Our 4th Weekend & My 29th Birthday!

This past weekend was our 4th weekend here in Vancouver and it was also my birthday weekend! Saturday we found this amazing National Park about 5 minutes from our house and had such a gorgeous walk with Marley. The pine trees were just miles high and it was just such an amazing day for the walk too...at the end of the walk we ended up on a big cliff over looking the water and Vancouver Island. That evening we went to a mexican restaurant I have heard about to see if it was anything that I hoped it would be and it was!! Such good margaritas, great salsa and great food! I was so nervous we wouldn't have good mexican food here but I was proven wrong, and it's on our street!

Sunday we had breakfast with a friend of a friend of Sam's, it was a long wait but it only cost $3! That day we walked up and down Broadway, just a few blocks from us and found a bar with a patio and $10 pitchers! We finally moved inside and continued the drinking and made friends with the bartender who played Jenga with us. We finally stumbled to my favorite little sushi restaurant and then home for the night.

Sam took Monday off of work for my birthday, thank goodness! It was such a dismal day outside, I would have been depressed on my own! We went to Chinatown which was really interesting and had an authentic chinese lunch. Went to our local pub for a couple of pints to stay out of the rain too...and then finally to the botanical gardens for my dinner! We ended the night at home drinking red wine, eating molten chocolate cake and playing Rummikub! I couldn't have asked for a better b-day in Canada!

Our 2nd Weekend

This past weekend was a really good one. Friday afternoon I walked a few blocks up and found so many great shops and fun things to do! Friday evening we found our new favorite bar and had a great night! Saturday we both woke up really early, it was suppose to be a really nasty weekend but it was nothing but blue skies! We had our coffee outside and decided we should walk Marley at the beach before the rain came. After we got home we went to Best Buy and bought our new flat screen TV, we left all of our TVs in Houston! So after staying busy all day, we realized the rain never came! That night we had indian at a place down the street and went to our new bar again. Yesterday we went walking for some coffee and stopped at a little thrift store and bought an antique trunk. We've always wanted one and this one is perfect!! Last night we made yummy steak, baked potatoes and brussel spouts, had some red wine and watched a movie. Such a good weekend! Oh, and this morning we woke up to snow all over the place! Weird. Here are some pics.

Week 1 in Vancouver

So we've officially been in Vancouver for 1 week now. This week with Sam at work has been kind of hard on me, I really struggle to fill my days. I am spending a lot of time online job hunting, then I try to run some errands, then in the afternoons I take Marley on his daily walk. I haven't had much luck with finding a job, I did sign up to volunteer for the olympics but I think you need to be able to give them a few months of your time and if I do find a job I might not be able to commit. I'm close to just going and applying at some retail boutiques around here, at least that way we could make some friends fast I hope! ha. I don't want to work weekends but I need to do something with my time. The weather hasn't been too bad actually, today is sunny and warm but the forecast just said it'll be snowy and rainy all weekend and in the 30's! BOO!!

One night this week Sam and I wandered down to a local pub to watch the Canuck's hockey game and at 9:30 it turned into Comedy Night. It was funny at times, I enjoy laughing at awkwardness either way, ha. We had our cable/internet/phone installed this week, I try to keep the TV off though because if I turn it on I'm likely to not leave the couch all day. I took a walk the other day and ended up in this little sushi restaurant for some of the best sushi I've ever had and it was super cheap! After that I treated myself to a pedicure and had a hilarious conversation with the nail lady - I enjoy any sort of conversation I can get during the day when Sam's at work, haha. I don't feel fully homesick but some days are worse than others. I'm just glad I have my husband and my dog with me! Marley really does keep me occupied during the day, he seems to be adjusting really well. He's napping in the sun as we speak. This is such a beautiful city, I feel really lucky to live here if only for a year.

K, time to get out of the house, even if just to sit at a coffee shop on the internet! Happy Friday y'all!

Houston to Vancouver Trip - a video

Our 2,500 mile roadtrip from Houston, TX to Vancouver, BC is over! We set off on Monday, Feb 23rd at 6am (way too early for me to be in a u-haul). By Friday 11am (PST) we were crossing the border into Canada. We drove for about 500-600 miles a day, crossing through Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and finally Canada! We could barely go 65mph, so 12-13 hour days in the truck were the norm. It was a gorgeous drive, we don't regret it for a second. If anything, I regret not getting out of the truck more to soak in the views! All of our pictures were taken from the cab of the truck. I had no clue how pretty states like Idaho, Utah, & Oregon were, it was breathtaking! I'll post more photos & videos when I can, I'm on stolen internet at the moment so things are a bit slow. Vancouver is great so far, apparently it's colder in Houston right now than it is up here! xoxo

Vancouver Road Trip Plans

Just in case no one has mapquested our trip from Houston to Vancouver, here it is! 43 hours, and 2837 miles. Normally it would take you through Colorado, Utah, Idaho...but this time of year, it's best to avoid the snow. So we'll take the southwest route, yea that's right - the 10 to the 5 the WHOLE way! I've been to every single one of these states except Oregon and Washington, so that last part should be exciting. We leave on the 23rd of this month. We are hoping to push it really hard the first day and at least make it to El Paso. After that we'll go as much as we can in hope of crossing the border into Canada on Friday early afternoon. My butt is already dreading it, so is our dog!! Stay tuned and we'll keep everyone updated on our travels!! xoxox
Tiff & Sam

Chandelier Fun & Tree Planting

(before ), (during)

(after), (hole digging is hard work!)

When we first bought this house, I knew I loved the chandelier in the entry way, except for the "dripping gold" effect. So here we are, about to move to Vancouver, and I finally decided what to do to it. I took it down, hung it up in the garage and did a fun pewter effect to it. I painstakingly took off all of the crystals, cleaned them and re-hung them. While I was out having girl's night though, the chandelier fell down and all of the crystals fell off! I cried a bit, haha, but Sam was my hero and spent all afternoon yesterday fixing it and re-hanging it. We've now moved it into the dining room and bought a new light for the entry way. Also yesterday, we FINALLY bought a plant for that weird donut bush in the backyard, I hope the new renters enjoy it, ha. It's a Red Maple, I hope it looks as pretty in the summer as it does in the picture that came with it. So we leave to Vancouver a week from today! So weird!! We still have a lot to do but are very excited...and nervous. As long as I have my hubby and my puppy I'll be ok! xo

Nephew Update

It's been a while since I posted. Not too much to report really. Sam's sister Jemima came in town to visit us for a week in January. We went to visit Harrison and Sam got to hold his nephew for the first time! I don't know how but he hadn't held Harrison yet! oops, I think I hog him, ha. He's doing really well, he's officially a month old now. The whole clan came over for the super bowl yesterday, Harrison had the cutest Texans jersey on. I am going to miss him sooooo soooo much when we go to Vancouver. I just don't even want to think about it. Ok, that's all for now! Happy February everyone! xo