Last Friday, my husband, my true love, Spencer, was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer. We are devastated and stunned.

For five years, we — he, really — have given up so much to get through his surgical residency. So many weekends apart, so many nights he spent in the hospital, so many things we didn’t have time to do together. Now, here we are, two weeks from the end of residency, and everything has suddenly crumbled. I feel like we’ve been pushed off the roof of a skyscraper and we’re falling so slowly and so quickly at the same time. Everyone who loves us is reaching out to grab us, but we’re still falling.

Over the last three years, I often felt like I gushed about Spencer too much on the blog. But I couldn’t help it. We are true loves and best of friends. He is the centre of my world. During our wedding ceremony, the priest asked each of us why we wanted to marry to the other. I said that it’s because my happiest moments are always with Spencer. That remains true and will always be true.

So I am giving up the blog. I have to dedicate all my energy to the battle we have ahead. We can do this. My husband is exceptional in every way. He’s young, strong, an incredible athlete. He’s driven and motivated. He does amazing things. And he will be exceptional here.

To our readers, thanks for checking in everyday. Please remember Spencer in your thoughts and prayers. To my co-blogger, Michelle, thank you for your kindness and love. I know you’ll post when you get home from Italy and tell everyone about your plans. To our friends and family, Spencer and I feel tremendously loved and we know you are an army around us. Our nephews are magic to us.

To Spencer, you know how I feel. I don’t need to tell you here. xo

~Chris

Here’s what you’d find, if you went digging through the Marc Jacobs bag I’ve carried every day since my parents gave it to me two Christmases ago:

1. A wallet I bought at Purr too many years ago to count. It’s beat up and tired but still kicking. My access card for work is usually stuffed inside, along with too many receipts.
2. Dental floss because nothing is worse than a rogue piece of kale stuck in between my teeth.
3. Two pens: a beautiful silver one that was a gift from my brother and a random one thrown in, just in case I’m digging and can’t find the good one.
4. Too many lip glosses and pencils for one girl. As I’m running out the door in the morning, I often grab one from my collection that suits my mood and throw it into my bag. But I rarely taken any out of my purse. I once had 11 lip glosses in there. No wonder my right shoulder is always so sore — I’m lugging around lip products to meet the needs of an entire gaggle of girls.
5. A lovely silver mirror — to aid in lip product application — that was a gift from my cousin, Tamara, for being a bridesmaid in her wedding. My name is engraved, as is the date of her wedding. So pretty.
6. Travel brush. I hate having tangled hair. True story.
7. Bobby pins. You never know when your bangs will annoy you.
8. 5, my favourite gum. Note: it’s black and people will think you’re missing teeth when you chew it. I don’t care. It keeps its flavour forever.
9. A snack, like a Vega protein bar, lest I get hangry.

So, those are my essentials. What do you always have in your bag? Do tell. I love this stuff.

~Michelle

• And nine more texts that will make you appreciate your Mom.
• Michelle’s interview with the Gansevoort hotelier, Michael Achenbaum, is up on AskMen.com. He chats about his new amazing boutique hotel in Las Vegas, interior design tips for guys and more.
• Let’s discuss movies. Michelle watched Celeste and Jesse Forever last weekend and thought it was great. Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg are so good.
  
• We often take book recommendations from Lainey; she never steers us wrong. The most recent example is Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, a book that Michelle’s mid-way through and loving. The New York Times described it this way: “A monument to crazy love . . . Walter [is] a believer in capricious destiny with a fine, freewheeling sense of humor.” It’s funny, indeed, and engrossing. Add it to your summertime reading list.
• Also for your reading list, this hilarious read in the NY Times, “How I Became A Hipster.” Ha!
• More reads and laughs, Chris sent Michelle this very funny piece on 19 female friendship truths as told by the movie Bridesmaids.
• Chris and Spencer checked out Tutti Frutti last weekend, the new frozen yogurt spot in Mount Royal Village. Delicious! Chris swears by the green tea yogurt topped with peanut M&Ms, chocolate chips and cinnamon apple chunks.
• All this warm weather has us thinking about summer dresses. This one is perfect. So is this.

Enjoy your weekends in the sun.

~The Toque Girls

Some people’s weekend plans involve trips to Italy. Mine do not. No matter. I’ll still be dining al fresco.

I’m planning a weekend picnic with the boy. On the menu — a no-cook selection of goodies like cheese, fruit, cured meats, a baguette and, of course, a nice bottle of wine. The idea comes from this book on picnics, which my lovely friend Melissa gave me before I got married.

Author Sara Deseran has some delicious pairing suggestions for cheese (I’ll highlight my favourites below). I’m heading to the Italian store this afternoon to pick up a few combos. What do you think? Any additions?

• Parmesan or Manchego cheese with apricot jam or figs.
• Blue cheese like Gorgonzola with sliced apples or red grapes
• Mild, soft-ripened cheese like Teleme with cherries
• Tangy goat’s milk cheese with fresh figs, honey and walnut bread
• Roquefort with toasted walnuts and ripe pears
• English-style Cheddar with chutney and pickled onions or pickles
• Shaved pecorino with fresh shelled fava beans

There you go — some delicious outdoor eats, no flight required.

~Chris

Did somebody say vacation?! It looks like you are more than ready, Michelle, because you can barely keep your head in the here and now. A friend may talk your ear off and get your juices really flowing. Try to settle down, though, and get through a minimum of your chores or tasks. Later you can spend the time dreaming about the soft white beaches or white mountain peaks that await you.

In my case, it’s not soft white beaches or white mountain peaks that await me. This weekend, I’m heading for the rolling hills in Tuscany and following that up with three days and nights in Rome. I’ll spend five days in Tuscany at an Exclusive Resorts estate home with a small media crew from Toronto. On our uber-relaxed schedule: optional day trips to Siena and Florence, cruising around on Vespas, a winery tour, a pizza-making class and lots of lounging.

After that, I’ll jump on a train en route to Rome, where I’ll spend the May long weekend exploring. I’ll be staying at a couple of amazing boutique hotels, courtesy of this awesome booking site, and plan to eat, drink, shop and be merry.

After the trip, I’ll write about my Italian adventures for both the Calgary Herald and our blog, of course. Please stay tuned. Till then, I’ll leave you with a few new things I picked up for my trip. This fedora from Aritzia — mine is a darker straw with a black band — will be worn poolside, and while exploring the cities. I wasn’t sure about it until another girl in the change room told me she bought it a few years ago and it’s her most prized hat for travel. She wears it onto the plane and throws it into the overhead compartment, to avoid squashing it in her suitcase. That will be my strategy next weekend.

All winter, I wore a long-sleeve t-shirt to bed. For Italy, I wanted something lighter and cuter. I found the perfect thing at Holt Renfrew: a Daniel Buchler tank top and slouchy sweater cover-up. So cute and sexy and soft. Soft soft soft. I will be in heaven. Unfortunately, I can’t find the set online, but the shape of it resembles this Daniel Buchler tank:

My last purchase was a new bright coral maxi dress from Guess by Marciano, which I had hemmed so I can wear it with flat sandals. It hangs perfectly, is simple in the front and has some spice in the back:

Hooray for vacation. I can’t wait.

One last thing. Remember when I mentioned I’d be interviewing Michael Achenbaum, the Gansevoort hotelier? I had a great chat with him and the Q&A is running this Thursday on AskMen.com.  I hope you enjoy it.

~Michelle

Photos via here, here and here, respectively.

Aside from food, here’s what else we’ve been happy about this week:

• Michelle’s been using Trudeau’s new colourful line of kitchen tools, like this knife, this cutting board and this colander. She swears it makes cooking more fun.
• This conditioner smells good. Thumbs up.
• Have you seen Rag & Bone’s amazing tanks and tees for spring? We’ll take one of everything, please and thank you.
• And have you seen the Lenovo laptop? Michelle’s brother bought one recently and it is full-on amazing. Michelle has computer envy.
• Chris has mentioned her love for The Lumineers before. Michelle finally downloaded their album and can’t stop listening, especially to this song.
• Chris made these muffins again this week. Huge hit. Huge.
• Love this intriguing read about what your body language says about you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

~The Toque Girls

The Calgary Roughnecks are going to battle it out against the Washington Stealth in the West Division Final of the National Lacrosse League this Saturday night at the ‘Dome. I went to my first Roughnecks game last weekend and, wow, consider me hooked.

Here are 10 reasons why you ought to go see the Roughnecks this Saturday:

10. They play lively music throughout the entire game, not just during breaks like hockey games. It’s physically impossible to be grumpy and morose with those tunes. Bonus benefit: you’ll get great ideas for workout songs.

9. You get to shout, “Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang — Vamonos, Vamanos!” ad nauseum. (It’s the Roughnecks goal song.) Oddly therapeutic. Try it.

8. With tickets that start at $27 a pop, you can afford to take little kids. All those little kids make for a far more likeable crowd than the corporate set that usually dominates at professional hockey games. Dancing toddlers > drunk suits any day.

7. They shoot sparkly streamers from the rafters every time the Roughnecks score. Even if you’re not a kid, sparkly streamers are good for the soul.

6. It’s an excuse to eat Twizzlers and pretzels for dinner.

5. Who doesn’t think it’s cool to watch someone sprint up the sides of the boards?

4. Because this guy is awesome.

3. And so is he.

2. The goalies look like giant overstuffed cartoon characters as they defend their tiny little nets. I know I should admire their athleticism but laughter is my first response.

1. Because it’s the playoffs and the winner of this game moves on to the finals. The Roughnecks thrive on a rowdy, packed house. Captain Andrew McBride describes it like this: “When the crowd gets rocking here, you can see the other team’s body language kind of sag down and we really need that for momentum.”

You can get your tickets here. See you Saturday!

~Chris

The new National, which resides in the former Whiskey, is beautiful. We loved the high ceilings, strings of warm light, wooden barrels, secluded booths and long tables for making friends. What we liked even more? The ping pong tables and the soon-to-be-opened bourbon room — a sexy room with vintage nudes on the wall. And I can’t wait for the lower-level, 10-pin bowling alley to open. I may have been in a bowling league in elementary school. So cool. I know.

Congratulations on the great new space, National friends.

~Michelle

Hello weekend! Any fun plans ahead? We’re hoping for some sunshine and quality time outdoors. Fingers crossed for a beer (or two) on a patio!

Here’s what has us giddy this week:

• We had a Toque Girls dinner date last night at OJ’s — one of our standing favourites. Great service and excellent fish tacos.
• The spring issue of HERS magazine is up and, inside, you’ll find stories that we both contributed. Do check it out!
• We’ve been using Cake Beauty products and have fallen in love with the brand’s Sweethearts collection for spring. Michelle uses the Hands Down, You’re Mine! hand cream every night before bed. 
• With Mother’s Day around the corner, we have gifts on the brain. Kaviar Pearls, an appointment-only boutique on the lower level of Fashion Central, has beautiful jewelry, if your mama is into pearls.
• Chris picked up these wild workout leggings from Nike a few weeks ago and can’t wear them enough. They’re always a hit at Saturday a.m. spin class. These ones are rad, too.
• For years, make-up artists sang the praises of eye primer but Chris always ignored them. Dumb move, Chris. She finally caught on this month when she tried Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat. It’s now an essential part of her daily routine.
• On the slim chance you haven’t watched the hilarious Coachella video making the rounds on Facebook, here it is one more time. Watch it. It’ll put you in a good mood.
• One more thing for you to check out. Michelle’s good friend, Sarah, is launching an exciting, awesome new business called Sugarnut, which will ship a pair of stylish, Canadian-made undies to your door every month. It’s in the early stages, so all she’s looking for right now is feedback. Please check her site out, sign up for the email updates so you’re in the loop and take two minutes to fill out her survey. It’s your chance to tell her what you love and hate about underwear. We can’t wait for Sugarnut to get going!

-The Toque Girls

Sexy little statement sandals are on-trend this spring? Good for them. I’m still making a statement in the snow with my winter boots. Distressed denim shorts? Stressed is the only part of that phrase that I’ve any familiarity with right now.

All bitterness aside for a moment, let’s focus on the only spring trend that Calgarians are likely to pull out before summer: pale nail polish on short nails. I love all the nude and light pinks on nails right now. There’s something so classic and elegant about pale nails. I don’t know about you but I’m convinced that fingers look longer with a barely-there manicure than with dramatic dark nails. Plus, you don’t have to be as diligent on the upkeep. And the best part — you can wear it even if it’s snowing outside. Three cheers for that!

And a classic:

As if! It just started snowing out again. Humbug.

PS – I’m wearing this shade right now and received several compliments this week.

PPS – FYI, this is my favourite spot in town for a manicure.