Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Next Stop DR

We are booked! We are off to the Dominican Republic in a couple of months to see if it is a good fit for our project. Exciting, huh!? We’ll be researching specific areas we think might work for a charity coffee shop (phase one of the community center).

Last weekend Gina flew up and we all went into Canada for the Olympics. It was brilliant! It actually went very smoothly. Easy border crossings, and Andy’s plan to park and ride the sky train into Vancouver was perfect. We went to the Yaletown Live City Venue which was a site with huge screens to watch Olympic events amongst enthusiastic Olympic fans. There were food stalls and various presenters as well. It was great to be a part of the vibe. We also made our way to the Olympic Cauldron; also a very cool thing to see in person. Thanks to Gina for coming up so we had the motivation to go. We’re so glad we did.



" Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." (Abraham Lincoln)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Getting stuck in

Returning from any time away is usually challenging for us, and this time is no exception. The time away gives us enough space to have some genuine perspective on our lives, and it is clear we have a lot to do to reach our goals. This is not a bad thing. It is a good gauge to use; how do we feel about our lives in comparison with how we feel when away from our routine? The answers tell us which way to go. In this case, we clearly are on the right path in regards to our project, but we need to have more fun on the way to getting there.
We have spent the first few days back both settling in and developing a financial plan to make our dreams, including the project, come true. All is really looking good. It is do-able with some diligence and organization. The key for us is going to be keeping it all interesting as we go along; having new and different adventures that don’t detract financially from the big picture. We are tossing around some ideas about how to best do that. We are also planning a trip to the Dominican Republic to make sure it is a good fit for us and our project. Nothing has been booked yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
The Olympics are being held in Vancouver, BC which is just an hour or so north of us; our friend, Gina, is coming up from California again, and we are all going to head up there this weekend to check out some of the free events. The weather has been gorgeous, so it should be a lot of fun.
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"We know what we are, but know not what we may be" (William Shakespeare)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Florida Notes II

Just checking in again. Continuing to have a very nice time in Florida. The half marathon went very well - Andy did better than he hoped and came in under the two hour mark - official time 1 hour 55 minutes.

Since the last post we've been to more of the Disney parks, visited the coast and the Everglades, and attempted to see a 4:30 am space shuttle launch - which was crazy mayhem - cars everywhere. Unfortunately, the launch was postponed and we just couldn't make ourselves go through it again for the next planned launch attempt!

We visited Sarasota yesterday and met a cool lady running a fair trade shop and got lots of ideas and suggestions from her. More inspiration for the future. We've also made an effort to get off the beaten path a little, and have seen a very different side of Florida. It's certainly not all beaches and theme parks .... there's some very odd little towns and folks hanging around them!

We're heading back to Bellingham Friday evening, and with a renewed energy to move onward more with the big project plans. Until then, keep warm!
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"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stonger than you seem, and smarter than you think" (Christopher Robin to Pooh)

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Florida notes

Just a quick update for this week. Having a great time in Florida with mum and dad. Race training is going well - big day is this Sunday - hope to beat my personal best and run the 13 miles in under 2 hours... We are also luckily here for a planned sapce shuttle launch on Sunday too ...

We visited Andy's old home a few days ago - now sadly a little run down, and Daytona Beach and St. Augustines - a very nice old (1500's) town onthe coast. Also had some fun at Epcot and the rather excellent Animal Kingdom Disney Park that includes a very authentic Nepali village that made us feel a little homesick for Nepal and our friends there. Mistakenly boarded a 'train ride' which was actually a fast and backwards roller coaster - mum was NOT happy!

Today the sun is shining and we're off to go wildlife spotting at a nearby coastal park (Homonossa Spings) where we hope to see wild manatees.

Having a good time.