That's just life

Wine tasting trip-Penticton/Oliver July 2011

2011-08-10T08:48:00.001-07:00

Just for fun

2011-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Milligens in their new home in Maple Bay

2011-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

First solo road trip for me. Oscar did pretty good on the ferry.

People were friendly to Oscar even though he preferred to crawl up and down the aisles and on the stairs most of the time.

Eating feet...for dinner?!

The kids favourite toy--The John Deer truck.

Often, Zoe would pull Zoe in the wagon and then immediately abandon him in the yard when she found a more interesting activity (the riding the John Deer)

Dinner with the Skuls and the Lipsetts

2011-07-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Fun at the water park in Strathcona

2011-07-19T10:27:00.001-07:00

Visiting the Milligens in Sooke

2011-07-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

Summer photos-visiting Grandma and Grandpa Suttie in Penticton

2011-07-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day and cooking experiments

2011-07-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

The season for berries and hockey playoffs

2011-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Grahams come to town part 1

2011-03-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Grahams come to town

2011-03-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Trip to see Mom and dad--aka Grandma and Grandpa

2011-02-13T23:14:00.000-08:00

Oscar Glam Shots

2011-01-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

2010-11-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Potty training

Beerfest

2010-11-22T09:53:00.001-08:00

We recently hosted beerfest at our place. No occation. Just for fun. It was nice to try new and different beers that I normally wouldn't try. Even had some non beer drinkers come over!

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Hippie baby

2010-11-21T23:27:00.001-08:00

Here is my hippie baby in his toque and alpaca sweater that we got in Peru before he was even conceived.

Isn't he adorable?

2010-11-18T00:16:00.001-08:00

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Eatin a cracker

2010-11-17T19:14:00.001-08:00

Somebody loves eating crackers all by himself. Dont worry, they are baby mumums crackers and dissolve easily.

My big boy

2010-11-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

My big boy and his blocks.

Fall Fun

2010-10-16T19:49:00.001-07:00

Oscar @ 5 months

2010-09-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Grahamia reunion in Naramata

2010-09-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wedding madness #1

2010-08-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Andrea and John
August 7, 2010
Deas Island, BC

Wedding madness #2

2010-08-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dave and Melissa
August 8, 2010
Harrison Hot Springs, BC

Summa-time

2010-08-06T20:45:00.001-07:00

we met our friends' new addition, Reuben, the other night. So great to see the little guy!

@ The Pride Parade in English Bay

Top ten

2010-07-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Top ten reasons I love being a mom

1. I get to pick out great outfits for him to wear...everyday!(and he can't complain about because he's a baby)

2. Going for daily walks around the city. Yesterday we went on the seawall, today was Chinatown

3. When he smiles at me

4. All the "conversations" we have together

5. Meeting other moms and talking about our experiences

6. Everyone seems kinder, nicer and more patient to me when I have a baby strapped to my chest

7. The random conversations people start up with me when they see I have a baby

8. So much love to go around. He is loved by everyone included his aunts, uncles, cousins and our friends.

9.Watching him "talk" to his animal toys

10. Getting paid by the government to do all of this

Moving day--to new main street condo

2010-07-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Surrounded by boxes, nothing fazes the little guy. Love it!

Cervasa por-fa-vor? Mexico adventures!!!!

2010-06-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Playdate with the Odegards

2010-06-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

All about Oscar

2010-06-02T00:29:00.001-07:00

New books we got for Oscar at Powell's in Portland.

First Family Vacation: Canon Beach Oregon

2010-06-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

scrapbooking

2010-05-23T16:27:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of the scrap-booking pages I have been working on this year.

We traveled to Peru in March 2009. These pictures capture SOME of our trip highlights, mainly our jungle trek to Machu Pichu and Lima and Cuszco.

I finished the baby pages this afternoon. Some of the maternity shots were taken by Keegan's friend, Tina, a professional photographer. Like the bathtub shot? It was my idea..inspired by the movie, The Time Travelers Wife.

5 weeks old

2010-05-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

2 weeks old

2010-04-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

Aunty Keegan came over with a lovely dinner of mexican lasaunga, salad, chips, organic root beer and ice cream. Yummy!!!!

Here's Aunty Rachel having her first visit with Oscar

Doesn't he look sporty? And patriotic too..

2 weeks have gone by quickly but it also feels like so much has happened:
-2 weeks ago I was induced and delivered Oscar 12 hours later
- we went home on April 14 with our new son. First car ride for Oscar
- 3 days of sleepless nights and found out our little guy was losing too much weight and wasn't eating enough. If Oscar didn't gain 3 pounds in the next week, he would have to be hospitalized. He pulled through and now he's eating like a champ
-The last 4 nights Oscar has slept for 7 consecutive hours and he's a very chill baby. What a difference from when we first got back from the hospital
-Took Oscar to his first improv comedy show @ our church in Vancouver. We all had a good chuckle
-We're taking Oscar to the pediatrician tomorrow to see if he needs to have the underside of his tongue cut. This may solve our breastfeeding dilemma....

Like the yellow sweater? This turtle sweater belonged to Jamie when he was a baby!

Early morning cuddles with mommy. This is my favorite time of day, Oscar is always happy and cuddly when he wakes up!

Welcome to our world-Oscar Graham

2010-04-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Oscar Graham was born on April 13th at 12:50 am. He was 15 days overdue. He weighed a whopping 11 pounds 2 oz. @ birth and he measured 23 inches in length. A big baby boy!

The birth/labor couldn't have gone any better. I had the induction Monday morning and it was very non-invasive-just a little bit of gel to get things going. And I got to head home after an hour of monitoring. Contractions started around 4 pm on Monday. By 6 pm I was having regular contractions. My midwife came to check me at 10 pm and I was 5 cm dilated! We were surprised that we were so far along, and happy that I wouldn't have to endure the contractions all night. When we asked her how long she thought we had, our midwife said the baby would come sometime in the middle of the night. She prepared to leave, to let us try to rest at home for a few hours, but just then my water broke (at about 11 pm)and she said we had to get to the hospital because I would have to start pushing soon.

By the time we arrived at BC Women's hospital I was in active labor. It took half an hour to get checked in at the hospital, and I was having the strongest contractions in the waiting area, in the elevator, and in the hallway. By the time I arrived at our room (which was private and very nice by the way, not that I noticed at the time) the head was nice and low and I was getting ready to push. I had the contractions standing for some time, leaning on Jamie and severely bruising his shoulders as I gripped them during the pain. Things moved fast. Eventually the midwife moved me to the bed. I pushed for 30 minutes and he was out! Our midwife, and the assisting nurse, asked Jamie to check the sex, and Jamie said "It's a boy!" They passed Oscar up and rested him on my chest for the first time. With his eyes open, he looked around for the first time.

Seriously - 11 pounds 2 oz - everyone at the hospital was talking about the BIG baby and the short labor.

@ Home with Oscar

2010-04-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

Nice to meet you Oscar

2010-04-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

The final countdown

2010-03-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Baby-fying our life

2010-03-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

8 and 1/2 months

2010-02-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

Olympic Mania in the city

2010-02-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

Downtown festivities after Canada won the shoot out against the Swiss. Characters on EVERY corner: Abominable snowmen, Batman, rappers with a message and random high fives and screams from strongers on the streets.

Line ups, line ups, line ups EVERYWHERE. This was the bus line up on Broadway and Cambie.

What's been goin' down in January..

2010-02-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Mid January Zoe and Sarah came to visit (Jamie's sister and her daughter/our niece). We had a very fun day with Zoe. We took her to the Aquariam, ate jam sandwiches and applesauce and drank juice boxes......

Some belly shots taken @ 7 and 1/2 months

One Saturday morning, Jamie and I decided to see the new and updated Woodwards building and the architecture exhibit.

Here's the giant photo montage by Stan Douglas. The scene takes place in gas town.

December update

2010-01-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Jamie and I have mostly been on the road for the past 10 days, visiting family in Burns Lake and in Penticton.

Pre-Christmas we had a few special gatherings. Here are are some pics from the brunch at Glyness' new condo. I found out just a few days ago that Ashley is ALSO expecting a baby shortly after ours is born!

This picture is taken just before Will and Dave's ugly Christmas Sweater Party--hopefully this becomes an annual tradition!

We drove for about 9-10 hours to visit Terry and Amanda (in Vanderhoof) and the Graham clan in Burns Lake. We also got to visit some good friends in BL as well. Lindy and Nathan are expecting a baby in February!! T and A are due in May. Lot's of babies!!!

Burns Lake was a lot colder than we are used to. It was about -26. Cold enough for me!!! My hair froze!!

Then the 11 hour journey to Penticton on December 24th. Unfortunately on our travels I encountered some morning sickness and I popped the blood vessels in both of my eyes.

It was a lovely Christmas--we were all home and we celebrated our Christmas on Boxing Day, since Keegan and Rachel both worked on Christmas Day.

Oliver, Rachel and Kris' dog was the centre of attention....he's so cute!

New Years Eve: Murder Mystery Party at our place

We had Karen, Hilary and Adrian (they JUST got back from Australia) and Lydia and Nathan over for a cozy gathering. Jamie and I adapted our own version of Mafia and we played it all night.

Our life lately

2009-11-11T12:27:00.000-08:00

We had a fun and scandalous night with Erika on the night of her stagette party. We played truth or dare, wandered the streets of Granville and Robson, danced all night, ordered pizza at 2 am......it was fun! We even dressed Erika up into the "perfect" bride.

We've been to the island twice in the last few months top visit Sarah, John, Levi and Zoe. We are such a good auntie and uncle to these tots!!! On both trips we experienced the slow pace that life offers when you take 2 kids under the age of 3 for a walk. Zoe was ONLY interested in picking flowers.

Healthy eating lately with lot's of colours on our plate. I've been experimenting with new recipes and eating vegetables I haven't eaten too much before like squash, turnips, sweet potatoes ect. Notice the pickle? This is a staple in our house right now!

Halloween came and is now gone. the only person that dressed up here was TK. He's dressed up like a cowboy...."wrong" type of hat for the occasion.

Here's some belly shots from 16 or 17 weeks (can't remember)

Belly shots from 20 weeks

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Seahawks game..VIP treatment!!

2009-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we got a phone call from our friend on a Saturday night asking us if we wanted free tickets to a seahawks game plus a complimentary tailgate party pre-game. We went for it and picked him and Jamie's brother, Will up at 7 am the next morning and headed for Seattle!!

Not your standard tailgate party. Nice couches, flat screen tv's broadcasting pre-game, all you can eat ribs/potato salad/various treat and all you can drink beer and soda.

Seat upgrade to the lower bowl. Amazing!!!!! Even though the hawks lost...

16 week pics

2009-10-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Diary of a preggo woman

2009-09-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

It's so fun telling people our wonderful news. Finally I don't have to keep this a secret anymore. At some points I wanted to tell strangers just so I could tell SOMEONE, I told my dentist, my neighbor..who are THEY going to tell anyways? We did tell our parents and siblings earlier too.

I even told my grade 3 class the news and this is what they had to say:
-Mrs. Graham, aren't you too OLD to have a baby?
-Mrs. Graham, can you bring your baby with you to school? (to which they ALL thought that after I have my baby, I'm going to bring my baby with me to class to continue to teach them. I had to tell them that I won't be coming back..that I need to be with my baby for awhile.)

Everyday I feel little hands touching my belly, commenting on how much the baby must be growing. There's just so much.....LOVE. It's such a good place to be in right now, surrounded by people who support me and the baby to be.

And my emotions. What a roller coaster. I can't read PEOPLE magazine without bursting into not tears..but SOBS. One time my husband had to console me by reassuring me that not ALL Hollywood couples are breaking up. "Look at this couple...and THAT couple. if they can make it work, anyone can!"

Some belly shots: 13 weeks

2009-09-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Reading, Eating and Sleeping

2009-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm reading:

When morning sickness hits and I can't decide....I'm eating:
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I'm sleeping.......a lot

How long you ask? I'm 10 weeks!!

Our new digs in Vancouver

2009-07-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new place in a little area in Vancouver known as Mount Pleasant.

Summertime and the living is easy

2009-07-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Kids are out for the summer...as are the teachers. Jennica has been enjoying her summer days with mini-road trips, impromptu swims, bike rides on the beach, strolls down such areas as Main Street, Commercial...even Fairhaven.

What have Jamie and Jennica been up to lately?

Went to Vegas

Had a birthday

Car-Free Day

Biking around town

Stacey's wedding

Dane Cook show

Camping at Deception Pass

Spring 2009 Highlights

2009-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Since moving to our wonderful neighborhood in Mount Pleasant (Vancouver), we have taken up cycling!! Last weekend Jamie and I went on a bike outing with Hilary, Adrian and Keegan to Van Dusen Gardens. We had a delicious picnic lunch/frisbee/nap.

Here's a picture of Jennica's new hybrid bicycle: The SWinn Circuit

A couple weeks ago (the long BC weekend) Jamie and I took a trip to Seattle/Tacoma to see the city and to stay with cousin Jake in his newly purchased loft apartment.

We went to the Museum of Glass, had some visits with the fam and a special highlight was the underground tour in Seattle!

Jamie and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary by going to the lovely Canery Restaurant on the Vancouver waterfront. Very yummy....and fun!
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Girls get away at Harisson Hot Springs--we had dinner, soaked in the springs and went to the spa....deluxe!!!

Canucks hockey game--first one ever!!

Peru in 3 days

2009-03-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I are getting geared up and ready for Peru this Saturday. I'm full of excitement, anticipation and nerves. Here is our itinerary so far:

Day 1
Vancouver to Lima

Day 2-3
Lima and surrounding beaches

Day 3
Lima to Cuszo

Day 4
Sacred Valley

Days 5-8
Jungle trek to Machu Pichu-we will be trekking, mountain biking, riding quick cable cars and taking a train to Machu Pichu, one of the seven wonders of the world-elevation is 5, 000 or highter..

Days 9-11
Lake Titikaka and Puno
To see the famous reed islands: elevation is 10, 000 feet

Days 12-14
Arequipas and Colya Canyon
To see one of the world's deepest canyons

Day 15
Back to Lima and then to Vancouver

Wish us luck!!

Grouse Mountain with friends

2009-01-19T20:57:00.001-08:00

Our surprize trip to Bowen Island

2008-11-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

Jamie secretly planned a date for us. We went to Bowen Island and stayed at a lovely B & B and got away from the city.

I love my husband because he is soooooo thoughtful and romantic. I really had no idea what he had up his sleeves.

Jamie's new venture

2008-11-07T17:43:00.002-08:00

2008-11-07T17:43:00.001-08:00

Our new house

2008-10-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Before the move....

After the move...

Camping with the Lipsetts

2008-07-08T09:07:00.001-07:00

The adventure began as we departed for our destination: Garibaldi Lake. On our travels we discovered a few things:
1. Bears like to chill and eat where there are people around. is it just me or are bears becoming more and more domesticated?

2. People in Whistler have apparently never hear of Garibaldi Lake and the only campsite near by is a patch of dirt off the highway they "call" a campsite.

3. You have to hike into Garibaldi lake for 7 km and there's snow there. We didn't camp there.

4. Alice Lake is wonderful. You can drive there. There is running water. Hot water. Firewood. Campsite police. Wonderful lake-side trails.

5. It's illegal to gather your own wood from the forest and chop it into bits.

6. The campsite "police" frequented our site in fear we would take over their forest and burn it down.

7. We love drama improv games.

Here are some pictures

The end is near...and it's sad

2008-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 weeks left of teaching! As the end is quickly approaching, I am reflecting on the very meaningful, challenging, fun and best years of my life (so far).

As I reflect on the past year, I can't help but long to create a symbol of thanks and appreciation.

So, I am going to write a letter to my grade 3 class. Here's what I have so far:

Dear 3wi class,

I can't believe this year has come and gone so quickly. I have learned many lessons and hopefully you have too. I am truly blessed to have such an energetic, happy, fun and creative class this year. When I think about this year coming to an end, I can't help but feel sad. You have all been such a huge part of my life this year and now we are all moving on to bigger and better things.

This year I have gathered many fond memories:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H is for helpful. MD- You are one of the most helpful, servant-hearted people I've ever met.

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q is for quirky. GV- You are also very silly and quirky....

R is for resiliant. EB-I love how resiliant you are: one minute you are terribly upset because of an injury you got on the playground. The next minute you're back to play as unsual with a smile on your face.

S is for silly. MK you are one of the silliest people I have ever met and you seem to always make people laugh.

T is for talkative. GL- From the moment I met you, you always had something to say (about everything) and you are always curious about everything.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Springtime is here.....

2008-05-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Lately us Graham's have been on this social buzz. Parties, special events, unexpected visits from friends..ect.

First of all, our good friends' Jon and Krista are getting married on the long weekend. Jamie and I both attended their stag/stagettes. Actually I hosted the stagette. Us girls had a night of restaurant hopping and topped the night off with Kareokee Box on Robson Street. It was really fun because we dressed Krista up in a sequin dress, teal heals and very 80's makeup and hair (don't have a picture so you'll have to just imagine the craziness).

All the girls and I had a sleepover at our apartment.The next morning I went shopping with a few friends and bought some new clothes to add to my very lacking waredrobe.

This past weekend we had some Burns Lake friends come over for a day of window shopping on Granville island and for an Italian feast (made by Jamie and Sonya) at our apartment.

The soon-to-be married couple (in August). Jamie and I will be attending their wedding in Newfoundland (Jamie will be the best man).

These kids don't get out much!!

What's this? Another random parade on Commercial Drive which left us wondering..what is THIS parade for?

Will (Jamie's bro) graduated from TWU (finally!!) and we were there to witness the event.

There's nothing quite like the Graham brothers. Can you believe these 3 guys share a single bedroom. Oh they also share their sleeping space with a motorcycle engine, a lizard and beer brewing equipment!!

Jamie's mom (my mother in law) stayed overnight with us and we had a really fun time showing her the sights and tastes of Vancouver. Here's Jamie and Ma in English Bay.

The Sun Run--I did it!!

2008-04-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, April 20, I (Jennica) ran the Vancouver Sun Run. I signed up with some staff from my school.

Did I train hard for the run? Honestly....NO. In the months that proceeded the run I was very inconsistent. Some weeks I ran once, some weeks twice and on a very good week i would run three times. i also never made to 10 km in my training, I only got to about 7 or 8 km. And I'm on a steady diet of chocolate...hehehehehe

Anyways, I finished the race. I ran almost the whole 10 km. Once I hit 7 km, I walked for a bit then I ran all the way to the finish line. My time was 1 hour and 13 minutes. Not bad, eh?

Here's a group shot of my staff and i after the race (at BC Place)

Welcome to the world Levi

2008-04-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jamie and I met our 3 day old nephew, Levi, for the first time. Here are some pics of our trip:

Hornby Island and Victoria

2008-04-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

We stayed in a cozy wooden house with no running water and a wood burning stove with 10 of our friends. It was a blast!

We went to the Farmers Market and we were delighted to hear some good harmonica playing from one of the locals.

These bluff reminded me of pictures I've seen of PEI and Newfoundland. Just splendid.

Zoe (our niece) just turned two.

Jennica goes to Costa Rica

2008-03-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Wildlife

The beaches

I attempted surfing in Playa Grande

T & A visit and Granville Island

2008-03-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

After we dropped T & A at the airport, Jamie decided to go to Granville Island (since it was such a beautiful day)

February: A Day in the life

2008-02-21T12:56:00.001-08:00

Valentines Day has came and gone. These photos were taken last week (after Valentines Day). The weather was great on Sunday, perfect for a waffle breakfast and Deep Cove picnic!

Jamie gave me flowers for V-Day. But even better, he gave me a Bonsei plant (which should last forever!!)

Some urban shots

2008-01-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Being able to take shots like these is why we love living in the city. We love Vancouver so much. Does anyone notice my favorite building popping up repeatedly here?

Big harvest moon at 6 am. This photo was taken from our apartment.

This one was taken from the roof of my office building on West Broadway.

This one was taken from the roof of Mountain Equipment Coop on Broadway.

This is the massive construction site of the 2010 Winter Olympics Athletes village. I counted more than 12 cranes.

This is the Shangri-La. When completed it will be the tallest building in Vancouver.

This is the Broadway and Main area.

Taken from the plane on a flight to Powell River.

Our digs

2008-01-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

Here's some recent pics of our apartment. The nice thing about living in such a hip, urban, trendy location is that people come to visit us....often!

Don't you love our beautiful, orange, suede couch?

Jamie's so cute!

An Okanagan Christmas

2007-12-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

It was a special Christmas for the Suttie and Graham families in Penticton this season. A first Christmas in the new house for grandma, Fred and Jamie. We missed having Rachel and Kris home for Christmas this year. Rachel had her first day on duty on Christmas Day.

As per usual, every meal was carefully planned and very, very delicious. The stockings were hung with care (and treats!!!). We had a couple walks through the snow. And of course, what would Christmas be without Yatzee, Mexican train and (the new game of the season).

As I reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, I am always amazed at how special and sacred it is to be with family, especially at this time of year. Families rule!!!!

It was also nice to catch up with friends this season.We visited Sherry and her 3 boys and saw her family as well. We chatted over home-made chocolate truffles, chips and cookies. A very healthy lunch indeed!

DANE COOK SHOW IN SEATTLE!

2007-12-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

We joined 15,000 other Dane Cook fans and laughed our heads off while Dane performed for 2 straight hours! Big thanks to Andrea and John for organizing it and driving, and to Jake for joining us.

Fun with friends

2007-11-07T21:45:00.001-08:00

The end of an era

2007-10-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Jamie and I said goodbye to a good old friend.

We shared lot's of memories.

Went on road trips.

Listened to music, cruised along the White Rock Strip, the Sea to Sky Highway, the 1-5 to Seattle.

We went on dates.

Shared some laughs

and a lot of good times.

Goodbye Toyota LE.

We had some good times and you are in good hands now.

I love fall!!!

2007-09-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love cool, crisp Fall days? I do!!!

Gathering Leaves

by Robert Frost
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

Jennica's new adventures

2007-09-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

The word on the street is that Jennica has a new job.

I (Jennica) will be teaching grade 3 at Vancouver Christian School this year. I met my class last Friday and I must say they are EXTREMELY cute and really nice kids.

I'm just orienting my self in the next few days and doing some unit planning and I will begin teaching on the 25th of September.

Wish me luck!!!

2007-09-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Dirtbike jumping in Gastown

2007-08-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, these dirtbikes are doing 30 foot high jumps on a narrow street in Gastown. It was part of a bike show.

Flying high with TK

2007-08-26T21:28:00.001-07:00

Our talented friend TK, a professional pilot and one of the best people I know, recently took us for an awesome flight around Vancouver. He even let me (Jamie) fly the plane for a few mintues (I almost peed myself).

A day in the life....

2007-08-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Our new place- Before and after

2007-08-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I just recently moved to our new apartment on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC. We are having a great time getting to know our new neighborhood and
"fixing up" our new place. The "fixing up" required countless hours of scrubbing, washing, vacuming, trips to Ikea and furniture swapping.

Here are a few pictures of our apartment before we moved in and pictures of our apartment now (much cleaner and updated).

The Master bedroom before...

The Master bedroom after

The guest bathroom before

The guest bathroom after

Living room before

Living room after

Second bedroom before

Second bedroom/office after

Ensuite bathroom before

Ensuite bathroom after

It's been awhile....

2007-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Belly Dancin' Fun!

2007-06-05T18:08:00.001-07:00

Last week I travelled to Victoria, BC to see my sister and brother in law and my niece, Zoe. Also Sarah was having her Belly Dancing Receital, so I watched the performance.

Cute ain't she?

John was the MC at the show.

Sarah, my sister in law.

Our 2 year anniversary

2007-05-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary on May 7, 2007.

I had class that night, but Jamie surprized me with roses and we went out for desert.

To celebrate in style, we headed off to the Sunshine Coast for a glorious 3 nights.

It was windy on the ferry.

We stayed in a place called Smugglers Den, which was right in Smugglers Cove.The people who ran the B & B were so sweet!!! They gave us little treats every day and on the day we arrived they made a special basket with champagne and yummy chocolates.

"Cheers!" Us enjoying the free champagne.

Out of hibernation

2007-05-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

The sunset after my education grad ceremony.

Jamie and I had the chance to visit my parents in Penticton. They treated us to dinner at my all-time favorite greek restaurant, Theoz.

Nothing like a little hiking and a dance party after cards.

Graduation Extravaganza 2007 begins.......

First we had the education tea and ceremony...very special.

Even Keegan made it out to the festivities.

Saturday morning....graduation part 2 extravaganza

Michelle and I...the hottest TWU grads.

Jeff, one of the two token males of our program.

And to finish the weekend off with a fun wedding shower for Mirjam

Our "new addition"

2007-04-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Our new Toyota LE van.

Jamie and I have been planning to buy a second vehicle for awhile (since I'm going to be working soon), but we didn't want to spend too much money.

The van was a bargain and it was also the start to our new adventures. It's just so versitile: we can go camping in it, we can cram lot's of people in it, lot's of luggage can fit into it and it looks so neat too.

After our first road trip to Kits beach, our first mechanical adventure began. The radiator was shooting out coolant like a waterfall. Luckily, it's fixable.

We had a little party at the homestead on Friday.

Can I just say how much I love this time of year. I think beach season has officially begun!!!!! Hooray!!!

Birthday parties and April showers

2007-04-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

ASHLEY'S BRIDAL SHOWER!!!!

We played some games and shared some stories (most ackward moment--sex advice my the ma-in-law)

NEXT....we were off to the airport to meet mom and Ellie. We went into Stevston, searching for Fish and Chips...but it took us a looooong time to find a place that was open.

My new hair colour....needed a change.

Can you believe spring is here already?? I was having second thoughts about spring on Monday after we recieved a whole DUMP of snow!!!! But spring is still here.....sigh..

Will's birthday bash: we intended to go laser tagging but alas, it was sold out, so we went to Red Robin instead, then bowling, then cake.

Jesus on a Motorcycle

2007-03-26T19:35:00.001-07:00

This video features Jamie's brother Will. He co-wrote this song with some friends and they made this sweet video to go with it. Check it OUT!!!!

Time for celebrations!!!

2007-03-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

In honour of St. Patrick, the end of my "full immersion" practicum and 2 pregnant friends, some friends and I decided it was a weekend to celebrate.

We had brunch Saturday morning and before we knew it we were off to the spa at the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel.

We got massages and we spent the day in the hot springs pools.

Our next adventure was going out for a 4 course meal at the Copper Room at the hotel

and some after dinner dancing......

All in all it was a very relaxing weekend and we all needed it in a bad way.

Gilmore girls and fun time with sisters

2007-03-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a girl and her twin. Both the girl and her twin were extremely busy (and popular), so they decided to have a chillaxing time together.

So they decided they should combine swimming, chocolates, lattes, funny faces and a few good episodes of the ever-popular "Gilmore Girls".

I know, it's surprizing to see the twins actually taking a break from the busy lives they live......what will the world do without them?

Is that Loreli from GG? Yes, she joined our party too (I said we are popular!!!)

All the cool kids pick their noses!!

The end.

The end is near..

2007-03-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Just under 2 weeks of full immersion left of my practicum!!!Maybe the stress will end soon!!!!!

Things we did lately...

2007-02-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

Went to a sweet motorbike show, and saw some amazing stunt riders (see video)

We babysat our cute niece at the riverrock casino while her mother was bellydancing and her father was gambling at poker

Jamie had a birthday

For Valentines we ended up going to the Korean grocery store in Langley (H-mart) and later making Galbi.

I (Jamie) aquired the most wicked RC monster truck you've ever seen, and painted the 1970's Ford truck body white to match the 1979 crew cab F250 that our family used to cruise in. I have very fond memories of that truck.

Best of all, we welcomed Brian and Marrianne (probably slaughtered the spelling there) to Abbotsford. Brian is one of my best friends and I'm extremely glad they're living close by now, so we can hang out and get to know Marrianne (again, lousy spelling, sorry Marrianne).

Friends

2007-01-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

We had a girls night....finally.We call it RC night. For the girls, this means "Relaxation Center" and for the boys it means "Remote Control" trucks.

This night included a "quick" trip to Starbucks for Chai Lattes, lot's of chocolate, a chick flick and face masks.

I love Keegs!!!

Moi et Michele

"Just the three of us...we can make it we try..."

Sisters

2007-01-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Rachel, Keegan and myself at Ethical Addictions.

Memoires of Christmas

2007-01-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

Finally, time to post. I have not a lot of "free time"; however, I do make time for parousing other peoples' blogs. Sometimes I even say to myself "why don't these people ever post?". Then, I realize that it's a double standard, I haven't posted in awhile either.

Goodbye Dodgeball. This was our last tournament of the dodgeball season.

We did make some time for a family game of dodgeball over the Christmas holidays.

Office parties. @ the Giggle Dam Theater. They picked on Peter and his dad.

We left for Burns Lake on December 23, just in time for Christmas eve and we stayed until New Years Day.

Dave and Dad trying to be Lenny Kraviz

Our little Christmas miracle

Ellen, Bond style

Tasty Christmas treats.

The lovely couple, and a lovely Christmas tree.

Is that Ian or Naepolian?

"We like to party"

2006-12-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

As soon as December hit us (or when the snow began to fall) we entered into this magical winterland full of christmas parties, snowball fights, hot chocolate and yummy Christmas treats.

I made this Christmas wreath myself!!!!

Here are a few snapshots from my PDP Christmas/Bridal shower party. Since two of the girls in my program are getting married in December, we decided to surprize them with presents and cheesy shower party games.

This was a game we played where each team had to decorate an "elected" bride with a wedding dress made out of toilet paper. Notice that 2 of the "elected" brides were the 2 guys in our program.....hehehehehehee

Next party was a house party attended by mostly people from our church. It was definately NOT boring. There was a lot of crazy middle aged people dancing up a storm to eighties music (and I definately joined in with them).

There wasn't any official dancing at Alex's party, but we showed off a few of our moves at the end for the party finale. There was random Christmas songs, Christmas stories and plenty of good food. (**don't let the jacket fool you-this party was on an entirely different night as the other house party)

An "all star" weekend

2006-11-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a very memorable one for us.

Saturday:

8:30-10:00am
I took the skytrain intop Vancouver. It brought back fond memories of the subway system in Seoul.

10:00am-12:30pm
I went to Utopia Academy in Vancouver to get my hair cut. Dispite the "new tecniques" the student was trying to learn on me, it was a good haircut.

12:30-1:00pm
My American cousin, Jake, was in town so he met up with me at the salon and we went to Chinatown. We did lot's of touristy things, like taking pictures of the Chinese garden with our cell phone cameras and going to all the local gift shops.

1:00-2:00pm
Jake and I had some Nem-sam: a Chinese arrangement of small foods.

2:00-3:30pm
Jake and I went to Metrotown (via the skytrain)---we're sooooo metro. We did a little Christmas shopping/adding things to our own Christmas wishlists.

4:00pm-by this time it was starting to become a snowy winter wonderland.

6:00-8:00pm
Triple date with Jamie, Brian, Laura, Ryan, Lane at Pasta Polo (a very yummy organic pasta restuarant).

8:00-9:00pm
Off to Chapters to look at all the picture travel books and to make my own travel wishlist.

9:00-11:00 pm
Bowling to our hearts content. Jamie got a "turkey" (3 strikes in one turn).

Sunday-snow day!!

Christmas bake-off. I made shortbread cookies, banana chocolate chip loaf...and brainstorming more recipes to come!!

7:00-10:00pm
Not too snowy to make an appearance at Nathan and Lydia's pad for some "catching up" time.

Total snow accumulated: almost to my knees
Approx. temp: -10

Quattro Reunito!

2006-11-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

We're lucky to be able to share lives and memories with 2 highly interesting and special people, Lydia and Nathan (the Skulls). After seeing Lydia and Nathan every day for 12 months in a far away alien land, the four of us have been apart for the past few months. But now the Skulls are back in Langley (after spending a few months in Ontario, Mexico, and Boston, to name a few of the places they've been).

Even better, they live really close to us - only about 5 minutes away by car. That's almost as good as in Korea, when we lived a 2 minute walk away from each other.

Dodgeball isn't just for kids anymore....

2006-11-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

Dodgeball: the name of a traditional American game involving players trying to avoid being hit by a ball that players on the other team are throwing at them.

Bait-ball: One team member lobs a ball up in the air to distract the other team, while a second team member throws a ball at normal speed in hopes of getting someone out.

Suicide throw: In some rulesets, individuals can cross the center line while jumping. They are only out when their feet hit the floor. Suiciders take advantage of this by attempting to jump across the center line and throw the ball before their feet hit the ground.

Mexican Flying Coffin Filler: Involves a blocker springing a thrower up off of his/her back to gain forward momentum on an aerial throw

Fake Doctor: This tactic can be used in Dr. Dodgeball. First, a selected teammate pretends to be 'out'. Of course, they really are not. Second, another teammate pretends to be the doctor and touches the teammate, bringing them back 'in'. The opposing team then thinks that the second person is the doctor, even though he is not. The entire team then aims for the second person, thusly sparing the real doctor.

The team: Chuck it like it's hot.

Every tuesday night we're chucking it and we're hot,

2006-11-01T00:23:00.000-08:00

The first picture is Jamie's parents back yard last week (October 25th ish). The second picture is their back yard as of this weekend (October 29th ish). Note how high the snow is one the swingset. They've never seen this much snow in one snowfall, let alone in October.

What's happening with the Grahams???

2006-10-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

After looking through my friends' blogs and inwardly complaining that I wish they posted more...then realized what a double standard I was setting b/c the last time I posted was 3 weeks ago.

So let me break it down for you...

I went to a wicked awesome basketball game at TWU on Friday night. There was a marching band. There was a dance team. There were 3 overtimes (maybe 4???). They lost by 2 points. You could cut the game tension with a knife.

By the way, the housing market SUCKS right now. This house we looked at in Abbotsford was delapetated/moldy/needed to be torn down and rebuilt and it was OVER our budget.

I love fall.

This past weekend was a busy one. We had around 12 people over at our new place, all at different times throughout the weekend. It was swell seeing lot's of family.

I'm back at the elementary school, student teaching. This is the highlight of my decimals unit: the Guiness Book of World Records board. I asked each of my students to find random decimal facts by looking at the book or by using the internet. One girl was confused when she found internet information about beer instead of Guiness World Record facts....hmmmmmmm.

Jamie's parents' hometown of Burns Lake has been on the news a lot lately because they have 3.5 feet of snow and the power has been out for the past 3 days.

BEFORE

AFTER