Junuary Update

Hello friends and family!  We've had a busy June...so busy that I've neglected to update you on our adventures!  Oh my!  Although June was a cold and rainy month (hence the post title and the picture of us in our winter coats on the beach), we've had some fun along the way to July.

Matt's parents came to visit in the beginning of the month.  We enjoyed spending time with them and showing them around Seattle and Vancouver.  Here are some pictures from their visit to enjoy!

 Japadog

Gastown Clock

Spanish Banks Beach

 Fremont Troll

 Seattle

 Iver's Seafood

In addition, we've gotten to travel around to some beautiful places here in BC!  We took a weekend trip to Vancouver Island with some friends.  On Vancouver Island (which is about the size of England), we traveled to Nanaimo/Lady Smith, BC (where our friend James grew up.)  We also drove out to Tofino, a popular beach destination for surfers and storm watching.  We ended our trip in Chemainus, a cute seaside town known for its painted murals.  Here are some pictures from our adventures with James and Sibohan!

Goats on The Roof in Coobs, BC

Cathedral Trail

Tofinio, BC

Matt and James building a picnic table

Chemainus Murals

Last but not least, our Junuary adventures ended in Greece...well almost. Matt started his Intensive Greek class.  So far he's working pretty hard and doing well in his class!  Feel free to send him an encouraging email, Greek is one tough class! In addition we went to the Greek Festival in our neighborhood.  Kitsilano, the name of the area we live in is known for its Greek community!  They had a day to celebrate Greek culture!  Opa! ΏΠΑ!

Sunshine and Parks

Back when we were in Wilmington, we spent most of our spring and summer days playing on the beach.  Although we have a beach here in Vancouver, it's just not the same as our beloved North End of Wrightsville beach.  Believe it or not it's been a real struggle figuring out what to do with our free time on days when the weather is nice without our favorite beach spot.  I do however think we have found a solution to this difficult problem....parks!

There are about 200 parks in the city of Vancouver!  It's been really fun to take walks around the city and see parks and green space just pop up out of nowhere.  On Friday we went to Tatlow Park and met some friends.  While there we had a picnic dinner and played some Frisbee Tree Golf. Super fun!  On Sunday we went to Stanley Park to enjoy the sunshine! We walked along the Seawall, hiked on some trails and even watched a cricket match.  Here are some pics from our day:

 The Garden

 Look how tall the trees are here!

 Beaver Lake aka Beaver "Bog"

Black Squirrels!

Still amazed by the funny Canadian squirrels

 S.S. Empress Dragon figurehead

 Girl in Wetsuit Statue

The Boy in Carolina Blue Shorts Statue 

 Brockton Lighthouse

  Need a hug?

Totem Poles

 Cricket Match and with Seaplane flying overhead

Coal Harbor Marina

Lions Gate Bridge

Lighthouse Park

On Monday, Matt and I went hiking at Lighthouse Park in West Van.  We saw some pretty views and some HUGE trees.  Here are some pictures from our hike.  Enjoy!