These are long overdue! The wedding and wedding holiday seem soooo long ago... I am already dying to get planning on our next vacation!!!
xoxo
L & J
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The House is Falling!!!
Ok... So Joon and I will have officially been married for one month on Friday (Yay for us!!)... BUT, since we returned, things have sort of been literally falling apart with our house... which btw, is only 7 years old.
On Thursday ( December 11), at 10:00 pm we discovered to our absolute HORROR that our beautifully finished basement (that was about to host our annual holiday Christmas party) had flooded.
Joon stepped off the bottom step of the basement with the intention of bringing something upstairs... and stepped into about 4 inches of water. Squish...
Of course due to the hour, we were up late calling around for a clean up crew to come in... We couldn't get one in until the next morning. After a full day of the cleanup crew cleaning the water, taking out underlay, removing all of our drywall and furniture, setting up drying fans (to dry the carpet) and packing all of our stuff that wasn't damaged, our basement now looks like a war ravaged flood zone... And all furniture will need to be replaced due to water damage...
The next two months should be interesting as we wait to get the cause of the flood fixed, and our basement habitable again!!!
We are also having problems with our furnace, and have not had a lick of good heat since Monday December 15... Needless to say, we are a bit stressed and VERY chilly this close to Christmas...
The extreme chill that Calgary is experiencing makes getting anything done extremely difficult, as the rest of the city is experiencing home difficulties as well! Why do our houses choose to break down when it is cold, snowing, and late at night???
On a related note, we are having a bit of a challenging time adjusting to losing 1000 square feet of living space, and I feel like we are living literally on top of one another!!!
I don't have any pictures to post as our camera was in the basement, and bless the clean up crew for handling EVERYTHING, our camera is packed in one of the hundreds of boxes that is now our stuff in the basement bathroom!
All the same, it is nearly Christmas, we are seven days and counting and my holidays officially start today at 4pm!!!
Happy Holidays from L & J
On Thursday ( December 11), at 10:00 pm we discovered to our absolute HORROR that our beautifully finished basement (that was about to host our annual holiday Christmas party) had flooded.
Joon stepped off the bottom step of the basement with the intention of bringing something upstairs... and stepped into about 4 inches of water. Squish...
Of course due to the hour, we were up late calling around for a clean up crew to come in... We couldn't get one in until the next morning. After a full day of the cleanup crew cleaning the water, taking out underlay, removing all of our drywall and furniture, setting up drying fans (to dry the carpet) and packing all of our stuff that wasn't damaged, our basement now looks like a war ravaged flood zone... And all furniture will need to be replaced due to water damage...
The next two months should be interesting as we wait to get the cause of the flood fixed, and our basement habitable again!!!
We are also having problems with our furnace, and have not had a lick of good heat since Monday December 15... Needless to say, we are a bit stressed and VERY chilly this close to Christmas...
The extreme chill that Calgary is experiencing makes getting anything done extremely difficult, as the rest of the city is experiencing home difficulties as well! Why do our houses choose to break down when it is cold, snowing, and late at night???
On a related note, we are having a bit of a challenging time adjusting to losing 1000 square feet of living space, and I feel like we are living literally on top of one another!!!
I don't have any pictures to post as our camera was in the basement, and bless the clean up crew for handling EVERYTHING, our camera is packed in one of the hundreds of boxes that is now our stuff in the basement bathroom!
All the same, it is nearly Christmas, we are seven days and counting and my holidays officially start today at 4pm!!!
Happy Holidays from L & J
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!!!
I cannot believe how fast time is flying... Joon and I will have been married for three weeks already on Friday... the wedding, cruise, and Caribbean feel like a dream from long ago!!! Combine that with the fact that we were away for nearly ALL of November and presto... Christmas is just around the corner.
On the weekend, I mistakenly mused that it would feel so much more "Christmas-y" if it would only snow... Sunday morning came, and we woke to a snow blizzard... which continued for the entire DAY! It is beautiful outside, but now we are in a mad panic to get all our shopping out of the way, and prepare for our annual Christmas party...EEEK!!!
As this is our first Christmas as a married couple, I want to do something a little special, but am unsure how to go forward... maybe a cute ornament? Or a weekend away in the snow topped mountains? Some quality time on the skihill? Or just a few hours with just the two of us, reconnecting after the busy weeks since our wedding...
I will be sure to post our tree, decorations, and of course, the SNOW very soon.
Merry almost Christmas everyone!!!
love,
larissa and joon
On the weekend, I mistakenly mused that it would feel so much more "Christmas-y" if it would only snow... Sunday morning came, and we woke to a snow blizzard... which continued for the entire DAY! It is beautiful outside, but now we are in a mad panic to get all our shopping out of the way, and prepare for our annual Christmas party...EEEK!!!
As this is our first Christmas as a married couple, I want to do something a little special, but am unsure how to go forward... maybe a cute ornament? Or a weekend away in the snow topped mountains? Some quality time on the skihill? Or just a few hours with just the two of us, reconnecting after the busy weeks since our wedding...
I will be sure to post our tree, decorations, and of course, the SNOW very soon.
Merry almost Christmas everyone!!!
love,
larissa and joon
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Our Honeymoon on the Cruise!
On November 9, 2008, Joon and I left for Toronto, begining our two week journey of family, friends, honeymoon and wedding, all rolled up into a cruise and all inclusive in the Southern Caribean.
We began our trip with a whirlwind cruise of the Southern Caribean, with seven stops in seven days. We embarked the ship in San Juan, Peurto Rico and steamed full aheah for our first stop, St. Thomas. Hot and very developed, St. Thomas had more jewelery stores than a person knows what to do with. Now as a gal who LOVES anything sparkly, I have to admit that the amount of jewelery stores were a bit overwhelming. It was in St. Thomas that Joon decided that he wanted to get a new watch for our upcoming wedding, and so the hunt for the perfect watch began, although at that point, we weren't sure what the perfect watch would be.
Next stop was a little island called Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic. Dominica is an island that depends entirely on tourism and fruit exports, so the things to do and see are natural things, not shopping. So a cab was chartered for eight, and away we went to the interior of Dominica. We were headed to the rainforest where we would be swimming in natural pools with a waterfall. It was amazing!!! We also had a chance to try fresh bananas, and they were fantastic. Just a side note, the bananas we eat in North America are picked TWO MONTHS before they are ripe for exports. Eating a ripe banana is like eating an entirely new fruit. It was so sweet and tasty... YUM! We also had a chance to see sugar water from sugar cane, which was very neat. After a full day, back to the ship we headed for some naps and sailing to our next destination, Barbados.
We docked bright and early in Barbados and first stop on our list of things to do was a tour of the Mount Gay Rum factory, home of the oldest Rum in the world. Now, a tour of a Rum factory usually means a taste of the Rum produced at the Rum factory, so by 11 AM, we were all a little tipsy! With our bags of Rum in hand and rumcake in the other, off we headed to the beach for some sun, sand, and snorkeling. Joon, his dad, and Matt decided they wanted to see more than shore fish, so they charted a boat to take them to the deep water. First stop, an old shipwreck for some snorkelling. After the shipwreck, they went out to a reef just off the coast of Barbados and swam with giant turtles. Joon's dad and Matt hooked a ride with the turtles which took them deep down to the depths of the ocean, which forced them to let go! After a great day in Barbados (and a small sunburn on me) we headed back to the ship for rest, and our first formal night on the ship.
Thursday we docked in St. Lucia to unsettled clouds, and after about an hour in town, we were forced back to the ship due to RAIN!! Not something Joon and I wanted to see as in just a short seven days, we would be back for our wedding. The rain seemed ominous foreshadowing of what was to come. Not wanting to dwell, we accepted the rainy day, headed to the pool, and napped, swam, and played "Big 2, a chinese gambling game that can get heated very quickly, especially in the Chan family!!!
Day 5 we docked in Antigua, which seemed like a nice little town, but we bypassed the town and headed again to the beach!!! We enjoyed more sand and sun, and after a week of the ship, it was definitely what we all needed!
Our last day on the ship was in St. Kitts, and after an entire week of go-go-go, we were all exhausted. Joon and I took a quick tour of the town, and then headed back to the ship to nap! We slept the entire day away, so not too much to report on St. Kitts... sorry!
We pulled back into San Juan after a busy week with a bit of sadness to realize that our holiday was half over, but excitement as the big day was approaching and we were meeting all our family and friends in St. Lucia!
More to come on St. Lucia, and pictures from the cruise!!!
xoxo
L&J
We began our trip with a whirlwind cruise of the Southern Caribean, with seven stops in seven days. We embarked the ship in San Juan, Peurto Rico and steamed full aheah for our first stop, St. Thomas. Hot and very developed, St. Thomas had more jewelery stores than a person knows what to do with. Now as a gal who LOVES anything sparkly, I have to admit that the amount of jewelery stores were a bit overwhelming. It was in St. Thomas that Joon decided that he wanted to get a new watch for our upcoming wedding, and so the hunt for the perfect watch began, although at that point, we weren't sure what the perfect watch would be.
Next stop was a little island called Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic. Dominica is an island that depends entirely on tourism and fruit exports, so the things to do and see are natural things, not shopping. So a cab was chartered for eight, and away we went to the interior of Dominica. We were headed to the rainforest where we would be swimming in natural pools with a waterfall. It was amazing!!! We also had a chance to try fresh bananas, and they were fantastic. Just a side note, the bananas we eat in North America are picked TWO MONTHS before they are ripe for exports. Eating a ripe banana is like eating an entirely new fruit. It was so sweet and tasty... YUM! We also had a chance to see sugar water from sugar cane, which was very neat. After a full day, back to the ship we headed for some naps and sailing to our next destination, Barbados.
We docked bright and early in Barbados and first stop on our list of things to do was a tour of the Mount Gay Rum factory, home of the oldest Rum in the world. Now, a tour of a Rum factory usually means a taste of the Rum produced at the Rum factory, so by 11 AM, we were all a little tipsy! With our bags of Rum in hand and rumcake in the other, off we headed to the beach for some sun, sand, and snorkeling. Joon, his dad, and Matt decided they wanted to see more than shore fish, so they charted a boat to take them to the deep water. First stop, an old shipwreck for some snorkelling. After the shipwreck, they went out to a reef just off the coast of Barbados and swam with giant turtles. Joon's dad and Matt hooked a ride with the turtles which took them deep down to the depths of the ocean, which forced them to let go! After a great day in Barbados (and a small sunburn on me) we headed back to the ship for rest, and our first formal night on the ship.
Thursday we docked in St. Lucia to unsettled clouds, and after about an hour in town, we were forced back to the ship due to RAIN!! Not something Joon and I wanted to see as in just a short seven days, we would be back for our wedding. The rain seemed ominous foreshadowing of what was to come. Not wanting to dwell, we accepted the rainy day, headed to the pool, and napped, swam, and played "Big 2, a chinese gambling game that can get heated very quickly, especially in the Chan family!!!
Day 5 we docked in Antigua, which seemed like a nice little town, but we bypassed the town and headed again to the beach!!! We enjoyed more sand and sun, and after a week of the ship, it was definitely what we all needed!
Our last day on the ship was in St. Kitts, and after an entire week of go-go-go, we were all exhausted. Joon and I took a quick tour of the town, and then headed back to the ship to nap! We slept the entire day away, so not too much to report on St. Kitts... sorry!
We pulled back into San Juan after a busy week with a bit of sadness to realize that our holiday was half over, but excitement as the big day was approaching and we were meeting all our family and friends in St. Lucia!
More to come on St. Lucia, and pictures from the cruise!!!
xoxo
L&J
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A part of history!
Wow. Life is busy and crazy and hectic, and as Joon and I frantically pack and prep for two weeks away on our wedding and honeymoon in the southern caribean, we had to pause for a moment last night after Barack took the presidency of the United States. I didn't think it was possible for change in the US. Especially after the last two democratic candidates (Kerry and Gore) were supposedly shoe in's to win.
But, history has been changed, and Barack is in! I feel like this is a teeny tiny taste of what it must have been like in the 60's during the human rights movement, and Martin Luther King's speech, I have a dream. I feel grateful that I have had a chance to witness this and be a part of history.
Barack Obama is the hope of the future, and the catalyst of change. Yay Barack and adios Bush!!!!
But, history has been changed, and Barack is in! I feel like this is a teeny tiny taste of what it must have been like in the 60's during the human rights movement, and Martin Luther King's speech, I have a dream. I feel grateful that I have had a chance to witness this and be a part of history.
Barack Obama is the hope of the future, and the catalyst of change. Yay Barack and adios Bush!!!!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hello...
Welcome to life with Joon and Larissa... and Bella of course!
Joon and I have been together for ever it seems, yet it is also hard to believe that it has been as long as it has (nine years come February 2009)...
We have definitely had our share of ups and downs along the way, and so the idea that we are a mere three weeks, 1 day, and 23 hours away from our official wedding day in St. Lucia is unbelievable... I can't wait!
The countdown is on, both for wedding, but also to begin this exciting new part of our lives together...
Stay tuned in the life of Joon and Larissa... and Bella of course!
Joon and I have been together for ever it seems, yet it is also hard to believe that it has been as long as it has (nine years come February 2009)...
We have definitely had our share of ups and downs along the way, and so the idea that we are a mere three weeks, 1 day, and 23 hours away from our official wedding day in St. Lucia is unbelievable... I can't wait!
The countdown is on, both for wedding, but also to begin this exciting new part of our lives together...
Stay tuned in the life of Joon and Larissa... and Bella of course!
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