Vancouver

From the moment we arrived in Vancouver it stayed cold and rainy the entire time.
But luckily we decided to put Aubrey's personal version of Rain Rain Go Away into practice:

Rain Rain Go Away

Come Again Another Day

If You Don't, That's Okay

We'll Still Have Fun Anyway!

Granville Island

There is a wonderfully delicious public market on the island with all sorts of scrumptiousness.

Local veggies and fruit, decadent desserts, and freshly baked breads. Mmmm...

There were also little shops scattered all around -- we picked up a fun souvenir (bohemian owl purse) for Aubrey.


It was a great dreary day.

Stanley Park

The next day we decided to capitalize on our hotel's free bike rental service and coasted around Stanley Park, barely avoiding the rain!

Because of the weather, we practically had the whole place to ourselves!

Terribly out of focus/bad lighting photo of us below,
but the camera was propped on a random trash can so it is what it is... :)

We took a few stops along the way to capture some of Stanley Park's landmarks too.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon together plus we ended up biking over nine miles! 

Capilano Suspension Bridge

The next day, I braved two of my greatest fears:
1. Riding in a tour bus. (gag)
2. Walking 450 feet across a suspension bridge swinging 230 feet from the ground. (gulp)
 

There was also the Cliff Walk...

Three planks of wooden pathway that juts out from the side of the gorge.
Good gracious.

The Treetop Adventure was my favorite part: little bridges/posts among the treetops.
Plus after crossing the big daddy suspension bridge, this was a cake walk.

I was surprised at how much fun I had by the end of it all! 

I'm glad I married someone who forces me to be adventurous. :)

Gastown

One afternoon we walked down to the historic Gastown and saw the famous Steam Clock.

But what really got us out and about in this little area was the gelato!
Bella Gelateria.
It was ah-mah-zing.
*Note the number of "taste tests" we had...pretty ridiculous, I know.
But what can we say, we're Americans. ;)

Some random things I didn't take a picture of, but were some of my favorite moments:

1. MEALS -- The Cactus Club Cafe (three times...)

2. CELEBRITY -- Daniel getting to see a TV series being filmed -- he may even end up being an "extra" in the background. Keep your eyes/ears peeled for the new Canadian show: Continuum.

3. MOVIES -- Going to see TWO movies in the theater, such a treat!

4. DIVERSITY -- who knew there was such a large Asian population living in Vancouver! Made me think, dream, imagine life with our little one in China!

5. CANADIANS! Seriously, some of the nicest people on the planet. One guy at the grocery store asked me (as I was buying my Diet Dr. Pepper and Caramello), "So are you in Vancouver for the marathon?" when I told him "No!" trying to stifle my hysterical laughing he then said assuredly, "Oh! Then you must be here for the Radiology Conference!" Seems as though I can pass as a marathon-running radiologist in Canada! I love Canadians! :)

 Oh, before I end this...
I need to thank Daniel and his impressive research/electronic exhibit skills which funded this incredible trip!
Thank you, Daniel!

You definitely put the "RAD" in Radiology.

(Seriously, thank you for taking me with you considering I obviously don't get out too often. ;))

_____________________________________________________________
P.S.
Did I mention that I've been to Vancouver before?
Back in 2007 (pre-blog), I went with my mom and sister.
My travel prerogative seems to have shifted a bit in 5 years. ;)

But overall, I wouldn't change a thing about either trip. 

They were both fabulous, in their own way. :)

Canuckin' It Up!

So, if you weren't able to deduct from the Sunday Snapshots....we are in Canada!
And by "we" I mean just Daniel and me!

Remember last year how I tagged along with Daniel to Chicago?
Well, this year it's Vancouver!

It is always incredibly hard for me leave the munchkin.
But I just received a text from my mom that informed me they are hitting up the Science Museum as I type this.
I have no worries -- Aubrey is loving life right now and lavishing every moment with her grandparents.

So while I know my little gal is all good, it makes it a bit less difficult to prop my slippered feet up...

listen to my Chill Out playlist with this view out the window while I type away on the ole blog-a-roo...

waiting for this hunk of a man to get out of his morning lectures so we can grab some lunch.

By the way, I haven't been totally useless today.
I did gruntingly reach for the hotel phone and make reservations for dinner this evening.
:)

Friday Funsies

The other morning I was feeding Aubrey and noticed this out of the corner of my eye...
Oh my gosh, is that a "deposit" from some sort of animal?! In Aubrey's room?!

I called for Daniel with a distressed, "Daniel...can you come in here? I'm a little concerned about something..."

He came in as I pointed to it and said, "What is that!?"

Daniel walked over, bent down to examine, and laughed, "It's an antler!"

Remember the sweet Canadian moose from our Detroit Auto Show trip?
{We've since named him Andy.}

{Before}

{After}

Daniel said, "Well, I guess Aubrey's souvenir has turned into a souvenEAR!"

Hahahaha! That guy always knows how to crack me up!

Fun fact about moose: They can swim up to 10 miles without stopping. They have hollow hair which helps them float.

Our First Family Trip

There were definitely some pros and cons to our first family trip...

We'll start off with the good stuff:

Pro #1: Seeing Daniel downright giddy at the auto show.
Pro #2: Going international!
Pro #3: Having a fabulously free hotel right on the lake (Thank you Hilton Reward Points!).
Pro #4: People Mover (a ridiculously cheap way to get to the auto show that we stumbled upon)
Pro #5: Getting to see Daniel for over 24 hours straight!

Now, to the less wonderful moments:

Con #1: Traveling with a 4 month old. It's not that she was bad, it was just hectic feeding her, changing her, etc. in awkward and unsanitary places.
Con #2: Leaving Detroit in a nasty "wintry mix" that lead to detours, shut-down interstates, and sitting in traffic jams caused by accidents.
(The above cons combined made the normal 4 hour trip, a less-than-enjoyable 7 hour trip)
Con #3: Stopping off on an exit to go to a Haagen-Dazs (Daniel's a VIP customer...no, seriously, he has a VIP card and everything) only to discover it hadn't opened yet.

Overall, it was a fun trip.

Here are some pictures to prove it...

View from our room:



My two favorite people taking in the scenery:



Waiting for the "People Mover":



Daniel loved this new Mercedes:



And this Lamborghini:



I'll drive it right outta here!



Pleeeeeeeeeease!?



Almost felt natural... :)



Daniel's all time favorite - The Fisker:






View from the People Mover on the way to our car...not going to be a fun ride home!
(By the way, this was taken at around 12:30 in the afternoon)



Aubrey with her Canadian Moose souvenir: