The Fisherman's Lodge

So - we're now at Campbell's River - which is I think the salmon fishing capitol of Victoria - I think - regardless - there is a lot of fishing going on here. We're staying at the Painter's Lodge which is a beautiful FISHING resort - I say that because this is one of the nicest resorts, however, is fully done in camping motiffe - its awesome. My room has a very 'log cabin' feel to it - definitely different from the Delta Pointe that we just stayed at. The view though is to die for - if only it would quit raining. And we have a pub in our hotel, which the fishermen apparently all come to after they've caught their fish....

Nothing too exciting to report for today - its kind of been a lazy day. We drove about 4 hours up here and I've just been relaxing. Tomorrow we have to be up early for our whale watching trip and then salmon fishing. Pray I don't fall off the boat - or freeze to death - which at this point is a real possibility.

Here are some scenic shots from Campbell River and our drive up here (notice how much of a tourist I look like - apparently I've bought a few souveniers)





And here is my hotel room...yessss - along with the view from my balcony -

Whale Watching 101

Ok - so I know that title doesn't really make sense, because I'm not going to teach you how to whale watch - but I just liked it. So, I wrote it. :-)

Today was such an adventure - and COLD! Our God is so amazing and has such a creative eye. As I sad on the top deck of our boat as we were driving to the spot - I was just amazed at how beautiful and big our God is. I mean, he created all of this - it was beautiful. Granted, I started to not be able to feel my nose, so I had to go below, but that turned out to be pretty great too - bc our little skipper guy taught me some great new info about whales. The place we went to has 3 pods of killer whales - or families - and they really are like families. The pods were J, K, and L - and those members are only allowed to breed within those pods - so like a male from J can only 'date' a female from K or L - and vice versa. And once they breed, the males go back to their mommas and leave the female's pod to raise the calf. Which they all do - it was so interesting!

So....I didn't get the greatest pics - they're kinda hard to catch - but here are a couple that you can hopefully see them in - plus a few shots of the amazing scenery - and then a shot of me and my dad before we left. The picture doesn't show it, but I was shivering -

We leave for Campbell River tomorrow where we're going to Salmon fish, whale watch and go on some wildlife adventure tour - should be interesting!

I do love my wine...

So today was our wine tour day - so fun! The weather was crappy - and I mean that - it was cold and drizzly all day, but I'm learning that every time I take a wine tour, that is what the weather does, so I'm pretty used to it. But we had so much fun! We were in this limo bus thing - probably holds about 12 people, but we just had 7 - me and my dad, and 5 women celebrating one of their birthdays. They were awesome. All about 50 with grown kids - and such fun personalities. It made the trip so fun bc they were HILARIOUS! And its nice to throw some new personalities into the mix....I mean, I love my dad, but when its just you and him for a few days, having some new friends can make all the difference! Plus, it made me excited to be grown up with my girl friends....and I can totally see doing that with my girls when I get older.

So - we toured 4 wineries, one big one, one cidery, and 2 small local wineries - and had our fair share to drink at each one of them. Fortunately, I've learned my limit so I knew when to pour out the wines and when to enjoy them...plus, why waste the tolerance on a wine I'm not crazy about? We drank a lot of dessert wines (ports - but you're not allowed to call them ports anymore unless they're from Portugal - I know - I learned something new too!) I'm not a fan of the dessert wines, but I did find one at the cidery that I loved - so that is one souvenier I got for myself...apparently its really good on waffles....ha - can you imagine? So - here are my pics for the day -

We're on our way to the tour - this is their Parlimant building - notice the hood - no, I'm not trying to go gangster - it was raining and this was all I had - I know, its a good look for me! :-)


This is supposed to be one of the most amazing views in Victoria - however, it rained today, so we didn't get the full effect. However, I think its pretty amazing!


This was at the cidery - where I learned so much! Did you know that cider is made from apples? And not normal apples, but cider apples? I did not. I have never been a fan of cider - well, normally - but I really liked this stuff...




And finally - this is from one of the local wineries....isn't it beautiful?


So - that was today - we're going to have dinner here in our hotel tonight and then probably relax. Tomorrow is our first whale watching tour - eeeeeeeeeee! I'm really excited, but also a little nervous on how cold I will be! Oh well, I'm sure those bright yellow slickers they make you wear will provide some warmth, right?

Hope everyone is having a great week - I miss you all!

New Town - New Room

So....first off - let me just tell you - come to Victoria! It is BEAUTIFUL here! And has such a great feel to it - the people are so friendly, the city is clean, and apparently the weather is normally perfect. For me, its a little chilly - but apparenlty they're having freak winter weather. Which is nice for everyone else, but me, brilliant here only brought shorts and one pair of jeans. So this high of 65 crap isn't gonna cut it. I've worn the same sweatshirt hoodie (love my PPNT girls) and light jacket everyday - I may have to purchase a fleece in the next day or so. However, I'm not finding souvenier pants anywhere....someone should start selling those...they'd make a killing!

Anyways, I'm going to attach a few pics from the Space Needle in Seattle. We had dinner there last night and the view was spectacular. Its just like Reunion Tower where it rotates for a full view of the city...but this food was to die for. Seriously. One thing that I found interesting was that the menu I had didn't have prices on it...yet my dad's did. Apparently this is how it used to be - women never knew the price of the entree's so they would order what they wanted, versus what the cheapest item was. Well we all know I'm not one to do that anyways...but I thought it was interesting. It was good though that I didn't know the prices because I would have just gone with the house salad and water...and I still would have hit the $35 per person minimum. Afterwards though we went up to the observation deck where I really wish they would have warned me of the wind gusts and the effects they have on loose skirts...ooops! Guess I left my mark on Seattle!





So...now on to Canada - we took a ferry over to Victoria this morning...EARLY! Well early for me on vacation. So today - I am a sleepy girl. But it was fun and a different way to cross the border. So - anyways - our hotel is amazing!!! I know I've said this before, but it really is....my room has a kitchen in it - and its not even a suite! Which I'm quite thankful for - because lets face it, I'm an amazing cook and that is what I really want to do on my vacation. Its like all of my dreams are coming true. The view though is what is breathtaking. We're right on the harbor so we see boats and sea planes pulling in constantly - yes - you read that - sea planes. My dad went on one today - however, I did not - I opted to go to the historical gardens - which were so beautiful. This reminded me a lot of Melbourne - it was just so green and clean - and beautiful. AND - I went by myself, which kind of took me back to that trip as well - just being on your own being able to do what you want when you want - and meeting different types of people because you are alone. However, instead of meeting people, I decided to sit down and read and journal, well that last about 10 minutes, because sitting lead to just laying down for a second, which then led to me falling asleep. yes, I napped in a park in the middle of the Botchart Gardens....only me. But it was beautiful.

Tomorrow will be our wine tour - 5 1/2 hours of touring Canadian wineries....this is gonna be interesting!

Here is my room along with a few view shots:





Here are a few pics from my new favorite napping locale -





And finally - this is Bob. Bob likes to hang out on my balcony rail...we've become pretty close in the day I've been here....

Seattle - Day 2

Yay! I've survived! Seattle really is great - and this has been a good day - but very exhausting!

First off - here is what I woke up too - this is my view from my balcony - LOVED IT!



Then I went and visited the downtown campus of Mars Hill Church and it was amazing! A very small, but 'cool' church. And you could just tell that they have a real community there. The worship was a little different, but the message was INCREDIBLE! Helped me keep things in perspective, especially on this trip - Here is a pic of the church - its great - there are homeless people literally sitting on the front steps - which meant my dad had to walk me to church this morning. Seriously, if he only knew the places I've been and how a few homeless people do not freak me out!


Then we spent the rest of the day taking a ferry to Bainbridge Island - where I felt a little like I was a part of Grey's Anatomy. For those who watch the show, there are always scenes of McDreamy and Addison on the ferry - so for a moment, I pretended that was the ferry they took - Yes, yes, I am dork, but really, is this new information? This pic is specifically for you Julie Green!


Then after the ferry rides to and from this little island, me and Dad ventured on back up to Pike Street to visit the very first Starbucks. Yes, I am that big of a tourist - and coffee drinker. It was crazy and there - and you think our Starbucks have long lines...this one was out of control! But they had it down to a a science and it only took me 15 minutes to get my latte. But it was so worth it!



So - for now - that has been my day. We're going to dinner at the Space Needle in about an hour - should be good. All I know is that the seafood in this town is amazing!

I'll blog more later! I really miss you all!

Seattle - Day 1

So - I'm here! This is going to be such an adventure! Me and Dad...just me and Dad...oh Lord help me. I love him but am worried that we will kill each other after 8 days of being around only each other. Lord, help us both!

So - today has been great - i'm going on 1 hour of sleep, so I'm just impressed that I'm functioning. Seattle is great - its a little chillier than I had hoped, but I guess when Dallas is 100 degrees, 71 doesn't sound so bad. The sights have been beautiful - and I am in a freaking amazing room. I'm serious - the bathroom is to die for - and I have a flipping bear in my room - seriously. I'm posting pics so y'all can see what I'm experiencing....


This a view of the harbor and our hotel - and then me in front of our hotel...hey, I hate solo shots but I thought y'all might need proof that I'm here -










Ok - tomorrow is church at Mark Driscol's church - and then dinner at the space needle - I'll hopefully post more tomorrow!

Wish I had a friend to share this all with - Love you all!

Wow!

So - it has been a crazy few weeks since my last post! Summer school is almost over (thank the Lord) and I survived beach camp! I truly love my girls. I had such a great family group - 5 8th (going into 9th) and 2 7th (going into 8th) graders. The girls have such sweet - and FUN spirits and its always so encouraging to be around them. I'll put some fun pics up so y'all can feel like you experienced a little bit of beach camp too! :-) I'm also throwin in some 4th of July pics - just cause I love my friends!

Here are my girls before we board the bus for a long 12 hour ride to Padre - but look how cute they are!


And here we are sportin the one pieces - who said they weren't hot?



My girls thought it would be fun to go gangster one night...I think we pull it off well...




And here are me, Rebekah and Corrie on the 4th - I'll post more later - but I just love these girls!