OPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Question: How long will it take me to get you all caught up on two months of travel that we did in 2007?

Answer: F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

I’m sorry. I gave up on my travel blogs a while ago because they were just too much to handle! I was overwhelmed. And even now, we have been so incredibly busy that I have not had time to catch you up on things that have been going on the last 2 weeks either. BUT I feel like re-living my travels at the moment, and I’ve also managed to upload photos at well. So we are ready to rock. I will fill you in on life now, later.

Let’s escape to Greece again shall we? We left off at the island of Santorini. Seems I have left you all shipwrecked there for a couple months. But the Greek ferry is ready to go. Next stop… the Greek island of Ios.

Let me tell you a little about this Greek ferry we took in particular. It was pretty much just a giant chunk of floating metal. We all sit on the deck in plastic seats and this ferry goes about as fast as you can swim. So I read a book. And we chatted with some girls from Vancouver. There was this unique little Catholic-looking shrine-thing right in the middle of the boat too, where you could go and do your ‘Hail Mary’s’ and read scriptures. I’m not 100% sure. But it was interesting. But that was about all the boat had to offer. That, and bathrooms.


We arrived in Ios to be greeted by a very loud, very relaxed and overly honest and crass Brazilian /English man in his mid thirties who runs the place where we were staying. He picked a crew of us up and drove us in a giant van. On the ride there, we chatted with this man to find out, like I mentioned, that he is a Brazilian/English man.  I think he’s confused what he is. Or maybe I am. Either way, he kind of screamed “mid-life-crisis”. The place he runs is called The Far Out Beach Club. Pretty much a young adults party resort over-run by Australians. But because we were traveling in September after the big rush of tourists, we managed to avoid all the hype, and the party scene.

This place was one of our favorites. We could not believe our eyes when we saw that we were staying in an extremely clean room with our own private patio…for an extremely cheap rate. Breakfast included! This place had a couple giant swimming pools, it was right across from a gorgeous beach, complete with its own private restaurants and all. Our days here were definitely spent sun tanning and reading by the swimming pool, eating delicious food, and swimming in the glorious ocean. This was Danny’s favorite island because it was all about r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g.


We took the bus into town for a little bit, one day, only to discover that it really wasn’t all that interesting, and we just wanted to be back at the beach. So we looked at some ships, a man on a donkey, the ocean, and spent too much time at an Internet café looking for a place to stay at our next island. And then went back to the club. Well to the beach actually. Apparently the ladies don’t wear tops there. I find this strange to see a 30-year-old woman playing with her little daughter in the sand with no bathing suit top on. I wanted to go and cover her up. But instead I covered Danny’s eyes by throwing sand in them. Okay, I’m kidding.






At night the Far Out Beach Club would show movies on a big screen kind of near the pool. Everybody would crowd around and eat and watch. It was one of the only things to do at night unless you wanted to go to the bar.

In the morning we would wake up and eat breakfast by the pool, and it was glorious. Although I must say, the breakfasts weren't that impressive. Cereal with warm milk and dry chocolate cake. But it filled our bellies nonetheless. Can't complain when you're in paradise!



Overall this place was a nice treat in our HOT Greek adventure. But we were only there for 2.5 days. We met up with the Vancouver girls again at the ferry and off we went to our next stop...the island of Mykonos.

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Today is Thursday.  On Thursday's I work from 11-6.  Danny usually works until 8.  Until March that is BECAUSE... sad to say and HAPPY to say... DANNY GOT A NEW JOB!  I am sure he will do more posting on this in the future, but yes, it's true... my man is moving on from the Urban Barn.  And no, it's not because he got asked out on a date by a guy.

Before DT applied at the Urban Barn, he also applied at numerous non-profit organizations, but didn't hear back from any.  Until last week.  The non-profit calls themselves Richmond Addictions.  They are located in Richmond, BC, about 20 minutes from our place.  And he went in for an interview last week and he has since been offered the position as their "Addictions Specialist".  (Funny title.  hehe)  Anyways, he will be responsible for community outreach and prevention education in the Richmond community.  He will go and do presentations and all sorts of interesting things to try to help people become aware of what is out there for help, etc.  After much prayer and contemplation he decided that this would be the right fit for him.  It was a really big decision because he was considering starting his master's full time this fall, so this won't exactly allow him to pursue it with such force anymore.  But he is excited for this new adventure and I think he is going to do great at it!

More on the news front, we have had visitors in town this week.  Danielle my friend of 8 years... came and stayed 3 nights here at the humble Taylor abode, and ALSO our friends Rob and Aaron too!  AND Jessica (one of my bridesmaids) and her husband Jesse were also in town also, but our little Taylor Hotel was booked up, so they stayed at a hotel downtown.  But it was a fun visit!  Danielle and I managed to fit in a couple coffees, a brunch date, a concert, AND some shopping too!  And when I was at school Danny played host and did a great job at it too.  We all went for dinner on Tuesday night at this great restaurant called the Red Door.  Delicious Pan Asian Grilled food.  And at a good price too!

Sorry there are no pictures on my post lately, our computer wont let me download any!

BONJOUR!

Well its been a while since I've written, but thankfully that husband of mine has been able to keep this blog a 'hoppin.  He is quite the story teller I must say.  It's funny how things just seem to happen to him.

Things are good here.  My little sister Natalie is visiting at the moment.  Which is fun.  Danny and Natalie get to have more fun than me though.  They spent the day exploring Vancouver, while I went to school like a good girl.  I missed out.  But I learned ALL about Microsoft Excel and Word, all day long.  Fun times.  It was the best day of my life!  yeeeeaaah.  We are going shopping in the U. S. of A. on Friday though, which I am pretty pumped about.  It will be a quick in and out dealio... but I must say, I am looking forward to it.  Bath and Body Works here I come.

So what else is new might you ask?  Well... The Starbucks on the same street as my school (one of like 50) BLEW UP last night at 2:30 am.  That's right.  Full on exploded.  It was a gas leak they say.  But it blew off the side of a bus driving by and the windows of London Drugs.  Nobody was hurt.  It's a miracle.  I think it's a sign... there was one too many Starbucks in Vancouver.  Don't get me wrong.  There really is nothing like a tall 1% extra foamy Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks.  BUT there really is a Starbucks on every block here.  What if Starbucks takes over the world?  What would we do then?

Work for me is not so... similar to Danny's.  I haven't been asked out on any dates yet.  Maybe its because my bling is bigger, and is therefore more apparent.  I'm not sure.  Either way, I am enjoying being a travel counsellor.  That's really what I am.  The only problem is, I am literally responsible for knowing the world.  Like where everything is.  And I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  The world is not so small when you're memorizing every city in existence.  TRUST ME.  AND the other issue I'm facing is that I feel like a kid in a candy store.  Surrounded by travelers and books alike.  I actually feel like I'm going crazy some days.  I can't complain though.  At least I'm learning the world.

It's Valentine's day tomorrow.  I have to work.  We celebrated last week though!  It was all a surprise.  Danny made me dinner!  And he surprised me by filling our living room with candles, and bought me my favorite chocolate and he had rented a French film called Paris, Je taime.  Its a movie that is actually a bunch of short films (like 25 or so) shot in Paris...all with different themes.  Some were SO SO random, but overall...it brought me back to Paris, so I was in good spirits.  It was a perfect evening.  But then I turned French.  I literally got in this mood that made me download a bunch of French songs and play them all weekend.  And all I want to do now is go to a French cafe and drink a cappuccino and listen to someone play the accordion.  I must do this soon.

That is all for now my friends.  Stay tuned.

a day in the life of a furniture salesman...

OK. i'm working today. doing my duties. the phone rings. i answer. a dude...says he's looking for a lamp. just his luck, we got some yesterday. so 15 minutes later, dude arrives. for the lamp. as a salesman of urban barniture, i do my best to be polite and conversational...first, to be nice, and second, to SELL. it's my living. my lifeblood. my meat and potatoes (no pun intended). anyways...i make the sale, $200 on a gaudy looking blinged out dangly lamp. dude leaves with described lamp.
i must also inform you that while providing the conversation in my salespitch, dude says "my boyfriend is away, and i'm hoping he likes this, but if not, can i return it?" immediately two lightbulbs go off in my head - lightbulb 1: 'this man is gay'. and lightbulb 2: 'yes, you can make returns within 14days with original receipt and packaging'. i tell dude bulb 2, keeping blub 1 to myself.
the day continues. i'm working the barn floor. making my living, right? about 35 minutes after the lamp sale, i get handed the cordless phone from erin - "it's for you". i answer. "hello, ya, it's dude. you sold me the lamp about 30min ago?" and i'm all thinking 'crap, the lamp is broken, or doesn't work'. but then dude continues: "hey, i was just wondering WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO OUT TOGETHER SOMETIME?"

let me tell you, lightbulb 1 is blaring, like the highbeams of a giant semi-truck on the highway, in my mind at this moment.

my reply? "sorry, dude, i'm married." (you'd think the ring on my finger would give it away? maybe i need some bigger ring bling myself!) to which dude is disappointed, and understanding, and i politely say "thanks for the invitation, but i'll have to say no." and the conversation ends.

so...the girls at the barn think this is just incredible that i got picked up at work in my first week. a few of them have had it happen to them before. but rarely the gay proposition. i guess dude's gay-dar-radar is shooting a little sideways...either that, or i'm sending mixed messages. i'm praying it's just mis-directed gay-dar.

and for the record, if i was gay, which i'm not, i am not gonna be "the other man"! dude said he had a boyfriend!! as they say, cheaters never prosper. bad form. bad form.

i'd like to say that i cannot believe this has happened to me. i'd even say i was surprised, but look at my life now! i'm a furniture salesman at a modern upscale furniture store on granville street in downtown vancouver. most of our top clientele are gay couples. or as i like to call them, guples.

oh, the life i live. love you all!!

dt

an introduction, to me...mr. DT.

folks, i'm gonna be honest. i have only posted on this blog what has seemed to be the most appropriate expression of my personality. humor. emotion. eloquence. best summarized in one word: "ROAAAAAARRRRR!"
having previously roared my little taylor heart out, on Saturday, June 30, 2007, today i will begin an intermittent appearance in this blog...finally putting the 'danny' in 'haileyanddanny'.

to begin...
so i just finished my first 4 hour shift at my new job, the urban barn. i survived the day and rewarded myself with a tall americano misto immediately. i deserved it. we all deserve it. anyways, just a few interesting tidbits about my day.

1: i work under a manager, a pretty 20-something girl named "hollis". yes, hollis. last name, "terr". haha. jokes. hollis terr. i know what you're thinking - she should be selling hoodies and tshirts and tank tops, not furniture! in high school i once worked for a guy named abe. i was told to call him "mr. ricombe".
2: apparently boss hollis doesn't like being summoned with "holla hollis!!", nor does she like to be called "boss hollis".
3: i have an assistant manager named "sam", who is also like just pushing 20 and seems really quiet and nice and kind, except for the RAGING dragon/flower/something-i-can't-quite-figure-out tattoo the size of a bowling pin in her back. but she is nice.
4: i also worked with the following: bonnie, liane, leona (props to mrs. sharman), and another girl who i can't remember a name for. it is a female affair. except for this MAN. the rooster has entered the hen house. for the record, nameless girl was literally crying with laughter in the tiny stock room when i went to get my jacket when i finished my shift. she had her cellphone to her ear, but wasn't saying anything. just laughing. lets call her "crazy", until i find out her real name.
5: i get a whopping __% off discount at the store!! can you guess? you'll win a prize!!!
6: it is remarkable to me how much urban barn items polka-dot my house. i didn't realize i'm living so urban and so barn.
7: i am exceptional at the BS of furniture sales. i was told to walk around the store for an hour or so to familiarize myself with the product. in that time i somehow helped three customers - a lady looking for an end table made entirely of mirrors, another lady and her mother looking at couches, and a nice young girl wanting a present for her friend. i am hoping, that on the weekend these ladies come and buy all of their items and i get the commission. and hopefully they bring their friends and family as well. i need all the sales i can get. but seriously, i'm already "helping" customers? i have NO idea what i'm doing.
8: i am now the "light guy". leona has assigned me the task of pointing and positioning the lamps in the store. there are like literally a bazillion lamps in the store. i am excited. i will softly sing worship songs as i do the work, primarily songs with a metaphor of "light". "come light the fire again" "this little light of mine" etc.
9: parking is ridiculous. i put my new tiny toyota to the test ( t t t t t ) in a parallel park that involved me getting out of the car at least 6 times to check for space. but i made it fit. oh yes. anything for free unlimited parking. huzzah.
10: i think i'll like this job. i hope i like it. it will probably take a few weeks...months...to get up to speed. i hope it pays well enough. we'll see!

just thought i'd give ya'll an update of my work. you can pray it continues to go well. thanks!

[oh! and for the record, hailey, my wife, and the other half of 'haileyanddanny' is a drop dead gorgeous bombshell knockout one-of-a-kind woman. she is pretty times a bazillion. just for the record.]


heart.
dt

Face Lift

Well I figure its about time I changed our pictures on this thing.  I guess I just got in a rut that way... for about an ENTIRE year.  A facelift is nice now and then, if its free.  And if it doesn't make you look ugly... or like you have fake lips or cheekbones.

So here's the latest.  We are NEARLY settled.  Nearly.  Let me count... okay... 11 boxes left to unpack, relatively small, but probably all filled with stuff we don't really need.  If we've lived this long without it...who's to say there is actually something important inside those 11 boxes?  It's tempting to think maybe we should just throw them out, without checking what's inside.  hmmm.  I'll ponder that.

So now that you know how many boxes are left to unpack, let me get on with some more important news.  Well....I started school- Travel and Tourism Business Management.  And so far so good.  Small class of girls, FIVE of us to be exact.  For the business side of things that is.  The travel portion of our learning starts in April, where more students will be joining us, so until then I am literally learning about motherboards and RAM, and microprocessing chips, and the insides of the computer.  All extremely interesting, might I add (sarcasm noted).  However, I am really enjoying myself nonetheless.  I also started a new job at a local Travel Bookstore in my area and I love that too.  Who wouldn't want to talk about travel all day long with other people?  The only problem is that it is difficult for me in the sense that the most exciting place I will be traveling to this year is EDMONTON.  That's right.  I heard it is -41 degrees CELSIUS there right now.  For all you Americans, just have a cat nap in your freezer, and you'll have an idea of how cold that really is.  So needless to say, as much as I enjoy talking about the Hawaiian islands with some customers... I am also secretly slapping them across the face in my head.  (kidding, slightly...)  Danny just got a job at a store we both love called the Urban Barn.  (a modern home furniture store) We're quite excited as this month has proven to be difficult on the job search front for Danny.  Looking for a job outside of ministry and liking it, AND getting paid decently is not as easy as it looks.  I am proud of him for giving this a go, and I think he'll do great at it!

Vancouver in general... great city.  We are happy here.  Nothing awful has happened since the last kicking of our car incident or the thieving of our laptop.  We have since had our computer replaced, and also, have bought a new used car too. 2007 Toyota Corolla.  We will probably keep this car for a total of 5 months.  Oh the things I let my husband do.  How many cars have we owned since we've been married now?  Oh right, FOUR.  It's his thing... not mine.  As long as he's happy that's all that matters.  BUT... as much as we like our new car, we are walking more here, and spending more time outside.  I even started shopping at little independent markets for our fruits and vegetables a couple blocks away.  True story!  The weather is quite pleasant too.  We went for a walk around the harbor and for lunch and coffee yesterday!  Wouldn't be doing that in Edmonton.  Let me see... what else?  We have found a church with great teaching and a younger crowd, so we are probably going to join a small group there.  We are still deciding on that though.  But its nice to have found a place that we MAY be able to call our church home.  Anyways, as you can tell, the novelty of living here, still hasn't worn off... but I do count my blessings every day.  I feel like we are supposed to be here right now, and its just really affirming to feel that way.  Things are relatively good.  So we are happy!

I will post more pics soon! Hope everyone's January is going delightful.

Thanks a MILLION

Thanks to you all for your patience. As you all know we have been in the process of MOVING over the last 2 weeks and I have not had internet access really at all, so that is why I haven't written. We are getting internet tomorrow hopefully, so things will get better soon. Here is a point form version for you to fill you in on what has been going down in our lives.

1. Christmas was super fun and hard all at the same time. We were juggling families, trying to fit in all our goodbye's with friends, and preparing for our move, all in one breath. Merry Belated Christmas to you all!!!!! I hope everyone had such a good one!
2. We spent the night in Kelowna on Boxing Day, at Danny's Grandma's along with his parents and our sister Darla. They helped us move out to Vancouver, so that was AWESOME and SUCH a big help. We eventually made it out here where we proceeded to move in all our boxes, and do some painting too! I will post photos soon!
3. Our cousins from California were up for new Year's so we took them to Stanley Park (a giant beautiful park near the ocean), and while we were out on a 20 minute walk our car was broken into and they stole our laptop and some of our cousins things. It was a sad sad day. There was no sign of breaking and entering, so they got in some secret way...Thankfully insurance kicks in and we give them $500 for the deductible and then we get a new laptop. AND we have all our photos on backup (Praise God), so we are safe in that respect. But still super bummed.
4. I had school orientation the other day and met my small class of girls! All girls! It was good though. So crazy to walk into the school and its all about travel. I start tomorrow and I am lookin forward to it!
5. We went to church today and there are tons of ppl that are from Edmonton that go there...so strange! It was good though...awesome teaching, and really young crowd. Its in a movie theater. So we are going to go again next week. Its really close to our house, and on a really cool street. We'll give it a shot, and make a decision in the future if we want to make it home.
6. The job search is slowly coming along. I am hoping to get a job at this place where they sell travel literature and it is just jam packed full of cool books on literary travel... I love it! And its only blocks from our place! Danny is hunkering down this week to look for something for him now that we are more settled.
7. Someone kicked our car the other day. Long story short, the other day we were stuck in traffic by a train and we didnt move our car up 2 feet as this man rudely honked at us to do so, so once he eventually got passed us, his friend got out of the car with fuming rage and proceeded to yell at us, punch our window, and then he kicked our car. He was psycho.
8. I am eating a delicious chocolate banana loaf right now.

So that is all for now folks. I promise when life becomes more normal I will write more!