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It's that time again!

So Spring has sprung here (or so we thought - this morning we woke up to snow... BUT), we enjoyed a nice weekend with the quads. The kids were so excited to go...

and so was the Big Kid... :)


Once we got up into the mountain the snow was not all melted yet, but the views were amazing. I can't wait to go back on a day with clearer skies.

Carter took this picture...

I think my kids looks so funny in their HUGE helmets and goggles, with their tiny faces squished inside. They don't seem to mind that though, they are busy jabbering and pointing to things the whole ride. I am SO glad the weather's getting warmer, as much as I try I'm not much of a winter person :)

Moonlight Run

Okay so this post is late and these pictures are terrible, BUT I wanted to post about my second race experience. We ran the Moonlight Run in Lethbridge last weekend and it was really fun. I did the 6K and am hoping to put many more races under my belt this year.


Cruisin'

Ok, so absolutely everybody needs to go on a cruise. Jared and I had an amazing vacation together on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The kids went up to Edmonton and stayed with my wonderful parents who took care of them for the week. Our ship was amazing, and had so many fun things to do - restaurants, pools, hot tubs, basketball courts, spa, fitness center, outdoor running track, a waterslide, nightly live entertainment, and so many fun activities going on all the time.

The Boat:







Key West, Florida:

Our port in Key West consisted of going to the beach

meeting a REAL LIVE PIRATE (peg leg and everything)


shopping

and eating.



Grand Cayman Island:

We spent the day snorkeling, it was so amazing. We bought an underwater camera and took some cool pictures, but it is not letting me put them onto the computer. Maybe those pictures will have to come at a later date.

My first time in the Atlantic Ocean!


More pirates

Roatan, Honduras:

Honduras was stinkin' HOT! The temperature was 28 Degrees celcius, but the humidity was around 90%.

We spent the day baking in the sun at the beach. The sweat was just dripping off us like crazy.





Cozumel, Mexico:

In Cozumel, we rented a Jeep and drove around the whole island. What a crazy place, we even got lost and ended up in the hood. The kinds of houses some of those people live in are just sad.

We went to the San Gervasio (Mayan) Ruins

Lots of huge iguanas there, so many we had to watch where we were walking so we wouldn't step on them! I was a little freaked out...


We were practically the only people there for a little while, so here's where we got creative with the self-timer on my camera.



One side of the island is calm and the other has crazy waves. Here's the crazy side:

We decided to invest in some prime Oceanfront Realty while in Mexico... awesome little vacation property hey? haha



Everyone there rides scooters, and most of the time crowding on as many adults, small children, and pets as they can. I got a picture of the typical "one-handed-infant-hold" (look closely)...
The whole trip was so amazing and we kept so busy. We were so glad to see the kids when we got home, but they said they didn't even miss us ?? Thanks again to my parents for putting up with them, they had a blast. And so did we.

Today I Am...

... attending Parent/Teacher Interviews. The other parents I've talked to got a "do-not-need-to-see" and I got an appointment time. Should I be nervous? :)


... looking forward to (yet another) trip next week, wherein we will be enjoying sun and sand. *I know, I know, we just went to the Olympics, but this trip was planned first and the Olympics didn't cost us anything.*

... wishing my body was naturally bathing suit ready, because I am so sick of working out and eating healthy. In fact, I could really go for a Big Mac right about now. Or a spoonful of peanut butter. Don't judge me.

... playing catch-up with emails. I'm not sure why I don't respond to emails as soon as I get them. It would make things alot easier if I did.

... shopping online for a new dress for Hayley. It's wedding time for the Whidden Family again!

... excited for Jared's brothers wedding in a month. Jared's family is so spread out that we don't get to see some of them very often so weddings are so fun!

... still laughing about something someone said about me a few days ago (while playing foosball): "Julie's super competitive, but she's not very good" . Haha, story of my life!

... ready to paint my entire main floor again. I've never been entirely happy with the color when we painted it last year. Plus we bought cheap paint and it shows! Example: Jared played a trick on me (the classic taping-down-the-spray-nozzle on the kitchen sink). Water sprayed not only me, but also the wall 10 feet behind me and the paint washed off. Lame.

... now remembering all the tricks my husband likes to play on me. There's been alot. Funny, until the day he scared me so bad I fainted. True story. (I know Kirsti's laughing reading this. I'm laughing too. It's actually a great story)

... realizing my kids are growing up way too fast. They are each reaching some new milestones (ie: reading!) and I can't believe how they've turned independent so quickly.

... missing some family and friends we haven't seen in awhile.

... excited to see my parents, brothers, and sister this weekend.

... going to attempt to use my sewing machine again. It's been awhile since it got used. I get frustrated easily and sewing brings out the worst in me.

... thankful for my Mr. Handsomepants, he really is the greatest. Everyone could use a Jared :)

... having a good day!


What are YOU today?

Um...

This morning my daughter stood in the kitchen and cried so much, there were actual puddles of tears on the floor.


Which leaves me wondering, is every little girl as dramatic as mine?

Believe

Eight years ago, Jared and I were dating in college and on a whim, decided to drive down to Salt Lake for the 2002 Winter Olympics. We stayed with Jared's brother Ben and his wife Andrea and had the time of our lives. We didn't have tickets to any events, but spent the week watching events at Canada House, meeting athletes, attending free medal ceremonies and outdoor concerts, and soaking up all the festivities. On the way home, our vehicle broke down near Dubois, Idaho, cost way too much to fix for poor college students, and we spent three days walking/hitchhiking/Greyhounding back to Canada. During that week we got to see each other in good times and bad, and after we made it home, I knew he wasn't just some guy. I fell in love on that trip.


Eight years later and here we are, married with 2 kids, and lucky enough to find ourselves at the Olympics again! The company Jared works for is an Olympic sponsor, and Jared worked on the Olympic Planning Committee. We were fortunate enough to be awarded a trip to Vancouver, along with several other committee members. The whole trip was amazing and I can't even express how great it was to be there.

the crowds. it was like this everywhere:
our hotel
at the Figure Skating Arena
Howie Mandel! Love him...



The whole Teck group, employees from all over Canada!
At the Richmond Olympic Oval for Mens Speed Skating


Ocean view
At Cypress for the Womens Snowboard Cross
holy stairs...

At the Mens Canada vs. Norway Hockey game




We were invited to attend an award ceremony for Alex Bilodeau at the downtown Teck head office. It was definitely the swankiest party we will ever attend and we were blown away.

Only a true Canucks fan can appreciate the awesomeness of this picture:
Teck supplied the medals for the Olympics and we got to hold them.
Ice sculpture
We named this the "Austin Powers" room, everything was gold.

The whole trip was so amazing and we feel so lucky to be able to be there, experiencing the excitement and atmosphere in Vancouver. We were happy to get back to the kids though, who stayed with my aunt and uncle.

Patriotic kids... we raise 'em well.


Happy Olympics!