Life

Updates

Hellooooo!! Wow, it's definitely been a long time since I touched my blog. Thanks to everyone who checked in on me. Things are ok here, just really really busy. In a nutshell:

- In February, my parents were in town for 3 weeks, so we spent a lot of time with them.

- Work and Claire's schedules have kept me busier than ever. It's all good though. Now that we live a bit farther away from downtown, the commutes to and from work are la bit longer now. I think once we have a set routine, I'd have more personal time (yeah right!)

Here are some pics I'd like to share:

My "peeps" at a scrapbook retreat at Loon Lake Resarch & Education Centre. We were there March 6 to 8. We had an amazing time! This was by far, the best crop I attended. It was so relaxing, no stress, just a great time with my wonderful friends I met through scrapbooking. I even completed 2 mini-albums and a layout

 

My adorable little niece and goddaughter Sophie. She was baptized on Feb. 21. I love her "wild" hair..hehehe.

 

Vince and Claire at 8 Rinks on Feb.21. We were invited to a skating birthday party and Claire tried her hand at playing a bit of hockey. She had a blast. She was able to shoot the puck a few times.

   

My family at our deck. This was taken last Feb. 15. It was like a mini-reunion. My brother, his wife and my parents are all out-of-towners so it was so nice to see them all.

 

Daddy and the fairy princess at home on Valentine's Day.

 

More updates to follow...

Distractions

From the lack of posts this month, it's pretty obvious I haven't been around much in the blogging world, and I've fallen behind with my blog-hopping too :( Sorry! You see, I've been distracted by 2 things the past few weeks.

Ipod Touch...especially all the podcasts. More on that on another post.

And this...

 

Guitar is my favourite, although I haven't played the drums all that much. I'm stuck medium in all songs. Can't get past medium. Grrr. Vince loves to play the drums (on hard!!), so we make a good band...no fighting on who gets to play which instrument. Claire has even started to sing along. She's even memorized the lyrics to the following songs...yes, we played these songs over and over *lol* :

• "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World
• "Don't Speak" by No Doubt
• "That's What You Get" by Paramore
• "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects

Here she is, singing her heart out. hehehehe.

  

On another note, I am slowly getting back into scrapbooking. My scrap area is all organized now. Woohoo! A few weeks ago, we headed to Ikea and purchased a few more desks. My neglected Wishblade (which used to be stored away on a shelf) now sits happily beside my notebook. Then last Sunday, I bought a metal paper rack from my friend Felicia, and it is sweet! Everything is all neat and organized now, just the way I like it! :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had or is still having a great holiday season. I'm still on vacation mode (yippee!) and won't head back to work until the 6th. We haven't travelled anywhere far from Coquitlam, but we've been having a blast just relaxing at home.

It's been a snow-filled holiday season so far. Snow, snow and more snow. And sub-zero temperatures. This type of weather is unusual for the Lower Mainland. It's fun for a while, but when you're not able to leave the house because the street hasn't been plowed for days, or the snow turns to black ice, well it's not fun anymore. My family and I used to live in Ontario from 1988 to 1995, so I'm sort of used to all this harsh winter weather. But at least there, the streets, alleys AND sidewalks get plowed, salted and taken care of by the municipalities. Unfortunately, that really doesn't happen here. I've had to call the City of Coquitlam Engineering department a couple of times and beg them to get a snow plow through our hilly street.

Anyway, all this bad weather had us staying in and enjoying our Christmas gifts. I am addicted to Rockband 2, and I am definitely loving my new Ipod Touch. Thank you, Vince! I resisted the urge on getting an Ipod the past 2-3 years, but now that I have it, I just wonder why I waited so long. I'm especially hooked on the wi-fi capabilities and podcasting. Who needs to watch Martha Stewart on tv, when you can just stream or download her podcast on your Ipod? *lol* (As you could tell from this post, that despite of me being a geek, I have been living under a rock the past couple of years. hahahaha.)

In the next few days, I'll be slowly taking down our Christmas decorations and cleaning up. The new year also means rummaging through boxes and getting rid of old and unused stuff. I already started purging old stuff like Claire's old toys and clothes. Once that's all done, then I can slowly get back to scrapbooking. And speaking of scrapbooking, my husband mentioned I haven't posted a layout or project in the blog for a while. I'll do that soon, plus I've got some scrapbooking news to announce. More later!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

These videos were taken on Sunday, Dec. 21 in front of our house.

Check out our hilly street which has not been plowed since the first snowfall last week.

And my little angel making her snow angel..

At least another foot of fresh new snow fell on our area today, and more is expected tomorrow. So it's gonna be white Christmas here in the Lower Mainland. :) Unfortunately, due to unsafe driving conditions on our street, I've had to postpone a planned Christmas Day lunch I was hosting for extended family to Saturday, when the weather calls for rain and warmer temperatures.

In the meantime, we had a lot of fun indoors, keeping warm and having fun with my SIL Marivic who's in town visiting from the Okanagan.

 

 

 

Only one more sleep before Christmas!

Getting Organized

Oh boy, my blogging has fallen way way behind! My to-do list seems to be growing everyday, especially with Christmas coming. So many things to do and not enough time. *sigh*

Anyway, this weekend, I finally tackled my insane mess of scrapbook stuff. And I'm happy to say that my scrap area is a lot more organized! Yay!

Yesterday, we went to Costco and bought a heavy duty shelving system. It's industrial strength, the type you see in restaurant kitchens. When I saw it as Sonja's a couple of weeks ago, I knew that was what I needed because of all the stuff I had. Vince put it all together in less than an hour yesterday (thanks, Vince!). Now, most of my embellishments, stamps and tools are all nicely stored and organized. I can finally find stuff!

 

My next scrapping organization project: a larger work surface. In our old place, my scrapping space was in a very tiny 3rd bedroom. This time around, we have a roomy open rec room that will serve as a playroom, office, study and craft room. I'll probably tackle that project after the holidays. Right now, I'm just glad most of my stuff is out of boxes, and I can finally start creating again. :) 

Getting back in the swing of things

I'm still alive! Oh it's been a while, and I'm getting back in the swing of things now that we've moved. And this blog desperately needs an update, so I thought I'd play along (saw this list from Sonja's and Erica's blogs). Just copy and paste this list on your blog, and highlight which ones you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (ok, does Rockband count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumpe
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (hmm..just rosemary but it's something)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (but my child was :))
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (just indoor)
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke (see #3)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

This is it :)

Tomorrow, we are moving out of our old home, and on Saturday, we are moving to our new home. :)

The past few months has been a real rollercoaster ride for us with regards to selling and buying. Over a hundred people have walked through our townhouse since May. In this slow real estate market, we’ve had to lower our asking price a few times and finally, an offer came in; and luckily, it was at a price we were happy with. In comparison, our next door neighbor sold his townhouse last year in 4 days! Keeping our house clean and presentable the past 5 months has been challenging especially with an active and messy preschooler.

I cannot thank our realtor, Kerry Sandrin from Royal LePage Coronation West, enough. Throughout this process, Kerry has always been hardworking, upbeat, honest, professional and patient with us. She spent a lot on advertising and showing our place, diligently organizing open houses and showing our place to prospective buyers. She has shown us countless homes from North Delta to Maple Ridge, helping us find the perfect home in the right location. And once we found a place, she worked hard to get the price we wanted. And with the tight timelines the past few weeks, she was on top of everything, keeping things on track and making sure we did all the necessary steps (lawyer, bank, mortgage, inspection, insurance, etc) to complete the process. I would not hesitate recommending her to anyone wanting to sell or buy a place. She’s awesome! Thank you so much Kerry, for everything! (And thank you Sandra, for recommending Kerry to us!)

The next few days and weeks will be all about transition as we settle into our new place and neighbourhood. The commute to work will be longer by at least 20 minutes – that will be a challenge for me as I am not a morning person. LOL! I also know that I will miss our old neighbourhood as we have gotten to know some wonderful neighbours through the years. For now, we will keep Claire in the neighbourhood Montessori preschool daycare, so we’ll still be around “The Village” for the next few months. In fact, we’re planning our trick or treating festivities there next week. Can’t wait! In the meantime, we have to finish our last minute packing and cleaning. Exciting times ahead!

Fun and Exciting Times

Wow. Right now, my head is just spinning with all these things I need to get done. The past few weeks has been crazy! So many things have happened -- all good things!

September 26-28: BC Crop For Kids Weekend - amazing, amazing and amazing! I absolutely loved every moment of it. This was a wonderful getaway with my scrapping friends and for such a great cause too! I still have to pull the pics from my camera, but my friend Sonja posted some pics from the event in this blog post. I can't wait for next year!

October 10: Rockband2 Night with the guys and girls from work - Fun times!! I never really played Rockband before that night but oh my gosh, I think I am now addicted. I can't believe I sang my heart away almost the entire night..lol! Funny thing is, I really don't do karaoke. Goes to show what a couple of beers can do. hahahaha. Oh dear, I think I'm about to break into song ("Eye of the Tiger" anyone??). :)

October 11: My Cousin Carly & Glenn's wedding - Beautiful!! Weddings get me a little teary-eyed and this one was no exception. Congrats C & G! There were a number of out-of-town relatives (some who I just met for the first time) who drove or flew in, and it was so great to see them all. Claire really bonded with her cousin Layla. They were pretty much inseparable the whole time! So cute! Today, we all met up for prayers at the cemetery where my grandpa & grandma are buried, and then went for lunch at Congee Noodle King. I had a wonderful time catching up with all my cousins and relatives.

And finally, some big news. We finally sold our place and bought a new one! All of this happened just in the past week or so. Crazy! And get this, we move out on October 24!! That's less than 2 weeks from today. I have to get my act together - my to-do list is huge!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Family Photo Shoot

Last Saturday morning, we had the pleasure of having our first family photo shoot. I've always wanted to have a professional photographer take photos of us at a park or at a beach. So when I found out that Jenn Di Spirito was setting up her photography business, I was very excited! I met Jenn through Pick of the Patch last year and have always admired her style. Her layout designs are clean with minimal embellishments, yet they are beautifully striking. And her photographs, especially of her little boy, are simply gorgeous.

Jenn posted a couple of proofs from our photo shoot on her site. I just loved how they turned out!

I absolutely loved the storyboard she created. So fun and so happy!! Vince and Claire love playing "helicopter"... he basically just swings her around in a circle till she's dizzy! LOL!

Thanks so much, Jenn, for a wonderful and memorable photo session!

Just a few thoughts

Hi! Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of sympathy and support. Although I'll miss my grandpa, I know he is at peace and looking down on us. Each passing day gets a little bit better. I've learned a few lessons the past week about patience and forgiveness, reuniting with family members that I haven't seen in a long time and rediscovering my faith.

A couple of days after his passing, we went to visit the seniors home he stayed in. This was displayed in one of the lounges where my uncle and aunt play the piano and guitar for the seniors every Sunday. Isn't it beautiful?

After the burial last Thursday, we headed to the airport for my parents' departure. They'll be in the Philippines for at least another 6 months while my dad finishes his consulting work in Manila. I know I will miss them terribly! *sniff*

On Friday night and Saturday afternoon, we spent some time with my cousins Kandie and Honeybee (hehehehe! Don't they just have the cutest nicknames?) who flew in from New York. Claire absolutely loved adored them!! We'll be seeing them again in October when they fly in for my cousin Carly's wedding. Can't wait!