With the Olympics in town, I packed up my apartment and rented it out for six nights. Then I used that money earned to visit the family in Alberta, and Beka in California.
(The city was not nearly as chaotic as I had imagined it being, however, as most of the crowd stayed downtown. There were also lots of free concerts and pavilions and events and light shows to check out which were surprisingly fun. It ended up being a lot more of a cultural celebration than I had anticipated. Regardless, it was nice to get away.)
There was lots of snow in Alberta. Geordan and I got to experience the winter we had been missing in Alberta! We happened upon a speed skating festival one afternoon. It was great fun skating on a pond in Edmonton on old Dutch skates!
After spending time with Leanne and Bryan in Edmonton, away we went to Lacombe to spend some time with my folks, and for Geordan to meet the rest of the family. It was very relaxing, and great to see Geordan pass the family test. Yep, he fits right in.
After a brief return to Vancouver, California it was!Beka was gracious and lots of fun, as always. And, as per usual, we spent our time together being silly, creative, and quite ambitious in our art ideas. We spent lots of time taking photos, decorating sidewalks with chalk, cooking...
We also went to Long Beach for a day for Craig and Beka's engagement photo shoot. The beach was beautiful, desolate as it was. I like beaches without people. (I like beaches in general, as well.)
After an excellent week in California, I was in Vancouver for a few busy days. Then, Geordan and I went to Galliano island to stay with two of his friends on their little farm for the weekend. It was excellent and inspiring, but I was about ready to settle back into my regular routine again.
The last few days I have spent unpacking my boxes, bags, and settling into my apartment and daily Vancouver life again. As much as I love traveling and visiting with friends and family, I love the rhythms of my everyday life here. And I love being domestic, too! I have been cooking up a storm this last week. And it feels great.
Now, to make some oyster mushroom soup and roasted yam and beet salad...
