Summer Lovin'....Lovin' Summer!!

Summer has finally hit Vancouver after only 20 short wet months of living in the city!! We haven't seen a drop of rain in more than 2 weeks (which is literally unheard of in Vancouver) and the days are filled with blue skies, sunshine and birds whistling in the trees. Cam and I are trying to make the most of the Bermuda style weather and are eating as many meals as possible outside on our patio. I'm also trying to fit in as much golf course as possible while it's sunny and before the baby arrives, as I fear my golf career may hit a very abrupt end at that point!! The only downside of this fantastic weather is that the grass doesn't look so lush & green....not that I would ever ever complain about the lack of rain in Vancouver ;-)

As you can see from our backyard, there's not even any snow left on the mountains.

Baby Thomas' First Girlfriend!

Congratulations to our good friends Andrea and Dave who on the 5th July gave birth to their first child, a baby girl named Cailyn Regan Salmon. Cailyn's due date was actually May 24th so the fact that she was 3 weeks early has Cammie and I stressing out a little and feeling that we may have to spring into action at anytime!! :-)Cammie and I went to visit them on Monday night and the family seems to be settling in at home pretty well. Baby Thomas was pretty excited and kicking like crazy while Cammie was holding Cailyn.......I guess he's very keen to meet his first girlfriend!!!

Canada Day Gifts!!

I was lucky enough to receive several gifts on and around this year's Canada day....these were in addition to the public holiday that was very generously bestowed upon us.

1. This gift from the BC Government is the type of gift that just keeps on giving! A new Consumer based Carbon Tax that is applied to all fossil fuel purchases. This supposedly "revenue neutral" tax adds an extra 2.4 cents to every litre of gas/petrol you buy. Fantastic timing by the government given the already record high oil prices that only look to continue rising. I know most people who read this would only dream of paying $1.55 (CDN) for a litre of gas so I won't harp on too much about it for the moment. What this means for us is that a 30 minute drive to the U.S. will now save Cammie and I approximately $25 on a full tank of gas in our 4WD/SUV......a worthwhile road trip in my opinion.

2. $100 cold hard cash.....also from the BC Government!! Well not cold hard cash but a $100 Climate Action Dividend cheque for all British Colombians, to encourage us to go green. Although most people (including us) will probably spend the money on gas, there were several suggestions by the government as to what they think we should spend the $100 on. The most practical in my opinion was their suggestions to put the $100 towards the purchase of a Hybrid vehicle!!! Not sure $100 would even but the petrol cap but you have to admire their enthusiasm!!
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ecea1487-507c-43ef-ab88-5a972898e0b7&k=38130

3. 611 days after arriving in Canada, I am very happy to report (as much as the above points may suggest otherwise) that I should be receiving my PERMANENT RESIDENCY card later this month! It's been a long and tedious road which has included many hours of document completion, several different renewal and extension applications and more phone calls to the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship call centre than I care to remember....but we are almost across the finishing line. And, if everything goes to plan I will finally be a legal landed immigrant living without the fear of deportation just in time for the arrival on my Canadian/Australian Son.

What an exciting week it's been.....with all those gifts anyone would think Christmas had come early this year!!! ;-)

Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day for Tuesday 1st July everyone!! Fortunately as Australia day is in Australia, Canada Day is a public holiday in Canada which means a well deserved 4 days week for us! We spent the day enjoying the sunshine with some new friends we made at our recent Pre-natal class. Meshel and Rob invited us to a BBQ at their place which included plenty of Mexican beer....go figure!! This couple are also expecting a boy and are due 3 weeks before us, so I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more of them in the months to come!!

Home Town Baby Shower.

Today Cammie's friends threw her a Local Derby Baby Shower.....for all her friends in Vancouver. As you can see from the photos, a great time was had by everyone who attended. Cammie and I are both really thankful to have such amazing friends and family to host these great events and help us plan for the arrival of Baby Thomas.

Special thanks to Lindsay and Stephanie who hosted today's shower....but also to all those who attended for the generous gifts that you gave us....even our friends that couldn't make it sent along gifts, all of which we really, really appreciate!!

Guess who came last in the diaper changing race? YES, the mother to be!!! ;)

As you can see, there was just as much excitement back at our house.....this is how I spent my afternoon while the girls were all 'showering'!!! This is what I call a perfect Sunday afternoon!!!

Thanks for coming!!!

We'd just like to make special mention of Liliana and Rebeca (Cammie's Cousin & 'Niece') who went completely above and beyond to attend Cammie' Baby shower. They flew from San Francisco to Seattle and from there, they drove to Vancouver. They arrived at about 5pm Saturday night and then were back on the road to Seattle airport and then San Francisco at about 3pm on Sunday afternoon. It was great to see you both, thank you for the great gifts and for coming so far for such a short time to see us!!

Baby Four Season's

After a little blood, a lot of sweat and a couple of tears we are almost finished Baby Thomas' room in readiness for his arrival. There are a few adjustments and additions to be made, but as many people have been requesting to see some photos I thought it was time to at least provide a few.

Mountain Golf with the Golden Bear!

Finally, I get to golf at Nicklaus North....one of the finest golf courses in Whistler, designed by none other than.....Jack Nicklaus. Ever since I first visited Vancouver nearly 4 years ago and saw this course I have wanted to play here. (my first visit in June 2004)

As you can see from the photos below the scenery is pretty amazing!! My golf performance was only average but my excuse is that the snow capped mountains were incredibly distracting. I've been in Vancouver for just over 18 months now and the mountain views still blow me away!! Rest assured I'll be back to Nicklaus North and Whistler for another round soon.

Partying it up in Seattle!

Cammie and I hit Seattle for the weekend, for an engagement party for Jen and Jim and a 2nd baby shower for Cammie!
Jen and Jim (below) both live in Melbourne and are getting married there next March. Jen is an American who went to University with Cammie and Jim is another fine Hawks supporter from Melbourne who met Jen just after she moved to Melbourne for a 1 year job placement.....she fell in love with Jim, and Melbourne and has decided to stay down under (who can blame her).

As you can see Cammie also had a great time at the event, double fisting at every opportunity she could find......very irresponsible behaviour for an expecting mother!!Next was the baby shower which unlike the last one was a girls only affair. I was happy to make a quick exit to the local Brew House with the other guys. I did see my first ever Diaper/Nappy Cake which was completely "homemade" by Cammie's friends. Thank you very much to Cherish for throwing Cammie such a great shower and to all her other friends that were there for the very generous gifts that you gave us. We really appreciate it!

What's in a Name?

In a recent trip, Cammie and I came across this local husband and wife Realtor business. I think you'd all agree that they have one those names that you should keep out of your businesses name. I'm sure Trudy & Ian are lovely people, but really....would you hire these people to find you a house, or sell your house?!!

Disclaimer: Area code has been blacked out to protect the poor Bustards from unsolicited phone calls.

Ride 'em Cowboy!!

Rodeo, rodeo, rodeo was the theme of last weekend in Vancouver.....well at least Surrey anyway. The Cloverdale Rodeo was on and being that I have always wanted to, but never actually been to a rodeo, we thought we'd check it out. After all it was only 10 minutes from our house.

This rodeo is the 2nd largest in Canada, and most of the best Cowboys from North America were there competing. The action from our front row seats in the sun was HOT, and as you can see, not just because it was a 29 degree day. The bulls, broncos and cowboys were unbelievable.

People watching was also a highlight of the day

......starting with THE GOOD....

....moving to THE BAD (or sad).....

.....and ending with the DOWN RIGHT FAMOUS ........
(Steven Seagal for those who are Martially Artistically challenged)

'Seaplanes, Helicopters & Automobiles'

A Canadian version of the popular 80's movie 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' starring Steve Martin and John Candy is about to be released.

It is set in Vancouver, and follows a day in the life of an upcoming young Vancouver Executive, named Simon Thomas. Simon needs to visit clients in Victoria on Vancouver Island in the morning and then make it back to Vancouver later that afternoon for an important meeting!! As in the original movie, the star elicits the help of many different modes of transport in order to get him where he needs to go. Also like the original, there are also plenty of laughs to be had along the way!! Unlike the original there is on show some stunning scenery of Vancouver (the world's 2nd Most Livable City behind Melbourne, Australia).

It was actually a pretty exciting day for me as I had never been on either a Seaplane or a helicopter before. I have been dying to go on a Seaplane ever since I first visited Vancouver back in 2004 and I've been wanting to go in helicopter since.....well, as long as I can remember. Both were very cool!!!

One Year of Wedded Bliss.

May 12th, 2008 - It was 12 months ago when Cammie and I tied the knot. If you're thinking to yourselves... "It seems longer".....I agree!
Cammie planned a great (and more importantly relaxing) weekend of celebrations:

1) Friday night - Drinks and a couple's massage in a fancy Downtown Spa. Followed by dinner at a new restaurant.
2) Saturday - Spent the day & night up at Harrison Hot Springs Spa and Resort . http://www.harrisonresort.com/ This area is famous for its natural hot springs and although it may not look like it, is only about an hour from our house. Unfortunately for Cammie, the hot springs were too hot for a pregnant body so she had to sit on the edge of the pool and drink water while I floated in the therapeutic waters with a nice glass of wine.....poor Cammie!

We had a great and relaxing time, thank you Cammie for organizing such a fantastic weekend!!

"Battle of the Bulges"

Cammie's 'Battle with the Bulge' has plenty of competition from her friends who are enjoying sharing the experience with her. Our friends Andrea and Dave (top) are expecting a baby girl 3 weeks before us. Our other friends Karen and Spencer (another lucky Canadian who got to marry an Aussie) are due in a couple of weeks.....they opted for a surprise on the day!
It's really nice to have some friends going through the same thing at the same time. Baby and related topics seem to dominate the conversation, even amongst the guys I'm sad to say. Cammie and I look forward to meeting more like minded couples when we start our Pre-Natal and Birthing classes in a few weeks time.

Pregnancy Side Effects.

One of the side effects of pregnancy that we are finding with Cammie is skewed spacial awareness and depth perception. As you can tell from the below pictures some of these side effects can prove to be expensive!! :(

Definitely a Boy!

Cammie and I went for our 2nd Ultrasound the other day and further to the 95% confirmation that we are having a boy, we can now confirm 99.9% that we are still having a boy!! :)

To quote the nurse directly as she hovered over the region...."Ooh gosh yes, definitely a boy!" (see below what the nurse saw)

My son's going to kill me when he finds out I posted this picture for the world to see!!

Vancouver Sun Run

I ran in the 2008 Vancouver Sun Run this Sunday just gone for the 2nd year running (excuse the pun). This is the 2nd largest 10km race in North America and this year they set a new record for the number of participants, with 59,179 people taking part. It was also the coldest morning in the history of the run (this it's 24th year) and when the starter's gun went off it was about only 2-3 degrees. I was a little disappointed with my time which was slower than last year, although in thinking about it I shouldn't have been surprised, given the prime physical shape I was in a year ago in readiness for the wedding!! ;-)

Our New Car

Well not ours but Baby Thomas'!!

Talk about travelling in style! Our son will without a doubt be the coolest kid on the block getting around in this beast.

Baby Shower - Thank You!

My Sister and Mum threw Cammie and I a fantastic Baby Shower while we were in town. I must admit it was a first for me......and I would guess a couple of the boys too. To cope with the shock, beer was required at 9:30am, even Kiera needed one. I'd have to say that Sime was the most helpful, volunteering to change and clean all the diapers.

Thank you so much to everyone for coming and for all of your generous gifts. It really meant a lot to celebrate with you all. A special thanks to Sarah and Mum for organising!!

Home Sweet Home.....

It's had been almost 2 years since I had been home and nearly 3 since Cammie last graced Australia's shores.......as you can imagine time was at a premium for the 10 days we were there.
First it was time to meet the newest Thomas'. Kate and Sophie made their first trip to Australia all the way from London. We also had a fantastic afternoon catching up with all the boys....and meeting little Kiera for the first time! We were even able to fit in some time for a little training for Cammie!! She actually did a really good job....and she loved every minute of it!!

It was really great to catch up with everyone. See you all next March!