Our Adventures

We took the plunge this weekend and bought a cell phone. I had been avoiding getting one because it's just another thing to pay for and up until now there were only a few situations where it would've been nice to have one. But since I'll be driving to Maple Ridge everyday for school starting in September we thought we'd get one, plus Chris has been bugging me to get one for quite a while. So now he is happy that he has a new toy.



Yup so that's our phone, nothing too fancy but we like it. Other than buying a phone it has be HOT in these parts the last couple days. Just sitting in this room without a fan is quite uncomfortable. We've basically trapped ourselves in the apartment when it's hottest with windows and blinds shut, it only gets to a nice temperature past 9pm or before 9am. It's supposed to be like this all week. I just hope by Saturday it will cool off a bit for the wedding shoot I have.
Today I got off work early because there were just too few kids to keep two of us working so I gladly left at lunch time. I just wish the parents had told us for sure if their kids were going to be there so then I might have been able to get the whole day off and actually have a real long weekend and we could've gone and done something. Oh well, such is life.
This past weekend I went up to camp with Carmen to see Rebekah who was out from Calgary to be the camp nurse. It was during Single Mom's Camp and it was their pampering night. I'm not one for pampering so I basically hung out with this little girl at the pool party while that happened and then went back to the nurses station to see Rebekah. It feels weird to be up at camp as a visitor with nothing to do. So many staff are new and it's crazy to think that only a few summers ago that was a place that we were such a big part of and now we're not. While I was up there Chris was helping Josh and Cassie move their stuff to the condo they bought in Mission. Then him and Eric came back to our place to watch Saskatchewan win their first game of the football season. On sunday we were invited over to a couple's house for lunch where Chris and the guys took a dip in their big blow up pool with the kids. Now Chris is off galavanting with Eric, actually playing golf, so I'm stuck in this hot apartment with nothing to do. Tomorrow we're hoping to take advantage of the day off but I have a feeling all the places we would want to go will be crazy busy. We shall see, enjoy your Canada Day everybody.

There once a brand new frisbee...

It was having a fun time getting thrown around by two boys beside a lake. They made quick moves and graceful catches...


Then there was a drastic throw by a boy that we shall call Niloc that sent the frisbee to its death in the harsh and wild waters of Cultus Lake. The boys at first did not know what to do but stare at the poor frisbee...


Then the boys had the brilliant idea of rolling up their shorts and seeing how close they could get with a really long stick to poke it with...


This feat proved to be useless as all it did was send Niloc into a raging fit of laughter at the other boy's, who will shall call Sirhc, short shorts...


So instead the boys decided to throw rocks at the frisbee hoping that the ripples would push it closer to shore...


However, this technique also proved hopeless so there was only one last option that would save the frisbee, a swim rescue by Niloc in his underpants. Or an unnamed woman's swimsuit bottoms, we will never know...



The only thing that matters is that this brand new frisbee was saved and it can look forward to many more days of being tossed by boys who do not know how to throw straight. The End.

That is my story from this night's festivities of our time at the lake with some of our relatives. We had a good time while the frisbee throwing happened but for some reason it never continued after it was rescued. Instead we played safe games that did not involved throwing or sat on chairs far away from the water. We also barbecued some hamburgers and played a little catchphrase.





It was good to see some of the fam and spend our first time at the lake this summer. This weekend was quite a relaxing one, those were our only plans all weekend so we just took it easy. We also went to a staff party for Chris' school on friday night where we played some bocce and talked for a bit but we left early so that was all we got to experience. This week Chris has his last week of school but no kids will be there so it's basically a week where the teachers clean up stuff and play games like Rock Band in their classrooms. Tough job. I will be finding out what my summer schedule is going to look like because starting on Thursday we will have the kids all day, not just after school. It may be a bit of a transition but I think I'm looking forward to the change and hopefully I'll be working the early shift so I get off early too and have a good chunk in the evening to do some fun summer stuff. Let the summer fun begin!

We finally got some hot weather around these parts so we took advantage of it this weekend and went for a hike up to Lindeman Lake. I hadn't been there in about ten years and everyone else had never been there so it was new and fresh for everyone. The day was perfect for hiking, not too hot and a nice breeze to cool us off. Once we got to the lake Chris and Eric decided it was a good idea to go out on a floating log and Chris had an even better idea of laying on the log which resulted in him rolling off the log and then he ended up taking a little dip in the freezing cold water. It was quite entertaining. We got a good little workout hiking up and a nice time relaxing at the lake once we got there. Hopefully we'll go again someday and camp up there.



We came back to our place after for some beef dip and played some catch phrase and then after Josh left, Carmen and Eric and us rented the Great Debaters because we didn't have much energy to do much more than watch a movie. All in all it was a great day and we look forward to many more hikes and days like that again.

Today we had our church picnic in the field behind the school where our church services are. Chris and I were in charge of running the kids games and it went pretty well, especially once water got involved. There was face painting, helium balloons, hamburgers and hot dogs, and a guy named Andrew Smith who did a little concert. It was really great weather once again, so great that we got burnt really bad and both look like tomatoes but it was worth it. Now we're enjoying, or for Chris, stressing out while watching the Lakers vs. the Celtics after we were at my parents for Chinese food. It's been a good weekend, just wish it hadn't have gone so fast.

This past weekend we celebrated our 2nd anniversary with a little get-away to Anacortes, Washington. Chris planned it all and he didn't even give it away like he tends to do with other secrets. We started off the trip with a little shopping at Bellis Fair Mall. I got 5 t-shirts because I was in desperate need of some new ones and Chris, although he didn't plan on getting anything, got Vans shoes, flip-flips and a pair of shorts. They were all for good deals, especially his shorts, only $11 at Old Navy because it was 40% off all guys stuff for Father's Day. After we had enough of shopping we headed to Anacortes and checked into our hotel and then went to check out the park that was nearby and the sights from a trail that goes around the park. Then we went to the "old town" of Anacortes for supper at the Rock Fish Grill and we found a random mural of a guy in a doorway who Chris became friends with. We made a little stop at Safeway for some goodies, including Seasame Street bubble bath because our room had a sweet Jacuzzi tub! And robes! Although the water Chris ran for my bath basically gave me first degree burns I got to relax for a bit and enjoyed the jets for as long as I could before my body felt like it was on fire. We topped the night off with some Hershey's chocolate, which tastes gross in the States, and some licorice as we watched the Pursuit of Happiness. The next day we had some yummy continental breakfast and then headed to this spot called Deception Pass where there's a really high bridge and a cool coastline. We hung out there for a bit, hiked around and then headed back to the homeland. The weather held up for us so that was good and it was a really enjoyable get-away. What a good husband I have.



Right after we got back from the States, Andrew and Megan came over to hang out. Andrew was out from Ontario for Mark and Amber's wedding on Saturday and we wanted to see him before he left sunday night. So we played some games, ate some pizza, watched a movie and randomly sang a camp song before Chris drove him to the airport. We also took a cheesy family photo where Megan and Andrew were our kids. It was a good time had by all and it was good to see those two again.

Andrew and Megan ready for some pizza
Andrew trying to explain a Catch Phrase word
Megan explaining "tickle"
What a happy family
Singing time
Megan hit hear head on our counter when she tied her shoes
Now we're back to work and it's raining hard but it's supposed to get nicer. Chris has an assured job at his school next year, it's a half-time Science position and the other days he can sub so in the end he would make more money than a full-time job because the school also pays him for his prep time. He also applied for a full-time Science/P.E. position that he should find out about soon. He will take that one if they offer it to him but it's good to know that he's going back to that school either way. I think that's all the news around these parts for now. I'm getting pretty good at updating regularly now, we'll see how long this lasts...

How is it that a small town farmer boy from Saskatchewan...

marries a BC girl?

Who would've thought that it would end up like this...

Definitely not me. Although I got what I prayed for in a man that knew how to shoot a basketball I never thought he'd come from a farm in Herbert. Looking back the only thing that could have brought us together is God. The reason we met is solely because of Him. You see, in the summer of 2003 we met at camp where the purpose for us was to go and serve God by loving kids and being their counselors. I had no plans or intentions of meeting a guy at camp and Chris wasn't planning on getting a girl either. But I guess things happen when you least expect it. I knew from the first couple weeks of knowing Chris that he was someone that I could easily get to know better and wouldn't mind doing so. Unlike him, I had never dated anyone before and so all previous boys were what you called "crushes". I was hoping that this would not end up as one of those heartbreaking experiences. As the weeks went by we built a strong friendship based on having fun. He tells me that after the middle of summer he knew that I was something special. By the end of summer he had told me that "I think you're pretty cool" and after a random trip out visiting him on the farm we made it official. We dated long distance for a year and a half, seeing each other on major breaks from school. After that I knew we would be able to endure anything. I moved out to Saskatoon in January 2005. Spending time with each other in real life situations we only grew stronger and in November 2005 we were engaged on a very cold winter day. Although the wedding didn't go as expected, being inside instead of outside, it was everything I could've wanted because I got to marry the man of my dreams. Now two years later we are still enjoying the up's and down's of being together but mostly the up's. We've come to know each other so well and there is no one else I would want to be my best friend for life. Looking forward to what the next year of marital bliss brings. Love you Chris!