Home...

Well.... we're back from a few days of camping with Jon's family. It was cold. It was wet. It meant a lot of sleepless nights with a one-year-old. But all in all, we had a good time and we're happy we were able to go.

These next few days hold a lot of change for our family. Moving. Preparing for missions training to start. And lots more. I'll try to update you at least a little bit, amongst all the packing I have to do. Sorry life's been too busy to stay faithful to this blog. I'll get you in the loop as soon as I can. :)

The true taste of summer...

We recently discovered that, not only does Callie have my personality, but she also shares my intense love for corn on the cob...

... truly a girl after my own heart.

5 years of awesomeness...

Jon and I celebrated 5 years of wedded bliss this past weekend (August 7th) and were blessed to be able to head to Whistler to celebrate the occasion... sans child. Grammy & "Numpa" (Callie's new name for Grampa) Glen cared for & entertained Callie-bear, while Jon and I enjoyed some R&R, just the two of us. It was amazing.

Whistler-bound...

So blessed to live in the midst of such beauty...

We stayed at the Adara Hotel. It was really cute with all its contemporary decor and the location was great-- right in the centre of Whistler Village. But I must say, for what we paid, I'm sure we could've stayed somewhere a lot nicer. Don't get me wrong... we enjoyed it, but there were just some little things that made it 'less than perfect.' We would definitely go back to the Mountainside Lodge (where we celebrated our 1st anniversary) over the Adara any day.

But as I said, the decor was right up my 'designer' alley and all in all,

we had a good stay...

Hotel lobby (from above)

Our room, as you walk in the door...

Living Room

(sorry for the dim lighting... forgot the flash)...

Bar/"Kitchenette"...

Stairs up to the loft...

Loft Bedroom...

(this includes one of the "less than perfect" items...

an overly soft bed-- to the point that I could hardly walk the next day;

and the fact that hot air rises... and the air-conditioner up here wasn't working.

Made for a "less than comfortable" few nights.)

Roof-top patio...

Bathroom...

(the brown circles in the mirror are a reflection of the shower glass--

looked pretty sweet.)

View from our living room window...

The goal of our weekend away was to relax, relax, and relax some more. And that's exactly what we did. Our first night there, we walked around the village a bit, picked up calzones from a pizza parlour for dinner and watched a movie in our room...

... and on Saturday, we did more walking around the village, watched some of the "Crankworks" mountain biking competition, did a little shopping, eating, hot-tubbing, more eating, and more relaxing. It was glorious.

Olympic buddies...

Lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory...

Post-Olympic spirit...

Crazy mountain bike action...

Celebrated our anniversary evening with a delicious dinner at 21 Steps...

... and then we changed into something more comfortable and ventured out again for a classic Whistler dessert...

Beavertails!

Mmmm.... so good!

Sunday morning we checked out, had a leisurely breakfast at White Spot in Squamish and then headed home to our sweet & very missed, little girl. Callie had a wonderful time with Grammy & 'Numpa and even got to spend Saturday at the Chilliwack Fair, petting every animal under the sun. We were so thankful to have had a great weekend away and know that Callie was having the time of her life.

So, to end the post, here are some latest food shots of our girl... she certainly does LOVE her "num, nums!"

... maybe a little too much? ;)

Lime & Warm Avocado Chicken...

I've had several people say they'd like the recipe I talked about in my last post, so here it is. I promise, it won't disappoint!

Ingredients:

* Limes

* Avocados (ripened)

* 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for pan-frying

* 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley, oregano or cilantro (or 1/2 tsp. of dried)

* 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic

* 1/4 tsp. chili powder

* 1/4 tsp. salt

* 1/4 tsp. sugar

* 1/8 tsp. black pepper

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

* 1 tbsp. honey

* 1 tbsp. lime juice

Recipe:

* In baking dish large enough to hold chicken, mix olive oil, herbs, garlic, chili powder, salt, sugar and pepper. Set aside.

* Score chicken breasts by cutting a 1/4" deep cross-hatch pattern (with lines about 1" apart) in meaty top sides of chicken (this helps them cook faster and allows flavorings to infuse the meat quickly). Roll the chicken in marinade. Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes (or overnight if you have time.

* To cook, heat drizzle of olive oil in large frying pan. Cook chicken, turning, until browned on both sides and cooked through. Mix honey and lime juice, pour over chicken. Remove from heat.

* Add diced avocado to pan, gently turning to coat in pan juices. Serve immediately.

* Serve with rice & slices of lime.

* Makes 4 servings.