Craig & Mel's World Tour: The past few months.....

Well, where to start! The last couple of months have been a rollercoaster for us in so many ways - emotionally, physically and mentally! Last blog I said that September didn’t have much going for us, well boy oh boy was I wrong!

The weekend of September 16^th Craig and I went to Portland, Oregon USA for the weekend. Our first trip into the USA since arriving in Canada and my first trip into the USA ever! It is about a 6 hour drive including the boarder crossing where you have to first line up in your car, then park your car, go inside and stand in a line (while your car is being searched) and then be asked a million questions about why you are going into the states, where will you be staying, how long will you be there blah blah blah… Oh and also get your photo and fingerprints taken! Once that ordeal is over, it is into the USA! We arrived in Portland in the early afternoon and went out for late lunch early dinner which was really nice. We decided to go back to our room to freshen up before we were heading out for the night. To my surprise, Craig proposed in our room!

Now I know it has been known for a long time that Craig and I are getting married in Vegas on New years anyway but I still needed a ring on my finger to make it official! I was not expecting it to happen there and then and so it was still a great surprise and enough to bring some tears to my eyes. The ring too is just so beautiful and more perfect than I ever thought it could possibly be and I wear it very proud now!

As everyone probably knows by now, Craig has quite bad accident while we were in Portland also. It was quite an ordeal and really, the biggest and worst thing that has ever happened to us. Adding that to our engagement that weekend, it is safe to say that Portland will forever be remembered! Originally when it happened we thought that we would have to come home but thankfully from the support of our family, we have decided to stay and are so glad that we have. The thought of going home was truly heart breaking to both of us because we have really only just got settled here and beginning our new little life. Not to mention that going home on such horrible terms didn’t make it any easier! After emergency surgery in Portland and then another surgery 10 days later here in Vancouver he is doing much better now. It has now been about 3 months since his accident and he is doing great. He has been cleared to go back to work, snowboarding and pretty much whatever he is able to do. We were originally told that he would be wearing a wrist/hand brace for around 6 months but he has already been told that he doesn’t need to wear it anymore, which is really positive. The main problem is the movement in his fingers which could take up to 6 months to return but he seems to be making strides in his recovery and so, we are very optimistic and hope that the hard road is over now!

Now, we get to look to the future and also have a much better out look on our time here in Canada. We know now that it could end at any time and so we don’t want to waste it. We have been much more well behaved and spend lots more time now walking around Vancouver, going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner and just generally enjoying the fact that we are here in Canada and the fact that we love living here in Vancouver so much.

During this time we had Craig’s birthday which was probably the quietest birthday he has had in a long time. It was a Sunday so we went and had a late lunch with a couple of friends and had a great time! It was Craig’s first outing since his injury and so it was just nice for him to get out of the house and catch up with people.

While Craig was off work recovering we had a visitor from home. Bec works with Maree who I went to school with and I know her from their salon. When Craig and I were just heading to Canada Bec started organizing her visa too. She was meant to stay here indefinitely like us but unfortunately, certain circumstances meant she had to return home. We did however, manage to convince her to stay a little while longer and she, like many others have, enjoyed our couch for a week or so! It was great having here there and plus, it was extra company for Craig which was awesome too. They had breakfast dates and Tim’s and many many car rides to good old Hastings Street (Bec’s favourite place haha). We loved having her there and hope that she can save her pennies and come back to us one day. Our little house misses her!!! While she stayed with us we also had a fiend Marty leave us. Marty worked with Craig at the landscaping job and well what can we say, it was horrible to see him go! We went out on a Saturday night for drinks to say goodbye and Bec came along too. It was great fun, but at the same time sad. It sucks saying goodbye to people and Marty and his girlfriend Georgia are greatly missed!!!! They are off to bigger and better things but they don’t live far from us at home so I am sure that we will see them in the future when we get back home!!!

I also had my birthday, which was great fun being that it is on Halloween and all. On the Saturday night before my birthday we went to a fancy dress party at the Hostel, which was great fun. Some people’s costumes were just amazing. People go to so much trouble but they were definitely worth it. I went as a Vampire and Craig was a doctor. Relatively boring and easy costumes but we had fun anyway! On my actual birthday we were invited to Craig’s boss’s house. His boss has the 2 twin 4 year old girls and so they go all out for Halloween. They had a big street party and had popcorn, hotdogs, chocolates, hot chocolate and other little gifts to hand out to all the kids trick or treating. It was so much fun to spend Halloween with a Canadian family and watching all their traditions. It is also legal on the night of Halloween here to let off fire works so Craig’s boss let off about $300 worth on the street, which was heaps of fun to see too!!!

It started to snow on the mountains early this year (like start of November) around Vancouver city. We have a season pass to Mt Seymour which is about a 40 minute drive from our house and where we plan to spend lots of the winter! We were so excited when we first heard that it had snowed, we went for a drive up there and it was truly beautiful. Since the mountain has opened we have been trying to go as much as we can. Although the snow started early, it really hasn’t snowed that much. Craig is much better on the board than me but I am getting there slowly. I did however surprised myself when I went the first time and did exceptionally well on my first day back on the board. I have not been snowboarding since Craig and I went to Perisher in 2006 and so I was a little nervous. I have been proud that I haven’t really hurt myself and been managing to get off the chairlift multiple times without injury!!!! Lol We have managed to get some really beautiful days up there and taken some lovely pictures too. Craig and I can see ourselves spending the next 6 months snowboarding with our iPods in our ears! It is just so much fun!!

On the snow note – it also snowed at our house a few weeks ago which was just awesome! As I said, the snow came early this year and especially early to be snowing in downtown Vancouver! We were ecstatic, taking photos and generally just being an Australian about it! The next morning we woke up and there was snow all outside our house, over our car and on the streets! It was simply beautiful! Given how early the snow has started, it is going to be a cold and snowy winter which is fine by us! It seems that we have started to acclimatize to the weather because -2 really doesn’t seem ‘that cold’ to us anymore! In saying that, we went to Whistler in the middle of November to see Hilltop Hoods. It was -15 the night we went out to see them and walking through the village was simply crazy cold! -15 definitely hurts! Hilltop Hoods were awesome and we had a great crew that went which made it even more fun. Altogether there were about 10-15 people that we knew, or were friends of friends! They played in a little night club and so, we were literally about 15m from the stage! It was so up close and personal and just a great show all round! Plus, it only cost $25 to go which is simply a bargain! We will definitely be heading back to Whistler over the snow season to snowboard there as well. They have had endless amounts of snow fall there and it is going to be awesome to ride there!

Just last week Craig got a new job which is really exciting. His new job is working for a HVAC (refrigeration) supply company. It is a different side to his trade which will be a great change and definitely great experience for him. He really enjoyed landscaping but this is just such a great opportunity and in keeping with his trade – think it will definitely benefit him in the future. He works Mon – Fri 8-5 and gets all benefits like medical, dental, holidays, sick pay etc which is really good over here. Plus, he snagged himself a pay rise which is awesome. He started there Monday this week and is only working this week then has the couple of weeks off for the wedding before going back in the New Year. They were really understanding about his pre-booked holiday which was awesome.

Other than that, the most exciting news goes back to our engagement and our wedding in Vegas. It seems like we have talked about it for so many years but it is finally actually happening! We are flying into LA on December 27^th and meeting my parents, grandma, Craig’s sister (Nicole) and Josh. We are all then driving to Vegas on December 30^th and the wedding is booked at 1pm on December 31^st at a place on the strip called The Little Chapel of the West. Following that we have dinner booked at the MGM Grand (where we are staying) and then we will let the New Years Celebrations begin! On New Years in Vegas they shut down the strip and have live music, performances, fireworks and pretty much one big street party! It is going to be amazing!

Well that pretty much sums up things here at the moment. Our next blog will be exciting because we will have had Christmas and the Wedding!!!!!

I have attached some pictures too so I hope you like them.

We wish everyone at home a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!!! We love you all very much and miss u just the same!!!

Mel and Craig xoxoxox