Graduation

It has been a looooooong time since I updated my blog! In fact, if anyone bothers to check it anymore, you'll be completely shocked to find it's actually truly changed!!!

Well, in a nutshell, since I've been home, the following has happened:

- Saw my beautiful nephews and family and many friends: very fun
- Finished my final research paper: very ugly
- Ran a mini triathlon: very tiring
- Got a job: very cool as it is in my hometown doing exactly what I want to do
- Graduated: very relieving
- Hung out lots with Tim: very wonderful

And that's about it...with a couple of pics to elaborate!

Everyone overseas, know you're in my thoughts!!!
Everyone home, let's catch up!!!

Son

Post-Christmas

After Christmas/Boxing Day, I headed to Parksville (also on Vancouver Island) to hang with my friend Melissa (plus her hubby Tyler, 2 year old Noah and bubs on the way...) We headed up a mountain and after some intense driving through the snow, arrived at a tobaganning (?) spot. Cranked up the camp fire for some defrosting of feet and cooking of wieners. Not to mention the hot chocolate in Starbucks cups. So beautiful...and completed my wonderful 'White Christmas' experience. So yip, that's what I've been up to these last few days. Am going to the Nutcracker ballet tomorrow with Leah - such a treat! And then to Kelowna for New Years before coming home for a frantic day of packing and preparing before hopping on the plane and heading home (via Auckland). Maybe see you soon...:) See you next year!

Christmas

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone. For Christmas morning, we opened up presents - stockings even - (yes, I was spoiled by Leah and her family!) at Leah's parents house. Then we caught the ferry to her aunty's on Vancouver Island to celebrate the season with a huge turkey (two huge turkeys, actually) dinner. Hung out playing board games and what not in Victoria. The standard family Christmas...but without my family and in Canada. :)

Pre-Christmas

Hiya,

Since I finished school...it's been great...just hanging out and enjoying my last few days of Canada, friends and all a Canadian Christmas entails. Before Christmas, there was a bit of shopping to be done and hanging with the girls viewing the sights around and about town - mainly a major, major display of christmas lighting everywhere one looked. We went on a super cool Christmas train which was a zippy little train that played Christmas music while riding in the dark through a forest all lit up with heaps of cool lights and Christmas paraphenalia. Yes, I have been Christmasified (yes, that's a word I made up). In fact, Vancouver (currently under a lot of construction in preparation for 2010 as well as various developments) even adorns its cranes and concrete trucks with Christmas lights, as you can see in the pics...

Charmayne (my sis) and Chris...proud Jayden...Aunt T (my sis)....and Taua (my mum)

Lukas David

I have a new nephew! Lukas David Vincent, born December 16, 2006 at 8lb. 14oz, 55 cm long (I think I've got those dimension right!). Congrats to Charmayne and Chris! No pics yet...but am excited to get home and see Jayden's new little bro! Wahoo!

Who wants not to be a millionaire...

Happenings

Hmmm...howdy y'all.

I'm aware it's been a few days since I last wrote...but quite frankly, don't know what to write! Have had the weekend off from study before 'going under' for another week (paper/exam)...then my study here is done...'til I hit home and start work on my final paper due Feburary 01st. It's so monotonous to keep you informed of my SCHOOL work! But pretty much that's a lot of my life at present. The end is nigh!

So, my weekend-off was great. Went to a Christmas banquet on Friday night which was super slick. Very yummy food, some fun dancing and hanging with the girls. The only photos that were taken were mega posey ones...so yeah, didn't really manage to capture the event on film very well other than our faces...and you already have a fair idea what I/we look like! Saturday night Sarah and I went and saw a most enjoyably funny movie. It took 45mins driving around to find a carpark in downtown Vancouver amidst the horns tooting, glaring Christmas lights everywhere, limousines and crowds. The experience really confirmed for me...I'm not a city girl that's for sure! (By the way, apparently the story I did have in here doesn't make sense...so I've edited it :)).

Last night, went to a Dicken's Christmas church service (Bah, humbug!). Then a movie night at Sarah's watching 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' with Jim Carrey. Surprisingly enjoyable and apparently a 'must-do' Christmas tradition. Yes, have never been so 'Christmasised' in my life as I have whilst being in North America. In fact, let me take a pic of our Christmas tree. :) Haven't had one of those for many a year either! Quite fun really. Oh, did I mention the 7 spoons and tub of Mars icecream too? (That's just a girls night tradition not a Christmas one).

Tim tells me he's doing well in Bangladesh amidst the crazy driving and copious amounts of rice and curry. Wind is howling and work to do. Hope you're all doing well.

Sonya