wordless wednesday - tweet tweet

I was at my Mom and Dad's house when this little guy flew into the kitchen window.  I went outside to visit him while he took some time to rest before flying away.  I was very happy that he wasn't hurt.

east of the sun

Television turned off and music turned up, I grab his hand and start swaying in time with the music.  Dancing in the living room is one of those things I know I'll look back on when times are tough and I need a moment to pull me through the darkness.  As we dance, I feel that the song perfectly descibes our lives in this moment.

book review - the paris wife by Paula McLain

If you've been into any large bookstore lately you'll have no doubt seen The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  It's been a bestseller for a while now, which is exactly why I bought it; I'm a sucker for books on the bestseller list.  Plus a story that included the 1920s, Paris, and Hemmingway?  I was totally sold.

I have to say, however, that I didn't love this book.  I found the beginning and ending to be very entertaining, but the middle seemed to kind of drag on.  Even a couple others who also read it said the same thing.  The two things that I thought the book did well, however, were the honest discussions on marriage, and the character development.  

sick days

I'm sick of sick days.

Fevers. Fluids. Feeling crappy.

The only good thing about sick days is kitten snuggles.

keep dreamin'

Have you seen the movie Up? You know, the Pixar/Disney one with the little old man? I saw it a while ago, and I seem to be thinking of it a lot lately.

If you're not familiar with it, here's a synopisis of the first part of the movie from Wikipedia:

Young Carl Fredricksen is a shy, quiet boy who idolizes renowned explorer Charles F. Muntz. He is saddened to learn, however, that Muntz has been accused of fabricating the skeleton of a giant bird he had claimed to have discovered in Paradise Falls, South America. Muntz vows to return there to capture one alive. One day, Carl befriends an energetic and somewhat eccentric tomboy named Ellie, who is also a Muntz fan. She confides to Carl her desire to move her "clubhouse"—an abandoned house in the neighborhood—to a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, making him promise to help her. Carl and Ellie eventually get married and grow old together in the restored house, working as a toy balloon vendor and a zookeeper, respectively. Unable to have children, they repeatedly pool their savings for a trip to Paradise Falls, but end up spending it on more pressing needs. An elderly Carl finally arranges for the trip, but Ellie suddenly becomes ill and dies, leaving him alone.

follow friday - life of t

Alright, let's be real for a second here: NaBloPoMo is harder than I thought it would be.  Posting every day for a month really didn't sound like it would be difficult at all, but sometimes it's really hard to find inspiration.  You know who doesn't seem like she has a hard time with NaBloPoMo?  Taren!

I love this blog so much.  Taren is great at sharing helpful tips (like how she prepares for Christmas), yummy recipies (mac & cheese cupcakes - OMG!), and her journey towards becoming a personal trainer (congrats!).

life of t!

Life of Taren is great for when you need a quick break at work.  Her posts are always light and cheerful; I feel like I always have a smile on my face when I read them.  I also like seeing what other newlyweds are up to - what different things they do for dates, yummy meals that she makes for her hubby - so that I can get inspiration for my own life!

Check out her blog, I just know you'll love it!

sprechen deutsch

Today is the last day of my German lessons.  For the past eight weeks I've been learning how to speak German in preparation for our upcoming trip to Germany.  At first I felt like I wasn't learning anything, but I've now realized that I've learned a lot in just eight short weeks.  For today's post, I decided to write some information about myself IN GERMAN.  Bam!  Keep in mind the sentences are very "beginner", I'm still learning :)

Guten Morgen!

Ich heisse Amanda. Ich Wohne in North Vancouver. Ich habe ein klein Haus. Es ist grau und grun. Es hat vier zimmer. Mine Haus hast ein Badezimmer, ein Schlafzimmer, und ein Kuche. Die Kuche ist nicht gross, est ist kline.

Ich habe zwei Katze; Missy und Roxie. Missy ist brun, orange, grau, und weiss. Roxie ist grau und weiss. Mine kinder :) Missy ist drei Jahre alt und Roxie ist eins Jahre alt.

Mine Familie ist Klein. Ich habe ein Mutter, ein Vater, und ein Bruder. De Mutter heisst Barb, der Vater heisst Ken. Mine Bruder er heisst Eric. Ich habe eine Mann. Er heisst Trevor.

learnin' aint easy

wordless wednesday - peek-a-boo

Clearly the little cat wanted to have some lunch too!

the meaning of great friends

After one of my friends tried to help me through some writer's block (thanks, Jill!) by suggesting that I write about the meaning of great friends, I got to thinking: "what makes a great friend?"

go lions go!

Yesterday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to watch Vancouver DESTROY Edmonton in the CFL Western final.  It was such a great afternoon.

hubby and i at the game  

sunday suppers - kale chips

[Today, instead of a supper, you get a snack!  Why?  Well, tonight I'm not cooking supper, instead, I'll be at BC Place cheering on the BC Lions as they fight for their spot in the Grey Cup!  Go Lions Go!]

I have a new snacking obesession.   Potato chips.  Okay, okay, I know that potato chips are not going to help me achieve my goal.  So I found a way to enjoy them, without making my waistline larger.

Kale chips.

vote!

Do you know what today is?  Today is municipal election day in British Columbia!

I have to admit, when it comes to election time (be it federal, provincial, or municipal), I kind of become a political junkie.  Yep, I that person who researches the candidates to make an informed vote, is glued to the television on election night, and even gets a little emotional when I exercise my right to vote.  I have even been known to send emails to my friends and family to remind them of the upcoming election and provide them with access to information so that they can inform themselves before they vote.

follow friday - little brown pen

I have a weakness.  A terrible weakness.  For travel photos.

That's right, for some reason, I can't help but pour (for hours and hours) over lovely photos from far-away places.  The creme-de-la-creme of travel photos (in my opinion) is Little Brown Pen.

when life gives you lemons

I had originally scheduled a happy, feel-good blog post for today.  However, it just didn't feel right to post the opposite of what I'm actually feeling today.  Today, I'm overwhelmed.  Today, I'm calling banks, crunching numbers, and (kind of) feeling sorry for myself.

What's going on?  Well, remember our Germany 2012 trip that I've been looking so forward to?  Well, that trip might be cancelled, or at least postponed for a while.  Last night Hubby and I were hit with an unexpected expense.  A large one.  One that doesn't fit well into our Europe budget.

wordless wednesday - vancouver sun

five things

Inspired by one of my favourite posts from Newlywed Trek, I decided to share five things that I've learned from our first two years of marriage.

1.  Sharing money is harder than I thought it was going to be.

I think that this one was really shocking to me.  Before we got married, Hubby and I were sharing all of the household expenses.  However, any extra money from our paycheques wasn't going towards us or our joint account, it stayed in our individual bank accounts.  I could shop as much as I wanted and, as long as I paid half of our household bills, I wasn't obligated to save any of the money.   Sure, I had savings through my Canada Savings Bonds and RRSPs, but nothing other than that.  I SHOPPED.  A lot.  Then about 8 months ago, Hubby and I decided to combine all of our income and expenses into one account.  This means, now instead of all having all my extra income to spend, I get an allowance each payday.  Once that's gone, I have no more spending money.  Trust me, it took a looong time to get used to this.  However, I'm now proud to say that it's working and I'm happy.  I hardly ever shop anymore, and when I do I only buy items that are reasonably priced or that are long-terms investments.  In the end, I'm happy with the changes that we made because they've made us more financially stable.  It also means that we get to go to Germany next year.

best kept secret - coconut oil

Okay, remember a loooong time ago when I said that the best beauty tip I've ever received was to use baby oil as a moisturizer?  Well, after writing the post, a friend told me that I should stop using baby oil because it's a petroleum product.  Rubbing petroleum on my body?  Not cool.

What was I going to do though?  I didn't want to have dray, scaly skin, and I don't like lotions (I often buy them and then end up not using them).  Well, the same friend suggested that I try coconut oil instead.

 

sunday suppers - spaetzle

I've got major German brain right now.  Not only am I currently taking German lessons, but I'm also researching and planning our trip to Germany next year.  In my brain it's Germany, all day long.

No surprise that with all this German thinking, comes a craving for German food.

turkey & spinach for me - german bratwurst for him

kitty city

You know what's not fair?  When your husband emails you photos like this:

Then, he proceeds to let you know that this little treasure is currently at the local animal shelter, waiting for a forever home.  I nearly died.  She's actually SMILING in the photo.  How can we not save her from the shelter and give her a nice home where she would have a family and friends to play with??

I know we can't, but that doesn't mean that I already love her to bits.

Plus, I do still have two fur balls who we already saved from shelters.  Now look at the life they have:

I think the only answer is for me to open a cat farm, where I can save every kitty who needs a home :)

follow friday - newlywed trek

My favourite blogging day!  I love sharing blogs that I love!

Today, I'm sharing Newlywed Trek.  Maybe it's because we share the same first name, or maybe it's because Amanda has always share excellent posts on being a newlywed (or both!), either way I love this blog.

I love Amanda's posts about how she and her hubby are trying to achieve financial peace.  I find that Hubby and I are often going through the same financial ups and downs and it's always so comforting to know that you're not the only one going through something.  She also gives lots of tips on budgeting - always great info!

my own newlywed trek

road block

Remember the goal that I set for myself?

Ya, it's been three days and I haven't started yet.  My reason?  I'm sick.  I've been sick for over a week and I just can't seem to shake this cold.  

I've tried everything.  Stayed home from work.  Drank lots of fluids.  Got lots of sleep.  Bought $30 honey that was supposed to make me feel SO MUCH better (it didn't).

wordless wednesday - fireplace season

going for the goal

I'm going to be completely honest with you for a second.  Normally, I'm a completely goal-oriented, driven, and accomplished person.  Once I get something in my head, I cannot let go of it.  Except for one thing:  getting in shape.

I'm am utterly and completely embarrassed to be admitting this.  I'm so scared to share something that I feel so personally ashamed about; something that I have trouble thinking about; something that I can barley talk to Hubby about.

movember

Not only is November NaBloPoMo, it also happens to be Movember.  What's Movember, you ask?  Well, during the month of November, men around the world grow a moustache to "raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer".

Let me tell you, Movember is alive and well in our house.  That's right, Hubby has a 'stache.  Ugh.  I'm not a fan of the "thing" growing on his upper lip, however, I do realize the good that he's doing by raising funds and awareness about prostate cancer and men's health.  I even *shudder* support the
'stache.

the mo

sunday suppers - quinoa salad II

I've been on kind of a quiona kick lately.  Never heard of quinoa before?  Check out my previous post.  With my love of quinoa at an all-time high, I've been experimenting with different ways to eat quinoa.

happy one hundred

This is my 100th blog post.

Whoo hoo!  What a milestone!  In realizing that this would be my 100th post, I decided to take a look through some of my previous posts.  I figured that, as a tribute to these past 100, I'd share my top 5 favourite posts with you.

my blogging view

follow friday - the baked life

Part of what I love most about blogging is meeting other bloggers.  The blogger that I'm talking about today, however, I didn't find through the interweb; she's my Sister-In-Law, Jen!

You can find Jen at The Baked Life.  Just a warning though, visiting her blog will take you to a world filled with yummy treats, and will probably make you drool.  It's totally worth it though.

what to do?

Have you ever been at a point in your life where you're faced with difficult decisions and you're not sure which choice is the best for you?  This is where I am right now.  We're making decisions that will affect us, and our future children, and I'm not sure which decision is right.

Okay, I know that there is really no right decision, but I do believe that we've put the pressure on ourselves to make the best decision.

wordless wednesday - home sweet home

[Alright, NaBloPoMo, here we go...]

nablopo..what?

This November I'm trying to decide if I want to participate in NaBloPoMo.  What the heck is NaBloPoMo, you ask?  It stands for National Blog Posting Month.  It's easy, all you have to do is post every day during the month of November.

Sure, it's easy in theory, but I have a hard enough time trying to find things to write about when I don't have the pressure of writing each day, nevermind when I actually have to.  However, maybe this will push me to actually start posting more; to spark my creativity.

So, I'm still on the fence...stay tuned!

wordless wednesday - beautiful bc

t&a in seattle

If you visited my blog earlier today (or if you scroll down now) you'll have seen a few pictures from a recent trip Hubby and I took to Seattle, Washington.  We made the trip down to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. It had been ages since both Hubby and I had been to Seattle, so we figured that it would be the perfect destination for a weekend getaway.

wordless wednesday - seattle

wordless wednesday - book box kitty

PS:  Thanks to my Sister-In-Law for the wordless wednesday inspiration :)



two

Today, Hubby and I are celebrating our second wedding anniversary.  Well, actually, we celebrated this past weekend in Seattle, today we're both back at work after a week-and-a-half off.  Nevertheless, today is a celebration.  We're celebrating the milestone that this two years of wedded bliss.  

What have I learned in these past two years?  I've learned (as cliche as it sounds) that our love gets better with age.  

As we're entering our second year of marriage and the seventh year of our relationship, some may say that we're entering the "terrible two's" or that we're likely going to experience the "seven year itch".  I've found it to be quite the opposite, however.  If anything, I think that this is the best point in our relationship.  We're in synch.  We're communicating.  We're compromising.  We're working together as as team; Team T&A.  Sure, we're not perfect and we've got our off days too, but for the most part, we're rockin' it.

I remember taking a moment on our wedding day to silently hope that we would always remain as happy as we were in that moment.  I never thought that it would be possible to be happier, I thought that there was no way that I could handle any more love.  I was wrong.  I'm leaps and bounds happier now, two years later.

Happy anniversary, babe.  I love you more than words.

Two years down, forever and ever to go.

wonderful wedding moment number one

The Vows.

I saved this Wedding Moment as the last because it means so much to me.  To me, the vows are the most important part of the wedding.  They are simple words strung together as a promise to the one you love.  They are the words that I often refer back to when we're going through an ebb.  I promised to respect, encourage, and forgive him.  I gave him my love, and he gave me his.

Our vows were selected for us my our Reverend.  We first read them and knew that they were perfect; they were exactly the words that we wanted to say to each other with our friends and family as witnesses.  They are the words that will remain ours for the rest of our lives.

Amanda, I receive you as my wife; to laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in sorrow, to grow with you in love. I promise to be your faithful husband as long as we both shall live. I promise to respect you, to encourage you, to forgive you and give hope to you. I give you my love. 

Trevor, I receive you as my husband; to laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in sorrow, to grow with you in love. I promise to be your faithful wife as long as we both shall live. I promise to respect you, to encourage you, to forgive you and give hope to you. I give you my love.

PS:  Did you see the other wonderful wedding moments?  If not check them out here!

PPS:  All images by Andrea Grendus @ fotografie

september travel

September is, by far, my favourite month out of the year. I guess it's no coincidence that we got married in September, and that we usually like to take most of our vacations during this fabulous month. Now, I know that once we have kids September vacationing will be a distant memory. I'm pretty sure that our kids' teachers would hate us if we took our children out of school for two weeks while we went travelling around the world. Yep, so not gonna happen. So, we're enjoying our children-less years and soaking up all the last days of summer by taking some much-awaited (and much-deserved) vacation time. Hubby and I are working today and tomorrow then we're getting the heck outta here. Our destination (or should I say, destinations)? Camrose, Alberta and Seattle, Washington.

wonderful wedding moment number two

The Last Dance.

The whole time during the wedding planning process, I was CONVINCED that Hubby and I would stay and party until the bitter end of our wedding night.  Well, I was wrong.  We were both having the time of our lives, but the later it got, the more exhausted we were.  All we wanted to do was spend a couple precious moments together, just the two of us, on our special day.  So, we decided to leave the reception earlier than anticipated and head for the hotel.  We decided, however, to have one last dance before we left.  So, we had the DJ put on Don't Stop Belivin' by Journey and called all of our guest up to dance with us.

wonderful wedding moment number three

The Fist Pump.

I've been thinking about writing this post all day.  Thinking about what I'm going to write about this moment; this brief second in our lives.  All the words that I try to string together just seem too inadequate.  Nothing I type seems to fully convey just what the memory of this one moment means to us, so I'll keep it short.  We both agree that it's one of our favourtie wedding pictures.  The joy on our faces, the fist pump of victory - pure perfection.

PS:  Did you see the other wonderful wedding moments?  If not check them out here!

PPS:  All images by Andrea Grendus @ fotografie

patience

We've all no doubt heard the saying "patience is a virtue", however, I've never given any real thought to patience and what it means to really have patience.  Until recently, that is.

I've noticed with my generation, and most definitely with younger generations, that our virtue of patience seems to be fading a little.  We live in a world where most everything is accessible in an instant.  We don't write letters, we email.  We don't talk to fiends about what's new in their lives, we are updated instantly through their Facebook pages.  I'm tweeting right now about writing this blog post.  Everything is instant.

secret single behaviour

One of the small things in life that makes me really happy is being alone. Not that I'm not completely in love with Hubby, but if he's out of the house for the night or the weekend, there are certain things that I look forward to. You know what I'm talking about: Secret Single Behaviour.

What's Secret Single Behaviour, you ask? Well, clearly you haven't watched nearly enough Sex and the City. Secret Single Behaviour is the stuff that you only do while you're home by yourself.

wonderful wedding moment number four

The Unexpected Moments.

Weddings are a lot of work.  Planning, organizing, planning, organizing, planning, organizing.  For two whole years Hubby and I were planning our big day.  For two whole years my mind was all the way forward to September 19, 2009, dreaming of our wedding day.

I imagined every single moment.  Yes.  Every.  Single.  Moment.  Getting my hair and make up done.  Putting on my dress.  The limo ride to the church.  Walking down the isle.  Spotting my groom for the first time.  The entrance.  The speeches.  The cake.  The dance.  You name it, I imagined it.

my love of Pinterest

I should be writing about our weekend trip to Victoria, but I can't stop thinking about one thing:  Pinterest.

Have you heard of Pinterest yet?  It's pretty awesome!  Pinterest describes themselves as:

"a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes."

adventures in wine

Hubby and I are on vacation.  It's fabulous.  We wanted to do something with these days that we had off, but we didn't want to spend a small fortune either.  I suggested visiting some local wineries and Hubby loved the idea.  So, on our first day off, Hubby and I packed a lunch and took a trip out to the valley and visited three different wineries.

If you live in the lower mainland and you've never checked out any of these wineries, I urge you to do so. Most of the tastings are complimentary (or super cheap - like $3) and the tours are very interesting. You don't have to buy any wine, however, we find the prices to be very reasonable, for the most part. All in all, it's a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy a day off.

peach raspberry pie

What do you get when your husband leaves you for the weekend and fresh summer fruit?  Peach raspberry pie.  At least that's what I got this past weekend.

red raspberries

Hubby was working on the Island all weekend, and I decided that I'd spend my weekend cleaning, Jazzercise-ing, and making pie.  Oh, and re-watching Season 4 of Mad Men and my PVR'd episodes of History Detectives.  Have you ever watched History Detectives?  It's pretty much the best show ever, but then again, I also love Antiques Roadshow, so my opinion might not count for much.

grilled salmon & asparagus

One of my most favourite parts about summer is definitely getting together with family and/or friends for a BBQ.  I love the smell of charcoal in the air, being surround by the ones I love, and listening to everybody enjoying themselves in the warm summer air.

There are two things that I love grilled more than anything:  salmon and asparagus.

A couple of years ago Hubby made some BBQ salmon that was ah-mazing and I've been a little obsessed with it ever since.  The mixture of the soy sauce and the brown sugar give the salmon a sweet/salty coating, and iinside stays juicy and moist - purrfection (meow)!

summatime

It's Saturday afternoon and I lay down on the grass, letting the sun kiss my bare arms and legs; such a nice change from the rain and clouds.  I take in a deep breath and smell the mix of clean laundry and warm grass.  I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of this summer day; the waves crashing against the shore, the children running and laughing, and the sound of the leaves rustling in the sweet summer breeze.

I start reading the pages of my new book, reading the words, my mind is transported into another world. I'm calm, finally at peace after an emotional and draining month. Eventually I drift into a half sleep/half meditation. I soak up this time. This pause in life, this moment to relax and enjoy the quiet peacefulness of the day.

accepting things I cannot change

Yesterday was a pretty bad day.  Without going into any sort of detail, it was bad, like really bad.  It was so bad that not even homemade mac & cheese, the Bachelorette, a wonderful Hubby, and kitty snuggles could make it better.

I failed.  I fell flat.  I came up short.

How did I fail?  I had set a goal for myself.  It was a pretty big goal.  Yesterday I found out that my goal, which I thought I was inches away from achieving, was still miles away.  I was crushed, to say the least.  So, I decided that I'd let myself have a day.  One day to wallow in my self pity; one day to cry endlessly over my upset.  I needed that day.

roller coaster

Lately, I've been going trough the most insane roller-coaster ride of life. Up and downs of happiness, twist and turns of emotions, and the feeling of butterflies in my stomach.

Everything in my life has always seemed to fall into place. School, jobs, love - everything has come pretty effortlessly. I knew in high school where I wanted to go with my life; what I wanted to be when I "grew up". Jobs have always come easily for me, I've never had an interview for a job that I didn't get. With Hubby, from the moment we first stated dating, I stopped looking for other guys, I knew he was (and is) The One. Here I am in my mid-twenties and I feel like I've accomplished most of the goals that I had set for myself when I was a teenager. Where do I go from here?

today

Today, I'm celebrating.

Today is my last day of University.

Today, I accomplish a goal that I've had since high school.

No more case briefs, no more statutes, no more heavy text books.  Most of all, no more crippling stress over projects and term papers. 

wonderful wedding moment number five

The Friends.

Our wedding wouldn't have been the day that it was without them.  From all the love and support that the gave us throughout the planning, to all the joy that they shared with us on the big day, our friends were a huge part our our wedding day.

heartbroken

Last night, after the Canucks lost, my facebook status was "I'm heartbroken".

Little did I know that I wasn't even close to being heartbroken in that moment.  For me, the real heartbreak came when I watched our city get trashed, looted, and burned.

I'm so deeply saddened by these events that I can't find the words to describe how I'm feeling.

Upset.  Heartbroken.  Devastated.

These words just don't seem to fully convey how utterly hurt I am.

potato pancakes

I'm stressed. Like, beyond stressed. I have so much on my plate right now that I don't know how to handle it. Normally, I thrive when put in stressful situations, but lately, I feel like I'm crumbling.

Work is crazy, school deadlines are freaking me out, and tonight it's do or die for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.

When I got home from work yesterday, I just needed to feel better. I needed comfort. So, I made comfort food. Bland-ish German comfort food. Potato Pancakes (also known as latkes). I don't know why, but for me, potato pancakes are basically my food security blanket. They are quick and easy to make and completely unhealthy when served with bacon and sour cream instead of vegetables. Which I did. And it was delicious.

sunday movie: "Midnight in Paris"

Hubby and I, along with a bunch of our closest friends, decided to get together to cheer on our Canucks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals this past Saturday.  Well, unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that our boys made us proud and and won the game 3 - 2 (11 seconds into overtime, no less).

So, what do you get on a sunny Saturday combined with a victorious hockey team, an electric city, and good friends?  Beer.  Lots and lots (and lots) of beer.  And Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, but that's a different story, for a different day.

keen on quinoa

Do you ever eat quinoa?  Do you know what quiona is?  If not, let wikipedia me enlighten you:

Quinoa (keen-wah) is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds.  It is a "pseudocereal" rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family.  Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.  It's light with a fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it a delicious choice.  Also, quinoa is super good for you.  It's a super food, yo.  Eat it, enjoy it.

wonderful wedding moment number six

The Family.

They're loud, and sometimes kinda crazy, but we love them.

Hubby wanted to make sure we were surrounded by lots of family on the big day.  He was right.  Isn't that a major part of weddings; being surrounded by the ones you love, and those that you more than anything?

I love that we were able to share such a wonderful day with all these awesome people.  I love our family.  I love that his family is now my family.  I love that, no matter what, we'll always have family.

PS:  Did you see the other wonderful wedding moments?  If not check them out here!

PPS:  All images by Andrea Grendus @ fotografie

ribs & warm potato salad

I love long weekends, don't you?  I love having that "extra" day to not set the alarm, hang out with family and friends, and make/eat delicious food.

This past long weekend, Hubby spent his time in the bush.  With the military.  And hundreds of children.  Not my idea of a good time, that's for sure, but he had a lot of fun, and if he's happy, I'm happy.

The only part he doesn't like?  Eating his meals out of a bag for five days.

granville island food

What's the best place to spend a rainy Sunday in Vancouver?  Granville Island.  Actually, it's a pretty great place to spend a sunny Sunday, or really any day for that matter.  So, that's exactly where Hubby and I spent part of our weekend.

To me, one of the best parts of Granville Island is the food.  Sure, Hubby and I, with our matching black umbrellas, explored the maze of little artisanal shops, but the best part was the alllll the food.

two nights

I wait for the clock to blink 4:00, much like I imagine a school kid waiting for the end of day bell.  3:58 ... 3:59 ... then, finally, 4 o'clock.  I turn off my computer, set my phone to call forward, and ride the elevator downstairs to meet my love.  The weekend is finally upon us.

I see him amongst the crowd, and greet him with a kiss.  Hands held we walk through the rainy streets of Vancouver in a comfortable silence, sometimes breaking our grasp to weave in and out of the street traffic.

a day for our moms

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you for always being there for us.

When we're happy.  

When we're sad. 

At 3 am in the morning.

For Sunday night dinners.

For laughing with us.

For crying with us.

For sacrificing so much of your lives for us.

For teaching us and guiding us through life.

For constantly giving us your love.

We are the people that we are today, because of you.

Love you forever and always, T & A xoxo