Summer Wedding on the Island

The O’Brien-Sheane wedding was a beautiful celebration overlooking the beach in Parksville, B.C. Because of the simplicity of the bride’s one-of-a-kind dress, flowers, and decorations, there was a certain elegance that graced the ceremony on Canada day this year. The groomsmen looked classy in their grey suits, and aviators; while the girls looked lovely in their robin egg dresses and red lipstick. The rain that surrounded the day held off for a beautiful view of the ocean in the background of the outdoor wedding, and the bride looked stunning walking down the aisle on the arm of her eccentric Dad. I was lucky enough to stand by my beautiful cousin as she said “I do”, and my experience as a bridesmaid was nothing short of fantastic.

Viva Las Vegas!

My Mom and I have always talked about taking a “Mother-Daughter” trip together, where my Dad, brothers, and boyfriend were strictly forbidden. Vegas proved to be just the place for us. I’ll go into little detail, as what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. We started out by taking advantage of the free drinks in the casino at the Paris, where we were staying, and tried out all of the ridiculous movie slot machines, including The Hangover, The Dark Knight, and Sex and the City; however, the Michael Jackson slot machine proved to be the luckiest of them all for me in the end. Then, following a long day of shopping at a HUGE “Forever 21”, and “Urban Outfitters”, as well as a couple of 2 for 1 martinis in the hotel lobby, we were off to see “Love”, the Beatles version of Cirque du Soliel. It was incredible, and I left convinced that I wanted to quit teaching and become Lucy from the “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” segment. Seriously, I had a long chat with my Mom about it. Throughout the rest of the night we hit up “Margaritaville”, where we searched for the long lost shaker of salt, and the Roulette table, where everyone was cheering on my beginners luck. Day three included us sniping a last minute deal to see the fabulous “Phantom of the Opera”, in the theatre where millions upon millions was spent to make a spectacular set (all of which is to be torn down this coming September). We got dressed up for the show, and I even sported my super high heels, which only make an appearance about twice a year. The last day, while we were waiting for our 10pm flight home, was spent soaking up the sun and the overwhelming, crazy streets that make Vegas famous. We even got a chance to stop by “Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum”, which is right up my ally, considering the first year I moved to Victoria I bought a season’s pass to the beloved Wax Museum they once had. We may have gone a bit overboard taking pictures with the realistic wax figures, including none other than Nicholas Cage. Overall, it was a fantastic trip spent with my fantastic Mom!

Out in the Osoyoos Vineyards…

My brother, Patrick, was just recently hired at “Osoyoos Larose” winery, where he is overlooking production in the vineyards. After his recent year-long voyage to France, where he worked at one of the most incredible wineries in the world, Chateau Leoville-Las Case, he decided to work somewhere a tad more local, and the Okanagan is about as local as you can get for good wine in B.C. (I’m sorry for boasting, but I’m just so proud of him!)

My spontaneous Auntie Erin convinced me to pack my bags and join her on a trip over to the most prominent desert land in B.C., with only about 12 hours notice, I should add. The last minute trip proved to be a lot of fun, in spite of the disappointing weather that prevailed overhead, and prevented my talented Aunt from working on the scenic paintings she was hoping to get started on. Instead of painting, we spent a day wine tasting at several of the local wineries, including Painted Rock, Burrowing Owl and Jackson Triggs. Below are pictures of Pat overlooking the view he sees everyday, and some of the grape plants at his vineyard.

Although I must admit I was clueless when it came to the wine tasting (unlike the two connoisseurs I was with), the experience gave me a better first hand look at my Brother’s profession, and was a great opportunity for me to indulge in my favourite beverage.

Reminiscing About Europe

It’s been almost three years since my  two friends and I ventured to Europe on a Contiki tour at the awesome age of 19. Here are some of my favourite shots from the trip with some of the best people I have ever met.

Big Ben – London

Buckingham Palace – London

Buckingham Palace Soldiers – London

Eiffel Tower – Paris

Eiffel  Tower – Paris

Wine Country – Beaujolais

Wine Country – Beaujolais

Leaning Tower of Pisa – Pisa

Sistine  Chapel – Vatican City

Sighting of the Pope – Vatican City

Trevi Fountain –  Rome

Colosseum – Rome

Gondola Ride – Venice

Gondola Ride – Venice

Romeo and Juliet’s Balcony – Verona

Hofbräuhaus House –  Munich

Favourite Hostel  aka “Grandma’s House” – Germany

Sound of Music House – Austria

Contiki Crew at the Beach – Barcelona

Beautiful Mountains – Lucerne

Bungee Jumping in the  Swiss Alps – Switzerland

Clog Factory – Holland

Red Light District – Amsterdam

Best Contiki Crew – Florence

Caaaaaving!

On a much needed reading break, my boyfriend and I decided to take a trip to the beautiful Qualicum beach. Here we ventured to the infamous “Horne Lake Caves”, where we squeezed through the tiniest cracks, scoured the walls for spiders, and nearly slipped to our deaths making our way up active waterfalls. We had the most knowledgeable of guides, and learned how the thousands and thousands of year it takes the caves to form can be compromised with a single swipe of our hands. We also learned about the “Buddha” formation (my favourite), and the vast darkness that falls upon you when you reach the spot in the cave where light can no longer. It was a wet, cold and long journey, but was an adventure well worth taking.

Here we are at the very beginning of cave one, where the light is still prominent. My favourite part at this point? The contrasting colours of our hard hats, and the sweet lights to boot!

This is “Buddha” and his crystal clear reflection in the water. Legend has it that he brings peace to the animals of the cave (the stone wolf, and his friends – shapes of rock that look like animals).

These are a few of the thousands of spiders that seek shelter and warmth and the mouth of the caves. Most disgusting part? My head was within inches of these creepy crawlers the whole tour of the second cave. SICK!

This was the waterfall at the end of the tour. It was a dangerous climb up there to say the least, and we were already so soaked from the rain that it di not matter if we were standing right underneath it. Grand finale!

Being a Tourist in Your Own City

This summer has been an extremely busy one (note the lack of posts), but fortunately I can say that I really was busy doing a lot of really cool stuff! I made it a goal this summer to see places that are so close to where I live, yet so far when I consider the gas prices or the effort it would take to transit. Since I unexpectedly happened to meet a new boyfriend this summer, one who is from Kamloops and has not yet discovered many of the great sites that Greater Vancouver has to offer, dating seemed to be the perfect excuse to hit up all of these awesome places in and around the lower mainland.

 Granville Island: My favourite part of Vancouver. I have fond memories of the “kid’s market” growing up, as well as various family outings to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Art’s Club Theatre Company. Now, I enjoy the giant public market that offers a vast selection of the freshest, most delicious food I could imagine. After picking out my favourite gelato, cheese, fruit or ethnic cuisine from inside the market, it is great to be able to wander around outside on the docks, staring at one of the best views of the city, or watching various street performers do whatever it is they do best. It would also be a shame to miss the pond where all the geese and ducks can be found, as it provides great photo-ops. To finish off the day, there is a great selection of restaurants that can be found scattered all throughout the gem that is Granville Island.

Whistler Village: I had the opportunity to visit whistler twice this summer. Once during the day to go bungee jumping, (See previous post for details!) and once overnight with my girlfriends to hit the town. Both times were so much fun! Especially since my experiences were full of great deals. First, I got to go bungee jumping with a groupon, which saved me 50% and got me a free T-shirt! Second, my friend’s sister happened to get us a great deal at a hotel in town that offered 50% off dinner in their very fancy restaurant if you arrived before 6. On a budget, as always, my friends and I were thrilled to experience both the gorgeous sites of the day, and the bumpin’ night life that left us with quite the hangover for the drive home. Don’t miss out on Garfinkel’s or any of the bachelor/bachelorette parties you happen to come across during your visit.

Richmond Night Market: Although I would like to say this way my idea, my boyfriend was definitely the one who was pushing for us to go. Getting lost three times on the way there and back didn’t manage to ruin the experience for us, as the night market was not like anything we had expected. I was thinking that the stands were going to be full of homemade products that hippies or homebodies had made, but we found that cellphone skins, socks, cheap jewelry and electronics were the big hits at this market! The food choices there were also very unique. We only tried the candy apples because we had eaten dinner with friends before we came, but we will for sure be back to try the deep-fried cheesecake, and the variety of different Asian Cuisines that were offered! My advice for you: Come hungry, and bring a map!

Downtown Vancouver: I must admit that I frequent downtown Vancouver on a regular basis. This summer alone I have gone downtown to work, party, meet friends’ new boyfriends, see Live @ Stanley Park, shop, and believe me I could hardly wait to get down there and see the damage done from the Stanley Cup Riots when I got home from Australia. However, since my guy had never rally had the opportunity to explore downtown, it was fun to take him down there and show him the sites. There is nothing quite like being on Granville street at nighttime. The lights and the noise make the experience fun, even in the most sober of situations. Yaletown is a great place to get lost, the sea-wall is full of fascinating views, and Davie street has some of the nicest, and rudest people you will ever encounter working as a promotions representative. Shopping downtown does not even compare to most places in British Columbia (Downtown Victoria is slowly becoming an exception), and the unlimited list of places you can eat, cuisines you can try and unique places you can drink leaves you with no choice but to enjoy yourself. I love this city.

 Kitsilano: Since an out of town guest from Australia was visiting, we decided to show him around Kits beach, in hopes that maybe it might compare to an Australian beach. Fortunately, the beach offers a great view of the city, and has the most amusing people rollerblading past as you take a stroll. I like this beach because of the sand it offers, compared to some of the beaches around here that are very rocky. Not too far away is yet another abundance of restaurants that will satisfy any appetite. The one that comes to mind is “The Eatery”, where hundreds of sushi types are offered, and one of the best restaurant atmospheres that I have experienced.

Sydney to Home

We spent the final three days of our trip in Sydney with some boys we met in Byron Bay. After a 12 hour bus ride, we drove over the bridge in Sydney Harbour, and got our first view of the Opera House – something that we had all been waiting for, and had looked forward to the entire trip. We then arrived at our friends’ house to quickly be convinced to hit the  town to party. The bar we went to hosted an elaborate wet T-shirt contest, which would explain why it was the most crowded club we saw the entire trip. We had fun dancing,  but  realized quickly that Sydney was much colder than the rest of the coast we had seen when we stepped out of the club. The next morning we got an extensive tour from our gracious host through the entire city, hitting the Opera House again, Darling harbour, and a restaurant that claimed to be the home of the world’s greatest burgers. According to Kayleigh and Kirsten, it was. The three of us also agreed that the second night was one of the most fun of the trip, as we decided to stay home and play drinking games after one of the hosts dislocated his shoulder unexpectedly at the gym. Goon got the best of us one last time! The night was complete with very talented live music performances, and viewings of Planet Earth on a giant projector screen.

Our last day in Sydney was spent receiving a tour of Bondi Beach –  the final breathtaking beach of our tour. The long hike up to and through the  many different viewing points was well worth it. We even got  to see some  humpback whales in the wild. The final night was spent meeting  up with a few of our Contiki friends one last time  at  a great restaurant right in the harbour. We then went to meet up with our temporary roomies at a bar that was hosting trivia night. Before we showed up and won a giant case of beer for our team (which had conveniently been named the Boston Bruins prior to our arrival), Kirsten nearly got herself kicked out when she was caught sneaking her vodka into the bar. Of course she managed to not only sweet talk her way into staying, but keeping the vodka as well! We finished the night at a karaoke bar, where Kayleigh and roomie sang a fantastic duet to “A Whole New World”.

The next morning the boys were even nice enough to drive us to the airport to see us of – to the worst flight of our lives. It seemed that even “the sleeper” aka Kirsten had trouble taking a nap on that cramped 13-hour flight. However, we were all relieved to arrive safe and sound to Vancouver, especially to the hotties at customs. My Dad welcomed me back, while Kayleigh’s boyfriend not only surprised her with a bouquet, but gave Kirsten and I a rose each as well. It was a good welcoming.

Overall our trip was absolutely amazing. I’ll be in debt for an eternity, but it was worth every penny.

Byron Bay

Byron Bay was most likely my favourite stop on the trip as it was literally a hippie-filled, happy little town. We went on a day trip to Nimbin, which is known for the excessive amount of little old ladies that sell weed cookies. We went in a museum there that cannot be described as anything other than trippy. The bus driver, named Jim, is known for his infamous “Jim’s alternative tours” company, and he completed our bus ride home with Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and Sublime, except all the songs came on at specific times during the ride because of their ability to “go with” the scenery outside at that particular moment. Again, trippy. We stayed at a hostel called “The Art’s Factory”, where we met some Australian boys that offered us a place to stay in Sydney. Three nights of not having to pay for a hostel? Yes please. They joined us at Cheeky Monkey’s, a bar with bleachers that you stand and dance on, and we are still hanging out with them as I write this post. We also got to meet many different roommates from around the world, all of which instinctively questioned us about the Vancouver riots, much to our dismay, considering we weren’t aware that it was an international headline. We also got to hang out at another beautiful beach, complete with hippies playing drums and guitar every time we went. Kayleigh even decided to take a free drumming lesson at the hostel, with a very free-spirited instructor. We really appreciated the free-spirited lifestyle, and loved the most chill town we’ve ever set foot in.

Surfer’s Paradise

Surfer’s Paradise prooved to be a very fun place. Kayleigh discovered a show called “Dracula’s Cabaret” which she insisted we go to. It basically consisted of a bunch of people dressed as dracula’s and performing dance routines and burlesque, as well as dessert being served to us in a chocolate coffin. Good combination. The following day we got to take a surf lesson with two hot Aussie surf instructors. Kirsten and I did pretty well, and Kayleigh tried her best. The best part was the instructors dragging us around in the water until they thought a suitable wave was coming. One of the instructors also managed to get us a free ride on “The sling shot” which is basically a ride that shoots you up into the air – like a slingshot. The following day we watched in horror as the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup final. Needless to say, we were just as disgusted as the rest of the city when we heard about the riots in Vancouver.

Fraser Island to Rainbow Beach to Brisbane

After arriving back to Hervey Bay from our 4x4ing tour very tired, very dirty, and very scarred from the English boys stories and questions, we headed off to Rainbow beach for one night. This town, again, had an amazing beach, but really didn’t have much else to offer. One could basically say that it would be a nice place to retire one day. Luckily, we headed off to Brisbane the next day, which is comparable to Vancouver in that it has high-rises, was about the same temperature, and has cafes and sushi restaurants on every corner. They had an ice-skating/winter/Christmas festival set-up. It was complete with fake-snow, kids running around in Santa costumes, and free chai tea lattes (which were obviously what drew us to the event). We all agreed that we felt very weird being in a Christmas environment in the middle of June, but nonetheless we quite enjoyed the little taste of the holiday spirit. In Brisbane, we spent most of our time either watching the Canucks, or going out to massive clubs. The nightlife was a bit of a let down though, considering we didn’t make it there on their busy nights, and the people that we did meet were a bit less gentleman-like than Vancouver. However, we did get to spend the day at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. We lucked out because we happened to be there on the day that Terry, Bindi, and Bob Irwin were filming the first episode of their new show. We got to watch as they wrestled an alligator to move it to a more suitable home. It was like watching the crocodile hunter all over again! We also got to hang out with kangaroos that would willingly interact with you and allow you to pet them. There was also a Koala sanctuary that allowed us to give the Koalas willing to participate, a pat on the back. Overall, the standards of the zoo were pretty good, considering the Irwin family is running the facility, and they are actively involved with many conservation efforts, and humane-treatment of animal movements. Then we headed off to Surfer’s Paradise…