Fact is there's nothin' out there you can't do- even Santa Clause believes in you!

In the car, on the way to Bright Angel Park.

S: "I've got it! I know what we can name the kids."

M: "Oh yes?"

S: "Spawn, Spawnlet, and Spawnling."

L: "What happens if we have four?"

M: "We name the fourth one 'Here Cam, this one's yours!'"

Like any general of the Imperial Star Fleet, I have extremely good and valid reasons for why things are not getting done in a timely manner. Like blog posts, or finding the rebel base, or finishing the second Death Star.

But here I am, writing up a new one, and I will try my best to fill you in on the past three weeks.

Firstly, Michael and Sarah found a brilliant new place to go while I was stuck at work with a 30 hour week (that sounds like complaining- its not, I'm just only part time so it was kinda crazy for me). It's called Bright Angel Park, and it is a big park encompassing a solid length of a beautiful fresh water river perfect for swimming and general laying about.

A real life suspension bridge!!! I know, right!?

Most of the two weeks proceeding friday the 13th were spent in preparation for my family visiting. They arrived the night of Friday the 13th, and man did we ever have a fantastic time! At least once a day we visited some kind of waterside, be it

Transfer beach or Bright Angel or Cherry Point or Cowichan Lake. The pictures below are not any of mine- my genius photographer sister Danielle took them. And I think some of them Mom took on Dani's camera, I'm not sure. Regardless, I'm just going to let everyone marvel in the absolute gorgeousity (I'm making that a word right now) of Dani's photos.













ARRIVAL

It was storming on the island as the ferry came in, but not on the water,
resulting in some beautiful double rainbow action. 

He's not actually that muscular, he's jut full of hot air. ;)

"Next time on Tales of the Ferry- when windbreakers attack!"

You make think that its Ireland, but its not.

A very beautiful view of the crossing

Impressive. We drove through what felt like a freak lightning/thunderstorm to pick up Mom Dad and Dani, and witnessed some really awe inspiring rainbows. It was a 15 hour travel day for the Fryling Clan, so it was straight home to a curried turkey soup dinner and then bed.

BRIGHT ANGEL

The next day the weather was kind to us, so we took everyone on a picnic to Bright Angel, where Dani took these wonderful shots while my father and I made fools of ourselves swimming in the river and poking at an ancient crawdad.

 


Dani said that it looked like some setting for one of the Dungeons and Dragons type games I play. I think she's right. There be elves here.

NANAIMO

We arrived in Nanaimo just in time for the Nanaimo BBQ Festival and Silly Boat Regatta! I can't begin to tell you how much fun the Silly Boat Regatta was. As I understand it, it is a charity event where teams are given three hours to build a boat from pre-approved materials and then race them in Nanaimo bay. Here are some pictures of our favorite teams.

So THAT'S how they got out of Alcatraz.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, unless we start to tip...
Actually, these guys took the race, they were FAST.

See? Look at em go!

Much of the magic of the day came from the fact that people neither sank nor drowned. They should have, but they didn't. 

You can just see our favorites in the lower left corner- that
giraffe boat was not only awesomely ridiculous, but it FLEW.

Oh the vikings! Points for style, but that boat sat lower and lower
and lower in the water as the race went on. Dad and I
didn't think they'd make it to shore. 

There's a better picture of the giraffe!

 

You can see me doing this next year, can't you?
We also enjoyed the bookstore, some very fine bbq, gift shops, and sunshine. Afterwards, we went to Transfer beach, where Dad and Dani hopped in the ocean for a dip and mom and I sunbathed and read books. Then we went for a fruit serving.

A fruit serving? Funny family story. Toward the end of her life, my Great Grandma B was diabetic, and was only allowed so much sugar as was in a serving of fruit. To circumvent this limitation of her sweet tooth, any and all adventures in ice cream were referred to as 'fruit servings', and we call them that to this day. As my dad pointed out- "We're on vacation. Of course we're going to have ice cream every day."
And we did.

BEACON HILL PARK

 
  The best was driving down to Victoria for the day, to a place called Beacon Hill Park, where we stumbled across and absolute gem of a cove called Horseshoe Cove. We were getting quite hungry, and lucky for us there was a Thrifty Foods just down the road, so we stocked up on meat and cheese and bread and spread ourselves out a picnic blanket on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. From where we were sitting, we could see the mountains of Washington State (at least, we were pretty sure it was Washington, that's what the GPS said).

Harley the Heron, who followed us.

 

 

 This was of course after we drove around Victoria for about an hour trying to find somewhere to have lunch. We really lucked out. Dad and Dani picked up some driftwood to take home as a souvenir, mom tried out her photographer skills, and I sat and enjoyed some time with my family. Maybe I'm just very blessed, but truly hanging out with my dad, sister and mom is some of the best time I've spent in my life.

Some enterprising soul made a driftfish!

 

Ahh, paradise. 

We then hit the city of Victoria itself, with its wonderful architecture and street vendors and general city-ness. Unfortunately, I only have four pictures of this jaunt, I'm expecting to get more from the family when they've uploaded them. You hear that Frylings? Send me pictures!

Mom and Dad. I mean, um...

 
 

And then we ate more ice cream. 

COWICHAN BAY, THE END OF THE VISIT

On our last day together, we went out for dinner to a place called the Rock Cod Cafe in Cowichan Bay, on the advice of a local friend. We walked and enjoyed the free maritime museum, and Dani took these beautiful pictures of the town in the early evening. 

The requisite "Everyone make a face like a doofus" photo

Michael's fantastic Fruits de Mer Curry, 

My favorite photo. Open it in a new window to see it in its true glory.

As with all good things, my week with the family did eventually end. We made it to the ferry just in the nick of time to get them on it and back to the world of Michigan. There was barely time for a hug goodbye, and then I was back in the car driving up the island. 

My father texted me from the ferry, to tell me he loved me and to apologize that there wasn't enough time. "Sometimes," he said "there is never enough time"

"It occurs to me," I texted back "That that is what heaven is. The place where there is always enough time."

Or, y'know, this place.

After the family went home, things got crazy again. due to vacations and some hospitalizations, I ended up pull a 60 hour week this week, and I am wiped out. But, on the bright side of things, only one more week until puppy comes home to live with us. Would you like to meet Loki?

More next week!

Now the Eiffel Tower's holdin up a flower- can you picture that?

Dinah had a grand adventure.

"Yes. Me. I'm Dinah."

And by had a grand adventure, I mean she scared the living bejeesus out of us. Our house has an interesting design fluke- sometimes if you open the back door, it will cause a draft that pulls open the front door, and visa-versa. Our indoor only cats also have an interesting design fluke- they want to go outside. Emma was cured of this particular ailment when she lost the tip of her tail to the front door last year, and has since made little attempt to be in the 'outside place'.
Dinah, however, has no such built in smart mechanism.
So midway through our afternoon, our landlady Aphean comes over and says "I think I saw your cat, they're supposed to be inside cats right? Well she took off around the other side of the house, you better catch her."

Panic ensued, followed by casually frantic circling of the house calling for the cat, trying not to cry (mainly me on that one) and general searching. Followed, after about an hour an a half, by the acceptance of the fact that we would just have to wait for her to come back. Which she did.

Six hours later.

Suffice to say, we were overjoyed to see her, and are much more cautious of our doors acting up.

CAM HAS A JOB!!!!

Huzzah! Things are steadily progressing according to plan! Also, its a job at the Superstore, so hopefully Cam will get a discount on groceries. That would frankly be fantastic.

On one of my two days off, Sarah and I went and explored Lake Cowichan, which is a lovely little lake town with a really good 50's diner and two beautiful lake accesses.

How lovely is that?!

We had a tasty lunch and generally hung out next to the lake all day. So excited to take my parents and sister!

I think what might also excite my parents and sister is that I've got everyone playing Skip-bo now. I'm so glad we picked it up before we left.

We have two new additions coming to the Bastion (that's what we call the house when we remember that that's what we tried to name it...really we just call it the House or the Farm), and I'm not sure which is cuter. No, I'm not pregnant yet, don't anyone start freaking out. 

This is Franklin.

An adventurer is he! Sarah found him at the Vancouver aquarium, and making accessories for him has been my evening zen. He has his satchel-

Can anyone else hear the Indiana Jones theme music?

His snazzy evening attire-

He jams in all the best clubs.

And is prepared for anything, with his trusty rubber-ducky and rain hat!

Pass the soap?

Why am I introducing you to Franklin? Well, in lieu of interesting things, since not many have happened lately, and I am also considering creating individualized accessories for children's stuffies as a service on my upcoming etsy shop. I would love some honest feedback, thoughts?

Also, I need a name for my etsy shop. I am accepting suggestions.

And, last but not least...

WE'RE GETTING A PUPPY!!!!

To be more specific, Sarah is getting a puppy that we get to cuddle and love and train to eat bad guys and door to door salesmen and religious fanatics. It's a purebred Siberian husky, and the litter won't be ready to go for another five weeks, so we have plenty of time to puppy proof the house (and I have plenty of time to hide my shoes).

Emma and Dinah are already laying plans for puppy annihilation.

So from what I've read, Siberian Huskies are extremely intelligent, fun-loving dogs. What Sarah and Michael want me to think that looks like is this-

According to wikipedia, what it may actually look like is this-

Quote- "Siberian Huskies are highly intelligent, which allows them to excel in obedience trials, though many clubs would like to keep the Husky's instinct by doing sled-racing. However, because of their intelligence, they can easily become bored and may stop listening to commands. Many dog trainers usually attempt to avoid this behavior by keeping them busy with new activities. Also due in part to their intelligence, Huskies tend to be very observant of the actions of people around them and have been known to mimic common household activities such as turning on lights with their paws and opening doors with their canines. Some undesirable behaviors they can exhibit include opening refrigerators (and eating the food inside), climbing fences or digging tunnels in the backyard to escape"

OPENING REFRIGERATORS AND EATING THE FOOD INSIDE.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited about puppy. But I have this mental image of coming downstairs in the middle of the night to find the dog curled up on the couch with a bowl of cereal watching netflix. Sometimes I'm surprised I don't catch Emma doing that. 

Oh god, Emma and the dog as a team. We're in trouble. 

+

=

????

Now begins the changin, mental re-arrangin, nothin's really where its at-

In the car, a few days ago.

M: So eventually, we're going to need a truck.

L: (as we pass one thats for sale) Oooh, how about that one?

C: Thats an ugly truck.

(a few moments of silence)

L: When we get a truck, can I make it pretty?

The Rest of the Car: What?!

L: Not like, girly pretty, man pretty. Masculine prettiness.

C: I would love to see that. Seriously, explain man pretty to me Leigh. What would that look like?

M: Fairies with flame throwers!

S: Gnomes with knives!

L: Deadly doilies.

C: Poisinous plastic flowers!

M: Bobble head bombs!

S: I want this truck.

So whats new here?

Well, first things first, I got the job at Starbucks, and I love it! Also, the house is full of smoke because Michael is trying his hand at making dimsum and tempura. I am excited for the outcome, yet full of trepidation.

You know what else is new?

THE AWESOME PAINT JOB IN THE BEDROOM!

Unfortunately, the lighting in the room makes the colors a lot more saturated than they are. It actually turned out pretty cool, with lots of layered reds and oranges and yellows. It isn't done yet- I have a canopy that I'm putting over it on Sunday when I have some time (yay Canada day!). How long did this take? 13 hours of painting, with a midday break for ice cream with Cam. 

Which does mean that I didn't get the office done before my day off was over, but I'm certainly ok with taking my time on that. Its pretty early days these days for me at the Starbucks. 

But, there are happy preparations in the works- my family is coming to visit! I'm working on finding awesome things for us to do like ziplining, kayaking, beachgoing, etc. So, I have about two weeks to get the rest of the house in as much order as I can before they arrive. Don't expect too much mom and dad!

Lessee.....not much luck with jobs for everyone else yet, but still hopeful since Cam's interview. Meanwhile, spirits are high, we have a really good routine down for things, and no house we've lived in has ever been so consistently clean. The clothes line gets constant use, and I am gleefully tearing down the wallpaper in the entryway. It started as an accident- I slipped, tried to catch myself on the wall, and the wallpaper tore instead of stopping my fall, sadly. But, that just means another space to paint! 

Can I admit here that I've really developed a love for making rooms look awesome? Well, what I consider to be awesome I'll admit, but everyone seems to really like the bedroom and the music room and the stone wall. I feel like I'm forgetting something....

ah, yes, the hobbit hole. Can't make any headway there until I can save up some money for a good sized carpet remnant or two. Hopefully soon, I'd love to be able to start sewing again.

Now, for your pleasure, some awesome. 

Someone I met with fantastic finger nails. 

"Dis our hoomin. Go 'way."

"Come upstairs. Ah Dares You."

Really nothin' to it, anyone can do it, it's easy and we all know how!

Where have I been?

Turning this

Into THIS

and this

Into THIS

And this

And by this I mean that 70's throwback faux stone wall that looked like dried oatmeal

into THIS

I also scrubbed the living daylights out of both washrooms and got a job at Starbucks. Who da woman? I da woman. 

Whats everyone else up to besides rolling their eyes every time I consider a new color of paint for the kitchen? Michael wheels and deals to get us some theatre space, Cam also has interviews for jobs (yay!) and  we are all working on writing a comedy pirate themed sword fighting show, cause THAT'S HOW WE YO HO HO, Yo!

We also continue to explore the surrounding towns. This week we went up to Transfer beach in Ladysmith, where Cam proceeded to bamf around like Captain Planet pointing out awesome things that I didn't know about sea life and cleaning up various debris from villainous litter bugs. 

It was genuinely the first time that I had ever seen Cam genuinely cavorting and enjoying himself in what he refers to as the "outdoor place". 

Coolest thing about Transfer beach? This

Can you see the seals?

Hmmm, what else?

I finished Michael's Alice tea towels- pictures soon. Still working on my cave- can't afford carpet yet, so everything else is kind've on hold. But, I rode my bike to work today (my legs are not happy) which was a really nice thing. We've been playing a lot of the Arabian Nights board game (SO COOL! Thank you Dani!) and I taught everyone to play Skip-Bo which was a great time that was had by all. 

The boys have been enjoying the zombie themed library, where they play Diablo, and we've been enjoying (mostly by looking at it because, well, we really aren't playing any instruments right now) the music room. Michael one day elected to put plastic card sleeves thusly on his nose

And at one point in the week, this happened. 

Which frankly, should just happen more often. 

Next on the agenda? Building an end piece for our bed (we have a queen- it isn't working. He kicks and steals all the covers. And don't believe a word he says about me snoring it is vicious slander. Its the cat that snores.) Also, that will give us more storage! Which it may surprise you we could use- the closets are very small. Painting the entryway, guest room, bedroom, and kitchen, putting together a new top for the bakers rack, finding some more furniture (still need some tables and chairs and dressers and things for everyone) and just general odds and ends. 

But you know what?

We're really happy here. Cam said the other day "Hey, this is really starting to look like a house now". Sarah was making dinner the other night, and turned to all of us and said "Have I mentioned lately how much I love this house?" We spend time sitting on the porch looking at the mountain, we laugh uproariously at the cats chasing each other up and down the stairs (try not to die of shock, but Emma has lost weight), we spend evenings together in the living room being a family. 

And I no longer have to share a bathroom.

This is the contentment we feel. 

Until next time!

Let me take your picture, add it to the mixture, there it is I got you now!

Yep, its me again, totally failing on the 'keep writing blog posts' thing. Sadly, part of that is that there isn't much to write about until it accumulates over a week and a half. But, at least I'm still here!

I'M AN AVATAR!!!!

Actually what I am is covered with yellow paint from the Hobbit Hole project. I haven't had any luck getting Michael and Cam out of the habit of calling it the Murder Room (you know they do it just to piss me off) but at least Sarah tries not to call it that. No pictures yet, pictures when I'm done painting it I promise. Then I just have to find some carpet remnant for cheap and voila, I can start organizing my crafting/sewing/escaping room. 

So lets see, what has happened in the last week. Sarah got a co-op bike, I lost and found (hopefully) a job, 

I've almost completed my repeat round of the week 3 run, and the ceiling of the hobbit room (and consequently my hair) is now yellow. I did start painting the red trim in the room, but sadly the color turned out too dark laid over the teal, so now I have to go back and paint all the trim yellow THEN paint it red to get it to turn out bright enough.

I'm not inclined to get into it, but the job that I originally found did not work out, as it was not a good environment. Right now I've got my fingers crossed tightly after a Starbucks interview which went REALLY well. So, hope hope hope!

Meanwhile, no job luck for the others, but I'm sure things will pick up soon.

Sarah and I stopped in town for an afternoon, and found a really awesome community outreach bike co-op.The way it works is that they have a bike shop, where they teach kids how to repair and maintain bikes, and then they sell them for $20, or 4 hours of community service. So Sarah ended up with a cool beater bike that she sanded down and re-painted blue, which she is rightly proud of. She paid the $20, "I don't feel comfortable taking something for nothing" she said, but she intends to go back at some point and do the community service anyway. Its such a cool idea!

Memo to me- put the wheel back on my bike...

There are now SO FEW BOXES in the dining room! You can walk around in it! Big circley walks! And the 5 boxes that remain are full of books, but thats no trouble because I snagged us 3 bookcases for $65 on UsedCowichan, which is like an epic craigslist with pictures. We pick them up on Sunday, so hopefully that will do us and we can start really setting up the dining room. With, y'know, a table. And chairs. And such.

In unhappy news, the house back in London was broken into twice and the washer and dryer stolen, along with all of the rosewood bedroom furniture. We are understandably upset, but thank goodness for home insurance. The police are on it, so hopefully we will hear something positive soon.

Yesterday we tried (rather abortively) to drive up to the top of Mt. Prevost. According to the website, the logging trails are in good condition and any vehicle should have no trouble driving up there. WRONG! We scraped the bottom of the car more times than I want to remember before we finally found somewhere safe to turn around and go back down the mountain. It was in absolutely abysmal condition. So, thwarted by rocks and potholes, we decided to spend the afternoon at the BC Forestry Museum instead, observing its interesting displays and riding its picturesque train.

What did I learn? Basically that the people who climb and cut the trees are crazy. Granted, the clip that they showed us in the museum was shot in the mid to late seventies judging by the grainy film quality, the chain smoking and the music choice, but still, this guy just hooked a running chainsaw up to his belt, wrapped a rope around himself, climbed a 150 foot tall tree, cut the top 50 feet off it, and then clung for dear life as the tree swayed back and forth in arcs of about 15 ft. Don't bother with horror movies, watch a forester sometime. 

Also, they had an adorable family of swans. 

Today we sit in a cafe in town and work on our various writing projects. I'm working on a novel about what would happen if Angels showed back up on earth one day, not unlike the Grigori. Tomorrow is friday and I get to go back to the Dice Bag and play Magic with my new friends while Michael and Cam game with the boys back in London. In the interim, life goes on. Laundry, lawn, running, dishes, organizing, painting, and generally trying to keep a sunny attitude as much as possible. I love it here, but would it kill the sun to shine for like, five minutes in a week? I thought this was supposed to be the start of the dry season? Oh well, rain is good for strawberries. 

And now, your weekly dose of Emma!