whistler getaway

we had a great weekend at whistler! gabe was a superstar - no meltdowns, no tantrums, it was a breeze! we drove up on sunday after a birthday party, and gabe napped in the car - so peaceful :-) whistler was buzzing - with the long weekend in full swing, it was packed!

the living social deal that i bought included a 3 night stay at cascade lodge in a 1-bedroom suite (complete with kitchen), free parking, free daily dvd rental, and a welcome gift basket. all for a what i think is a steal at $208! i got the coupon awhile ago, and is valid until mid-december, so it could`ve been used for the ski season, too! so we booked our weekend getaway to coincide (sort of) with our 6 year anniversary! and even better...i had a gift certificate for white spot (whistler location only), and a gift certificate for the fairmont - so we had 2 of our dinners for FREE!

gabe skipped dinner but really enjoyed the chocolate fondue at the fairmont

when we planned our trip, i thought maybe gabe would sleep on the aerobed in the room, but as we packed, it just got too cumbersome to bring it along with us. so then we thought he would sleep in the bedroom bed at his usual time, and then i could sneak in later on. but no such luck...gabe wanted company, so we had to modify his bedtime - so he and i hit the pillows at 10 p.m., and lucky chris got the sofa bed! i have to say, sleeping with gabe is not fun. he likes to snuggle in close, and then he moves around a lot. so at one point when i woke up, he was lying across the top of the bed by my head - we looked like a letter T. and just like chris, he talks in his sleep - "no, me watch kai-lan!", and he would randomly cry/whimper in his sleep. it was definitely a restless sleep weekend for me :P

it's been so long since chris and i were at whistler, and we never go in the summer season, so walking around was a treat! it was also great to imagine what the village looked like during the olympics. we spent a day around the village doing some shopping - great end of summer sales to enjoy! there's a fun playground for kids, so gabe was in heaven...morning, noon and night! and lucky for us, gabe played hard, and then took his afternoon naps at the hotel with chris :-)

the inukshuk @ the top of the whistler gondola

and a "high"light of the trip was taking the peak 2 peak gondola. i thought it would be a quick trip up the mountain and we'd be back by lunch! boy, was i wrong! it was a 3 hour adventure, and that's WITHOUT walking any trails, but we stayed for lunch with a view! gabe and chris were the fearless ones on the gondola and enjoyed the spectacular views from the gondola...i remained frozen in the rear seat praying that we didn't die :P after all...it's amazing that the entire system is supported with only 4 towers!

i have to say, going over labour day weekend was perfect...we got to experience the buzz of the busy village on sunday, and then by monday night it got more peaceful, and i didn't have to stand in line for 10 minutes just to get my a.m. coffee :-) oh yah...i broke my coffee habit and splurged on the weekend. hell, i broke all the rules that weekend...we ate lots :-) i did take my running gear to get a practice run in, but when chris literally ran into a bear on monday at lunch, i dismissed any notion of running solo!

our 3rd bear sighting - this was a full grown adult bear in the day parking lot

all in all, a great mini-trip...and now we have hawaii to look forward to! (by then, gabe will be sleeping in his own bed!)

a new start

i can't believe i did it...after 9.5 years, i resigned from aon hewitt. i don't start my new job at morneau shepell until september 19, so i have a couple weeks off. it felt like an out-of-body experience when i told my manager(s) that i was leaving, and then it just felt surreal when i had to pack up my desk. mind you, i'd already started clearing stuff last week in anticipation of a job offer, so it was just the surface items that i had to pack away.

this new opportunity was one that i couldn't pass on many levels - the convenience of being close to home, the part-time hours, the pay increase!, the new responsibilities and the potential of future growth within the organization, and not to mention the chance to work with sr. consultants who i've known (and worked for at AH) for years.

i am going to miss the friends i've made at AH, and am sad i won't see them every day for our chit-chats and lunches. i will miss the energy of working downtown and the convenience of it all. i'll be working in east van, with no access to shopping or food courts. guess this is a great opportunity to save money - not tempted by fast food, benkei ramen, and the dozens of restaurants within a block radius! i haven't worked out the full details yet, but i imagine my commute to/from work can be a combination of bus, skytrain, or WALKING (depending on the weather)!

so i got home today at 2:30 p.m. and i wallowed for a little while...unsure of what to do with myself. it felt strange to not be at work (even though i work part-time), and stranger still to be emailing my friend AT work about my departure and what the buzz was.

so as many people get ready for a return to school and/or work, the lok's are packing for a living social getaway to whistler, and then gabe and i will be enjoying an unexpected 2 week "vacation".