Movember update

Here's a couple of quick pictures of my updated mustache! Not much time to write about it, but more later!

My Movember mustache!

Hey Everyone,

Look at my ugly mustache!

There are a few of us at work who are growing mustaches to bring funds and visibility to mens cancers. The others have been working hard at raising funds, and I need to do better.

I'm hoping you'll click this link, and consider donating. It's getting kind of itchy and really ugly. I'd like to make the ugliness and itchiness worth something!

Click here, My Movember Page! and donate if you'd like!

Here's some progression of my mustache.  We're two weeks in, with two weeks to go! 

Carmella loves it obviously ;)

Guest Blogger: Mom!

Hi Family!

 I am having a wonderful holiday here ,with Jonnie & Carmella in beautiful British Columbia and send each one of you much love.

 My love goes out to you  all across the provinces,  the countries  and across the continents!

Here we are Saturday morning on the boat to Bowen Island.  We had a great trip.  You can see that the weather is absolutely gorgeous.  

The scenery is breath taking and the weather bright and sharp.  We spent four hours on our trip; riding the local bus, hiking a bit,talking, mellowing and exploring and then  running like crazy to get the ferry back!

Jonnie took this.  He has been here once with Carmella so wanted to show me the island.

I found the biggest maple leaf on our hike!  Oh Canada!  I have never seen maple leaves so large!  I thought I could bring it home for the scrapbook but it is now dry and crunchy keeping company with a red gerbera on the dining room table.

This is Snug Harbour, Bowen Island.  I have been paying a great deal of attention to the natural beauty all around; especially the plant life.  I have seen holly bushes and even Holly trees.

Here I am taking yet another picture!  You all know how I love taking pictures!

Jonnie & Carmella went to a a Novaween party at Cyndi's.  Carmella is applying make up to Jonnie's tiger face.

Here they are ready to go. I stayed home and watched two episodes of the Passionate Eye.  I believe you will recognize Vincent Van Gogh's self portrait painting.  Jonnie makes a cute tiger don't you think?  He even had black and white shoes.

Here is Wes dancing with the painting.  They are dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

It was a fun party.  You can get more detail from the previous blog.  I enjoyed myself here at home reading and munching on coffee crisp chocolate bars.

Carmella and I went for early coffee Sunday morning before church.  We had a good long walk afterwards.  Here she is at Kits beach which is probably only ten city blocks from home.

Inside of one week I have seen one of the seven wonders of the world with Jean and now one of the home wonders.  Notice that the sailboats are even out!

I love this picture.  Carmella gave me a small pill box and I put some of Kits beach sand in it to bring home.

This hydrangea reminds me of our home.

After church on Sunday we went to Acadia Beach where Jonnie & Carmella got engaged about one year ago.  Here they are looking out on the water.

We searched for just the right log that they sat on to eat their special buns.  We believe that this is it because Carmella put a stone inside so that they would always know.  I enjoyed hearing the stories once again.

There were many logs on the beach.  Just behind us you can see three hikers and their dog having an open fire picnic.  the weather was cool and they were very warm. They had packets of food ready to put in the fire.

Jonnie & Carmella are pointing out the natural features as they try to pinpoint exactly the place where they got engaged. 

The apple blossoms is still out

We watched two seals!  Perhaps you can see a dark spot.  If you can, you know what it is!  I found this very exciting!

That is it for today!  I am off to the children's bookstore and a great cup of "Australian" coffee somewhere.

I love you all!

Lykke/Mom/Moeke/Ma/Mormor

Novaween

Every year, we go to a Novaween party that was invented by our friend Cindy.  She felt that on the regular Halloween weekend, everyone is busy jumping from party to party to party.  She wanted hers to be well attended, so she decided she'd have one the next weekend.

It's usually very well attended, and people get to wear their costumes again.  This year, Carmella and I didn't go out for the regular Halloween weekend, but we did attend Novaween.

Carmella was thinking about her costume all year.  Last year, she had the idea too late to put the required effort in, so she made sure to do it this year.  It took her about a week and a half to finish it.  Here are some pictures.  She did it all herself, after starting with a blank canvas.

He we are ready to head out.  Carmella made my costume too...I borrowed her striped hoodie, her zebra ears, and she painted my face.  I'm your standard zebra from the savannah.

Here's Carmella with Wes.  He's Mad Max, and Carmella has her drop sheet on to complete the costume.

I think Carmella's costume was one of the best.  While others were more elaborate, none were as original and home made as hers!  She got many comments and congratulations on the great costume.

Wes and Carmella enjoy dancing to Thriller.  Carmella took a course at the Harbour Dance Centre to learn the moves, so she was centre of the action!

A great memory: Bali in 2008.

I think I'll harken back to 2008.  July and August were great months that year!  I had just finished eight hard months in China, where teaching was new, the language was still foreign, the culture was confusing, and English conversations were scarce.  Carolyn was there with me, but she went home to Canada to have an ear infection dealt with.  I hacked it alone for the last bit, and it was one of those growing experiences people talk about.  You know, character building and all that.  Sounds great when it's over, but in the middle, times sure are rough!

July and August were great months because I was in Bali.  I had been planning the trip for much of my time in China, and it would be a celebration of my completed teaching contract.  I envisioned surfing, secluded beaches, seaside fires with guitars and drums.  Only the surfing happened, but it was still a great time.

Carolyn was supposed to join me, and Kirsten would meet us there.  It would be a sibling excursion, but without Erik.  Kirsten met me in Hong Kong, and we toured there for a few days, then flew to Bali on Air Asia.  Air Asia is like the airplane equivalent of a Greyhound bus.  It's cheap, and people run across the tarmac to secure themselves a seat, because you don't reserve spots.  You just put out the elbows and fight for them!

So, Bali!  I enjoyed it because I learned to surf, I wasn't teaching in China anymore, and I had Kirsten to keep me company.  Here are some photos from that glorious time. 

Kir and I rented bikes on a small island in Hong Kong, where the locals fish and enjoy rural living.  We pose in front of the main attraction, a waterfall.

The narrow streets!  It was fun exploring this little fishing village.  Bikes were everywhere, and so were small vestiges of English colonization.

Macau is a short ferry ride from Hong Kong.  It was a Portuguese colony in the same way Hong Kong was an English colony.  Now, Macau is known as Asia's gambling destination.  There is more than gambling though, including this fun architecture.

Carol was supposed to celebrate her birthday with me in Bali, but didn't get to because of her ear infection and resulting trip to Canada.  So, I made this picture!  I'm on an ancient bicycle that I rented, and a coolie hat I bought to keep the sun at bay.

Here I am in the villa.  Kir and I rented this room for $10 per night.  It was deluxe in that it had its own toilet and shower, but you had to fill the toilet with water from the sink, using a yogurt container.   It was pretty awesome.  I spent a lot of time reading and browsing the used bookstores.

The professional surfing tour, the ASP, had a competition in Bali while I was there, at Uluwatu.  The waves were small, but they surfed them anyway.  Here are a few photogs capturing the action.  If you look closely, you can see a surfer in the wave.

Here I am getting ready to surf.  I'm using a rented 7'6" Mini Malibu (that's a shape) surfboard and a swimmers cap.  I had ruptured an eardrum a few days prior, when I got attacked by a wave, so I'm protecting it with silicone ear plugs and a swimmers cap.  I got lots of strange looks!

Best shape of my life!  After a month of paddling into waves, I felt really strong.  You may not be able to see them, but there are some muscles in those shoulders and arms!