Surprise!!!

Rowland is so amazing at surprising me. Through the years, he has outdone himself on numerous occasions. I'm learning, though, as he pointed out to me on our recent "surprise getaway." With airline information and passports in hand, all of our bags packed, and the kids lined up with a great babysitter, we headed to the airport last Thursday morning without his having a clue where we were headed! Being one who seldom can keep surprises quiet, I was most proud of myself that even upon parking at the airport, I still kept my mouth closed tightly! Once we reached the check-in station for Alaskan Airlines, I decided that I needed to let him in on the secret. True to his optimistic self, he was excited and ready for the adventure.

Several hours later, we checked in to our Premier Suite at the Four Seasons Vancouver. As I had been planning the trip, I was concerned that I was spending too much on our hotel room. I've always wanted to stay in a Four Seasons, though, and they had a special "stay three nights and get the fourth for free." Never being one to pass up a "sale," I jumped on the deal!! I truly thought that Rowland would never let me plan another vacation once he saw that I'd booked us in such nice rooms, but as usual, Rowland outdid me yet again. He upgraded to a suite so that he'd have a separate den where he could hang out while I slept in the mornings. After our stay, I determined that, given the choice, I'd rather stay in a lesser quality hotel and have the extra room when we vacation. Of course, I'm always up for a five star hotel AND the extra room!!

We had a wonderful time while we were away, enjoying walking in the rain, shopping in an enormous mall, traveling by ferry to Victoria, walking around Granville Station and the Gas Lamp district, and eating delicious food. Rowland is the most fabulous tour guide, even with no advanced notice. Each morning, he would get up at his usual 5:30 (ugh! ugh! ugh!), dress, head for Starbucks, relax with his coffee on the couch, and plan our day. His best quality as a tour guide is that he is very flexible and presents several options from which to choose. He also knows that if he throws in a little shopping, he can easily put a smile on my face!!

Me on the Ferry

Rowland's Hike on the Way to Whistler

Shannon Falls

So....here are the top ten things I discovered while in Vancouver:

TEN - It rains A LOT and ALL THE TIME!!!!

NINE - The man checking out of the hotel with his huge bag of golf clubs probably had a very disappointing trip!

EIGHT - The private room on the ferry to Victoria is a quiet place to travel, especially after a short girl with a Southern accent put on her B**** attitude and complained about the woman trying to give a mini-seminar on growing organic food!

SEVEN - Even while watching a movie in a foreign country, Milk Duds are still our drug of choice!

SIX - Did I mention that it rains A LOT and ALL THE TIME??

FIVE - For a country with such socialist programs, they certainly don't believe in left turns while driving! (Just a little Rowland humor!!)

FOUR - Vancouver is about 40% Asian, and there were times that I felt that we were back in China! (And that's a good thing!)

THREE - It rains A LOT and ALL THE TIME!!!! (In fact, according to Rowland, it's raining right now! Shock of all shocks!)

TWO - The Cactus Cafe needs to open a restaurant in Denver since it definitely has the BEST food and atmosphere! We ate there two out of four nights and even snuck in for a dessert the third night!

ONE - In a mall of 450 stores, there were NO red ankle boots, and Lucky Brand Jeans is STILL my favorite store!!! (See, it really is all about the shopping! I even ordered my red boots from the computer in the lobby from Zappos.com. Now, that's service!!!)

The time away was priceless with lots of time for conversation (Rowland's favorite part of the trip, I'm sure!), time to re-group as a couple instead of simply parents, and loads of laughter! Even after almost 16 years of marriage, I still love my best friend!!

The Steam Clock in the Gas Lamp District


Dinner at Our Favorite Restaurant

Our Hands May Be Older, but They're Still Holding on Tightly!

She's Back......

I know that I've been a horrible blogger the last few months. I've been in one of my "depression times" and just haven't felt like writing, but I'M BACK!!!

Since I've been gone for a while, I decided to just catch you up on some of the fun things that have been going on in our family, and I'll do that mostly via pictures!!

William and Kitty had their first choir concert together. They did a great job and sang several fun songs!

William and Kitty after the Concert

Beautiful Singing

I took Carson and a friend of his to the One Republic / Rob Thomas concert. I have definitely become a HUGE Rob Thomas fan!! The concert was great!!

Carson and I Ready to Rock!

Carson, Dee, and Maria, Dee's Mom

Next on our list of things to do was to go to "Wicked!" Last year while I was in New York, I went with my sister-in-law to see it, and it was fabulous!! Rowland and I were not disappointed! It was fabulous again!!!!

I love "Dress Up" Dates!!

Since we don't celebrate Halloween, we enjoyed going out to dinner as a family, then watching "Igor" and stuffing our faces with as much candy as we were able!! I always treasure Family Night!

Candy and Movie Night

Our Newest Addition, Joan "Jet" Watching the Movie

And lastly, we celebrated my 44th birthday yesterday! My precious friend Jeannie made me a cake and tried to slide some trick candles into the mix. Still full of hot air, I blew them ALL out!!!

Stuffing Our Faces at On the Border

Momma with Her Little Princess

Daddy and William

The Oldest and the Youngest

Kitty Still Adores Her Big Brother

The Birthday Dance with Joe and Jeannie

My Precious Friend

Making My Wish

All in all, it's been a tough road for the last couple of months, but joy truly does come in the morning, and the sun has risen! I've enjoyed the time of "circling the wagons," focusing all of my energy on my family and resting as needed. God is always faithful, though, even when I begin to doubt Him. Fortunately, His faithfulness is not dependent on mine!! Thank you to those of you who have prayed for me and for our family! Prayers are the real treasures!!