It's 8am on a chilly Monday morning.  I'm sitting in my bed sipping a too hot black coffee from the Starbucks on the corner.  Ruca is in her basket at the end of the bed, grumbling because I've shut her in here with me while a plumber named Corey works away on the other side of our wall all the while narrating his progress to himself.  He is busy connecting the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink and eventually the dishwasher.

Why on earth would Corey be connecting our water on Day 5 of our occupancy in this new place you ask? I wish I had the answers. I could speculate, of course, that our landlord has never remodeled a home before and fell behind on his timeline.  I might be feeling that his key contractor is a pot smoking scatter brain who should not have been put in charge of adhering to a particular date to have his work completed.  I have watched him work-  he whistles classical tunes while he loses his focus and moves from task to task leaving a trail of brain cells so that he may find his way back at some point. 

Before this house was a potential new home for us, Matt had taken on the contract to tile the entrance, kitchen and bathroom.  It was a job that he completed in July and it was in August that we gave our notice to our own landlord for October 1st.  There were certain aspects of the place that we negotiated to our requirements- I'm not talking about sky lights and tubs for 2- I'm referring simply to laundry and some updated bedroom doors (ones without holes...). When all points were agreed upon we let ourselves get excited about the potential of our new digs.  It is a character house with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and rafters.  There is a deck off of the master bedroom overlooking a backyard where we have plans for a veggie garden. The living room is bright with 3 walls of windows that stretch all the way to the ceiling giving us an amazing view of all the tall trees on the property.  Hardwood floors throughout give it a warm feeling and a stand alone garage in the back give us all the storage room that we could ever need.   

All of these interesting points are going to help make a cozy place to call home for now- and they may even help drown out the noise from all the airplanes that come in for a landing right over the roof- oh...did I mention that we're in a flight path? I'm sure that they will eventually become background noise, just as the street cars did on Queen Street in Toronto. What I know for sure is that all the character in the world, including the warm-hearted personality of our landlord, cannot drown out the fact that we are on Day 5 of occupancy and the house is still not finished.  In fact, the only thing that we may actually be able to drown would be our sorrows, in the massive selection of red wine at the shop closest to our house.

Matt and I make a pretty great team when it comes to things like setting up a campsite, travelling and moving house.  We don't even need to discuss things, we just know what needs to be done and we each do our part.  I suppose biology would say that we take on our classic gender roles with Matt focusing on the bigger more spatial things while I focus on the details.  I just know it works and so we had our belongings in the trailer and to our new place on the afternoon of the 30th.  I must admit that we had been here 1 week before our move in date, and the place was still pretty raw looking. We asked the landlord and 'Cheech' if they were sure things would be ready...reminding them that moving day was looming- and of course we were assured it would be so.  With nowhere else to go and a trailer that needed to be returned we had no choice but to move our belongings into the living room, on top of a layer of dirt and dust. I would also like to mention that the only person at the house was the painter finishing up his work. (He left all of his supplies and tools in the living room as well- where they are still sitting)

The list of things needing to be done is extensive and that doesn't even include the cosmetic things that we would prefer and will do ourselves as we can. Some of the highlights might be no kitchen sink, no stove, no laundry, no bathroom sink, no shower.  A second tier of unfinished necessities might include no door handles on any of the new doors, the dishwasher not hooked up, no plates on any light switches or outlets, no bars in closets to hang clothing on. And finally, the rafters were still full of cobwebs and fluffy spider pods, windows were filthy, the brand new toilet had been very well used by the workers (all male of course), kitchen drawers, bathroom shelves, back deck, front lawn all full of tools, odds and ends, broken drywall and so on and so forth.  

Oh...and there is also a smell that you might instantly think of as cat pee- although apparently no cats have ever lived here. Its in the living room in a certain spot and we cannot figure out what it is or where it is coming from.  My guess is that the last guy who lived here - who was apparently stark raving mad- has sabotaged the place.  I know how that sounds- but let me tell you this and then you can decide for yourself: On our first walk through of this property, back in July, I noticed a fish- a trout actually laying in the grass next to the driveway.  It wasn't a skeleton, it didn't seem as though it had been dragged there by an animal- and it struck me as quite odd.  I came to find out later that the tenant had been asked to leave when the house changed ownership and this made him angry as he didn't want to go.  He placed a fish, this trout in particular on the top of a fluorescent light in the bedroom where he left it to rot and eventually it was discovered and thrown out into the grass by 'Woody Harrelson'.  According to our downstairs neighbours, he also opened up several tins of salmon and left them all over the house when he left.  So who knows what other little surprises we may have waiting for us- and for all I know he may have brought a cat in here for one day to spray the living room...

I sent a text message which was very 'to the point' (perhaps a little harsh and bitey) to the landlord as we were moving in which contained words like unacceptable, immediately and illegal.  He in turn called Matt's phone, not mine, to say that he didn't need to be addressed that way and that if I didn't like it- I could find somewhere else to live. I kid you not.  I was absolutely beside myself as I have never experienced this before in all my years of moving both on Canadian soil and in foreign nations.  We were so unbelievable tired by the end of the day we crashed in a motel where we stayed for 2 nights. We were shocked to find that nothing more had been done, no attempts had been made to even do a rush finishing and our very own 'Ted Nugent' was in Nanaimo working on another job.  We came to find out that everyone was throwing each other under the bus and laying blame on each other- all the while we are standing with jaws on the floor- Matt angry and me in tears.

It has been a truly trying situation and one that almost baffles me as much as it angers and upsets me.  Our landlord is actually a really kind and decent man so I can't understand how he can let this happen or feel that its ok.  He arrived here with his wife on Friday and when she walked in the door she looked at me and said "I'm here to clean and we hired a guy to help...he is on his way- but how are we supposed to clean with all of this (waves her arm over the general area of the living room that is packed full of basically everything we own) stuff here???"  I had to really bite my tongue as I politely reminded her that we had no choice but to leave our other home at the end of the month and move here!  They went about their business "cleaning" with our cleaning products (she hadn't brought any of her own) she took a broom to the rafters to sweep out all of the cobwebs right onto our "stuff" and then she took a hose to the outside of the windows. It was great fun.

 We had been planning all along to hit IKEA for lighting- as there is none in the house...so Sunday was the day.  There is no Ikea here on the island so a this trip is a full day excursion- 95 minutes on the ferry and then an hour on the bus...I do realize that we could have just found lights here at another big box store but Ikea really did have the most choice with such a great range of prices- we did all the legwork and priced out a lot of options and in the end it was still our best choice to make the journey.  When all was said and done by the time we got back to the car it had been a 10 hour trip!  It was worth it though - we're going to light this place up like a Christmas tree!  Matt was really excited to try out some new lights- got one hooked up- blew a fuse and now our fridge doesn't work! 

It's the end of Day 5 and I am sitting down again to finish this post- Corey finally finished all the plumbing and (after he left of course)  I celebrated with a shower - minus a shower curtain and got water all over the floor....I couldn't have cared less! We are still without laundry and I am pretty sure that the food in the fridge will spoil before anyone shows up to fix it- but at least the initial upset is over and a couple of boxes have even been unpacked.  

Apparently Mr.Crazy who lived here before just lives down the street and Matt knows what he drives so I am actively trying to convince him that putting a trout under his truck seat is NOT the best way to get revenge and that we should let karma take care of it! Well I suppose that its either that or he blows up the electrical panel...I'll keep you posted.

Send some love our way!

xoxoMatt, Wendhi and Ruca

Catching Up

Hello All, 

It's been a long while since I have written here.  I know that most of you are on facebook, which is an easy way to keep tabs on each others comings and goings, but I have always been a fan of the art of writing letters...so here we are again.

September has arrived and with it comes the clouds and the rain with only an occasional bout of sunshine.  Our tans have faded and night fall comes much faster now but I still love this season best. Fall to me has always been more of a new year then January- it feels like a better time to start new projects as we make changes in our menus and our closets.

   

Spring and Summer were wonderful here and we got outside as much as we could and explored lots of new places on the island, however, our first camping trip this year was to Oregon.  We took the ferry across to Washington and drove along the coast which was familiar in its greenery as it shares much of the same foliage as we have here.  The views were breathtaking and reminded me a lot of Cape Breton with the winding highway along rolling landscape and the ocean set against dramatic cliffs. 

 Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side as it rained for the entire weekend and there weren't any waves at all so Matt was disappointed- but we made the best of it and had a great time exploring.  The 'no tax' in Oregon made for some very inexpensive shopping and Matt got a long board to add to his collection (or in surf lingo his "quiver")  We stayed at a different campground each of the 3 nights and as always had a fun time looking at small town USA and all of its wonderful characters. 

We did have some fantastic weather for our next two camping trips! In June we spent a night at Sombrio beach the weather was sunny and warm and the waves were just right.  We had the nicest neighbours who shared s'mores with us, I dropped mine in the sand (but I ate it anyway and memories of sticky fingered campfires at Brule came back to me with each grain of sand I crunched...so it was worth it!)

For Canada Day weekend we decided to camp somewhere new and so we made the drive to the interior to check out Strathcona Park, which is the oldest Provincial Park in BC (100 years old next summer!) and the largest on Vancouver Island.  The drive was amazing- all the trees and flowers were in full bloom and the snow capped mountains in the distance were the perfect backdrop.  We didn't book ahead and were very lucky to even get a site at the campground! The place was packed and noisy and we decided that although it was beautiful we will only go back when we can book a few days to do it right, as there is much to see and we'd like to add a few more Strathcona adventures to our memoirs!  Della Falls, which is the highest falls in Canada (eight times higher than Niagara) and amongst the top ten in the world, is located inside the park so we'll have to make a trip when we're in top form as it's meant to be quite a hike.

We had a few visitors this summer which was so much fun, especially since I got my very first car, EVER, in April! I suppose that is pretty big news, for me since I haven't ever really needed a car until now.  It was great to be able to pick up friends and family from the airport  to go sight-seeing and take day trips together.

  

Our first visit was from my dear friend Yamuna.  She and I met in Korea years ago, where we were teachers at the same school and lived across the hall from one another.  Yamuna is from Calgary however she is a bit of a gypsy and has been travelling for 10 years! She has seen almost every corner of this earth and has some fantastic tales to share.  She was taking a weekend course at UVic in Shamanism and extended her time to come and stay.  After 6 years, it was wonderful to pick up where we left off (drinking a beer outside of a Korean 7-11 I think....) and to be able to rekindle our friendship which has held strong all these years. Time didn't allow for us to get too far away from Victoria although I was able to share the magic of Sombrio and introduce her to some of our friends here at our dinner party. 

We also took a quick overnighter to Vancouver where Yamuna caught up with some of her other pals and I spent the day working with an incredible company I discovered.  

Outstanding in the Field, a Santa Cruz based company,  are a 'mobile restaurant without walls.'  On the road their team travels by (bright red) bus across the USA every summer (with a stop or two in Canada along the way) setting up farm or beach dinners as a celebration of a place and to honour the farmer and other producers of a region.  I had no idea quite what I was in for- I was told only to wear clothes I didn't mind getting dirty and to bring a black sun-dress for the event. It was the biggest adventure my new car and I have had yet- taking the ferry to the mainland and then finding my way to UBC Farm - after leaving Yamuna in a cafe downtown!    It all worked out perfectly and I was soon standing in a hot and sunny field helping to set up one long table for 200 guests!

   

We had a detailed meeting with the   evenings chef who gave us all of the necessary information on each of the 5 courses (which we had to relay to our tables upon service) what local farms the ingredients were from, in which sustainable way the fish was caught etc. AND to create added pressure...we also had a meeting, of equal amounts of information, with the winemaker who was providing each of the 5 wines paired with each course!  It was a very exciting evening for everyone involved and such a unique experience. 

 

The company has a trailer with the tables, chairs and linens that travel with them- they rent very few items from each city they stop in- and they have what they call "The Tradition of the Plates" where each diner brings a colourful plate from home to dine on.  Each course is served 'family style' on a platter for 8 people to share and the same wine glass is used for each course. Once dessert plates have been licked clean,  the sun has nearly disappeared and the mozzies are biting...the dinner is officially over and we then tear down everything and pack it away neatly as the bus moves along to the next city! 

 

As for me, I said good bye to this great team of people after a very long 10 hour day and navigated my way back downtown Vancouver to find Yamuna! We missed the last ferry and 'slept' in my car at the terminal to make the first boat the following day. What an adventure!  If you are interested you can find out more about OITF here:  www.outstandinginthefield.com

It was on the day that I was taking Yamuna to the airport that I received a phone call telling me that I was out of a job.  They had come to realize that their business model had never been set up to include stand-alone studios and they didn't have the time or energy to put into marketing it.  I'm sure I am not the only one thinking that perhaps they may have considered that before going to the trouble of starting it.

  

Unfortunately, the hospital here in Victoria had still not opened its doors to us and while they hope that I will still be available to run that when and if it happens- for now we part ways.  They did offer me full time employment,  to oversee all operations out of Mt.Sinai hospital in Toronto, several times in fact- but after just moving to Victoria a year ago- it seemed like bad timing.  It was a difficult thing to say 'no thank you' to that one I'll be honest.  I do wish that I could be closer to my family and friends... 

The next highlight of our summer was a visit from Linda and Kieran! (Matt's mother and son) It was non stop from the moment they arrived to their red-eye flight back to Toronto.  We had a fabulous time in Victoria visiting places Matt and I had yet to see like the Butterfly Gardens and Butchart Gardens.  

We even managed to squeeze in a trip to the coast to camp and get Kieran in the surf for his first time! 

He didn't enjoy it very much in the end...there were a lot of tears and upon viewing the photos he claimed that he wouldn't be surfing again until he was 10 years old! Poor little guy- he loves to swim but I think this was the first time he'd seen the water actually moving towards him (little waves) and it must have frightened him.

 

It was so great having family here- especially for Matt to have his loved ones here for his birthday! Linda and I somehow managed to sneak in the making of a surfboard birthday cake and pressies that we surprised Matt with after an amazing Italian dinner downtown.

 Come back soon Linda so we can do high-tea!  

I suppose our summer wouldn't have been complete without a visit from Monica!  It was almost a year to the day since she had been to Victoria to see us.  This time was very different as we didn't have to take the bus and walk up the giant hill to our house dragging luggage! Monica and I met in an airport 5 years ago on our way to Vegas for work and as fate would have it we wound up as roommates and the rest is herstory.

  I think I was a much better hostess this summer than last and was able to share with Monica a little more of "my Victoria"... Parliament (check), an afternoon of floating around Thetis Lake (check), amazing tapas in cute restaurant downtown (check), catching up for hours and hours and hours of non-stop chatter (poor Matt!).

Worlds collide at Canoe Pub as 2 of my excellent friends, Monica and Jordan meet!

It was quite strange how the moment Monica left, the rain came and summer was over, just like that.  I had been trying to get all of my ducks lined up so that I could attend 'Western Academy of Photography' this year, which is a very intense 10 month professional photography/photojournalism course here in Victoria.   I was accepted to the school, had my interview and was very excited to start. Unfortunately, I could not get all of the funds together and so I'll have to re-focus on this for next year.  I know a few people that have graduated from that course who now have excellent photography careers. I look forward to attending. In the meantime I have my nose to the grind trying to find work- I don't know if it's Victoria or if it's me- but the jobs are scarce.

Matt on the other hand couldn't be busier- his business is growing and he has had to hire a couple of guys to help him recently!  

As a final note- we are moving house this week! We knew that the place we are in now was nothing more than a transition and the timing couldn't be better... the baby upstairs, that was born on the evening we arrived in Victoria last year,  is now a very active toddler. He likes to start his days (around 6am) by running from one end of the house to the other over and over while he exercises his growing lungs and practices banging on what we imagine to be a drum...of course all of this takes place (for some odd reason) right above our bedroom!  Its been wonderful living here- we were the first tenants in this brand new suite- but it is essentially a glorified 'basement suite' and so it is time to move on.  

Our new home is a 20 minute drive north of downtown Victoria in a town called Sidney.  It is where the airport and ferries are located and it is right on the ocean- in fact it is known as Sidney by the Sea.  The property is sort of a bungalow with a front yard full of old trees and a backyard where we plan to plant a vegetable garden.  We will have the upstairs and the basement suite is occupied by other tenants.  Its an older home- I believe it used to be a cottage as it has that feel to it- the ceilings are wooden with exposed beams and the 3 of the 4 walls in the living room are windows- we think it was a sunroom.  The home was recently purchased by a man that Matt does a lot of work for and he offered it to us. The entire unit has been remodeled with hardwood floors throughout, new bathroom, new kitchen and lots of other little details that you can see as soon as we get some photos of it.  Our bedroom has a patio off of it that looks out over the backyard and you can smell the ocean in the air.  I will send out our new mailing address soon - so you can send us some love sometime- or of course if you want to show up for a visit...you'll know where to find us!

I suppose that gets us back on track with you- and now its your turn! We'd love to hear your news and updates so email, write, send an owl with a message or of course drop by- we'd love to have you!

Many thoughts and much love, 

Matt, Wendhi and Ruca xoxo

Hello Dear Family

I trust that this finds you all well and happy. I am sitting here in the studio at the end of my day and I thought it was about time for some updates! The sun is shining through the window and I can hear people in the offices around me packing it in for the weekend- as I intend to do since my appointment for this afternoon was a no-show.

I am in the studio now every day and its pretty great. I keep myself busy with a lot of administrative and marketing things that need to be done and since we've officially opened our doors I've had 10 shoots- we are already having people call in after having been referred by someone who had a shoot and loved their photos! I'm also busy planning and organizing an opening night 'get together' for local businesses, to introduce ourselves to our neighbours, and planning out (what I hope will be) a monthly or bi monthly "Mom's Night Out" which I think will be a great marketing tool. A cocktail party for mom's who have been in and I'll ask them each to bring a friend. My hope is that local businesses in the "baby industry" might like to get their products into these hands and will donate some items so that each mom can leave with a swag bag. Looks like my event planning education won't go to waste after all!

Matt is as busy as always with a steady stream of jobs flowing in one after the other. His truck however hasn't been as reliable and last week as he was backing out of the driveway a ball joint broke and (a bunch of other nasty boy truck things happened) which led to him having to get a tow and being without his vehicle for 3 days. He immediately put it up for sale and as yet has not had any response- but fingers crossed he can get rid of it! It truly has been one thing after another since he got it.

We had a visit from Derek (Matt's best friend) in February which was nice for Ruca as he spent most of his time with her!!! With both of us at work all day we didn't have much time together- but we did have some good laughs and with both Matt and Derek so accomplished in the kitchen I don't think I cooked dinner all week! It was nice to have a guest come to stay (ehem...hint hint) and you are all welcome anytime. Please not all at the SAME time though- ok?!?!

Ruca will be turning 12 this week and so we've decided to dedicate this Sunday to a day all about her! We are going to spoil her all day to celebrate...it reminds me of when I was a kid and we used to throw little birthday party's for our dog Sushi! Of course I'm sure Matt wouldn't let me get her a birthday hat, wrap up pressies or present her with a doggie cake that has a candle in it....but we'll see just how far I can get! I'm sure I'll have some photos to post!

We had a fantastic night out for St Paddy's- we went to "Lucky Bar" where we saw a couple of great bands- local Rock/Reggae bands The Kiltlifters and Rocky Mountain Rebel Music. Everybody was feeling festive and in high spirits - the bands were amazing- so much energy and lots of people on stage a lot of switching up vocalists and some great talent. It was a dance party to be sure and we joined in until the wee hours it was a much needed evening to let loose and blow off some steam! We agree that we need to work nights like that into our lives more often.

Summer is just around the corner I suppose and I hope that we will have a chance to get together with some of you! Phish (my favourite band) has announced a summer tour with 3 nights in California so I'm hoping Robin will come out and we can make another road trip just like last summer! One of my dearest friends Paula is getting married this summer in Vegas and Matt and I have discussed driving down and maybe checking out the Grand Canyon while we're at it- we'll see what happens - he has never been down to that area but I know he'll love it!

Just to let you know- we have cancelled our home phone line as we both have cells and rarely used it- so if you call and it says its not assigned- don't fret! You can reach us on our cell phones from now on.

Much love from sunny BC

Matt, Wendhi and the birthday girl. xoxo

Happy New Year! Well...Happy Chinese New Year- which I guess I always feel connected to having been born in China! I was born under the sign of the Tiger so this is my year!
Its a grey and chilly Monday here but I'm not complaining! It seems as though my childhood dream to be able to enjoy the Fall and Spring but skip Winter entirely has been realized! I am in shock that on February 15th we have yet to see a single flake of snow and that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom! It has been about 10 degrees every day and drops to about 8 at night...I love it!

Matt and I had a great weekend together for Valentine's...we skipped the Hallmark side of things and got out of town for a night instead. Our friends Darren and Ali had rented a room in Port Renfrew (which is not a dream destination but oddly enough is about a 20 minute drive to excellent surf...hmmm...I smell a surf trip disguised by hearts and champagne...) and we managed to get the room right next to the theirs - cute little place - good off season price and the rooms were complete with kitchenette and lots of space. It was great to catch up with our friends as we hadn't seen them since Hallowe'en! Sunday started off rainy and misty but we headed to the beach anyway- I chose not to 'surf' and hang with Ali on the beach instead. The god's were on our side as the clouds broke and the sun came out in full force- what a unbelievable day- the guys got 3 hours in the water. I took the camera from the studio for the weekend with the hopes of getting some pictures of the trees at Sombrio to blow up and hang in our home- I will share those later! Matt and I cooked an amazing Indian dinner together and watched a movie at home to top off the weekend perfectly.

Speaking of the studio- its basically finished and ready to go!!! All we need now are babies to photograph! I'm sure we'll be very busy as soon as we hit the button on the marketing materials and get the advertising side of things out there. I must admit to being very nervous but excited as well. My boss has been here in Victoria for 3 weeks now and plans to stay for another month he claims to help me get things going. He's been very good to me through all of this- he picks me up and brings me home every day and takes me out for breakfast and lunch most days. He also treats Matt and I to nice dinners once in a while - which is very nice of him. I'm sure he appreciates the company as well...living alone in a hotel room can't be too exciting. I will be keeping a blog of our shoots once we get going - if you care to have a look at it- I had started one a while back when we were doing the "in home" shoots - before the studio- and I had started it off with the Jen/Jer maternity shoot I did- as that was my very first time! You can see that here: http://www.justarrivedstudio.blogspot.com
I will be updating it as often as I can with shoots from the studio sessions!

Matt has finally made the next step with his work which is starting to break away from the company he has been employed with (of course he kept the ties open for work but on less of a regular basis) and has chosen to go under his own company now! It was a decision that he did mull over but I think from my perspective the decision made itself...Matt is so good at his job and it shows- he has been offered so much work and I really feel that he will have a solid client base that will spread his name proudly. He has actually taken on too much work at this point and has been working really long hours to try and hit all his deadlines and make all his clients happy. I suppose that's where I need to step in and make sure he is balancing this all out with some down time.

Speaking of which - we hit up China Town this past Sunday for the New Years celebration which was a really great day! The weather was 17 degrees and sunny downtown and we had an early dim sum before watching the dragon parade! I remember being scared of them as a kid but the kids here seemed to love it! Victoria boast's Canada's oldest China Town - its quite small compared to Toronto or San Francisco but it has charm that's for sure!

We have really been discussing the prospect of finding a new place to live a lot lately as we both feel we can do better. Aside from the ongoing construction outside our home every day for the past 7 months...we feel that we need a place where we don't have to be concerned about our noise level (if Matt wants to play music or if we want to have people over etc.)and that we don't have to listen to everything that goes on upstairs- we have also just had our main light source cut off as the landlord had a 'privacy fence' built on the edge of our tiny cement block of a back patio...yes, we may have more privacy (as will they if they ever want to use their backyard) but it cuts off our access to natural light. We are both getting frustrated- so we're going to take our time and seek out a house to rent if we can find one!

I wonder if everyone is watching the Olympics? We don't have cable- so the only thing I've seen was last nights Russia vs Canada hockey game and the women's bobsleigh - Go Canada! I love the national pride that has been evoked here and I do wish I would have had the opportunity to head over to the mainland for a little more of a taste! I had a wonderful weekend with my girl Monica who flew out the week before the games began- it was so great to see her and to explore Vancouver in the sunshine on our bicycles! The city was alive and buzzing with energy and so many people! It was incredible. I suppose we know that I am the city mouse in this story and Matt is the country mouse! I can take both but definitely come alive when surrounded by big city energy!

We will have a house guest this coming week as Derek booked a flight out to Vic! He'll be arriving on Sunday- so hopefully Matt will be all caught up by then and will be able to make some time to hang with him.

Well I suppose that's all for now. Hope you are all well and happy and looking forward to Spring temperatures and maybe less snow?

As always - much love,

Matt, Wendhi and Ruca xo

The birds have been singing first thing in the morning lately, and I'd forgotten how uplifting that can be to one's spirits. Its as if Spring has come early and they have awoken (themselves and me) from a long grey nap with a renewed sense of life and energy. It never ceases to amaze me how connected we are to nature and its rhythms if we pay attention. Look closer.

We have been quite lucky lately with the sun sticking around for most of the day and the temperatures in the double digits. It is funny though- I used to whine every winter in Ontario "I never want to sit through another snowy winter again!" and yet for some reason I found myself kind of missing it this year. I'm sure I'll get over it!

This recent energy spurt of mine has led me to a little exploring- I have realized that Matt and I have gotten into a bit of routine within our community- patterns that had been established out of convenience when we first got here. We found our 'go to' shops for things we need and then never really branched out too much. It's exciting discovering new things around different corners even the simple things like a new grocery store that stocks your favourite cereal or the local cheap theatre that only charges $4.25 on Tuesdays! It seems that we've made it past that 6 month hump and are now open to more. I guess just like I imagine Jayden is at 6 months...we're starting to crawl.

The studio is well on its way to actually being ready...I will have some photos to post soon of the progress - the change is phenomenal. New paint and new floors and the boss is out shopping for all the technical equipment as I write. He is determined to set us apart from any existing competition and wants to have the best possible gear - which often times leads to big talk that I have to reel in. Last Sunday he was over to see the studio and he was talking about having a builder come in to measure the space so they can have a custom work space designed and built for me. Money aside...how long is that going to take? I mean really... I don't think people are going to be admiring my work space- I need a desk and a chair with a place to edit photos, and run the business... I'd do it from a bean bag chair and a lap top if I had to, if it meant the studio could open next week! They mean well and I love working them- they are so open to creative ideas and really let me run with things. I am just 6 months in of chomping at the bit and getting anxious for this to start- it's exciting! I'm so ready to be in this new career this position of running a studio on my own and learning so much every day- creating images that people love and adding all the little details to the environment that will set us apart. I want people's experience at their photo shoot to be relaxing but special and a little bit glam. My boss is coming over next week to shop with me, set the place up and get our name out there. I have a very special bottle of bubbly chilling in the fridge to celebrate with that I can't wait to crack!

Matt has been working like crazy lately...he works all day for the company and then evenings and weekends on his own contracts. I don't know a lot about tiling but I can say this: I was at a job site with him lately- helping him get set up and another flooring guy came by to say hello- he was singing Matt's praises about his work-how perfect it is- how he went over it with a fine tooth comb and was so impressed. He went on and on and eventually hired Matt to come and do some tile at his place! I have every confidence that Matt's company is going to be a giant success and I'm very proud of him...he has such a great work ethic - and I say this even though it cuts into our time together sometimes!!! He hasn't been able to get out surfing as much as he'd like to just yet- but I keep reminding him "all work and no play..." but I say that now because I have this amazingly warm brand new wet suit hanging in my own closet now that I've only been out in once! It was such a wonderful feeling to get in the Pacific Ocean in January and not feel the cold. It was so much fun to swim around and play...I only caught one wave that day- and it was a good one- I rode the entire thing on my stomach but it was such an amazing feeling and I can't wait til I can get to my feet!

We are still dreaming of getting away...and we now have it down to Hawaii or Mexico in April. Flights to Hawaii are soo cheap from here and I have friends to stay with as well. We'll see.

For now Matt is really excited to come home for his visit with Kieran! He'll be back from the 2nd-9th and will be so happy to spend every second possible with K- I wish I could be there to see everyone and document Matt and Kieran together- I bet he's changed so much since we've been here.

I'm looking forward to having Mum and Bill out even though its 5 months away - I'm on the lookout for great stuff to do! Hopefully I'll have a car by then - no bus for us!!! Ghislaine I hope you're enjoying CR very much- wish we could come visit... Doug and Linda- have a fantastic time on your cruise! Kimmy have a safe and exciting trip to Israel...can't wait to hear and see all about it! Jer- congrats on your win at the bike show! I guess talent runs in your family! Robin- I wish I could be there for your first show- it's going to be so great- congratulations!!!

We hope everyone is well and happy and as always we'd love to hear your news when you have time.

Much love,

Matt- Wendhi and Ruca.

xoxo

Welcome to 2010!  It is a giant number isn't it? It feels sort of surreal somehow. Like we would wake up on the 1st to robots running the house and a flying car in the driveway! Of course as it turned out I still had to clean up the mess from the night before...sadly there was no Rosie here for me!

Matt and I were disappointed that we weren't able to sneak home for the holidays as that had been our hope all along. We did have a lovely time here though - it was a fun day exchanging gifts ( I got my very own wetsuit so I'm looking very forward to getting into the water with Matt finally and not sitting on the beach waiting!!!)  and being spoiled by our families.  If we haven't said it yet Thank You for all of the beautiful cards and thoughtful gifts. Everything was perfect and really made us smile.

Truth be told...we had decided last year that it was going to be our last traditional celebration and that we were going to get away somewhere warm for xmas instead of buying into the usual scene. We felt it again this year- and found ourselves laughing at how silly it seems...cutting down a tree and dragging it home only to decorate it with lights and sparkly things. How odd is it to just go out and spend all of this money on people for gifts at this one time of the year...for what? As much as we want to avoid it ...its impossible. Its a conditioning that we have with us from day 1 isn't it? Its made to be so magical when we're kids- and then when its time to make the magic for ourselves- something is lost. There are so many emotions wrapped up in the holiday- it makes us happy and sad all at once. We feel obligation and guilt. If we are alone we are made to feel extra alone...its all a very odd time in our year. 

We vowed this year that it WAS the last one to be spent in a traditional sense! No more trees and no more gifts...no more eating and drinking junk until we're bursting at the seams! It will definitely be a time for family and magic but we think its time to re-write traditions. How do you feel about that? Would anyone else be interested in perhaps all getting together somewhere for a holiday rather than spending money on gifts and trees and food and drink? Maybe we could all chip in and rent a house somewhere warm for a week in December? I am willing to do all the research if anyone would like to be a part of it. We have a year to consider it!? Let's go and make memories rather than buy them. I bet its easier than we think!

Our New Years Eve was nice we went out to a beautiful Scottish Pub downtown for a 3 course dinner and drinks. The band was great and the theme was Prohibition so all the servers were in flapper dresses with feather head bands and the guys were in page boy hats with suspenders and rolled up sleeves. I loved it! The food was amazing the band was great but we hadn't really known how many people would be there.  It wasn't very busy and at 1130 Matt suggested that we come home for 12 rather than sitting in an empty-ish restaurant. We rung in 2010 in our living room with a kiss to the Beach Boys version of Auld Lang Syne and then we danced and drank to some Blue Grass...Ruca didn't know what was going on! In our champagne induced bubbly head state we forgot to let her out before bed and we woke on the 1st to a lovely little mess right under the Christmas tree thus marking the end of the holidays! The tree came down and xmas was gone! Ruca has spoken.

We have made some resolutions for the new year...first of all- we have vowed to make some friends and increase our social life here...secondly we are joining the gym together - it sounds so cliche- but we need it and its close and cheap. Going together will be a great motivator as well and we both have a history of loving going to the gym regularly so we're pretty confident that it will be a good thing. Matt also wants to surf more and play music. I want to find a theatre to join to stretch my acting muscles...and maybe get some singing and dancing in there too. We've talked about taking a dance class (swing or something fun like that) or a spanish class as well just to keep learning and have some fun too.  We also hope to move soon...our suite has been 'fine' as a starter- but I have always disliked living under people and living here has reminded me why. We hear everything- every flush of the toilet- every argument they may have - every time the baby cries and cries...and cries. On top of that we're in a brand new subdivision with ongoing construction every day of the week from 7am. On 3 sides of us we have new homes being built and its so hard to find a moment of quiet here. We are looking forward to taking our time to scout out a neighbourhood we both like and hope to find a house with no other people living in it!

Not much to report in the work department- Matt is still working with Castle Tile and is still getting jobs for his own company as well. He has now got decals of his logo and contact info for Clean Line Tile on his truck and it looks great! So happy for him!  My studio is being painted as we speak and the contractor should be finished on Tuesday and then I need to have someone do the flooring! I hope to have it done by Friday!  My bosses have said that they are still working on getting the hosiptal up and running soon. They have offered me a very nice raise and asked that I manage all the operations at the hospital(but not physically work there) as well as run the studio so that is nice and I just can't wait for all of this talking and planning to turn into action!!! It's been such a long haul! 

Matt is planning to make a trip back to Brantford for a week or so at the beginning of February- he needs to see K and spend some quality time with him.  I don't think I'll be able to join him this time- as I don't think I'll be able to ask for any time off just yet;) My birthday is this coming weekend but we don't have any plans for it...I always hope and pray that something magical and special will happen but that's me always the dreamer!!! Its such an unfortunate time of year for a birthday really...right after xmas and new years- everyone is broke and lacking the energy to have any more fun! I guess I'll just avoid it this year. 

I will end this post with a video that I made- if you're on facebook you may have seen it already.  It is 2009 in review. 

Enjoy it!

Much love, 

Wendhi, Matt and Ruca. xo

November Rain

Hello Dear Family, 

I cannot believe that November has nearly disappeared...where does the time go?  Well as much as I tried and begged I couldn't convince Matt to grow a giant moustache for "Movember" but he does however have a raging beard which he says he will shave on New Years Eve!  For those of you who aren't familiar "Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health." www.movember.com  So if you have seen an awful lot of men sporting odd facial hair this month...this might be why.

The rain has arrived...and as far as I'm concerned it can return from whence it came immediately.  I mean don't get me wrong I like a cozy rainy day every now and again- and I did have some idea of what I was getting myself into- but this is insane!  I suppose I shouldn't complain all of this weather is what makes BC so beautiful, I guess its an ok trade off.

Our Hallowe'en weekend was spent in Tofino as planned- we stayed at a friend's place for the weekend and had a really great time.  We missed the surf competition but it was pretty exciting for Tofino as a local guy (Pete Devries) won the entire thing so there were lots of congratulatory signs posted everywhere and he also ran the Olympic Torch into town which we did catch and I got a few photos. We also went and caught up with a couple that Matt used to cater for. They run a tourist boat operation in Ucluelet and were so happy to see Matt! During our chat they suggested that we take some time to go to the salmon hatchery nearby and see the black bears.  Wow! What an afternoon that was...it was incredible to see a mother and her baby pulling massive salmon right out of the river and tearing them apart.  As you might imagine we took a few photos...if you haven't seen them yet there are some posted here: www.wendhiwork.carbonmade.com. 

Matt has been getting busier with work lately and has also taken some more steps forward into getting his own business started.  He has had new business cards printed up with his Victoria phone number on it and has been networking with local flooring stores.  He also set up a portfolio online to showcase his fabulous work - you can visit it here: www.cleanlinetile.carbonmade.com.  The calls have just started to come in and he picked up 2 very nice jobs this week- so happy for him! 

I have had some progress in my working situation as well which I am happy to finally be able to announce. I am still sticking it out with this photography company out of Vancouver however it looks as though Victoria General Hospital is not going to be letting us in their doors anytime soon! Things were looking like I was going to be back on the job market after a "heads up" phone call I received from the boss a couple of weeks ago. They were unsure of how we could move forward in any sort of capacity together- they had asked me to set up the in-home photography service- which I was working on but it was going to come down to me being paid per shoot and not full time hours and there was no way I could be a part of that. One thing I have learned about these guys is that they are idea men- they are thinkers and they don't like to give up- with that in mind they called me and asked me to start looking for a studio space here in Victoria that I could work out of. They figure that paying rent on a studio space will be less than the amount they would be paying to the hospital in commissions every month.  Long story short- I found a space- they came over last weekend- wined and dined me - we looked at the space together and I should have the keys in my hand by Tuesday! 

The space is right in the heart of downtown in an old heritage building. It's small but it has high ceilings and I have full control of the reno. They have asked if they can hire Matt to tear up the carpet and lay some laminate so that's an added bonus!  I have been feeling so torn about this because its not like I went to school for photography or have paid my dues so to speak within this industry and having a studio fully funded and geared up to work from seems like its beyond my skill at this point. My new motto is "fake it til you make it".  I have been honest with them from day 1 - that I am self taught and they like what I've done so far for them so I have chosen to look at this as my 'break'...someone taking a chance on me- this will be my education.  Baby and family photography is not my goal as a career but it is certainly the right thing for right now (fingers crossed).

It doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere for the holidays this year- which we are both bummed about- but we'll make the most of I suppose.  Matt will certainly miss Kieran...and turkey dinner ( I have offered to cook one for him but he says it wouldn't be the same to cook it for just one person) We are invited to a boxing day dinner at Matt's bosses house- so I am sure he'll get his fill there.  While we are on this topic- if you wouldn't mind sending your mailing addresses...I've misplaced my address book in the move! Please send us Christmas cards it will be so nice to get mail at that time of year! What are your plans for the holidays? 

Ruca is here grumbling at me to get her dinner- so that's my cue to leave you for now. We miss you all so much and hope to hear your news when you have a moment. 

Lots of love,

Matt, Wendhi and Ruca xoxo