EP 279 Anne & Kelli talk grandparenting, cruising to Canada & so much more!

Join Anne & Kelli for their 279th episode of #ilovemywife podcast recorded from HOME!!! This episode is all about the Fall. The weather, the trees, the clothes and the total vibe.

First, they begin with the few days before their next trip kicked off. They had their grandbaby Anthony for 2 days at their house and they were filled with lots of new experiences with him. The first day he had a little tummy ache and was a little upset until Anne finally got his to burb and suddenly, he was happy go lucky! The next time they picked him up at Teresa's school and he rode in their new car seat for the first time! He took too big naps and fell asleep both times on Anne and he completely crushed her arm both times! He is a big boy! He also had his first food in their new highchair and it was strawberry cottage cheese. He loves to grab the spoon and feed himself!

The day before their next big trip was about to start, Anne got an email from her agent that the itinerary had changed and that instead of flying from NY to Toronto to Halifax, she would now be flying from NY to Montreal to St John, New Brunswick! Also, the hotel had been changed as well. Kelli then began scrambling to change her flights too. She did have to pay a fee but because she has annual travel insurance, they reimbursed her because the change was out of her control. Always get annual travel insurance if you travel a lot.

The travel day was easy and comfortable as they visited the 2 Centurion Lounges at LGA and Montreal. In St John, their driver had just had rotator cuff surgery and couldn't lift and bags and Kelli also can't with her back issue, so Anne was the heavy lifter! They headed to the hotel right on the waterfront and had a lovely dinner at Grannan's Seafood where they met super nice 72 year old waiter that used to run marathons.

The next day they boarded the ship and heard about how bad the weather had been the previous days on board. Apparently, they hadn't docked for the last days and had to stay at sea with very rough weather. They were happy to have missed it. They were in the same room they were in last time and it was so nice. Anne was thrilled to have the same Band Leader, Marta from Ukraine, that she had the last time she was on Regent Splendor. She is such a great Musical Director and leads the band with ease and professionalism. The first night Anne & Kelli had an alone dinner in the beautiful dining room and went to the Production Show. The cast was ending their 9 minth contract that week so they were really having a great time on stage and you could tell. It was a lot of fun.

The next day was Anne's first show. They stayed on board and relaxed and then Anne headed to tech rehearsal where she also found out the Production Stage Manager was Gary, the same one she had the last time. He had saved all of her lighting and screens so it was so easy. The entire orchestra was fantastic and the tech and the show were both a smash success! The next days they were in 2 ports including Sydney and Charlottestown. They really liked the later and had a fabulous lunch at Merchantman, where Kelli got PEI oysters. They also bought a claw Christmas ornament, went to Founder's Food Hall & Market and bought potato fudge, lemon dill seasoning salt, listening to live music and had a seasonal drink at Pretzel, Pint & Pickle. They headed back to the ship for 5 Crowns & made friends with a mother & daughter named Lisa & Trisha, who they later had dinner with at the main dining room.

The next day was a little rough as it was a sea day as they headed to the St Lawrence River. They played 5 Crowns, played trivia with their new friends and took a nap. That night they went to see the other guest entertainer, Giovanni Palminteri's show. He is an opera singer and is so talented. He is also a super nice guy and they also made good friends with him. The next day was Anne's second show and it kicked off with an 11am rehearsal! It was actually nice to get it done early so she could have the rest of the day free. Anne was doing her Broadway show and a lot depends on the pianist. She was VERY impressed by the pianist, Roun from The Netherlands, who was a truly fantastic and dedicated musician. The show was a big hit, with the audience singing along and they gave her a standing ovation.

The next day was Quebec City, and it is truly a beautiful place to visit. They met up with their new friends Lisa, Trisha, Giovanni and 2 additional new friends Shari & Steve for a lunch at Q de Sac. After that, they walked around a little bit and then headed back to pack to go home! If you know Anne, she can't relax until she is packed. After that, they had their last dinner with Giovanni and then headed to The Atrium to watch the Production Cast & the orchestra do ABBA night. It was so fun because it was their last show together. Anne & Giovanni also had lots of guests asking for photos with them and telling them how much they loved their shows. After the show they all went upstairs for one last drink together. Then off to bed to get ready to head home!

They got to the airport in Montreal at 9am but their flight wasn't until 3:20pm. They approached the Air Canada agent and asked if they could possibly move to the 1pm flight. He said, I can do better and I can get you on the 10:55am flight and in preferred seats! They were so excited! I guess they found the exact right GAY agent…wink wink! They ended up landing and getting home before their flight would've even taken off! Then Anne got an email saying that the original flight they had been on had to return to the gate and was cancelled because of mechanical failure! Thank goodness for that gate agent!!

Once they were home, their daughter Vivi requested some homemade food that she loves. She wanted Chicken & Dumplings, Chicken Shawarma, and Turkey Pumpkin White Chili. Anne also pulled out the Trader Joe's 5 Items or Less Cookbook that Teresa gave her and came up with Spinach Artichoke Chicken, Gochujang Pasta and Potsticker Miso Soup. You know that means a Trader Joe's visit is in the works!

Halloween day they headed to Trader Joe's first and got everything they needed for all of the recipes. Next, they went to Bottle King, an outlet liquor store that has everything you could need. They stocked up for the next few weeks. Then they headed to Marianne's(Teresa's Mom) house, where Teresa & Blake live right now, for Anthony's first Halloween! It was 61 degrees and sunny and a perfect day for Trick or Treating! They dressed up as Piglet, Tigger and baby Winnie the Pooh. They were all so cute together. They had snacks and chatted and then headed out to trick or treat. Anne & Kelli then headed home to unpack, do laundry and binge WAR on HBO Max. Sunday was full of football and cooking the chicken and dumplings and then freezing it so Vivi could take it back to NYC. Then they podcasted & planned the upcoming week that would be filled with Election Day & watching the results! They didn't know then but we all know now that it was a fantastic election & gave them so much hope again. Something they have struggling to feel in this country for awhile. Suddenly we can all hope and dream again!

Don't forget that Anne has an upcoming Christmas show in NYC on Dec 2nd at The GreenRoom 42 that you can also live stream from anywhere! She also is returning to Fort Lauderdale on Jan 30th at Sunshine Cathedral. All tickets are on sale now! Find all of Anne's tour dates and info at www.annesteele.com

If you want to join them on a gig trip, and all of her newly announced 2027 trips, write to Kelli at Kelli@Kelligreggtravel.com For more info on Kelli's trips go to www.kelligreggtravel.com

As always you can stream on the DNR Studios app or you can listen anywhere you get your podcasts for free! Follow them on socials: IG: @ilovemywifepodcast @theannesteele @kcarpenter123 @kelligreggtravel FB: ilovemywife theRealAnneSteele KelliGreggTravel