See you later dear friends

About a week ago, we had to say goodbye to some very close and dear friends: Jess, Jeff and Charlie. They are the first in our close "group" of friends to leave and it was not easy to say goodbye, or should I say "see you later" cause we will see them again. Jeff got a job with IVP (Inter-Varsity Press) in the Chicago area and though it was sad to see them go, we are so excited for the adventure that lies ahead. There were some events leading up to their departure that I will share with photos (of course).

They had a going away party about 2 weeks before they left. Here is Jess and cutie pie Charlie at the party

We made them a Memory book as a going away present

Classic

We were the last to leave the party -as always

This was part 1 of our last girls group (+ Charlie) meeting
Jess, Shelley, me, Shannon and Charlie

And part 2, we headed out on the town for some good drinks and conversation

Jess will love that I posted this picture :)

Awww...the last time it will be just the 4 of us

Then of course, the Reimer's last night in town was for Graduation! The accumulation of their time here. Here is Derek and Jeff (twins!)

The happy family

All the girls

And all the boys

Grad got over so late that nothing was open, so we had to settle for a Wendy's/Tim Horton's. Our last meal with the Reimer's.

After this, outside the Wendy's is where we had to say our tearful goodbyes to a special part of what has been our fmaily over the past 3 years. Our time here would not have been the same without them and they will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Hopefully we can get to Chicago in the near future and visit them in their new home.

Seattle Baby!

This past weekend I headed South to the good ole city of Seattle to meet up with some of my best friends from high school (and one college pal). It had been so long since we had all gotten together and we decided to take advantage of the fact that two of the girls live in Seattle. We had a blast together. Catching up, shopping, eating, being tourists and of course...drinking!

Alexa and Kari - as we begin our shopping extravaganza!

All the girls at Pikes Place Market
I was like a giddy little kid as I had never been so close to the space needle before :)

We drove up to a view point, what an amazing view!

This is us, the bests from High school (me, Jess, Megan & Kari)

and with Alexa (college buddy)
Later that night we headed out on the town...we went to 2 different restaurants in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, oh we had such a great time!

maybe we had a little "too" much fun ;)

Overall it was a great weekend with the girls catching up, laughing and just being together :)

2007 Vancouver Sun Run!

Yesterday, Derek and I both participated in the 2007 Vancouver Sun Run which is Canada's largest 10K road race (2nd largest in North America). This year a record 54,317 people registered for the race. It was exhilarating as we ran the race through downtown Vancouver, Stanley park and across 2 bridges (Burrard & Cambie). Surprisingly, it did not feel like there were 54,000 people around you which made the race that much better as we weren't having to push our way through crowds of people. We took our camera along with us and took pictures of the race so check them out below. We glad to not be terribly exhausted afterwards and I think the adrenaline of the race kept us going all day. We had a blast and I am so thankful that it was something we could share in and enjoy together.

2007 Vancouver Sun Run

Happy Anniversary to ME!

Today, April 10th, marks the 1 year Anniversary of me working at the University of British Columbia. I remember my first day quite vividly just one year ago. I arrived at work early and no one was there so it was awkward as I stood in the hall waiting for an unknown person to arrive. It has been a journey and I can say that I am quite comfortable and quite happy at my current job. I have now been through the whole cycle of the school year which includes such things as: Award deadlines, new student orientation, course evaluations, admissions and more! My role as a Graduate Secretary has become part of my life and I am so thankful to have such a good job. Happy Anniversary to ME! :)

I actually wrote a post about my first days back in April 2006, read it here

dirty laundry

We all have our own little routine when it comes to doing laundry.And more specifically loading the washing machine. When I enter the laundry room, I select my cycle and water temp and immediately start filling the empty wash tub. From there I sort my clothes, put them in the washer and then put the soap in an close the lid. However, if you look at the instructions of my washing machine it tells you to 1. add the soap 2. put the clothes in 3. start the water. And still there are even more ways of doing laundry than this. But I ask...Is one way better than the other? Does one routine actually get the clothes cleaner? Should you soak the clothes in the water before actually beginning the cycle? Does it really matter at all?

What do you do? What do you think??

And I don't even know about the front loading machines...that's another story I guess.

It's Friday in Vancouver

65 (18C) degrees and sunny on this glorious day in Vancouver. It's Easter weekend which means a lot of things but also means that it is a 4 day weekend! With Good Friday AND Easter Monday off work. What a great thing (thank you Canada). Today is Good Friday, which is a somber day as we ponder Jesus' suffering and his death on the cross. But the hope of his resurrection is something to be happy about and therefore I am happy today. Happy that it feels like spring, happy to have a day off work, happy that the days are getting longer, happy to have friends over for dinner tonight and, of course, happy for grace and forgiveness. Happy Easter to all.

fun night out

Saturday night we headed to the Wolf & Hound to celebrate Derek's birthday with our favourite friends. We had a blast! It was a night filled with music, laughing, talking, beer, friends and more beer! It was a fun night!

Derek & Robert -- Let the fun begin!


Shannon, Lucas, Josh & Grace


Even Charlie got in on the fun...


more friends...


and even more!


having a little birthday fun...yuck!


And Shannon getting wild & crazy! with Charlie watching ;)

happy birthday

Yesterday was Derek's 26th birthday. I have posted about this before, but I just LOVE birthdays. I love to celebrate, I love to make people feel special and I love to feel special on my day. My husband, on the other hand, would rather fly under the radar and not get a bunch of recognition on his birthday (at least that's what he says, but I think he secretly loves it as we all do!). He told me repeatedly this year not to do anything and refused to let me make a big deal out of his birthday. This is not an easy feat for me as I want to spoil him rotten, but alas I adhered to his request. Since we have been together I have gone all out for Derek's birthdays (hot air balloon ride, surprise trip to the Oregon coast, best friends driving all the way to Vancouver from Oregon...) and this is the first year I laid low a little bit. Although I will add that I got him a stinkin awesome birthday gift that was a complete surprise to him and can be seen here, the coffee snobs will appreciate it (and know what it is). Thanks to Dave B for helping me find the right one! Derek did give in a little bit however and we are headed out to a pub this weekend with our close friends for a mini celebration and yummy beer :)

Happy 26th Birthday this week to Jeff, Deanna and Derek! Thanks for being born friends.

Mount Washington - March 16-18, 2007

Remember the free ski getaway we won from the radio? This past weekend we cashed it in and went skiing on Mount Washington. I can hardly begin to describe the great time we had. I think the fact that we didn’t have to pay for it made the trip that much more enjoyable. We caught the 3pm ferry from Horseshoe Bay on Friday and pulled into Nanaimo close to 2 hours later. We stopped at the grocery store after unloading from the ferry to stock up for the weekend and then off we went to find us a mountain. It was about an hours drive until we finally saw the turn off to Mt. Washington to our great relief. We feared we had been going the wrong way as we could not see any mountains and there was not a drop of snow anywhere to be found. Once we took the turn off it was about 20 more minutes of driving straight up hill. We finally saw snow and the beautiful mountain. We were very happy about our nice hotel room, which included a full kitchen, a fireplace, a separate bedroom and nice view. We bundled up and decided to go take a little walk around to see what the grounds held. The mountain was two steps out of the hotels front door and we were excited about the idea of skiing out of our hotel room the following day. The next morning we allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit before hitting the slopes, but then spent the majority of the day skiing. I wasn’t sure how I would do because I haven’t skied in quite a while. But after a few runs I got the hang of it again and enjoyed every second of it. Such a great, intense, freeing feeling you get coming down that mountain with the wind in your face and the huge mountain at your back. We had a blast and were surprisingly not too sore the next day. That evening we hit the pub for dinner where we had the favorite burger and beer. Derek ordered a green beer since it just so happened to be St Patrick’s Day. The next day we hung out on the mountain a little bit, ate a beaver tail, and said goodbye. We did a little shopping in Nanaimo and then caught the ferry home. All in all we had an amazing, much needed little holiday. Enjoy the pics!

Mount Washington - March 16-18, 2007

changes

Thing are changing, I can feel it in the air, I can feel it everywhere I go. We've been quite comfortable in Vancouver for the past 2 1/2 years but things must always come to an end and things must always change. Which isn't bad, just different. The first of our "group" of friends is moving away at the end of April, this is a tough reality but a good thing for them. They will leave Vancouver, after almost 3 years, with a Masters degree, a baby, and a great new job. Crazy how things change so much. A couple of my friends are pregnant, which is weird, because when we all moved here we were just newly weds and kids seemed so far away for each of our couple friends. Things change, people grow, time passes. Derek will finish his degree at the end of April. The cherry on the sundae that we have been building over the past years. What an accomplishment, what success! The next big adventure is calling our name. It's looking like we will take on and conquer yet another country, it's a dream really. Although surreal. Can't believe how much has changed.

Snow!

Sometimes you wake up on March 1st and it's snowing outside!! It sure is gorgeous outside. Still had to go to work today though, darn it.

View from our bedroom window

Gone Curling

Curling is a precision team sport similar to bocce, played on a rectangular sheet of prepared ice by two teams of four players each, using heavy polished granite stones which players slide down the ice towards a target area called the house. Points are scored for the number of stones that a team has closer to the center of the target than the closest of the other team's stones. --wikipedia

On Saturday a group of 16 friends went to the Richmond Curling Club and experienced a true Canadian Adventure...Curling (although it originated in Scotland in 1541). Curling might just be the most boring sport in the world to watch. But playing is a different story. We had so much fun and it can get quite competitive. Only a few in the group had been curling before, but for most of us, it was the first time. I think this made it all the more fun. People were slipping and sliding all over the ice, lots of falling, lots of laughing (maybe an injury or two). I think we came to the conclusion that helmets, elbow and knee pads, butt pads and mouth guards were needed in this game. I had never heard of curling until we moved to Canada and honestly never thought I would actually get the chance to play it. But alas, I did and it was such a blast! I encourage it to all who have access and maybe one day I will see you on the ice!

Click on the album to view the pics!

Curling

This is where I live

Wow!
Courtesy City of Vancouver Planning Department

Girls weekend Getaway!

This past weekend, myself and 5 other girls took a little retreat and had a girls weekend getaway. We were able to escape our everyday lives and our studying husbands for a nice peaceful weekend on the Sunshine Coast. Friday afternoon 3 of us drove to Horseshoe Bay and took about a 45 minute ferry ride to Langdale and then drove another hour to Pender Harbour. We arrived at Rosewoods (a guest house of a Regent Alum couple who allow groups to come to their property for a retreat and for a very small amount of money) around 3:30 and were so excited for what our weekend would hold. We walked the grounds a bit and just relaxed and waited for the other girls to arrive. They finally got there around 8:30 and we had a late supper and then just enjoyed a wonderful weekend together. We ate nonstop, enjoyed a soak in the hot tub, watched a movie, had fun conversation and just enjoyed the time. Click below to view the pictures!

February 16-18, 2007 - Girls Getaway

Spring?

When I walked outside today to go for a run, I couldn't help but smile as I felt the warm sun on my face. It was absolutely gorgeous outside all day. Is it Spring time already? Or are we just being spoiled for a day and then the rain will fall hard yet again? I guess we'll see.....

weekend O sports

I can proudly say that I was routing for the Colts to take Super Bowl XLI and I can proudly say that I am a Peyton Manning fan! Despite the rain and the fact that the Bears ran back the opening kick-off 92 yards for a touchdown...it didn't slow down Indianapolis. GO COLTS! We had a great time at Lucas and Shannon's Super Bowl party with good friends, good food, and good booze. And eventhough Derek and I didn't have much backupcheering for the Colts, we still came out on top! So that is how the weekend ended. On Saturday night we went to a UBC (University of British Columbia) Men's Volleyball game where Levi's brother, Ian, and the Thunderbirds beat Trinity Western in the 5th set. It was an awesome game and, I admit, I think it was the first time I had ever been to a Men's Volleyball game. Now I can't say that I got up early Sunday morning to watch a Soccer match, but my husband will gladly consent to that. It was a sports weekend extravaganza and I have the pictured to prove it all.

Watching the v-ball game

Go team!

Super Bowl XLI - Bears vs. Colts

I made the sign...and it got a little overused during the game

friends
more friends

So the other day when I was posting about free stuff and my thoughts there, little did I know that it would pay off. I played the radio game, I earned me some points and I decided to go ahead and bid on some things. Last Friday night when we came home from a friends bday party there was an email saying that I was the highest bidder!!! I won a stinkin Ski Getaway to Mount Washington. Including 2 nights accommodation, 4 lift tickets, 4 meals and ferry costs. So Derek and I get to go on a free holiday to the island to ski and sit by a fire and drink hot cocoa. Sounds heavenly right?? I am going to go pick up the prize on Friday and we will then decide what weekend we can go. Hopefully real soon!

In other news, my friend, Chad, had a very big birthday and turned the ripe old age of 30 (he might kill me for posting this). He had a huge bday bash and we had tons of fun. I posted a few pics below.

On another not-so-fun note, I have been sick :( The doc thinks I have a bladder infection, the jury is still out on that one. They will get back to me tomorrow. Hopefully that's all it is and there isn't anything else wrong with me. I do feel quite crummy though. Infections throw your whole body off for sure. I am back at work today though after missing the last day and a half. But I won't lie, it hurts to sit and I wish I was in bed.

Enjoy the pics....

Charlie came too!

The boys hanging out...the big Hockey game was on TV

Momma Jess and her sweet baby boy

Fun times!!!

thoughts on free stuff

Lately I have been faced with the option of getting something for free or at least the possibility of it. "Free" is a weird thing and I realize that people will pretty much do anything to get free stuff.

Yesterday I had the chance to go to a meeting at UBC where they were going to have a drawing for a few different prizes. A night at a fancy hotel, free airline tickets, great prizes indeed! Unfortunately I could not go, but the only reason I was even thinking about attending this meeting was because of the possibility that I might get something for free.

Today I went to a Grad Secretaries appreciation lunch where, if you attended, you not only received free lunch, but a free door prize as well. The door prize I got was a chocolate bar, not very exciting but free nonetheless on top of my already free food!

I always listen to the same radio station here in Vancouver when I am at work or when I am in the car. They are always having contests or giving away prizes. For the past few weeks they have been doing a contest where you if hear certain words on the radio, you go onto their website, enter the word and you slowly accumulate points through the code words and various other ways. Then every week or so they run an auction and you can bid your points to win free stuff. Sounds fun and easy enough, right? People in this city have become absolutely obsessed with it! I admit I am one of them, but not in the same way as some of these people. I fortunately found this online forum where people post all the code words and all the other things that get you points so I don't have to sit and listen to the radio all day long. Instead I just read through the forum, find the words and enter them online. Easy enough for me. But these people on this forum sit ALL day and listen to the radio, waiting for their chance to earn points just so they can maybe get something for free. Maybe. They post on the forum all day long about the unfairness of it all and how some people have more points than others and they just whine and moan about something that they are doing by their own free will to win prizes that they don't have to pay a dime for. It amazes me really how much they can complain and bicker about it all.

FREE can be a dangerous thing I am realizing. And really, when is free ever really free?