My New Favorite City - Vancouver!

Can I just tell you how much we loved Vancouver? It was a beautiful city, everyone was friendly and it didn't hurt that we stayed in an absolutely gorgeous hotel in the heart of downtown. The Sutton Place.

After spending 4 days in Seattle we got up bright and early and caught the Amtrak to Vancouver. It was my first time on a train and it was an experience. I think I could get used to travelling by train! I loved that you could get up and walk around, the seats were comfortable, and it was so simple.

The view from our seats

We made ourselves at home in the dining car where we played cards.

The crew was great about pointing out all the landmarks. We loved that. There is a spot just after the Canadian border where there are flocks of bald eagles. It was amazing to watch  so many of them flying together that way. We had to act fast so the pictures weren't the best but we did get a shot of this big guy.

We finally arrived in Vancouver Sunday afternoon. After checking into our hotel we had to go get food and a beer before we started sight seeing. I always feel a little bit overwhelmed when I first arrive in a brand new city. There was so much to see and I didn't want to miss anything!

I did a lot of of research before we arrived so we had a game plan. Sunday afternoon was spent doing some sight seeing. We walked a lot that afternoon and by Sunday after we ate dinner I was exhausted. We love checking out the bar scene in new cities but we were SO tired we used our $50 credit at the hotel bar and hit the hay.

Day 2 started with a fantastic breakfast. We had a full day planned so we needed sustinence. I don't know how to spell that and I'm too lazy to look it up right now!

Isn't the view from our room gorgeous?

Our first stop of the day was at a  bike rental shop. We did the touristy (but incredibly fun and beautiful) ride around Stanley Park. It's a must-see in Vancouver. The weather was beautiful so there were lots of people out but it didn't ruin our time. MrHoppy got VERY good at snapping pictures while we were zooming along on our bikes.

After Stanley Park we walked down to Gas Town. It's a touristy area with lots of shops full of all things Canada. I couldn't leave without gifts for everyone at home! It was a cool area, we stopped for a beer of course and I spent some money. We also picked up a 6 pack to split in the room before we went out. It was our full day there and we planned to go have delicious seafood.

This ship was awesome. I was enthralled with how huge it was. When they blew the horn I could feel it in my chest.

We went back to the hotel and got ready for a night out on the town. The concierge recommended dinner at a restaurant called Coast. It didn't disappoint - it was amazing! We sat at the bar which is also a circular raw fish preperation type area. The bartenders were great, the food was amazing and we loved every minute of it.

After breakfast on our last day we walked to Granville Island. It's not really and "island" but we wanted to check it out anyway. There was a farmer's market, cute shops and lots of people watching to be done.

Being silly and taking "senior" pictures

Before leaving Vancouver for good we took the aquabus back to the city-side and did more shopping before hopping on the train.

Goodbye for now Vancouver. We will be back!!

I Super Suck

At blogging lately. And if I'm being honest -  it's not lately - it's been the past month pretty much! Since vacation.

Since we returned from Seattle and Vancouver it feels like our lives have been a whirlwind!

We went right back out of town for MrHoppy's little brother's (say that 10 times fast!) high school graduation over Memorial Day.

We were back to work, MrHoppy was interviewing, taking tests and running paperwork all over the city.

I don't know what my excuse has been... Keeping up with real life while he was doing his thing?

Then we had "The Break-In" (shudder) which resulted in ordering a new front door, the door not fitting, MrsHoppy having a melt down over the lack of security in our home, a new door being delivered and installed, our alarm company coming back and SUPER securing the place. I'm still working on being comfortable there, especially when I'm there alone.

Then last weekend I was gone from Friday night to Sunday mid-day. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my sister and nephew while our husbands went on a boy's camping trip. We relaxed, painted our toes and used my new tanning mousse, St Tropez which is awesome by the way! I lavished love on my nephew and we discussed baby names for #2. Saturday we had a baby shower for a high school friend and then a baseball game to celebrate one of my best friend's 30th birthdays. Sunday we hung out and my Mom came over to help me with my ongoing baseboard painting project. We got a lot done! It was much needed girl time and the best part about our husbands going out of town.

Lastly, blogging has been something I do in my down time since MrHoppy was gone so much. With his new job he is home much more and finding the time to blog has been hard. I haven't been ordering or editing photos either. We've just been spending time together, making healthy dinners and enjoying our new life.

It hasn't been without stress though. We'll be on a tighter budget for 6 months or so until he gets a raise. My sister and her husband are SUPER awesome budget makers so they are nice enough to help us out tonight. We aren't used to running such a tight ship so it will take some getting used to.

All in all we are doing well. I'm still reading blogs and keeping up with everyone, I just haven't found time to blog about our own crazy lives lately. A Vancouver post is up next. Now I just need to get those photos organized...

Happy Tuesday!

Ch-ch-ch-changes! The Good Kind.

Changes in the Hoppy house!

I am so excited to report that MrHoppy got a new job this week! After a month of testing, waiting, paperwork, waiting some more, and finally an interview last Thursday he got the call Monday. He got the job! I'm so proud of him, in this economy it's pretty amazing to change careers.

As with everything in our lives the job wasn't without stress...

They called Monday and wanted him to start Wednesday! It's a position he was very interested in so we wanted to do everything in our power to make the Wednesday start date happen. Let the scramble begin.

He currently works in the restaurant industry and has been with the same company for over 10 years. While he loved his job there the hours made it difficult for us. It wasn't something he was looking to do long term. He promptly let them know what was going on and they were beyond helpful. He works a lot of nights and with his new early morning hours he just couldn't do both. With the help of everyone he works with they were able to cover all his scheduled shifts so he could start his new job. Plus they offered him some weekend shifts if he wants them for extra money. We're so thankful they were so understanding and genuinely happy for him.

What will he be doing now you ask? MrHoppy is a new Plumber's Apprentice. It's a 5 (yes 5!) year program where he gets paid to learn his new trade. The company pays for his schooling which will be 2 nights per week starting in the Fall. He gets regular raises and full benefits through the Union. I think (and hope!) this is something he will enjoy. And I know he'll be good at it.  He is very hands-on and I just can't see him sitting behind a desk all day.

We are both kind of nervous right now, it's a big change for us and it will take us some time to adjust. He has been doing the same thing for 10 years with the same company so this is big. Epic even. :)  Having him home at night will be great for me and I am so excited for him to have a "normal" schedule. No more lonely MrsHoppy!

Please think of us and send vibes that this big change continues to be a good one!

Seattle!

Things are getting back to normal here at the Hoppy house. Finally! Thanks for all the words of support after my last post. I'm feeling better each day.


I want to share some pictures from our Seattle vacation, we took so many and I was planning to edit them but I just haven't had the time! So here they are straight from my camera.

We visited with MrHoppy's sister and her husband and our new niece. We had been dying to meet her and had such a great time with them. It was relaxing and busy all at the same time - if that's even possible. ;) I feel like I saw as much of Seattle as I could during the days we were there.

I'll do a seperate post devoted to Vancouver. I have to say Vancouver might be my favorite city to visit so far... You will see why!

MrHoppy and baby J

I was so amazed at the amount of fresh flowers in the Northwest. I loved it!

Pier 70 where the Real World was filmed

At The Locks - It was pretty cool

The 20 Reasons I Have Been MIA...

Here is our last week in short:

1. Work out. All the time. I got fat on vacation

2. Work. The boss man gets grumpy when I'm gone

3. Get excited for one of my BFFs birthday BBQ

4. Go to birthday BBQ

5. Get a call after about 4 beers that our house was broken into

6. Burst into tears

7. Pregnant sister rushes us home - we can't drive after a few BBQ beers

8. File report with police while the husband screws the broken front door back on with a sheet of plywood

9. Thank my lucky stars for our alarm company - without them our house would be e.m.p.t.y.

10. Realize a flat screen was taken from our bedroom.

11. Get pissed.

12. Realize I should be thankful they didn't take more.

13. Thank alarm company again.

14. Coax our poor, scared shitless kitty out from behind the water heater

15. Thank God that our dogs were at the BBQ with us - I don't want to think of what could have happened
:::shudders:::

16. Stay the night with friends - who wants to stay in this house on this night? Not me.

17. Go down to the station and give our prints.

18. Become close with a certain cop in our area and I'm very thankful for his hard work.

19. Order new front door from neighbors who coincidently own a wholesale construction materials company and hooked us up.

20. Give the neighbors the phone number for our alarm company which they, in turn, are thankful for.

So long story long, we were robbed, I have been a nervous wreck, MrHoppy has been working a ton and I absolutely hate how our quiet neighborhood now feels unsafe to me. :( It's amazing how unsettling something like this can be...

Hence, the reason I haven't blogged, edited and posted pictures or commented on any blogs in the last week. Hopefully after this weekend life will be 100% back to normal...

Back on Track

May was a tough month on me. I like to talk about the things I accomplish and overcome but sometimes I have a month where that just isn't the case. And I just need to vent somewhere!

First let's talk health and fitness. We had a fantastic month full of fun, travel, restaurants and beer. Lots of beer. ;)

Hence the reason I am so glad to be home and back to my normal routine and schedule. I feel like I made some good progress in the last few months toning and building muscle and it amazes me how quickly it changes when I'm not diligent.

Back at home means back at the gym. Hard core. And back to healthy eating. Double hard core. It's gone well so far this week and I'm feeling better already.

Do you ever feel like everything in your life is out of place? I'm feeling that way right now. There are things going on with us that might mean changes. They are mostly exciting but also a little scary. I will be sure to give updates when I have them!

Work is work. I'm not 100% happy in my job but I'm at a loss as to how to fix it. It's not really a good time to search for a new career and I'll be honest: I don't really know what I would want to do anyway. So I bide my time in my position (which is awesome and I'm lucky to have) and think about what I might do if things here ever change.

The house is the house. I still have decorating and changes I want to make but after traveling so much in the last month funds are tight. I have things I'd like to do in the yard as well but it's hard to find the time.

So I just keep going. I feel overwhelmed and I know I'm just rambling. Pictures from our trip are downloaded and I'll be sharing more about our trip as soon as I can! I feel the need to make a list...