Another post in less than two weeks, I'm impressed with myself. Well, I had the chance to get some of my pictures enlarged, framed and hung in the basement so I thought I'd share our very long process of getting the basement renovated. This room took us longer than we thought, we didn't really stick at it, taking a break in the winter for quite a while but it got done and we love it! It's not exactly how we plan to have it, we'll eventually get different furniture and maybe some sort of games table but it's good for now. We've even had many guests stay down there so it's been perfect.
Category:
1 comments
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.
On June 4th was our 5th anniversary so we went for a little getaway to a town called Mukilteo, which is in Washington on the coast, just North of Seattle. The weather was some of the best we've had so far this year so it was great for those many hours of shopping at the outdoor malls. We also checked out the Boeing factory where they make all the big 747's, 777's and 787's, it was pretty cool to see how they assemble those gigantic planes. Supposedly the building they make them in is big enough to fit the whole park of Disneyland. Crazy. After that we shopped for a bit at a mall nearby so Chris could get some more Apple toys to satisfy his computer geekiness. Then we had a bit of time before supper so we found a random beach and had a nap there while enjoying the sunshine and the view of the mountains. We had some delicious Red Robin's for our anniversary meal and then went back to the hotel to watch the end of the Canucks game. On our way home on Sunday we spent the day at the Seattle outlet mall having a little shopping spree since we both hadn't got new clothes in quite a while. It was a good little trip that went too quickly but summer is almost here so we'll be having lots more fun trips I'm sure.
Starting last week and until June 20th I have been working at a middle/high school for a teacher that had wrist surgery and is gone the rest of the year. It's teaching one block of French and the rest of the day is working in the library. It's been really good, especially working in the library. There is an assistant in there that was basically responsible for making the teacher organize everything for me, she told me if she hadn't made this teacher get organized I would've come into a pile of papers not knowing where anything was (doesn't sound like a typical organized librarian to me). So I'm grateful that this lady is there to help me out and make my job easier trying to figure what I'm supposed to do. We get along really well and it's been good to just have a relaxing few weeks, even if it means doing inventory and scanning thousands of books, I've been enjoying it.
As far as pregnancy news goes, I went into to see my OB/GYN last week and asked if there was something we could do to speed up the process so we don't have to wait another year and a half to conceive. We discussed a few options and I decided to get another HSG done which is where they inject dye into your uterus and fallopian tubes to see if there is anything blocked. The reason I did this is because the last time I had this done I got pregnant very shortly after. There is a higher chance of getting pregnant because the dye sort of flushes out the area. So I took the day off today and went to get that done, hopefully that will all that has to happen and it won't be too much longer for us to get pregnant and to have that baby we have been longing for.
We're both really ready and looking forward to summer. We hope to go camping lots and are looking forward to our trip out to Saskatchewan at the end of July. Only a few more weeks of school, I'm sure they will fly by and then bring on the sunshine and summer adventures!
May was quite busy. At the beginning of the month we had family out visiting for Colin and Amanda's wedding. Our first official guests in our finished basement was Rob and Lisa and their kids. The kids loved running around with Molly and getting sniffed by her and we played trivial pursuit pretty much every night they were here. It was good to have some extended family come and make use of our space. Ryan and Randi came as the Braun's were leaving and they stayed with us for a week. We didn't get to see or do much with them because we were working during the day but we had some fun evenings together. While they were out we got the announcement that our first nephew Cole Kevin was born on May 5th. Randi and I were pretty excited so we went on a little mini shopping trip to get him some cute new duds. Colin and Amanda's wedding was on May 7th and I did their pictures. It poured in the morning and we had no back up plan for pictures but God answered our prayers and the rain pretty much stopped as soon as we went out to take pictures. I'm really pleased with how they turned out and I think they are too. After Ryan and Randi left, my friends from Capernwray, Kevin and April, came with their kids for the night on their way home from Calgary to the island. It was great to see them since the last time was two years ago. The boys had fun giving Molly sticks to chew on and hiding in her secret corner of the bush. At the end of May Chris ran in the Run for Water with Eric and Ryan, it turned out to be a nice day and the boys did pretty good, getting 9th and 10th (Eric and Chris) in their age category for the 10k. Cheryl also ran but she did the half-marathon, she's a tough cookie.
Category:
1 comments
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.
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.
Category:
1 comments
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)