Our Adventures

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.