Bula from Fiji

We made it! And without too much drama. Well it was a drama alright, more like a comedy sketch with us and all our luggage, but our luggage all made it and so did we so I can't complain. The only delay we had was in T.O to L.A but it was only about 20 mins. I could only describe the flights and line-ups though as PAINFUL! I will have to Get Darryl to post about this b/c I will not be able to do comedic justice to our experience with the two kids and our fortress of luggage. The flight from L.A to Fiji was 10 1/2 hours. Insane.
We arrived here at about 5:30am Fiji time and our hotel suite wasn't ready so we had to wait a few hours. What better way to wait then to have an amazing buffet breakfast our door's by the pool and then head down to the pool with the kids. The beach is so beautiful too, dark sand, but so soft and the water is warmer than the pool's. The resort we are at is BEAUTIFUL and the people are so happy and friendly. Bending over backwards to make you comfortable. Lot's of entertainment for the kids and many many pool's to choose from. I will upload pic's as soon as i'm able.
We are heading to Plantation island today to another resort for couple of day's. And then off to NZ. I'm sure the kids won't be as excited to get on this airplane as they were in Canada. They are over the excitement of flying.
I better go as it is early in the morning here and D is waiting at the pool with the kids. This is a much needed and welcomed vacation after a tough few months of packing and organizing and long day's for D.
I'll write more later.

Off to the South Pacific

The next stage in our adventure begins. The past six months of our "travels" (ie. Southern Ontario... if you can call that "travels") have been fun but likely less evenful than the next 6 months. Although, I did pick up kiteboarding here, as Southern Ontario is somewhat of a hotspot for the sport with all the Great Lake beaches. And we did make some great new friends along the way, whom we are sad to leave behind. But tomorrow we depart for the real adventure. After packing up our house and travelling 26 hours with 2 kids, 7 suitcases, a kiteboard, 2 car seats, a stroller, and about 100lb of carry-ons, we'll start with 5 days of much needed relaxation in Fiji. It should be cool being in the first time zone to welcome the new year. Then we are off to New Zealand for 6 months, just in time for their summer. I'll try to post more in the New Year as Heather has been the main contributor so far. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Got to go pack my board shorts (oh yeah, and I might need a shirt and tie for work).
-Darryl

Merry Christmas

 
 
 

Well, I can't believe that christmas is over again for another year. This one has been especially different for us but still wonderful. Kids make it exciting either way :)
We were able to relax a little bit and did enjoy a tasty turkey dinner compliments of my dad, mmmm, but then it was back to the packing. So far so good. Or so I think. Its always that last minute stuff that get's you. Luckily where we just did this 6 months ago we are pro's now and most everything we have is not really that valuable anyway. We had quite a few lovely christmas parties (thanks to my parents being here with the kids and helping with all the packing and cleaning)
with wonderful friends that we've made so that has made things feel somewhat normal too. Only two day's left in London and we are off. Tomorrow is litterally boxing day for us. Hope to get one more blog in here before we head out but if not i'll be writing you from across the globe.
Hope you had a wonderful christmas and have a great new years. Look forward to keeping up with you in 2009!

Gingerbread house #2

 
 
 
 

This was a much more professional gingerbread house because we let Loblaws do all the dirty work. We headed to the store for a gingerbread workshop with Grammy where for $18 they have everything ready for you including three color's of icing and a santa and his reindeer for the top of the house, all you have to do is show up, decorate it however you like with as much candy and icing as you like and leave the cleanup behind. My kind of gingerbread house. Its actually not that much more expensive and much less work.

6 DAYS!!!!

One week from tomorrow

Wow. I cannot believe how fast the day's are going. One week from tomorrow and we'll be heading on our long plane ride to Fiji. Yipeeee!
So far everything has been going really well for getting things done and having things work out in our favor.
My parents are here now so i'm able to get out and do errands or pack or make calls etc.
Three major things that were on our minds fell into place last week that we are extremely thankful for. We were selling our car but so far no buyers. The problem with selling it too early was that we wouldn't be able to go anywhere with my parents b/c we wouldn't all fit in the jeep. So I told Darryl that the reason it wasn't sold yet was b/c God had the perfect buyer in mind and it would be great if they didn't want it until boxing day or the day after when my parents leave. So...sure enough, one of Darryl's buddies ends up buying it and he's in no rush to have it b/c he doesn't need it until January!! It Could not have worked out more perfectly. God is not often early but he is always on time :)

We were also concerned about getting to the airport and where we were going to store our jeep. We had a plan but there were still some kinks in it. Well, that got worked out too. We are driving our jeep to T.O and then someone is driving it back to Ottawa for us and storing it, for free, for us. So awesome!

Our last dilemma was all the luggage. We are taking 2 pieces each, a total of 8 suitcases, 2 car seats, a stroller and carry-on's. I know, CRAZY. It is not all going to fit in the jeep. I even looked into shipping a box to NZ but it would cost over $200 and take 6-8 weeks. So back to the suitcases. Darryl was telling a friend how we were probably going to have to tie them to the roof somehow and turns out that he and his wife are driving through T.O the day before us so they said they would drop the extra luggage at the hotel for us!!

God is Good.

Please pray that we will have a safe and uneventful travel to the other side of the world. I know that some drama would make for good reading on here but I'd really rather write about how unbelievably well it went:)

Last couple of days

Busy busy busy has been the last couple of day's for me. Lot's to do getting ready for Christmas and saying good-by to everyone and moving. But I am happy to say that we have been blessed so far to have everything falling into place nicely. I cannot believe that we'll be gone in only 10 days.
We had our connections group xmas party last night and they had a good-bye cake for us. We've been blessed to be a part of an amazing church and the lives of some pretty amazing people in the last 6 months. Here are a couple pic's. I will try and keep my blog updated as much as possible but its getting hard at this point to even sit down at all.

YIKES!!!!!!!
LESS THAN TWO...2 WEEKS LEFT

Great minds think alike

So if you read my blog from earlier today you will find this funny.


This is an email my friend Sarah sent me shortly after I did today's blog posting and she hadn't read it yet:

Guess what? I was at Costco this afternoon - you'll never guess what I bought - I totally reminds me of you and some afternoons we spent together - do you know?
Biscotti!!!! Turtle Biscottie! I had one just now and I was missing you and the cup of tea or hot chocolate - I was too impatient to get a drink -lol!

ttys!

Too funny.

Hanging in there

So my coat that doesn't zip up...just got worse. It now has a huge rip in the seam of the shoulder. Zaiah barfed on my boots a couple of weeks ago and D has no coat. We are roughing it this last couple of weeks. Its a good reminder though of how little we need and how much we have and take for granted.
The pressure is building on top of the excitement. So much to do and not a lot of time to do it anymore. Its annoying me that I can't have a veg night or day without feeling guilty b/c there are SO many other things I should be doing.
And after all the company we've just had all I want to do is just curl up on the couch with my friend Sarah and watch old romance movies all afternoon with Chai lattes and Costco turtle biscotti's :)
Every day that it snow's (which is pretty much every day here in London) I keep chanting to myself the number of day's left until we leave for warmer weather. Also to remind me that I need to wear a bikini in two weeks, yikes!

16 days, 16 day's, 16 day's, 16 days...

ps. I do know that no one is pitying me reading this, so no sarcastic comments please :)

update

Two great stresses were released from our minds yesterday as Jax arrived safely to NL thankfully, and our NZ visa's arrived!!!!! We are good to go and things are getting booked.
I'm loving my new counter and time clocks that I've added to our blog. So exciting to see every time I'm on here how many day's are left and what time it is over there.
BTW, once we're there, if you plan on phoning, don't call me before 2pm your time :)
So weird that it will be a whole day ahead too. Ella is dealing really well so far. She talks about leaving London very rationally and is looking forward to all the fun we've promised once we are there. Zaiah doesn't get it. She's going with the flow. Although her latest development in the stubborn department could prove to be challenging for travel, lol.

The excitement is building!!!!

Drama this morning

Its only 10am and I feel like I've had a whole day. It was supposed to be relatively simple this morning. Zach and Christina had to catch the bus at around 7:30am and Jax had to be at the airport by 7:30am for his flight to NL. D was planning to drop them at the bus, Jax at the airport and on to work. Didn't go as smooth.
I get a call at around 8am with D telling me they are not recommending Jax fly from T.O to NL b/c the cargo area of that plane is not heated and it was going to be like -7 degrees for a 3 hour flight... too cold.
To get Jax on a flight home to NL I had minimal options in the first place b/c they only have limited flights that are heated enough this time of year and after Dec 15th there is a block-out for flying any pet's in cargo. So please, tell me why I had this issue this morning. Who is the person that booked him on a flight in December that wasn't heated.
So anyway, D is dealing with them trying to find alternate arrangements, i'm on the phone trying to get somewhere with it and then all of a sudden they say "oh, its not as cold in TO now. He should be okay. But if you had a sweater or something for him it would be even better".
D has to get to work, Ella's crying b/c she's just realized that her puppy is gone and she misses him, she has school at 9am, they haven't had breakfast but we rush out the door to drive 20min. to the airport to bring Jax his sweater. And Ella got to say good-bye.
In the end the guy there was nice about it all and gave Jax his flight half price, lol, and had Jax sitting next to him with a bowl of water waiting for us.
Ella arrives at school only a half hour late but with no lunch, oops.

The funny thing about all this, is that when I got up this morning I was telling Darryl that for the last hour or so I was stressing in my sleep about Jax being too cold on the plane today. I hadn't thought about it at all in the day's leading up to him leaving but that was what was on my mind in the wee hours this morning. A little foreshadowing to the mornings events I guess. Poor puppy, I hope he's okay.

Winter fun with company

Only 19 day's left to this cold wet stuff here in Canada. Our time in london is dwindling fast. Having so much company and it being a busy season anyway is speeding the day's up even faster. We've just had Darryl's parents here, and now my brother and his girlfriend are here, leaving tomorrow. It was so nice for the girl's to reconnect with them before we head out.
Here are a few pic's from the last couple of day's. Victoria park at christmas is especially beautiful with all the lights and the little skaing rink. Not quite like the canal in Ottawa but still fun.

Christmas Grace or something like that...

I'm embarrassed to say that today I somehow was obviously not paying attention enough while driving b/c I 'tapped' the back of this man's car with mine. I was stopping behind him at a red light and somehow looked away or something and didn't notice how fast he was actually stopping or how little pressure I was applying to the brake and...oops. Thankfully it really was just a little tap but I was sure he was going rake me over the coals.
So we pull over and I begin apologizing and wait for him to asses the damage and ask for my info. There was only the slightest nick out of the paint on his bumper. He looks at me and asks "what happened?" I explain my carelessness. He Say's "How old are you?" I'm not getting where this is going but I say "29". He Say's "Really? You look a lot younger" (This is due to my new short bangs and minimal make-up I'm pretty sure :). I say "Well, thanks" He asks me where I am going and I tell him home. And, here's the great part...He gives me a hug, kiss on the cheek and Say's "Merry Christmas! Don't worry about it" And walks back to his car!!!!

Yipieee!!!

I was so flabbergasted that I don't even think I wished him a merry Christmas. Yes, the kiss on the cheek and hug in the middle of a busy street were a little weird but I will take it.
I'll have to pay this one forward.

Well, maybe not the kissing and hugging part but definitely the grace :)

Life Links- this christmas for us

If you have not seen this video yet titled the "advent conspiracy" you should check it out.
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

This christmas is really different for us this year b/c we have no stress related to it. No decorations, no gift buying frenzy, what gifts I wanted to give, I have it done. We have no expectations with each other, so the pressure is off there and... its nice. Relaxing. And yes, it does help that we are heading to FIJI and NZ 3 day's later ;)

But seriously, I love not having the pressure. I only like to give gifts if I see something that I want to give you. I don't want to have to rack my brains and stress about what to give b/c its expected. And then, did I give enough b/c "they" always give us a lot ....its a little insane and definitley out of control b/c its lost it meaning. Thus, i'm not a big fan of gift cards all the time either. Certain circumstances are acceptable for me :)

I love christmas decorations but i'm loving not stressing about having them all up just so. We have a little christmas tree that we borrowed though and it is so cute. Ella and Poppy picked out decorations for it at the dollar store and had fun decorating it just how they liked. Its perfect.
We made a ginger bread house last night, I let Ella throw the candy on however she liked and it was perfect. She LOVED it. And then we ate it today. Which I loved :)
I am looking forward to all of our christmas parties and the time that we will be able to spend with all of our friends and family this time of year.

How will it change things for us next year?
I don't know.

Maybe we will be able to keep it simple and not get caught in the pressure of all the christmas marketing, we'll see.

Ella's creations

 
 

We have been having a creative week this week so I thought i'd share it on here.
The gingerbread might not be the prettiest you've ever seen but we had lots of fun decorating it and eating the candy!!!
Aren't her little handprints adorable. Can't wait to have a wall to hang it on :)

Our new nephew

Darryl's brother and his wife just added to our family by adopting a gorgeous little 2 year old boy from Thailand, Jayden, as a brother for our other gorgeous nephew Carter. This is making going away a little bit harder since we won't get to meet him until next summer.
Aren't they gorgeous?!

And speaking of in-law's...well my in-law's (D's parents :), they are coming tomorrow for a visit. I know, some people would not be excited about this, but we're looking forward to visiting before we head off for 6 months and for the girls spend some time with their nanny and poppy. They are so blessed and fortunate to have 2 sets of wonderful grandparents who are obsessively crazy about them.

Hot water drama

We woke this morning to find that we had NO hot water :(

I noticed it wasn't getting cold when I washed my face last night but at that point I was too tired to care. Today I am realizing all the things I need hot water for and very thankful that this is a rental...therefore not really my problem :)

Thank goodness for the gym where I was able to shower today.

my daughter the romantic

Ella's bestest friend in the whole wide world is her little friend Elijah. They've been tight since they were 5 months old, lol. And their b-day's are only 20 day's apart. They are so cute together.
So yesterday she recieves a picture in the mail from him that he drew. It was a picture of his family, mom, dad, him and his brother...and Ella. He told his mom that he had to put Ella in there b/c she's his sister and therefore in their family. Too cute.
So anyway, today Ella wanted to write him a thank-you note for the picture and send a picture back. She said, and here's the romantic part, "I'll draw a picture of me and Elijah holding hands in the grass picking flowers for our mommies".
Ahhhhhhhhh. So sweet.
Are girls and boy's really that different? Where do little girls get this stuff? I can't imagine a boy coming up with one like that. Too funny.

It never ends

Ok, sorry to complain a little on here but i'm cooped up in this house and therefore have no other outlet:)
So now, Zaiah is still sick, D came home sick yesterday and Ella started last night. AHHHHH. Patience please! I don't know how much more I can take , between the whinning, the mess (you know what kind of mess I mean. The kind of sick that comes with a bad gastro), the laundry that follow's the "mess", and being quarentined to the house....I was out of the bed more than I was in the bed last night. I was not fit this morning for anything. Thank God for coffee!!!!

Poor little Zaiah is loosing weight by now. They both have great energy and an appetite so that's good.
Ella was traumatized by what was happening to her "in the bathroom". I had to explain everything over and over to her in the middle of the night.
Ahh, the firsts....lol.

And to top it all off...it WON"T STOP SNOWING HERE!!! D didn't even bring any out door winter clothes b/c its usually not too bad untill the end of Decembre but its like only this surrounding little area around London that is getting any snow. The girls are loving it b/c now they get a little taste of winter and won't miss the snow all together but it is a pain in the a.. for us.

Fiji, 5 weeks, focusing on FIJI....

That's what has been happening in the Young household this last week. I hope you can stay clear of the stuff. Wash, wash and wash your hands :)

Life Links- Your Past

Wow. This will pretty much hit home with everyone on some level. How are you broadcasting yourself is the question. Check out the link below. Make sure you catch all the links J put's up and the viedo clip of Extreme Home Makeover. Have a great week!

http://www.lifecentre.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=43796

sicky-poo

My week with my sis was so fun and just what I needed to help get me through these last couple weeks here in London. But unfortuanetly, thanks to Zaiah, it ended with a bang.
Zaiah came down with a stomach flu thursday, poor little thing, and so on the way to the Hamilton airport both Ains and I started feeling "carsick", or so we thought. Thank God we both were able to make it safely back to our homes to be sick in private. Poor Darryl. He is practicing his bedside manner and orderly skills this weekend. It will make him a well-rounded surgeon, lol.

So, on the bright side, with bikini season only 5 weeks away again for me, this may kick start a diet. :)

Expelled-No intelligence allowed

We watched a really interesting documentary tonight by Ben Stien called Expelled. You can check out the link below to watch a little clip. Then go get it at you local movie store :)

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=iV8sN1UngFY

Sisterhood

YEAH, My sister is here to visit! We get to do sisterly things like shopping and late night movies and latte's!!! She is recently engaged and this will be my only opurtunity to enjoy the pre-wedding fun with her. My friendship with my sister makes me so happy to have two daughter's that will hopefully be great friends too as they get older.

Ahhhhhhh :)

Life Links: Crazy Love

http://www.crazylovebook.com/

Check out this link and go to Video's and click on The Awe Factor.
Its a pretty amazing perspective heh? We are small... God is big

mmmm, my new find!!!

For any of you who live in London, or if you ever spend anytime here you have to check out this wonderful new cupcake place that just opened called razzle dazzle cupcakes. They are not only tasty but beautifully decorated and there are so many original flavors and combinations.
I've been to the cupcake store magnolia's in New York (made famous by Sex in the City) and the one in Calgary and these, in my opinion, are no competition.

Here's the website: www.razzledazzlecupcakes.ca

6 weeks to go

Hard to believe that our time here in London is almost up. 6 weeks until we are off to Auckland, NZ and there is so much to do. I finally got around to making a few calls about getting us and all our stuff to the airport (picture 2 adults, 2 kids, 8 suitcases, carry-on's, stroller and two carseats) Its gonna be CRAZY!
I also finally got Jax booked on a flight home to NL to stay with a friend. The list is long and the time is speeding by. A place to stay once we get there would be a really nice one to check off the list.
Fortunately we have visitor's comming starting next week pretty much until we leave so that will be lot's of help and company for the last few weeks.

Remembering

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In memory of my pop, Joshua Goobie.

Just curious...

Are you easily motivated and driven? Do you like to challenge yourself when it comes to exercise, education and other day to day things that you have on your list to do?
I have to admit, I find it hard sometimes to be motivated to do things, so i've been thinking a little about what get's me motivated. I am a huge procrastinator in some area's of my life and then i'm a planner in other areas. When it comes to connecting with people and helping others I can usually get my act together. But when it just comes down to me i'm a procrastinator. I need the push. I will put off exercise, dieting, cleaning, laundry, bills, even house hunting (we have no place to live in NZ yet).... I don't like to worry about things earlier than I absolutely have to, and I find that I am one of those people that if I have a busy day or week I can get a lot accomplished. The more I have to do in one week the more I will get the other things done that i've put off. I need the pressure and the deadline. Anyone else like that? And how do you get the motivation you need if you need to get things going?

For you people, like Darryl, who are easily motivated and like to challenge themselves, what's the driving force behind that self motivation? Do you need lists and just love the sense of accomplishment when you cross things off? Is it the ways or culture you were raised in, are you OCD :)?
How do you get motivated each day?
Do you have something you listen to in the morning,
Do you exercise in the morning?
Do you take quiet time to do devotions, or journal...
or is it just plain caffeine??

I'm curious

Life Links

Check out a talk about the trival pursuits of our life. Which of the things in your life are trivial and which are meaningful?
Trivial Pursuits: http://connectionschurch.ca/sermons.html

Tomorrow, I want to chat about what keeps you motivated each week?!



http://connectionschurch.ca/

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Christy to write "Random Facts About Me". Here are the rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


Random Facts About Me:

1)I have been with Darryl since I was fourteen (yikes)
2)I am a retired (lol) hairstylist. I used to teach with Redken.
3)I have a fear of elevators that is getting worse
4)I do a really great motor boat photo
5)I would love to learn french and sign language
6)I love going to the spa

I only have two other bloggers that I keep up with and they have both already been tagged so if you have a blog send it to me. Or leave me fun facts about you on in my comments.

Unusually beautiful weather

It is like 20 degrees here in Lonodn, ON today. I cannot believe it. Its NOVEMBER. If you saw my older post it snowed, really snowed, last week. Very strange. It has been beautiful and warm all week. The kids have been playing at the park in short sleeve shirts.
Its working out well for us b/c we haven't been investing in any winter clothes where we will be leaving it all behind at the end of December and heading to another summer :) Everything the girls have is either slightly too small or too big, mine and Zaiah's coats don't zip up, we have mis-matched and old everything....We were quite the site last week.
If only it could stay like this untill say Dec, 24th!!!!

Life Links

I think I may do something new on sunday's on my blog. Whenever I hear or watch something impactful or something that made me grow in some way, I think I will post it here for anyone who may be intereted. I love to share things that inspire, encourage or keep me accountable so here's the first:


By: Jason Boucher

http://www.lifecentre.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=43796

Copy and paste the link

Trick or treating

We had such a blast with the girls last night trick or treating. We took them to a friends house to go with their little girl and b/c we live in a retirement community that was probably in bed by the time we went out. Or maybe it would be against the condo rules to trick or treat there. Anyway, the three of them were hysterical learning this anual tradition for the first time. After just one house i'm pretty sure they would have been fine to go home b/c they thought they had scored the loot. Imagine it like them, going to some stanger's house, saying the words trick or treat and they dump more candy then their parents have ever given them into their bag. With every house they got more and more excited and Ella would run up to me and say "Look how much I got". Lauryn would almost scare everyone with her enthusiastic "TRICK OR TREAT" as they opened the door, and Zaiah would turn and run if the owner if the house was dressed up. She was so cute b/c she didn't know what she was doing. She was just following the big girls and once Ella and Lauryn got their candy Zaiah would be happy enough and go to leave with them instead of trying to get her own candy. Once she caught on though she was having no part of actually putting the candy in her bag. She wanted it OPEN now!

It was so fun to re-live my childhood excitment through their experience especially now while they think just 3 candies are GREAT and they are not out for the pillowcase full. To lessen the sugar crash we all resorted to watching a little friday night Dora. Yes, its come to friday nights with Dora. But it's all worth it!

Today November 1st is All Saints day and my baby is 2. Wow, two years goes by so fast. We are so blessed!

Happy Halloween!

My talented husband the surgeon's crafty creation from last year :)

Play group/halloween party/birthday party

Fun was had by all this morning as we dressed our little kiddies in their costumes for our weekly playdate. And since Zaiah has no friends here (well, I guess she kind of does now) I took advantage of the play group to have a cake and call it a birthday party. At least it will look good on pictures when she's older, lol. Friends, cake, a few gifts...what else do you need?!
Incase you could'nt tell, Ella and Zaiah are disco Barbie! Poor little Zaiah has been sick all week but she made her best effort to be a party girl.

Happy Halloween!!!!