Vancouver: Day 3

Happy anniversary to the love of my life!

One year ago today, I married the most charismatic, handsome, brilliant person I've ever known and promised to love him unconditionally for the rest of my life.

Tonight at 5:00pm (which is 7:00pm CST - the exact moment we said "I Do" one year ago) we said cheers over a bottle of wine and the beautiful British Columbia backdrop. We recounted the way we felt that day, the way our nerves floated away into the air as we saw each other and knew we were about to embark on the greatest adventure of our lives. Here's to Andi - my soul mate and my best friend. I love you more than you'll ever know.

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Today is also Day 3 of our trip to British Columbia. Andi let me sleep in this morning and I awoke around 9:00am to the gorgeous view of the water and the mountains outside our window. Andi had been up for a few hours already and booked us massages At The Water's Edge Spa just down the road. He'd also spent the early morning photographing the forest near our bed and breakfast Seastone which is so peaceful and serene. The British Columbia license plates tout this as the best place on Earth and I'm starting to agree - it's paradise.

We spent the rest of the morning at the spa each having a massage and relaxing by the waterfront. This trip has been so relaxing, lots of time reading by the water and quality time together. Yesterday Andi was laughing at me a little - I fell asleep TWICE during our conversations. It just feels so nice to shut my brain off and unwind.

The Spa

Afterwards we ate lunch in town, then drove up the coast to Smuggler's Cove - a hiking trail about a half hour outside of Sechelt. We had a great time walking inside the forest of trees and taking in all the breathtaking views of the water below. There's tons of gigantic boats here - huge sailing, yachts and catamarans in almost every bay. Andi was laughing at me observing the bark peeling off one of the trees on our hike - I never cease to amaze him, he said. I guess if there's one thing he accomplished in knowing me it's turning this city girl into an outdoorsy one (somewhat, at least). Today at Smuggler's Cove was fun! We laughed and talked as we hiked along the trails. A great way to spend our anniversary together.

Tonight there's a neighborhood pig roast down by the water at our place. The owners invited us down to celebrate the long weekend - British Columbia Day is on Monday and everyone has the day off of work. We'll probably cruise down there for a bit and hang with the locals.

Tomorrow we leave the Sunshine Coast early and take the ferry back to Vancouver. Our plan's to drive up to Whistler before flying home late tomorrow night. Although our time in B.C. is nearing an end, we're enjoying spending time together on our very first wedding anniversary.

Vancouver: Days 1 & 2

Well, we made it to Canada, eh.

Yesterday we flew out after work and arrived in Vancouver around 8:30pm PST. We rented a car and drove to our hotel downtown. Getting around here is super easy so far - Canada almost feels like an extension of the U.S. and our trusty GPS (which I threw into the bag last minute) has helped us find almost everything we've needed so far.

After checking into our hotel last night (and being upgraded to a suite for no charge!) we dropped our bags and walked out of the hotel toward the Sea Wall - a boardwalk of sorts that lines the waterway (Inlet? - I think that's what it's called here). We strolled along hand in hand and marveled at all the sail boats in the harbor. We were both starving after having traveling well into the evening and walked over to the Yale Town neighborhood for some dinner. The entire downtown Vancouver area (or at least the parts we saw) were clean and reminded Andi and I of a mix between San Diego, San Francisco and Colorado. I loved how you could walk along the water and enter into all types of neighborhoods, each filled with different restaurants and bars and condos. We stopped into a restaurant called Regional Tasting Lounge which featured rotating tapas menus from around the globe. The food was very fancy and gave us a taste of British Columbia. Also sitting next to us at the restaurant was a transvestite which I have to say, is an acceptable lifestyle choice - just not one this Nebraska girl is used to seeing. Andi and I barely spoke at dinner - I think we were too affixed at eavesdropping on her conversation.

View of downtown Vancouver

from our stroll along the Sea Wall

Our suite at the Sheraton Wall Centre

This morning, we woke up early and went to Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver. Think Central Park meets the Redwood Forest in Northern California. The giant park was beautiful with tall trees and fresh air (lord, the air is fresh up here!). We didn't have much time as we were due to catch a ferry to the Sunshine Coast at 9:30am, so we did a quick drive thru and stopped at a few points of interest along the way.

Stanley Park

Yacht Club Harbor

Stanley Park

Totem Poles

Stanley Park

Lion's Gate Bridge

Afterwards, we drove to nearby Horseshoe Bay to catch the ferry. I was a little nervous about the whole thing - I've ridden a ferry before but never drove my car onto one so I wasn't sure how it'd all play out. But I have to say, Canadians have it figured out! The process was so smooth and the workers were so friendly and helpful. Easy breezy. We drove our car right onto the boat and in about 30 minutes we were cruising along, waving good-bye to Vancouver.

Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal

B.C. Ferry

Canadian Ferries = much cozier than Thai Ferries

Today we spent the day in Sechelt, British Columbia which is North of Vancouver (also called the Sunshine Coast). The name is sliiightly misleading; it's a brisk 21 degrees Celsius (whatever that means!) so we we've been wearing hoodies and pants most of the time. It is gorgeous, however, and we're in awe of our surroundings. We spent the day driving up the coast, eating lunch at the Lighthouse Pub overlooking the marina and taking a nice, peaceful nap at our guest house called Seastone at Sandy Hook.

Seastone Bed and Breakfast

Livingroom

Bedroom

Outdoor shower and dining area

Private Patio

View from our patio

Tonight's sunset from our patio

So far our time in Canada has been great! And while most of the area reminds us of being at home, we've noticed a few differences between here and the U.S. Let us enlighten you:

1. B.C. is super dog-friendly. Which I LOVE. Everywhere you turn, everyone's got a dog on a leash (even on the ferry!) and there's cute little dog water fountains all over town.
2. Uh, it's already fall here. In July. The leaves are starting to change color and littering the ground in colors of orange, red and yellow.
3. Almost everyone speaks English here and even accepts U.S. currency but we can't help but notice the hint of French being spoken here as well. The lady at Customs welcomed us with a "bonjour!" I told Andi - don't worry, I took 4 years of French in high school, but sadly all I can remember is hello, good-bye and I'm doing OK. That's not going to get us far ...
4. As I said before, B.C. is sooo clean. The water's pure, the air's fresh and there's no trash anywhere.
5. The dress code? Very "outdoor recreational." Think REI on steroids - lots of North Face, Mountain Hardware and Columbia gear.
6. Lots of organic and farm-to-table restaurants here, which I love. Almost all coffee shops feature organic coffee and telling customers where the food is from seems almost second-nature.
7. There's a Starbucks on every stickin' corner in Vancouver. As Andi pointed out, Seattle is just across the border - which makes sense. Always thinking, that husband of mine.
8. Vancouver makes us feel closer to Robin Sparkles from How I Met Your Mother. Oh how we love that show.
9. We bought a Kit Kat today and it was different, but good. More chocolate, less wafer. I prefer Canadian.
10. Alcohol is sooo expensive here! OMG. We went to the liquor store this afternoon to pick up a bottle of wine and were floored by the prices. A box of wine was $50 (Mom - can you believe that?!) and a bottle of cheap Gallo was $17. The guy in line before us picked up a 12pk of Budweiser and a bottle of Smirnoff for $77. Seriously, you have to really want to drink up here!

Pre-Anniversary Celebration

Tonight, Andi and I celebrated our anniversary a little early by visiting the place where we got married just one year ago on Saturday.  Since we'll be out of town on our actual anniversary date, we wanted to carve out some time to visit the gardens where we said our vows and dine at the restaurant we took our family to after our wedding.

I looked forward to tonight all day long - came home a little early from work, spruced myself up and met Andi around 4pm. We drove down to Wayzata to Noerenberg Gardens. It's such a beautiful site - lots of fresh summer flowers and directly overlooking Lake Minnetonka.

I printed a copy of our vows and we recited them to each other as we sat on a bench overlooking the water. Then we took some photos (because people, that's what we do!) of ourselves in the spot where we said "I do."

We were married inside these columns on July 31, 2009.  Our parents, siblings and our pastor by our side as we said "I do."

One of my favorite wedding photos was taken under this boat dock overlooking the water. That photo from our wedding day hangs in our living room and reminds me everyday how happy I am to be married to that man.

We have about a million photos of us walking inside Noerenberg Gardens on our wedding day. It felt special to walk those same brick pathways tonight as I remembered how I felt the day I married my best friend.

I'll never forget how special - or how windy! - our wedding day was. Andi and I said over and over tonight - we'd never change a thing about that day: our wedding day was the most magical day we could have ever dreamed.

After visiting Noerenberg Gardens, we went to dinner at NorthCoast in Wayzata, the restaurant we took our family to dinner following our wedding. We asked to sit at a booth, directly in view of the table we dined with our family that night and one that overlooked the water. Tonight we dined on yellow fin tuna, flank steak and lemon custard dessert. Dinner was just as good as we remembered on our wedding night. We talked about our wedding night and how perfect our dream came to fruition. We talked about the year gone past and how lucky we are to have found one another.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Tomorrow we work, then off to Vancouver, British Columbia to celebrate our anniversary in style. Andi's got a whole weekend planned for us - a one-year anniversary to remember.

Janie's Birthday

One thing I'm extremely thankful for is Andi's family. They're all fantastic and I feel like I fit right in.

Yesterday we celebrated Andi's mom Janie's birthday and went canoeing down the St. Croix River about an hour away from our house. My own family isn't very outdoors-y so this was my first time canoeing. I have to admit, I was a little nervous but it was so easy! And so fun!

The birthday girl

Lindsay (L) and Chad (R)

The Girls

Lindsay (L), Me (Center), Janie (R)

and The Boys

Jim (L), Andi (Center), Chad (R)

Chloe came canoeing too

We brought a picnic of fancy cheeses, bread, crackers, fruit and all-natural lemonade for a mid-trip snack. And of course, we took the opportunity to take a few group pictures because, well, that's just what we do :)

Mother and Son

Janie (L) and Andi (R)

and Mother and Daughter, of course

Janie (L) and Lindsay (R)

Jim (L) and Janie (R) 

My handsome husband and I

Our family

A great day canoeing for sure! Happy birthday Janie!

Holding my breath

Andi and I went to church this morning for the first time in a long time. Since renting the lake cabin, we've spent nearly every weekend in Crosslake and I've missed the opportunity to spend Sunday mornings at our hometown church, singing songs and listening to God's message. It felt really good to be back today.

The pastor's message reminded us how God is always the same, never faltering during times of joy or times of sorrow. It always amazes me how God speaks to me there. Lately I've been all twitchy about how "good" things are in our lives. On Saturday, we'll celebrate our one year anniversary. The best year of my life lived beside my best friend, lover, soul mate. We both have good careers we enjoy and in fact, Andi's new business is thriving. Our families are healthy and happy. We're so, so lucky. And I know it. I'm very thankful for God's grace.

And yet ...

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Isn't that horrible? I feel guilty for even letting these thoughts creep into my mind! I should be revealing in the happiness that is surrounding us at this very moment but lately all I can do is worry about how perfect everything is going. After listening to the pastor's message today, I know all I can do is love God and know he's here during times of strength and times of weakness. We can do anything with Him by our side. Please Lord keep us strong.

Signs We're Getting Old

My brother's visiting this weekend and brought along three of his college-age friends. While I'm trying my best to be the "cool" big sister who can handle them partying and scouting for girls, inside I'm secretly biting my nails and watching out the window a gazillion times to see if they're home safely. Five minutes into their arrival, I gave them a run-down of my house rules: be respectful of the neighbors (no peeing in the alley behind our house!), no drinking and driving and no smoking. Yesterday they went to the Apple River for some drunkin' tubing down the river and both Andi and I mentioned how pissed we'd be if one of them didn't stay sober to drive home. I ask you - when was the moment I turned into my mother?!

Being much overdue, I decided to mow, trim and weed the lawn yesterday.When I finished the 2 hour activity of maintaining a yard the size of a matchbox, my legs were so tired I could barely stand. What used to be a routine activity now requires stretching?

Last night Andi and I went to Lumberjack Days in Stillwater, Minnesota. We patted ourselves on the back a few times for actually doing something fun on a Friday night. Novel idea, right? We're usually exhausted after a long work week. We walked around the community festival, ate corn dogs and nachos. It was another one of those moments where I felt stuck in the middle.  Everyone there was either 16 and wearing the smallest shorts possible (with matching skinny 16yo legs) or parents with babies in Ergo carriers. We had neither. After a few hours of wandering around, we went to Target and were in bed by 10pm.

Life as a 29 year old is lively.

Cause for concern?

If there's one area Andi and I differ, it's about going to the doctor.

I hate going. Actually, I despise it. And Andi? I swear he goes at the sign of the sniffles.

Thailand was the only time this difference has come to bite me in the ass. Day 7(ish) of our honeymoon, Andi came down with what can only be described as the worst flu/bacterial infection known to man. I shrieked when he mentioned the idea of going to a Thai doctor for antibiotics. After all, these are the same doctors who advertise general practice, boob jobs and transgender reassignment all in one place! My gut says, not a logical solution. While Andi laid in bed for the remainder of our honeymoon in absolute agony, I rolled my eyes and wished he wouldn't be so dramatic. Yeah, it turns out he really was deathly ill and should have seen a doctor. Or so the American doctor said 30 minutes after we arrived home. Easy to say that in hindsight ...

So, yes, I've been wrong before when it comes to letting the sickness ride.

And then there's this.

I told you how I had the flu this weekend. Body aches, headache and a killer side pain that just won't stop. Well, unless you count the times I've taken an absorbent number of Ibuprofen over the last 5 days ... and even I'm starting to think it's getting excessive. Today I do feel better overall, but I'm still a little dizzy and the side pain is still hanging on.

So I Googled "what is the cause of pain on my right side" and this is what the all mighty Internet said:

#1. Ouch! A sharp side pain can be a sign of a variety of medical conditions ranging from simple trapped gas to serious conditions requiring surgery such as appendicitis. Consult a doctor immediately if symptoms persist.

#2. Side pain that occurs on the right side can be a sign of appendicitis, particularly if it's associated with nausea, vomiting, and fever. Because appendicitis is a condition that requires surgery, time is of essence and you should be seen by a doctor immediately.

#3. Unique to women, sharp side pain can be the presence of an ectopic pregnancy. If you are pregnant, or think you might be, see a doctor immediately.

#4. Sharp side pain in a woman can also be caused by the presence of an ovarian cyst that ruptures. For this reason, always see your doctor if you have side pain with vaginal bleeding.

#5. Other conditions that can cause sharp side pain are the presence of a kidney stone. Chronic sharp side pains can also be caused by an undiagnosed colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. If this sounds like you, see a doctor immediately.

#6. Although sharp side pains can simply mean you need a dose of Gas-X, don't ever make this assumption. Sharp side pain that lasts for more than a few hours should always be evaluated by a doctor.

Source: www.ehow.com

Well, chalk one up for Andi. Looks like I'll be visiting the doctor on Friday. Let's just hope #1-6 doesn't happen this week while I'm traveling for work. Eeeek!