A "celebravacarecuperavisitation"

Way long ago, far back in the month of April (wasn't that SO long ago?!), we decided to take a little "celebravacarecuperavisitation". What? You've never taken one of those? ;) Well, let me explain the joys of a "celebravacarecuperavisitation" to you. Birthday celebration+vacation+recuperation+visitation = Vancouver Fun! :)

Since Easter was pretty close to my birthday this year, we postponed my birthday celebration, and lumped it up with a vacation/recuperation from all the work that went in to our Easter services at church, and topped it off with the best part...a visit with the Pichura's! It was a great trip, but quite a whirlwind, since we had to squeeze it all in 3 1/2 days!

We were blessed with a great deal on a room at the 4 Star Marriot Pinnacle in Downtown Vancouver! We were on the 29th floor, so we had a great view of the city too!

I confess I am a nerd when it comes to fancy hotel bathrooms...and their cool mini-toiletries.
(You better believe these went into my suitcase! ;)

While I was busy doing a photo-shoot of the bathroom, David was busy doing...NOTHING! Quite a blessing after a long season of work and Re:Train!

Recognize this thing? :) It was only 2 blocks from our hotel! No Olympic flame burning anymore though. :(

Shabusen must be Japanese for "really amazing yummy all-you-can-eat food"

This place was so cool -- you sat down, ordered all the food you wanted and then they bring it to you table...any terriyaki meats were brought raw, and then you grill them yourself on your own little gas grill! This was David's favorite part of the trip I think!

Ordering all different kinds of sushi was so much fun...great chance to try new things! If anyone ever comes out to visit us, make sure to bring your passports, because we may have to take a 2 hour trip for dinner one day! ;)

Getting to this guy was quite a wet ride, but we did it.
We're such Olympians! ;)

After our soaking wet excursion to the inukshuk,

we stumbled upon the BEST PLACE to dry off...EVER.
We walked into this cafe and found shelf upon shelf of chocolate bars, with funny names like "Mermaid's Choice" and
"Open in Case of Emergency".

I was almost overwhelmed by the choices, but then one item on the menu caught our eye...

A silver platter of 70% cacao chocolate fondue, a pile of marshmallows, and a mini-hibachi to roast them on... Genius. What better way to dry out on a rainy day? It was the perfect way to warm up...especially when paired with one of the BEST cups of coffee
I've ever had!

This unassuming little gizmo may just make the best cup of coffee on the planet! It's called a Clover press, and I'm proud to say that it was invented in our very own Ballard, Seattle! The machine was bought out by Starbucks a few years ago, but apparently there are other places that have snagged this amazing machine! We both agreed, it wins the award for
best coffee ever!

(David discovered the hibachi grill had another purpose: coffee warmer!)

Fortunately for us, one day of rain brought another day of sun...which was such a blessing!! This city transforms into a beautiful place with a bit of sunshine! We enjoyed a visit to Stanley Park and Granville Island before heading out to visit the Pichura's!

We had a great visit with our nieces and nephews (and Bryan and Kristin too!)...although they took the "relaxation" part out of trip out very quickly! ;)

The Pichura's moved to Canada in February, and their journey has been marked by God's provision all along the way. It was great to finally visit their new home ...and see first-hand how God has provided for them in such amazing ways! We are so thankful they are still only 2 hours away!

The clowns of the family ;)

Caleb was a little squished, hence the frowny face.

Micah and Titus posing for a Kodak Moment :)

This would be the part where the "relaxation" vanished! The kids decided it would be fun to handcuff Uncle David and tape his mouth shut! He was a great sport, even with all 6 of them packed on top of him!...We may need to re-work our next trip to Vancouver to include a post-Pichura recuperation! ;) In all honesty though, we LOVE hanging out with our dear family and are so encouraged by their desire to serve the Lord, wherever that may lead them! Thanks for taking us in Kristin & Bryan (and even giving up your bed!).
We love you!