Globe-trotting Grovers: Toronto Girls Weekend Away

our story

It all began on the evening of Nov 29th 2003, at former Chat Noir French Restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA. Brad approached me [Jana] and we instantly connected; it was love at first sight. The next 4 years that followed were a whirlwind of romance, growing pains, and adventures. We circled the globe, traveling to South America, Europe, and Asia. Then one night, Brad surprised me with a romantic beachside proposal. We made it official on August 23rd 2008 with an intimate wedding at a hip art gallery in Laguna Beach. A year later we finished redesigning our home in the beach village of Corona del Mar.

On May 18th, 2010, we were blessed with a sweet little miracle of our own, our baby boy Taj Leon. He stole our hearts and took our breath away! Then, 19 months later, his incredible little brother, Jax Franz, arrived on Christmas morning (December 25th) 2011. What an amazing gift we received! In an effort to slow down the clock and enjoy our beautiful family, in Spring of 2012, we sold our CA seaside home and moved across the country to our dream lake house in Brad's hometown of Bemus Point, a resort village on Chautauqua Lake in Western New York! Even though we are living a more slow paced life, we are living a life far from ordinary!

From the West Coast to the East Coast, our Grover family adventures continue! So won't you come along and join us on this journey of love, family, and travel we like to call our La Vida Grover!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Toronto Girls Weekend Away

What do you do when Winter just gets a tad long, and its only the end of January? Cold? Just got back from a Miami vacation? But anxious to beat the cold and escape yet another winter storm????

What do you do?

You grab a girlfriend and plan a spontaneous girls weekend away in Toronto, Canada!!! Hey, you have to utilize every close international resource! Originally, our little girls getaway composed of 7 hot mamas and 2 rooms at the Ritz Carlton Toronto. We were going to go big, or else stay home. Well, unfortunately, luck would have it that the morning of our ultimate girls weekend we were slammed with an awful snow storm. The other 5 girls bailed due to the weather (and one woke up with a strep throat.). There were only 2 of us left. Melanie and I.

Instead of allowing the storm to control us and our fantastic plans, we looked into the weather in Toronto (no snow or storm expected), decided to wing it and get out on the road. If road conditions were bad and we encountered a "white out" as a safety precaution we had a Plan B to stop at Melanie's parents' house in Buffalo… which was half way to Toronto. Three and a half hours later, we arrived in sunny (but freezing!) Toronto…. and obnoxiously texted the other girls our "Rombauer wine glass with blue skies" photo! We were so thankful to escape the blizzard-like conditions in Bemus, and have ourselves a nice wine-ful and luxurious night at the Ritz! We spoiled ourselves, and stayed up way past our usual bedtime!