Sweet Summertime

Oh Vancouver, how we love your beautiful 60-75 degree weather through the end of July.... Thank you for these beautiful, sunny summer days - we are enjoying them thoroughly! :)

A group of us headed out to English Bay last Sunday for a little relaxation at the beach. We had some BBQ chicken and some delicious hotdogs (compliments of my husband, the chef!), a few drinks, lots of sunshine, a "stunt kite" and the "Explorer 200" who made her maiden voyage on the turbulent waters of the Burrard Inlet. We spent the day listening to music, soaking up some rays and looking on as Jon rowed, yes rowed, out on the high seas. What a day….

Unfortunately the “stunt kite” (ages 6 and up, mind you) never really made it off the ground. There were many attempts and even a few friendly helpers who wandered on the scene…but the kite proved a little too advanced for our group.   :(

After about an hour with the kite, Jon decided it was time to bust out the Explorer 200. This fine watercraft was a $20 Wal-Mart purchase and the box said it would hold 2 people. However, once we opened it up, the instructions further explained it would hold a max of 2 people OR 200 pounds. This posed a little problem as Jon was SLIGHTLY over that weight limit. (LOL…okay so maybe ‘slightly’ is an understatement) But, Jon would not let that safety warning hold him back. He pumped up the raft, put the paddles together, and headed down to the water’s edge. Here are some pictures of the maiden voyage of the Explorer 200.

Jon & Tad taking the boat to the water

Trying to get past the rocks

My husband...the Seaman  :)

Just relaxing and riding the waves

The maiden voyage = SUCCESS!!!  :)

The big guy needed a little help...thanks Tad! 

So, with Jon back in one piece we decided it was time to call it a day and head back home.  We enjoyed the day and hope to have many more this summer!

A few days later we headed to Cirque Du Soleil.  The show was fantastic but of course we couldn't take any pictures inside the tent.  Here is one of the boys just before going in!  It was a fun night and we continue to enjoy our friends, this city, and these beautiful summer days!

 

rOwDy Texas Visitors....

Last Saturday Jon and I welcomed our second set of house guests. They travelled a long distance from the steamy Texas countryside to visit us. They sounded a little funny and used words like ‘y’all’ and ‘howdy’ but we didn’t judge…(they are family after all). (Just joking...I still drop a 'y'all' every now and then) Haha…but in all seriousness we had a great time visiting with my mom, dad, and sister this past week. We had an adventure-filled week to say the least!

In front of Lion's Gate Bridge in Stanley Park

Saturday evening we headed over to Empire Stadium to watch the Lion’s home opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Although the outcome of the game was not what we hoped for, Jon played a great game, and we all enjoyed watching him on the field. After the game we headed out on the town as my sister Delaney is “legal” in Canada to venture out to the bars. We danced, we socialized, we experienced all that Granville Street had to offer…in short – Delaney’s first legal night out was a success!

Ready to Rumble...

The Girls on Granville

Brother & Sister at the Roxy...  :)

The next few days we walked every last square inch of downtown Vancouver. Okay, so maybe not EVERY square inch, but it seemed like it at the time. We shopped, we walked, we saw a TV set for the show “Fringe” shooting on Granville Street, we lounged on patios….to sum it all up, we conquered Van. Granville Island = check.  Grilling burgers and hotdogs in Stanley Park = check. Yaletown for a few beers = check. Canada Place, Olympic Torch, sea planes = check. Gastown for some quality patio time = check. Hastings = (a not so pleasant check). Robson Street for some MORE shopping = check. No wonder we were tired!

Johnnie Fox's for lunch and to watch the World Cup Final

At Stanley Park over-looking the water

Lunch on the patio of the Sandbar

A little beer tasting at the Granville Island Brewery

In front of Canada Place

On Wednesday we headed to the ferry to cruise on over to Victoria. We met Jon’s Aunt Barb and Uncle Bill at Butchart Gardens when we first arrived. The gardens were beautiful to say the least and we really enjoyed the tour. Later that evening we headed to dinner on the water and ate some tasty seafood! After that Barb and Bill took us around the island to see the many sites along the coastline. We ended up atop Mount Douglas and the view was spectacular! Thanks again for the tour Auntie B! The next day we headed over to Aunt Peggy’s house and chatted (over a few glasses of wine) for a while before heading back over to the mainland. It was a whirlwind trip to the island but it was well worth the journey!

We made it to the top of Mt. Doug!!!  Yay!

Auntie Barb and Uncle Bill

The next few days were spent relaxing and taking in another football game against the Montreal Alouettes. The game was so close…and even though we lost, it was still enjoyable to be able to watch Jon play. That was the last evening for our Texas visitors, so we thought it only appropriate to celebrate as we did the first night. We enjoyed another night out, joined by our friend Jeff who plays for Montreal. Fun times!

Poutine!!!  The Fam LOVED it!  :)

The Faj & The Maj kickin' back at Stanley Park

B.C. Lions vs. Montreal Alouettes

Me & De ready for her last night on the town

Girls, never leave home without your o-line book-ends!  :)

The next day, the rents and De headed back to Texas and Jon and I headed to Edmonton for Trent and Anne’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time catching up with our E-town friends! Two of the groomsmen at our wedding, Talal and Cody, were also Trent’s groomsmen and they did a great job! They didn’t let a single bridesmaid fall down while walking down the flight of stairs on the way to the alter! Good job boys! :)

the handsome groom

Talal....groomsman extraordinaire

And Cody...hold on to her!  Don't let her fall!

And then my camera battery died...I didn't even get a picture of the bride..  :( 

Finally, Sunday at 10:00pm our plane landed back in Vancouver. Jon and I were both exhausted and happy to be home and to get back to our normal routine. We enjoyed our Texas house guests and hope they had as much fun as we did!  Summer is off to a pretty good start….Vancouver, please just keep the sun shining and a few B.C. Lions’ wins would be nice too! ;) Yours truly, Lindsay & Jon

Weddings Weddings Weddings

Just thought I would share some pictures from a wedding we set up today (on Canada Day!)  The location was the Brock House Restaurant, right on the water...it was so beautiful I told Jon we might need to have another wedding up here!  :)  Love Love Love the scenery here!  Just gorgeous!  Enjoy the pics!