Announcement

...no I'm not preggers!  HAHA

Actually, I was referring to the announcement that was made on my United Airlines flight on Friday night. Hello Ladies & Gentleman, we don't know who your pilot will be, where they are or when they will get here, but sit tight and we hope to have an update shortly. We cannot let you off the plane because this is an international flight and all your documents have already been checked.

Isn't this the most ridiculously thing you've ever heard? Long story short, we waited on the plane in San Francisco for 2 hours before we took off for the 1 hour, 45 minute flight to Vancouver and I got home close to 2:00am. Ahh, life on the road. I filed a complaint the next morning and should be hearing back within 10 days, according to United's automated system. They SUCK!

Yesterday, we went to Grouse Mountain for the lumberjack show and to Eat! Vancouver (food & cooking festival) at the new convention centre. I had major déjà vu because I clearly remembered blogging about this event last year before we moved. I had lamented that we missed out on it and that we'll have to go "next year"...that being this weekend. I can't believe how time had flown. It's actually a bit scary.

With that said, the real "announcement" is that I reflected on life a lot this past week and I've decided to bring this blog to a close...Our "relocation process and experience" is technically over and now this is our home. We just signed a 2-year lease on our apartment, so we'll be here for awhile and hope to paint a bit. This summer, we have plans to take a paddle surfing lesson, explore more of B.C. (fingers crossed that includes Kelowna and Tofino) and of course, will be welcoming more visitors to show our city to. 

Now that we've come to this time in our "experience", where we've got a daily routine, know people, have a pretty full schedule, etc., I believe it is time to enjoy and savor the moments, rather than spend it documenting, journaling and hoping we won't and don't forget it. It's like having a baby, right? A lot of mothers worry so much about writing down what time that baby pooped, slept and ate that the entire experience just passes by. Or, it's like being on vacation and trying to capture every step, sight and moment on camera. You just can't...so why not just savor it?

That being said, we're off to a BBQ in East Vancouver and to enjoy the sun! As always, thanks for reading. Until next time...

Kimpton

I'm experiencing my first time at a Kimpton Hotel. So far so good...I arrived San Francisco at 8:00am this morning and my room was ready after my breakfast at Grand Cafe. It's a boutique hotel, which I really like because when you're in and out hotels often, you can only take so much of a Marriott or Hilton. The hotel hosted us for a lunch "meeting" and who can beat a lobster club sandwich and truffle fries? After lunch, I went back to my suite and received a bottle of red wine as an amenity...They really know how to win me over!



So Kimpton actually started the whole "afternoon reception or gathering in the lobby". Apparently this was something Mr. Kimpton liked to do, so alas, a tradition was started. Whoever started it, it's a great idea. Unlimited wines (and good ones), snacks, massage chair??  Goodness.

I'm hanging out in my room before my dinner event begins. Tomorrow, I have an early breakfast and meeting start time of 6:30am and won't arrive in Vancouver until 11:00pm, so best enjoy my night. Ahh, life on the road.

I'll be nice and bring the bottle of wine home to share with Melvin.

Go Canucks Go!

Go Canucks Go...This is the very sad "chant" that Vancouver has created for their precious Canucks Hockey Team. You would think they could be a little more creative. Anyway, we went out to dinner with our friends on Saturday night during the 2nd Stanley Cup Playoffs game and got ridiculed for not wearing blue. The Canucks won that night and Vancouverites, as well as "bridge & tunnel" (or should I say, bridge and ferry) people, proceeded to celebrate as if they won the Stanley Cup. It was fun to watch and listen to, but not at 4am when people were still honking their car horns.

They were silenced very quickly this week by Boston...Monday's game was 8-1 Boston and tonight's game was 4-0 Boston. I'm not a hockey fan, but I'm rather embarrassed for Vancouver; I even feel pretty bad for the fans.

I guess we'll see how Friday's Game 5 turns out. Too bad I won't be here...I'll be in San Francisco for a work program. My flight is bright and early at 6:00am tomorrow, so I better get packing.

More Visitors

A day and half after returning from our cruise, our dear friends Erica & Jim came out to visit us. They did a combo Seattle/Vancouver trip, so I picked them up from the train station on Thursday and they stayed until Sunday morning. It's been quite a whirlwind of making sure there are clean sheets, clean towels and Aerobeds with enough air the past few weeks, but it has been fun.

We had a great weekend, as we welcomed Vancouver's first official summery days and it was hot. We checked out Granville Island's Children's Festival, Capilano Suspension Bridge (again) and Grouse Mountain, whose resident Grizzly Bears are out and about. Melvin overcame the Grouse Grind with Jim, while still officially closed (twice this season), so he's becoming an expert. We were also lucky enough to take an awesome boat ride out of Horseshoe Bay on Saturday. We closed the weekend with dinner at Hapa Izakaya (pleasantly surprised by the food). I discovered Hapa Izakaya makes their own chocolate banana crepe mille feuille, so of course I was in heaven and will surely be returning specifically for that!

As with every restaurant/bar in Vancouver Saturday night, the 2nd Stanley Cup playoff game was being shown. Crazy Canucks fans everywhere, probably wondering why we weren't as excited as they were each time someone scored....

So Jim & Erica left early this morning and we attended a 1st birthday party for Julian and Amelie's friend, Gavin. He spent some time in BC Children's Hospital's NICU after his birth, so in place of a traditional birthday party, we did the Kids Fun Run to help raise money for the hospital. Team Gavin raised over $6,000 CAD.

Needless to say, we are exhausted! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I welcome the daily grind and routine...and the diet starts tomorrow! The Aerobeds will take a break until end of July when our next set of visitors arrive :)

Cruisin'

We returned from our Alaskan cruise yesterday...much heavier in weight, but fully enjoyed vacation mode. It's always hard coming back to the daily grind, no matter what it is...It was wonderful seeing our family and showing them Vancouver, before we embarked the Disney Wonder for Alaska.

What did I think of Disney Cruise Line? Well, I am generally not a fan of Disney and my kids will not be going to Disney World until they are both over 4, can remember the trip, and are not napping. However, I highly recommend the cruise experience for parents! You can drop the kids off at the kids club all day, any day, while you go off to the gym, spa, a wine tasting, game of family feud or to simply stand on the deck and look for whales as the Alaskan coastline passes by. The food is not marvelous, but it's better than good and there's always a lot of it. Plus, Disney is the only cruise line that is BYOB. Cruising is definitely not for everyone though, so always something to bear in mind. My sister and her fiance, while childless, had a good time with their excursions and port of calls, so all were happy. Conclusion: we would cruise with Disney again.

Another interesting fact is that Alaska is really popular for their wholesale jewelry, just like in the Caribbean. Many of the vendors spend 5 months in Alaska and the rest in St. Thomas, St. Maarten or wherever else in the Caribbean...Who would've known?  So what did we do in Ketchikan, you ask? My sister scored a beautiful wedding band and I got Amelie some bling - her first pair of diamond earrings...of course, my daughter's birthstone is diamond.