Finally!

This past week I got up the courage to do something I have been thinking about for at least a year now. I figured if I was still thinking about it a year later and didn't just go and do it, I never would. So...I went out and got my nose pierced!

It took my husband about half an hour to notice and my kids didn't notice for a few days! My mom and brother noticed right aways at a family dinner and my dad took awhile, even after we all made it plainly obvious.

It's still taking me a bit to get used to, but I think it suits me and looks pretty good. Hopefully I don't look like an old lady trying to look young...the guy who pierced me said it was nice to pierce an "older" person because there wasn't all the drama...lol!

Father's Day Camping

On Father's Day weekend this year, we went camping with a bunch of friends just off the road at the Carolin Mines exit. This bunch is in to quading and dirt biking, so I learned to drive a quad and Kenton gave the dirt bike a whirl. I wish I had gotten a pic of the man who has been bed ridden for the past three weeks doing pop-a-wheelies up the hill! Boys will be boys....

On our second evening there we had one heck of a mountain storm come in...thankfully it didn't last too long. Since it was Father's Day most of the ladies dreamt up activities for the dads to do with their kids, one being the kids having to feed their dad with a blind fold on. This one was obviously one of the favourites.

What a great time with old friends and new friends! I also wouldn't be a bit surprised if a few more "toys" find their way in to my garage in the next year or so...

Sleepless in Seattle

One day Dana and I were discussing shopping in Seattle and I happened to mention that I had never been! It was decided right then and there that we would pack up and go the very next weekend. We spent hours shopping in Macy's, had a beautiful view from our hotel room, had dinner down at the water, went to Pike's market, visited the Space Needle and had dinner at Red Lobster one night. We packed a lot of fun in to one weekend!

This is one of the best drinks I've had in a long time, if not ever! It was a pina coloda with strawberry swirling through it....Yummy!!

Day Trip to La Conner

On one of our rare nice days this spring, my mom, grandma, aunt and uncle went out to La Conner for the day. I believe this was my first time in going. There were tulips as far as the eye could see...and apparently in other years there has been even more! Tulips are my favourite flower, so I was in heaven. :) We went for a nice lunch out on the patio and then went to one more farm. It was my favourite because instead of just rows of tulips they had it set up as a beautiful garden. We treated ourselves to some ice cream and then it was time to call it a day and head back home. Definitely something to make an annual day trip!

One of my favourite things....RED tulips!!

The O'Donnells Visit Whistler

Dana's gift to Chris for his birthday was a family trip to Whistler for the weekend. The suite was stayed in was absolutely gorgeous and we had a such a great time. We went out for dinner to an Irish Pub, walked around the village and enjoyed a Starbucks one of the evenings. There was a half pipe contest going on, so we also took that in for awhile. We were in awe when we went in to the hot tub one evening and discovered that where else except in beautiful British Columbia could you sit in a hot tub and be surrounded by daffodils and have a mountain of snow as your backdrop?! Sadly, I don't have pics of it on my computer...so these will have to do.

Whistler is definitely one of my all-time favourite places to get away! Thank you so much for your generous gift Dana!

Olympic Mania!

When you think of February 2010 in Vancouver, you've got to think of the Olympics. I think our country did a fantastic job of hosting this year. I don't think I've ever felt as patriotic, especially when our men won the gold in hockey. That game couldn't have been better if it was scripted! We had a few of our favourite people over to experience the game...my parents and Chris's parents. What a fun day!

At one point, we all took turns getting our picture taken in front of the TV with our boys flying our flag...here is Kenton's turn to get a bit silly. :)

Annual Girls Ski Trip

Every February for the last four years, four of us gals have packed up our gear and become ski bunnies for the weekend. There is always good fun, food, laughs and wine involved! This year we rented a lovely condo right at the base of Mount Baker for three nights. One night we went out for burger and beers at Graham's, which is really the only place to go out there. The other nights we all contribute something and usually end up eating like kings, in this case like queens. :) We stay up and talk about all sorts of things...the men in our lives, scriptures, dreams of the future, hurts of the past...everything. We all definitely look forward to our annual ski trip! The weather did not cooperate this year, but we were determined to have fun anyways...you can see us trying to have a tail gate party in a blizzard. That's just the type of gals we are...we make fun out of anything and everything!

We also had extra fun this year showing our Olympic pride!

Chris Turns 40!

February was a busy month...mostly with planning Chris's surprise casino party for his 40th birthday. As far as I know, he really was surprised and everyone had a great time because they were talking about it for days afterwards. My cousin Paul and my brother Scott were our dealers and they did a great job. One of the hi-lites of the evening was my gift to Chris...the movie montage of his life so far that I worked on for hours, days and weeks. Unfortunately, I could not get it burned on to a CD, nor could we get it to play on the TV (even with all the techies in the house!), so we all piled in to the computer room to watch.

Here is a little glimpse in to the last 40 years of Chris's life....


Wishing you lots of happiness in the next 40 years!

Busy Times!

Wow! Once again, I have let my blogging slip and haven't blogged since January! I really do enjoy blogging, but I've been a little short on time these days. I'm really loving school and am currently doing my first practicum over at Peace Arch Hospital. We are learning so much every day...on the job experience and doing lots and lots of research! My plan is to go back and share a few special milestones from over the last few months and then try to keep up with all the summer madness ahead!

Hockey Night in Abbotsford!

I've been trying to mix a little fun in with all my studying, so when my dad asked me to go to one of the biggest games of the season, I definitely said "yes". It was my first chance to see the new sports complex that Abbotsford built last year. I was really impressed and thought it was well done. Dad and I had planned to check out the new restaurant next door as well, but apparently everyone in Abbotsford had the same great idea and there was a line up out the door! We were told that if we weren't in the first half of the line we would not be served before the start of the game. That meant we proceeded to Plan B. We grabbed a burger and fries at the concession, and it was good!

Now it was time to watch the warm up and get all psyched to watch the Manitoba Moose (the Canucks farm team) face off against the Abbotsford Heat.

Father and Daughter bonding time...I had a great time with you Dad!!

My dad surprised me with this Abbotsford Heat scarf last night...he must have noticed how much I liked it, but they were sold out the night we went...I love it!

Back to School!

This week I embarked on a new adventure...well, two really.

Firstly, after 15 years, I have become a student once again. On Tuesday I started the Licensed Practical Nurse program. This means for the next year and a bit I will be attending classes at Vancouver Community College. It feels good to know that I am doing something to challenge and improve myself. It's going to be so much work, especially since I will still be working part time and hope to see my family and friends once in a while, but I know it will be worth it next year!

The view from campus window...

The biggest adventure for me this week has been the commute. From my front door to the school's front door is about 2 hours! I drive to Mission, then take the West Coast Express. Once I get to Waterfront in Vancouver I hop on to two different skytrains before I get to the campus. So far, it's been kind of exciting navigating my way through the big city. I really feel like a professional traveller since my books are so heavy that I have to use a suitcase on wheels to lug them around!

I'm sure the novelty will wear off quickly...but for now I'm just enjoying the journey!