I start working on Monday and I will be responsible for the marketing and promotions of a company that provides swimming and cycling programs that promote kid’s health and development.
I really look forward to my first day at work and I have enjoyed the last couple of months, but I’m going to enjoy the months that are coming even more.
I think we’ve both settled in as much as possible for now. Really looking forward the February, it’s going to be a great month.
We went out for a celebration dinner yesterday. Kris made me a promise: As soon as you find a job, we’ll go out for lobster.
We went to Azia. It’s a really nice restaurant, downtown Vancouver. We were still able to benefit from Dine Out Vancouver.
We enjoyed a three course meal. I had lobster and Kris had ribs.
I could recommend everybody to go to Azia, it’s a really nice place. Service is great and the food is wonderful!
As for now I’m going to enjoy my last days of my “holiday”.
We aren’t sure yet what we’re going to do this weekend. Maybe some snowboarding or even a visit to Harrison Hot springs, we’ll see, but one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a great couple of days!
I had some time today to process some images and found some that I did not yet post on the blog, so here they come…
Lions’ Gate Bridge, Vancouver
A night shot of the Lions’ Gate Bridge with Downtown Vancouver in the background. This picture was taken from Cypress Mountain.
Whiskey Jack
A whiskey jack bird on Cypress Mountain, Vancouver.
Mono Lake tufa tower
Mono lake is a lake (no really..) in California with no outlet. This causes the salt concentration and the pH level to raise, which forms the once-submerged tufa towers as you can see in the picture.
Wolf, West Yellowstone
We did see some wild wolves in Yellowstone, but those wolves were way too far away to get this kind of shot. This is a wolf in captivity in the West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.
California Lowrider
You always see these cars in movies, but I had never seen one with my own eyes. This picture was taken not far from San Francisco.
We didn’t want to say anything before we were 100% sure, but we are now, so we can finally explain what happened the last few weeks.
(and I admit I wanted you guys to be a little curious)
Like I said, we have been very busy arranging things, and we still are but now is a good time to tell everybody the “big” news.
Kris and I have bought a house. We have been thinking about buying a house for a while, but we first wanted to be sure that this was the right time and the place to buy.
After doing some maths we came to the conclusion, that we were paying a lot of rent and we have been doing so for the last 4 years…
If we compared our rent to a mortgage, there was only one thing that we could say, our mortgage would be more or less the same as our rent… Which made our decision pretty easy, no more throwing away of our money.
Besides that, the mortgage rates were low, and they were going to come down even more (which in the meantime has happened in the beginning of this week).
The first thing we wanted to know was everything about the regulations in Canada (concerning buying a house). Pretty soon we learned that it is very different than in Belgium.
- In Canada you work with a Realtor. The Realtor shows you the houses you want to see (even if they are not on their listings). The seller has a Realtor and the buyer also has one. They are the people who try to get you the best deal.
- Second: you have a mortgage broker, he is the person who helps you with the pre-approval of the mortgage and in the end of course the final mortgage arrangements.
- And last but not least, you have a lawyer,, who makes everything official.
We were lucky to find a wonderful Realtor: Monet Tyler
Monet is a woman who has seen large parts of the world, she did various things, and finally she became a Realtor. She definitely knows what she’s doing and has a lot of experience. Monet learned us several things about the Canadian real estate market and I think it’s nice to thank her because without her we couldn’t have done it.
Now that I explained some stuff about real estate we can go back to the story of our house search.
We wanted a house that wasn’t too old, besides that, it had to have a garden and it had to be in Port Moody. Those were our primary demands.
We found the perfect townhouse on Heritage Mountain. A townhouse is a house that is attached to another, but we’ve bought an end unit, so it’s only attached on one side and we have more light than the attached ones. It is 2 years old, it has a small yard, it’s close to nature, it’s in Port Moody and the absolutely best part of it all: it’s in BEAR COUNRTY!!!
In summer you are able to see coyotes (now I won’t have to play my coyote song anymore), deer and sometimes even a bear.
For those not knowing what I mean with the coyote song, here is the You Tube video, wait for the chorus to hear what I mean.
We will move in on the 28th of February, so if you wish to volunteer for helping us move all our stuff, you’re welcome:) We could use some help:)
So for those patient enough to have read through this blog, your patience is going to be rewarded with some pictures of our new place.
The furniture in the pictures is of course from the previous owner, but just to give you guys an idea.
The front
Kitchen
Living room – dining room (not really visible)
This is the view from the upper part of our street: Mount Baker (USA, Washington).
The weather was beautiful today so we decided to go up to Cypress Mountain and do some snowshoeing.
When we arrived at the parking lot we noticed that it was totally crowded. A lot of people were parked along the way and all of sudden we didn’t really want to go up the mountain.
Kris did want to see the view (cloudy Vancouver) so we decided to drive up the parking lot and park for a quick second just to take some pictures. We’ve found a parking space near the rentals, and it didn’t look that crowded, so we changed our minds again: we were going to do some hiking.
Last time we were there, we did some interpretive and intermediate trails, today we were feeling good and we decided we would take our chance with the expert trails:).
We totally don’t understand why it’s called expert, because besides a few uphill parts, it’s perfectly doable, even if you’re not trained. We had to go uphill for the first part of our hike, but it was absolutely worth it!
I think we did about a 2:45 hour hike and we loved it! I was pretty tired afterward but it was nice to see some snow and walk around in it.
As you will see on our pictures, it was really warm up there, we could even walk around in our t shirts. It felt like spring.
On our first stop at the Upper Warming Hut we ate a small snack, and apparently, we were not the only ones who were hungry. A few birds even sat on our hands to be fed. Amazing!
We had a second stop at the Hollyburn lodge to get some drinks and from there we went downhill to the parking lot.
We have some good news coming up in the next couple of weeks, but more about that later (and again, NO I’m not pregnant). I just want to make you guys a bit curious.
Anyway, besides that I also have a job interview next week. If I read the description of the job, it’s something that I would love to do, so let’s hope all goes well! I’m really looking forward to the interview!
I’ll keep you guys up to date of course.
Yesterday we went to dinner to the Boathouse in Port Moody. We didn’t really know what to expect, because we read a few reviews which where pretty negative but, we also heard a lot of positive things too, so we wanted to decide for ourselves.
I booked a table for a party of two, and we were going to have the Dine Out Vancouver menu.
The negative reviews didn’t apply to us. We thought the service was wonderful and the food was even better than wonderful. Ooh their Appletini’s where AMAZING! Definitely a place to go to with our friends and parents.
Kris promised me to go there again as soon as I have a job and celebrate by having lobster. (I love lobster, and it has been a while since I had some:))
So here are some pictures of our dinner yesterday.
Next time, I should really take my camera instead of mobile to take pictures, because quality is really low and there wasn’t too much light in there so it’s really hard to see… But still:)
“The Best photos from 2008″ is a blog project by photographer Jim M. Goldstein where he gathers everyone’s best pictures of 2008. 93 photographers joined the project (like me) and here is the collection he ended up with. If you have some spare time on your hands, enjoy, there is some great work in there!
My Best Photos: 2008 – Shutter Photo by D Travis North
This past year was a huge growth year for my digital photography skills which I feel is exhibited quite nicely in my photo favorites of 2008.
Flamingo and Desert Landscape – pl?dys’s photoblog by Mike Reys
Both pictures are from one of the most beautiful places on earth: Chile’s Atacama desert. The salt lakes there provide for some stunning colours and beautiful wildlife.
My Favorite Photos from 2008 – Epic Edits by Brian Auer
A selection of my favorite photos from 2008, broken down by each month and supplemented with a few thoughts.
Derryclare Lough – Focus Pocus by Albert MacSweeny
My best photo of the year was when I was lucky enough to get a still lake in the usually turbulent west of Ireland
One from 2008 – Hockley Photography by Aaron Hockley
It’s a photo taken at night, looking across a bridge towards another photographer also taking a picture of the same ferris wheel as I was.
Gotham. Or maybe London – SFT Photography by Steve Thomas
I love the dark and moody feel, combined with the futuristic look of the building. I really enjoyed shooting it!
My Best Photos of 2008 – Malphoto.com by Andre Maltais
I’m particularly proud of these submissions this year, as it seems I’ve made some great strides in my photography from the beginning of the year.
Jaguar – by Jarrod Erbe Photography This jaguar image was taken at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The background was generated using a combination of Aperture, Photoshop Elements, and DFT Light.
Best Photos of 2008 – MIZSPONTANEITY: A Girl With A Camera by Elaine
I got a Nikon D40X for Christmas 2007, and although some of these photos were with my trusty Sony W70 point-and-shoot, these are my favorite 10 results of my first year with a digital SLR.
My Best of 2008 – by Eliya Selhub
In 2008, I have found myself increasingly drawn to animals as subjects, and a slight cartoonish absurdity always appeals to me.
Best 10 photos of 2008 – Have Camera Will Travel by Paul Dymond
Images from professional Australian travel photographer Paul Dymond which ironically were all taken pretty close to home.
Best of 2008 – by Trevin Chow
This is a set of my best photos that I took during 2008 which is a combination of Flickr’s “interestingness” meter and my own selection.
Best of 2008 – Hotel Yankee Foxtrot by Alex McGeagh
A collection of the better images captured in a progressive and productive year for me.
Burrard-Lucas Top Ten Photographs of 2008 – Burrard-Lucas Photography by William Burrard-Lucas
We are brothers from the UK with a shared passion for wildlife photography – in 2008 we followed Meerkats in the Kalahari, stalked Jaguars in the wetlands of Brazil and waded through swamps at night to photograph Caimans…
Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance – by Dave Fitch
A railway bridge in Leith [Edinburgh] that was restored and then left to rot. It’s not perfectly symmetrical, but then neither is the bridge
10 in 2008 – k|d loftis photography My favorite images from 2008 which include weddings, maternity and newborns, families and babies and a few personal images from the year.
My best photos from 2008 – All Narfed Up by Bryan Villarin
Choosing my best photos from 2008 was really hard to narrow down, especially since it was my first year with a SLR camera.
Best Photos from 2008 – by Daria Sukhanovska
Only until i created this set of 13 photos, i realized how much progress i have done this year: I have traveled a lot, got one photo printed in the magazine and had my first own personal exhibition in the university library and simply had fun with my photos
My parents just left and I thought I would be annoyed by the free time on my hands. Boy, was I wrong…
Of course I’m job hunting, and it’s already clear that a lot more jobs are available than before New Year, so that’s a really good thing.
So for those among you that are wondering how the search is going: A lot better now.
I will inform you if something comes up, so no need to ask .
I’m really eager to start working again and doing some useful things:), so let’s hope for the best.
Besides job hunting we’ve been busy with a few other things, but more about that later.
I’m also working on a photo album of our Christmas Holiday and I’m going to make a “portfolio” for Kris. Not because he’s going to use it professionally, but it would be nice to have his pictures bundled in one book (with some explanation of course). Plus, now I have an excuse to do some more creative things… It’s a while ago since I’ve done stuff like that, and I do still love it!
Everything is going like it should. Yesterday we’ve been to Brackendale with some friends. Again, we wanted to watch the Bald Eagles because this weekend there were counting days. (yes dad, I know I am making you jealous, but there wasn’t as much snow as last time so maybe that helps to make you less jealous:)).
Upcoming events
I also want to do some cross country skiing. I haven’t done it before, and since we’ve been snowshoeing before, I also want to try the cross country skiing. Just to be able to compare and decide if we should buy snowshoes or not. We’ll try to go out one of the next upcoming weekends.
We’re probably heading out to Whistler or some of the local mountains for some snowboarding in the next couple of weeks, so we still have a busy, but enjoyable schedule. Ooh and I almost forgot: the next visitor will be here very soon. Helena and Eefje looking forward to seeing you!
We didn’t only make plans for the future, we also have a few for this week. Every year Vancouver Tourism organizes something that is called Dine Out Vancouver.
Several nice restaurants, which are normally a bit more expensive, offer the possibility to enjoy a 3 course meal for a very affordable price.
We’ve made a reservation in the Boathouse in Port Moody. We were told it is a nice restaurant and we’ve been driving passed that restaurant for a few months now and it looks like a wonderful place to have dinner.
We also received an invitation from some friends to go to Horizons. In my opinion one of the best places I’ve ever had dinner before. Not only the food is great but the view is amazing. It’s on Burnaby Mountain, which means that you’re able to see Vancouver from up there.
So check back later this week for some pictures of our upcoming events.
Maybe a more appropriate blog topic would be: “10 photos I made in 2008 of which I’m most happy and for which I’m looking for an excuse to post them again…” but that would be too long, so let’s go for the Top 10 one
10. Rain over Lake Annette – Jasper N.P.
9. Swiftcurrent lake, Glacier N.P.
8. Berkeley Pit, Butte
7. Venice, Las Vegas
6. Vancouver Panorama
5. Hot spring, Yellowstone N.P.
4. Peyto Lake Panorama
3. Victoria Government Parliament building
2. Dead Tree in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone N.P.
It’s generally known that saying goodbye is not a pleasant thing.
So today was a pretty emotional day. I had to say goodbye to my parents after we spend two weeks together. Of course everybody was a little sad, but we are already looking forward to seeing them again this summer!
I want to thank my mom and dad for everything they’ve done for us this holiday, and of course also Kris his parents for helping my parents getting here and for the Christmas gifts!!! Ow, and I can’t forget my brother, Marijke and Kris his sister, thanks guys, really!!
But we’re not going to stay emotional during this whole post (It was just something that needed to be said).
So back to normal now.
We didn’t really have a planning during the holidays, because everything was depending on the weather. So we decided on a day to day basis. A few things were of course booked in advance, for example the Boeing Tour.
It was really impressive, we couldn’t take any pictures during the tour but I can assure you, we saw some really neat things. On the Boeing flight line, we’ve seen airplanes in various stages of flight test and manufacture for airline customers around the world. We saw the assembly of the Boeing 747, 767 and last but definitely not least the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is the newest plane from Boeing and it has never flown before. The 787 planes we saw, were the first ones on the assembly line.
But we were able to take some picture in the flight center.
As part of the tour, we’ve visited the largest building in the world by volume (the second picture). To give you an idea of the size: Disney Land LA could fit in that building and even a part of their parking lot.
During the Holidays we’ve also visited Granville Island. It is attractive for tourists but still nice though. Rusty tin-sided factories are used as a Public Market, an art school, shops, restaurants, theatres, galleries, a hotel, and…
The view from Granville Island (on Vancouver) is amazing.
I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, we sure did! Back to our normal lives now and looking forward to the next visit.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately but we have been busy (as everyone around this period I think).
I hope everybody enjoyed their New Year’s eve. We sure did!
We’ve had dinner in the Salmon House. It’s a really nice restaurant. I think it’s even one of the best and nicest decorated restaurants I’ve ever seen. It’s based in West Vancouver and the view from the dinning room is stunning: you can see Vancouver and Stanley Park. And of course, the most important part, the food was GREAT!
I also promised you some pictures of the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Normally you visit the bridge during the day, and it is quite expensive, especially if you know that there is another suspension bridge in the neighborhood which is free, but this time of the year, they organize something special called Canyon Lights.
Canyon Lights is a winter celebration of light. You can cross the suspension bridge and explore the forest from another perspective at night. Canyon Lights features over 200,000 twinkling lights throughout the park. So really spectacular to see.
Normally the admission fee is 13 dollars, but we’ve went to visit the bridge last Sunday, and it was closed due to extreme weather conditions. The good thing about it was, that we received free admission tickets in case we returned before the 4th of January.
I wasn’t really fond of walking on the bridge, because it was slippery and moving a lot, but the extra trip was totally worth it!
We also tried snowboarding on Grouse Mountain, but it was so crowded that it wasn’t pleasant. There was a 40 minute wait to get on the chairlifts. So we didn’t do many runs… But it was nice to do some snowboarding in the last days of 2008. And the view was amazing!
We did a lot of other things this week, so more pictures coming up, but we don’t want to post everything at once.
Ooh and just to let you guys know, everything is well with Freggels too. He even got a Christmas present.
We’ve bought him a tent in the shape of a cat. He adores it!
Although I’m wondering if it was necessary to buy the tent, because during the preparation of my parents their luggage he enjoyed himself with a bag he found on the floor and that didn’t cost anything:).
Ine | 
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