First snowfall!

It started snowing during the night and snowed all day long. The kids at school were so very excited to play outside during recess and lunch. They made snowmen, snow angels, and forts that required guarding. Their imaginations ran amok and it was hard to herd them back inside when the bell rang.Later on, the fog moved in up on our hill. Walking outside, I could feel the fog. It was thick, it had substance. I had a hard time seeing further than 5 m ahead. It was very ethereal and dreamlike. Then, as soon as I drove down the hill, it suddenly disappeared, and the late afternoon was clear and still. The snow had stopped and it took awhile to feel that it was normal to see clearly. I went into Starbucks, had an eggnog latte, and listened to Christmas music. It was very cozy and made me feel like Christmas shopping. The atmosphere was totally right.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

Nicole

Fall comes to town

Nader and I had an adventure last weekend. We went out to Sorrento and Salmon Arm to explore and enjoy a fantastic fall day.
It was just a great drive through the country on back roads. We found some older buildings built in the early 20th century. We found some brand new expensive homes as well.
It was just great to spend the day together and explore a little of the area near Kamloops.
We found a neat farm market in Salmon Arm where they even had a bunch of goats, sheep, llamas, miniature horses, chickens, ducks, geese, pheasants, pigs, peacocks, roosters and cows! And they had about a thousand pumpkins, but the batteries on the camera died before I could take a picture.

Hope you are having some wonder-fall adventures too!

Love Nicole

I laughed until I cried

Donkey has a ride!

You may not find this amusing, but honestly, I just kept thinking the donkey is saying, "Oh shit!"

Okanagan Road Trip

A chilly grey morning turned into showers and later, into a full-blown sunny crisp fall afternoon.First stop: Honey! (Planet Bee in Vernon). We learned about bees and tasted a variety of honeys made from different blossoms. We bought a couple local varieties.The next stop was Gatzke's Farm Market, about half way between Vernon and Kelowna. We bought some delicious plums, apples and baked goods for lunch. I also indulged in a latte and we ate outside under an umbrella. In fact, it was right behind us in the picture above.We walked around their orchards a little bit and admired the luscious peaches and prune plums just waiting to be picked. I also loved the sunflowers planted along side the road, adding their cheery faces to a cloudy mid-day stop.We also stopped at two vineyards where we had a tour and wine-tasting. To me, the idea of a vineyard and grapes is so romantic. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but even just thinking about it makes me feel nostalgic.
Both vineyards, The Arrowleaf and Gray Monk, were situated with a fantastic view of Okanagan Lake. Seeing the vines in row after row, with grapes ripening, waiting to be picked in a few weeks, was magical.We also went to a goat cheese farm, way out in the country. It was a fantastic drive: the sun was shining, the air was crisp, the smell of fall coming in the windows of the car, and even a few changing leaves made me feel alive! On the drive back home there was a beautiful sunset to end my idea of a perfect day. Too bad I was driving and couldn't take a picture to share with you!

Wishing you many happy autumn days!

Nicole xoxo

Flowers Galore!

Here are some of the fabulous flowers I photographed at the Blodel Conservatory and at Burnaby Mountain Rose Garden. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Have a fantastic day. Love you all.
Nicole xoxoxo

Guest Bedroom

I spent almost two hours putting that bed together....it had more pieces than I thought it would. I also had a few panicked moments when I thought that the pieces didn't go together. IKEA is a long way away when something is going wrong. At least I figured it out and it stands with two people on it. Ha! I'm so excited that its ready now and Nader's parents have a nice place to sleep when they are here. After they leave, anyone else is welcome to try it out as well. Its really comfortable!

Missing you all,

Nicole

Bowling Friday

Nader and I decided that we needed to go bowling on Friday night. The lanes were quite empty, although the weather was pretty good, so its not too surprising. We had a deal that whoever lost would be recorded saying, "I'm a Bowling Loser."
After the first game, I was sure it would be me. I think I only got two pins in about 5 frames. The rest of the balls were wonderfully guttered. Although, both our scores were really terrible the first round.
I think that it had something to do with only 5 pins instead of 10 pins. We haven't played 5 pins together before. Apparently, Kamloops doesn't have 10 pin bowling alleys.
The second game I took the lead and managed to maintain it for the whole game. (Still not great scores though). We had only bought two games, so we needed to buy another to find out who would be the bowling loser.
As it turns out, I got two strikes and a spare in the third game!! Nader managed to make a spare as well. So....I am NOT the Bowling Loser, that esteemed title goes to my spouse.

I think that next time we go bowling on a Friday night we should also wear white to glow in the dark. That would make the pictures really cool!!

Lots of love, Nicole