We attended our second wedding after driving 6 hours to Red Deer. Actually, we made it to the church just in time but Ella had fallen asleep in her carseat. So we headed back to the hotel where we are staying for the reception. We rested a couple of hours and headed to see Indu and Yawo. Friends from Korea are visiting as well so we got to catch up with Kelly, Katie, Sandra and Jackie. So much fun.
Last night we stopped by Steph's parents to say a quick hello and goodbye to everyone and then headed over to Uncle Andrew's for a quick visit. Hopefully we will see Andrew in Vancouver next week and we can all go to the zoo.
This morning we said goodbye, sadly, to Auntie Erin and we are hoping she comes over for the day next week and we'll all go to White Rock. We met Suzanne and the kids and headed out to catch a ferry to Vancouver. It was another gorgeous day, knock on wood, and we made it to Suzanne's with no trouble.
The kids spent the afternoon in Suzanne and Jason's beautiful backyard, barefoot in the grass... it's been years since I've been able to do that without fear of centipedes, scorpions or such. It was a nice treat for Ella. After a great dinner, Ella is knocked out for the night. Having a 3 and 6 year old to run around with has completely worn her out! We love it!
Erin,
Thank you again for hosting and entertaining us. We are so grateful for your hospitality and friendship. Ella is trying to teach me, but nobody can "shake, shake, shake" as cool as her Auntie! We miss you and hope to see you soon in Hawaii - anytime and as long as you can! xoxo
This morning we met Matthew, Stephanie and Oscar for breakfast at the My-Chosen Cafe before heading to
Witty's Lagoon. I love this beach and used to spend my summers here as a kid running through the tidal pools and looking for miniture crabs.
Ella loved it today and despite the beautiful sunshine, kept saying "burrrr Mommy!". The ocean here doesn't fluctuate in temperature and all year it is freezing and hypothermic. Still fun to explore and jump the waves.
Everytime I come home for a visit the weather is usually gorgeous... a nice treat for the west coast and all it's usual rain. I always have these romantic notions of living here, in the city, close to the water in a gorgeous old home. Ron could run through the park and we'd take evening walks on the water. It really makes me homesick. The reality is, it is so expensive to live, let alone buy a home, that we'd be hours out of the city in a not-so-nice house, both working long hours to maintain some sort of standard of living... all in a mostly rainy place. Not exactly how either of us picture life. It makes me grateful for Ron's job and the lifestyle living in the US affords us.
Victoria would be an ideal retirement destination, a small place with everything we love nearby - the ocean, downtown, the park...
We spent the day wandering downtown and had lunch on the warf. When the weather is nice, it really is the most gorgeous city to be in.
Yesterday would have been my Mom’s 57th birthday so we drove out to the memorial gardens to talk to Grandma. After a short visit, we drove around my old neighborhood and stopped at the beach to see the ducks. When I was growing up, we used to feed the ducks bread. Now, apparently, they are on a diet of whole grains and turn up their noses at anything else. Ella saw the ducks, swans and geese being fed grain by an elderly lady, who I’m not sure worked for parks or is just a very good citizen. Every year I come back, there is so much new development. The houses keep getting bigger and more extravagant, and land that was nothing but rock or forest has become some fabulous shopping.
Ella went over to play with Erin’s nephew, Zachary, for the evening while we went out for dinner with Suzanne and her sister. It was a great dinner, especially because we are all parents of young children. We might have scared Erin from ever having children after seeing how much we relish a simple dinner out with adult conversation. Seriously, it might as well been a vacation, dinner without wiping up spills or indulging a toddler so they don’t throw a temper tantrum – heaven… even if it was only a couple of hours!
Erin had the day off so yesterday we headed out to Beacon Hill Drive-In for the best ice cream in town and then walked over to
Beacon Hill Park. The peacocks are in their mating season and the boys were all show for us. Ella was fascinated with them and they were shaking their tail feathers at all the ladies in the park. We went to the petting zoo and Ella pet all the goats. She really doesn’t fear anything or any creature. Auntie makes a great ride and is much nicer than Mommy and Daddy, who make her walk everywhere.
Last night we had dinner with some close family friends. It’s always nice to see them and really feels like home when we get a chance to visit. The view from their patio is breath-taking… but for us a little too cold to enjoy as the evening air off the water makes us the biggest wimps!
Oscar and Ella are two peas in a pod. It's so much fun to see them together....
We went with Matthew, Stephanie and Oscar to
Coombs, a little touristy town outside Parksville for lunch before heading to Victoria. Coombs had a park with lots of animal statues that Ella climbed all over.
After a nice afternoon with Steph and Matt, we headed to Victoria to meet up with Erin. Her family had a picnic dinner at Beacon Hill Park with lots of family and friends... lots of babies! Everyone had little ones or were pregnant. Here's Ella with Auntie Sue (Erin's mom) and Mackenzie (Erin's neice). Too much fun!
We attended our second wedding after driving 6 hours to Red Deer. Actually, we made it to the church just in time but Ella had fallen asleep in her carseat. So we headed back to the hotel where we are staying for the reception. We rested a couple of hours and headed to see Indu and Yawo. Friends from Korea are visiting as well so we got to catch up with Kelly, Katie, Sandra and Jackie. So much fun.
My cousin, Jodi, got married today in Cranbrook. We've been bribing Ella with bedtime and napping by telling her she was going to see a princess today. Jodi looked stunning and the wedding and reception were beautiful. I am very glad we got the chance to see my mom's family again and Ella was able to meet everyone. 
Ella had to be taken out of the church part way through the ceremony, and missed all of the reception speeches and such. She's too active and there is too much going on. But the girl can dance. Once she got on the dance floor, we couldn't get her off. She danced with any and everybody, even cutting in on couples to dance with them. It was a great day and we get to do it all over again tomorrow, after a 7 hour drive....
We left before dawn this morning and headed to Cranbook. Ella slept the first couple of hours and then was up watching Shrek the rest of the trip. The trip was beautiful, the mountains gorgeous. Such amazing country. Ella was a jem the whole 11 hours (including a few pit stops and stretch breaks). We arrived in Cranbrook and met up with my mom's family. Everyone looks the same, like time has stopped... except for the kids, when did they all get big and grown???
Today we hung out on Suzanne's patio and let the kids have the run of the backyard. They played in the pool and chased each other with the garden hose. Ella adores Isabella. Later in the afternoon, Ron, Ella and I went to the local mall and did a bit of shopping before heading back for dinner. We took the kids to Fort Langley to the old fashioned playground, complete with teeter-totters, tire swings and a very tall metal slide.
Last night we stopped by Steph's parents to say a quick hello and goodbye to everyone and then headed over to Uncle Andrew's for a quick visit. Hopefully we will see Andrew in Vancouver next week and we can all go to the zoo. 
This morning we said goodbye, sadly, to Auntie Erin and we are hoping she comes over for the day next week and we'll all go to White Rock. We met Suzanne and the kids and headed out to catch a ferry to Vancouver. It was another gorgeous day, knock on wood, and we made it to Suzanne's with no trouble. 
The kids spent the afternoon in Suzanne and Jason's beautiful backyard, barefoot in the grass... it's been years since I've been able to do that without fear of centipedes, scorpions or such. It was a nice treat for Ella. After a great dinner, Ella is knocked out for the night. Having a 3 and 6 year old to run around with has completely worn her out! We love it!
Everytime I come home for a visit the weather is usually gorgeous... a nice treat for the west coast and all it's usual rain. I always have these romantic notions of living here, in the city, close to the water in a gorgeous old home. Ron could run through the park and we'd take evening walks on the water. It really makes me homesick. The reality is, it is so expensive to live, let alone buy a home, that we'd be hours out of the city in a not-so-nice house, both working long hours to maintain some sort of standard of living... all in a mostly rainy place. Not exactly how either of us picture life. It makes me grateful for Ron's job and the lifestyle living in the US affords us. Victoria would be an ideal retirement destination, a small place with everything we love nearby - the ocean, downtown, the park... 
Yesterday would have been my Mom’s 57th birthday so we drove out to the memorial gardens to talk to Grandma. After a short visit, we drove around my old neighborhood and stopped at the beach to see the ducks. When I was growing up, we used to feed the ducks bread. Now, apparently, they are on a diet of whole grains and turn up their noses at anything else. Ella saw the ducks, swans and geese being fed grain by an elderly lady, who I’m not sure worked for parks or is just a very good citizen. Every year I come back, there is so much new development. The houses keep getting bigger and more extravagant, and land that was nothing but rock or forest has become some fabulous shopping. 
Erin had the day off so yesterday we headed out to Beacon Hill Drive-In for the best ice cream in town and then walked over to Beacon Hill Park. The peacocks are in their mating season and the boys were all show for us. Ella was fascinated with them and they were shaking their tail feathers at all the ladies in the park. We went to the petting zoo and Ella pet all the goats. She really doesn’t fear anything or any creature. Auntie makes a great ride and is much nicer than Mommy and Daddy, who make her walk everywhere.
We went with Matthew, Stephanie and Oscar to Coombs, a little touristy town outside Parksville for lunch before heading to Victoria. Coombs had a park with lots of animal statues that Ella climbed all over. 
After a nice afternoon with Steph and Matt, we headed to Victoria to meet up with Erin. Her family had a picnic dinner at Beacon Hill Park with lots of family and friends... lots of babies! Everyone had little ones or were pregnant. Here's Ella with Auntie Sue (Erin's mom) and Mackenzie (Erin's neice). Too much fun!
