Flu season is here...

Some of you are probably quite convinced by now, that I have officially fallen of the face of "blogger earth."  Not true.  Though I have felt like I've physically fallen off the face of "real earth," (due to the NASTIEST flu bug ever) I'm still alive and here to say that I will try to update as soon as I have something to update you on.  Jon and I have both been home all week with a brutal flu that has kicked both of our butts and are only now, starting to feel somewhat "normal" again.  I missed 4 1/2 of the 5 working days this week, and Jon missed 3 1/2 of the 5.  Not good.  So, as soon as something other than barfing goes on around here, you'll be the first to know.  But for now, this is all I've got.  Sorry... :(    

One thing both Jon and I have really grown to appreciate is the friendship we have with our siblings. We don't get to spend a lot of time with my brother and sister-in-law, Craig & Jen, because they live in Saskatchewan, but we always enjoy our time with them whenever we get the chance to see them. And unfortunately, we rarely see my sister and brother-in-law, Viv & Rich, (even though they live in Chilliwack) because they both work shift work and always seem to be off when we aren't. :) Nevertheless, we're never short on laughs & good times when we do actually get to spend a little time with them.

But we have been lucky to have Jon's siblings around and available for lots of hang out time. We usually all end up at Erich & Naomi's house, simply because they have the biggest place and are the only ones with kids, so it makes it easier on everyone. A couple of weeks ago, we all got together for a "raclette" & games night (I'm not sure if I spelled that right). Neither Jon or I had ever had raclette, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Half the fun is just socializing around the table as you prepare your food on a hot stone grill-- but the food was delicious too. Here's everyone awaiting their yummy dinner...

L-R: Susanne, Juergen, Jon, Erich & Naomi

Mmmmm.... tasty goodness...

We finished off the evening with a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit and some of Naomi's DELICIOUS homemade Mocha Oreo ice-cream. Sooooo good :)

Last Sunday, Jon and I were able to spend the afternoon in Vancouver with my parents. They took us out for lunch to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown and then we spent some time walking around the beautiful streets in the area. Vancouver certainly is gorgeous in autumn...

Next we headed over to Queen Elizabeth Park. Here is the view from the hilltop look-out...

Jon had taken us to Queen Elizabeth Park when I first moved out to BC in 2005, but we hadn't been inside the atrium that they have there. We decided to see what it was like and spent some time perusing the warm, tropical walkways of this little "indoor oasis." The parrots and other birds just fly around freely and are quite comfortable with the many touring humans. Jon and Dad were pretty fascinated with this little yellow bird. I think it was actually a peacock...

This particular parrot was especially comfortable and I was able to catch some of his "confidence" on camera. Such a show off... :)

And right after work today, I'm heading down to Redmond, Washington for my first CMS Worship Conference. All the team leaders from our church are going down for Friday & Saturday's conference and I'm really looking forward to a time of learning & reflecting. It will be a busy and tiring weekend but it should be lots of fun. See you when I get back!

Afternoon ramblings...

I know, I know. This blog is in serious need of an update. Unfortunately, I have very little to tell. Life has been fairly "low-key" lately and I haven't actually felt like blogging to tell you the honest truth. But even I am getting tired of reading the words "Birthday Turkeys," every time I log on so I'll do my best to give you an update on life.

Its kind of become a tradition for Jon and I to join Naomi and the kids for trick or treating on Halloween. Jon stayed home this year to ensure that at least a few kids got candy from our place, so I went solo on spending the evening with the kidlets. I didn't have my camera with me so I stole these pictures from Naomi's blog. Hope you don't mind Nome :) The kids' were as cute as they always are and their costumes added such a nice touch to their cuteness.

Konrad the Kangaroo, Calvin the Hotdog & Ava the Kitty.
I could hardly control my laughter when I saw Calvin's chubby cheeks sticking out of his little hotdog head. Isn't that an awesome costume!? If I'm not mistaken, all of the kids' costumes were from Old Navy. They make great stuff!

Basketball season is starting up again and after a lot of consideration, Jon has decided to coach Sr. Boys basketball at Sardis Secondary for a second season. He has his first set of try-outs tonight. He really enjoyed last season, but it was a HUGE commitment and we both agreed that unless he could find an assistant coach, it just wasn't going to be possible again this year. He missed out on a lot of work hours last year, due to early games and practices and was busy every single day of the week, as well as almost every weekend. Thankfully, the Athletic Director at Sardis Secondary was able to line up an assistant for Jon, and after meeting him, Jon knew it would be a good season. He's a Christian guy and has very similar goals and coaching style to Jon. We're looking forward to another busy but fun season of basketball.

We're co-leading a Care Group through our church this year with our friends Tim & Heidi and we had our first official get-together last night. It was encouraging to see how easily the group interacted and the great time of sharing that stemmed from our study. We're going through the Nooma series and watched a great DVD called "Rain." It worked through the fact that we all experience "storms" in our lives and that no matter how big the storm may be, and how alone we may feel, God never leaves us and wants nothing more than to hold us close and lead us through each storm. I think its going to be a great year and I look forward to growing closer with our group.

Other than that, not much to report. I'll be sure to write more as soon as life "picks up" again... which I'm sure will be sooner than later :)

Birthday turkeys...

Seeing as we were in Prince George on Naomi's birthday and couldn't be home to celebrate with her, Susanne, Juergen, Jon and I spent last Friday evening babysitting the kids so that Mom & Dad Esau could take her and Erich out for dinner. While they were gone, we put together some really cute cupcakes for Naomi's birthday dessert. I'm pretty sure the kids ate more than they helped, but it was fun to do it with them :) Susanne has a really awesome cupcake book, FULL of cute ideas and thought it would be neat to stick with the Thanksgiving/Autumn theme and make turkeys.

I think the final product was quite something...

Konrad was quite "hands on" with the whole cupcake-making thing, probably simply because he's older. But I must say, Ava and Calvin sat so nicely while we crafted the turkeys. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture of Ava especially. Look how patiently she was waiting for her turn...

Without further ado, Aaron & Carly's wedding...

After leaving Chilliwack at 10:00pm last Thursday night, we finally arrived in Prince George at 7:00am on Friday morning. Exhaustion had taken over but that didn't change the fact that we were absolutely thrilled to be sharing in our friends' special day. We have a VERY special place in our hearts for Aaron & Carly and couldn't have been more excited and honoured to be a part of their wedding day.


The "festivities" began on Friday afternoon with a rehearsal at the church. Here is the wedding party and the happy couple...


Bestman: Silas (brother to Aaron), Groomsmen: Conrad, Darren, Jon & Manolo (all friends of Aaron)

Maid of Honour: Millie (Carly's best friend), Bridesmaids: Amanda, Michelle, Geralyn (all friends of Carly), & Kenia (Aaron's sister).

The rehearsal was followed by a DELICIOUS Columbian/Mexican themed dinner that Aaron's parents, Trever & Joan, put on for everyone. The food was absolutely incredible!!


And finally... the big day arrived. I told Carly that I would help out with the "details" on Saturday and get things co-ordinated. I wasn't thinking when we got to the church early and I placed my purse (with camera inside) near one of the aisle seats, and went off to complete my wedding day duties. Turn's out I ended up helping my friend Erica with opening the doors for the wedding party, closing them after everyone had gone down the aisle, and then re-opened them for Carly & her Dad's big entrance. This meant that I had to sneak in through the side door and ended up at the opposite end of the row that held my purse. So unfortunately, I didn't get a single picture of the ceremony. Just didn't feel right about starting the game of "telephone" with everyone in my row, asking them to pass me my purse, while they tried to take in C & A's vows and such. :) Thankfully my wonderful friend Traci sent me her pictures of the ceremony so I could put them up here for all of you. Thanks again Trac!

Aaron & Joan making their entrance...

My handsome hubby and Geralyn...

The stunning couple...

And of course, "the kiss"... Aaron did not hold back :) hehe

So cute!

I went with Trever & Joan to the formals and managed to get a few shots. It was THE perfect time of year for outdoor pictures. Though it was FREEZING, the fall leaves were absolutely breathtaking...

Aren't they a beautiful couple!?!

Michelle & Darren, the other newlyweds.

Seriously... you guys are far too attractive for your own good :)

My gorgeous friends...

Michelle, Geralyn & Amanda

The wonderful Godard family...

Silas, Kenia, Joan & Trever

The reception was held at the Hart Centre on the outskirts of town. The decorations were just beautiful! It was like a fairytale...

And of course, the dance was an absolute riot! Here are Carly & her brother Stu, ripping up the dance floor...

Stealing Jon away for a quick picture...

The "Hepburn" girls...

Michelle, Tessa & I

Getting ready to throw the bouquet...

Geralyn & Amanda's joint effort on winning the bouquet toss, complete with bowling over Carly's cousin in order to get the flower victory :)

The garter toss...

I told Aaron he had to use his teeth but for some reason, he opted not to :)

Enjoying Joan's delicious wedding cheesecake...

Buddies for life...

Now, some people might be a little embarassed that I am putting this on here, but I just had to add this short clip of the dance. This was near the end of the night and I snuck away from the dance floor action in order to get a little bit on camera :) It was SUCH a fun night!! Though I must say my body HATED me the next day for dancing the night away in bare feet. My knees and back are still recovering :)

It was definitely a tiring weekend with very little sleep, but totally worth it. We feel truly blessed to have friends like Aaron & Carly and enjoyed every minute of their wedding weekend! We love you guys.

Giggly cuteness...

Naomi and I discovered that Calvin loves the game of peek-a-boo. We managed to catch some of his delightful laughter on camera...

... now you know why I love this kid so much. Warms my heart to the core.

PS: Pictures to come of Aaron & Carly's wedding. I've started the post but its tough to choose between all the photos, so its taking me a while to finish it. Hopefully I'll have it up by this weekend!

Road trip...

We're off to Jon's home town, Prince George, for the long weekend.  Going to share in Aaron & Carly's wedding day and we're looking forward to it immensely!  We've awaited this day for a long time :)  I'll post pictures of their special day when we get back.  See you in a few days and hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!!

What does love mean...

Email forwards aren't usually something I put on my blog, but after receiving this one from my sister in law today, I just had to share it. Some of the quotes below are just too precious...

--------------------------------------------------------

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' Karen - age 7 (what an image)

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8

And the final one, the winner, was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

-----------------------------------------------------------

Hope this made you smile as much as it did for me. There is so much to learn from the little ones in our lives...

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...

----------------------------------------------------------

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 :)