My time is coming to an end.....

Well my last blog was for my birthday - all the way back in March and I promised to keep updated about the bundle of joy that we were expecting.... Emma Lynn Goetz was born 18th April at 6:45 am. Tina woke me at 3am and we were driving to the hospital about 45 mins later. Tina and Chris both did great - it was amazing to see. She is going great, cant believe that its been nearly 6 weeks! Emma is the most beautiful thing and Tina and Chris are great parents!

So I got to fly up to Smithers to see a friend from college :) It is about a 2 hour flight north and if I drove for four more hours I would get to Alaska - so that kinda gives you an idea where it is. It was such a great couple of days :) I got to meet her little boy Liam. We spent a great couple of days seeing all there is to see in Smithers - they still had snow half way down the mountains! It was gorgeous. On the Monday night we had a bonfire outside and I had my first S'mores experience. S'mores is a melted marshmellow, which you then squish between two Graham Crackers (which are just sweet biscuits) and a square of chocolate.... very sweet but soooo yummy!

My next adventure was Powell River to see Tina's family. Her dad hadnt met Emma before, as he works in Yemen, so we had a great 5 days there :) I went for a hike with Sammy, Tinas brother in law - just as we start the walk he decides to show me that he has brought Bear spray - naturally I became quite a bit nervous about this. It was a great week but also quite sad as I was saying goodbye to the family :( We  realised it was the beginning of my goodbyes.... and there is nothing NOTHING good about goodbyes!

So I embark on the last two weeks of my time here. Tina and I have it full of things to do, places to see, people to catch up with and our favourite restaurants to eat at..... and most importantly as many Emma hugs I can get in as possible!! :)

My Birthday!!!

Hi!

Last Friday was my birthday, so I thought I would share my day with you! Tina had planned a whole day for me and I had no idea what was happening - she loves giving surprises, I just don't like being on the receiving end as much :)

My morning started with Tina singing 'Happy Birthday' to me and cooking me Raisin French Toast, with Maple Syrup and peaches for breakfast (my favourite!). Tina and Chris gave me a package of Murray River Salt (gotta love home!) and a Pandora charm of a babys pram to signify the time I spend here with them.

Tina had to work only the morning, so after work she came home and we started making my birthday cake.... Pumpkin Trifle!!! Katie (Tina's sister) had made it before for me and knew how much I loved it so sent over the cake so I could have it again! We then went out for lunch to have some 'girl time' in the local area.

Chris then joined us and we caught the Skytrain downtown to have CUPCAKES!!! I have wanted to go there ever since I left in 2004 and missed out on going... so I had a Red Velvet cupcake and we bought a candle too! We went across the street for the much needed Starbucks 'Can I please have a tall, non-fat, no whip, half sweet, white chocolate mocha' and found two guys who were smoking so that they could light my candle :) We ate and drank and met a German man who wished me a German Happy Birthday 'Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag' and gave me two kisses for my special day!

We then walked around downtown... mainly to let lunch and coffee settle before dinner.. and found a wonderful tea shop that Tina completely and utterly fell in love with! We wandered around (I still had no idea what was happening) til I saw a sign that said GO AUSSIE GO and realised that we were eating at Mooses Downunder for dinner - an Australian pub! They had footy tops framed all around the pub - but unfortunately were out of Coopers Pale since the Olympics - apparently Canadians didn't understand how much we Aussies like to drink :)

We had a 'gander at the grog' menu and read all the interesting facts they had about Australia. The funniest was teaching Chris and Tina what 'Budgie Smugglers' were - then they couldn't stop laughing! Eventually after we ate and drank some more we walked back to the Skytrain, heading home. Jess, BJ and Sydney (our neighbours) joined us for a game of 'Whoonu' and the famous Pumpkin Trifle!

It was a fantastic day! :) Which made it easier from being away from home - even though I got a little homesick :(

Hope you are enjoying the updates! Soon the baby will be coming - due in 3 weeks so we are getting the room ready this weekend and getting more and more excited to meet the bundle of joy - I will keep you updated!!

Kiri :)

The Olympics!

Hi!

So I have finally gotten around to getting back on here! My attempt at once a week didn't really pan out that well (sorry Deb!) so I thought I would back track a little and let you know about the Olympics.

I was really lucky to be able to go and see the Dress Rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony. It was held on the Monday before they opened on Friday. One of my friends was in the ceremony, giving all the crowd the signals for what they needed to do. It was a great experience, there were about 30,000 people there and it didn't cost the $500 the actual ceremony was costing! Seeing it again on Friday was great and we hardly missed out on anything... well apart from the athletes, but we all cheered anyway. There must have been heaps of Aussies there that night, because I wasn't alone when the flag came out and I stood and cheered! Seriously... I couldn't help it! :)

On the Saturday Tina and I went and saw the Womens mogul events up at Cypress mountain. We were pretty excited til we got to the university where we were catching the bus with everyone and they were running nearly 2 hours late. It was raining and people weren't to impressed! We managed to get up to the mountain just before the qualifying round started, and it was PACKED! We watched the ladies do their thing, and saw the Australian girl. She was the only one who was interviewed on the night because she is so young, so that was cool! She came in 17th to start with but dropped lower... but she was still so excited! I think she is only about 15 so she is doing pretty good really!

This photo shows how much fun we were having!! Right??!! Is it convincing?? :)

We went and got dinner at half time, and waited 2 hours for that as well. Unfortunately it was the first even on Cypress so they were just working out the kinks. It was cold, raining and I was wet up to my knees. So by the time we finally got food we decided to head home and watch the rest on TV! I know... not very committed but my feet were swimming in water by the time I got home... but it was an experience none the less!




This photo to the left, shows how much snow was brought in for the Olympics as everything else was green and brown!

I think the photos look like we are having a better time! It was great to say that we have seen an event, just not the most comfortable!

Kiri :)

The week that was......

Hi!

Well I promised a certain someone...... namely Deb... that I would attempt to write more often than once a month. So here I am only one week later filling you in on what I have been up to this week.

Last weekend we had the Axis Retreat, Axis is the young adults group from church. We went to a camp about 15 mins from home near Port Moody (I think!) from Friday night to Sunday lunch time. I was a little hesitant to go, as I don't know that many people from the group, being over Christmas and holidays the people haven't been that consistent. But I went (took my mums advice more like it!) and ended up having a great time! We had a speaker from USA and his wife come and share with us. We had four sessions, one of those being just with the girls which was great. It really surprised me the intimacy that these girls shared, the willingness to share things close to their hearts. Their ability to open up and become vulnerable so that they could grow, and so the relationships we have are deeper, it was amazing. It is such a nice feeling to know that we are 'not alone' in things that we are going through, that we all have struggles and we can be there to support one another. We had some amazing worship times where God really spoke to me and the group as a whole, it was a really encouraging weekend.

It was great having time to put all of our (well not mine because mines not) hectic schedules aside for a couple of days and just be with each other. Its also great being from Australia, means that conversation is easy, and I get better and better at explaining where Adelaide is in relation to Sydney or Melbourne! It was a gorgeous campsite, seemed so far away from everything, but close enough for Tina and I to have a Starbucks date Saturday afternoon! I didn't end up taking any photos, but it was mostly rainy (because we are in Vancouver) and foggy, so there wasn't much scenery to see anyway!

Tina was sick during the weekend, so on Saturday night she decided to go home and sleep in her comfy bed, and being the good friend I am, I decided that she probably needed some company! So we had a nice sleep and hot showers and went back for the Sunday service the next morning. Im trying to explain how great and encouraging the weekend was, to be with a group of like minded young adults, so if I haven't got that point across, maybe just believe me that it was!

This last week was pretty slow, with Tina home for a few half days as she was sick, and being pregnant couldn't take anything for it, then she passed it to Chris who had two days off, now they have graciously shared the love with me! So we have all been looking after each other while we haven't been well, and I think they have realised how pathetic I am when I am sick :)

Friday was Tina's birthday. We started with Starbucks before work, then out to lunch and out to dinner. Luke and I had ordered her birthday present on Ebay and thankfully at 4:30 it came! To set the context, if Tina and Chris could quit their jobs and work anywhere, it would be in Disneyland! Tina wants to run a cotton candy stall. So we found a Cotton Candy machine for her own kitchen, she was extremely excited about this and is already planning dates where she can use it! (Thank goodness she doesn't have gestational diabetes!)

I cooked dinner for them on Saturday night.... yes you heard correctly! I cooked, all by myself, and it was edible! Chicken stuffed with apricots and brie, wrapped in prosciutto. It is rather difficult getting used to cooking with different ingredients, however Tina and Chris assured me they are more than happy to let me 'experiment' on them :)  Who knows, maybe Ill become a cook after all!!

Well tomorrow is the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony. It will be crazy downtown, and security is full on. No cameras, no bags, no food or drink, and wear white... are the instructions that I have been given. So unfortunately I cant post photos of the ceremony, but you can all watch it on Friday night, or whenever it is begin broadcast over there! But I promise I will have photos of the Mogul even Tina and I are going to on Saturday, cant guarantee any snow, but the fake stuff is still exciting to an Australian!

During my week I have been attempting to do three canvases for the baby's room of Winni the Pooh and friends, they seem to be going ok, and I'm not as terrible as drawing as I thought! If I get up the guts I will post some photos once they are painted and finished.

Cant wait to fill you all in on the action of the Olympics! Will be a crazy week.

Kiri :)

Australia Day Celebrations and the past two months

Hi all!

I cant believe that in a couple of weeks I have been here for two months - I have seen so much and have been having a great time, I hope you have been enjoying my photos!

When Tina and Chris got home we started Christmas, Tina LOOOVVVEESSS her Christmas and actually starts watching Christmas movies in October. We went to two Christmas choir concerts and they were amazing, my favourite was a small group who sung in a big old church in downtown Vancouver. There voices sounded so beautiful as it rose to the high ceilings. We went with Chris' parents, Martha and Klaus and it has been great getting to know them.

The week before Christmas was full on, with baking..... there is sooo much Christmas baking! and family events, and Christmas shopping, it was so much fun. We had a Goetz family reunion, they were so lovely, I felt like I was part of their family. We sang carols, some in German, and ate and ate and ate.

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve, as Chris' family is German. We had fondue and more baking! The Christmas tree was lit, and the fire was going as we ate and ate and ate again! It was truly just like the movies. We had waffles in the morning, at back home we opened our Christmas stocking presents.... I love stockings... full of fun little things (expect mine had an Olympics ticket in it! so Tina and I are seeing the Moguls on a local mountain on 13th Feb) and then went back for a Turkey dinner Christmas night.

I don't think I have ever seen a whole turkey cooked before, stuffing and all, and I don't think I want to see it again. It was horrible watching Klaus 'pull' the stuffing out.... I couldn't watch as I was dry reaching! The family had a great time paying me out about it, but it tasted fantastic! Everyone was so curious as to how we could actually celebrate Christmas in the summer, 'what do you eat?!' was the main question I would get. I reassured them that we still celebrate well, just with cold food instead.

New Years Eve was great as was the two weeks that followed. I got to be a tourist and visit downtown and Vancouver Island for a couple of days. To get to the Island we got to take the helicopter, it was so beautiful seeing Vancouver and Victoria from the sky - a once in a life time experience!

So we have all settled in to normal life now, Tina and Chris are back at work, and I am - not so intensely - looking for a job myself. However, we did take a few days off and go snow skiing up at Silver Star a couple of weekends ago. I skied with Chris (who has grown up doing it), I had a great time. Even though the last mountain I decided to - well we will say that anyway - go down head first on my back! I was laughing so hard at myself, but Chris assured me that I was 'making good ground' and funnily enough I felt much safer going down the mountain that way than on my skis! It was so beautiful - if you haven't seen my photos, check them out! Ultimately words and pictures can not to justice to how beautiful it was. The day I skied the sun was out and it was so clear you could see forever, standing on the top of a mountain is the most majestic experience. Even if you do realise that the only way is down! I am hoping to get a bit more skiing in before the season is over, but I think water skis are still going to be 'home' for me.

Australia Day was fantastic! I met up with a couple from Adelaide, Lauren and Brendan, and they had a BBQ with some of their friends. I love Canadians, but I didnt realise how much I miss the Australian sense of humour til I was sitting in the lounge room laughing and drinking with my Aussie friends. We had Tim Tams and Pavlova, and although we all said we missed having it down at the beach in the summer, it was a really good subsitute.

All in all, it is great being over here. Catching up with my old friends and being here with Tina and Chris, especially as her baby date is getting closer! Tina and I have now started an Aquafit class two mornings a week and baby loves it! I felt the baby kick the other day and I cried - it is such a wonderful gift - and such a blessing to be here during this time.

Please have a look at my photos, I am not sure how else to post them other than Facebook, but I hope you enjoy!

Let me know how you are all doing

Kiri :)

Let The Adventure Begin!

So I have been here for a week now..... and thought I would let you all know what I have been up too!

My Jet-lag got the better of me for the first 5 days. Friday night or more like Saturday morning I was up at 2am eating a bowl of Cheerios because my body was telling me it was dinner time! But I think now that I am settled in more, sleeping at night time and eating when I am supposed to!

It snowed the first Sunday I was here. I was very excited about it! Not very many people in Vancouver get excited about the snow, as they are not used to it, so driving becomes a little difficult.... but I was out there! Standing in the snow, eating the snow and having snowball fights! There is a family who live in the basement suite under Chris and Tina's house and they have a 9yr old daughter, so thankfully I found someone that was just as excited as what I was.

As Tina and Chris have been in Germany last week, I have been relaxing and actually holidaying! Sleeping til I please, and getting up just to watch DVDs, episodes of WestWing and eat! I have loved my week of rest. (If someone talks to Chris Oxenham please let her know that I actually did this... she wanted to know!)

I went to the young adults group on Thursday night and then had my first experience at ordering wings! They were pretty good.... so was the 'pop'... or soft drink as we call it. I had, however, forgotten about the whole tipping thing, oh and the tax that they don't put included in the price. It was great meeting some new people, but I am still so surprised about how little people know about Australia. The most common question after I tell them I come from Adelaide... is 'is that close to Sydney??' No-one knows where we are! I could tell them that we have no traffic lights and no movie theatres and they would believe me! and if they are from church circles is 'Do you go to Hillsong?'

I have to say, I am a little disappointed in the coffee here. Not quite what I am used to, and even though there is a Starbucks at least every 10 minutes, Im not a huge fan. So I am getting coffee sent over, so I can enjoy some stuff that reminds me of home!

Tina and Chris came home last night and Chris's mum and I went to the airport to pick them up. Their flight was delayed so it as 11:15pm before they landed in Vancouver - it was a long day of travel for them. We were waiting at the baggage place when I spotted who I thought was Chris (as I actually have never met him before) so I ignored the sign that said 'No Public Access' and I ran! I found Tina - it was so great to see her again after nearly 3 years.

Tonight we are having a young adults break-up party, with a theme of 'Wear your uglist winter sweater' so Tina has organised us to all wear one, so I will post photos of that soon. Next week will be baking, baking and baking for Christmas! Tina is a mad baker as I found out when I opened their freezer and came across the most delicious Christmas treats!

So I am new to this whole blogging thing, but hope you enjoy getting the updates on what I am up to on my Canadian Adventure! I am hoping that I am able to post photos so you can see what I am doing with my time.

Hope you are all well, look forward to hearing what you are doing

Kiri :)