JULY

As promised... here is my blog post for JULY! To say this month has been CRAAAAZY is an understatement. Seriously-between juggling guests, travels, homework and work... we have hardly kept our heads on straight! Where to start?

Our first visitors were Steve and Clark, and Steve's fiance Kim... although we never got a group photo unfortunately. Kim was in town doing school though so she was staying with family. The boys had a lot of fun though, and I know Danny really was so happy that he got to spend time with Steve; one of his closest friends. It was nice to have them around!! Steve and Clark got in more rounds of golf than humanly possible. Although Danny missed out on that! :(

Canada Day was a lot of fun. We got together with a big crew from our church...mostly small group peeps, and had a large picnic... mixed in with a little bocce ball, croquet, frisbee and good chats.

Our next guests were the lovely Danae and Danny Lee and Zhen the dog. We had a blast having these guys out. It was really nice to spend time with them and show them the city. They were only here for 3 nights though I think. So much too short. We did loads of walking, and shopping-but not a lot of buying... and enjoyed some movies too. Danae and Danny made it out to Chinatown too and Danae managed to get a fake sleeve tattoo. It was pretty funny.


After they left, my Mom, Dad, and sister Natalie came. We did loads with them as well. Once again a lot of walking and sight-seeing, and it was glorious! We headed over to the island too where we spent lots of time with extended family. Such a blessing to live close to extended family now.



My Mama and Papa are a very funny elderly couple. We always have a lot of fun chatting with them. Papa is such a goof. He is almost like Danny but 60 years older!


My Auntie Pip sells some of her art at a coffee shop called Moziros in Cowichan Bay. They have the BEST chocolate and BEST coffee there.

I was getting sun stroke I swear...so I had to wear Papa's hat on the boat, and Danny found this oh so humorous, so he literally took like 10 pictures of me in this hat! My uncle took us crabbing, which is always fun to go around on the boat. Only problem is...I don't eat crab!

My cousin Kayden is a little trouble maker. But we have lots of fun with him too. Nat and him are close in age.



After our time at the island was over Natalie came back with us, and we went to the Jimmy Eat World concert. WOW was it good. I really think I was their biggest fan growing up, and was lucky enough to see them in concert once when I was in high school. They were just as good the second time.
Then a few days past and Danny and I lept onto a plane to VEGAS for our 2 year wedding anniversary! We treated ourselves to many things such as the COLDPLAY concert and Cirque du Soleil; "O"-the water show. Our trip was only 3 days long though and man was it stinkin HOT. Like melt your face off hot. But we had a blast shopping, and sightseeing and floating about in the pool.





Cirque du Soleil is actually amazing. If ever given the chance to go-DO IT! I insist. I was telling Danny its almost like you want to go up to each person at the end of the show and just hug them and tell them how amazing they are. The things they did are absolutely insane and suspenseful. People would like disappear under water and not come up!! And then like 10 minutes later you would see them diving or something. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the actual show though.







The Coldplay concert was by far one of the best shows I have seen my entire life. Beyond entertaining. It was a giant sing along and everybody was SO into it. We reeeeeeaaaally had a good time. They are incredible live.



When we got home my family was still here, and my parents left the day after but Natalie stayed for an extra week. We did so much with this girl; took a mini cruise/aquabus around the water and saw fireworks, went to restaurants, and the list goes on.

We watched the fireworks again over the weekend with Bonnie and Jon too but have no time to download those pics yet! The fireworks competition is in town, so we get fireworks every week!!! July is nearly over and tomorrow is our TWO YEAR wedding anni! We are both so excited! And then it will be almost August. We get to go camping this weekend though and I am pumped! Okanagan here we come!!!!! I can't believe how fast time goes by. It's scary!

MONTHLY BLOG: JUNE

I wish I had more time.  As you have probably been able to tell from my lack of blogging, I don't have time right now.  Time + Me = Not-such-good-friends.  

I am loving life though and living life... away from the computer.  So... I have decided that while I am still in school I am going to have to forfeit my blogging duties, and do monthly updates only.  Not that I haven't really been doing that already, but I am just verbalizing it to myself so that I know now I MUST update ONCE a month.  For now.  Or else.  I will have to punish myself.  How do you even go about punishing yourself.  I don't think I'm disciplined enough.  I think I would just give myself those puppy dog eyes and give in.  

Anywho:  Recap since last time I wrote.  My friend Danielle has been living with us for the past 6 weeks doing her internship in Langley and just left us yesterday.  Darla was also in town for one week on her way home from Australia too.  She is also gone now too.  Our house has been FULL.  Full of laughs.  Full of food.  Full of shampoo, clothing, and girly things.  But now- it's not full.  It's quite empty actually.  Danny is at a work thing tonight, so it's just me.  Sitting here.  With my favorite Pottery Barn candle burning.  Typing at my computer.  It's okay.  I'm okay.  ;)

Now what to report.  

• Well we went to Whistler with Darla on Friday last week which was really fun.  It was a venture up into the mountains and it was actually sort of warm there as opposed to the eskimo-like weather we have been experiencing here in Vancouver.  But yeah... Whistler.  Went for a walk around a lake, looked in a bunch of shops, checked out some Olympic hype.  Good times were had.  
• School has been really good.  Right now we're learning travel and tourism fundamentals, and seriously my instructor is SO funny.  She has the funniest stories ever.  But I think the best thing about her stories is how hard she laughs when she's telling them so it usually takes twice as long than it should to actually get the words out of her mouth.
  
• Danny's job is going great.  My little Addictions Specialist.  He sure is great.  He is getting positive feedback from his co-workers too.  I'm so proud.  BUT the school year is coming to and end so things will slow down for him this summer.  I foresee many "IM BORED" text messages from him in my near future.
• Our small group has also come to an end for the year.  Our church just finished a 5 month sermon series on the sermon on the mount.  It was crazy long, but incredibly insightful.  We are finally getting a sense of community at our church, so Vancouver feels more like home by the day.

The other thing on my mind lately is being Environmentally Friendly.  DT and I are trying to press into this notion but its difficult at times.  It takes so much effort, and I'm lazy by nature.  Here are some things I JUST learned today (And this is not to point the finge

r at the American's because I am sure we are just as bad-but the stats were all American stats:

1. American's throw more than 75 million tons of packaging and containers (532 pounds per person) into landfills each year.  Less than 40% is recycled.
2. The average computer left on all day uses 1000 kilowatts of electricity per year; whereas a computer switched off at the end of the day uses less than 250 kilowatts per year. 
3. 188 millions trees are used for paper every year.
4. The red/green light emitted from your TV/DVD player/Stereo System etc, is PRICEY + BAD.  It adds approximately $70 to your electricity bill every year and creates 190 pounds in unnecessary greenhouse gases.  They suggest buying power strips and plugging things into that, and when your technological appliances aren't in use-flick the switch off.

YIKES!  This book has loads of info, but I wasn't happy to read all this stuff.  I really hate this environmental struggle.  Here are my personal goals for now:

• Use the clothesline more- I think I've used it like once.  (Im afraid people will steal my clothes!  Plus its been rainy.)
• RECYCLE more
• Throw out less.  We throw out a lot.  I think.  Mostly food.  Its hard when there is 2 of us cause we can't eat everything!!
• Turn the lights out ALWAYS when I am not in the room.
• Walk more.  Drive less.
• Buy less.  Don't buy junk!
• Take quick showers
• Put on layers instead of turning up the heat

...Just to name a few.  SO that's all for June.  Stay tuned for July.  It's our 2 year anniversary and there is LOADS going on this summer!!!

Wedding Bliss

Well it's been a while.  I almost decided to give up on blogging because I just 

don't have time.  Really.  I don't.  I am spending every waking moment on homework and when I'm not doing that, I'm not home.  So therefore, I am a blogging loser.  BUT I have decided to blog when I can, because I value it, a lot.  I have way too much on catch up on.  But, this is the long awaited post.  The time has come folks.  Wedding Photos.  That's right.  Wedding photos.  Finally.  Only 1.9 years late.  We were married July 29th, 2006 and so far so good.  We are happy campers, living life, and moving forward.  So here are a few highlights from that day 1.9 years ago... ;) Sorry it's taken me so long!  For some reason a bunch of our getting ready and ceremony and family shots wouldn't download, so maybe there will be more to come one day...