A break

So, Jeff found out last Wednesday that he would be getting some "comp time" now that the project is officially over. A few days later he was told to take two weeks off. He's now off work till the 28th!

We decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and Jeff's time off to go for a little trip over to Vancouver Island. I've posted some photos below. It was chilly, but sunny and clear each day. We had a great time and came home feeling rejuvenated. The best part (seriously!) was being away from our computers and video games for a few days.

Highlights: We took the ferry on Tuesday morning and met up with two friends who live near the University of Victoria. Had a nice lunch with them and chatted about Leader Accreditation Department stuff. Went to swanky hotel (Fairmont Empress) for dinner, courtesy of EA (who gave Jeff some gift certificates), where the kids had grilled cheese and fries (Calum) and what looked suspiciously like Kraft Dinner (Megan). Checked into Victoria Youth Hostel.

Wednesday, drove out to Goldstream Provincial Park and tried to spot some bald eagles. Didn't see any live ones but checked out the awesome visitor's centre with interesting displays including some stuffed, dead bald eagles & other birds. Calum's favourite display was the "please touch" table with bones and skulls on it. Hopped back in the car and drove up to Nanaimo in time to have lunch with another friend where we managed to talk about non-LLL stuff and discovered that she has a really cool family. Drove out to a local park (see pictures below) and went for a walk. Checked out the waterfront of Nanaimo and learned about how housing there is so cheap and the ferry so convenient that many Vancouverites are moving there and commuting by ferry to work each day. Drove back to Victoria and ate dinner at marvellous vegetarian restaurant, Rebar, that we discovered during our last visit in September. Yummm!!

Thursday, had a lazy morning and strolled over to the Royal BC Museum. They had some really neat displays that we all enjoyed. Ate lunch in Chinatown and visited cool comic book & game shop. Megan picked up an anime DVD that she has wanted for a while, so she was happy. Drove back to ferry and came home tired but happy.

And now... trying to get back into our normal routine! My head is full of thoughts about university plans these days, which I will hopefully be able to write about here sometime soon.