Our Adventures

We have made it back from the Land of Living Skies and were welcomed by crazy hot weather. It's actually cloudy today so it's a nice change from our +40 we had yesterday. Our trip out to SK was a good one, we had lots of great family time, relaxing time and adventures.

We are back from our first big adventure of the summer. We left last Saturday for Blue River so we wouldn't have a long drive to the lake the morning of the trip. We met up the Sheas in Kamloops at both Mcdonalds and the Shell station and then met up again once we all got to our hotel in Blue River. Since we had some time before supper we headed to Eleanor Lake which was a nice little lake in Blue River that had a few docks and even a little waterside. After that we had some fine dining at the Husky truck stop and then headed to bed early.

Day 1

Once we found it, we drove up a 25km logging road that got us to the portage entrance for Murtle Lake. We got all our stuff loaded up and headed down the trail to the lake. The sun was shining and the lake was completely calm. We paddled through the lagoon and then had our lunch break at the first beach in the actual lake. The kids started fishing as soon as they could and we enjoyed dipping our feet in the refreshingly cold water. After that little pit stop we paddled on to Strait Creek. We saw some great reflections of the mountains in the water and some loons along the way. Strait Creek had a huge beach for us to set up all our tents in a row and we made sure to create some shade for them with our tarps because it was hot! After getting camp set up we all went for a dip and the men made sure to sink their beer in a bag with rocks to cool off (as would be routine at every campsite we had).  We also set up a huge tarp that came in handy for a shady cooking area on the beach. After supper some people went swimming again, some went out trolling for fish and some just enjoyed the sunset. It was a great start to the trip.

Day 2

Our plan for this day originally was to have everyone hike up the Wavy Ridge trail and camp there for the night. But because of the sweltering heat and not knowing what the trail was like or if there was water up there, just Jason, Gerad, Chris and I went for a day hike. We were given a saw by the ranger on our first day because we had told him we were planning on going up there so he said to cut down any fallen trees that we could. It was good for me to have some breaks along this steep trail as the guys sawed away at logs. It took us about 3.5 hours to get to the ridge and from there we saw that it would've been a great spot to camp. Next time. We had some great views of the alpine around us and next time we will go further to find the alpine lakes that were about another 45 minutes. We made it back to camp and the first thing we did was pump water and drank about 1l each. This is where Chris decided to stand in the creek with his phone in his pocket. He got it into a bag of rice pretty quick but it's safe to say that his phone is dead now. We cooked our suppers near the creek at a spot another family had the night before and as we were finishing up we welcomed a group of kayakers that we knew from Chilliwack. Once supper was all cleaned up the boys floated down the creek to cool off. We then had one of our few campfires of the trip and roasted marshmallows.

Day 3

This morning was very buggy so we were ready to pack up camp and head somewhere else. We paddled up the North arm and found our own little private beach at Wavy View. Just across the lake from us was a view of the ridge we had hiked. It was a little squishier at this site but Jason and Wendy set up their tent on the beach and it worked out great. This beach was great because the mountain behind us created shade by 3pm and so it was a perfect temperature. Jason almost caught a big fish this day but it slipped away from him as he was trying o get it into his boat. We enjoyed watching a pair of loons that kept swimming by our beach. We played a lot of "I'm going camping and I'm bringing..." around supper time. We knew a fire ban was happening the next day so we took advantage of it and roasted as many marshmallows as we could this night. A few of us enjoyed the fire until it died down and as we were going to bed watched the orange moon rise over the mountains.

Day 4

Another day at Wavy View. The smoke from surrounding forest fires was coming in stronger today and we were starting to have a clouded view of the mountains across the lake from us. I started the day off with making a little sandcastle village with some of the kids. Jason and Jasper went out fishing and caught two little fish. So they got some experience at gutting and cooking the fish over the fire before the ban started at noon. It was actually quite tasty. There were many dips in the lake this day and we figured out a good system of sitting on our life jackets in the deep water to keep afloat. We had some entertainment too as Katrina and Gerad started the gunnel bobbing fun. There were some balance competitions but mostly just using the canoe as a diving board. In the evening the smoke was so thick we could barely make out the mountains. The kids decided to start digging huge holes in the beach to make a trap for whoever came next (don't worry we filled it in). Before bed the men and the boys jumped in the lake for bath time, the boys thought it was pretty funny.

Day 5

We said goodbye to Wavy View this day, took a group photo and made our way towards the West arm. We hit our first winds on this day as we paddled up to our last site. It made for some excitement as the waves almost went over the sides of the canoe.  We made it to Birch Beach or as we later named it "Leech Beach". We found some big leeches on this beach that Jasper liked to pick up with a stick and show everyone of course. It was a great site with a nice fire pit that we couldn't use because of the ban but that Gerad made into a good kitchen table for his crew. After setting up our tents in our own little private areas the kids went nuts digging in the sand building an imaginary Star Wars Tatooine city. I hung out in a perfect spot in my hammock just above them digging in the sand and got Amelie to make sure I was always rocking. The wind kept up all day so the kids tried out some body surfing and then really enjoyed flying their towels in the wind like kites. We all had supper in our best kitchens yet with many stumps to choose from for tables. After supper we enjoyed some pudding together which has become a last night tradition. The adults enjoyed some beach time when the kids were all in bed. Chris and I went for a sunset paddle once the wind died down and checked out Leo Island which is where we initially were planning to camp. We met up with the other Chilliwack group there who were the only ones on the island. It would've been a great spot to camp, guess we'll just have to go there next time. Before going to sleep Chris and I played scrabble on my iPad in the tent and I waited for the perfect moment to get a night shot of our tent by the beach.

Day 6

Our last day was the first day with clouds and drizzle more than once during the day. We left just in time, the crowds were coming in as we were going out and the weather was changing. Before leaving our site we all signed a canoe paddle that Gerad had carved and added it to the carving tree that was there. We paddled pretty good and only took 3 hours to get back to the dock. We played some charades along the way and took a few breaks in our canoes before we got there. Once we got to the dock there were about 6 other canoe groups heading onto the lake so we were glad we were leaving. We got our gear all loaded up and made the trek up the bug infested trail back to our cars. It was mostly uphill this way but it seemed shorter than the first time so that was good. Once we made it to the top there were high fives all around and the men cracked a few beers they had left in their trucks. Amelie was super happy because we found her stuffed moose that she thought she had lost. We took one last picture at the provincial park sign and then headed down the gravel road to Blue River. We all went to Eleanor Lake to swim but by the time we got there it was cold and rainy so Jason and Wendy said goodbye from there and headed to Clearwater but Gerad and Chris went for a quick dip. We were planning on getting back for our baseball games that night but we realized we wouldn't be able to so we took our time. We got some A&W in Clearwater and then headed home with a few signs of forest fires but nothing that bad. Supposedly the next day when Jason and Wendy drove back the Coquihalla Highway was closed because of smoke. We had a great trip, a place we will definitely go to again!

Murtle Lake Canoe Trip
When we got back, the next two days we had our final two pitch softball tournament. We ended up winning all of our games and tying one game. We won the championship game, something we have not been able to do the last couple years. I think we lost by one last year. It was great to actually win it all this year. After the games on Sunday we headed to Jeremy and Jenn's for a BBQ together and we all got a baseball for our awards of the season. Chris' was the golden glove award and mine was the Ford Focus award because I always say all the plays in the field. It was a great season!

Two Pitch Tournament
These next couple days we are getting little things done around the house and then packing up to head to Inevermere to see Chris' family. We plan on stopping in Yoho National Park on the way and camping/hiking there a bit. We're looking forward to seeing everyone and heading out to the farm after. Let another adventure begin!

Summer has officially begun and we have lots of fun things planned. At the end of spring we did a lot of stuff too so I wanted to get that blogged before we go off on our summer adventures.

One weekend in May, Jason and Wendy offered their Whistler condo to us for the weekend. So we headed up there with Paul and Jamie and the twins. The twins didn't have such a good night sleeping (making Paul and Jamie not have such a good night either) but we were able to have some fun the next day. The boys went snowboarding and us girls and the babies relaxed in the condo and then went to walk in the village for a bit. Paul and Jamie left that afternoon and then Chris and I stayed one more night, enjoying a walk at creekside in the sun and some perogies and sausage for supper. We finally got the last touches done on our ensuite (after 4 months) and are happy with the final result (except that I still don't have shelves for my linen closet). We won't be going with a contractor again for our other bathroom, hopefully just getting people that are specialized in one area will work a little better for getting the job done quickly. A few weeks ago we gutted that bathroom ourselves so that should save us some money in the end. The long weekend in May we headed down to the states for a night to do some shopping. My cousin, Jan, from Denmark just happened to be on a business trip in Seattle so we were able to work it out and go see him for a few hours. It was kind of surreal walking around Seattle with my cousin who the last time we saw him was 5 years ago in Denmark. It was great catching up, seeing some sights and having a beer with him. We always just continue on from where we left off no matter how long it's been in between visits. We're hoping him and his family will come visit next summer.

In May we started the beginnings of what turned into a full fledge strike. First it was just limiting communication with administrators and then the government decided to lock us out of school before and after and during recess and lunch and also took 10% off our wages. So during every break we had to leave as quickly as we could and go eat outside or in our cars. It was ridiculous and definitely did not help the students who usually would be working to catch up and get help during those times. Then in beginning of June we went on rotating strikes so one day a week different districts in the province would strike. This didn't seem to make any impact so very abruptly and chaotically we were told that it was the last day of school on Thursday, June 12th. Because our rotating strike day was a Friday that week we didn't have a day to think about it, we had to get our classrooms all cleaned and packed up and all the kids stuff sent home that day. It was madness finding out that day was our last and it really felt like something was taken from us not being able to have a proper goodbye to our students. The last two weeks of June were spent striking on 3.5-4 hour shifts each day but with no pay. Some days we made the best of it and played games, one day Chris' staff had their year end breakfast in the parking lot but most days it was quite boring. Especially at my school where no one sees you unless they purposely drive down the road to the school. It seems like most people that drove by were supportive of us but the strike didn't seem to make a difference to the decision makers of it all. Anyways, things are still not settled, summer school has been cancelled and it will most likely go into September. I'm just hoping that losing two pay checks will be worth it in the end and we won't just be dictated what to do by the government but will actually have some say in how education needs to change. Enough about that.

Besides striking we've had some chances to do fun things in between. We've soaked up the great weather and gone for lots of bike rides. We mostly go by the river but I did try some downhill one time and didn't like it very much not knowing what was around the next corner. Chris went for a hike with some guys in the states but ended up in a lot of snow. He also took Cory up the classic Chilliwack hike of Elk mountain for the first time. At the beginning of June we went to Whistler for a night and Chris ran the half marathon the next day. He came in a minute slower than last year but still did pretty good overall. We had some friends up there that were also running it so we were able to hang out after and have some lunch before heading home. Another weekend we were able to go into Vancouver to our friend Jen's house one night for a homemade pizza party. We all crammed in the tiny backyard soaking up the sun, playing with babies and eating delicious food. A few weekends ago we took the canoe out to Hicks Lake and enjoyed some ice cream at Harrison Lake afterwards. Chris has tried out some new activities this month like real rock climbing on the Chief in Squamish and downhill mountain biking at Vedder Mountain. Not like he needs more hobbies. We did a big hike last weekend up to Mt. Slesse. We tried to go where there is a airplane propellor from a crash years ago but there was still a lot of snow so it was probably buried. While we were looking at the mountain we heard a huge CRACK! and saw a piece of ice/snow fall off the ledge of the mountain. At first I thought we should run but then realized how high up the avalanche was. It was pretty cool to see...from a distance.

On Canada Day it was scorching hot and we joined some friends of friends for a baseball game which was probably not the best choice for how hot it was outside. After playing for a few hours the game sort of just fizzled so we went to shower and get changed and then went to a bbq with a bunch of people we didn't know. We knew a few people so we just stuck by them, played some bocce ball, played with the twins, ate some food and went home when not many people we knew were left. This last Monday we went to Chilliwack Lake for a night with Ryan, Cheryl and Rayna. It was very quiet and not as busy as we thought it would be. We got a great site, set up all our stuff and then Chris and I took Molly for a bike ride along the lake while the Rosteks went down to the beach. After relaxing for a bit at our site we went back down to the beach before supper. We roasted some wieners and had some delicious s'mores with reese's peanut butter bars for the chocolate. We played some games and then wrapped the day up with a relaxing time by the fire. Other than having to chase away a raccoon from some snacks that were left in the Rostek's beach bag it was a a good night. The next day we had a full breakfast with blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs. It was a good little trip, we'll have to do two nights next time. Yesterday we were given a not so nice surprise of our hot water tank leaking. Luckily, we got a plumber in right away and got a new tank within the day. Not an expense we were expecting, hopefully there won't be any more surprises like that in the near future. We've been packing up all our food and gear for our next canoe trip. We leave tomorrow and will be spending 5 nights on Murtle Lake, which is the largest non-motorzied lake in North America. It is supposed to be super hot out so it should be great, looking forward to swimming in the lake and seeing some great views. After that we're home for a week and then we head out to Invermere to meet up with Chris' family and then out to the farm. Let the good times begin!

The past couple months have been busy to say the least. We have been living in the basement since January while our ensuite bathroom was being fully gutted and renovated. There were quite a few hiccups along the way with running out of tile, new tile not matching, shower glass not fitting and also breaking and other little things in between. It is finally at the point where we can use it and we have been living in our own room again for a week now. All the dust is also cleaned up from the rest of the house (I think). We still have our guest bathroom to do a face lift on, not sure when that will start but hopefully it won't take longer than a couple of weeks. It has definitely been a learning process as far as how much a bathroom actually costs to renovate and how to deal with contractors.

Before and After of our Ensuite
At the end of February I was called into a grade 4 class to substitute. It was for the week and then it turned into the next week and now I am there the rest of the year. The situation wasn't the best for why I was there. The teacher found out her pregnancy was terminal and that the baby wouldn't survive once it was born. She induced about a week ago and her daughter lived for 15 minutes. The class was quite stressful at the beginning trying to figure out the routines and trying to get my own started with the class. Jumping in so late in the year is quite tricky because they have bad habits and since this teacher covered a lot of dance classes for other teachers (it's a fine arts school) the class had very little structure. I have gotten into somewhat of a groove but it will probably be impossible to cover everything I need to by the end of the year. The class has some great kids but there are definitely some brats in there too. I know how to handle the brats though so it's okay. The range of understanding and what they can do as far as assignments is very big, I have some kids that are at grade 1 level while others are probably above grade 4 learning. There has been lots to figure out but it has been a really good learning experience. I can't believe there are only 8 weeks left!

Before I found out for sure that I was going to be taking over for this grade 4 class we had our spring break. Chris parents flew out and we picked them up at the airport and took the ferry to Vancouver Island. The first night we spent in Victoria. We enjoyed supper at Earls and walked around a bit in the sunshine on the next day. Then we made the (longer than I thought) drive up to Ucluelet which is just south of Tofino on the west side of the Island. We of course had to make a pit stop at Coombs to get some delicious ice cream and pick up some breakfast and snack food. We didn't get to see any goats on the roof this time. We also stopped to have a look at the gigantic trees in Cathedral Grove. That evening we hiked around the Wild Pacific Trail and saw some great views of the ocean. There weren't many places open for supper in Ucluelet but we found one and the food was pretty good too. Then we relaxed at our place with a beautiful view of a harbour. The next day we relaxed in the morning and then went whale watching in Barkley Sound. Most of the boat ride was warmer and drier than we thought. We saw a few groups of grey whales but they don't show you very much of themselves because they're bottom feeders. The closest we got was probably around 25m but the most you saw of them was just their back and fin as they dove down. It would've been neat to see them really close up because they have barnacles that grow on them and they're super ugly. We also saw tonnes of seals grouped together to keep warm and about 50 bald eagles in some trees just across from where we were whale watching. Before heading out again we went back to our place to warm up and then we went up to Tofino to check out the beach. We walked around for a little bit but by then the rain was coming down more. We had some supper in Tofino and went back for another night of relaxation. The next day the sun came out but it was time for us to leave. We took one more look at the beach and then headed to the ferry in Nanaimo. On the way home we stopped in Burnaby to have supper with Chris' aunt and uncle. It was a great trip but next time we'll have to spend a little more time in one place and not drive so much.

Spring Fun
Other things that have happened lately. Baseball has started up for us again and so far we are undefeated. We've had a few stints of summer-like weather so we've taken advantage of it by taking our canoe out for he first time and going for bike rides by the river. I got Chris a new bike for his early 31st birthday present, exactly 6 months early (his "halfie" birthday). Of course, that's why he got me one for Christmas, so he could get one too. Well, I guess it worked. We had the chance to go up to Whistler with our friends Paul and Jamie and their twins Elijah and Finn in the middle of April. Our friends Jason and Wendy let us use their condo up there for two nights so we only had to pay for the cleaning and pet fee. Although the twins didn't sleep well it was great to have Paul and Jamie there for a night. Us girls and the twins hung out in the condo the next morning and strolled around Whistler village while the boys went snowboarding for the day on Paul's birthday. P and J left that next afternoon and then we had the place to ourselves for one night. We enjoyed the hot tub, some perogies and sausage for supper but didn't enjoy so much watching Anchorman 2. The last day there we relaxed in the morning and Chris went for a run while I did some school work before going home. Chris has been doing canoeing training with his outdoor ed kids. They have their big trip to Bowron Lakes in 3 weeks. Wish I could go with them. We have planned some things for summer already, including another canoe trip, meeting up with Chris' family in Invermere, heading to the farm and hopefully exploring the Sunshine Coast. So even though I want time to slow down to get through all the curriculum I need to with my kids I really wouldn't mind if these next two months go quickly so our summer adventures can begin!

These first couple months of 2014 we have been busy once again. Coming back from Christmas Chris was busy right away, I also worked the first day back which I didn't expect. In the middle of January I helped Chris' outdoor ed class do their bottle drive and we sorted a LOT of bottles. It was worth the cold fingers and achy back because they brought in over $2000 for their trip to the Bowron Lakes. I also had my 32nd birthday in January. We didn't do anything amazing, just had a nice supper out. At the end of January we got the news that Chris' grandpa Falk had gotten a urinary infection that was starting to shut down other organs. We knew he would only last a few days and he passed away peacefully. That Sunday we flew into Saskatoon and after looking in the spot Ryan told us his car was for half an hour we finally found it in the E section not the C section. We went out for lunch with some Braun cousins which was great because we didn't have a chance to see them at the Christmas gathering. Then we drove down to Herbert and joined some of the Falk's for supper. On Monday we relaxed at Kevin and Alysha's for a bit and then went to the farm before over 35 Falk's came for the evening. I have never seen that many Falk's in one place, it was so good to see a lot of relatives we hadn't seen for a while. We had a great evening eating food, sharing stories about Grandpa and watching a slideshow. On Tuesday was the funeral. The sun was shining and the wind wasn't blowing so it was bearable to stand outside for the burial. The grandsons were the pallbearers and the granddaughter's handed out roses to go on the casket. It was a short but good time to say goodbye. In between we went over to Kevin and Alysha's house since it was right down the street from the church. Then we headed to the church, had some lunch and waited for the guests to arrive for the service. The service was really good. Chris and his cousin Michelle shared stories from the grandkids, Grandpa's sister shared stories from growing up and Roly shared from Grandpa's kids. The pastor even personalized his message about how he perceived Grandpa. There was a lot of talk about his love for burning things, all things that involved the farm and of course his dangerous driving skills (which I think are just a Falk trait). We went back to Kevin and Alysha's, relaxed a bit and then headed to Herbert to Roly and Bette's for some pizza and games. The next day we got to spend a relaxed morning at the farm and then went out for supper with Ryan and Randi in Saskatoon before a delayed trip home. It was a bit of a whirlwind but a great time seeing family and celebrating grandpa's life.

Two weekends ago we had our family day weekend. We decided to make the most of it and head up to Whistler and use some passes we had. We drove up early on Saturday and Chris and I enjoyed the blue skies as we snowboarded on Whistler. I'm getting less frustrated by Whistler's big hills as I get better and we enjoyed our day out. We hit the hot tub and went out for supper at Boston Pizza that night before Ryan and Cheryl arrived. The next morning we relaxed and then headed to Callaghan Valley and Olympic Park for some cross-country skiing. It was another beautiful day and felt actually hot in the sunshine. We only skied with the Rosteks of about 30 minutes before we lost them as we decided to go up a big hill and they decided not to. So Chris and I enjoyed some trails together and I mastered going up hills and not wiping out when going down them. We joined the Rosteks by the ski jumps where we ate our lunch and then they went for a family toboggan ride while Chris and I went to do another loop on our skis. After we had our fill of fun there Chris and I drove to Alta lake and strapped on our skates and went skating on the frozen lake. This was a first for both of us to do in BC. It was definitely worth the stop just to say we did it. We were definitely ready for the hot tub when we got back so we quickly warmed up and then got supper ready. The rest of the evening we enjoyed eating snacks and playing games. The next morning we woke up to snow. We were lazy once again and had some brunch before driving home in the snow for a little bit. It was a great weekend away!


Our bathroom reno is still in process. A few little hiccups have happened but nothing major. We hope it will be done at the end of this week so we can move onto the other one and then start cleaning up all the dust! Chris has his Fraser Valley East Championship game on the weekend and ended up losing to a team that his team can beat. It was frustrating to watch and was too bad they didn't come away with the win. They still make it to the Fraser Valley's but play the #5 seed team so they will probably only have one more game. Which means more time for Chris to invest in other things. We are still waiting to be chosen for adoption. I just sent an email to the agency to get an update on what's been happening there the last couple months. Maybe something is in the making for us!

I can tell from the last time I updated this blog that school was just starting because it has been busy since then! Now it's the slow first week back from Christmas break and I have some time to catch up on all our happenings in the fall and winter this year.

September
This month our adoption portfolio was complete and officially put out for birth mom's to view. As far as we know there haven't been any mom's looking at it that fit our level of risk yet but we are hopeful that 2014 will be the year we get a baby. Before school started we had a chance to do a hike on a beautiful day up Zoa Peak. Molly enjoyed finding little beds of bushes to lie down in as her bed as we took breaks on the way up and at the top. Once school started it was full speed ahead. Chris had a kayaking unit with his new crew of outdoor ed kids and lots of planning for the upcoming year. September was particularly slow for me but that was okay. I helped out my friend Jamie with her new twins a few times and started gathering ideas for our bathroom renos upstairs.

October
We had a super nice October, some days even still felt like summer! We went to our only Rider game of the year this month and watched the Riders beat the Lions. We had some great seats that were given to us from a friend on our baseball team. Don't think we'll ever sit that close again. It's always nice when the Riders win because the Lions fans seem to be a lot quieter as you leave the building. No heckling or rubbing it in. Chris had his 30th birthday this month and we enjoyed it with friends, cake and games. And of course some random and inappropriate gifts from Ryan. Technically I got Chris a snowboard for his birthday but I got that in the summer so his other present was a tattoo that he got in November. I designed and drew it, 3 pieces of wheat to represent him and his brothers. A couple days after his 30th birthday Chris ran a 30+km race (no thank you) around Cultus Lake. His goal was to get under 3 hours and he did it with 15 seconds to spare! As a reward we enjoyed lunch with some of our friends after who also did the race.

November
This was the month of the grey cup so we had some weekends spent at Eric and Carmen's watching the games. Of course we all got together (even with Mike and Sarah on Facetime from Calgary) to watch the final game of the Riders against the Tigercats. It was a great game and the boys were very happy at the end of it so that's always good. The day before the grey cup game Chris got his tattoo and he did really good. I thought with him not liking needles he might get a little woozy but he didn't pass out and he is happy with it which is good because he's stuck with it now. On November 28th we got the exciting news that our 2nd nephew, Grayson Noah, had arrived! We got to FaceTime and see him and big brother Cole and couldn't wait to see them in December.

December
This month was of course filled with lots of food, parties, friends and family. I am proud to announce that I became the inaugural winner of the Fantasy Football League I'm in with Chris and 16 other boy cousins. Yeah, they won't live that one down any day soon. The first day of Christmas break we went snowboarding up at Manning and had a lot of fun in the snow. The very next day Chris tried out some backcountry snowboarding with some friends of his that had done that kind of thing before. We enjoyed our 2nd annual brunch with the Rosteks one morning and got to have a quick visit with them and Mike and Sarah who had drove in from Calgary before we all went our separate ways for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we had a relaxing day and checked out our church's service that evening. Christmas morning we had brunch with my mom and opened presents. I got a new bike for trying out the trails around here so that was exciting and Chris got a backpack for backcountry snowboarding (which I was tempted to give to him for his hike a few days before) and a Seattle Seahawks hat (his 2nd team of course). We got my mom an iPad and she's done pretty good figuring it out so far. Chris said he would be her free tech service for a year so she has a year to get it all figured out I guess. That afternoon we played a good game of Settlers (even though I lost) and then that evening we had a delicious turkey supper with my mom and brother and played a card game called "no peeky". Boxing day we left for the farm and got there with no delays and a quick transfer in Calgary. We had a great time out there, got to see all the new improvements to the house and got to spend a lot of time in it because it was cold! It was great to see Cole so much, he loved having Chris and Ryan play guitar and sing to him, he was obsessed with Frosty the Snowman and he liked to repeat the question that you just asked him. He is a lot of fun. Of course we got lots of good snuggles in with our baby nephew Grayson too. Although we didn't make it out to the big Braun reunion because we were unsure of weather, we still got to see quite a few cousins a couple of the days so that was good. Couldn't really ask for anything more than lots of family time, lots of goodies and lots of games! Our New Years eve was a quiet one, we went to an aunt and uncle's for supper and left early but Chris and I were stubborn and stayed up until 12am to ring in the new year together.

January
We had a couple days when we got back to settle in and get ready for school to start. First we enjoyed brunch with Kevin and April who I went to Capernwray with and who were staying out in Chilliwack while we were gone. We met up with Jenn and Waseem (also Capernwray friends) who also happened to be in the area so it was great to see them after many years! The rest of the days were spent doing laundry, getting groceries and moving all our clothes and furniture out of our bedroom to prepare for bathroom renos this month. We are officially living in the basement and waiting for the renos to start. Looking forward to a bigger bathroom!

Our Fall/Winter

2013 was a great year with lots of fun like paddling the Bowron Lakes, doing lots of amazing hikes, seeing Mumford and Sons in concert, going to a family wedding in Kelowna, welcoming lots of new babies, visiting Denis and Andrea in Camrose, having Kevin, Alysha and Cole visit, Christmas at the farm.... but we look forward to what God has in store for us this year. There's always new adventures we're ready to take and we'll see what they are for 2014!