summer sunsets

well look at that, it's been about another month, so time for a blog post :)
Not much to write, just some pics to share....sunsets i've enjoyed lately, since summer finally showed up here on the west coast....enjoy!!

Crescent Beach
Crescent beach

Crescent beach

Crescent beach

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Downtown Vancouver

Abbotsford....from my balcony

Abbotsford...still from my balcony!

Looking forward to my family visiting in a few weeks.....stay tuned for pics of Whistler, Vancouver Island and of course, my nephew :)

where did spring go...and where's summer?

I think i have given in to the fact that i just can't blog on a consistent basis. however, this also means this post will have a lot of pics jammed into it...fyi you've been warned. :)

So way back in mid-May (again, where did May go, never mind 1/2 of June...) a few of us from Life Group decided that our Frenchie buddy Julie needed to see Kelowna and all its wine country bliss before she heads home to France in July. So...Pammer, Kimmer, Mel, Julie and I headed up for a girls weekend of fun! These next pics are actually in backwards order...but you get the gyst (as always, see Facebook for a more extensive photo collection). We ended our weekend with a wine tour at the Mission Hill winery...delightful!!
We walked by Lake Okanagan and met the Ogopogo

And walked a section of the Kettle Valley railway trestle bridges and saw firsthand the devastation that forest fires have done within the last couple of years

Pammer and Kimmer

I scrambled up some rocks to get a better view

The girls were such troopers with all my photographing...they were such good sports when i made them pose over and over!!!

group shot!GREAT WEEKEND!!! We had a blast!!

Moving along through May, my friend Sue and I went for a hike at Golden Ears and had a great time, despite the rain and chilly temps...the scenery was still amazing!!

Aaaannnnddd....perhaps the most exciting thing of all that's taken place recently is BATHROOM RENOS!!!!! Kimmer's dear darling husband Jaco is a WIZARD when it comes to renos, so i hired me a dutchman and let him get to work!!!!! My bathrooms weren't in bad shape, they were just ugly and i didn't like the '90s look of them...time to modernize, baby!!
Here's the before shot of the ensuite

And the before shot of the main bathroom...hello mismatched vanity pieces!

Helloooooooooo new and improved ensuite! how i love getting ready in you every morning!

And a close up of the sink area in the main bathroom (looks just like the ensuite...both bathrooms have matching pieces)

And another angle of the main bathroom

I love my new bathrooms!! They're so loverly, fresh and modern!!

It's been a rainy, cold spring here on the west coast....quite miserable, actually, and I'm having a hard time believing that summer is just around the corner. Last Saturday, however, was a gorgeous day! So, i took the opportunity to snap a few flower shots from Pam's mom's garden...they will help me believe that spring really has sprung, and that summer is just around the corner!! Enjoy!!

Well there you go...a summary of the last number of weeks....and i'll see you again, probably at the end of July, lol! No seriously, you should see my daytimer...i'd take a picture to show you, but it's full of confidential client information, so i can't really do that...but take my word when i say that the busyness doesn't slow down any time soon! Just hope there's some sunshine in the forecast!!!!

me...?? Running?

April 25, 2010 marked uncharted territory for me. I began the establishment of "personal best" times in my world of running!!!

Back as a young'un in elementary school, I ran cross country races and liked it. In junior high, i was a sprinter, and liked it. In high school and college, I was a volleyball player...who HATED running! Go figure!!

Growing up, my running repertoire also included being roused waaaay earlier than I would have liked, on Father's Day morning, for the annual Manitoba Marathon....no no, i was not running anything close to a full or half marathon...the 2.6mile SuperRun was where it was at for us...a family ritual of sort, and a distance plenty far enough for me!! The Manitoba Marathon is a major fundraising venture for the Association for Community Living-Manitoba...for whom my dad just happened to be Executive Director...so i didn't really have a choice regarding my Super Run participation....it's just what we did. And since it happens on Father's Day, what dad wants, dad gets! And dad wanted us to run!

Anyway....i digress....

Running has taken a back seat in my exercise regime in the last number of years. Actually any kind of cardio took a back seat...lol...i much prefer weight training to cardio. But something happened last spring...i don't even think i can decipher what changed...but suddenly, running seemed appealing. And so i started running. Just a bit. On the treadmill, at the gym. Then on trails, with a friend from work. At first it really sucked. But then i kinda started to like it! What?! running is becoming fun?!?!?! Who saw that coming??!! Not me! So I kept running! Nothing fast, nothing far, but running none the less!

In January, my dear friend Darla flaunted a challenge before a few of us...she wanted to start training for a 10k race at the end of April. And before I could consider that it was a foolish agreement, i said "sure!" And better yet, Pammer agreed too! And so did Darla's friend Stacey! So, we started a training program, signed up for the race...and with each week that went by, I was loving it!!

And then before i knew it, April 25 was here! Race day! I was nervous, i was excited, i was antsy standing at the starting line and just wanted to get going!!!!! The damper on our day was the fact that Darla was diagnosed with double stress fractures in her legs 3 DAYS before the race, and was unable to run. Boo. The up side was that she became cheerleader and photographer extraordinaire.
So what follows are pics of race day...courtesy of Darla....capturing me in my first ever 10k.

start line!!!! ready to go!!!!
Darla was a superstar and followed us in her car for the first stretch!! She shot photos out her car window WHILE driving and cheering loudly! Yep, that's why i'm grinning in this pic!! (i'm right in the middle...and can you see all the people around me thinking"who the heck is yelling from their car??!!")

me and Pammer!

My cheering squad at the finish line! Kimmer and Darla! Love these girls!!!! (and check out my medal...wooooo!!!!)

At the finish line sporting our medals....me, Stacey and Pammer

The 4 amigos...we will find another 10k to run when we're all healthy and whole again!

And so...my goal was to finish the race in under 1hour...figured the race day adrenaline would help me have a good shot at that goal....

....58m34s is now my newly established personal best for a 10k...yay me, I met my goal! And I've got a chance to try and shave a few seconds off in a couple of weeks...my next 10k is May 30....!!!

St Lucia!!

I know, I know....i've been back from my trip for a couple of weeks and have yet to blog....well the wait is over! Many of you have already seen the Facebook pics, so this won't be much new...but at least with a bit more commentary! The busyness of life, combined with a ZILLION pics to sort through has led to the delay (ahem..avoidance??!!) in this blog, but I guess I will just have to get over it, because taking a zillion pictures is what i do!!

Sooooo......St Lucia...ahhh.....a little piece of sun-shiney heaven!!! It was GREAT!!!!! Pammer and I had been looking forward to this trip since the END OF OCTOBER!!!! And let me tell you, i was more than ready for a holiday!

We left Vancouver, and after a quick layover in Toronto, where I got to meet my adorable (then) 6 week old nephew and spend a night with my brother and sis-in-law. Check out the facebook pics of the cute little guy! Then...it was off to the Caribbean!!!

We stayed at an all-inclusive.....
And had the BEST room....beachfront suite!!!!!!

Check out the view we woke up to every day!!!!

This was all about a RELAXING holiday...but we also wanted explore the island. I think we had a good balance...it almost worked out to spending one day at the resort chillin' in the sun, then one day out and about, then one day at the resort, then one day out...etc etc....

So...what follows in pictures is a synopsis of what we spent our time doing...trust me, it's a BRIEF synopsis, cuz like I said, i have a ZILLION pictures, and it was hard to choose just a few to post. But I hope it helps you get the idea!

Pedal boats at the resort!!!

It was really hot, so I had to cool off in the ocean on a regular basis!

Crashing waves...so beautiful!

Spent a lot of time doing this......

The resort grounds were beautiful...flowers flowers everywhere!! It was so colourful!

We took a "land and sea" excursion. We got a great overview of the west side of the island, went to a waterfall, volcano, saw the Pitons, and took a catamaran!!! The Pitons are the famous mountains...there are 2 peaks....you can see one of them here!

At the waterfall...nothing overly extravagant, but it's the most popular waterfall on the island because you don't have to hike in...easy access means lots of people!

At our lunch stop...an amazing restaurant called the Mango Tree, with the most unbelievable views

The volcano...see the smoke in the distance? It was stinky like sulpher, but apparently that's a good thing because it means the gases aren't poisonous!!

our handsome tour guide...Lloyd!

We took a catamaran ride back up the coast for the afternoon...and got to stop and swim at one point. One of my best pre-trip purchases was a waterproof case for my little point-and-shoot...SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!! I love underwater shots!!

Taking in the scenery

rum and coke!!

On another day, we walked to Pigeon Island. It was really neat to check out all the old stone barracks, canons and amazing views from way up high! Read more about it via the link i attached....it's a pretty cool place...and you may recognize it from some of the recent Bachelor episodes....!!

views of Rodney Bay

At the end of our trip, we splurged....and took a helicopter back down to the airport, rather than the 1 1/2 long drive on winding roads....my first helicopter ride...and TOTALLY worth the money!!

The Pitons from the air

sunsets!!!! Didn't have one every night (stupid late afternoon low cloud that set in....) but did manage to have a couple nights of great skies!

and one final sunset from the airplane

There you have it....a very brief overview of an AMAZING holiday!! It was hot, it was beautiful, it was relaxing, it was GREAT!!