Last weekend in Van City... :(

What a bittersweet weekend.

It was a good one though. Jam-packed with lots of fun.

I'd like to sit here and type out a detailed account of the weekend but I just flew home a few hours ago, caught up with my fam, and now am having a few moments to myself to update my blog. And I am POOPED.

So you'll have to forgive me for my lack of eloquence this time around.

Pictures speak so much louder than words anyhow. :)


THURSDAY NIGHT:

Request for a Korean style lettuce wrap dinner -- Success!!!

Brian likes everything. Except the kimchi.

My attempt to contribute. M&M Brownies!!!

Partial success. The M&Ms got burnt but the rest of it was DEEEEElicious!

FRIDAY NIGHT:

BBQ at Paulette and Craig's! Shannon and Doug joined us for a nice evening of food and fellowship!

Paulette shares one of her secret recipes. Not so secret anymore! :)

SATURDAY:

We visit Granville Island to see some Wooden yachts! It was kinda boring...

Then onto girls' night out with Melissa!

We obviously needed a photoshoot.

Natural pose.

Dinner at Earl's! Yummmyyy pastaaaaa.

At Caprice night club!

Was a packed house! Had a blast and too many hilarious moments to list!

SUNDAY:

Started off with a lovely service and communion at the Christ Church Cathedral downtown.




Such a pretty interior. We are to be wed here in a year!



Exhausted after a two hour paddleboard sesh. But happy!

Perfect day at the beach.

Our tired but happy feet. Right before our 5 mile trek home.

I was so sad to have to leave such a pretty city and a loving man but I'm ready to finish this program and get on with my life!

I have a decently hectic week ahead of me: First day of work at the hospital tomorrow, working at CIGNA on Wednesday, clinical orientations on Thursday and Friday. Hospital work on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday! Whew!

I'm going to savor tonight and tomorrow morning for sure!

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED!!!!!

It's finally DONE!!!!!!!!!!

We are officially getting married at the Vancouver Art Gallery on August 4th, 2012!!!!!!!!

At long last!

That date is especially good for any residents of British Columbia because it just so happens to be a long weekend! :)

Brian and I have agreed that we couldn't have found a more perfect spot: It's located in central downtown, close to EVERYTHING and we get the ENTIRE art gallery to ourselves!

I don't want to give all the exciting details away but we also have our own private animateurs at our disposal and Brian and I plan to utilize ALL FOUR FLOORS of this beautiful gallery!

Oh and the best part??? Just GUESS who's being showcased that weekend?

Here's a clue for all the art lovers out there:

One of the GREATS! :)

I'm SO EXCITED I COULD DIE!!!!!!!!

So. Close.

Guess what?

The contract to our wedding venue is sitting on the kitchen table. Unsigned.

We're 90% sure we will sign it and turn it in but there are a few adjustments that we are going to try to make.... such as the price.

It is pretty steep.

We've already haggled it down but it's still a lot of money. And I think Brian's having second thoughts. I, on the other hand, have no thoughts. It's been a painful experience throughout this whole venue selection process and I am mentally done with it all. I don't care if we get married in a asteroid crater at this point (Actually, that would be pretty cool. Dusty, but cool). It would be disappointing if I left here without a confirmed venue but I guess there are worse things. It just sucks since we've managed to look at so many and the one venue we're BOTH set on, happens to cost an arm and a leg. I'm debating between setting up some more last minute venue options or just letting Brian make the decision himself. I cannot wait til this is all over!! And then I'm not thinking about wedding plans for a long long time!

Anyways, that's the update folks. I'll keep you posted as to what happens next! Hopefully my next post will be on how we FINALLY BOOKED SOMETHING!!!

This might be a slight overkill.....

So yeah. Wedding bands are supposed to be simple and symbolic within themselves but......


CHECK OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL BAND FROM DE BEERS. Buh-LINGGGGG!!!!

Hubba hubba.

Just sayin'. :)

10 Things You May Not Know About Me and Brian

10 Things You May Not Know About Gina:

1. My given name is Regina.
2. I can twist my arm 360 degrees.
3. When I was in 5th grade, we had to write a paper on what we wanted to be when we grew up and I wrote that I wanted to be President of the United States. I read it aloud in front my class and I remember this girl named Britney Boxx laughed at me. Now she's fat and bipolar.
4. I do not ride wooden roller coasters.
5. I love all potato chips except the salt and vinegar ones.
6. I have eaten a roasted silkworm. And lived.
7. I pray everyday.
8. I am afraid of the dark and sleep with the lights on.
9. I lie about brushing my teeth.
10. I cry during Mastercard commercials. Or any commercial narrated by Morgan Freeman. 


10 Things You May Not Know About Brian: 

1.  I have a phobia for mayonnaise.  It’s more than a dislike thing… I actually don’t like being around it.
2.  My middle name is Richard which is my grandfather’s name, however he goes by the name “Dick”.
3.  I used to be a pretty athletic guy until I got knee surgery and devoted myself to academia and the corporate world.
4.  I’m pretty tall but only when I’m standing up because my height is all in my legs.
5.  I am a bit OCD about any skin imperfections I may have.
6.  My favorite food is Mediterranean style.
7.  I would like to be an entrepreneur and own a business one day.
8.  I am the only person in my family with a graduate degree. 
9.  I am Christian.
10.  There are only about 10 Korean foods I like so far and I am hoping that I will learn to like more (e.g. Kimchi).

Another Fab Weekend!

Oh man. Brian is really itchin' to move out of his place.

It's not that there is any real serious issue with his landlady but I think she's just a little bit more involved than we're used to. We're still certain that she comes down to check on the suite when we're away but Brian and I have been making sure that the place is spotless before we leave. That's not too big of an issue. But lately she has been imposing a bit of pressure when Brian decides to cook with garlic or spices or any other odorous ingredient. Which I happen to love. She's never directly said that she disapproves. She just makes comments such as "I've noticed that you've been cooking with garlic a lot." or "I can smell the curry you're cooking from my bedroom. It's very strong." Anyways, on Thursday night Brian was cooking some of his delicious aglio e olio with a jalapeno kick when we suddenly heard the landlady begin to quickly lumber about and pace above us. All had been silent until Brian began frying up the garlic. I tried to air out the suite as much as I could by opening windows and doors and turning on fans but the bear upstairs continued to pace back and forth. So Brian turned the stressful situation into a romantic evening by announcing that we were going to enjoy our dinner on the beach and watch the sunset while we ate our pasta. We packed up all the food along with some fruit and crackers and the remaining pieces of our delicious banana bread and drove down to the Spanish Banks just in time to watch the sun set. It was a beautiful setting for an orgasmic meal.

Pics.

Picnic-packaged meal

Lovin' life.

To die for.

Not a shabby view.

Relaxed and landlady free.

So on Friday I almost died.

I made the stupid decision to have a three hour workout sesh at the gym (1.5 hours on the treadmill and 1.5 hours of weightlifting) and my body definitely felt the pain for the next few days. My calves were on FIYAH. Good thing I had a relaxing weekend in store!

Doug picked us up from the ferry terminal Friday night and we headed straight to our friend Genevieve's beautiful waterfront place where Jane and cutie Arfa was waiting. We indulged in tons of finger food and late night conversations before heading to Brian's parents' house to crash. 

The next morning we all got up to meet Brian's sister and others on Sidney Spit, a tiny island off the island. We had a bit of a late start and we missed the ferry that we wanted to take but we all eventually got there in one piece. It was the perfect day for the beach and minus the freezing water, it was pretty much a day in paradise. 

That evening, Brian prepped a lovely summer roll dinner for everyone that was an instant hit with his tandoori spiced chicken. The meal was followed by some delicious chocolate cake and by then I was ready to pass out. Everyone wanted to watch "River Monsters" and "Hoarders" so my social instincts were to join in but my eyes refused to cooperate. I was in the REM stage of sleep 10 minutes into the show. 

On Sunday, the major plan for the day consisted of an awesome blueberry pancake brunch with Heather and James providing the yummy yummy bacon. As the last bites of pancake were being taken, James generously offered one of his trophy salmon to be the main course for dinner that day so Brian and I extended our Victorian stay for the chance to partake in a sea-derived feast! And it was well worth it! We had pink salmon, corn, potatoes, carrots, quinoa salad, green beans, impromptu fried rice, and Bailey's milkshakes for dessert. I could barely move post meal but we had to get our hustle on in order to catch the last ferry off the island. We said our goodbyes and Heather and James were gracious enough to give us a lift to the terminal. It was 9pm and I was poooooped. But had a GREAT time with some GREAT company.

Visual aid.

Finally on the ferry to Sidney Spit!

Beach camp

Beach baby

Beach babes.

 Pico!

Doggy kisses!

Sibs

Super sibs

Ready to take on the spit

Le spit.

Fiance.

DINNER.

The angler and his trophy

Adventure baby!

HI ARFA!!!

Can we get a decent pic?

Lol. Nope.

Doug joins our predinner walk.

Super mom.

Will Doug eat the salmon eyeball?

Naturally.

Boys will be boys.

Gals will be lovely.  :)

So Brian and I have made it back to Vancouver safe and sound although I slept 75% of the way home. I was supposed to go kayaking today but it is probably the worst day (weatherwise) we've had in Vancouver since my arrival. It's gray and rainy and cold and just plain yucky. Melissa and I have postposed the kayak trip for another day and also scheduled in a girl's night out for Saturday. It'll be nice to go out with some gals and make some friends in the city before I leave so I'm definitely looking forward to it!

BIG NEWS!

Brian and I have an appointment with the events coordinator of the Vancouver Art Gallery this Wednesday in hopes to finally SEAL THE WEDDING VENUE DEAL. Holy cow am I ready to do this! And Brian is as well! And then I am not thinking about the wedding for a VERY long time! :D

As for my insomnia, I have been taking two melatonin pills for the past few nights and it seems to be helping. I wake up at a reasonable hour (6ish) and I try to go back to sleep but I still have these annoying fits of restlessness. What is up with that?? I'm still tossing and turning a bit in the mornings but Brian has learned to sleep through it. I'm glad my sleep duration has been lengthened and so far, no side effects of grogginess. Keeping my fingers crossed for full recovery! I am seriously considering getting a massage this week. Brian's insurance company has already agreed to let us use any medical resources necessary to  alleviate any physical symptoms and I'm thinking a deep tissue massage could definitely help my restlessness. I'll keep you posted!

Only one week left before I have to head back to another semester of craziness..... Sigh. Gotta enjoy the remainder of the summer! 

More Excitement Than I Can Handle...

So Brian and I got into a car accident yesterday.

Everybody was fine and Brian's car is still drivable. The other driver's car however, is not. Thank the lord that we're 120% sure it wasn't our fault. It seems as if the other driver had either not stopped at her stop sign or proceeded to drive through after failing to see us. We T-boned the back side of her Jeep and her car spun almost 180 degrees. Scary stuff.

Seriously though. We were just trying to pick up some dinner and eat it at the park, have a nice quiet walk and watch the sunset. Sigh. Life is so full of surprises.

So after getting out and making sure everyone was okay, we went through the painful task of exchanging information, getting witnesses' information, calling the insurance company, and making sure the other driver had a tow truck on the way. Is it effed up that 40 minutes into the accident and waiting for the tow truck to arrive, all I could think about was how my Ma Po Tofu was getting cold??? Not even a car accident can stifle this hungry beast.

Anyways, here's some of the evidence to be turned in.

The damage to Brian's car. Right light, bumper, and hood.

That silver Jeep was the car we hit.

The intersection of 16th and Columbia.

The damage to the other driver's car. Well it turns out that it's not her car, it's her boyfriend's. Ouch.

My Mona Lisa of an explanation drawing. Brian chose to spill some clementine juice onto my masterpiece.

Anyways. Nobody was seriously injured so thank the Lord for that. We came home a bit stiff and sore but no major complaints. I was able to get my Ma Po (still hot!) and Brian enjoyed his chicken shwarma. But of course the night can't end without another surprise. During dinner, we had a little visitor.

EEEEEKKK!!!!!!!!! Brian and I HATE spideys!!!!!!!!

That thing was seriously on steroids. It was like a spider terminator or something. The size of my freakin' hand! Ew ew EWWWW!!!!! Brian summoned up every ounce of courage in his 6' 4 frame and managed to transport the spider at least 100 feet away from the front of our door. My hero!

This morning Brian and I were still feeling a bit rough from the collision so we went to a health clinic just to make sure we weren't dying. Fabulous, isn't it? My second visit to the doctor in a week! The doctor wrote us both a referral to a physiotherapist and suggested that we keep our bodies moving and to avoid sitting in front of a computer. As I am doing. This very moment. Brian was instructed to make sure that he gets up and walks around away from his desk every thirty minutes. In addition to all these, the doctor strongly recommended swimming sessions which I am all for! So once Brian is able to pry himself away from his workphone and computer (He's working from home today), maybe I can convince him to go for a swim today! My poor neck and shoulders could definitely use it!

Insomnia update:
So I thought my sleep disorder was getting better until last night. My eyes flew open at exactly 3:00 am. I know this because the red lights of the clock were the first things I saw when I opened my eyes. Freaking A. I am exhausted as all hell and I just can't keep still again. My legs and hips just cannot get comfortable! It was another long ass night. I was finally able to fall back asleep around 6 am but we got up at 7 and I was sore, tired, cranky, and just plain miserable. I think I'm going to consider taking the melatonin everyone's been recommending. Brian swears by it so I'm going to give it a try tonight. I can't deal with another night of restlessness. I seriously feel as if I'm going insane! AGHH!!

Anyways, I'm gonna get myself back on the road to recovery by getting off this thing and getting my ass movin'.

Excited for my weekend on the Island! :D