Unpredictable...

You gotta love the unpredictability of BC's weather. We had a beautiful beginning to September but as it neared the end of the month, the rain set in and the dreary skies became part of our daily morning routine. We had been holding out on turning our furnace back on because the hope of a few more nice days was still prominent in our minds. But after a few VERY chilly nights last week and quite a bit of rain, we finally gave in and turned on the heat.

And what do you know, the sun has come back and we've hit +28 for the last few days. Trust me... this is by NO means a complaint. I am all about having summer in autumn. Its just funny. And a big reason why I love this province as much as I do.

My friend Ginny and I went for a long walk at the river last night in tank tops--- at the end of September! How sweet is that!? I'm really hoping that this continues into October. The sun just makes everything better. And as much as I love autumn, the crisp air, red & yellow leaves and, of course, the wonderful fashion that comes with it (I am a little addicted to sweaters and cozy hoodies), its just so much easier to enjoy daily life when the sun is shining.


And on an entirely different note, I want to say a big congratulations to our friends Tim & Heidi who had their first baby girl yesterday. Welcome here Magdelyn Anne! Can't wait to meet you!

Weekend entertainment...

We never seem to be short on entertainment when we're in the presence of our niece and nephews...

... they're just so easy to love.

Little to say...

I've been wanting to post something new, but since we've finished the kitchen and the rest of the painting in the house, we're finally just taking it easy. Life has actually slowed down over the last week and I have to say, it has been so nice. We've spent a few evenings on the couch, lazing around & enjoying some TV, and last night, I had the pleasure of spending some much needed time with my good friends. It becomes more and more clear to me, just what a blessing good friendships are. (You girls know who you are-- thank you again! You're simply wonderful.)

I honestly don't have much to share right now and unfortunately, no pictures either. I know I don't have to have pictures in order to write, but I prefer adding them if I can, so sorry if this is exceptionally boring. To be completely honest, the thing I am most excited about right now is the fact that Grey's Anatomy and The Office start tonight and I'm anticipating an evening of lots of laughter and possibly a few tears. A little pathetic? Maybe, but hey... we all need the chance to get lost in a little fiction every now and then :)

So to all you Grey's and Office fans out there... top up that drink, grab some popcorn and enjoy a spectacular evening... ;)

At last... the transformation!

Thanks for being patient! Here are the long awaited AFTER shots of our kitchen...

NOTE: (Below) Please ignore the big white spot on the far right wall. We didn't get the hood vent box back up yet but I was too eager to post pictures and went ahead with them anyway. When it is actually up, it'll be the color of the wall in order to blend in.

Scroll down to the last post to see the BEFORE shots again. It makes the overall affect so much stronger when you see how nasty it was before.

We're extremely happy with the result and would both agree that all the work was totally worth it. It feels like a brand new kitchen and every time I walk into this room now, I can't help but smile. We just LOVE it!!

The next project is painting out the grey walls on the rest of the main floor and then everything in the way of reno's will be done (other than framing up the basement, but that will be an ongoing thing). Its going to look fantastic when its all done!

Sneak peek...

Thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek at the reno's so far. The old cabinets and countertops are off and we got everything painted last night. Things are moving along and my excitement is building with each accomplishment :)

This is what the kitchen looked like BEFORE the reno's started...

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DURING the reno's. The beginning of all the chaos...

Prepping everything...

Getting rid of the red walls...

First coat almost finished...

It was pretty late by the time all the painting was done so I didn't get a picture of the completed paint job, but you can look forward to the "AFTER" photos sometime this weekend, or early next week. I saw the new countertops in the shop here at work this morning and the cabinets will be coming home with me at the end of the day. I'm really hoping we can get it all back together sooner than later because its supposed to be +31 this weekend and I'd really like to get out and enjoy the sun while its still here :)

Fall is here...

After months and months of practicing and all the anticipation that comes with performing, it has already come and gone. Hard to believe its over so quickly. We had the fall kick-off at church yesterday and I'd say it was a huge success. The parking lot was PACKED with people, many of whom were community folk (which is great considering that is the whole goal of the carnival), and I think everyone that came out had a good time. It was fun to see so many people come together to enjoy an afternoon of food, fellowship and sunshine, and as for our band's performance, things went pretty well. Always a little nerve-wracking but also a lot of fun :)

Both of our families came out for the festivities and it was fun to share the fun day with them. Jon got some really cute pictures of the kids from the afternoon.

The night before fall kick off we had a little family get-together with Jon's side of the family. Our friend Jen arrived in Abbotsford on her furlough, so Susie put on a delicious meal for all of us. Jen is a missionary in Guadalajara, Mexico and is now back in Canada for the next couple of months. It was fabulous to catch up with her and hear about the exciting things God is doing through their team down in GDL. I didn't manage to get any pictures of the family and Jen, but I did snag a couple shots of Susie's masterpiece of the evening. She made THE cutest cupcakes I've ever seen!

As for an update on our kitchen reno's... pictures will follow very soon. The cabinets are being re-finished in the shop at work, and Jon and I are starting on the painting this evening. As long as there aren't any big hitches, we should have everything back on Friday, including the new countertops. Saturday will be a full day of re-installing everything and trying to minimize the chaos before our small group arrives for our first meeting on Sunday afternoon. No pressure, right!? haha... yeah right...

Its hard to believe that fall is here and summer is a thing of the past. Our weather seems to be holding out so far though, so we really can't complain. Thankfully, September in the Lower Mainland has proven to be quite summery most years and this year seems to be no exception. Hope you're all taking advantage of this wonderful sunshine!

The many CUTE faces of Calvin...

I couldn't resist... our newest little nephew is just too cute!

Hanging out with Auntie Susie @ Starbucks...

I know, I know... I'm just a little bit in love with him :) But at least I readily admit it...

Jack Johnson, Wedding Bliss & other tales...

(WARNING: Be prepared for a long post with LOTS of pictures!)

I've been trying to get to this post for the last week but life has been so busy that it just wasn't possible. Oh well... better late than never, right!?

As you know, Jon and I had the awesome pleasure of going to the Jack Johnson concert in Vancouver on Aug. 21 and what a show it was. I'd say the only "down" side to the concert was the fact that out of the 21,000 people that were there, approximately 20,900 of them were smoking pot. That meant that the 100 of us that weren't smoking it, were pretty much high by default by the end of the concert. But as for Jack's performance, it was INcredible! He sounded great live and his interaction with the crowd was very entertaining.
The concert was outdoors at the Thunderbird Stadium on the UBC campus and though we got decent seats on the huge field, our little camera still wasn't strong enough to zoom in on him from that distance. It was good that they had the big screen up.

Susie & Jon gearing up for the upcoming greatness of Jack...

The very wonderful Hailey & Danny Taylor...

Jon's sister Susanne got tickets from her boyfriend but due to working out of town, Juergen wasn't able to come. Thankfully, our cousin Annette was able to make it at the last minute to take his ticket.

Cousins...

I got a few little clips of the concert on our camera. Here they are for your listening pleasure. Sorry if they're not very clear but the crowd was pretty loud...

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The next day it was time for me to start my whirlwind trip to Saskatchewan. My flight left Abbotsford at 6:30am the day after the Jack concert which meant not a lot of sleep that night. But with bleary eyes, I headed off to the airport at 5:30am and boarded the Westjet flight bound for Saskatoon. My closest childhood friend Michelle was getting married and had asked me to sing at the ceremony. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford for both of us to fly so Jon decided to stay home for the weekend. The reason I say it was a whirlwind trip is that I only arrived in Saskatoon at 10:15am on Friday and was already back in Abbotsford by 8:30am on Sunday. Yeah... not much time to fit in a wedding and time with friends that I hadn't seen in years. But nonetheless, it was well worth it and I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

The ceremony was held at our home church, Hepburn MB and they did such a beautiful job of decorating.

Geralyn, Carly & Amanda lighting the candles...

Darren & Michelle had their siblings as their attendants.

Michelle's brothers and sister-in-law...

Darren's sisters and brother-in-law...

The exquisite bride making her entrance.
It was tough to keep the tears back at this point... she was absolutely stunning!!

Jared Wohlgemut & I sang "The Fear you won't Fall" by Joshua Radin...

(you can click on the link above to hear Joshua's version of it.. its a beautiful song)

The receiving line...
I love this picture of Darren & Michelle...

Grade 5 & 6 buddies.
Donovan, Darren, Michelle & I were inseparable in elementary school.
So crazy to think that Darren & Michelle ended up together all these years later :)

Posing with their get-away car...

One of the best things about weddings is re-uniting with friends that you haven't seen in a long time. It was awesome to catch up with my good friends Traci & Donovan.

Me & Traci...

The "girls"...

Darren & Michelle had their wedding at Shekinah's new lodge, just a short drive from Hepburn. It was like something out of a fairytale...



The happy couple, Mr. & Mrs. Huebert...


And of course, I had to add the faces of the next newlyweds-to-be,
our wonderful friends Carly & Aaron!
Their big day is coming up really soon... October 11!
Jon has the honour of being a groomsmen and we can't wait to share in their special day!! Only a month and a bit to go... :)
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Let's see... as for an update on us, things are going really well! Life has been ridiculously busy as always, but full of blessings and fun stuff :) We are in full swing of reno's on our townhouse and are looking forward to a completely finished house. We are finishing the painting of the rest of the house, we re-did the upstairs bathroom and upgraded the ensuite and powder room and the best thing of all is we're getting our kitchen cabinets & countertops re-done next week. Our existing cabinets & counters are pretty "blah" and seeing as I'm working for a custom kitchen cabinet company now, we can get them done for a smokin' price. I am SO excited about it!! The cabinets are going to be done in a dark espresso colour and the counters are going to be a rich, granite-look-alike laminate. Stay tuned for pictures!

I've been really busy with music lately. I was asked to sing for our church's fall kick-off carnival and have been practicing with the band every week for the last couple of months. It will be my first "mini-concert" and though I'm a bit nervous, it will be a ton of fun! So if you live in the area and want to join us, come on out to Central next Sunday afternoon. The BBQ and carnival start at 11:30am. Or come out for the worship service first (10am) and stay for some great food, fun and fellowship! Oh, and as well as our band, there will also be a concert by Greg Neufeld, one of Canadian Idol's Top 10!