How was New York? What did you do??

sorry for the delay

How was NYC you ask?? Well, let me start by saying that it was AMAZING!!! We had the best time and we did not want to come back. Words cannot describe and pictures cannot even tell what a great and unforgetable time we had. We arrived in NYC around 1:30 in the morning on Sunday technically, we checked into our "okay" hotel and were starving, luckily for us, our hotel was just 1/2 a block from Times Square. Times Square, at 1:30am was as hoping and bright as ever. The streets were packed, families with their bright eyed kids were exploring the stores, the street performers were in full swing. We were shocked. We knew that NYC was the "city that never sleeps" but goodness! Needless to say we had no problem finding us some food. We went to bed and woke the next day at noon (oops!), but since they are 3 hours ahead over there it was really only 9am for us. So we didn't feel too bad. We got ready and walked out our hotel and there was a hige Street Market happening. It was amazing! Lots of cheap jewlery and good food, all the "I heart NY" t-shirts for sale, and really anything you could want. We enjoyed that. From there, our vacation really began and we were ready to "Do New York".

This may or may not be of interest to you, but I thought I would give you a quick run down of what our days held. You can skip onto the pictures if you'd rather but here are the main events of our week in NYC:

Day 1:
-Guggenheim Museum
-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park
-Walk around Midtown and saw Rockefeller Centre, NBC Studios, St Barts Cathedral
-Had Thai food for dinner
-Explored Times Square and went to the Hershey Store & Virgin Records

Day 2:
-Walked to the Hudson River
-Went to Ground Zero (World Trade Centre Site)
-Saw the Chrysler Building
-Went to Grand Central Station
-New York Public Library (sadly, they were closed the day we went)
-Had dinner in Little Italy
-Dessert in Times Square

Day 3:
-Saw some of the Today Show
-Dean & Deluca coffee shop
-Cirlce line tour (a 3 hour boat tour around manhattan)
-Stood in the TKTS line and got tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway
-Had Appetizers and martinis at a pub
-Went to The Phantom of the Opera (amazing!)
-Hung out inTimes Square some more
-Went to Jamba Juice (we went probably 5 or 6 times while we were there)

Day 4:
-Empire State Building (waited in line for 2 hours)
-Shopped at the 4 story Old Navy
-Hung out in Grennwich Village, saw NYU
-Saw RENT on Broadway (holy crap...amazing!)

Day 5:
-Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
-Switched hotels and moved to the Upper Westside
-Went to the Seinfeld Restaurant
-Walked around Columbia University Campus
-Riverside Park at 91st Street
-Rain storm!!!!!
-Had dinner at Manhattan diner (across the street from our hotel)
-Went to Stand-Up NY (a comedy club)

Day 6:
-Went to The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
-Lunch at Gray's Papaya
-Explored Central Park (walked around a bit and rode bikes all through it)
-Went to Zabar'a (a famous little grocery store on the Upper Westside)
-Our last night out and we went to a fancy Italian dinner at 'Cesca

Day 7:
-Rolled out of bed and had breakfast at Cafe Lalo
-Walked around the neighborhood
-Checked out of our hotel
-Hopped on the subway and went to Yankee Stadium
-Spent the afternoon with the Yankees and the Angels
-Went to "Big Nick's" for dinner (their menu is 27 pages long!)
-Rode the subway allllllll the way to JFK
-Goodbye NYC :(

We did a lot and feel like we were able to do everything we wanted to do. People have asked what our favourite part of our trip was and I would have to say that seeing the shows on Broadway were one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. I only wish we could have seen more than 2. Our other favourite was the 3 hour boat tour around Manhattan. We were able to see so much of Manhattan and learn tons and interesting facts and it was very much worth every minute and every dollar.

While we were there, we took over 750 pictures and that doesn't even include what we haven't gotten developed from our "real" camera. I figured most people probably don't want to see all 750 of our digital pics (except maybe my mom, and you Shell), so I made a very much abridged version of 102 pics for my blog. If you have any desire at all to see more pics of a certain event, then feel free to let me know and I am happy to e-mail you more pics. Anyway, as always, you can find the pics on my picture blog. ENJOY!!

The Browns are off to "do New York"

So tomorrow is the day. We will leave our comfort of Vancouver and head east to New York City.
We could not be more excited!! I am sure you have all heard about the extreme heat that has been rolling through New York. Luckily for us, that is now passing through and the weather should be perfect with highs in the 80s and lows in the 70s. The Lord is good to us. Bring on the subways, bring on Times Square and bring on NEW YORK CITY!

peace

First Canadian Wedding

Monday night I experienced my first Canadian wedding. It was wonbderful. You wouldn't think that things would be that much different, but oddly enough, it was. I can't totally call it "canadian" because the groom is from Norther Ireland and the bride is from Canada. But it was in Canada and I guess held most of the canadian traditions and norms, so whatever.
Some examples of differences are this: they sign the marriage Certificate (which is called "The Registry" here) during the ceremony. It is fully an important part of the ceremony. Also, the wedding was at 3:00 (3 on a monday...yeah who knows!) and the reception wasn't until 6:30. Which for us worked out because we didn't have a present yet. So after the ceremony we went to the mall and got a present then I went home and had plenty of time to change and get all fancy for the reception. It was kind of nice, but strange. The reception then lasted HOURS! we mingled mingled, sat down at our assigned seats, had some speaches, ate dinner, more speaches, more speaches, dessert, mingled, cake, first dance and then more dancing and it was about midnight at this point and we were tired and left before the bride and grrom. Crazy! But I kind if loved it. In the states the "leaving of the bride and groom" is kind of a big deal, but in canada, not so much! It was also the most fancy wedding reception I had ever been to. The reception was held at a place called the Brock House which is pretty much right on the beach..amazing! When we got there, the servers were walking around with appetizers and there was an open bar and it was in the most gorgeous location. You will see in the pics. I must say, it was quite a great experience. Congrats Tim and Jen!

holy crap, I am going to NYC the day after tomorrow!

Annie Came to Visit

My sister, Annie, and her husband, Tony, came to visit over the weekend. It is the first time they have come to visit since Derek and I moved to Vancouver, so it was quite exciting! We had an adventurous weekend I must say. They arrived Saturday in the late afternoon and we pretty immediately went out to dinner from there. We went out to at a fun italian restaurant called Incendio, one of Derek and I's favourites. From there we headed down to Kits Beach to watch the fireworks because, like every summer in Vancouver, we are in the midst of the Celebration of Lights. It was so much fun to be able to go down and watch the fireworks with my sister, we had a blast! Part of the reason they are here is to celebrate their 2nd Anniversary, so that night when we got home we had a mini celebration and ate cake! YUM! Sunday morning (yesterday) Annie and I went on a super long runand kind of got lost, which made the run longer and so much more exciting! haha! Then it started raining on us...it was gross. After our showers we went downtown and got Annie and Tony checked into their hotel (they are staying in a hotel for 2 nights for their anniversary) then we walked over and had breakfast at Cafe Crepe just 2 blocks from their hotel. Why are crepes so darn good?! After the crepe-fest we went to the Vancouver Aquarium!!!!! Derek and I have lived in Vancouver for nearly 2 years and until yesterday, had not yet been to the aquarium. It was due time and we had such a blast...I love things like that!! After the aquarium we wandered up to Prospect Point in Stanley park and got ice cream and looked at the view. It turned out to be a beautiful day despite the morning rain. Derek had to do a bit of studying so we parted ways for a bit and I took a nap! We met up with Annie and Tony and had dinner at Bin 941 downtown, which is a Tapas Parlour. It was very hip and trendy...we felt cool! We took our time and ordered several tapas which was very fun. I had never been to a tapas place before. We then took Annie over to Denman Street to get a cupcake at Cupcakes, she had found it online and really wanted to go there and couldn't stop talking about it. So she finally got her cupcake! It was very pink in there, I wish I had take a picture :(
That, for now, ends our time together. They are still in Vancouver for tomorrow, but Derek and I have a wedding to attend later today. Hopefully we will be able to hook up with Annie and Tony later, but regardless, we had a great time together! See the excitement in colour here.

P.S. No big deal or anything, but this time next week I will be in NEW YORK CITY!!!
As for those of you who want to know what we are going to do in NYC...I can tell you
this, we are going to "Do New York". 4 Days and counting...

Let the Countdown Begin!

7 Days until we go to New York City!!

Happy Monday!

Woke up a little later than normal today...

Went to pack my lunch with yesterdays leftovers and it turned out that we took Grace's leftovers from the restaurant instead.

Had to get creative and pack another lunch. Bagels...again.

Derek spilled peanut butter oil all over himself while packing that back-up lunch.

Sprayed body spray on an open wound (accidentally), ouch!

They are filming yet another movie near my building today and the parking lot was full of trucks and catering vans, etc. Parking was a bit hectic.

And was only 10 minutes late to work!!

But I got a new skirt yesterday and got to wear it today! Yay!

On another note...we think our landlords are out of town, but didn't tell us. What the crap?!

11 days until NEW YORK CITY!!

Under Construction

Please forgive me for the bit of mess and some overlapping on my
page right now. I am in the process of changing up the template a
bit to make it look better but is taking a little longer than I had
hoped. Bear with me :)

Top 10 Reasons you Gotta Have 'Em

Top 10 Reasons You Gotta Have Crocs:

1.) Really soft, super comfortable, molds to your feet
2.) Barely there, weighing only 6 ounces
3.) Vented so air passes through, keeping feet cool
4.) Non-marking slip-resistant soles
5.)Bacteria and odor resistant
6.)Ultra-hip Italian styling
7.)Port holes allow water and sand to through - go ahead cross that river!

8.)Can be sterilized in water and bleach
9.) Easy maintenance, just wipe clean
10.) Ortotic molded foot bed for ultimate comfort and support

Rain, Sun, Brunch and more!

Last week, for several days, Vancouver produced many clouds and much rain. It was quite sad really considering the fact that it is the middle of July, but whatever. All week my friend Shelley and I had been planning a Birthday Brunch for Saturday morning because two of our close friends (Grace & Elizabeth) were celebrating birthdays and we wanted to do something special for them. The thing about this brunch though is that it was intended to be outdoors in Shelley's back yard. We were freaking out about the rain and were so nervous that our garden brunch was going to be rained out. We prayed and prayed all week and on Friday it didn't rain was chilly and cloudy and by Saturday morning the clouds had passed and the dun was slowly peaking through the clouds. We were setting everything up and the grass outside was still soaked with water and dew from the night before. We were nervous still. But by 10:45 the sun was blaring and the grass had dried and we were blessed to the max! Some of the girls even got sunburned! Needless to say, the brunch was a success and the birthday girls seemed to enjoy it.
You can see the pictures here.

2 other bits of news...Derek and I went shiopping yesterday and both bought a pair of chocolate brown crocs, they are amazing!
And the most exciting news of all, Derek and I bought plane tickets to New York City and we are officially going on Vacation! We cannot wait to "do New York". We are going to see it all!! It's less than 3 weeks away!!

thoughts about summer

I believe that weather truly can affect a persons mood. We are a little ways into summer now and I feel like I have never been happier. Maybe it is life, maybe it is Derek, maybe it's friends, but maybe it is the Lord providing this beautiful sunshine that tans my skin and brightens my day! I love everything about summer. I love how early the sun rises in the morning and how late it goes down at nigh, I love the sound of flip-flop, flip-flop that surrounds me, I love wearing flip flops for that matter, I love tan lines and capri pants, I love that my hair gets lighter and my smile gets bigger, I love all the pregnant women that seem to bloom in summer season, I love tank tops and pony tails, the beach and the sand. There is nothing that I love more than summer. Can't we just move somewhere that it is summer all the time? I would never tire of it.

oregon, coffee, wedding, groomsmen, beer, friends & family extravaganza!!

Derek and I just got back on Sunday from a crazy trip to Oregon. It was a crazy trip indeed! We left Tuesday after I got off of work and stayed the night in Portland at Derek's sister's house. We got to see his cute niece and nephew and had a short but good time.
On Wednesday morning we got our coffee and hit the road to Eugene where we spent only about 5 hours total. We had to visit a place that is near and dear to our hearts, Camp Harlow. We got to see some good friends and see all the changes they have implemented at camp. It's wierd...but good. From Eugene we took the next drive two and half hours over to Central Oregon to my hometown, Bend. Here we were able to find out footing for a good 4 days. But the madness began as soon as got there. We walked in the door to my parents house and of course they were all excited to see us and immediately we went out for dinner and enjoyed a nice Mexican meal (which is truly missed here in Canada). We then went straight to our friends Dave and Majell's house who are the couple whose wedding we went down for. It was great to see them and be able to spend the evening with them and a few other friends before all the wedding events began the next day. I will spare you all the details but the next 2 days consisted of coffee, the arrival to Bend of Dan and Amanda Johnson, Derek and I applying for our passports, one heck of a Bachelor party (so I hear), some good beer and just a tiny sprinkle of rain at the rehersal. The rehersal dinner on Friday evening was so wonderful. And leave it to Dave to get a keg of Mirror Pond Pale Ale for his rehearsal dinner...thanks Dave! Finally the long awaited day arrived where Dave and Majell would get married and did they ever! It was a beautiful ceremony, a perfect union and a great reception afterwards. Derek did a great job being a groomsmen (along with the 8 others) and got to be an up close witness to one of our best friends getting married. It was such a blast to a part of it all and to be able to connect with so many friends over the couple days prior to the wedding and even more at the wedding. Overall it was a very fruitful trip but of course it wasn't long enough. I miss Oregon :(


Like always....
You can find more pics from our trip here

Surprise! Surprise!

So Derek didn't take me out to dinner for my birthday afterall. Yesterday at about 4:00pm, I was fully confused when he showed up at my work. Tunrs out he had arranged with my boss for me to get off early and "take me away"! I had no idea what was going on or where we were going. We started heading down Highway 1 and stopped in Abbotsford for dinner around 5:30pm. From there we continued on and about 45 minutes later we pulled up to this random house out in the middle of nowhere. My reaction was "what is this?". Turns out he had this special getaway planned for me at this beautiful Bed and Breakfast out in Harrison Mills. It was amazing there! So peaceful and romantic. We had our own entrance with a very fancy suite. It had a king bed, a dual head shower, your very own bathrobes, a fireplace and outside it had a hot tub! And best of all, they serve you breakfast in the morning to your room! Could not get much better than that. The evening was mellow and we just had to get straight into the bathrobes when we got there. Derek gave me my birthday presents (yay!) and after our soak in the hot tub he gave me a foot rub. Such a great evening. And I was so surprised and had NO idea. Thanks baby, I love you!

See some more pictures at my photo album

Holy Moly!

Last night one of our couple friends invited the usual group of friends to their place for a little get together because they had been out of town and thought it would be fun to see everyone. At least that's what they told us. So we are all sitting around, chatting, eatinf cinnamon bears (yum!) when the couple walks in the house and comes back out with a cake. Everyone turns to look at them and the husband says "well, we have this cake because this is actually a surprise party...for the baby we are going to have". Pretty sure my heart stopped and then started beating again really REALLY fast. It was so exciting! Everyone freaked out because no one had a clue! I am honestly still in shock and am just so happy for them. They did such an amazing job of keeping it a secret, it made the shock of the whole thing that much more exciting!! Congrats friends!

In other news... I had my 23rd birthday two days ago and got fully pampered by my wonderful husband. It was a great day. Tonight he is taking me to a nice dinner but the location is a surprise. I will finally get to open my presents!! I love birthdays and presents!! But I love babies more :)

What the weekend held

Ben and Deanna, friends from Oregon, came to visit this weekend and it was a different type of visit than just having friends in town. Ben will actually be attending Regent this coming fall, therefore in just a couple of months, they are moving here!! So Derek and I got to spend some time showing them Regent College as well as the UBC campus. We also showed them a bit of the city including Jerricho Beach! Sadly, we do not have any pictures from their visit...but soon enough we will get to see them on a regular basis, so it's okay.

On Sunday afternoon, Derek and I took our long awaited trip to Lighthouse Park. We have been wanting to go to Lighthouse park for a long time now, but for some reason it has taken us almost 2 years of living here to get out butts ou there. Anyway, we had a blast and it was a beautiful day. Check out the pictures here.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with feelings such as "I'm growing up too fast" and "I wish I were back in my young single days" and "I feel like an old married lady" and such things like that. I don't like feeling this way but I admit that sometimes I do and sometimes I struggle with that. Which I think, and I hope, is just part of life. I am reading To own a Dragon by Donald Miller (Author of Blue Like Jazz) and it is about his thoughts and reflections on growing up without a Father. In the book he talks about a point in his life where he was living with this family and kind of got to experience what being a dad really looks like in a normal, healthy, God loving family. This is all kind of beside the point, but it is a good book even if you did grow up with a dad, like I did. Anyway, with all the thoughts and feeling that I explained above, I came accross this is Donald Miller's book and it was just a good little somthing that made me think and made me feel happy about the path I am on.

"There were times I would have rather lived on my own, played my music as loud as I wanted, come home drunbk, whatever. But Playing your music as loud as you want and coming home drunk aren't real life. Real life, it turns out, is diapers and lawnmowers, decks and painting, a wife that needs to be listened to, kids that need to be taught right from wrong, a checkbook, an oil change, a sunset behind a mountain, laughter at the kitchen table, too much wine, a chipped tooth, and a screaming child. "

This makes me realize that I really do want "real life". Honestly, I don't ever want to go and live through High School again or worry about being popular or having a boyfriend or knowing the right people. Yes, all that has a time and a place and is sometimes neccesary, but I am over it and now feel so happy and grateful that I get to live life for real.

Yay for friends!

I cannot wait for tomorrow! I am so excited and stoked because 2 of my very good friends are coming up to visit me from Oregon. Jess, my best friend, my maid of honour, my soul mate and my friend for life. We have been best friends since Freshman year in High school (that's grade nine to all you Canadians). My friend Kalee is coming with Jess to visit ME as well. When Jess went off to college at Oregon State (boo!) she had a wonderful roommate, Kalee. Kalee and Jess became really good friends and since I pretty much went to visit every other day, Kalee and I also became close friends. Eventhough she was only Jess's roomie, we all caled her roomie, room for short, and that will probably always be her nickname now. So tomorrow after I get off work Jess and room are coming to visit for the whole weekend. And what's better is that Derek decided to take off and go to Rivendale (on Bowen Island) for the weekend to have a little retreat. Not that it's great to have him gone but in this case, it means that me and the girls get the house to ourselves and pretty much get to have a big weekend O fun!!

Yay for friends :)

This is Jess and I about 3 years ago...a couple days before my wedding I think :)

whoa!!

Around UBC (where I work) and all over Vancouver for that matter, they are always shooting movies. After a while you just kind of get used to seeing all the signs, etc. BUT this morning when I pulled into the parking lot I always park at it was crowded with trailers and people, luckily I found a spot to park (phew!). As I get out and start walking towards my office I realize the set of the movie is right in front of my building. The set is supposed to be the University of Washington and so there are UW signs all over as well as a fake coffee cart and tables. It was pretty cool looking actually. Anyway, in order to get to work today I literally had to walk through a movie set! How fun is that?! I kind of want to go back out there...maybe I will be discovered :)

Anyway, in talking about work I thought it would be cool to show you a picture out my office window. Beatiful, hey?


This is my desk here on the left
(the other desk there is for a work study student if and when we have one)

The haps

Yesterday around 5pm I returned home from a long weekend away. Friday morning at 5am I got myself up and out the door as my Washington friends picked me up for a weekend at Malibu Club. Malibu Club is a Young Life camp located in Canada and is a 3 hour boat ride from the NE side of the Sunshine Coast. Young Life was a big part of my life in High School and I was priviledged to go to Malibu for a week as a camper back in 1999 and I got to go again and be on Work Crew there for a month in 2000. I had not been back since and when a couple of my old work crew friends invited me, I jumped at the chance. It was Memorial Day weekend in the States so the Young Life of Seattle thought it a good time to have a Discipleship Weekend for the High Schoolers in their area. Me and my friends (along with about 47 other college agers) volunteered our time to serve on the work crew for the weekend. I wish I could say that I had the most amazing time, but the truth is that I was sick for it all. I got sick about 2 days before the trip and assumed I would just get better as time passed. The case was that I got worse. And when you are at a camp on a island, you can't really go get medicine from the doc to make you better. Oh well. I put on my best face and served the best I could. For the weekend my job, along with my friends and a few other girls, was to be in the Linen Nook. This meant that we did all the laundry, cleaned all the bathrooms and even got to go and dig the dirt out of the cracks in the boards that make up the walkways. All for the Lord. I am now a master at folding fitted sheets! It's quite a skill to have. Jealous? Though it was not quite the trip I expected, it was pretty awesome to be in, what I think is, the most beautiful place on earth basking in God's beauty. You are surrounded by huge mountains, ocean, blue skies and by people who love Jesus. I have not felt that close to the Lord in some time and that made all the travelling and being sick well worth it.

P.S. Check out my picture blog here, it's updated!!

THE SUN IS OUT!!!

The sun has arrived and Vancouver is actually beginning to warm up! Today it's supposed to get to around 25 (celcius that is) and it should be nice most of the week. I love sun more than anything and it truly lifts my spirits. Give me the chance to wear flip flops and a tank top and I am one happy camper! Thank you Lord for sunshine and warmth.

And then there was Thursday...

Today has been a dull and unexciting day at work. Except for when my friend Shannon came and brought me lunch and we got to sit anc chat during my lunch break. Good times. I am excited to get off work because I am excited for what the evening will hold. After work we are going to go to the produce store to do our weekly produce shopping. Then we are having our Canadian friends, Levi and Shelley, over for some homemade pizza...De-licous! Then we will continue to our weekly ritual of watching Survivor. I hope Cirie wins...the finale is Sunday!

I promise I will update my picture blog soon ---> in the meantime check it out and look over my picture past :) www.kbpics.blogspot.com