Hi House. Remember me?

"So, what are you doing for Mother's Day, Melody?"

"Painting the kitchen cabinets of my old house."

Ha ha.  So here's an update on our former dwelling.  We had tenants in it for one year and they moved out at the end of April.  We went up the first weekend of May to check the place out and see what needed to be done before we put it back on the market.  During the month of May we made two more trips to do some bigger projects, like the kitchen, and now we are getting our marketing materials together.    We had some amazing help from lots of people and that made all the difference.  We couldn't have done it alone.

The house is a bittersweet thing.  It was really hard to invest all that sweat and time in something I would never get to enjoy again.  But being there reminded me of all the wonderful times we had in that house.  Bringing home babies from the hospital.  Entertaining family for holidays.  Watching our girls take their first steps. 

So here are some recent photos for those who might be curious.  There are during and after photos of the kitchen, plus a shot of the basement bathroom and rec room which have new paint and flooring since we lived there.

We'll let you know if there's any news.  :)

Vancouver

Here are my photos from the trip I took to Vancouver for the CRC pastors spouses' conference in April.  The funny thing was that I kept track of all my stuff quite well but ended up loosing my camera during the ride to the airport.  My friend, whose truck I was in, graciously mailed it back to me so it was a delight to pop in the memory card and open up these beauties. 

This was my first solo trip (more than one night!) in 6 years and I had not flown since before having Isabelle, so needless to say I was very excited.  It was a short trip - two nights there and then a red-eye back - but it was well worth the expense and effort. 

What I love about these spouses' gatherings is the common ground.  It's your chance to instantly open up and ask questions about living situations, boundaries in ministry, ideas for household management, etc.  And to see old friends!  Plus the setting for this event was beautiful and it was great to see mountains and water.  Another highlight was eating out. 

We were two blocks down from Stanley Park so there was quick access for an evening stroll.  Along this street I frequented Starbucks for free wi-fi and good coffee. :)

My hotel roomie Brenda and Heather - the two ladies I was most excited to see!  I "met" Heather at the last conference but we realized that our paths had crossed during college via our siblings.  Long story. 

 So here is where I admitted I hadn't watched a single moment of the Olympics.  Sigh.

Thursday evening we had a night to eat out in the city and my friend Joy steered us to this great place where I gobbled REAL fish and chips. 

The icing on the cake was meeting up for the afternoon with my elementary school friend, Christa, and her kids.  We enjoyed a fun afternoon at the Aquarium and then she drove me to the airport.  I hadn't seen her in years and we both exclaimed the same thing, "You look exactly the same as you did in grade eight!". 

This last photo is taken of North Vancouver, shot from Stanley Park.  This was where I stayed on my last visit to Vancouver in September of 1992 while on my way to Hawaii with the Lowry family.  Fond memories.

The red-eye flight was tough on the way back.  I connected through LAX and on my flight there I was seated next to a woman from the conference that I had not met.  We enjoyed a three hour conversation about ministry, family, Detroit and LA.  It also was an unexpected blessing.  My awesome mother held up the fort with Ben while I was gone.  And then, surprise!  My sister Joanna was asleep on the couch when I got home from the airport.  My dad had brought her along for the weekend.  Awesome to see family.  Bummer to be so sleepy while they were there.  :) 

Great trip.