Disneyland!

My Grandmother's dream of taking all of her grandchildren to Disneyland was finally realized over the week of Thanksgiving this year. I had never planned on going to Disneyland before, but I have to say, now that I have been there, even at the age of 32, I would go back. It was that much fun.

Not only was Disneyland itself a riot, but having the opportunity to spend some quality time with loved ones was absolutely priceless. The highlights for me were spending time with my sister during her pregnancy, and getting to feel the baby moving! Also, swimming at the motel pool in the evening with 3 of my youngest cousins. They were so much fun! They showed me all of their cool tricks, and it was all I could do to get them out of the pool to eat dinner. They are water rats, all 3 of them. I enjoyed being reminded of how I was at that age. Spending time with my brother and older cousins was, as always, a riot. My uncles and aunts were tons of fun too, and it was great to catch up with them. I am so blessed that my family all enjoy one another's company so much.

Grandma, thank you. Thank you, thank you! Mere words cannot express the gratitude I feel. I am so happy that we got to spend some time together. I am really looking forward to making a trip out there in the summer to see your new house, and help you with your gardening.

Enjoy these few photos. Sorry I didn't get everyone in, but trust me, more photos will appear again - I took 337 of them, so not to worry!

A Hike in the Park

This is what the parks and trails are like near our home. A 10 minute drive North, and it's like we are inside an Emily Carr painting. It's a great way to get away from all the traffic and concrete and get some peace and quiet and an extra dose of oxygen! Recently we did a hike in Lynn Valley Canyon. Since Blogger is giving me grief right now, I can only load one photo. More photos later.

An American Wedding... Italian Style

The past 4 days were spent in sunny California at a family wedding, where Keane's younger brother Dave got married! It was a whirlwind trip that included a wine-tasting tour in the Sonoma Valley, a round of golf, a hike in the local marsh (where Angie spotted some lizards and Pelicans), barbeque and football game-watching, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, what seemed like hundreds of adorable little kids (really there were only about 7 or 8 of them) racing around excitedly all the time everywhere, writing and delivering a best man speech, and of course the beautiful, elegant wedding ceremony and dinner at the Viansa Winery on Saturday evening. It was a fun-filled, action-packed weekend to say the least.

We would like to extend many thanks to Dave, Rochelle, and the Recotta family for hosting such an amazing 3 day party. A lot of time and effort went into it, and we were very honored to be included.

Yesterday, Angie flew home to Vancouver and Keane flew straight to Las Vegas for a business trip. Photos to come soon- as soon as Keane gets home with his camera!

Ok... a week later now - here are some photos:

Busy Times

We haven't posted in awhile! Life seems to get so busy in the summer time, just when you are supposed to be taking time off to relax and un-wind.

It is Sunday night, 9:30, and I am at the office (yeesh). Keane, who has been working from home all evening, is on his way to pick me up so that we can go get some food. We both love our jobs, but this has been a hectic few weeks to say the least, and we are patiently biding our time until this craziness ends! I suspect that we will have a much-needed break next weekend, when we will drive up to Whistler, sleep in, have leisurely breakfasts and go for long hikes at the top of Whistler mountain. This is our light at the end of this tunnel. Until then, we will keep putting one foot in front of the other until we get there.

Here is an image I like - a painting by Chili Thom, who is a Whistler artist. I love his work, and I especially like looking at this one every day. I find it soothing for the eyes, especially after looking at map data all day. It always makes me imagine swimming through the cool, clear water, as far away from my desk as the current will take me...

Sunday flowers

Gladiolas were $1.98 a bunch at the grocery store down the street. There is something so nice about having fresh colorful flowers in the house.

Czech Republic Post #6: The Zoo at Dvur Kralove

After saying goodbye to the band......

we went on a day trip to the town of Dvur Kralove, and paid a visit to the local zoo....

Saturday Rambling

These are a few photos from one of Keane's birthday celebrations. We got together with a couple of good friends, made a picnic of baked chicken, salad and some nice white wine and wheeled it all down to Kits beach for an evening near the water.

I was playing with the manual settings on my camera this afternoon(which felt like the morning because we slept in for a long time today - a big luxury). I like the greens in these photos.

Czech Republic Post #5: The Adrspasske Skaly

Keane and I did a day hike throught the Adrspach Rocks....

A boat ride on a lake.
Coming up next... a day trip to the zoo!

Folks, a little break from the Czech Republic Posts for one day to say....

Thanks for being you. You make my life so much fun. I am grateful beyond comprehension for so many things, which I will tell you about later (in private!). - love, Angie

And folks, if you want to send Keane some Birthday wishes, be sure to post a comment!