Our Adventures

Once again I have denied my blog and have a lot of catching up to do. It has been very busy around here these days. I've been working pretty much full time, Chris finished volleyball and is now coaching basketball and some weeks it seems like we have no breaks to just relax. But it has been good. We even got our first official snow fall that stuck yesterday so that means winter is upon us! Which means there's only 4 weeks until Christmas break. Now that's something to look forward to.

In October we had my cousin from Denmark come visit us for a couple days. She was on vacation seeing Seattle, then us and then onto  New York. We were able to show her Vancouver one day and walked for hours on end all over the city making sure she saw all that was worth seeing. We got lucky with some good weather that day. The next day I took her to see some local views where she could see the mountains of BC. We did that in the rain but it made it a true BC experience. It was a good to see her again even though it was so quick.



Cindie Visits

In the middle of October Chris' parents came to visit us. They came for Chris' birthday where he got spoiled with a Canucks Jersey, Fantuz' name and number on his Roughriders jersey and a Tassimo coffee maker. Oh and I can't forget the various princess gear that Ryan and Cheryl showed up with for him when we had cake that night. Chris' parents spent the week while we were working seeing the Williamson's and shopping down in the States. Then they came back Thursday and Chris and his dad went to a Canucks game while his mom and I stayed home and ate pizza and watched Grey's Anatomy. We decided to drive up to Whistler on the Sunday before they left because they had never seen it before. We walked around the village and even checked out the bobsled run, even though no bobsleds were practicing it was kind of neat to see. The rest of our time we spent just relaxing.



Chris' Parents Visit

In between working I found time to take some more pictures of Josiah for Josh and Cassie. She wanted some of him with a naked bum so we went for it, he peed a few times, spraying the wall and the floor but I think we got some good shots. I also took some family pictures for Mike and Sarah for Carter's one year photos. He wasn't too sure of me taking pictures but we still got some cute ones. What parents do to make their kids laugh, that's all I'll say about that...



Josiah



Carter - One Year Old

Last weekend Chris found a new activity that he likes to do, snowshoeing. He went hiking with some guys he knows from his school and they had to snowshoe for most of it. He had a blast and now this has made him want to buy expensive gear to do it more (which I'm not such a big fan of).  We also headed down to Seattle last weekend to see the Seahawks actually win a game against the Baltimore Ravens. After about an hour of looking for free parking we finally found some and just made it to the game after kickoff. We had pretty good seats and were lucky it didn't rain because we weren't under the covered area. The game was pretty good too so it was worth the trip. We stayed the night just north of Seattle in Lynnwood, had some delicious Red Robin for supper and then shopped for some school clothes at the outlet malls before we headed home on Monday.



Needle Peak



Seahawks Game

Now with only a month until Christmas break I'm sure it will fly by and we will be enjoying our break soon enough. Can't wait!

Things have started to get busy around here, school is in full swing. I didn't work much the first week but I've been pretty much working everyday since then so it's been good. Before work started up we took advantage of the great weather and spent some time with our friends. We had an end of the summer bbq at our place where we got to snuggle with two babies, play some games and just enjoy each others company. On the long weekend us and Ryan and Cheryl drove up to Squamish and hiked the Stawamus Chief which is a very well known mountain for rock climbing because one of its sides is pretty much a sheer cliff. We hiked to all three peaks and got to see some amazing views. It was a really fun hike where we had to climb up ladders and between grooves in the rocks at some points. We made it down in time to have a dip in the hot tub at our hotel and then go for supper. The rest of the night we spent relaxing and went to bed early. It was a fun little getaway and a great place to go that wasn't too far away.

Only a little over a week until school starts up again. We're ready to get back into a routine but this summer sure did fly by. We've been enjoying this crazy hot weather and laying low some days when it's just too hot to do anything outside. After a week of being home from Herbert Chris had the chance to fly back and help farm for a week. He really enjoyed being able to be a part of the work out there since we never seem to be there when it's time for harvest. While he was off working 15 hour days I was relaxing at home for the most part. Caught up on reading the Hunger Games trilogy, went for a hike, walked the dog lots. I also finished editing Jay and Sam's wedding pics so now they are ready for your viewing pleasure. I think they were happy with them and I'm quite happy with how they turned out too.

It's hard to believe that our trip to Saskatchewan has come and gone. We were galavanting all over the province that time just flew by. We had a great time doing all the different things we did this time around. Let's start from the beginning....

Summer is in full swing and we are enjoying it! Our first full week out of school we spent relaxing, seeing friends, decking (pun intended) out our deck with patio lights, jumping in the lake, reading good books...summer life is good.

Basement Renos, Hiking and Fondue Party
Last weekend we hiked up Elk with Ryan and Cheryl. It was a little cloudy but we could still see the Valley once we got to the top and it make for perfect hiking weather. There were a few spots near the top that we had to hike through snow but that made for extra intenseness. Molly is really in her element going on hikes, just sniffing the whole way up, it's probably one of her favorite things to do.
Last night I had a girly night with my girls night group. We were planning on doing pedicures and painting nails but once we got to watching our movie none of us really felt like it, except Carmen who got her toes painted by Rebekah. It was a great relaxing night with some great chocolate fondue and just as good company.
Only one more day for me teaching French and Library. I have to get all their marks in by the end of Monday so hopefully all of them have handed everything in by then because there's no looking back after that. It's been a really great opportunity but I'm definitely ready for school to wrap up and summer to begin. Chris is done school on Tuesday with the kids and then just has school for teachers to plan for next year until next Thursday the 30th, when I'll be done too because that's when elementary schools end. We already have one adventure planned at the beginning of July, to go white water rafting with Ryan and Cheryl on the Thompson River near Lytton. Then before we know it we'll be coming through Calgary to see Dustin and Rebekah and their boys and onto Herbert to let the good times begin. We can't wait. Now if only the sun would come out so it feels like summer...

Wow, has it really been more than two months since my last post? Well, it has been a busy couple of months. Let's see...where to begin. We've finally finished renovating our basement but I still have to hang pictures up so photos of that will come later. At the same time we were ripping out the garden so we have more grass area in our backyard. We transplanted a few of the bushes and trees and have made our yard a lot more clean and simple. Now we're just waiting for the grass to grow, which it is, but hopefully it will fill in because right now it's looking pretty patchy.

We are back to the real world after an amazing getaway to Kauai. If anyone's every thinking of getting away to a sunny, low key place, I definitely recommend Kauai. There was so much to see and so many great beaches to relax on without tonnes of people. Most beaches we went to had only about 20 other people on them, some only had two other people, it really felt like our own little island at times. Here's a recap on some stuff we did.

The first couple days we checked out the North since that was where we stayed (at Princeville). Our first day we checked out some beaches like Hideaways (where there were only 3 other people) and Tunnels where we got to try out our snorkeling skills. We also checked out Hanalei village and got some shave ice which is the island's big thing to get. It's basically like a Slurpee, I didn't mind it, Chris like his ice cream better.

Our second day we hiked the Napali Coast as far as we could go without having to go camping and get a permit. We hiked for about an hour to a beach that had random stray cats on it (I don't know how they got there) and then hiked back to spend some time snorkeling and relaxing at Ke'e Beach which was right at the trail entrance.

The next two days we went down south. The first day we went to this place called Maha'lepu Beach which was basically a trail in a meadow on top of these lithified cliffs. It was one of my favorite spots, we got caught in a 5 minute down pour and then dried off in about the same amount of time. Then we headed to Poipu beach, which was by far the busiest beach we went to but it was still a great little spot. Before heading for supper we checked out a blowhole that was just down the road and then got some burgers at Bubba's, which is the island's burger joint that uses only Kauai beef. When we got home, the sun was just setting so we walked down the road a few minutes to a lookout and watched it set with Bali Hai (a popular shot in movies) as the backdrop.

The next day we headed to the arid West side and drove up and up and up until we got to the top of the Waimea Canyon. It was pretty crazy to think this canyon was on the same island, it felt like we were in Arizona. At the very top we could see the Kalalau Valley which is where the whole Napali Coast hike ends, it was pretty cool to look down as we were basically in the clouds. We decided to do some more snorkeling at Poipu and there just happened to be a sea turtle and a monk seal (which there are only 500 of left) suntanning on the beach. I specifically said that day that I needed to see a turtle so I was excited. I've always wanted to see a sea turtle while I was in Hawaii and I got to do it, it made my day. The snorkeling at Poipu that day was probably the best we'd done all trip so it was definitely a good day.

Then the last couple days we spent back up on the North side. We went to Queen's bath which is a place that has these pools in the rocks you can swim in when the tide is low. The tide was definitely not low when we were there but it was a cool place to watch the waves break. Just next to this spot was Secret's Beach which was a nice beach but quite wavy so we didn't spend too long there. We decided to go back to Ke'e beach (the farthest beach on the north before the Napali Coast) because we really liked it and stayed there until sunset. It was definitely worth the wait to see those beautiful colors over the ocean.

The second last day we were there we hiked down to a secluded beach near our place that only had two other people on it. We had a good suntanning session and I talked to a hippy about what he was looking for in the sand. I found out he was collecting these tiny spiral shells you can only find in Hawaii that he makes necklaces out of. Looked like a lot of work. After grabbing some lunch at our place we then went to a beach more locals go to and rode the waves there. Who needs a surfboard. I got a swimsuit full of sand but it was a lot of fun. Right up the road from this beach was a very hidden but very cool spot where there are lava pools. If the tides were down more there were all these pools you could swim in but instead we watched the waves come crashing in and fill them up, didn't look too safe to go in but it was cool to see.

And our last day we walked down the hill from our place to a beach called Pu'u Poa which was across from Hanalei Bay. We could've actually walk to Hanalei if we crossed the river but we didn't want to risk it with the tide coming in. We walked around that beach and watched the more experienced surfers do their thing out in the bay. Then to end our trip we went to the first beach we went to, Hideaways, and enjoyed some last suntanning and dips in the water. I'd say this trip is exactly what we needed. It was so relaxing and had such amazing views and places to see. We will definitely going back one day.


Since we've been back we've got right to work. I finished painting the basement bedroom and have finished cutting in the main room, so only a few more days of being able to paint and it should be finished and ready for some new floors. Chris trimmed the hedge too so a bit of our yard work has got started. We got to see a bunch of our friends last night at Denis and Andrea's new house so that was fun to play games and see everyone before the craziness of school begins again. Tomorrow I am going to make perogies for my first time with Cheryl while Ryan and Chris do who knows what. Then Monday it's back to work. I don't know if I'll get work right away but if it's anything like I had before Spring Break, I won't be getting much time to paint.

Spring break starts in approximately 6 hours. I'm pretty sure I'm not working today so I thought I'd write a post before we take off for Kauai. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I got hired by Chilliwack as a TOC on March 1st and have been working everyday since then. Today is my first day off (I think). It's been good making that transition, having an extra half hour to sleep in, using less gas and building some relationships with staff here so they can "unofficially" request me to work for them. I think we're both definitely ready for a break though. This year we get two weeks for spring break but it will be our only one because next year we go back to one week. I think we're going to make the most of it.

Last weekend we had a lot of fun with a group of our friends up at Whistler. We headed up there Friday night which took 5 hours instead of 3 because we hit a blanket of snow just outside of Squamish. It was slow going but we made it to our cozy cabin. The next day the girls went cross-country skiing and the boys hit the hills for some snowboarding. Andrea and Denis stayed and relaxed in the cabin because Andrea got a bad cold or strep throat the night before. At least they had some time to relax away from their 4 kids. Us girls had a great time skiing around Lost Lake. Cheryl was a little more pro than Carmen and I because she is a skier so she knew how to handle the bigger hills, Carmen and I liked to handle them by walking down them. The time I did try to go down a bigger hill, I face planted into a snow bank (which you'll see a picture of).With a few wipe outs and laughing at ourselves as we kept slipping to get uphill, it was a fun experience. The conditions we perfect, we were actually warm, the sun was out for a bit and we even got some snowflakes. The guys also had a great time in at least a foot of fresh powder that had fallen the night before. Once we had all made it back to the cabin Denis and Andrea had cooked us a delicious supper and dessert which was perfect to come back to from a day out in the snow. We spent the rest of the evening playing lots of games, roasting marshmallows by the fire and having some good conversations. The next morning we took it easy, Chris and I made some brunch and we played a few games, then slowly packed up. We headed to the village for a bit to walk around and then headed home. It was a great fun-filled weekend that we'll definitely try to do again.


And now we look forward to our Spring Break. Going to Kauai for a week is what we're most looking forward to of course but we have some other things to get done when we come home. Chris will be trimming our massive hedge and hopefully I will finish painting the basement. We also wanted to remove the garden in our backyard but that may have to wait. Well, I've got lots of stuff to do before we take off so you'll hear from us again after our trip!

Life has finally got back into the swing of things around here and it's been so busy. As many of you know, we found out that we lost our baby when we were 13 weeks (about a month and a half ago) but it had died at 9 weeks. This was a shock to us and those around us and took a while to sink in. I had a D & C the day before my birthday which went well and I was able to get my mind off of things for a while with all our friends that came over to celebrate my 29th with me. It was great to have friends over and to discuss with another couple late into the night how it felt after losing this baby since they just went through the same thing. This winter has definitely been one of the hardest we have had to go through but having that support is definitely what has got us through it, so thanks to everybody who was there with food, flowers, an ear to listen and time to distract us and get our minds off of things.

There have been some good times in the last month or so also. We've had a few good snow falls, including one that just happened. Even though it doesn't stick around for long it's been fun to be out playing around in it and to just see the nice white blanket it leaves. Last month we had a really good snow dump and we started making some snowmen. I decided to make two, one for my dad and one for our baby. It was kind of a silly way of commemorating them but at the time it felt very real. As time goes by it gets easier but they are always in the back of my mind.

Since I've gotten my energy back I've also started doing things I wouldn't be doing if I was pregnant. I went snowboarding and still remember how, I've started painting the basement again and have got all the ceilings done and almost one room, I've also started swimming again trying to start up a regular routine to get back in shape. I've also been very very busy with teaching this month. The flu has hit hard and I'm lucky I have not got it and have been able to work for all those sick teachers. Chris has been busy finishing up the basketball season, where they won their district but lost in their second Fraser Valley tournament game.


There are many things we are looking forward too these days. Tomorrow I finally have an interview to become a Teacher on Call for Chilliwack. It has been a long time waiting (almost two years) and I am hopeful that I will get hired and be able to get my foot in the door in this district. The only thing that comes with that is giving up my job in Abbotsford so I am always available to work in Chilliwack. This I'm kind of sad about because I've built up a good amount of relationships with teachers in good classrooms that have started requesting me quite often. But in the end I want to get a job in Chilliwack and this is the only way it will be able to happen. Next weekend we are heading up to Whistler for the weekend with 4 other couples. We have a cabin we went to a few years ago that we will all be staying in and the boys are going snowboarding while the girls are going cross-country skiing on the Saturday. I'm sure it will be a weekend filled with very little sleep but a lot of fun. Then comes Spring Break which is what we're looking forward to the most. From March 15-22 we are heading to the island of Kauai (an island of Hawaii). We've booked our flights and a condo which is right across from the beach and can't wait to soak up the sun, go for some hikes and adventures and find some great relaxing beaches. We decided that this was the year to go since we are baby-free, it's our 5 year anniversary in June and with everything we've been through we just want to get away. We really don't know much about Kauai except that it is beautiful, has some of the best beaches in the world and there are lots of little adventures to do since about 90% of the island is not accessible by vehicle. Can't wait!

We are back to the grind after having a few weeks of relaxing and seeing family and friends. It snowed yesterday though so it seems like it should still be Christmas. We had a good break and got spoiled once again. Before we headed out to Herbert Chris and I had our Christmas together one morning with Molly. That evening we went over to have supper and open gifts with my mom and brother. It was definitely a somber Christmas not having my dad there. I know he would've laughed so hard seeing my brother's dog Keyla with her new soother toy that she kept sucking on. And seeing Chris try on the Snugli that my mom got us to carry the baby around in. Those are the things that made me a little sad, knowing he wasn't able to be there for that. I think those moments will always happen but I just hope that he is seeing them from where his spirit is right now.


We went to Herbert for about a week and it was good to just get away and be in a different setting surrounded by family having fun. Randi and I set up the tree with a little help from the boys. We were able to check out Kevin and Alysha's new house a few times and had a fondue supper for our first time there. We also got to see other relatives throughout our time while we were there. We tried out tubing one day, it was good on the yard but once we went to a hill on a different farm it was not so much fun anymore. It was so cold and windy so Randi and I went into the truck to wait for the boys. We killed the truck by not turning it on fully and so Chris' dad had to come rescue us and give us a jump. We spent a lot of time on puzzles (well Randi and I did), playing games, eating snacks and of course watching the new 46" TV. I cuddled a lot with the kitty, or at least tried to when she was not trying to escape. The boys even rearranged the living room and hung pictures. It was a good break, we had a lot of fun and can't wait for everyone to come out here in May for Colin's wedding.

When we got home we celebrated New Years Eve with Josh, Cassie and Ryan and Cheryl at Ryan and Cheryl's place. We played some games and rung in the New Year with Champagne and sparkling apple juice. It was a low key New Years but that's just fine with me.

Chris was able to go snowboarding at Baker the day before school started with Ryan and Eric. They lucked out on a beautiful sunny day and they seemed to have a good day. I spent the day with my mom browsing baby items but not buying anything quite yet.

Now we're back to work and it's going to be a busy couple of months. Chris has basketball many times a week until the end of February. I've worked two days since we started up and it was definitely tough adjusting, I think I went to bed at 8pm on Thursday night because I was so tired. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things better this coming week. This Thursday we have our early ultrasound to get an official due date. I'm just hoping everything is healthy and going smoothly in there. I'm also turning the big 2-9 on Saturday and we're having a bunch of friends over for games. The weather says it's supposed to snow a lot though but hopefully the roads will be good enough for them to come out.

On my calendar I made for this year, I called it the "year of changes". It was when I knew I was pregnant but before my dad had died. It will definitely be a year of adjusting to having a new life and an old one not being here anymore. We are excited for this new adventure and hope that it will bring us the joy that we lost a little bit of exactly 4 weeks ago.