Fraser Valley Grape Escape

I attended the Fraser Valley Grape Escape again this year in early June. It's a two day 135k bike ride for MS. A colleague from work started arranging a team several years ago and I've now attended three of the past four years. The team and attendees are pretty similar each year. There was about 300 riders and we travel through the Fraser Valley between six wineries and Krauss Berry Farms, which happens to sell wine now as well. They changed the starting point and I was glad they did. Previous years have started at a high point in Langley meaning each day ended on a hill. We started in downtown Langley this year which left us with a downhill at the end of each day.

The weather was perfect and along with the different starting point we attended a new winery which I felt was much better than the one they dropped. The first day is 86k if you do the long route which leaves just 49k for the second day. Since I hadn't got a lot of training in it's always good to have a shorter second day. Unfortunately for me though I showed up 25 minutes late. The map I had showed a start time of 10:00a and since I hadn't attended the dinner the evening before I didn't know it was wrong. It meant I had a lot of catching up to do. It was good to finally catch up to people and they turned out to be from my team. They had a slight injury that was being attended to by the first aid car. With the earlier start and quick ride it also meant that I ended up at Krauss Berry farms earlier than anticipated. Kerry, the kids and the Dukes were planning on meeting me there so all I had time to do was say hello and then I was back on the road.

It was another successful year. I raised $300, our team raised over $8000 and the event itself raised close to $100,000 to support MS.

Callie's Dance Recital

In mid May it was time for Callie's annual dance recital. After 10 months of lessons that we don't get to attend, we finally get to see what we're getting for $160 a month.This year she is in four classes across three different disciplines. One hip hop, one tap and two ballet. This year it was Mom's turn to come to watch. We only get to purchase four tickets so not all the grand parents can see it each year. The theme was Survivor which allowed them to do pretty much whatever they wanted to because they could pick a country and perform a dance that was appropriate.

Callie's first dance was hip hop. I'm still not entirely sure what the country or the theme was but every year hip hop tends to do whatever it wants anyways. I think the reason they even have this style is because it allows them to be fairly free on what they teach and learn.

The next dance style was tap. We're not sure what style Callie likes best but Kerry thinks this is what she's best at. Unfortunately her teacher from this class is leaving this year and we all really liked her. Callie was most excited about this particular dance because she was assigned the special task of kissing goodbye to the crowed all by her self. Considering how shy she is at school, I'm amazed at how different she is on stage.

The final dance was ballet. She only had 3 minutes to change between styles as was evidenced by the fact that she was a snowball for tap and a Bon homme for ballet. Both from Canada. She managed to get it done though. (I'm sure Kerry wishes she changed that fast in the mornings before school.)

We finished the evening with flowers and a trip to Subway and another year is done. She starts again in September and will likely be going up to 5 different classes. Good thing it's only a 5 minute walk from our house.

Field Trip to the Aquarium

In early May I got the opportunity to chaperon Callie on another field trip. The teachers must not talk between the different grades because last time I momentarily lost a kid or two. (In my defense, they ran away.) Luckily another parent found them and quickly returned them. This time we were headed to the Vancouver Aquarium. Our friend Brenda had said that her daughter Kennedy was hoping that she would get to be in my group. Her wish was granted and Callie got put with Kennedy and two of her other friends.

We took what I think is the long way by going through Vancouver. Kerry and I have found that going through North Van and coming back over the Lions Gate Bridge is quicker. We did eventually arrive and got there just in time for the dolphin feeding. I had to rush the kids past all the exciting exhibits at the entrance but I was glad we did. We were one of the few groups to see them. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We managed to see all the exhibits including the Four D movie which Callie wasn't too thrilled about as it sprays water and other surprises that she couldn't anticipate. We finished off with lunch by the playground and were back by 2:30. A fun trip.

Aloha From Maui - Day Seven

Our final full day and unless something exciting happens tomorrow likely my final blog post from Maui. We got up at our usual time around 6:30a and got out the door by 8:15a. We wanted to make the most of our last day. Our destination was a beach that Sean had heard about from some random people he was speaking to. It was out past Big Beach at the end of McKenna road. We drove separately and both ended up going too far. It wasn't a total loss though as we drove through a national park encompassing a relatively recent Lava flow. It was like being on the surface of the moon.

When we finally did find the beach we were looking for we discovered it wasn't a sandy beach but it had lot's of rocks for the kids to wander around and based on the number of people in the water, it likely had good snorkeling. When we got out into the water we weren't disappointed. Lot's of fish very close to shore and some very nice looking coral. Turns out we were just around the corner from the real Turtle Town though we didn't see any. At the very end we convinced Callie to put snorkeling gear on and just put her head in the water. We were very lucky that there was fish so close to shore. She saw about four different fish and even accidentally did some real snorkeling when her feet floated up. She was only out for a few minutes but she really enjoyed it.

Once we all had our turn in the water we packed up and headed back to the condo to spend some time on our beach and around the pool. Callie and Carter are both getting better at randomly meeting kids their age and starting to play with them. Good to see and it keeps them out of our hair. We also headed back to the Shaved Ice place though we were low on cash so we could only afford to get the kids some. I believe Callie had Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy and Carter went with Pina Colada and Cherry.

We got back around 6:00p and headed straight down to the beach for one last sunset attempt. The day had been nice and sunny but there was a lot of cloud cover in the evening. It wasn't spectacular but for the last couple minutes as the sun dipped below the horizon we could see the full shape of it. Close enough. We then headed back for our last steak dinner and whatever other left over food we could find that we can't take back. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 12:40p and I'm back to the work the next day.


It was an amazing vacation and kudos the Dukes for making it even more enjoyable. I highly recommend going with another family with kids the same age. Having other adults to talk to and another kid to keep your kids busy makes for a much more relaxing vacation. I'm sure we'll do this again.

Aloha From Maui - Day Six

Our initial plan for the day was to head to Turtle Town as it sounded like it would be a sure thing for turtles but after a bit of research we realized it didn't have much of a beach for the kids so we decided to head to a different area that looked like it had a sandy beach. Wherever we ended up it wasn't Turtle Town, it didn't have a sandy beach but it definitely had Turtles. As soon as we arrived and got out on the rocks we found a turtle and the way the rocks were situated we could walk almost right up to it and still be far enough away that it could feed in peace.

Between Kerry and I, we probably took about 60 pictures of various turtles though amazingly I think the very first one I took is probably the best. It will take some time to weed through the others and get them cleaned up off the camera. Kerry and the kids wandered around the rocks and found 4 or 5 different turtles and watched them feed. It's amazing how close to the rocks they get without getting tossed right against them and injured.

Meanwhile, I decided I would try some snorkeling. There were too big snorkeling boats off shore with some big groups so I knew it was good. The only issue was there wasn't really a good place to get in. I saw two girls jump in which seemed rather foolish since I'm not sure how they would get back in. I decided to try walking in from a small cove. The waves were a bit big but they came in sets and I figured I could get out in between. No such luck. A large wave hit me at the exact wrong time and I lost a flipper and stubbed my toe. (Or so I thought.)

By the time I got my senses back together I realized I was out far enough so I flippered out to where the boats were, swam with some turtles and got in some great snorkeling. I also followed some people back into shore and found an adequate place to get out of the water. I mentioned earlier that I thought I had stubbed my toe. Turned out I had stepped on a Sea Urchin and I spent the afternoon digging needles out of my big toe. Kerry had to go get me some vinegar so I could soak my foot. It was all quite painful till I got the last stinger out.

For the afternoon we headed back to the moose. Kerry found that one of the students from her school was here and Sean joked that we should get her to baby sit. The very next day she came over and said she had her CPR and baby sitting course so how could we resist. It was probably the easiest $25.00 she's ever made as some kids from one of the other condos came over and they all played Zombie tag off the lanai. Most likely a very memorable first baby sitting job.

Aloha From Maui - Day Five

It's Saturday and we decided to check out the local Farmer's Market. We were not impressed. It was about eight tents in a parking lot and you'd think you'd be able to buy a pineapple from a market in Maui but apparently not. We pretty much just drove through the parking lot and left for the beach. Today we decided to try out Uala beach as it wasn't far from us and a friend of Kerry's was planning on being there. Unfortunately we didn't connect but the snorkeling was excellent and Carter had great fun yelling at the waves.

We headed back to the condo for lunch before walking down to the local shaved ice place with the Dukes. Shaved ice is essentially a snow cone or slurpy but rather than crushing ice they have a machine that shaves very thin layers off. Similar to a snow cone they add the syrup to the big pile of Ice. I had Strawberry and Banana. Carter had 'Sharks Blood'. Callie had Blue Raspberry and Bubblegum. Kerry had Pina Colada and Cherry. Very sweet but when it melts it's probably only about a quarter of a cup total.

In the afternoon the kids spent some time at the pool and we decided we would order pizza for dinner. I had no idea where we were going and Sean had had a few drinks so it took us a bit of time and a few phone calls before we found it. We looked for the sunset and again had no luck. Only two days left. We may have to settle for the Maui flowers.

Aloha From Maui - Day Four

We're finally starting to get up a t a regular time. Between 6:00a and 7:00a. Unfortunately that is 9:00a and 10:00a in Vancouver so getting back to work on Wednesday is going to be tough. Callie and Kerry have started a regular trip up the road to a cinnamon bun place. Pretty good though I'm glad Kerry eats the macadamia nuts off it before I get it. Carter has been the last one to wake up each morning so I hang back and watch woodworking videos on the iPad.

Today was a very exciting day as Sean had convinced Kerry that they were going surfing this morning. I'm sure it sounded like a better idea when Kerry had a few drinks in her the evening before. By morning she wasn't so sure. Land training was quick. Only about 15 minutes and then it was out on the waves. Kerry had a tough go of it for the first hour or so but she managed to get up about 5 times before it was over. The toughest part was the way she would wipe out. Typically quickly and face first.

By the time she was done she was very close to throwing up. It was definitely a great experience for her though and I'm proud that she never gave up. Believe me. After watching her for 45 minute it wasn't looking good. :)
The kids were quite content to stick to the beach. Callie and Kennedy met a friend named Julia and they spent most of the time trying to create a sand wall in the surf. About every third wave would wash over it. Unfortunately I accidentally ended their attempt when I asked them what they would use it for.

In the afternoon we headed to Moose McGillycuddy's with the Dukes for Happy Hour. Beer was $3.00 and mixed drinks were $4.00. (I'm fairly certain there's not a lot of alcohol in the mixed drinks. The beer is probably a better deal.) Dinner was back at the condo and consisted of steaks and giant over-priced potatoes. We watched for the sunset again but we didn't bother going down to the beach as it was very obviously still too cloudy. It's not looking good for a Maui sunset.