IN GOOD COMPANY

Good to see you girls today! See you next week...same time, same place? Yeah for Tuesday evening "happy hour" at Decades! :)
Love ya!

That's what weekends are for...

Our weekend was pretty uneventful. We picked up pizza for supper on Friday night and curled up on the couch with a movie. It was actually really nice to spend an evening together, at home.

Saturday was spent working in Abbotsford. Jon picked up a little side job of laying laminate for a condo reno. So instead of sending him off to work all day while I did what I wanted, I decided to go help him out. It ended up being a lot of fun working together:) And we got a lot accomplished. We got the whole living room done and just have two tiny little hallways to do, and the kitchen (which is also quite small). After that we went to our friends, Todd & Brianne's for supper and then the four of us drove into Langley to watch Jon's cousin play against the Chiefs. He plays goal for the Quesnel Mills and has actually been drafted to the WHL for next season. He'll be playing in Seattle-- and he's only in Grade 12.
The game was unfortunately a blow-out (Langley 8, Quesnel 2) but half of Jon's extended family came out for the game and it was fun to all be there to cheer Ty on.


Sunday was a lazy day again, thankfully. We had planned to go finish the laminate right after church, but after grabbing lunch, neither of us felt like driving all the way to Abby to work. Instead we headed home for a nice afternoon nap...a very much needed nap I might add :) Then I spent the rest of the afternoon working on Thank-You cards for clients at work, and Jon watched sports. What a great way to end the weekend.

That dang artwork...

Looks like I'll be making yet another trip into Mission tomorrow. Grrrrrrrrr... I was very upset to see that the stupid artwork had shown up only a day after it was supposed to be hung at Carrington. Yesterday was my day off so I only realized that it had been delivered today. And I was NOT happy because after looking back at our paperwork for it, I saw that they had GUARANTEED we would have it for Monday, Jan.22. Isn't it pathetic that you can't even trust a person's word anymore!? Needless to say that I have a TON of artwork to hang now, even though it seems pointless (the "top dawgs" have already come & gone) and this means another trip that I didn't really want to take. Especially when I was JUST there. Oh well...guess that's life sometimes. Mission, here I come...sigh...

A Hard Day's Work... ;)

Well it was a long drive to work today. My boss is away on holidays again and the job we've been working on in Mission required more attention so I had to drive in first thing this morning. It wouldn't have been too bad had there not been an accident on the highway, making my usual 30 minute drive turn into well over 1 1/4 hours! A semi had turned over just outside of Chilliwack and if I had known sooner, I could have taken the back roads to Abbotsford...but unfortunately I was already on the highway when I realized. Oh well...at least I was getting paid to sit in my car :)

Anyway... I was kind of hoping this was going to be my last trip to Mission for this project but it looks like that is just a dream. We were supposed to get another big shipment of artwork to hang today but it never showed up so I guess I will be making another trip out there. Its too bad it didn't make it because all the big "head haunchos" are coming tomorrow from Toronto to see Carrington Place. Guess they'll just have to like it the way it is :)

So I thought I would show you some pictures of what it looks like so far (everything is done now, except for the artwork I mentioned). Carrington Place, for those that are unsure what I am talking about, is a condo-style Assisted Living complex for Seniors. And here is what my boss and I have been working on lately...

"Entry Lounge"

"Billiards Room"


"Main Entry & Foyer"

"Show Suite"

"Dining Room"

"Upper floor Lounge"


So seeing as I didn't have all that artwork to hang, my day at Carrington was shorter than I had anticipated. It was actually a nice thing because I had promised Jon I would stop by and visit him on the way home (the house they're framing is on my way home from Mission). So I was able to take the guys some Timmy Ho's and see the progress they've made on the house. Its looking good so far. And thankfully the rain had stopped long enough for them to enjoy their coffee :)

Boredom

Thought I should update this. Unfortunately, there's not much to update you on. The weekend has been pretty low-key.

Here's Jon studying hard on Sunday afternoon...doesn't he look comfy?





I on the other hand, am a little bored. What should I do? :) I'm open to suggestions...

More Snow & Answered Prayers

We got another dump of snow last night...and as pretty as it is, I just really don't get the weather here this year. We almost NEVER get snow. Oh well.

In other news, thanks to any of you who read my last post and prayed for us! I only posted yesterday about our need for a second vehicle and we found one already!! In fact, right after I posted yesterday, Jon called me from Vancouver to tell me that he had found a small pick-up truck (which is what we had wanted--I hate it when he has his nasty tools in our nice Volvo) and it is in GREAT condition, for a really great price. I couldn't believe it! I mean, God has answered a lot of our prayers in the past but I honestly didn't expect such a quick answer! He sure is good to us.
Anyway... so Jon actually postponed his first day of framing 'til tomorrow and headed back into Vancouver today to get the truck. He's on his way home with it right now. Its a little Ford Ranger and it had everything we wanted (including LOW mileage--it is a 1994 and it only has 120,000km on it!! Our Volvo is newer and we have WAY more km than that!) So...it was great to get great news! Praise God for his goodness!

A New Endeavor

<---- Todd & Jon...soon to be co-workers...


Well, as you know, Jon has been working on his own for the last couple of months now, doing renovations. And it has been so amazing for me to see him finally loving his job. He loves the flexibility of "being his own boss." Quite frankly, who wouldn't? But today he finished the last reno he was working on and will start the next step of his "business." This last week he became the official owner of "Esau Developments." Sounds pretty professional doesn't it ;) (I have to admit I am pretty proud of him.) But the real reason for the official business name is because he will begin doing residential framing tomorrow with his good friend Todd. And with the business name, he can sub-contract himself out. He's pretty excited about finally starting work with Todd and I am sure that they'll have a lot of fun together--and hopefully make a little money while they're at it :)
The only part of this that isn't ideal is that we are working around one vehicle right now. Up until this point, we've been able to make it work. But with Jon commuting to Abbotsford, and me still needing a way to get to work everyday, we are in a bit of a pinch. We've been trying to find a second vehicle for a while now but haven't had any luck yet. Jon is actually out in Vancouver right now, looking for one but I kind of doubt he'll find one in time for work tomorrow ;) So if you could maybe just send up a prayer for us, we'd sure appreciate it. God has always been good to us and I know he'll help us figure this all out, but we could still definitely use your prayers. Not only to find a car but also just for Jon and his new "endeavor." Thanks again... I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Grandma Esau-Upholstery Specialist

Today was a lot of fun. Jon and I have had these dining room chairs that we absolutely hated-- until today. We finally got the chance to re-upholster them with the help of Grandma Esau. The chairs themselves aren't bad but the upholstery on them was a nasty floral and they were getting pretty tattered looking. So after my boss told me I could have any extra fabric I could find at work, we decided it was time to give the chairs a face lift.
And I have to say, I am pretty proud of how they turned out! The colors work perfectly with our house. What do ya think?






In other news, for those that are curious, our first small group night was awesome! So thanks for your prayers. Our group consists of 4 other couples and another lady, and they are all SO nice! I didn't need to be nervous at all. Everyone made us feel so at home (even in spite of being the only ones without kids, and the fact that we are approx. 8-10 years younger than everyone else). We are both really excited about getting to know our group better and continuing to grow with them. It is such a nice feeling to be a part of such a caring group of people and to finally feel a part of an amazing church family. Praise God!

The Latest...

Figured I should put something new on here seeing as I haven't had much to report lately...
Here are a few recent pictures of our very adorable niece and nephew, Ava and Konrad. Aren't Ava's cheeks irresistible!? I can hardly keep myself from pinching them.





Not much to report though. We lost power again after my last post. So we have only had 2 nights in our own house this past week. Its been really annoying. But it came back on in the later afternoon yesterday and we're really hoping it will stay on now.

Tonight we are off to our very first church small group night. We finally feel like we've found a church that we feel at home in, and were invited to join our Youth/Worship pastor's group. Jon knows him from his Prince George days (he moved here years ago) and also from when Jon did his internship as a youth pastor. So, I have to admit I am feeling a little intimidated, simply because I don't know any of the people that will be there, but I am really praying that it will be a positive experience. We've been dying to find a group we can be comfortable with and enjoy studying God's word with, and hopefully this will be it! Say a prayer for us tonight...I'll let ya know how it goes!

FINALLY

Well, our power is FINALLY back on! It has been a pretty crappy last few days. The power went out Friday at 9:30pm and didn't come on until later today...
So we're VERY glad to be back in our somewhat warm house (its still warming up) and enjoying the fact that something actually happens when we flick the light switches.
Let's just hope it stays on...another storm is on its way. Yikes.

The Date Night to Top all Date Nights!!

So I must admit that I often feel as though my blogging is a little dull and meaningless--even "uneventful." But last night's date night left me with lots to post about. This was a date night like no other. And not necessarily in an entirely good way. Here's what happened.

The evening started out great. We went into Abby, did a litle shopping -- the mall wasn't busy which was an added bonus. Then we had a really nice dinner at Milestone's -- ended it with a delicious gelato/espresso dessert. So far, everything was perfect. We then headed to TownCentre Cinemas to watch "The Holiday" (which I have been DYING to see...I've heard so many good things about it.) We got our popcorn & drink, and found our seats. The movie was great! And it was ALMOST done, probably only another 30-45 min. left, and suddenly... the fire alarm goes off. At first, nobody in the theatre moved. And I'm pretty sure we were all thinking the same thing, "I paid for this movie & I want to see the ending!" :) But then the theatre staff came in and starting yelling for everyone to exit the building immediately. I heard some people yelling that they wanted their money back (which we were also thinking) and the staff said they would deal with it once everyone was in the parking lot. So, we all made our way outside (in the ridiculously cold wind) and waited for instruction. We waited for quite a while and nobody was telling us what to do, so we got in line again at the front of the building. Then a fire truck rolled up and 3 or 4 firefighters made their way into the theatre (they didn't seem too concerned, so i'm guessing they were there to turn off the alarm and do standard checks). As we were standing in line, I overheard, who I assume was the manager of the theatre, yelling at a group of young guys. Soon they went marching by us looking quite sheepish, with the manager hot on their heels. I peered around the crowd to see what was going on and all I could see was the group of them yelling back and forth with this manager, just inside the doors. By this time we had made it to the front of the line and got our two "free" movie passes (we thought we should have got our $ back & free passes, but whatever). No one told us exactly what had happened so we decided to head home. But I am guessing those kids had done something stupid, which cost us the end of our movie.
And yes, I am just a little bitter because now we either have to go and spend another $8/ea and watch the entire movie over again, or wait 'til it comes out on DVD which won't be for quite a while-- neither of those options thrill me.

Anyway...we headed home. And then as we turned onto Yale Rd. in Chilliwack (our road is just off of Yale) we see an ambulance, police car & tow truck...somebody had had an accident. (oh, and it didn't look serious, no one was hurt). By this point we had to laugh a bit, because we had now seen every single type of emergency vehicle in the span of one evening. Finally, we turned onto our road, only to discover that the neighbourhood looked ominously dark. "NO WAY!!...don't tell me our power is out!"....oh yes Bonnie, it most certainly is. So to end our evening, we had to try to go to sleep in our freezing cold house, with the most intense storm we've had yet, blowing heinously outside. Not exactly what I had pictured for our date night but hey, at least I got a story out of it :) And thankfully our roof did manage to stay on.

So I am writing this from my in-law's place because it is now 3:30pm on Saturday and our power has been out since 9:30pm last night. I sure hope they get it figured out by the time we head home tonight or we'll be sleeping elsewhere, that's for sure!

Snow AGAIN??

This is the view from our front window today. I can't believe we got snow TWICE this year. And it actually seems to be sticking around for more than the usual few minutes.

In our backyard??

I just had to take a picture of this and share it with all of you. How many of you can say that you have a jacket-wearing horse, living in your backyard? I didn't think so. Well apparently we do. And it made me laugh...probably because I only really noticed him today. As many of you know, we have a loft suite at the back of our landlord's property and I guess they own a horse. And that horse just made my day. He looked so sweet & innocent with his blanket-jacket.
Anyway...on with my post. I had my first two training shifts at the drafting firm this week. One word to describe it...IN-tense! I started learning AutoCAD and all I have to say is, I have a whole new respect for draftsmen. AutoCAD (CAD stands for computer assisted drafting for those that don't know) appears easy when you watch someone that knows what they're doing, but learning it was an entirely different story. I now know how to plot drawings which is probably the majority of what I'll be doing but they began teaching me all the other elements to CAD and I was pretty sure my brain was going to explode. I think it is going to be good though. My schedule will be a bit crazy but manageable. I'll work Mondays from 9:00-4:00 at the drafting firm, Tuesday-Friday from 8:30-2:00 at KC Interior Design and then I'll finish those days at the drafting firm from 2-4. Busy, but hopefully not too confusing. Let's just hope I don't mix up the two jobs when I have to answer the phone :)
So that's the latest "excitement" in my life. Jon just finished the 4000 sq/ft office reno he and his dad were working on. He had today off which was nice seeing as he had worked a couple of 13-15 hour days in the last few weeks. Next week he will finish one other reno he had started for the lighting company here in Chilliwack, and then its off to do residential framing with his friend Todd. He's pretty excited about it-- but who wouldn't be excited about working with one of their best friends right!?
Other than that, life is finally slowing down for us. Christmas was so busy this year and we're looking forward to a slower pace in these next few months.
And I can't wait because we're finally going to have a date night tomorrow night--its been too long! :)

Another Tearful Good-bye

Just one highlight of my Christmas holidays: Grey's Anatomy marathon with Jen--I believe it was close to 6 or 7 hours worth of the second season :)


After that many hours of Grey's...we got a little hungry. And nothing hits the spot like a good ol' McDonald's cheeseburger & fries!




But now, Jen is gone and out of my life once again :( Back to U of A to study her heart out. And I miss her...a lot....already, and its only been one day since she left. But this visit was a good one, and its only proven to me even more just how special friendships are and how we need to cherish them.
Jen--I'm sad you're gone...but I'll be praying that this second semester is a great one! Love ya lots!!