Thankful Thursday - 6

This week I am thankful for....

1. Adam and Aly's engagement! So excited for their wedding in a couple years. These two are meant for each other. 

2. The rain we had this week. We're in a stage 3-4 level drought in BC and we had some very welcome rain this past weekend. Not enough to replenish the reservoirs, but enough to water our plants and get rid of the smog! Here's a shot of False Creek after the rainfall. You can see how clear it was!

3. Scott coming home. Scott has been away at Kings in Edmonton for the past 3 years. He has one year left, but he's coming home today for Rachel & Anthony's wedding and to go to the cabin for a few days. Whenever he is in town, he is our go-to-guy when David and I can't think of something to do. We miss him when he's away. 

The Weekend in a Glance

We had a very busy weekend this weekend!
I'll re-cap some of the highlights with photos:)

 Friday

 We took Sherlock to the park while it was raining and let him run around and chase the ball. Any time there is ever a body of water (even if it's just a tiny rain puddle) he lays down in it and tries to cover as much of himself as possible in water. Goof!

David had 5 of his buddies over for a poker night, and I hung out on the sidelines, not playing. At around 10:30pm my brother Jeff showed up and invited me to got Mom and Dad's with him. I protested, as I figured they would be in bed, but then apparently Adam and Aly were there too. I started questioning this visit. I asked Jeff if they had gotten engaged or something (somewhat jokingly as nobody expected it) and he just said "Not that I know of!" That was enough for me. If Jeff didn't know, then it wasn't happening. 

We arrived at Mom and Dad's and after some small talk and visiting, Aly whipped out the gorgeous ring and announced they HAD gotten engaged! I KNEW IT!!! So very happy and excited for them. The're a lovely couple, and it will be so nice to have another sister-in-law! I've been so out-numbered my whole life!

Saturday

Saturday we took Sherlock to Noel Booth Park for a little swim, as I like to try to do special things with him on the weekends. I'm always gone all day during the week, and we're often too tired or short on time to do the fun things. Weekends we can take an hour and a half and go swimming with him!

After his swim and a bath Sherlock likes to roll around on the towels and carpet and furniture trying to dry off. This is at the tail end of that, when he finally started relaxing. 

Saturday evening we went out to my parents house again where they were having an impromptu engagement party for Adam and Aly. Lots of relatives were there, and we just visited, ate and drank to celebrate. 

Sunday

Sunday morning I was set to play bass in church. It was a very special service as Katrina and Brayden's baby, Henry, was being baptized! 

After church, we socialized and then went to lunch at Edith and Arthur's with Elissa and her husband Michael, and this guy, Michael De Jager. Michael and I were inseparable in high-school. The picture above is from a missions trip on our way down to Mexico. We had hiked a mountain in LA and got this lovely shot from the top. Below is our grade 12 grad. We weren't dates, but we did match well!

Since grad, he's moved off to Edmonton and now Windsor where he's going to med school and building a relationship with his partner, Matt. I don't see or talk to him enough, but I always love getting together with him. 

Jeff had asked me to take him shopping sometime on Sunday. After lunch at the pub, I drove down to Vancouver and we went to Winners to get him some shoes and clothes. I found this little picture in his house. Cute... 

After shopping, Adam and Aly met up with us and we walked down to Olympic Village to go to the Tap & Barrel. Very cool place. We shared some snacks and I tried the "Seasonal Wine Flight". I would have tried the beer, but it was 20 oz of beer with varying percentages and I had to drive. Next time!

Journey to Kimber Images

David started up Kimber Images in January 2013, just two months after we got married. 
It sounds glamorous and all, but the circumstances were quite the opposite. I mentioned a little bit about starting this business in my very first post, A Little Bit About Me, but here's the full story of how Kimber Images came to be. 

Moen Media & Dan Moen
David graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver with a Film & Video Diploma in April 2011. At his final presentation evening at school, a man named Dan Moen came by his computer and was very impressed with David's work. He and David chatted on and off for a few weeks after that, and then David officially started working with Dan doing Real Estate Photography for Moen Media. 

Dan taught David everything he knew, and even rented out a basement suite next to him/the office for VERY cheap (we're talking $200/month here). Before long, David had the title of "Production Manager" for Moen Media. He oversaw all the products that were sent out to realtors and ensured everything was up to snuff with the other few employees while Dan handled most of the scheduling of shoots and other business ventures.

David and two other employees, Jeff and Marielle, were working with Dan on January 8, 2013 when all of a sudden all their lives changed. I'll never forget it. I was attending a Fraser Health Program Clerk course, and I got a call from David. He just said, "Dan had a heart attack...I'm on my way out there now..." I was in the elevator at the time and was in shock, but I had no idea how serious it was. It wasn't until I got home and got another call from David. He told me that Marielle had received a call from Dan in the next room, and Dan just said, "I think I need an ambulance." When Marielle got to his room, Dan said, "Call Sarah..." and then he was gone.

There were so many things going through my head. First, I was thinking about David, Jeff and Marielle. Were they okay? Were they traumatized? What are they going to do? Then thoughts moved on to Dan's family. He didn't have a Will, what will they do? How many kids does he have? How will they hear the news? Thoughts trickled down, and reality set in. What are WE going to do? David is all of a sudden out of a job.

During all of this, Marielle told David she had to call Sarah, Dan's partner who lives on the island to let her know what had happened. Marielle was shaken up and they were all running on adrenaline. David wouldn't let her call Sarah, and he offered to do it instead. He had to tell Sarah that her life partner had passed away. He told me he could hear her heart break over the phone. I cannot imagine...I tear up now as I write about it. David showed incredible courage, compassion and maturity way beyond his years that day. Much more than I ever could.

I remember having the weirdest ominous feeling a couple weeks prior to this day. I kept asking David things like, "What if something happens to Dan? What is our plan for work if something happens and you no longer have a job?" I don't know why I had these thoughts or what I thought was going to happen, but I wonder if I was being somehow prepared. 

While still grieving, David also took on the duty of receiving calls from realtors trying to book shoots and informing them of the tragic news. While informing Dan's clients/friends, a long-time client of Dan's suggested David continue doing Real Estate Photography, starting up his own business and keeping the Moen Media clients happy. "I want to make you a rich man," were his words. 

David and I had many discussions about the future over those next couple weeks. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that it would be silly not to try. Why not try carry on Dan's legacy. Thus, Kimber Images came to be. 

Starting it up
We had MANY questions starting out. How do we start a new business? Do we need a business license? Do we need to register with the government? How do we pay taxes? How do we collect money? How do we contact people? How do we do our accounting? Do we have to hire someone for that? How do we collect GST/HST? How do we gain clients? and MANY more.

We talked to some family, friends and other small business owners and were able to get some answers to some of these questions. Ultimately though, we made a huge leap of faith. 

David's first year of business was an adventure (it still is) with ups and rather significant downs. However, since January 2013 Kimber Images has grown drastically. We are now on page 1 of Google if you search "Real Estate Photography Vancouver". It is always tricky working in this sort of industry, but between David's excellent customer service/relate-ability, competitive pricing, and high quality photography he has made a great name for himself!  

Cotala
In June 2014, David and I went out for lunch to White Spot and we saw some guys come in with camera gear and sit at the booth right behind us. Odd, considering the rest of the restaurant was vacant as well, but we didn't mind. David recognized the logo on their shirts as "Cotala" one of his competitors in the Lower Mainland for Real Estate Photography. Cotala is a big-fish company; they're one of the largest in our area. David, being the outgoing guy that he is, struck up a conversation with one of the guys. He turned out to be Tavish, the founder of Cotala. They traded information, and kept in touch over the next couple weeks.

Since then, Cotala and Kimber Images have developed a very healthy working relationship. David sub-contracts to Cotala, and does an average of 6-8 shoots/week with them. They have been such a blessing to us. If it weren't for Cotala and the business they bring, David may have had to give up Kimber Images as his primary occupation. 

Kimber Images
Here is the link to David's Kimber Images website (KimberImages.ca).

The Future
In the past few months, David has been working to expand his portfolio from purely Real Estate to a more artistic style. He's been working with architects, construction companies and interior design companies. 

Where do we see Kimber Images in the future? Hopefully being a reliable source of income for us to raise our family, while still having David work from home when he can. David loves what he does; that has made this whole journey worth it.    

You can see some of David's work on his website and Facebook page, but here are a few of my personal favorite photos.

I am so unbelievably proud of David for all he's done. I could never have pulled off what he has in the past two and a half years. He has come so far. There have definitely been some low points where we wondered if this self-employment thing would work out, and we still have those thoughts occasionally, but looking back at this story is all the encouragement I need today. 

Thankful Thursday - 5

Some things to be thankful for this week!

1. The opportunity to travel as a married couple. Everyone always told me that before we have kids we MUST enjoy the first few years as a married couple. Just the two of us. They told us we had to travel together. Travelling was never really on my "to do" list in life, but David and I have had a few trips together since our wedding November 10, 2012. For our Honeymoon we spent a week in Mexico at the Royal Hideaway Occidental Resort. For our first anniversary we went to LA and Disneyland for a week. We also went to Europe for 3 weeks in 2014 and visited many countries (post on this coming up!). On top of those trips, we've done many mini-trips to the cabin since we got married, which are a great way to reconnect and enjoy each other's company. 

 Mexican Honeymoon

Sailing in LA on our 1st Anniversary

European Vacation August 2014

2. Grandparents. I am lucky enough to still have three grandparents in my life. David lost his Grandpa last year in January, and that really makes me realize how fortunate I am!

We had dinner and played a couple friendly games of crib with Oma De Jong the other day.

3. Coffee. I love my one cup of coffee every morning. My day doesn't really start until I've finished it off. I can't wait until we've moved into our new place and I can sit on the balcony and have a cup of coffee in the morning sun!

An Otter or a Beaver?

While perusing my journal mentioned in a post before this, I came across a personality test I had done when I was 15, 8 years ago. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I am SHOCKED at the person I was...or thought I was. 

How could I have been so unaware of myself and my nature?

In the test, There are 4 animals: Lion, Beaver, Otter and Golden Retriever. You're supposed to go through and circle the words that you feel describe you. 

I re-took the test today and posted a picture below. The purple/pink circles are the answers I gave today, and the blue are the ones I circled on the old test from my journal. the yellow high-lighted words are the consistencies between 15 year old me, and 23 year old me. 

When I was 15, I viewed myself as an "Otter" with a, "Trust me! It'll work out!" attitude. 
I now view myself as a "Beaver" with a, "How was it done in the past?" attitude. 


When I look at the difference between these results I have a few questions: 

• Who was this adventurous, enthusiastic, energetic, spontaneous girl who feels that she has infectious laughter and enjoys change? 
• Is she still in here somewhere?
• Did I really change this much?
• Were my results swayed by those around me the first time? 
• If I surrounded myself with those people now would my results be similar?
• Am I really that much more aware of myself now?

Looking at the profiles (Lion, Beaver, Otter and Golden Retriever), I feel like Otter is the personality I would want to be. It seems like the "fun" one. The person who makes the most of their life, who doesn't stress about the little things, who draws people in and makes them feel good and happy. As an outsider looking in, that looks like an easier life to live. I wonder if the first time I took this test, I created the person I wanted to be, instead of accepting the person I was.

The reality of it is that I am a person who is a perfectionist, neurotic, persistent, practical, reserved, strong-willed, independent, predictable, controlling and sensitive among many other things. These traits, along with some parts of my gene pool, have led me to struggle with anxiety for many years. I have anxiety about failure, about change, about not appearing "fun" enough, about not being nurturing enough, about not appearing to have my shit together and about missing out on things due to my anxiety (it's a vicious cycle). 

The pent up anxiety about things like this have led to periods of moderate depression as well. I'll post at a later date more about living with anxiety, depression and the ways I've found to manage it. 

Over the past few years, as I get to know myself better, I have learned to accept most of these traits. Some are still easier to accept and live with than others, but talking about the struggles is the best way I find to combat them.  

They say opposites attract.

I asked David to take this test as well, and wouldn't you know it? He is nothing like me! He ranked highest in the "Otter" category. He also ranked quite highly in "Lion" and "Golden Retriever" personalities. However, he only circled 4 words in the "Beaver" category. We've known for years that we had opposite personalities, but I always find it interesting to have concrete evidence of it in activities like this. (That's the analytical side of me coming out I guess.)


I feel it is vital to do these sorts of exercises from time to time. It makes me more aware of myself and it reminds me that there are so many other people out there like me, who may have similar strengths and weaknesses. I strongly encourage others (especially couples) to take these kinds of personality tests. It can give you insight into how the other person functions and thinks, and how they may handle certain situations. It definitely helps with conflict resolution for David and I. We're able to articulate our thoughts and differences much better. 

Until next time!!

Thankful Thursday - 4

How is it Thankful Thursday time again already?!
I'm going to have to start getting creative!

1. My Mykonos picture. When we were in Greece last year, David took this picture for me and then for Christmas he had it blown up onto a canvas for me. Every time someone comes into my office they comment on that picture. When I got my new job/office, David said I could hang it up there! I look at it every day and it takes me back to our whirlwind trip to Europe last year. What an amazing time. 

2. Friends that have babies. This is baby Henry, Katrina and Brayden's son. He was born June 9th and I got to visit him on his 1 month birthday (is it called a birthday?). Baby cuddles are great therapy!

3. Progression of equality in USA. A few weeks ago it was ruled that all 50 states will allow same-sex couples to marry. I understand this can be a touchy subject, but I am happy to see that people who are in love and want to be committed in this way are now able to. I want to be in a world where everyone is equal and loved; free from oppression. 

5 & 10 Year Plan (From My 15 Year Old Self)

As we pack up our belongings and prepare for our move, we come across old things we haven't seen in years. Recently, I found a journal I had when I went to Student Dynamics (SD). SD is a youth group I attended at New West Christian Reformed Church from Grade 8-12. It's divided up by grades, and each group has one or two leaders. As our group developed and grew, so did our conversations. Some of the girls in my group have continued to be my close friends long after SD ended. Our leaders, Natalia and Alida, had a huge influence in the way we grew up; and they nurtured confidence, individuality, and honesty. 

Here is a little snap shot of most of the girls in our group in 2006 (we were 14 years old at the time)

We were at a rest stop in Weed, California on our way to our first S.E.R.V.E. trip in Bellview, CA. 

Anyway, back to the point of this post! My journal. I opened it up, and one of the first pages I found was of a page of quotes I liked from September 18, 2007, followed by "My life as I DREAM (5 years) and (10 years). 

The three quotes i had written down were:

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

                 - Henry David Thoreau

" What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"

                 - Robert H. Schuller

"Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened."

                - Matthew 7:7

This is what my 5 and 10 year plans looked like:

My life as I DREAM in 5 years (2012) - When I'm 20

• Stable job
• Going to college
• Travelling lots
• Long term boyfriend
• Graduating 
• Best friends
• Hanging out and having good times
• Money to do the above
• Living with friends
• Skydiving with Kirsten

10 Years (2017) - When I'm 25

• Husband, a boy, twins (boy & girl), girl
• Stay at home mom  (until kids are old enough)
• Husband with good job

INTERESTING! I'm not necessarily on track for all of the things in my 10 year plan (how did I go from having a boyfriend at 20 and having 4 kids at 25?... Bad math!), and I may have missed out on a few from my 5 year plan, but over-all I feel my life goals/values have remained very similar. (Looks like I have to go Skydiving!)

This is what my REAL life looked like when I was 20 (in comparison to my "DREAM" life)

• Quit working at Esquires in March 2012, start working at Starbucks and quit Starbucks in July, and start my permanent FT clerk line for Fraser Health in July!
• Had completed 2 years of Sciences at SFU, but stopped in April 2011. I am NOW working towards my Legal Administrative Assistant Certificate, and will complete that in April 2016. 
• Had done no travelling at that time, but since have done Mexico, LA/Disneyland and Europe.
• Was engaged to David after 4 years of dating and planning our November 2012 wedding. 
• Graduated Highschool in 2009
• I had a few close friends
• I mostly hung out with David at this time, so some other friendships struggled.
• I have always been a great saver, and had VERY little expenses (other than my car), so I did have the expendable income to do the things I wanted to do. 
• I was living with my parents until David and I got married in November; then I was still living with a friend, he was just also my Husband!
• Maybe we can move sky-diving to the 10 year plan. Haha.

What does my 10 year (2017) plan look like now? Well... that is really only a 2 year plan!

• David continuing to build/expand Kimber Images into a job that can support us and our future family
• Have a baby
• Buy a house (done, but haven't moved in yet)
• Working hard for Fraser Health
• Keeping up with agility with Sherlock, and competing in the Regionals
• Possibly do some more travelling? Vacation to Mexico? Hawaii?

Can't make things TOO daunting for myself! Some of these things are already in the works, so maybe that's cheating. 

You may be reading this post and thinking, "Come on girl! Where are your goals? What are you accomplishing here? That looks boring!" I understand that. I'm a simple person. I don't feel the need to make lots of money, or the need to be driving a nice car or the need to continue my education right now, or the need to travel the whole world before I "settle down". I have always been an old soul, or a Grandma trapped in a 20-something's body (read this link). I'm more confident in who I am and where I'm headed now than I have ever been. My goal for life is to be as happy as possible. Plain and simple. 

Shameless Harry Potter quote

Thankful Thursday - 3

What am I thankful for this week?

1. Living so close to the beach. Last Thursday evening, David and I took Sherlock down to the beach to explore a little and practice retrieving in the ocean. It's so cool that we can live so close to mountains, forests, oceans, lakes, cities, and farmlands. One of the reasons I don't think we could ever move away from the Lower Mainland. 

 Sherlock is already 10 months old! 

This goofy guy always has to dry off. Tough to get him from the ocean to the car without him being COVERED in sand.

2. An excellent vet who we trust. Sherlock got some bites or something on his underbelly and groin at the cabin. Some of the spots were looking pretty yucky, so we called the vet. They were able to get us in same day! Sherlock was a perfect, relaxed angel at the vet, but our vet is also excellent with the dog. I'm used to our rushed healthcare system, so having someone really take the time to talk to and get to know us was novel.

3. Modern day technology. Today I was able to FaceTime with Janine (and Winston) using our iPhones for a little bit on my lunch break at work. She moved away a few months ago, and I really miss being around her. We used to spend 40+ hours a week together (I swear I spent more time with her than I did my husband), and now we only get to see each other once ever few months. So grateful we can keep in touch using FaceTime especially as it feels much more personal than just texting or emailing. 

Spontaneous Trip

Friday afternoon, about two hours before I was due to be done work I was texting with Oma G. about some church stuff. She needed me to print the Bulletin as she was at the cabin. I expressed my jealousy of her being up there and she said, "Well come on down!"

Normally I wouldn't give this a second thought. This is WAY too last minute for me. I normally need at least a week to make lists and plan and pack for the cabin. However, this time it was different. This time I took a step back and thought, "Hey! Maybe we SHOULD go to the cabin!" I called David and he was on board (mind you he's super easy going so that wasn't a big deal for him). 

By 4pm we were packed up and on the road to the cabin! 

Sherlock is a great travel companion. 

Just in case you've forgotten, I like to plan. I'm a planner. Things that aren't according to plan are increasingly stressful for me. This impromptu trip to the cabin? A major deal for me. I was/am so proud of myself for ignoring my panicked gut and doing this... It sounds pathetic now, but it's the small things right? 

Look who we found in Princeton! They were on their way to Summerland, and were supposed to take the Coquihala, but it was closed due to a forest fire. 

When we got to the cabin it was about 9:45pm. Our border guard was in a great mood for a change, so that was a nice surprise! Opa and Oma were up there with their dog, along with Greg & Laura with their 4 boys/dog, Jean & Wendy with their daughter and dog, and Rich & Jo with their dog. 15 people and 5 dogs! Everyone except us and Opa and Oma left on Sunday though, so we had a day with just a few of us which was much more relaxing. 

One of the only shots of people from the weekend. We spent a lot of time sitting out on the front deck enjoying the shade.

The weather this weekend was gorgeous. It was around 35 degrees Saturday and Sunday, but it was windy, so the heat was very manageable. Plus we had Party Island in the water to lounge on in the heat with our drinks. 

We spent our time at the cabin playing with the dogs, kayaking, canoeing, walking, napping, drinking, eating, playing cards, more eating and drinking, swimming, and talking. Time seems to slow down significantly at the cabin. The two full days we were there felt like a week. I was concerned it wouldn't be worth it just to go down for the weekend, but I was wrong! It was definitely worth it. 

Now for some photos from the weekend!

Sherlock and his friend, Roxy enjoying the view together.

 Sherlock took a liking to being in the boats with me. So we took a few trips together around the lagoon and lake when it wasn't too windy. 

Caught me a cool dragon fly!

Pet selfies are actually very difficult

I picked up some new dog toys before we came, so Sherlock was happy!

This is Kali, my Opa and Oma's Newfoundand/Landseer.

Great way to beat the heat!

My buddy joined me on my towel. He likes to dry off by rolling around on grass or towels. This is just after he finished rolling all over me and my towel to get the lake water off himself. 

Another wonderful weekend away at my favorite place. I hope to have access to something like this for my kids when they're growing up.