runlindsayrun

Bon Voyage

Two very special friends of ours - Jason + Amy - set off on a trip of a lifetime today, cruising the South Pacific for two months. I know, I know... Take a moment to honour those feelings of jealousy, and then pack them away, because these two deserve this adventure. To me, they are the total personification of that saying that you need to take big risks for big, wonderful things to happen in your life (or something like that). In this case, it was Jason taking two months off from an entrepreneurial business venture and Amy quitting her job. Yikes. Awesome, but yikes :)

Once upon a time, I took a small risk and flew to Vancouver to meet a boy named Jason who I had been talking to online. A few short years later, I was back - with Geoff and a brand new shiny engagement ring on my finger - to watch that boy marry a girl named Amy. That one small risk brought a wonderful friendship into our lives and I could not be happier. To be honest, I think the whole experience - and my initial friendship with J - helped usher in a new era of Lindsay, an era where I became increasingly comfortable with taking risks and making good things happen. Jason is one of my friends (I've collected a few through the years) who inspires me to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT and pursue my full potential without making excuses or chickening out. I'm still learning. And Amy? Amy + I have spent a seriously insignificant number of total hours together, but she's one of those friends who just immediately felt like family to me.

Jason + Amy will be documenting their adventures on this blog with a focus on accessible travel (Jason's a quadriplegic) and how being in a wheelchair doesn't need need to - and shouldn't - stop you from living your dreams and exploring the world. It gives me goosebumps to think about the people these two will be able to help. Feel free to follow their incredible journey.

Labels: Jason and Amy, My Friends, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 10:02 AM 0 comments

Friday Smile

Have you heard about the Pepsi Refresh Everything promotion? My guess is YES, unless you live under a rock. Something you might not know is that my friend Amy - who works at UGM in Vancouver - has a project in the running to receive $100k in funding.

In order to get the money, they need to get the most votes. It would mean so much to me if you would go to the website right now and vote. It seriously only takes 30 seconds the first time - and when you go back every day to vote again (hint hint) it's a three second process... Three seconds that could help change the lives of Vancouver's homeless.

Thank you SO much!

Now, why is this my Friday Smile? If you all knew Amy, you'd understand. She cares *so* much about the people she helps. If you could spend ten minutes with her, you'd want to do everything you can to help her do what she does with UGM. And you'd be blown away at the complexity of this person who is one of the prettiest girls you've ever seen up close with the biggest heart you've ever had the pleasure of encountering. I obviously love her. And I'm obviously grateful to my friend Jason for finding her and convincing her to marry him so that we could be friends (hehe). I love that this is such a practical way for us to help her work from way out here in Winnipeg - and that's why I'm smiling.

Okay, so that was a nice story and all, but HAVE YOU VOTED YET? :P

Labels: Can You Help?, Jason and Amy, My Friends

posted by Lindsay @ 1:48 PM 0 comments

Friday Smile(s)

So many of my recent blog posts have been darkish, but we really have made time for fun and created some wonderful memories out here this week. So for my Friday Smile, I wanted to collect and document just a few of them.

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On our Calgary to Vancouver flight last week, I ended up sitting in between my parents. I don’t know why, but it was hilarious to all of us - I felt like I was eight years old (but with a baby). A few days later, I found myself in the backseat of my parents’ rental car with Aaron + Cait and it was hilarious all over again.

Briony has been using ‘I love ___’ phrases for a while now, and she’s also been singing the ‘I love you’ line from Sharon, Lois + Bram’s song a lot lately. It was inevitable that the two would merge somehow... On this trip, we’ve been hearing her sing about loving just about everything under the sun, and it’s just as ridiculously cute today as the first time she did it. I can put up with just about any kind of tantrum if it’s followed up with an ‘I love Mama!’ song. SMART BABY.

On this trip, I was able to spend more time than usual with my sister-in-law Joanne. It’s such a strange thing to just be thrown into a family like I was. The first time I met Joanne, I was already wearing her baby brother’s engagement ring - and the next time we met was at our wedding. The time after that, I was five months pregnant. It was short, but we were able to run out for lunch on one day and we went shopping for part of an afternoon the next day. I don’t know why that made me as happy as it did, but it did and it was important to me. Geoff’s sisters don’t really feel like sisters to me, but I hope that I can somehow build friendships with each of them.

Briony’s been cooking up a storm... She plays obsessively with her little tea set at home, and she has a little kitchen with pots and pans here that she LOVES. At Ikea this week, I picked up some little pots and pans and cooking utensils as a surprise for when we get home - and some fabric fake food that she’s been playing with here already. She loves ‘cooking’ for us and serving us tea. ADORABLE. I only wish we had room for a little play kitchen in our house. Good thing she has a great imagination :)

Last Friday, Briony went with Marilyn to her exercise class in the seniors’ complex where they live. I didn’t go along, but I would have killed to be a fly on the wall... A fly with a video camera! The stories are hilarious, and the ladies who were there have been stopping us on our walks all week to rant and rave about my daughter. Apparently, they hardly got any exercising done because they were all so busy laughing at her.

On Monday, I was able to go see Jason + Amy for dinner, great talks, and the finale of The Bachelorette. We’re thinking of coming back this fall (not 100% sure yet) and they’ll be away then, so it was even more special to sneak in a bonus visit with them this time. I seriously hate that we don’t live in the same city.

Briony got a little haircut on this trip that no one is especially fond of (mostly her mom... hehe). I will admit that I’ve never liked a single haircut she’s had. I will also admit that this one - though flawed - has the potential to be super adorable when she has a headband on. But the problem with that plan is that BRIONY IS ONE. And seriously, YOU try keeping a headband on a one year old. Drama, drama, drama... SHUT UP. I totally have real problems too.

Last night, Rob + Vicky + Ava came out and it was so funny watching the girls together. Briony is so cautious around other kids, but eventually they were having lots of fun - even inventing a silly little game to play together and giggling like crazy over it. They’re expecting again in December, and it was fun to get to see Vicky, who’s starting to show a little bit and looking adorable. It was even more fun to unload some more of our baby stuff on them (hehe).

Um, have I mentioned how much Briony loves her cousins? SO CUTE. She was constantly looking for Hannah and David (‘DAY-bid’) while they were visiting, and she absolutely adores them. It’s kind of special that they’re older already and can recognize and give her the attention she’s wanting so badly from them. We missed seeing Sean, Ruth, and Libby on this trip, but it was awesome to get to spend some time with everyone else.

Have I mentioned that Aaron + Cait scheduled their move on Pride Parade day here in Vancouver? They totally did. And their new apartment is totally about half a block from the parade route. I could live to be 200 years old and still never forget how hilarious it was to be stuck at a red light with huge crowds of parade-goers parading (for lack of a better word) in front of the car where I sat with my dad, who was waiting as patiently as he could while men in tiny colourful briefs, topless women, and seven foot tall bearded transvestites in tiny glittery dresses meandered through the intersection. My dad was desperately trying to (a) bite his tongue, and (b) remain on schedule. I was desperately trying to (a) not pass out from laughing, and (b) remember that moment for the rest of my life.

Briony has been helping Marilyn water flowers (she received a little watering can as a gift from the neighbours here on our last visit). The only problem is that the one flower pot that’s the best height for her gets A LOT of water... I’m so scared that plant is going to die...

Labels: Aaron, Briony, Caitlin, Family, Friday Smile, Going Coastal, Jason and Amy, My Friends, Rob and Vicky

posted by Lindsay @ 4:30 PM 1 comments

In A Nutshell

Briony’s napping and I just went to go have a shower. In the safe little hiding place of a shower stall with the water running, I had a really good cry.

We’ve been out in BC for six days now and we’re here for four more. I miss Geoff like crazy, but I know absolutely that we are supposed to be here right now. The tears I cried today were tears of joy and relief over the support that Briony + I have had this week. I’m not in as much pain as I had feared I might be, but it’s worse that I had hoped for - does that make sense? I’m still very much in the middle of a flare, but we have the most incredible families who love us, and they are doing everything they can to help me get better.

We’re staying with Geoff’s parents, and right now his sister and two of her kids are here too. Briony is absolutely in love with all of them, and there are always extra arms to lift her into her booster seat, to load her into her car seat, to set up her stroller, to put her down for her nap... Incredible.

Thursday was our big travel day. We flew out here with my parents, who showed up early to bring us to the airport so I had two extra sets of hands to help with last-minute packing and getting Briony fed and out the door. Our first flight was delayed and then we had a layover in Calgary over lunchtime/naptime, and I don’t know how I would have done any of it without my parents there to help. We landed in Vancouver and picked up their rental car, then they dropped us off in Abbotsford at Geoff’s parents’ place.

Friday was a quiet day, and my primary focus was getting Briony settled in here before things got really crazy. I just need to pause and say that we really have the most incredible kid... We ask SO much of her, and she’s just amazing in her ability to adapt and be happy no matter what. She’s been sleeping like a champ out here - both for naps and at night. She has never once fussed when someone puts her in her playpen, and she has never once woken up during the night. I’m crying as I write this because I think that God knows absolutely what we can handle (and what we can’t).

I was MIA on Saturday and Sunday, meeting up with my parents to help Aaron + Cait make their big move from White Rock into downtown Vancouver. We worked so hard and had so much fun... I was able to have breakfast with Briony both days (and even snuck in a quick trip to the farmers’ market with Briony + Marilyn on Saturday morning) but otherwise she was left in my mother-in-law’s very capable hands. It sounds like they had a weekend full of giggles and grand adventures, and I’m happy they were able to spend that special time together.

So many stories about the move. Most of them to do with the fact that Aaron + Cait's new apartment building is about half a block from the literal epicentre of the Pride Weekend festivities - including the giant parade that happened on Moving Day. There are way too many to share here right now, but let's just say that I will never look at day-glo artificial feathers the same way again... hehe. The apartment itself is cozy and super cute, with giant windows that overlook English Bay - one of those views that makes you want to pinch yourself when you realize that people actually get to wake up and see that every day, not just on vacation. I think they'll be very, very happy there. It's absolutely perfect for them.

Geoff’s sister Joanne - along with Hannah + David - showed up in Abbotsford on Sunday night and are staying until tomorrow. It’s been really nice to spend some proper time with them, and especially to watch Briony interacting with her cousins. She LOVES her cousins. And they are so wonderful and patient with her. She absolutely adores Hannah and hangs on every word she says, and Briony + David invented a new game yesterday that involves a lot of chasing and scaring and she squeals in delight every time.

Yesterday was my ‘evening off’ on this trip, and I left Briony with Marilyn + Joanne to go have dinner with my friends Jason + Amy. We talked, laughed, ate, and watched the finale of The Bachelorette. It was such a good time.

The rest of the trip is going to be much quieter - and deliberately so, because today was the day I picked to switch onto new arthritis meds. It’s hard to tell how it’s going to go... My hips, back, neck, and shoulders are really bothering me today. But it’s also raining today, so I have no idea if it’s the meds or the weather (or both). I don’t feel quite as nauseated so far, and I have only had a very slight headache today - much better than the last meds (on those, I started out nauseated but had been full-on throwing up a few times over the last two weeks, and the headache was constant). Time will tell, I suppose.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t working full-time to shove down the feelings of panic every time I think about flying home alone with Briony on Saturday. I just need to trust that - even in this situation - God knows what I can handle.

And that pretty much brings us to today. I’m almost caught up on work, and even managed to read a few chapters in a new book last night that I’m thinking about continuing (with a cup of tea) in a few minutes. Briony + I have a playdate planned with Vicky + Ava on Thursday, otherwise our week is wide open with lots of time for relaxing, getting better, and gearing up for Saturday.

Despite all the pain I’m feeling - and the gloomy rainclouds outside - I’m feeling surprisingly optimistic. I just feel very taken care of - physically, emotionally, spiritually. I never in a thousand years would have chosen to be in this place right now with my arthritis and a toddler, but I also have this overwhelming feeling that it’s going to be okay. It might not happen exactly the way I choose, but it’s going to be okay.

Labels: Aaron, Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Briony, Caitlin, Family, Going Coastal, Jason and Amy, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 5:04 PM 3 comments

Spontaneousish

On Friday, after shockingly little discussion, I booked a flight to Vancouver for the end of this month. I realize that planning something three weeks in advance would be considered very good planning by some people. I am *so* not some people. My head is still spinning a little bit :)

The catalyst was the fact that my brother and sister-in-law are moving from White Rock to downtown Vancouver over August Long Weekend, and I really wanted to be able to help (as much as I am able to in my somewhat gimpy state). Geoff is working, but Geoff's mom graciously volunteered to host Briony + I (and even babysit so I can *actually* help vs being one of those awful people who shows up with a toddler and 'helps'). He's working all week, so there's no big rush for us to get back... And so we ended up booking flights to go out there with my parents on Thursday, July 29, and we'll be returning on our own on Saturday, August 7.

I'm slowly getting more and more excited... I'm obviously nervous about flying alone with Briony when I'm not 100% healthy, but she's a good little flyer - and we booked a direct flight during her happiest time of day, and at a time that will allow Geoff to pick us up at the airport.

Apparently, I already have plans to watch the finale of The Bachelorette with Jason + Amy (probably more Amy than Jason, hehe). It will be so nice to spend some *bonus* time with our west coast family + friends this summer. And it's a tiny little miracle for me to have Marilyn to help with Briony during the very worst week of Geoff's work rotation - especially while I'm in the throes of a flare up. I've been in tears a few times just thinking about how I was going to manage it. And now - just like that - I have an answer to a prayer I hadn't even thought to pray yet. YAY GOD.

Labels: Aaron, Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Caitlin, Family, Going Coastal, Jason and Amy, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 4:56 PM 3 comments

The One That Tastes A Little Bittersweet

“When you're safe at home, you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure, you wish you were safe at home.”
~ Thornton Wilder

Isn't that the annoying truth.

The last couple of days have been full of goodbyes. We said goodbye to Al + Joanne and their kids on Sunday and Rob + Vicky + Ava on Monday. We missed saying goodbye to Jason + Amy, which was doubly sad because they'll be out of the country when we plan to visit next... We said goodbye to Aaron + Cait after a movie-and-coffee date last night - made extra special by the fact that our movie was Prince of Persia, which Aaron has been involved with through work (and I finally understand what he's talking about now... YAY ME!). We said goodbye to Geoff's sister Carole and three of her kids tonight, but missed our nephew Justin and his girlfriend Vanessa which was also a little bit sad. We didn't spend as much time as usual with their family on this trip, but I have not yet perfected our self-cloning technology (maybe next time). Oh, and Briony said goodbye to the neighbours, of course. Throw in a few other required goodbyes and you've got yourself altogether too many sappy hugs for one girl for one week.

Tomorrow, we'll say our final goodbyes to Alan + Marilyn - and then we'll turn things around and finally get to say some hellos (which are less dramatic but always happier).

I think we're all packed other than the few things we'll need in the morning. I'm scared to say anything definitive yet, but I'll knock on wood while I type this: I think we've successfully managed to come home with the same number of pieces of luggage that we arrived with, and I only expanded one small suitcase. And that's with a moderate-to-fair amount of shopping and a few gifts coming home (all for Briony and my niece Chloe, of course). I know what you're thinking, and you'd be absolutely correct: I am the queen of packing, and this shall be the proof of my auspicious reign.

I'm logging off now until we're safe at home in Winnipeg. Can't wait to start catching up with all my Winnipeg peeps soon ;)

Labels: Aaron, Caitlin, Family, Going Coastal, Jason and Amy, My Friends, Rob and Vicky, Starbucks Quotes, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 1:23 AM 1 comments

The One Where I Catch You Up

I realize that my very first post from BC was a bit of a bitchfest. Rest assured that the rest of our trip has been GREAT. And I shall now catch you up, as concisely as I can.

Briony did great on the flight. Like GREAT. We had to wake her up at 05.00 to get to the airport and she was like 'cool, okay, what's up?' The airport was BUSY but we somehow managed to set a personal record - the time from when the cab picked us up at home to the time that we were checked in, through security, and chilling at our gate was a grand total of thirty minutes. That was not a typo. More importantly, we boarded the plane and Geoff and I were talking and laughing and playing with Briony like the happiest little family in the world. If you know us as a couple at all, you will appreciate that this is a full-on miracle. For two people who *love* to travel, Geoff and I DO NOT travel well together. The actual TRIP is always great. It's just the getting there and home again that always seems to turn into a nightmare. We're just two very different people who are used to traveling independently, and our travel styles don't really seem to mesh. Throw a baby into the mix, and it's rare that we're on speaking terms while sitting in our seats and waiting for the plane to start taxiing. It's always incredibly short-lived, but it's something that I absolutely hate. I don't want to declare that we've conquered it, but I'm hopeful for the future :)

Thursday was spent with Marilyn, catching up and letting her get reacquainted with Briony. We traveled from Vancouver to Abbotsford, picked up groceries so that Briony would have all her favourite foods to eat here, and went to bed early.

Friday was a work day for me, starting with a conference call at 09.30 and ending with a client deadline at 16.00. Geoff + Briony went for a walk and the day overall was pretty quiet. We visited with Geoff's sister Carole and her family in the evening.

On Saturday, we met up with our friends Jason + Amy for brunch (mmm... pancakes). As usual, it was so great to see them and catch up a little bit. Briony surprised us by falling instantly in love with Amy - within about thirty seconds of their arrival at the restaurant, she was reaching for her and I don't think she took her eyes off her the entire time. I wish we lived closer, but as we discussed over some ridiculously unhealthy comfort food, we probably see each other more than we see lots of our friends who live in the same city as us. They recently returned from a trip to Italy, Greece, and Egypt and are currently researching and planning a 150 day cruise around the world... There's a quote that I've read about how you need to work to be completely happy in your own life so that you can be truly happy for the people you love when good things happen to them - and I think it is so true. I'm completely happy for us, and I'm completely happy for them. And I want them to jump on a boat TOMORROW because I'm pretty sure that's the final item on their pre-baby bucket list ;)

Later that afternoon, Geoff's sister Joanne and three of her kids came and we spent time with them until they returned to Kamloops on Sunday. It was fun to have a full house, and extra-fun to watch Briony with all her cousins. They love her *so* much, and it didn't take her very long at all to be talking and giggling with them (and crawling all over them on the floor).

We had hoped to see Aaron + Cait on Sunday night, but Aaron was feeling under the weather so we had to cancel. I worked for a bit and watched some of the Golden Globes before heading to bed early yet again.

It's probably important to note that - at this point - Briony had been having some truly terrible nights. Since arriving in BC, we'd been dealing with lots and lots of nighttime teething drama (on top of the whole time change challenge). My heart was breaking for her, but at the same time, I was SO TIRED and just wanted her to sleep.

Monday was another work day for me. I headed for Starbucks and set up my 'office' for a couple of hours. I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but I signed a new client the day before we left on this trip and I am *loving* this work. This might be bold, but it's probably my favourite copywriting that I've ever done - and we're talking about a decade of copywriting here. It also happens to be for a major company. MAJOR. But one that I can never disclose because I've signed NDAs that will probably affect my great-grandchildren. Sigh... Just trust me that I want to sing from the rooftops on a daily basis about the caliber of work this little freelance writer from Winnipeg has been able to land.

On Tuesday, we all packed up early and headed for the border. I hit up a few outlet stores for baby (ahem... TODDLER) clothes for Briony, assuming that she will eventually outgrow her current size. This girl has seriously been wearing the same size since summer. It's starting to really freak me out, but given how quickly she flew through every size before that, it's also a little bit nice to be able to actually have her WEAR all the stuff we've purchased for her. I found a few things for Briony's mommy too - nothing super fabulous or exciting, but I was happy. Our best find of the day was a bookstore that was two days away from closing their doors. I found four books that I'd really been wanting - three in hardcover - for $25. THANK YOU, RECESSION!

And you all know what happened yesterday :)

So there you have it. All caught up. I'll try to do a little better during the last half of our trip.

Labels: Aaron, Briony, Caitlin, Family, Going Rogue, Jason and Amy, Married Stuff, Mommy Stuff, The Boy, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 11:25 AM 0 comments

The One Where Briony Turns Into A Monster

Okay, so 'monster' might be kind of harsh. But our baby girl has 'blossomed' into quite the little handful while we've been away... She is crawling, diving, exploring, destroying, and just generally getting into mischief at every turn. I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA where my baby went.

Today, Geoff headed into Vancouver with Rob to check out a luxury supercar show while B and I hung out in Abbotsford. I'd hoped to do a little more with my day, but I've been flared up and icky for a few days now - okay, more like this entire trip - and I needed to take care of myself. It was another super hot day, and after we went for a walk outside with Marilyn, it was straight into another cool bath for Briony. She played for a loooong time and was lots happier when she emerged.

The rest of the day was essentially a reign of terror in the form of a tiny, giggly, noisy strawberry blonde. She emptied out all of Marilyn's bottom drawers - in the bedroom and the kitchen. She crawled laps around the living room and played noisily with everything she found. She explored underneath all the end tables and made about a thousand attempts to check out the fireplace and the plants. She thoughtfully 'unpacked' the suitcase on our bedroom floor. And she emptied out my laundry basket. Twice.

She's in bed now, and all the adults in the house are exhausted... :)

I've managed to scrape together a few scraps of energy and start our family's laundry in preparation for packing (I'm just nerdy enough that - whenever I can - I like to come home from a trip with suitcases full of *clean* clothes). I'm not sure why, but the preparation to come home feels a little bit different this time. I'm used to feeling almost kind of indifferent about it, happy to stay or happy to come home. For some reason, I feel a little bit sad today.

I thought for a while that maybe it was because we're leaving Aaron + Cait here, but I really don't think that's it exactly. I think it's a culmination of all the people we leave when we go home to Winnipeg - family and friends who it feels we are just constantly saying goodbye to.

I usually just pretend that it's just like people at home who we only see a couple of times a year, and that usually works... But not today. Today, I want to sign up for music classes with Vicky + Ava, and I want to have a standing monthly games night with Jason + Amy - and I want our 'west coast friends' to hang out at *our* house sometimes. I want to have brunch with Aaron + Cait again next weekend. I want to be around for some of those conversations when my nieces all try to figure out where to apply for school next year. I want to be at the airport when Hannah comes home. I want to go over to Joanne and Carole's houses and have tea with them and really get to know my 'new' sisters. And I don't want Marilyn to keep missing all the new things that Briony is learning every week. It seriously breaks my heart when Briony makes strange with her when our plane lands in Vancouver. Shall I continue? Because that's really just scratching the surface.

So yeah. That's where I'm at tonight. Sorting through laundry and sorting through emotions, and trying not to let either one of those things put a damper on our last 36 hours here.

Labels: Aaron, Briony, Caitlin, Family, Jason and Amy, My Friends, Our Other Home, Rob and Vicky, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 10:56 PM 4 comments

Our Trip

I always struggle with summarizing our trips out west. It's funny because - as much as we enjoy going there - it doesn't feel like a vacation because we're spending most of our time with such comfortable friends and family. Each time, I come home kicking myself for not blogging about it or taking very many pictures. It just doesn't cross my mind to take pictures when it feels like we're doing normal stuff. I suppose that's a good thing :)

Tuesday, February 17
We left early in the morning, which seemed like a good idea at the time we were booking our tickets... And probably still was. Briony wasn't very impressed with us for waking her up in the dark, but she fell asleep again promptly after she was fed, dressed, and buckled into her car seat. We managed to fit all our stuff + the three of us into a taxi (a fact that still impresses me) and made it to the airport with no hiccups at all. Briony slept through the ride, through check-in and security, through boarding and take-off, and woke up happy once we were well-established at altitude. AWESOME. She was awake and playing for virtually the entire flight, and fell asleep again just in time for the descent. Maybe three minutes of fussing total. What an answer to prayer. Marilyn (Geoff's mom) met us at the airport in Vancouver and Briony was doing so well that we decided to spend a little bit of time in Richmond before heading out to Abbotsford. We had breakfast, walked around Ikea (this is when we filmed the now-infamous panda bear video), and checked out a few of Geoff's favourite stores in the area. By midafternoon, we drove to Abbotsford and spent the rest of the day at Geoff's parents' place. His sister Carole stopped by briefly, otherwise it was a quiet evening - except for my phone call to MTS to complain about the fact that my BlackBerry wasn't working.

Briony's first airplane trip

Wednesday, February 18
Sunshine! We woke up to +14 weather, so the day's main activity was a very easy decision. Geoff, Marilyn, and I packed up Briony in her stroller and spent almost four hours walking around outside. It was glorious. I was so happy to have Briony outside in the fresh air, even though she slept through - seriously - the ENTIRE THING. I made another call to MTS, and their tech support people explained that there was curently no data coverage for MTS customers in BC, Alberta, or the Northwest Territories but that they were working hard to try to fix it. Grrr. In the evening, we headed into Vancouver to visit with my friends Jason & Amy. Jason and I became online friends a few years ago, and then real-life friends when I flew into Vancouver to meet him in 2005 (has it been that long?!). Since then, he met and married Amy - we flew out for their wedding in May 2007, just a few days after our engagement - and they've become very special friends to both Geoff and I. Wednesday just happened to be Jason's last day at his job, the day they *finally* found renters for their current condo, the last day they had to pack up that condo before moving to their new place, and the day before they left on a three-week vacation... And they still managed to find a couple of hours to visit with us. We sat among their boxes eating pizza and it was just fun and normal and good.

Outside at Mill Lake in Abbotsford

Thursday, February 19
We decided that Thursday would be Road Trip Day, and Briony's first official trip across the border (she visited the US twice while I was pregnant). Marilyn came along and we did a little bit of shopping - nothing crazy, just a few summer outfits for Briony, a couple of books for Briony, and a bunch of Bath & Body Works products for Briony's mommy. Oh, and some crappy American cereal and candy for Geoff. We made it there and back without incident, and were happily surprised when the folks at customs waved us through without having to pay duty on our purchases that added up to more than our daily limit. We were back in Abbotsford by dinner time and spent another quiet evening in. (Today was also my sister's birthday. And the third day in a row that I had to call MTS about my lack of a functioning BlackBerry. Not that I'm bitter or anything.)

Briony's first road trip to the US (she's clearly loving every minute of it)

Hanging out at the mall with 'Grammy'

Friday, February 20
We had big plans for Friday, but tossed them all when we woke up tired. Geoff opted to stay in bed all morning, and I opted to pack up Briony in her stroller and go for a walk around the neighbourhood (Marilyn joined us). In the afternoon, we headed into Vancouver to see Rob & Vicky and their new baby girl Ava who is less than a month older than Briony. Rob and Geoff have been friends since childhood, and were each others' best man (best men?) in May and September 2007. (Rob & Vicky and Jason & Amy got married one week apart in Vancouver that spring, so we were able to attend both events - and Geoff proposed in between. Kind of a ridiculously romantic and important week in all our lives. So strange how the universe works.) We had dinner at their place and spent time visiting - another great, fun, normal, good evening with friends. Oh, and I called MTS - who basically told me to stop calling, because they had little hope that the problem would be fixed before we were back in Winnipeg anyway.

Rob & Ava and Geoff & Briony - notice how much these girls look like their daddies!

Briony and Ava 'playing' together

Saturday, February 21
In the morning, we finally managed to schedule in a proper visit with Geoff's sister Carole, her husband Ray, and their kids - Justin, Cheyenne, Niles, and Sean. They were completely enamoured with Briony, and we spent some time with them just kind of catching up. After our visit, we dropped off Briony with Geoff's mom and - are you ready for this? - Geoff and I went on our first 'date' since Briony was born. We've left her with a babysitter before, but always when Geoff has been working and I've had plans, never when the two of us could have non-baby time together. It was great. We spent the afternoon in downtown Vancouver, shopping and eating sushi. And then we went to go see Coraline in 3D, which was pretty cool. We drove back in time to have a late dinner with Geoff's parents and put Briony to bed.

Meeting her Auntie Carole

Sunday, February 22
Day One of our Kamloops mini-trip. Geoff, Briony, and I packed up, said a temporary goodbye to Alan and Marilyn, and headed out to Kamloops to see his sister Joanne, her husband Al, and their kids - Hannah, Ruth, Elizabeth, and David. We got there in time to hang out, introduce them to Briony, see the pictures from their recent family vacation to Egypt and the UK, and have dinner together. After dinner, Briony and I curled up on the couch with the rest of the girls and watched the Oscars and The Amazing Race while Geoff, Al, and David did boy stuff on the computer.

Ruth & Briony spend some snuggle time together before bed

Monday, February 23
Kamloops Day Two. Geoff got up early with Briony and then Joanne watched her while he drove Ruth, Libby, and David to school. I woke up while they were gone. Joanne had put Briony down for a nap and Geoff was just walking in the front door with a cup of Starbucks for me. Talk about a perfect way to start a Monday morning... Lucky me. We spent the day with Joanne and Hannah, going out for lunch and hanging around Kamloops. Around 3 pm, the chaos of a family with four kids began - Hannah needed to go to work, David needed to go to piano lessons, Libby needed to go to her dance class... And Ruth just needed to be picked up from school, so she came with Geoff, Briony, and I and we got to spend some time with her (and I had my second Starbucks of the day - always a sign that I'm having a good day, hehe). We regrouped for dinner at Al & Joanne's and spent a 'quiet' evening at home with them - as quiet as their family is capable of being :)

Hanging out at Starbucks...

...and MELTDOWN! :)

Tuesday, February 24
After saying goodbye to Al and the kids, and spending the morning with Joanne, we headed back to Abbotsford - with Hannah in tow. The roads were a little bit slushy, so it was a bit of a slow trip back, and it was *great* to have Hannah in the backseat to entertain Briony. We got 'home' just in time for dinner, and then Carole, Cheyenne, and Sean stopped by for one last look at Briony - and I ran to the store to pick up more sinus medication for Geoff, who'd started feeling sick and was dreading the flight home the next day. After they left, Hannah and I crashed on the couch downstairs to watch some brainless reality television, and then we all went to bed.

Wednesday, February 25
I woke up to a functioning BlackBerry today. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. I'm trying to let it go, especially because MTS is refunding my data charges for the month. Not that it really fixes anything, but whatever. On to more important things... It always sucks to say goodbye. Our visits out to BC are typically around a week or a week-and-a-half long, but they always fly by - probably because we keep ourselves pretty busy. But there are always people we didn't quite manage to see, and we're always wishing that we'd had more time with the people we saw. It's especially hard to say goodbye to Geoff's family. And it was harder than usual because I could see how painful it was for them to have Briony flying back to Manitoba. After everyone was awake, Geoff, Briony, Marilyn, Hannah, and I went out for tea and scones before coming back to the house to pack. In the afternoon, Marilyn and Hannah drove us into Vancouver to catch our flight back home. It was snowing outside, and I was convinced that our flight was going to be delayed... I kept on calling, and they kept on telling me that it was on schedule - so we got to the airport in plenty of time and got to our gate and onto the plane without a hitch. We began to taxi to the runway. And then we stopped. Apparently, the snow was going to delay our takeoff. And it did - by nearly an hour and a half. I have to say, Briony was a real trooper. Our time on the plane was nearly two hours longer than we'd anticipated - and therefore, our arrival in Winnipeg was ridiculously late. By just after 2 am, we were home and we crashed into bed pretty quickly. Briony was kind enough to sleep through until just before 11 am...

And it's back to our Manitoba life again. With a new panda bear in tow :)

We seriously cannot get a decent family picture for the life of us... We'll keep trying!

Labels: Briony, Family, Jason and Amy, Rob and Vicky, The Boy, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 2:05 PM 3 comments

The One With The Great Flood

At least, I *imagine* that this is how Noah's whole situation may have gotten started. Holy cow, can it ever rain a lot here!

After another fun double-date with Jason & Amy last night (we saw Iron Man again, and it was awesome again), we spent a quiet day at home with Geoff's parents on Monday. We got some packing done, ran a few errands, Geoff and I made dinner for them, and then we spent a few hours with his sister Carole & Ray and a few of their kids. It was a great day until I decided I'd like to end it by crashing in front of the TV for half an hour and Geoff found a show about cars that he insisted he had to watch... Sigh. Not *quite* what I'd had in mind. But it put me to sleep pretty effectively :)

Tomorrow promises to be quiet... Geoff's mom is taking us to a local shop for tea and scones in the morning, and we need to be at the airport by 14.30. We'll be back home in Winnipeg by bedtime (and I'm back at work at 08.00 on Wednesday).

I'm feeling pretty stuffed up and on the verge of sick - and praying that I'll stay healthy at least until the plane lands. I hadn't fully considered the implications of a sinus cold + flying + a pregnancy that means I can't take any type of drug that would actually help this situation. Ugh. And so I pray.

Labels: Family, Jason and Amy, The Boy, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 11:02 PM 1 comments

The One Where We Gorge Ourselves On Laughter (and food)

I went on hair strike yesterday. I didn't care. This is getting ridiculous. WHY OH WHY did I let Kevyn cut in bangs again right before I headed to this dastardly climate?!

After a quiet day hanging out at Alan & Marilyn's, Geoff and I headed into Vancouver in the evening to meet up with Jason & Amy for dinner. It was such a good time. I can't really explain it, but there are just a few people in the world who a person can meet and instantly connect with. I feel like I've been friends with them forever, and we've spent only a few hours in each other's company - spread out over years.

The food was great, the dessert was on the house (compliments of Miss Amy's connections), and I commented on the way home that the muscles in my face all ached from laughing so much. These friends are running a somewhat-less-than-subtle campaign to get us to move out here - and I'll admit that time with them almost makes it a little tempting... Almost.

Winnipeg is home. But we'll always be back to visit out here. I just need to get my hands on the secret hair products I *know* all the beautiful people in Vancouver must use.

Labels: Jason and Amy, My Friends, Travel

posted by Lindsay @ 10:49 PM 1 comments

It Was a Very Good Year (Part 1 of 2)

January
My little sister Jessica married Kevin in January 2007, and it was a craaazy weekend. It was the first wedding in our family - and the last in his - so there were lots of emotions. Plus we were trying to save them as much money as possible, which meant getting dirty and helping out with all kinds of things. It also meant that we got to know Kevin's immediate family really well, which was very cool. Especially because they're Jessica's family now too, and a huge part of their life. Oh, and as an added bonus, I got to be a foxy maid of honour.

In January, I also reconnected with a very special friend who I'd lost - or lost track of - a long time ago, making me look at all the relationships in my life just a little bit differently this year.

February
Would you believe that I celebrated my first *real* Valentine's Day in 2007? For a girl who's been dating (sometimes a lot) since she was 15, it was a statistical impossibility. But it's true. I was rather painfully dumped just before V-Day one year. And I started dating someone on February 15 another year. But the stars finally aligned in 2007, and Geoff and I spent a VERY romantic V-Day: I was sick with probably the worst cold in history, running a high fever, and coughing so much I actually damaged my ribs. Now if that doesn't say romance...

March
This was an incredibly exciting month for me, because Geoff and I decided to get married - and went ring shopping. We also went house shopping, and made an offer that was accepted on a beautiful house in River Heights. And we booked tickets to go visit his family in May (which we knew was the immediate precursor to a proposal). It was SO HARD to keep my big mouth shut around family and friends because I was so very happy. March also marked a full year that I'd been healthy enough to work full time - so there were lots of things to celebrate.

April
My little brother Aaron graduated from Red River College's Digital Multimedia Technology program. I was so proud of him. And a little bit sad for myself, because his new job at Manlab waaaaay down Portage meant that we wouldn't be three blocks away during the day anymore - I'd gotten very used to calling him up and meeting for lunch over the past two years. I still miss it.

April also marked the final days and weeks of my 'trial by fire' year of the most difficult living situation I have ever endured. It's not really something I felt comfortable blogging about, but I know that I learned lots about myself in this situation - and there were days when the word 'grace' tattooed in the middle of my back felt like a heavy burden to carry.

May
The beginning of May marked our (ahem, GEOFF's) possession date on the house. I remember waking up early that morning. Geoff picked me up and we went to go visit the house before work - we were just too excited to wait. I remember every moment as we drove down the street and parked, walked up the front sidewalk, and turned the key in the door for the first time. We walked through this big empty house, and at one point we stopped and looked at each other - and burst out laughing hysterically. This big empty house was going to be our home. It was on this morning that Geoff presented me with my much-adored Tinkerbell house key. So sweet.

May was also the month we travelled to BC so that he could introduce me to his family. We spent 10 days with his parents and Carole's family in Abbotsford, and with Joanne's in Kamloops. We also had the privilege of attending Rob & Vicky's wedding on the first weekend we were there, and Jason & Amy's on the second weekend. Romance must have been in the air, because in between all those weddings, Geoff popped the question and we made everything official. It was a very good week. But my highlight wasn't even the proposal (though it was perfect). It was two days later, as we drove the looooong way home from Kamloops through the Fraser Valley. We talked and laughed and spent an incredibly fun day on the road - just the two of us - and in a comfortably quiet moment on the highway, I just knew that this was the person I wanted to grow old with.

I ended the month on another incredibly happy note: I raised over $5,000 in donations to The Arthritis Society in a single night, putting me over my goal for the Athens Joints in Motion marathon.

June
This was an extreme happy-and-sad month, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster. This was the month that we all lost Joey, and it feels like every single person I know has been changed irreversibly by that horrible news. I know that - having been only an acquaintance of his - I live my life differently now. So many others who I love have been affected so much more profoundly, and I still cry for them.

And just when I thought I had no tears left, I pulled out some (okay, LOTS of) incredibly happy ones for Anja & Kyle on their wedding day - which was a definite highlight of this year.

Labels: Family, Jason and Amy, My Life, Rob and Vicky

posted by Lindsay @ 9:53 PM 1 comments