“Pain throws your heart to the ground, Love turns the whole thing around, No it won’t all go the way it should, But I know the heart of life is good” (John Mayer, The Heart of Life)
“I know you stay true when my world is false, everything around’s breaking down to chaos, I always see you when my sight is lost, everything around’s breaking down to chaos” (Mute Math, Chaos)
“There is no better find than to find myself with you, In a fog you are all I see
I'm inviting you closer with each time I breathe, Surrender has somehow become so beautiful”
(Mute Math, Control)
Updates, Updates, Updates....
1. New Music: Mute Math. Found them while browsing the other day. Love the combination of Coldplay/U2 sound with the infusion of synth, keyboards ala the 80’s. FYI check them out on iTunes and listen to the drummer!
2. The Wizard of OZ. Sarah and Emily just completed a 2 week crash/rehearsal camp and performed in a production of The Wizard of Oz. Although a small production, it was well done and they had FUN. It won’t be long before they replace Elaine and I on Sunday Mornings!
3. White Rock Beach. It’s just not the summer without taking some time out and heading down to White Rock for some fish & chips and a stroll along the beach. Relaxing and refreshing! Always good for the soul.
4. Canada Day, Willoughby Style. It never fails that when you attend Jen and Jay’s house for Canada Day the Willoughby group will inevitably find their way into an all out water fight. It always helps bring out the kid in me and reminds me that life should not be all serious and pretentious, FUN IS A NECESSITY. Grab your kid’s, nephew’s, kid down street’s water gun and have at it. You will thank me for it later!
5. Sarah Turned 11. When did my girls get so old, so quickly. Sarah is NOW 11. UHG. I am old and time flies by. Happy Birthday Sarah! Next time you see her you won’t be able to miss her, she’s the one with the sparkling new earrings in her ears!
6. Bring back the SUN!!!!! As I write this the sun has once again disappeared behind a wall of clouds and rain, if this keeps up my jokes about Elaine and I moving to California are going to become a reality! If you have pictures of what the sun looks like please forward them our way. I’m starting to forget.
Till next time...enjoy the sun if you can find it!
=8-)
“Pain throws your heart to the ground, Love turns the whole thing around, No it won’t all go the way it should, But I know the heart of life is good” (John Mayer, The Heart of Life)
“Beautiful dawn, Lights up the shore for me, There is nothing else in the world, I’d rather wake up and see with you.” (James Blunt, High)
Summer Update...Take 2...
1. Disney Vacations: Check out the Disney Vacations area. We have updated the movies area and finally added some of our experiences riding a few of the attractions throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
2. Happy Birthday Emily! 9 years old...I still remember countless days with just Emily and I walking through the park and hangout while everyone else worked or went to school. When you next see her, give her a hug and remind her that she’s a beautiful ‘little’ girl, she’ll love it! =8-)
3. Playland. You know...we have no Disney, no Universal Studios, not even a Canada’s wonderland, so the next best thing is Playland. This year the famous wooden roller coaster and the pirate ship were down. So, as the girls are another year older this was the year to conquer new rides. The Corkscrew roller coaster countless times, the mouse trap and the big wammy...the Crazy Beach Party twice. Great day, lots of sun and all of us having fun together. You couldn’t ask for more on a summer’s day. (incidentally, they conquered their fear of the wooden roller coaster last year.)
4. Happy birthday Elaine! 37 and you still look 25. Its amazing how the years go by and she seems to never age. Here is a piece of trivia for you, can you believe we met and started dating when she was only 18!
5. PNE: August can never officially end without a visit to the PNE and some good old fashion mini doughnuts. Oh, and a visit to the super dogs show is a must (this year they had well over 8000 people at the show we were at.)
Summer is coming to a close, so make sure to go out and enjoy the last of it while you can. And a big thanks to whoever it was that finally brought back the sun, it was much needed!
=8-)
“There is no better find than to find myself with you, In a fog you are all I see . I'm inviting you closer with each time I breathe, Surrender has somehow become so beautiful" (Mute Math, Control)
New Music: Mute Math. Found them while browsing the other day. Love the combination of Coldplay/U2 sound with the infusion of synth, keyboards ala the 80’s. FYI check them out on iTunes and listen to the drummer!
=8-)
“Stop this train I wanna get off and go home again, I can't take the speed it's moving in, I know I can't, but honestly won’t someone stop this train” (John Mayer, Stop this Train)
“...our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate, time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain” (Rob Thomas, Little Wonders)
Its May 11 already. Where did the last 3 1/2 months go? In fact, where did the last year go?
A while back I picked up the new John Mayer album, and instantly resonated with a song on the album, “Stop This Train”. I have been experiencing these little anxiety attacks as life races past at a pace that I can’t seem to get a handle on. It all comes to a head for me every-time I look at my girls, and feel the weight of work, commitments, duty, service, the desire for personal rest. They are rapidly changing, transforming before my eyes and I have been wanting off the high speed train of life, to stop the wheels from turning and slow down time so that they stay just as they are now. They are smart, funny, beautiful, silly, moody, athletic, dramatic, loving, caring, creative, a gift that only God could have given. But what am I missing? What moments have I lost forever never to gain back? What momentous occasions have been lost to work and schedule, or what little moments that seem trivial but resonate in our memories long after the moment has past by, have I missed by the pace and rush of life? These question have been needling me, at times haunting me as I see their transformation unfold.
I’ve also been listening to this new Rob thomas song. “Little Wonders” this past week. The song resonates with me at a number of different levels, but for this discussion its the chorus and my take on it that has captured my attention. Time is moving, its unstoppable, but its those little moments, those seemingly insignificant moments that turn into “little wonders” that last a lifetime. And its those “small hours” that I have let slip by and that have determined to get back. Its time to stop and be present for those little moments that can mean a huge difference in our relationship as the girls get older and home seems less attractive then it once was.
So, if your reading this and your one of our friends, family, co-workers etc. and I don’t race to the phone, door, appointment, commitment, I say ‘no’ more than ‘yes’, be patience. Life is made up of little moments, small hours, that I don’t want to miss anymore. Moments that I want to experience with my daughters and my wife. They truly are the wonders that make up the small hours of my life, that remain long after the train of life rolls along and passes by.
=8-)
“Marriage is like a song, where the Lord's sweet melody of love comes from two hearts joined as one, husband and wife.” (Author unknown)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Corinthians 13:4-8
This year Elaine and I celebrate our 16th anniversary. Many years have gone by since we first met, many good times and many hard times, laughter and sorrow, and yet here we still stand. Together. Interconnected. One.
The first quote states the reason, the glue, that has kept us together all these years. The Lord’s sweet melody of love. If you know us, then you know our love of music, the sweetest of which comes from God. Its Jesus love for us and our love for Him that unites us, gives us the foundation that has helped us to weather storms and find joy in our moments together. The music that we make together finds its sound, its soul from our united faith in God.
The second quote is the commitment that we have tried to keep, since that day we vowed to always be one. We might not always have been able live up to it, life has a way of pushing you to its edges, yet it’s words have been what has brought us back together again and again and kept us going on, moving forward, growing deeper in love and friendship together.
And after all these years her smile is still inviting, her voice and its laughter still intoxicating. Her patience, compassion and support still overwhelms me. She has always and will always make me a better man because of her commitment to our love and life together.
Happy Anniversary Elaine, my wife, my love, my song. Our love makes beautiful music and I could never be without its sound.
=8-)
There is a friend at our church who is dying. What started as esophagus cancer has spread throughout his body and his battle is coming to end. This past week I had the privilege of leading worship at our Church's congregation in Burnaby where he and his family have attended for 14 years. It very well maybe the last time I get to see him, and it will be a memory that I will keep for the rest of my life. On this Sunday God used Mark to spread His wisdom, His grace, His PEACE to our church, and left a legacy that will last for years to come. He has a wife, he has three children, he has family and friends that will be left to live life without him when he goes to be with our God. Yet, he was at peace with this, actually he and Carol-Ann have a peace that they have been sharing throughout this disease and continued sharing that morning. A peace that could only come from God. During a time when our church was praying for him, he turned it around on us and gave back. His prayer spoke wisdom and truth. He was thankful for all that God have provided, not just the big things but the little things, grateful for the grace and love lavished upon him from God. At peace that God would care for, love, strengthen, encourage and provide for his family when he is gone, just like He has done while alive on this earth.
You see many of us live life in a constant state movement, of action and reaction filling every minute, hour, day, month and year with as much as possible. We live believing that we need to GET everything out life now, that we have to DO everything possible now or else we have failed. We end up moving at speeds that rushes us past so much of the moments that God deeply desires for us. True peace has become a foreign concept to us, yet this is what God, through Mark wanted us to know and experience. He reminded us of what life can be like when God’s peace is allowed to work in us and through us. What the Spirit of God can bring to a life who is centered on Jesus and not the frenetic pace of the this world. Later in the day, in another location, during another service, a member of our church lamented as to why death needs to be our catalyst that draws us to accepting the gifts that God wants to lavish on each of us. This was Mark’s point and God’s words for us that morning.
Mark was reminding those of us in the room, and those who hear his story, that God’s peace can be found here and now, in our prime and not at the end of our life. We only need to do as Mark has done, to turn and trust in God, accepting his forgiveness, grace, strength, passion and desires. This is how Mark has lived throughout his life and what God desires for us right now. Mark’s death however is not to be lamented, though rightfully morned. God extended his time beyond what was first diagnosed. We have been able to laugh and cry together a little longer, to see God’s work in and through him some more. To see Mark reveling God's glory to those around him to the very end. And those of us who know God live with the knowledge that we will see him again, soon, whole and full of joy in God’s presence.
Mark, you will be missed, yet never forgotten. Thanks for the gift of that morning. Thanks for the way you encouraged me each Sunday when I led, the way you entered into worship when I wonder if I was to getting in God’s way more than helping. The smile and the warm greeting each time we met. How you made sure we had our yearly “handshake” and catch up.
Your faithfulness to God.
See you soon!
=8-i
We were asked many times last year how our trip to Walt Disney World costs us as little as it did, especially since we enjoyed the Florida Sun for 2 full weeks. Well read on and find out. The FREE Dinning Discount is back and really makes going to Disney World possible because of how expensive food is there. Check it out! You never know, you may find that a trip to Disney World is possible.
FREE DISNEY DINNING PLAN: This vacation package includes:
Disney Value Resort Stay – Standard room at a select Disney Value Resort most nights Aug 26 – Sept 22, 2007.
Theme Park Tickets – Visit one of four Theme Parks each day of your ticket.
FREE Disney Dining Plan* – The FREE Disney Dining Plan includes one quick-service meal, one select snack and one meal at a select table-service restaurant per person, per night of your package.
This Package Also Includes These Disney Resort Guest Benefits:
1. Complimentary Airport Transfer and Luggage Service – Your vacation starts the moment you land at Orlando International Airport as Disney's Magical Express transportation delivers you to your select Disney Value Resort. You'll bypass baggage claim and your luggage is delivered right to your room!
2. Extra Time in the Theme Park – Each day, one of the Theme Parks opens early or stays open late so you have more time to enjoy select attractions with the Extra Magic Hours benefit. Valid Theme Park ticket and Resort ID required.
3. Guest Transportation – Complimentary and convenient transportation among Disney Theme Parks and Resorts.
Click Here to go to the Disney Website and find out more:
Waly Disney World Vacation w/ Free Dinning
=8-)
Welcome to our new online home. Its been some time since we last updated the site. Once the initial fun of setting up the site and running it wore off, life took over and we let things laps around here. However, we are back, with a new look and some new treats, so make sure to look around and drop us a note telling us what you think. Quick note: some links do not work yet and some of the picture galleries have not been converted over yet, but we hope to have the site fully functional this weekend. We also hope to keep the blog going more regularly so keep coming back throughout the week. Until next time, stay a awhile and enjoy.
=8-)
The last day is always the hardest. We have had such a great time, memories for years to come, rides, thrills, laughter, 14 days away from home and we still would love to stay longer. But its time to say good-bye. Today we spent about 4 hours in the Magic Kingdom in the morning, making sure to take one last ride on Big Thunder, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. We then ventured around Downtown Disney for few hours before heading off to the airport and the rain of Seattle.
You go from such a high being inside what they call “the disney bubble” and then reality sets in as you hit the airport and realize that it will be some time before you come back to a place like this again. Actually its less complicated then that, you just know what’s waiting for you when you get home; school for the girls and work for Elaine and I, with our next vacation 12 months away.
I realized as we where getting our stuff ready to leave last night, why I like it here (or places like it) so such. I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer, believing that dreams can come true and this place goes all out to prove the point. However ‘real’ life it’s not always so, yet when you are here it seems like all is possible again. I relax (maybe that is just the fact I need to actually take a vacation more often...hmm?), the family unwinds, we smile, laugh, play, life is not so hard. It’s an adventure, yet relaxing enough to feel refreshed.
Of the memories, eating meals together EVERY day, for the first time in years meant it was worth every penny to take this vacation. We talked and shared, listened to each others stories and reflections, laughed and enjoyed each others thoughts and musings. More than all the rides these were the best times for Elaine and I (and I think the girls as well, although they may not admitted it).
We will also remember how big this place is!! It’s HUGE! Really! 48 miles of park (at least that what one cast member told us). And there is something for everyone here to enjoy and do (or not do). You want beaches WDW has it. You want to visit different countries, you’ll find them here. You want adventure and thrill, you’ll find it in WDW. You want to find a quite place to sit and relax, believe it out not, they have masses of quite spaces to take in.
We WILL COME BACK here again!
Till our next trip, good-bye and take a vacation with your family, you’ll never regret it!
=8-)
Well its our last full day here at the Pop Century and we are lazying around the pool and relaxing in the incredible Florida Sun! The last few days have been less hectic as we have slowed things down a bit and relaxed around the water parks and the pool. Sunday we slept in and then went to Blizzard Beach for the afternoon. Nice relaxing place, lots of slides and a great family tube ride. Afterwards we took the kids to Downtown Disney west side, had dinner at Wolf Gang Pucks ($149.10 US...Thanks Disney for the free dinner!!) and spent some time at Disney Quest (interactive and standard arcade games). Today, we are off to Planet Hollywood for Dinner and maybe a movie tonight or back to Disney Quest for more fun. The next few days we will be back to the rat race as we park hop about WDW and re-ride all our favorite rides and catch some of our favorite shows.
As always till next time...HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!
=8-)
Well 1 week is over and 1 more is about to begin. We are at the half way mark of trip and we are already planning for the next trip back. The place is amazing and the people have been great. Here are some highlights of the trip:
1. Magical Moments & Year of a Million Dreams. This is the current promotion for Disney World Wide and includes all sorts of surprises. The girls have gotten into pin trading and the day they got their first set of pins, the where given a Million dreams pin from Magic Kingdom. 1 of only 200 or so to be given away during the next year. Magical Moment #1 for the girls.
2. Roller Coaster Mania. Except for the Rock-in-Roller coaster in MGM. They have attacked all the other coasters multiple times and can often be heard in line for the shows saying, “when are we going to ride...(you name the coaster).
3. Bus Rides. WDW is estimated at 47.6 sq miles. ENORMOUS. So while the bus ride between parks and resort is free and except for one day, which took over 1 hour to get from point A to B, we just did not envision how long it takes to get from one part of WDW to another (usually 10-15 min from our resort).
4. Food. The Dinning Plan just has TO MUCH FOOD. We can’t believe people eat they way they do down here. EVERY DAY. So while its save money for those families that like eat like Kings and Queens every day, I’m not sure we will sign up for it next time, unless of course its free again. 8-)
5. Magical Moment #2. The cast members (employees) randomly pick activities to do with kids and families throughout the day. Emily’s was colouring a picture in clothing shop where we bought her Tinkerbell Hat you see in all the pictures. For this they gave her a certificate to remember spending time with the two very nice ‘grandma’s’ who where running the shop that day.
6. Family Survey #1: Favorite Parks in order; #1 Magical Kingdom, #2 Animal Kingdom, #3 Epcot, #4 MGM Studios.
7. Family Survey #2: Favorite Things to do in WDW: #1 Roller Coasters in the Parks, #2 Swimming (anywhere the girls can find a pool and water will do), #3 Shows in the Parks (favorite is Beauty and the Beast in MGM), #4 Any another thrill ride in the park (it just can’t go upside down, or drop 10 stories down)
8. Family Survey #3: Least Favorite Things to do in WDW: #1 Bus rides, #2 Most of the shows (the girls only, Mom and Dad like most them), #3 Pirates of the Caribbean (Sarah only, she finds it to scary), #4 Living with the Land Boat Ride (Emily Only, boring educational ride was her comment).
Well, thats all for now. Till next time, as they say around here, HAVE A MAGICAL DAY.
=8-)
Well the last few days have been a whirlwind of wake-ups, rushing off to the parks, walking through the parks, eating (and eating and more eating still..I will explain later), getting back to the resort, taking a swim before bedtime and then hopefully catching some sleep before the next day begins. Yesterday we visited DISNEY MGM. Elaine and I loved it but the girls thought it was just oka (no rides like at Magic Kingdom). We checked out a great stage show called BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, this was weeelll done! MUPPETS IN 4D was also excellent and we will take that in again before we leave. We also stayed for FANTASMIC and its was good (it had a great ending) although a little dark (themed that is) at times. Today we ventured over to ANIMAL KINGDOM with much better success for the girls. We rode the KILIMANJARO SAFARIS, KALI RIVER RAPIDS (what a blast), PRIMEVAL WHIRL & EXPEDITION EVEREST (TWICE!!!!!!!). There was also a great 4D movie called ITS TOUGH TO BE A BUG (not to be missed) and FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING (another great stage show). As for the eating...the free dinning plan can be summed up in one word...”immense”. There is just so much food that we have had to cut down to sharing our lunch credits (we will end up not using them all) as the portions are just to big to finish for one person. Well time to go to bed earlier tonight and gear up for the next few days. Until next time, Have a Magical Day!
=8-)
Well we are made it. DISNEY WORLD! Man this place is big, bigger then I remember it when Bruce and Iwhere here last year. We are staying at the Pop Century Resort because our original resort had shut down one of the main pools..not good for water girls like ours. The resort is HUGE and classic Disney themed all over. Everything went off with out a hitch. The flights went well (Emily got scared for the first 10mins before we took off and then settled down once we were in the air). Disney Magical Express was waiting for us and other families when we got off the plane. Check-in was a breeze (although a little understaffed when we arrived at 11pm!). Our initial room was way off to the side, so they moved us to a much better location the next day. We visited the Magic Kingdom Today and wow...the place is big, especially when you are trying to maneuver a whole family about. The girls took on SPACE MOUNTAIN, BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN & PRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN as well as an assortment of other rides, later this week we will pick up where we left off. Before leaving the park for the day we also had diner with WINNIE THE POOH AND FRIENDS (see the pics below) and watched the SPECTRO MAGIC PARADE and WISHES FIREWORKS (these were fantastic!). Bedtime has been rather late around here these past few days so I will sign off for now. Till our next entry...Have a Magical Day!
=8-)
Well the day has finally come, we are siting in the Seattle airport waiting for our flight to begin. Walt Disney World here we come! Since we are going to board soon here is a quick story. On our way through the border they ask you who you are, where your going etc. As they are looking at Elaine’s passport the guard notices that she has not signed her passport, which makes it in valid until she does so...UGH #1. Nice man, lets us through but tells us that she needs to sign it ASAP! Next he asks if we have any meat, fruit, citrus to which we say NO. He waves us through and off we go to Seattle. Well as we are driving along the I5 highway, the girls get hungry and ask if we have anything to eat. Elaine, being a well prepared Mom, says yes and proceeds to get the girls a snack from her purse along with the PLUM she was carrying the whole time through the border...UGH #2. Oh well, we made it through, had a great sleep at the Red Lion last night and are now about to take the girls on their 1st ever plane ride. UP, UP and AWAY WE GO!
=8-)
And the birthday’s just keep rolling along. Happy Birthday to the best Mom and Wife in the world, Elaine!
=8-)
Let the 2 month countdown begin! We are now down to 55 days till we start our WDW vacation. Todays post updates our final 5 days of travel in WDW as we upscale our trip and stay at Disney’s newest Vacation Club resort, the Saratoga Springs Resort. A few more times of web surfing and viola, our last nights will be spent with a little more elbow room in a studio villa with a small kitchenette (which comes right when we end our free dinning plan, perfect timing!), spa, great pool and 10 - 15 min walk to Downtown Disney. There is even a ferry boat that will take us to three other resort or Downtown Disney as well. All in all a great way to end the vacation, especially when its costing us $100.00 more than staying the last 5 days at the All Star Movies value resort. Viva La Internet!!!
=8-)
*Room Pictures copyright Deb Willis @ All Ears Net
Make sure to wish Emily happy birthday when you see her as she is now officially 8!
=8-)
Its almost half done, gone, a fading memory. Can you believe its August already. The summer clothes have left the stores and been replaced by the fall “trends”. Costco now has Halloween and Christmas decorations for sale!?? Uhg......Anyways, come August a Vancouver tradition has been the Vancouver Fireworks competition, which got me reminiscing about last month and the Canada Fireworks in Surrey we went to. I had forgotten that I took some video of the fireworks on Brian’s handy little Pentax S4, so here is a clip from the last minute of the show. Hmm..maybe if we get to the fireworks this weekend for Emily’s birthday I might take video of the whole show on the mini-DV.
=8-)
A friend of mine has been asking me to teach him some of the basics of playing guitar. Since I am a proponent of teaching chords and songs together to help get someone going, I’ve started teaching him the basic chords from the Key of E so he can play a couple of familiar songs from our church. I’ve posted the chords here in case anyone else may want to join us. Note: some of the finger formations have been modified from a friend of mine and make it both easier to play and offer a more “open” sound.
=8-)
