Students Of Success

Couples planning to get married who are stuck for an idea about what gifts to hand out to their guests should consider supplying edible wedding favors. Whether you opt for sweet or savory items you and your guests are likely to enjoy them. Quite often, a bar of chocolate candy in a specially designed wedding wrapper is effective enough to make a good impression. Filled chocolate whether white, plain or milk will always be a favorite but you can improve on this by having a peanut or almond center. Many people may eat the chocolate at the wedding but will probably keep any packaging that it comes in, as a souvenir.

Why not have your picture printed on the wrapper to really impress your guests! Couples that would prefer something different for their edible wedding favors should try candy in a tin instead. Once again, it is easy to have the tin given the personal touch with the bride and grooms details on it. You can guarantee your guests will take the tins away with them even if they are empty because not only will they be a reminder of the day but they are practical as well. Even people that don’t often eat candy will tuck in when it is an edible wedding favor because they get drawn into the occasion.

You can also leave a small presentation box with details of the wedding, and one that can even match the wedding theme if there is one. Then the guests can fill their containers with the candy before they leave the reception later. Cookies are other options for brides and grooms who want to give out edible wedding favors and there are a number of different options in this case. Using plain cookies keeps the cost down because they will look best in a presentation box possibly designed especially for the day.

These days it is easy to insert images onto anything and a cookie isn’t any more difficult than a wrapper. Many modern bakeries are able to produce this sort of cookie relatively simply as all they need is your personal design or select one of theirs. Another category of edible wedding favors (although not strictly food) are beverages like tea, flavored coffees or cocoa for example. You don’t have to offer the normal ranges either as there are so many specialty types available from around the world that it will look as if you have gone out of your way to provide something different. Once again, the packaging can contain information about the bride and groom and if it is a metal or plastic container it can be used at a later stage an will not go to waste. I hope these ideas will help with your decision and give something to think about.

Stanley Park is Vancouver’s famous urban paradise and I knew weeks in advance that I would need to explore it in detail, preferably on a bike. So this afternoon at about 1:30 pm I set off from the UBC Campus, and navigated my way downtown by bus, taking 3 buses to get to the eastern edge of Stanley Park. This was my first chance to glance at the city of Vancouver. It is a relatively new city and according to some accounts, its origins date back to 1792 , the year when Captain George Vancouver explored this region. Most buildings downtown west of Granville Avenue were built relatively recently as Vancouver has experienced a huge building boom over the last few years. A large part of downtown is covered by modern residential skyscrapers and Vancouver’s building frenzy continues unabated. It’s evident everywhere that this is a very popular place to live.

My rental bicycle was waiting for me at a place called Spokes Bicycle Rentals, a place that had been mentioned to me several weeks ago by the Vancouver’s Visitors Association. I met one of their managers, a young sporty guy named Phil who was extremely helpful in helping me lay out my itinerary for this discovery on two wheels. We started chatting and I found out that Phil is originally from Montreal and moved to Vancouver 3 years ago. He loves the outdoors and has gotten involved in snowboarding, mountainbiking and diving and he mentioned that Vancouver is among the world’s top dive sites.

After laying out my route for me and giving me information on all the important sights along the way, Phil selected a comfortable bicycle for me that would be able to handle leisure riding as well as some mild offroading. Once outfitted I hopped on the bike and started my tour along the seawall of Stanley Park. At 20 times the size of Central Park, Stanley Park is the 3rd largest urban park in North America, and its setting is just stunning. From the east side you have a view into downtown Vancouver towards Canada Place and the cruise boat terminal. Several ocean liners were docked in town.

One of the first major sights along the bike path are the Totem Poles, imposing in their height and number. I circled around Brockton Point towards the north-facing side of the peninsula, and a stunning view towards North Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge opened up. As per Phil’s advice, I cycled up to Beaver Lake which is a quiet little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the seawall. It is a large pond surrounded by lush forest, covered in a water lilies. I cycled all the way around the pond and then headed back out to the seawall and quickly came to the Lions Gate Bridge which is surrounded by Prospect Point, the highest point in the park. From there I soon reached the northernmost point of Stanley Park and started cycling westwards again. Just past a single outlying rock called Siwash Rock I arrived at Third Beach that was just completely teeming with people. I bought a drink and relaxed for a while until I resumed my trip and passed a group of inukshuk builders close to Second Beach.

The crowds were intensifying and every conceivable spot on the burnt-out grass was taken up by sun-worshippers. The largest beach, located closest to the city, is English Bay Beach, replete with daytrippers. The crowds were a bit too much for me, so I crossed False Creek over the Burrard Bridge and explored Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach. The view from the bridge is simply breathtaking. On the other side again there were thousands of people, barbequeing, sunworshiping, and picknicking.

I turned around and headed back on 4th Avenue, crossing back to downtown Vancouver via the Granville Street Bridge and headed straight across towards Canada Place and the seashore west of Burrard Street. Since my stomach was growling after about 3 hours of cycling, I returned the bycicle to Spokes and asked Phil for advice as to where to eat. He suggested an Italian place named Ciao Bella almost right across the street. I took his advice and plunked myself down on a nice patio and thoroughly enjoyed an Italian meal in the evening sunshine.

At 8 pm I was ready to head back to UBC and walked up to Robson Street, one of Vancouver’s main thoroughfares. Thousands of people were coming towards me since they were planning to catch the fireworks. The sidewalks were just totally full with people. I was walking in the opposite direction and ended up doing a quick little photographic tour of downtown, including the Hotel Vancouver. I saw a few more interesting buildings: the Vancouver Block and the Art Gallery of Vancouver.

Quite exhausted from a full day I started walking down Granville Avenue, still surrounded by throngs of people and had to wait 45 minutes for a bus since all buses were going down Davie Street to take people to the fireworks. Finally the bus came and I was listening to a bunch of teenage boys that were planning their under-age drinking escapades at the occasion of the fireworks. After a really long day I finally arrived back on the UBC campus at about 9:30 pm. Now it’s 11 pm and I can’t wait to hit the hay.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest(http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.

The interview with photos is published at Travel and Transitions - Interviews

The question of whether you need a toddler bed rail, depends largely on how active your little one is. But the question of when to use the bedrail, is a decision for Mom and Dad, and one that should not be taken until the child is at least two years old.

Some children are more precocious than others, and even with their crib mattress in the lowest position, they can be scaling the heights and heading over the rails before you know it.
Most toddler beds are not designed to use rails with. Generally, they are low enough that falling out of bed is not a serious issue. And at this age, a toddler who wants out of the bed, is going to get out, regardless of what measures you take.

A toddler benefits most from a bed rail, when they reach the size that a regular twin size bed is needed. These are the ones with more height, when you combine their box spring and mattress. That means a longer distance to fall.

Most models of toddler bed rails are made to fit between a mattress and box spring, using some variation of an L-shape. The actual height of the rail varies, and can be affected by the depth of your mattress. This is an important item to consider when looking at the size of a rail. If you are left with only a few inches of protection, a restless child can roll right over the top at night.

Another consideration, is the construction. Toddlers can be restless, and temperamental. Banging their heads on rails can cause bruises and a bigger tantrum than they were having to start with. You may wish to consider rails that are padded, for extra protection.

Before looking for a bed rail, measure the bed’s height, and the mattress depth. Then compare the features offered by each manufacturer of rails, including padding, portability, and ease of use.

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