Vancouver

Yesterday we picked up Erin after she caught the ferry over to Vancouver for the day. We headed to Granville Island for lunch and then to Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium. It was a wonderful day and the aquaium recently welcomed a baby beluga whale so we of course had to get Ella her own little plush beluga which has replaced Snoopy (temporarily I'm sure). We had dinner at a beach downtown and walked for ice cream before taking Erin back to the ferry. A GREAT day!!

Today, Ella and I went for lunch with Christin while Ron was on a ride-along with Jason, who is Vancouver PD. He had so much fun and Jason was a great guide. When the guys got home we headed out to dinner with the kids. How cute are these two dressing up for dinner...

Day With Papa

We picked up Papa and headed into White Rock. We had lunch at a greek restaurant and walked the board walk. After a couple of hours we headed back to get dinner started. We had a nice roast dinner at Doug's house, a good friend of my Dad's, and Ella got to run around the backyard with her Papa.

Doug let Ella help him fill the bird feeders, she was so happy and proud and everytime he got up Ella would follow him around hoping to do some more "helping" - too cute!

Beautiful BC

We left Golden and headed back to Vancouver via Kamloops and the Coquihalla Highway. Again, I can't stress enough how beautiful the weather has been and how stunning the landscape...

On the way we stopped at the Enchanted Forest and spent an hour wandering the trails and visiting with all the fairy tale characters. Ella love it! We arrived back in Vancouver in time to order pizza and have dinner with Suzanne and Jason.

Banff National Park

We had a late start today because we ran into Indu and Yawo in the elevator and we all had breakfast together. In all the busy wedding festivities, it was a nice chance to relax and catch up with the newly weds.
We headed out of Red Deer at noon and made our way to Banff National Park after getting somewhat lost on some Alberta country roads (dirt and all). Luckily, the Rockies are so big we had the general direction down, even though we missed a turn onto a main road. We were in the middle of cattle ranches and logging sites for about a half hour longer than we intended but got onto the highway to the Rockies only a little further down than we planned.

Once indide the park, we took the scenic route from Banff to Lake Louise. We missed Banff, but took lots of photos on the way, and stopped for a quick look at Lake Louise. On our way to Golden we saw a couple of black bears, one on the railway tracks up the hill and the other on the side of the road happily eating out of the ditch. We also saw a group of Rocky Mountain goats on the side of the road. We finally made it to Golden and are spending the night. We will head to Vancouver in the morning and should be there by dinner.

Congratulations Indu & Yawo

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.

Congratulations Jodi & Bart

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....

Vancouver to Cranbrook

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???

Back Yard Fun

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.

Goodbye Victoria

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

Witty's Lagoon

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.