 2014 by Kirsten Neil 1 Comment
Arriving at Iguana Island.

Yesterday, the family spent an amazing morning touring Providenciales by boat. And what a boat! The Kitty Kat Cruise is a gorgeous 65ft catamaran run by Island Routes.

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Beach, Caribbean, Family, Holiday, Photography, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Turks part deux

January 9, 2014 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Cast off into the great blue.

Here we are again in Turks & Caicos! Our family thought it was so nice, we visited twice. We couldn't have come at a better time too. We left -30°C to arrive in +30°C. [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Family, Holiday, Photography, Providenciales, Travel, Turks & Caicos

A moveable feast

September 20, 2013 by Kirsten Neil 3 Comments
Eating dessert on Portage and Main, not too shabby.

Over the summer, Travel Manitoba invited the super-sweet and fun-loving blogger, BCRobyn, to spend 28 days exploring, tasting and enjoying all the great things a Manitoba [Read more]

Posted in: Food & Drink, Friends & Family, Photography, Work Tagged: Dining, Fairmont, Foodie, Manitoba, Photos, Travel Manitoba, Winnipeg

You’ve got a friend in me

July 16, 2013 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Walking to the beach in Gimli, Manitoba.

Last weekend was our 5th annual Girl's Weekend at my sister's cabin near Gimli, Manitoba. It's two days of relaxation, food, drink and hilarity. We started with wine and [Read more]

Posted in: Food & Drink, Friends & Family, Photography Tagged: friends, fun, Gimli, Manitoba, Photos, Summer, Wine

EXperiencing the Red River Ex

June 18, 2013 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
The good ol' Polar Express.

So who knew there was lots of learning to be had at the Red River Ex? Last night we spent the evening at Winnipeg's mega fair touring mobile homes (yep, we actually did that), [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Furry beasts, Photography Tagged: Artwork, Manitoba, Photos, Summer, Travel, Winnipeg

2012 – My year in pictures

March 24, 2013 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Turks and Caicos

2012 was another fantastic year of travel adventures. Last year's highlights were Gimli, Orlando and Turks & Caicos.

Posted in: Books, Friends & Family, Home, Photography, Travel Tagged: Adventure, Gimli, Orlando, Photography, Photos, Travel

Be cool, my babies

July 13, 2012 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment

We’re having a heat wave! Summer in Winnipeg is extraordinarily hot right now. It’s tough to just sit outside without disintegrating into a pile of overheated [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Random thoughts, Work Tagged: Summer, Travel, Work
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A little taste of Athens
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Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated in cobalt and azure and cerulean and indigo tones so much so that it’s both stunning and exhilarating at the same time. 🙌🏻💙

We didn’t need to add another place to visit on our already packed Morocco itinerary, but a friend said I needed to visit Chefchaouen. I then looked it up on Insta and I immediately knew we had to fit “The Blue City” into our travels. I think this photo gallery clearly show why.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #chefchaouen #chefchaouen💙 #morocco🇲🇦
Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦 Fes was the firs Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦

Fes was the first place we visited in late December/early January on our AFCON adventure. Since the Nigerian football team was stationed mostly in Fes, so were we. 

We didn’t have a ton of time to explore all that Fes has to offer, but what we did do was lovely. We stayed in a couple riads, dined at some great spots, shopped for lots of goodies and, of course, got lost in the medina on a daily basis.

There were so many moments in Fes that reminded us we were exploring a very cool place. 

Read my full recap at
betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #fes #morocco🇲🇦
A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cu A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cup of Nations and insanity ensues. 😱⚽️

AFCON was the main reason we stopped in Morocco before heading to Lagos for winter. A month-long tournament where the best African football players duke it out (sometimes literally) to be crowned the best team on the continent.

Now, when I tell you this tournament is out of control, believe me. We watched it on TV while in Lagos a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. No one brings drama like Africans. Mix all that drama with sports… Well, as the ladies say on tv here, “Blood of Jesus!” 😉

The players, the refs, the coaches, the fans, they all go freaking nuts at this tournament. So I assumed I knew what I was getting into. Nope. It was so much more. 

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #afcon #afcon2025 #totalenergiesafcon2025
Instagram post 18082803442950567 Instagram post 18082803442950567
This is it. Our last day in Morocco. We leave at 1 This is it. Our last day in Morocco. We leave at 1:00 am to Lagos and all the craziness that awaits us there. 

But Morocco, oh Morocco. We had the best time here. We met so many amazing people who constantly put smiles on our faces. And of course there was a scam or two thrown in. But they were small and didn’t even cause a blip in our journey. 

We both were excited to come here to watch the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). I had watched it for the first time a couple years ago on TV and I was a goner. The games are fun, the drama is completely over-dramatic African-style (iykyk), and the fans are a sight to behold. 

What we didn’t expect was to be completely blown away by Morocco’s medinas and landscapes. Breathtaking, chaotic, saturated, aromatic, kind, shouty, welcoming are just a few words to describe our experience here.

Also, being with an African while touring an African country… there’s nothing like it. People everywhere are constantly high-fiving Chuck and asking, “Nigeria?” And as soon as he says yes, my God, do the Moroccans go nuts. They truly love the Naija people. And the feeling is mutual. 🇳🇬🤝🇲🇦

I think my biggest highlights were our trip to the desert (camel rides, fancy tents and atvs!) and of course the main reason we came: to attend AFCON. Watching the @ng_supereagles kick-ass has been a delight. Go Osimhen! Go Lookman! Bring home the win! 🏆 

We attended four matches (one group, two knockouts, one quarter-final) and were lucky to see Nigeria play three of them. The last match we attended was a quarterfinal rout against Algeria. They dominated them to embarrassing levels. Not one shot on goal for the opponents. They are exciting to watch as a team. Algerians were so mad after the game they tried to fight the refs and Nigerian players. As Chuck said, “they got bad belly.” 😂 

Anyways, that was Morocco for me/us. If you are ever thinking about visiting, please reach out with questions. 😊

Now I’m off to pick up my luggage at the Casablanca airport that arrived 10 days late. 😂 

More to come when I get more of my thoughts about this place together. 

xoxo Morocco ♥️🇲🇦
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco #morocco🇲🇦 #africatravel
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Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated in cobalt and azure and cerulean and indigo tones so much so that it’s both stunning and exhilarating at the same time. 🙌🏻💙

We didn’t need to add another place to visit on our already packed Morocco itinerary, but a friend said I needed to visit Chefchaouen. I then looked it up on Insta and I immediately knew we had to fit “The Blue City” into our travels. I think this photo gallery clearly show why.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #chefchaouen #chefchaouen💙 #morocco🇲🇦
Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦 Fes was the firs Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦

Fes was the first place we visited in late December/early January on our AFCON adventure. Since the Nigerian football team was stationed mostly in Fes, so were we. 

We didn’t have a ton of time to explore all that Fes has to offer, but what we did do was lovely. We stayed in a couple riads, dined at some great spots, shopped for lots of goodies and, of course, got lost in the medina on a daily basis.

There were so many moments in Fes that reminded us we were exploring a very cool place. 

Read my full recap at
betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #fes #morocco🇲🇦
A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cu A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cup of Nations and insanity ensues. 😱⚽️

AFCON was the main reason we stopped in Morocco before heading to Lagos for winter. A month-long tournament where the best African football players duke it out (sometimes literally) to be crowned the best team on the continent.

Now, when I tell you this tournament is out of control, believe me. We watched it on TV while in Lagos a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. No one brings drama like Africans. Mix all that drama with sports… Well, as the ladies say on tv here, “Blood of Jesus!” 😉

The players, the refs, the coaches, the fans, they all go freaking nuts at this tournament. So I assumed I knew what I was getting into. Nope. It was so much more. 

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #afcon #afcon2025 #totalenergiesafcon2025
Instagram post 18082803442950567 Instagram post 18082803442950567
This is it. Our last day in Morocco. We leave at 1 This is it. Our last day in Morocco. We leave at 1:00 am to Lagos and all the craziness that awaits us there. 

But Morocco, oh Morocco. We had the best time here. We met so many amazing people who constantly put smiles on our faces. And of course there was a scam or two thrown in. But they were small and didn’t even cause a blip in our journey. 

We both were excited to come here to watch the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). I had watched it for the first time a couple years ago on TV and I was a goner. The games are fun, the drama is completely over-dramatic African-style (iykyk), and the fans are a sight to behold. 

What we didn’t expect was to be completely blown away by Morocco’s medinas and landscapes. Breathtaking, chaotic, saturated, aromatic, kind, shouty, welcoming are just a few words to describe our experience here.

Also, being with an African while touring an African country… there’s nothing like it. People everywhere are constantly high-fiving Chuck and asking, “Nigeria?” And as soon as he says yes, my God, do the Moroccans go nuts. They truly love the Naija people. And the feeling is mutual. 🇳🇬🤝🇲🇦

I think my biggest highlights were our trip to the desert (camel rides, fancy tents and atvs!) and of course the main reason we came: to attend AFCON. Watching the @ng_supereagles kick-ass has been a delight. Go Osimhen! Go Lookman! Bring home the win! 🏆 

We attended four matches (one group, two knockouts, one quarter-final) and were lucky to see Nigeria play three of them. The last match we attended was a quarterfinal rout against Algeria. They dominated them to embarrassing levels. Not one shot on goal for the opponents. They are exciting to watch as a team. Algerians were so mad after the game they tried to fight the refs and Nigerian players. As Chuck said, “they got bad belly.” 😂 

Anyways, that was Morocco for me/us. If you are ever thinking about visiting, please reach out with questions. 😊

Now I’m off to pick up my luggage at the Casablanca airport that arrived 10 days late. 😂 

More to come when I get more of my thoughts about this place together. 

xoxo Morocco ♥️🇲🇦
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco #morocco🇲🇦 #africatravel
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