My Strong Dad


By Unknown
One week ago my dad passed away from heart failure. I will never forget running into the emergency room hearing my mom crying out for my dad and knowing right when I saw him that he was gone. He had been having chest pains a few days before and went into the ER early that morning with more. The doctor said they were mini heart attacks. Our doctor wanted to meet with my mom and dad to discuss with them that there were no other interventions they could do for him because of his weakened heart and his recent bleeding he had a few weeks ago into his stomach from taking blood thinners. It was if he knew there was no other hope and as they were talking his lungs started filling with fluid and he was gone. My doctor told me later that my dad had said he didn't think he was leaving the hospital this time unlike the many times he had recovered when we didn't think he would. None of us thought he would go that quickly or that this was it. Chris and I got there within minutes of him dying. It's hard to think that he is actually gone. Every time I walk into my parents place I think I'm going to see him get out of his reclining chair and come to the door to see us. It'll take a while for it to really sink in but I never want to forget him. I chose to write the eulogy for his funeral, as a way of being able to grieve and to remember all the great things he did for us and got to experience himself. It was hard but I really wanted to honor him and let him know that I loved him. I also made a slide show capturing the full life he had which is another keepsake I will cherish. For those of you who didn't know him that well I hope it will give a glimpse into a man that I take after and who I love and will miss so very much.



My Dad

One definition of strong is “having strength or power greater than average or expected”. My dad was strong. His strength started as a boy in Denmark being the youngest of six, living in a time when the Second World War was going on all around him and resources were limited. I remember him telling me stories of him as a boy making fun of the German soldiers and them chasing him and his friends down the streets. When my dad was a teenager he lived with his sisters as his mother had already died and his father was working in Poland. He learned independence pretty quickly as he had to work from a young age to support himself and his siblings. He went into the Air Force when he was 18, a mandatory service for boys of his age, where he learned to become even stronger. In his mid twenties he went on many adventures like traveling all around Europe on a motorcycle together with his good friend Michael. He met my mom at a friend’s party in Denmark, when she was 19 and he was 29, and he kissed her right there and then (even though she was already taken at the time). His love for her never died and he pursued her until she was only his. In 1966 he moved to Canada because his older brother Jan was here and he wanted a better life with more opportunities. He convinced my mom to come over the next year in 1967 and they got married Dec 9th of that year.

As they learned English together and adjusted to life in a new land, my parents dreams of having a family of their own started coming true when they adopted my brother Kevin in 1974. They moved up to Ryder Lake into a house that my dad built with his own hands and that was when his legacy started of being an amazing provider, a goal he accomplished as a father and a husband. He started working as a floor installer at Fraser Carpets and did this work with passion and pride until he was 72 years old, again another display of his strength. I came along in 1982 as a surprise to both my dad and my mom but also a joy, which I can see in his face in every picture of him with me as a child. From the start I was a daddy’s girl, as he made sure that the initials of my name matched his own. Growing up I can remember a dad that was hardworking, had a great laugh, wanted to give us everything that he didn’t when he was young and that loved his family. My brother inherited my dad’s skills of craftsmanship, being able to build and fix anything, this started as a young boy when my dad gave him his first toy chain saw and continued as he watched my dad build new pieces of furniture for the house, put in new floors and always had a new project on the go. What I got from my dad was not only his stubbornness but also his creativity and his love for photography. He loved discussing with me the new cameras coming out and looking at all the photos I had taken. Even Chris, my husband, had a strong bond with my dad and his passion for the newest and biggest toys in technology. My dad was one to always get the biggest and the best and he loved being able to talk to Chris about all the new gadgets and what they could do. He was a man of many skills and passions that no one can replace.

My dad grew up with only one brother Jan who he looked up to his whole life and from who he learned what it was to be a great father and husband. They were so much alike that I cannot go without mentioning my uncle because he had a great impact on who my dad was. They both loved gardens, building model ships (building anything for that matter), smoking pipes, watching the Canucks and being with their families. They both had a quiet demeanor and a strength that went deep. They both died of heart failure and now both of their lives have been celebrated in this very room. They loved being together and I am so thankful that my dad was able to share his life and family with his big brother in Canada. My dad also had many friends over the years, Canadian and Danish, that made my dad feel at home in Canada, gave him so much joy and camaraderie, and created so many good memories for him and us to keep. Many of my dad’s family and friends have gone before him and I can just imagine them all having a party up there in heaven like they used to in the good old days.

As my dad got older his health started getting worse. He had over 10 major surgeries in the last 15 years but he always bounced back stronger than ever. Even after having open-heart surgery he went back to work a couple of weeks later. Lately our family had been on a roller coaster not knowing if the next time he went into the hospital would be his last and the doctor had told him he was running on borrowed time these last few years. He was a stubborn man, it’s where I got it from, and he would not go until he knew there was no other hope. This last year and a half his strength was renewed, even after having a few mini-strokes and getting a pacemaker, he found joy and excitement in helping us move into my childhood home and being able to move into a new condo with my mom. He was excited to see all the renovations we were doing on the place and helped update all the furniture he had made to look more modern. I am so grateful that I can keep his handiwork and know that it was an integral piece of who my dad was. He has truly shown us over the years what it is to be strong, to endure and to fight against all odds. He used to say he was like a cat with nine lives because he kept coming back from what we thought was the end. He had told us that when he was to die he wanted it to be quick; he did not want us to have to bear the weight of taking care of him when there was no more left that he could give. His wish was granted on December 12 as he died by my mom’s side within half an hour of her getting to the hospital. There’s a sort of peace knowing that he did not have to suffer long and that he was able to say that he loved us one last time.

Some great memories with my dad were building a pool in our backyard and swimming with him on hot summer days. I became a fish because of him and love remembering him going for a dive into the pool after a long day at work. We also had a hot tub and I can remember on one winter night him and I rolling in the snow and then jumping back into the hot water. One of my earliest memories is going up to Christina Lake to visit my aunt and uncle and digging in the sand and swimming in the water that had scary seaweed in it. I can still remember holding his hand as we walked that beach one day when I was 2 years old. When my brother was little, him and my dad spent many days building kites and rockets that they would send into flight out in the field behind our house. They also built a huge train set that almost took up our whole basement and spent endless hours playing with that together. I remember my dad trying to cook rice for us one night when my mom was working but he burned it all to the bottom of the pot. He wasn’t one for cooking but he was good at so many other things that I think it made up for that. I remember the parties my parents had with their friends when I was a kid and my dad dancing with my mom and singing along to his favorite songs. Those nights were hard to get to sleep with all that noise downstairs but it is a great memory of the friendship that he had. I can remember traveling to Denmark and him being so proud to show me where he hung out as a kid and it was great to be able to see him interact with his family at home. Lately I remember giving him free haircuts and him always saying after that his pile of hair on the floor looked like our old dog Willy’s fur because of it’s mix of grey and white. He loved dogs and he had so much fun wrestling with and spoiling my brother’s dog Keyla and our dog Molly. He could not get enough of those dogs; they were like his own grandchildren.

The memories I have of my dad that stand out the most though are the little things; the slippers or Danish wooden clogs that he always wore everywhere he went, him sitting out on the porch on a hot day with his beer and his pipe, the little pats on the bum he would give me as his way of showing me he loved me, him lounging in his reclining chair watching the history channel or being engulfed in one of his many books, the smell of his clothes after he came home from work or being in the shop, the way he would pull out his little comb from his pocket and slick back his hair, his contagious laugh when watching stupid shows like Candid Camera. My dad was a simple man, if he could have potatoes and gravy and rye bread and liver paste everyday, he would’ve been happy. These little things that made him who he was; those are the things that I will remember.

I am so glad that my dad was able to experience so many good things in the 78 years of his life. Starting a new life and adventure in Canada almost 45 years ago, being married to the love of his life for 43 years, being a father for 36 years, having a job that he loved for almost 30 years, being able to travel the world and see new places, provide things for his family that he only dreamed of as a boy, seeing Kevin and I grow up into successful and honorable people just like him, being able to walk me down the aisle and get to know my husband who he was so happy to see me marry, and experiencing tremendous joy when he found out that he was going to be a Grandpa next July. These are all things I am grateful that he was able to have while he was here on earth. He had a good life indeed, one that we will cherish forever.

My dad always told my mom that she was lucky to have him as a husband. She joked back that she should’ve married someone younger and richer. He assured her that there was no one better for her than him and I agree. I can’t imagine a life with any other dad but my own. I am truly his daughter and sometimes that got in the way of us showing each other how much we loved one another with our stubbornness and quiet personalities. But I know that he loved me because I could see it in his eyes and that is all I really need. It’s hard to believe that he is gone now. It feels like he is just sitting at the hospital waiting for us to come pick him up. But I know that is not true because his spirit was not with him the last time I saw him face to face. He is no longer on earth but I have the hope that we will all see him again one day and I can only be comforted knowing that he is now watching over us. We want to thank all of you for coming and showing us so much care and sympathy over the last week. Please do not forget us as we adjust to life with one less in our small pack. Thank you so much for the joy you gave to my dad and thank you for acknowledging his life and honoring it with us today.

The day after my dad died, there was a heavy fog in the air, which was an image to me of the sadness we all felt in our hearts. That fog will slowly start to lift, as I know he would not want us to be sad for long but to be happy and remember him as we carry him in our hearts. My dad was very strong and he would want us to be too. Dad, we will miss you so much, thank you for being such a great husband and dad to us, we will love you forever and always.


(and yes, we are pregnant (10 weeks), I thought I would let it out early so my mom could have some joy at this time telling all her friends).We had the funeral yesterday and it went really well, better than I thought. I didn't know if we would make it through but we all felt very encouraged by how many people came out to honor my dad's life (over 80 people) and were able to get some closure to a hard week. Thank you for all of those who have been praying for us, sent us cards, flowers and food, and who came to acknowledge my dad's life yesterday. We really appreciate it, it's so great to know that he impacted so many people that can carry on stories about him and the time he had with us.


We love you Dad!
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Keeping Busy


By Unknown
It's definitely time for an update. We've been super busy this last month and a bit. I got a two week TOC assignment at an elementary school teaching PE most days and Grade 4/5 for a day and a half. A lot was thrown at me and sort of left up to me to figure out so it was a bit stressful at times but I think it went well and I had a good time at the school. This past week I was at the same school, this time a middle school, for two different teachers. So I've definitely got a lot of work for the month of November and it's not even over yet!

On Halloween we headed to Vancouver for the Roughriders vs. Lions game. It was fun to be in an outdoor stadium, made the atmosphere a lot better. The game wasn't that great and the Roughriders ended up losing but it was a fun to be there. After the game we went with Eric and Cheryl (both of their spouses did not come to the game) to Red Robins for supper which was delicious. By the time we got home trick-or-treating was over so we got to keep all our candy for ourselves.


The weekend after that we went to the Passion Concert at Rogers Arena. Almost 11,000 people gathered to worship God and it was amazing to see. We got there minutes before the music started and ended up getting seats in the very last row, the nose bleeds, but it was cool because you could see all of the people in the stadium and that made the concert even more powerful. Chris Tomlin started off the night and then Matt Redman sang a song. Louie Giglio was the speaker who talked about finding and living out the passions of our lives. Then to close things up the David Crowder Band came out. The music was great, it was an awesome night. After it ended we got some delicious pizza at a secret spot of Denis' and then cruised home in their mini-van.


This month is "Movember" which is where guys have the excuse to look nasty and grow out mustaches for the month to raise money and awareness for prostrate cancer. Only 11 more days of grossness and it'll be over but Chris has actually raised $30 so if you want to add to the donation you can at this link... http://ca.movember.com/mospace/792954/


Last week Chris' parents came out for a visit and we were able to go down to Washington for the night over the Remembrance Day long weekend. The first day we checked out Deception Pass and did some shopping at the outlet malls. Then we headed to Seattle and enjoyed the great weather while we walked around the Market and waterfront. The rest of the time we spent relaxing at home, checking out our new gigantic Walmart and we went to Costco. Can't want to see everyone in Herbert at Christmas!


We've had our first snow fall here a few days ago but it's gone already. The cold is still sticking around though so there might be more to come. It kind of makes me want to decorate for Christmas but we'll wait until it's December. The basement is still a work in progress, I haven't done anything to it for the last month with all this work I've been getting and when I do have a day free it's the last thing I feel like doing. Hopefully I'll get a little more done on it before the year is over. Only 4 more weeks until Christmas break and we can't wait. Chris has a big basketball tournament that his school is hosting in two weeks so I think he'll be able to relax a little more once that is over. That seems to sum up the events of our lives lately. We've been busy but it's been good.
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Cute as a Button


By Unknown
Where did that saying come from anyways? Cute as a button. Why are buttons so cute? Anyways, we're definitely back into the swing of things here. We've both had our back to school colds (I'm still getting over mine) and have been working quite a bit. I've got at least two days a week for the last couple of weeks so it should stay that way or get better until Christmas. Chris is busy coaching volleyball and soon the basketball season will take over his life. I've started painting in the basement which has been slow going with me working here and there but hopefully it'll be done by the end of the year. Our guest room is finished but we still need to hang pictures and such so there will be no pictures of that today. There is however some cute pictures of our pup. We've gotten soft and let her come up on the couches now, we figured since they're leather it's easy to clean up her hair. Her new favorite spot I discovered one day when I came downstairs was on the top of the couch like a little cat. She always goes up there now, especially when there's a blanket. She's also found some interesting cuddle spots like right on top of me when I'm reading a book or draped over Chris' arms during a movie. Some of them we haven't caught on camera but here are the few we have.







Last weekend we went over to Mike and Sarah's to watch the Rider game and while we were there I took some pictures of their new baby boy Carter. I have to say he was quite a good sport, having to lie around half naked and being put in funny clothes like Calgary Flames gear. He was a little over two weeks in these photos but to me he already looks months old in some of them. I really like how they turned out, they just make me want to smoosh him.



Other things that have been happening are we've started up our girls/guys night and our small group again and look forward to spending time with those people and sharing what's going on in our lives. Today Chris and my brother chopped down our old rotting apple tree from our backyard. It only took a few hours and there's so much more room now! We might plant a new type of tree there next spring when we overhaul our whole backyard but for now it will be a mound of dirt.

Tough guy with a chainsaw


Chris watching intently as my brother gets the tree out of the ground


There's not much else to say so I'll leave you with a funny statement one of the students said on their thanksgiving sheet in a classroom I was in. What are you MOST thankful for? "I'm most thankful for stop, drop and roll". Happy Thanksgiving!
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Adventures in the Sun


By Unknown
We're back into the swing of things with school starting and enjoyed the last couple of nice days before this week began. A few weekends ago we headed out to Vancouver to exchange Chris' hiking boots and then headed to the Sea Wall to walk around. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the view of the city. We saw some totem poles, float planes, squirrels, and lots of other people walking around. Molly enjoyed being the daredevil that she is by walking along the edge of the Sea Wall. On our way out of the city we stopped by the lookout of the Lions Gate bridge and even saw a whale blowing water out in the open ocean.

Last week we enjoyed one last really hot day and hiked up to Lindeman Lake. It was our first hike in both of our hiking boots and I'd say they stood the test. Especially mine since I fell in the lake trying to hop on a rock to get to a log. We had a good time at the beach climbing on logs and getting Molly in the water. Then we hiked to the far side of the lake (in my soggy boots) and climbed over big rocks which Molly got a little bit scared of but did really well on the way back. We enjoyed the sun on a rock, took some pictures and then headed back home.


School has officially been in session for three days now. I haven't got called to TOC yet but I didn't really expect to in the first week. I'm spending my time sanding the walls in our guest bedroom so I can finally paint it after taking a good 8 month break from renos. We're also going to paint the basement so then our whole house will be done the way we want it. Better get back to work so that actually happens.
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Saying Goodbye to Summer


By Unknown
The end of summer is coming soon but we have one more week to enjoy doing whatever we want. A few weeks ago we went camping for four days down in Washington at Fort Ebey State Park. It was a great little place right on the shoreline of Whidbey Island. We spent our days walking along the bluff, climbing down sandy cliffs to the beach, reading on a little spot with a view just a few feet from the cliffside and relaxing by the fire at our campsite. We also went to a drive-in movie theater for the first time and saw two not so great movies but had a fun experience watching from our car. One afternoon we also checked out a little town close to our campsite called Coupeville. We got some delicious ice cream and walked around checking out the views of Penn Cove. We'll definitely come back to this park again, it was a great place to relax and have some little adventures.




Now that summer is almost over we're trying to get things out of the way before school starts like renewing car insurance, returning hiking boots in Vancouver (which is what we're doing today) and starting to paint the last couple rooms that we didn't touch the first time around (guest room and basement). We've had a great summer with lots of little trips and things to do. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it to end but I guess it's got to one of these days.
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Summer So Far


By Unknown
There's been a lot going on so I thought it was time for an update before even more happens. Right before we headed to Saskatchewan we made a new purchase, a 2010 Chevy Equinox. They had some good deals going like employee pricing and I could get a student discount so we went for it. It was such a nice ride to take on a 15+ hour drive to Herbert, we actually had cruise control this time. We spent almost two weeks in Saskatchewan, mostly on the farm but one weekend we spent in Saskatoon to go to Chris' cousin Ty's wedding. I took photos for the wedding and I was really happy with how they turned out. We also had lots of fun seeing cousins, playing rock band and going for a joy ride in their boat. Even Molly loved the boat and going for a swim in the lake. The rest of the time I spent relaxing at the farm while Chris helped his dad hay and bail. We also visited Kevin and Alysha in Swift Current a few times and checked out their new apartment. It was a great time but it already feels like a long time ago.

Ty and Lindsay - July 24



The next Saturday after we got back I had another wedding to shoot. This time it was a Persian wedding. It was interesting to see their sofreh which is a cloth that lies in front of them with all these things on it to represent different things for their marriage. I thought it would be a really formal wedding but it was quite casual, people were told to talk and walk around during the ceremony, which I guess is typical of a Persian wedding. I just finished editing their pictures too so now I'm done with weddings for now.

Ali and Emily - July 31



The following Monday we had people over at our place for a barbecue because Dustin and Rebekah were out from Calgary. Molly got a little excited around Kai and knocked him over but hopefully next time he'll be strong enough to handle her. We had a good time chatting and catching up with them (and finding out baby #2 is on the way).

Just this last weekend we were out at the Glen for a very hot couple days. We spent most of our full day down in the river and the pool and playing in the shade. We had lots of good food, relaxed a lot and got to have campfires unlike here in BC with the fire ban.

Tomorrow we leave again to go camping down in Washington at a park called Fort Ebey. Our neighbor who goes RVing all the time recommended it so we're looking forward to it. Molly's coming along so hopefully she's good being at the campsite and all the little adventures we go on. That will most likely be our last big outing of the summer and then Chris needs to start getting ready for school and I need to start getting my mind ready for getting called into classrooms that possibly don't have teachers to leave me any material the first couple weeks. That could be a little scary. Well, this room is already getting hot so that's all for now.

Summer Photos

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Surfin' in the USA


By Unknown
We're back from our camping trip and are now packing again to leave for Herbert tomorrow. It was a good trip down the coast, a little cooler and cloudier right on the coast than 10 minutes inland but overall a good time. We headed down Thursday morning and made it to our site in the late afternoon. We decided to set up all our tents on one site instead of two and canceled our other site since we all could fit in one. First thing we did was checked out the foggy beach and some of the boys skimboarded for a bit. Then we headed back for a wiener roast and had a relaxing night by the fire. The next morning we took our time eating and then headed a little south to a surfing beach called Cape Kiwanda. It was pretty foggy until the afternoon when the sun finally started shining and all the surfers got nice burnt faces. I hung out on the beach and walked to the other end where other surfers were. After hauling all our gear back to the rental shop everyone was pretty exhausted. We came back to our site and cooked up some spaghetti and garlic bread and then enjoyed a sunset at the beach and hung out by the fire. The next morning we had a big brunch and then packed up and headed to a state park near Tacoma where we camped for the night. This site was a double joined site and was a lot more private and shaded than our last. The beach definitely wasn't as good or as close but it was a good spot to camp. That night us girls hiked from the beach to the campsite while the boys rode around in Jason's truck getting fire wood. The rest of the night was spent enjoying a never ending fire while we burned all the wood we had left. Sunday we went our separate ways with us and Ryan and Cheryl going to the Mariners game against the Yankees and the other four stopping by the outlet malls on the way home. The baseball game was a blow-out so it wasn't too exciting but it was a perfect afternoon for watching a game.



Now we have our semi-final baseball game tonight and then we head to Herbert tomorrow morning for almost two weeks at the farm. We're hoping Molly will be able to drive in a car for that long and that she'll do good at the farm. We're looking forward to seeing everyone and having some good times out in SK.
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Good Golly Miss Molly


By Unknown
Summer has finally arrived and it's actually getting hot! We've had some good times with friends already and look forward to more adventures like our camping/surfing trip to Oregon in a few days and heading out to SK in about a week. Our biggest news lately is that we got a dog. Her name is Molly and she is an almost 2 year old Puggle (pug/beagle). Her previous owner didn't have enough time for her and so that's how we got her. We've almost had her for a week now and she's been adjusting really well. It was nice that she already came house trained and knows how to obey pretty well. She just needs to work on coming when we call her but other than that she's a good little pup. She's pretty cute and we're enjoying having her around.

Some other things that have been going on is we had a bbq a few weeks ago to hang out with the people that we have girls and guys night with. Each week either the guys or the girls meet to discuss and pray together and we've all had a really good time doing this and forming deeper relationships. We played some baseball and frisbee in the field behind our house before hanging out on the deck with lots of good food. A few weeks before that we went with Ryan and Cheryl to start the hiking season by hiking up Bear Mountain near Harrison Lake. It was a 20 km hike that took us about 5.5 hours, so not the easiest first hike of the season but we survived and there was a great view at the top. We'll hopefully be doing more hikes throughout the summer, especially since I got new boots to do it!



That's all for this update, time to go enjoy the sun.
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The mustache is coming back in style


By Unknown
Hi blog readers (if there are any of you still out there),

I've been on a bit of a hiatus but now I'm back. These past couple months that I've been gone have been pretty busy as far as work goes. I've worked some full weeks and baseball is also in full swing (although it keeps raining and most have been canceled). We've only got a few more weeks left of school and then summer break begins! We have some fun stuff planned like a camping trip to Oregon, visiting Herbert, going to the Glen and whatever other stuff might come up.

The latest big news around here is that Chris got his dream job for next year at his school in a permanent position. He'll be teaching mostly Grade 9 Science and PE with a math class and a PE 8 class in there too. He was pretty excited and glad to know that they want him back at that school. My plans are to just keep TOCing and hopefully to get on the list in the Chilliwack district when they actually start hiring again (which isn't looking to good these days).

Some exciting things that have happened recently is our mustache party at Jen's place in Vancouver. Jen just moved back from Edmonton a little while ago and now she's moved into the city to work casual at the Vancouver Hospital as a physiotherapist. She had a bunch of us over to her cozy place and we had fun eating chili, playing games and of course wearing mustaches (and hiding them all over her house later on). We were supposed to play bocce in a park nearby but it rained pretty good so we found ways to entertain ourselves inside all day. Here's some proof of what a fun night it was...


Chris and I also just celebrated our 4th anniversary last Friday and decided to make a weekend of it by heading up to Whistler for two nights. We had a relaxing getaway strolling around the village, eating good food and going for a hike nearby. We tried to see some Olympic things like the bobsled run and the ski jump but it was all closed off and we weren't able to get a view of it. There was still snow on the tops of the mountains so we didn't take any lifts up since it might have been a little too early in the summer to hike up there. Other than someone pounding on our door at 2am on our second night it was a great relaxing trip.


Hopefully now that summer is starting and we'll be doing more fun things I'll keep this updated more often. Thanks to you who still check it faithfully, if only I knew who you were...
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Spring Break Shananigans


By Unknown
Spring break has come and gone and now it's back to work. We had a great trip down to Long Beach Washington for most of our Spring Break. On our drive down we drove through every kind of weather, sunny, then rainy, then snowy, then back to sunny, it was pretty crazy. We stayed for three nights at a little 9 room bed and breakfast that was literally ten feet from the beach. It had a jacuzzi tub, fireplace, patio and delicious scones, yogurt, fruit and juice for breakfast. I would highly recommend it if anyone wants a nice getaway but maybe just in low season, it's a little pricey during summer. Anyways, we took our time getting there, stopping by the outlet malls on the way so we got there in the evening. We explored the beach for a bit and then went to a pizza place that looked like an old tavern and when we asked for our left-over's to be boxed up they gave us a piece of tin foil. You know you're in a small town when they give you tin foil to wrap up your left-over's. The next day it was rainy and windy so we decided to just relax in our room for most the day. We did get out and got some salt water taffy from the Marsh's free museum where we also saw this creepy "Jake the Alligator man" which is supposedly half man, half alligator. They had many other weird things in this museum like a two-headed calf and strange old coin machines. We had lunch at a little family restaurant where I had the best clam chowder I've ever had. The rest of the day we read, napped, watched dvd's and just relaxed. The last full day we had some sunshine so we headed south and checked out the State Parks along the way that had some trails and lighthouses and beaches to see. We found a cool little cove where the waves would crash against the rocks and have a little entrance into the cove and would fill it up if they came in at the right spot. That was probably one of our favorite spots that we found. After eating lunch beside a beach called Waikiki beach we drove to Astoria, Oregon. We walked around the town for a little bit, had some drinks in a cool coffee shop and then tried to find the house where the Goonies was filmed but we couldn't find it. When we were coming back to our place we drove along the beach to get there. This was another highlight, there were a whole bunch of entrances where you could just go out on the beach with your car and drive down the beach for quite a while. That night we had some great pasta dishes at a restaurant right beside our place. The day we left we stopped by more shopping places and got some baseball gear and stuff for the house. It was a very relaxing trip and definitely worth the 6 hour drive to get there.



On Saturday we went snowboarding up at Manning with Paul and Jamie. It was a beautiful day and there was lots of fresh snow, so it was perfect. We got in about ten runs before heading home and then got to relax in Jamie's parents hot tub before we went to our place to bbq some burgers and play games. Jen came over to join us for games as she's now officially a BC resident and we'll hopefully be seeing a lot more of her now.

So that was our Spring Break, I'd say it was a great one. Now just three more weeks and we get to have another adventure to Herbert for Easter. And then after that only two more months until summer!
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Olympic Fever!


By Unknown
We are sad that the Olympics have come to an end. We really got into them this time around, seeing as how they were happening within hours of us. Although we didn't get tickets to any events (which we regret), we were able to join in the festivities down in Vancouver two weekends ago. We went with my brother and his girlfriend Marie and Eric and Carmen and probably picked one of the nicest and busiest days to go but that made us really have a feel for all the hype that the Olympics brought. The sun was shining and we spent hours walking around just taking in all the different displays, crowds and pavilions that were set up. We only made it into two pavilions, the Saskatchewan house (which only took about 20 minutes to get into) and the Sochi house (which is where the Olympics are in 2014, this took about 2 1/2 hours to get into). The pavilions we went into though were not that great so we wished we would've picked better ones like the Canadian Mint Pavilion where you could see Olympic medals from various Olympics or the BC house which was supposed to be good too. But that's okay, we really just wanted to be downtown and experience the craziness that the Olympics brought with streets filled of people, performers juggling on uni-cycles and we even briefly saw the "snow leopard" (who was the only athlete from Ghana). So all in all it was a good time but we wish we could've seen/done more.



Not much else has been going on with us but we did have something very strange happen to us the other night. We were walking home in the evening from my parents place after having supper and were going through the school field behind our house when we saw all these people scattered out on the field with red headlamps and flashlights. They were all on their knees and to us it looked like they were doing some sort of worship dance to the earth because they kept moving their lights around. We looked out our bedroom window when we got home and they were still there even when we went to bed. The next day Chris brought it up at school and one of his co-workers said he had seen the same thing a few years ago and actually asked one of the people what they were doing. Turns out they were digging for worms. Still kind of strange but a little less unnerving than what we originally thought was happening. I don't think I have ever seen something so strange in my life.

Next week Chris has spring break so we're looking forward to a little getaway that we planned down on the Washington coast in a town called Long Beach. We booked a room at a nice Bed and Breakfast for 3 nights that is right on the beach and has its own patio and jacuzzi tub. Should be pretty relaxing. We're hoping for sunshine but if not it still looks like a great place to stay with lots to explore.
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Beautiful B.C.


By Unknown
Work is slow this week so I thought I'd catch up on the happenings around here. A few weekends ago we took advantage of the spring-like weather we've been having. We went for a hike up to Mt. Slesse with our friends Ryan and Cheryl. The hike took us about 5 hours in total (but that included walking up and down a logging road for two hours) and we had an amazing view at the base of Mt. Slesse. We hit snow pretty soon in our hike but it was nice and packed down so besides having to be careful with your footing the snow didn't slow us down too much. Supposedly there was a plane crash at the mountain about 50 years ago where everyone on board died. There was a memorial but it was covered in about 5 feet of snow so we didn't get to see much of that. It was a great hike and really refreshing to get outside in some great weather.

Taking a quick breather


Intense river crossing


Mountain range along the way


Getting close to Mt.Slesse


Mt.Slesse


All of us at the base of Mt.Slesse


The boys being goofs


Chris and I


Y-M-C....(I was the A)


Chris had his last basketball game of the season last night. His team won the Fraser Valley East and last night was the beginning of all the Fraser Valley's to get into Provincials. His team didn't seem to be on their best game last night and ended up losing and getting eliminated from any hopes of getting farther. Although it will be nice to have more free time I think Chris is going to miss coaching those boys.

Not much else has been going on around here. The Olympics have started and we're starting to regret not getting tickets to an event. I had a friend who was at the freestyle skiing where Canada won its first gold and I was pretty jealous. We're planning on heading into Vancouver this weekend though to share in some of the Olympic spirit downtown and see all the different displays they have there.
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January Flyby


By Unknown
It's feeling more and more like Spring around here especially since January just flew by. I worked 9 days in January which is almost as much as I worked in all of October-December. Things are starting to pick up I guess. Last week I worked 4 of those 9 days so that might have been a extreme week because this week I haven't worked any yet. We'll see, people say February is supposed to be busier. Other than working the only major things that happened to us in January was my birthday and going to Kelowna for a basketball tournament.

I turned 28 this year. For some reason that number seems old to me. I know, I know it's not that old but this year, the number 28, just made me sound old. To celebrate my oldness Chris and I went to see Avatar in 3D and even though we had to sit in the 4th row, it was still very good. We also went for supper at White Spot, one of my favorites. The next day we had the gang over for some cake and games and it was a good time had by all. The thing is, even though my age feels old, I don't, and I guess that's all that matters.

Only having two candles to light made it a little easier than 28


Officially 28


Eating some cake

The next weekend we headed to Kelowna for a basketball tournament Chris had got his team into. He was a little nervous this being the first time he had brought a team on an overnight event but it went great. There were tonnes of parents there to help out and the guys on his team are really good kids so there really was no need to worry. Friday night they won their first game and on Saturday they lost their second and won their last. So overall they came in third which I think they were pretty happy about. It was good for them to have tougher competition because they only have one other team that they regularly play out here that they don't beat by at least 30 points every game. This week they're getting ready for Fraser Valleys and then hopefully Provincials, we'll see how far they can go.

Chris giving them a pep talk


They started getting better at not swatting for the ball


Intense defense


Warm-up's


Jump Ball


The team with their third place plaque
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More Renos and Christmas at our Place


By Unknown
I know I've been on another hiatus from blogging but I'll try better from now on. We've finally finished most of our renovations, just one more room that we'd like to paint (or that I'd like to paint) but we don't know when we'll get to it. We were painting and hanging pictures and cleaning up until December 23rd, just in time for all our company. But it got done and we are happy with the results. The family room was done a while ago but I put up Christmas decorations before taking pictures of what it looked like. All we did to this room was re-painted over some spots in the same color and put up a new fan and lights and my dad added new wainscoting to the back of the room where their massive TV used to be. We didn't want it to be one long room anymore so we split it up to make it a little cozier.

What it looked like the day we moved in


The completed room with our new couches


The little reading nook


One more angle

The hallway and stairway were the bane of my existence for about two weeks. What we thought would take a couple days to paint literally took almost two weeks. No matter how I painted the paint seemed to leave these shadows of where the sections overlapped and looking the other way it almost looked white in these spots. It didn't make sense since we had used this paint throughout our house and didn't have any problems until the hallway. Trying different paint and using an extension pole helped eventually and it's as good as it's going to get because I'm not going to paint it for a long time again.


The nice pinkish tone that was in most of the house before


Painting a stairwell is very tricky


The finished result with new bench, mirror, coat hooks and light


The last room we did before everyone got here was our living/dining room. Thankfully we didn't have paint issues so it was a matter of moving around all the junk that was piled in that room to get to the ceilings, trim and walls. I think that the color we chose for this room is one of my favorites in the whole house. We need a few more "home decor" pieces in this room but it's pretty much complete and how we want it. We kept my parents old massive coffee tables but my dad just re-stained them a darker color to match our furniture. They help fill the room and will be great for playing games on with a big group of people.


The pink room the day we moved in


The piles of stuff we had to maneuver around


The finished living room


The finished dining room (minus a tablecloth and picture on the far wall)


Turning yellow into white


Last day of painting


After all our cleaning and fixing things up we were ready for the Christmas festivities to begin. On Christmas Eve my parents and brother and his girlfriend came over for some gift openings. My mom spoiled us like crazy once again but I was surprised how she held back on getting clothes, this year it was all about Wii games. The next day Chris and I had our own Christmas in the morning and made sure all the beds and air mattresses were ready to go for the family when they got here. We went and picked up all the Falks at the airport in the afternoon and came home to a turkey feast at our place. We fit 12 people around our table, probably the most we'll ever have but it worked and it was delicious. The next day we were crazy enough to go into Vancouver for the day. Why I say we were crazy is because it was Boxing Day and we went to Metrotown, one of the biggest malls near Vancouver, and let's just say it was nuts. I did find some snowboarding boots (which I got refunded $40 more just a week ago) so it wasn't all for nothing, except that they were cheaper last week than on Boxing Day. Anyways, we wanted to go to Stanley Park and see the horizon of Vancouver from across the bay but it was way to foggy to see anything across the water so we headed to Metrotown earlier than expected. We all went out for supper to Red Robin and then the boys left us and went to the Canucks game as us girl drove home and watched a movie. The next morning we went to Cultus Lake and did some family pictures in the sunshine. The whole time everyone was here it was beautiful and sunny so now they can never say it always rains in B.C. That afternoon we had a mini Braun gathering at our place as the Williamson's and Colin and his girlfriend Amanda all came over. We ate food, played games and had a good time. The last day everyone was here we just relaxed at home. We stopped by Chris' school for everyone to see and of course the guys had to play some basketball. We ended the night by playing a murder mystery and Kevin ended up being the murderer, of all people it had to be Kevin. The next morning we were already driving them to the airport and that was that. It was a quick visit but a good one and we were really happy for them all to see our new place and fill up all the extra space we have.


Our Christmas and New Year


Once the family had left we had one day of doing laundry and relaxing before we headed down to The Glen for New Years with Eric, Carmen, Mike and Sarah. The first day was filled with games, movies and relaxing and the second day we headed to Baker and snowboarded in some nice fresh powder. My new boots worked great and I remembered how to snowboard really quickly. Carmen and I spent most of the day together so the boys could go off and do their fast between trees and whatnot stuff they do. When we all got back we were welcomed by Sarah who had made us some good but very very very spicy chili. It was pretty funny because we were all sitting there with red faces, blowing our noses and taking off layers of clothes as Sarah kept apologizing for how hot it was. It definitely gave us a memory to remember. After the spice cooled off we headed down to the hot tub for a little bit and then came back and played some games as we waited for the New Year to roll in. We celebrated the New Year with Christmas cracker explosions and sparkling apple juice and at about 12:20 we were all in bed.

Christmas and New Years flew by and now it's already the second week of school. I've only worked three days so far but am expecting much more in the next couple weeks as people start getting sick again. The days that I don't work I spend making my 2009 yearbook and a book for our Europe trip so that keeps me busy. I'll be happy once I get more work though. Chris is back at school, coaching basketball and really enjoying the group of guys he has to coach. We're heading to Kelowna next weekend with his team for a tournament so that should be fun. I turn 28 tomorrow, when did that happen? 28 sounds old to me. Hopefully this year will bring new adventures and not too many trials, we're looking forward to it.
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