The Kernel

Here she is! Colin's replacement wife for the past few weeks! May I introduce you to...THE KERNEL!

Colin's dad built a similar rowboat from scratch so he could take it flyfishing. It turned out wonderful! It's a nice blue. It's called "That Boat" because his mom was always saying "Del's outside working on THAT BOAT, what else?".

Ours was going to be called "Stupid Boat" for the same reason but Colin didn't go for it.

Since Colin was so impressed with the outcome, he decided to build one too. It will be good to have at Salty Shack, and it will be handy at Savary to get from the moorage to the beach. He built the whole boat in 2 weeks! We are leaving in less than 24 hours, and he just finished it last night!

He never ceases to amaze me. He has the talent to not only make a boat from scratch, but somehow turn it into a work of art! Maybe in the upcoming week I'll be able to forget the "absentee husband syndrome" he has had for the past few weeks, and really just enjoy the boat!

"Yeah, but why i it called The Kernel?" you ask? If fish look up toward the sky, light colours blend in with the sky better than a dark colour. Dark colours look like dangerous shadows. Some preditory fish are light on the bottom and dark on the top for the same reason.

Also, Colin really likes yellow! We have one room in our house painted yellow, and he wants another one yellow too. So when he had to choose a light colour, it was easy! So "Safety Yellow" it was! I'll bet the colour got it's name because you can be seen from 167 kilometers away. That could make you safe.

Kernels of corn are yellow too.

The boat is wide at one end, and tapers off to a point.

Kernels of corn also have a wide end, tapering off to a point.

And the name Kernel sounds exactly like Colonel (for some odd reason), which is a distinguished Marine Corps position! Colin is the Colonel on Kernel!

So, I am off on vacation until July! I will update my blog with plenty of photos when I return...if the Kernel really does float!

Shameless Plug

Last week, Colin and I went out with my parents to celebrate their anniversary! We've made a tradition of double-dating on their special day (why they'd want to spend it with us, I don't know). This is the second year in a row we've been to the Bella Vita in Maple Ridge.

It made such an impression that I am writing about it a week later on my blog.

My description of the place would have to include the words "retro fine dining". The atmosphere is set up like an expensive restaurant would have been set up in the 70's. I know, I know. I never actually went to a fancy restaurant in the 70's, but thanks to TV and movies, I can just picture it! There are chandeliers and candles, and the waiters are dressed up in black and white suits.

It's dressy enough to wear a dress, and casual enough to wear jeans, which just happens to be perfect for Colin and I!

The service was good. The waiter said "excuse me" at the beginning of every sentence, which got tiring after a while, but his querkiness made up for it. Colin had his glass in his hand, with it halfway up to his mouth, and the waiter poitely took it away from him, filled it, and gave it back. "Wow", I thought, "Is he going to feed us too?".

Now onto the food.....

On the menu is $33 crab dinners, $25 salmon or halibut dinners, or spend $8 for a few oysters, but why would anyone order from the regular menu when theres a... (drumroll please) ....SPECIAL MENU! Look at their website http://www.thebellavita.net/, and click "specials" on the left. You choose any appy, main course AND dessert for $19.50! And the food is AMAZING, with very large portions.

I starved myself almost the whole day in preparation for going. They give you warm seed rolls to begin with (we ended up getting at least 2 each because we inhaled them so fast). This time I tried french onion soup for the appy and Sole stuffed with shrimp and spinach covered in a creamy dill sauce for a main course. LOVED IT. Mom and dad had prime rib with the most gargantuan yorkshire pudding I've ever seen, and Colin had the messiest thing on the menu...ribs. All were delicious.

By the time dessert came I was SO glad I ordered the light and fluffy chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce instead of the lemon shortcake everyone else had.

Drooling yet?

You know it's a good restaurant when the following things happen after the meal:
1. You don't stop at Wendy's for a bite to eat on the way home.
2. You go home and just sit in front of the TV because that's all your body can handle.
3. You tell your friends that they MUST go.

So that is what I'm doing! Bon Appetite!

Nancy Fish

All this thinking about the week at Savary has reminded me about a fishing story!

7 years ago and not too far away...

There was a girl (lets call her Nancy) and a boy (lets call him Colin). They met at church and went to the same Bible Study, but he was quite shy, so they didn't know each other well. They finally got their chance to become great friends on a Missions trip in Tijuana, Mexico. A few weeks after they got back, they went on a camping trip with some friends at a cabin on Pitt Lake.

Colin promised to take his friend Nancy fishing. Nancy was the 3rd of 3 girls in her family, so fishing was not a "priority experience" in the household. A needle and thread replaced the need for fishing line and a hook. And butterflies are a lot better than worms. Instead of fishing on holidays, time was much better spent suntanning. But, since they were camping at a lake, Colin took his friend out fishing in his little boat (lets call it Slugboat: for obvious reasons).

He taught her how to fish "old school", using real worms! Truth be told, Nancy didn't even know that you used anything OTHER than worms to lure a fish! She's come a long way since then.

They fished out in the boat together with no bites. Of course, Colin had the honour of skewering the worms on her hook. She remembers not really caring if there were bites or not, because she was with Colin afterall, and that was reward enough!

All of a sudden...Colin got a bite! He started to reel it in. Then...Nancy got a bite too! They both reeled in their lines, but Colin got his in first. He picked up the hook out of the water, and what was on it? Nancy's hook! The next thing he said would be something she'd hear for years to come...

He exclaimed "I caught a Nancy fish!!".

And he sure did! The next day, they started dating! 17 months later he gave her the five-of-diamonds and asked her hand in marriage! And 2 years and 4 days after that first fishing trip, they were fishing with wedding band lures!

And they lived happily ever after.

5 Sleeps to go...

My very own purple "Roth Spot" is disappearing! Before I file this experience into the been-there-done-that bin, I'll give a quick update.

On Friday I was sent to the hospital because I still had a concussion (after 6 days), and proved it by bad headaches, and falling down stairs due to dizziness! They gave me a CT scan in Emerg. I got to sit in a wheelchair holding my purse like a little old lady while I waited :-D

Turns out (after 4 hours of waiting and $9.00 in the parking meter) the scan was normal and I was just still recovering. After 14 hours of sleep on Saturday, I felt good as new!

So now I turn my attention to other more interesting things. Like:

This is what I'll be looking at in 5 sleeps! Colin and I are heading off to Savary Island with Steve and Rhonda! They love the coast of BC (It's no doubt...Rhonda's from the prairies) and spend at least a few weeks per year at the coast. They've been to most of the Gulf Islands and after reading a book on Savary Island (Spillsbury's Coast), decided they wanted to go. They didn't know at the time we know someone with a cabin there. When they found this out, we decided to go together.

Colin and I have been twice before. It's gorgeous! And there's good fishing (Red Snapper, Ling cod, Rock cod, prawns and crab). Usually you can pick up shellfish from the beach and eat it but there's red tide this year. It's so quiet because there's no electricity, but there are still kerosene lights, a propane fridge and gas stove. And a flush toilet...which is the main luxury for me!

Now I will be spending this week trying to curb my excitement, or else it will be a loooong week!

Tough Enough

Although Andrew thinks I look like a clown from Cirque de Soleil, I think I look rather tough! I wouldn't want to run into me in a dark alley!

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Fun and Pain

What a weekend! On Saturday, our Bible Study group went to play in Hatzic Lake! We went tubing, kneeboarding, waterskiing and wakeboarding! I tried wakeboarding for the first time, and had so much fun! I picked it up pretty quickly (I assume due to my snowboarding background), and I even got some air off the wake a few times! And surprisingly, no bad wipeouts. I left that up to Colin.

Colin and Steve had "Kneeboard Wars", which was funny to watch! They were spraying each other with water at the beginning, then it turned into a gentle shove here and there. But by the end, they were tackling each other into the water! One of Colin's wipeouts (aka FACEPLANT) on the wakeboard caused his contact to eject from his eye, so we had to go into Mission and beg an optometrist for another. Which reminds me of a story...

On our honeymoon (nearly 5 years ago now) we went to the Mayan Riviera. On the first day there, my contact ripped and I didn't pack an extra one. Thus started our very own "Amazing Race" experience! We had to look through the Spanish yellow pages (we don't know Spanish) to find an optometrist. When we found one (about half an hour away), we asked the bus driver from our hotel to take us there, and he wouldn't. He only took us as far as the "touristy area" goes, then we were on our own to taxi and walk to find it. Luckily, we found it! The optometrist was helpful, and although she didn't speak any English, I still managed to get the right strength of contact lens and enjoy the week! I guess we are even now.

Back to the present time...

Saturday was awesome! Then Sunday came. Started off good with a great message at church. Then we had to go Colin's last softball game of the season. I haven't played this year because last year I sprained my ankle and got really bad roadrash up my arm. I've decided to take it a little easier with my body this year.

At the game, the opposing team was short one girl, so they would have to forfeit the game because they didn't have enough. Long story short...I volunteered to cross lines and play with the other team. Luckily I remembered how to catch, and throw, and despite my aching body from the watersports, I was even swinging ok! Then during the first inning...

Ouch. Yup, a beautiful shiner! I could actually feel my brain hit my skull. This pic is not too bad. You should see it today!

It wasn't anyone's fault really, just one of those things where the ball bounces in a weird unexpected angle. I pretended to be tough (because I'm really not) and finished the game. We won, with no direct help from me beacuse I was pretty distracted (and because I sort of suck). The thunder and lightening storms started just before our game and finished as we were ending. It was nerve wracking being at the top of a hill holding a metal bat when there is lightening nearby.

I am NOT enjoying having to explain how I got this lovely shiner to everyone I see today. "No, it WASN'T my husband!". Still feel a bit woozy and have a nice headache. I am never subbing in a softball game ever again. Who named is "softball" anyway?

Electronic Community

My first post was 3 weeks ago! Before that, I hardly even THOUGHT of blogging! I checked Laura's blog sometimes, but never really left comments.

Now, however, it is a daily occurrence, and I get stressed if it's down (Which reminds me... I have added more photos to "Sunshiny Coast" for those interested in taking a peek).

So today I wanted to give a synopsis of my growing electronic community, in order of the links on the left of the page.

Laura introduced me to my new addiction! You are forever responsible for my lack of getting-away-from-my-computer on my lunch break! HA! I enjoy blogging more anyway. She is hillarious, down-to-earth and always has something to write about, even if it is a story she made up (and fooled us all)! Check out her blog for funny stories and honest reflections about life, and kids (ie. if you should have them or not...she changes my mind almost daily)!

Justin lives in Golden. So I guess a lot farther away than accross a bridge! He is Colin's twin. Born on the same day, same year, same time zone...and same sense of querky humour! He is starting up a photography business. Check out his website/portfolio for some AMAZING photos! I've watched him take photos (which is, like, all the time!) and have got a few pointers, but my photos will never be as good. MARCO!!!!!!

Lorene also lives in Golden! Where is Golden, you ask? TOO FAR AWAY! She is a strong, courageous and fun friend who is never chicken to make the big decisions in life. She is the ONLY journalist for the Golden Star (until July sometime) and is an amazing writer! Check out the Golden Star newspaper for the stories she writes. I know more news about Golden than I do in my own city!

Colin lives in my house! And occasionally the dog house (just kidding, we don't have a dog ;-). I refuse to go mushy on a blog...Check out his company's website! His designs are so intricate, and since I am not mechanical, I don't even know how to describe his stuff, so just click on the link!

And the newest member is Andrew! He lives nearby, and is part of the "Ruby Lake Rockers". This self-professed "tech nerd" (and groomsman at our wedding) started a blog yesterday (ha! I beat you to it!) and is officially added to my electronic community! Check out his blog for...um....I am not quite sure yet! Random blathers?

I've had a great lunch hour with you guys! Same time on Monday?

My 15 minutes of fame

Every once-in-a-while, I play the ego game that some others play. It's called "What hit number am I on Google?" (aka, how important am I?). Fess up...we all do it!

Today is not looking so good. I'm hit 41! I almost gave up counting. I was hit 4 a few months ago, due to the interview I did for Douglas College about my job. So when I found that hit today, here's what the whole "synopsis" on google said -

"nancy roth. Nancy Roth: Helping the people behind the numbers: Health Information Services Program. ziggy the dog. Ziggy's brush with death gives birth to ..."

HOLD ON.....who is ziggy the dog, and why does he get to be in the same sentence with me...stealing my 15 minutes of fame?

I was beat out by many others that share my name. There's a Reverend, a realtor, a Christian author (I might buy the Christian Yoga book just for fun!), an actress, some people from the 1800's and various other "regular people" like me.

What's really funny is that both Colin and Nancy Roth are real estate agents in the states! HA!

So maybe, just maybe, when I publish this post, I will be hit number one for 15 minutes!

I also have Googled some of you too...tee hee! The participation ribbon goes to Laura! I can't find one! The red ribbon goes to Justin! You have the top 8 hits! And drumroll please.....the blue ribbon goes out to Lorene! I gave up looking for one that WASN'T you!! Congratulations! Although I guess it helps that you are a reporter.

If you didn't receive a ribbon, that means I don't know you are reading. So leave your comments and I'll spy on you too!

Sunshiny Coast

WOW! The weather was great! I thought it would rain the whole time, but we hardly spent any time inside - just when we all had a 2 hour nap on Saturday and when we played Settlers until the wee hours of the morning.

On Saturday, we went for a hike. We were gone for 3 hours! At the base of the hike we saw a pile of bear droppings, which made us kind of nervous, and a few minutes up the trail the girls (who were walking IN FRONT of the boys, like some kind of bear bait) heard a growl. The boys said "It's just a bee that buzzed past your head!". Hmm... That bee had a very low growl. Must've been big.

Colin and I were brave. Ruby Lake is great for swimming in because it is quite warm and clear. It was 18 degrees already, so we went for a swim...a quick swim! Turns out 18 degrees isn't all that warm!

It was a relaxing and fun weekend. And today I have the day off work! It's nice to have a day to recover from a weekend away before I get back to the daily grind.

On the Verge of Vacation

I feel like I am on the verge of vacation season! In the summer months we'll be: going to Savary Island with Rhonda & Steve, going camping with our small group, going to Salty Shack a few times, hosting our out-of-town partners-in-crime Justin & Lorene for a week and a bit (our first overnight house guests!), and celebrating our 5 year anniversary at a wilderness resort in BC! July is also "Birthday Month" in my family so we'll be having lots of family BBQ's (and maybe hosting a few)!

I was at lunch with a friend yesterday. She asked "So, whose friend's cabin are you going to THIS weekend?". She thinks I have all the right friends because it seems like everyone we know has a cabin (or access to one). She's right! I DO have all the right friends, but the cabin part is a just a small bonus of their friendship!

Wait a minute...I wasn't going to get all smushy...

This weekend (actually in 4 hours and 51 minutes) we'll be going to "John's Cabin". It's an almost-lakefront cabin on the sunshine coast.

The sunshine coast is like Greenland. Greenland is full of ice, and Iceland is green, but they named the bigger country Greenland...even though it should have been the one names "Iceland". I think it was to attract more people. This is exactly like the "Sunshine Coast"! It's called the "Sunshine Coast" so people think "Oh! How nice! A sunny part of the West Coast!". Little do they know, it rains just as much there as it does everywhere else.

John has been a good friend for about 7 years. We met him through at church in 1999, around the same time Colin and I started dating. Since then, we've been up to his cabin 15 times (including this weekend)!

Here are some of my favorite memories of the trips we've been on:

Nikki came up with us once. That was one of the few times it didn't rain AT ALL! The water was so beautiful that we swam between "Sap Island" and "Wasp Island" (named by Tim for obvious reasons).

I enjoyed the time we played "INKY DINKY" a rhyming games that ensures there is LOTS and LOTS of yelling going on. What made it super fun is that Kevin was trying to sleep. TEE HEE!

I love relaxing in the lake! Literally! Kate, Mark and I wore lifejackets like a diaper to make our upper bodies float abover the water. We each had a Coke in our hand as we bobbed around watching John sail, and Colin snorkel.

It's hard to stay focused when there's so much to look forward to! But I must get back to work. Only 2 hours 43 minutes to go til the end of my shift!

Stay tuned for some photos and crazy stories of our adventures, and misadventures of the summer!