Fun with the family!

Owen, Auntie Wendy, Mom and Auntie Susie..what a bunch of weirdos! How are we even related???
Me and Nic in my car..and SHE took the pic! Nice one, sis!
My mother's sexy face..really..hehe

A lovely family shot of our impromptu reunion and playground time! Yay for tripods! Now we can ALL be in the picture!
Who dunnit?? (Mom did..hehe)
Me and Nick in Whiterock
I like this pic of Nicole..she looks mischevious! lol

Aren't tulip fields amazing?? I love the colors and I couldn't resist taking the pics! This field is near Yarrow and I pass it all the time on the way to practice.
Nicole's first trip to Cultus Lake was a hit! She fell in love (and you wonder why I stay here..hehe) and decided the next family holiday was going to be here! And she wanted to go for a swim then too! lol But, she wasn't as brave as the kid we watched jumping off the little bridge over and over..haha
A blue heron at the reserve near Yarrow. Nicole makes a great photog. assistant! I say, we must go into business together! But..we'll have to stop the dropping of expensive things! In a 24 hour period, between Nic and I, we dropped my zoom lens (only a chip on the edge), my filter (no scratches), and my new flash (only a few scratches)! I tell ya, don't let us hold any ming vases anytime soon! lol

Sisters..

Aww..sisters! They go together like mayonnaise and peanut butter, like old people and driving, like sport socks and flip flops..or if you're lucky like me..like razors and hairy armpits! Yes, we compliment each other..if one has a need, the other has a cure (like shaving those darn pits..)! My sisters and I didn't get along too well when we were younger, but just as my mom had hoped (prayed, begged, wished, dreamt..) we're the best of friends today! We're each other's cheerleaders, protectors and support and I'm sure my mom's relieved that there's no more hair pulling, yelling, blaming, poking, crying..well, you name it, we did it!

And why am I so mushy?? Cuz my baby sister just flew in today! Mind you, she DID go straight to Seattle to spend the week with her friend while I work..but she WILL be coming back to play on Friday and I'm sure we'll have a tonne of fun! So, here's to sisters! Like fine wine, they get better with age! Usually..hehe

Rain and Hot Chocolate..

Hmm..peeked your interest with my title, did I? I mean, most of you KNOW that chocolate wouldn't be something I would take the time to write about, especially because I hate the stuff. Well, would you believe that my day yesterday included some? Got ya really on the edge of your seat now, don't I? Let me tell you the story of my Friday..which actually started on Thursday! Thurs. evening, after I had a dragon boat practice, I worked a night shift. Normal, right? I got off at 6:30am so I could get a half hour start on my trip to Surrey to stand in line for the passport office. I was a little worried that I wouldn't know which building was the right one, but confident I'd find it! Well, I certainly had no problems finding it! Turned onto the street and all I saw was HUNDREDS of umbrellas lined up around the block! Oh, my heart dropped! That was one heck of a line up! I actually thought about just driving right by and doing it later, but my common sense reminded me that I'm flying international in a month and couldn't procrastinate any longer. **sigh** Time to find a parking space. So, I parked underground and had to take an elevator up to get to the line up. So, as I'm riding in the elevator, I read a sign (I'm a very good reader!) and it says to get to the passport office, get in the next elevator and go to the 9th floor. Hey, that's pretty easy..and besides, I bet there's no line INSIDE! So, I try and sneak up to the 9th floor, but you need a security card to swipe in the elevator to make it go, so says the kind strangers, and then they told me I could go up only AFTER I stood in line first! lol Oh well, I tried! So, my little hike to the back of the line began. I actually saw someone I know about 50 people ahead of where I was standing, but she didn't invite me to cut in line! Nice person, huh?? Anyhow, it's 7:20am, already windy and pouring (good thing my car came with an umbrella!) and I'm trying to figure out my umbrella. Yes, trying to figure it out! I've never bought one, and therefore rarely used one! Oh, and when I was finally able to close the darn thing, it took me another 5 min. to figure out how to do that! So, there I am surrounded by a bunch of strangers, and I walk to the back and ask the person who's right in front of me "Is this the line up for the Canucks tickets??" Well, he started laughing and I made friends with him and the 3 or 4 other poor souls in the same situation as I. I was quickly shivering and soaked, but was in a better place than other people around me with no umbrella and wearing only jeans and jean jackets. The wind was brutal, and I had to use the umbrella side ways to keep the rain off the top half of my body. We ended up being in line outside for 7 hours straight before we advanced to the 1 1/2 hour line up inside the office. Luckily, because of my sparkling personality..hehe..I became fast friends with some people well enough to trust each other enough to hold spots in line so we could go inside, use the bathroom, warm up (loved the hand dryers..ahh..) get something to eat or something warm to drink. What does all of this have to do with Chocolate, you might ask? First time I went inside, I needed something hot to drink, but didn't want to have tea or coffee because they make me pee every 5-10 min. Not something I wanted to do to myself standing in a line up for an entire day. So, the only other thing I could get that would not have that affect on me, would be to drink something I don't like. Yup, you guessed it. Hot Chocolate. And first gulp burned my tongue off, so I didn't really have to taste it all that much as I finished it! It was still icky though. And my tongue still hurts. So, never again! Anyhow, I am happy to say that by 4pm yesterday, I was walking out of the passport office with my ticket saying I could pick it up in 2 weeks! Now..off to home to eat and then to Chilliwack for a dragon boat team meeting..ya, I was up for about 32 hours straight..and I'm sure the meeting went poorly, thanks to my frame of mind. But, also thanks to my frame of mind, I don't remember much of it! HA! Oh did I mention I woke up this afternoon (after 13 hours..ahh..) with the muscles in my right fore arm all seized up thanks to gripping an umbrella all day..oi! Obviously, my body's not used to it!

Taking advantage of the weather..

Beautiful day, had the camera, met a friend and hit the Blue Heron Reserve to try and get an amazing shot of a blue heron. I got some so so ones of them, and some really awesome shots of the Canada Geese! It's funny..I always have a plan when I'm going out to take photos of certain things..and I never seem to get what I had planned to! I always get something different, and usually better! I should learn..stop trying to plan ahead! Be a spontaneous photographer!

Oh..the weather's so terrible here!!!

Or maybe it's not!!! 23 degrees baby! Yep! 20 yesterday, 20 tomorrow, feels like summer, feels like holidays! Only reason I put what I did in the title was so that all my Alberta readers would keep reading..hehe Cuz I know it's alot colder and snowier there!!! It'll come friends..it'll come! In the mean time, enjoy your Easters! Hmm..could be a problem for us this year, what with the heat melting all the choc. bunnies and such..(good thing I don't eat the stuff! HA!) (Oh..no I didn't take those pictures..I stole them..hehe BUT..in a month, I will have ones JUST like those on my own camera..brag brag..)

I missed my Favorite "Holiday"..**sniff**

Yes, it's true, April Fool's is something I look forward to and plan for starting 364 days before it happens! And this year..I FORGOT! I was planning on duct taping my neighbour's door shut..and I forgot. I was reminded by someone that it was April Fool's while I was on my way to our Dragon Boat fundraiser at 9:30am. Oh well, I still had time to do little pranks right? So, by 9:45am, I was in the arena, waiting for the garden show to start when we hear the announcer say "If you're parked in the north parking lot, you need to move your car, because the helicopter will be taking off and the gravel will sand blast your car." You need to understand that he'd been announcing for ppl to move their cars all weekend..but from the SOUTH lot. So, Chelsea and I (who both love their cars) freak and take off to the parking lot. We get out and there was no chopper, so the both of us, plus 2 parking lot attendants stood there for 5 min. trying to figure out what the heck was going on when it hit me..the guy got us..it was an April Fool's joke! Argh! Fell for it hook line and sinker! But, the day wasn't a TOTAL bust for me, we got the guy in the booth next to us to drink coffee filled with salt..hehe You shoulda seen his face! Plus, he spit that coffee right back into the cup..hehe Anyhow, this will be the last year that I get taken for a ride that big!!!